Revelation Pt 5 — Billy Strachan

Babylon as a World System

Now then, tonight we find ourselves at the commencement of chapter 19 and our last gallop to the end, but on delivering what we had to deliver last week as the frightening judgment upon this harlot Babylon, Mystery the Great Mother of Harlots, an abomination of the earth, and in facing the fact that there are so many options available as to which city it could be, and we saw that if we speculate, most people in most places could fit their town into it.

In fact, the gentleman I had with me from school last week on the way home in the car, he says, isn't that funny? I always thought it would be Los Angeles because it so fitted our situation, and that sent me into a lot of thinking, and so in the course of the in-between of the week, I went and had a good study at the word Babylon in Scripture.

Now it's very interesting that the first mention of Babel or Babylon comes in Genesis and the 10th chapter after the Noahic flood, which was a judgment, and remember that we've seen repeatedly throughout our study of Revelation that as in the days of Noah, so shall also the days of the coming of the Son of Man be, that we just need a good study of the times of Noah to have a good hint as to what it will be like when Christ is about to come or coming, and I noticed that after the Genesis flood and the commencement of new life, there is still the trail through of something of the nature of the rebelliousness of sinful man that passes through that flood, because Noah and his sons are still in sin-ridden bodies, though by grace they have avoided the judgment and are now going to replenish the earth, and in the ninth chapter of Genesis, you have that awful sin of Noah and the curse upon Canaan, and it's interesting in the 10th chapter we are given a list of the descendants of Canaan, and in verse 8 we read and Cush begat Nimrod, he began to be a mighty one in the earth.

Now in Genesis 6, before God announced that he was absolutely exhausted with man, it tells us that men had began to be mighty on the earth, and everything that's embodied in the word Nimrod is depictive of that trail through of the attitude of rebellion, independence, and pride and go it alone in the life of a person, and we read in verse 10, and the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech and Echad and Kalni in the land of Shinar, which is the land of the Babylonians, and so Babel was a by-product of cursed Canaan, and was a city built by man in defiance of God, a re-establishment of a citadel of independence of God, with a sense of I shall be my own master, and I shall build and erect and create in life that which no judgment of God can touch or affect.

Business will go on as usual. Now you will find that Babylon trails its way throughout the scripture in the Old Testament, and in Isaiah, and in Ezekiel, and in Daniel, you find that it is pictured as a city that has an attitude of I shall rise again.

I have built this by my power, my might, my strength. It speaks in Isaiah of an attitude of arrogance, pride, self-satisfaction, system, things, all that they could build in that city. Now what I did discover that was where in the Old Testament Babylon was specifically a place in a city, by the time we come to Revelation, it is not a place in a city, it is a world system.

It is a world attitude and a world system. The great whore is that lady who has deceived millions and deceived the whole world with her delicacies. In other words, it is the entire materialistic, material-oriented world system that says, irrespective of whether there's a God there or not, we shall persist, we will be independent, we will survive this planet, no matter what happens, we will go on, it will be business as usual.

And I think that's why you'll find there that there was that repeated shock upon the world when they realized the marvel they staggered at the destruction of that system, because by that time, as it's getting like that now, everybody seems to think that the bettering of things in life equals the bettering of life.

And people think that more things, more clothes, nicer homes, bigger wealth, bigger wage, everything of those kind of things is going to bring the happiness to seek, and they'll think that great civilizations is an answer to man's need, and that if we could just give them everything, there would be no necessity for theft, there would be no necessity for anything evil, but they will be shocked to discover that that's all an illusion, and all of that is going to be destroyed.

So what was a city in the Old Testament is by the close of the New Babylon a system, a universal system, and being brought down to the ground and being crushed once for all forever, and by the end of that 18th chapter there was great rejoicing in heaven that at last these things had gone.

