We are starting to understand a little bit about our eternal state that we will be in forever if we know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior. We are looking at the new Jerusalem in Revelation 21. Some details are given to us about where we will live forever if we know Christ. Some things we will see today beginning with Revelation 21:9 and going through to Revelation 22:3, seven different times “the Lamb,” referencing the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, is mentioned. Seven times in those verses, so the single feature here is the Lamb. All the other things we are looking at are the physical details and so forth. The central figure is the Lamb of God who purchased us by His blood that we might be His. There are a lot of names for Christ in Scripture. Lamb is found in a few places, but primarily in the book of Revelation. So, it is a picture and reminder of how it is that we are here - only because Jesus Christ was the sacrificial Lamb who died in our place. So, it is appropriate as we move into the eternal kingdom of God that we realize why we are there. I trust that for all of eternity we will never get over the fact that we are with Him, with God, with Christ, forever and ever because of what Jesus Christ has done for us.
As we look at the details starting in Revelation 21:12, we are going to look at the walls and the gates of this city that is being described for us here. We have already seen in Revelation 21:11 that it is beautiful. It is like “crystal-clear jasper.” Revelation 21:12 tells us, “It had a great and high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names were written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel.” Keep in mind that walls in ancient times, unlike today, walls were used primarily for protection. We don’t have that kind of system today. To keep the enemy out, the walls were necessary in these cities. Otherwise, it would be overrun by all sorts of armies and bandits and so forth. So, walls were necessary, and so the picture here is the protection that God gives His people. Once we are there, there is nothing that could ever harm us or bring us out of the city of God. In no sense could we ever lose our eternal Salvation. There is a protection that is signified by these walls. Then there are twelve gates, and the gates were the most vulnerable places of cities along the walls because those were the places most easily broken into.