From Cain's Civilization to the New Creation

Remember prior to Cain killing Abel, man did not live in a settled, secured environment of his own making. He roamed freely in the garden of God. It was Canaan who murdered his brother and his descendants who set up the first civilization and started to deal in music, industry, things, security, protect myself because he felt he would be avenged, therefore protect yourself, no trust in God, and in trying to protect himself, limited himself from the freedom of the garden, from the freedom of the planet, and God is going to bring by the end of the scriptures man back to the liberty where security will not be inside four walls with the door locked.

It will be a freedom again to roam freely in his new heavens and new earth without fear of all of the things that make us put all the locks on the doors today. And in the 19th chapter, and after these things, the destruction of that then world system, I heard a great voice of much people in heaven saying, Alleluia, salvation, glory, honor, and power unto the Lord our God.

For true and righteous are his judgments, for he hath judged the great whore, the world system, the world Babylon, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.

And again they said, Alleluia, and her smoke rose up forever and ever. And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped that sat on the throne saying, Amen and Alleluia. And a voice came out of the throne saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.

And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thundering saying, Alleluia, for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him, for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

Now remember in Corinthians, Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 11, he has espoused us to one husband as a chaste virgin to Christ. And we are going towards that great total unity when we shall see him and claim him as our own.

One of the most wonderful pictures in the Old Testament is your servant going out seeking a bride for the Son at the request of the Father, Abraham, Isaac the servant, and Rebecca. And the servant is a good type of the Holy Spirit who goes off into the world to seek a bride for Isaac, and gives her the earnest of the Spirit, as it were, in the gifts.

The gifts are a beautiful type of the earnest of the Spirit, where he put bracelets upon her wrists, and jewels upon her face and ears. And it was a little taste of all of the wealth that she could have, if she would come and marry herself to a man that she had never seen.

Then came that personal challenge, wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go. And on the basis of the love gifts, started the long journey across the deserts to meet the man she had never met before, to give herself to him in total.

And in seeing him, ran and then became his total wife. And here you're seeing in type what is being fulfilled here, that at the present time in this world system, you find the Holy Spirit is seeking a bride for Christ.

And we're moving through our wilderness of this world. We've accepted the challenge, I will go with this man. I will take this Jesus to be my lawful wedded husband. And we're going towards one that we have not yet seen.

But the very evidences of the things that he has done in our life is enough to make us say there is an inheritance yet to get. We're going towards it. We're going to get it. Yes, I will walk and walk till one day I shall say, who is this that cometh towards me?

And he will say, tis my master's son, thy husband, and we'll run and we will meet him and we will become his forevermore. And here's that great scene in heaven where the ceremony is ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white.

For the fine linen is the righteousness of the church members. Yes, an imparted purity as a gift from Christ who is the Savior. He supplies the wedding garment. He has become a robe of righteousness as the New Testament.

And he said unto me, write, blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. Now don't forget the gospel declaration of one of the parables of the kingdom, that it's like a rich father making a wedding for his son.

And he sent out his servants to invite those that were originally invited, but they made light of it and excuses. One said he had a wife that he had to go to. That meant more to him. Another had some land that he had to go and look after.

Another one was more interested in his merchandise. In other words, the system of Babylon, where life, the wife, land, merchandise, things, meant so much more than this invitation to this great wedding.

And they killed the servants in spite of the fact that the invitation said, everything's ready. You don't have to bring a thing. It's all prepared. Come freely. And when Israel rejected that then invitation, out went the great evangelistic command.

Go into the highways and as many as you can find, invite to the wedding. As many as. Rich or poor, good sinners, bad sinners. They can all come. Whosoever will may come. And if you remember in that parable, there was at that wedding feast, someone who tried to come in and he had not on a wedding garment.

And the king went to him and said, friend, how camest thou in thither not having on a wedding garment? And he was speechless because the answer to that was he'd refused the one that was an offer at the door.

Because in those weddings, in the day when the parable was explained and declared, Jews were dominated by Rome. Families were in poverty. Their wealth had gone. And if you were invited to a wedding, you probably couldn't accept because you know what it is, ladies.

Well, I can't go. I haven't got a dress. I mean, look at my shoes. You can't go to a wedding in shoes like these. And so people would have been declining the offer. And so if you were going to be wealthy enough to arrange a wedding, you had to make sure you had a similar garment to give to everybody that came in at the door and you offer them your free will choice of a garment that you provided for them.

So that everybody that came in, whether poor or rich, clothes are naked and were covered so that they could be in the presence of this great ceremony and great gathering. And what happened there was there was someone who felt that his own provision, his own clothes, his own self-righteousness was enough to get him there.

And he was thrust out into outer darkness, but he was called friend. The love of God had not altered for that person. They went into outer darkness by their own choice. That's why he ended that parables by saying, many are called, few are chosen.

And the reason for that is that many refuse to come his way, insist in coming their way or not at all. But blessed are they which are called to the marriage supper of the lamb. And he said unto me, these are the true sayings of God.

The Testimony of Jesus and the Coming King

And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, see thou do it not. I am thy fellow servant and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

And don't ever forget that vital phrase towards the close of your entire New Testament, that the spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus. Learn to try the spirits. And wherever you go and find people presenting anything other than the person of the Lord Jesus Christ as the sole sufficiency to get a person into the kingdom, it is not prophecy.

It is lies. Because the spirit of prophecy is the declaration of Jesus Christ, the son of God, the Savior. And the word Jesus, you shall call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins, because he is the Savior.

And there's no other name given under heaven whereby men might be saved other than the name of Jesus. And so when people are running around offering spirit, offering gift, offering miracle, offering deliverance, offering all sorts of little things that sound so attractive and with speedy cures and escapism to today's problems that bypasses the centrality of the person of Jesus Christ and the testimony of him who died on a cross and bore the punishment for the sin of the whole world and rose again to come and live in you, it has nothing whatsoever to do with the gospel or prophecy.

Because our real ministry is the witness and the testimony about Jesus, the Savior who alone can save. And I saw heaven open and behold a white horse and he that sat on him was called faithful and true and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

The entire revelation until now has not only shown you the judgments of the Savior on the world that rejected him, but his justification for the judgments. His eyes were as a flame of fire, he burns through everything.

And on his head were many crowns. I'm convinced that when we shall see him, just as he looked at Peter, and Peter went out and wept bitterly, I think when we see Christ, we're not going to weep, but when he looks at us with those eyes, do you know for the first time in my life we're going to agree?

We're just going to look at the Lord and say, yeah, you're right. At last I admit it, you're right. And there will be no more pretense, no more sham, no more self justification, no more covering up of sins, no more giving the impression that, well, I've been a Christian for nigh on 60 years and I've never done that, Elsie.

Hey, Elsie will be there, you'll be both look in his eyes and look at each other and say, it doesn't matter now, does it? He's right. And you'll just nod with agreement, you'll know the absolute truth.

But how marvelous at last to be open with one another and to know that we're only in his presence through his blessedness, through his willingness to get us there on the basis of what he did for us and not what we've done for ourselves.

How marvelous not to have to pretend anymore. And on his head were many crowns, and he had a name written that no man knew but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God.

And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, the Word of God, says Hebrews, is like a two-edged sword, and it pierces to the dividing asunder of the joints of the marrow of the soul and the spirit and the body.

It just exposes everything to its absolute reality. It does today, it will do so then. And it will be by the word of his mouth that the entire nations will at last agree. They will look at those eyes as we will, and they'll agree we deserve this, and he shall rule them.

Yes, he will judge them with us, the nations with a smite with that sword, and he shall rule them with a rod of iron. They're not going to get an easy escapism. It won't be a sudden obliteration. They're going to learn to live in this same deteriorating old planet for a further thousand years, knowing that Christ is going to see to it that he holds and consists and keeps all things together for another thousand years.

So anytime you go to bed at night, sleep well, my children. Banish the fears that between tonight and tomorrow morning some political idiot may push a button and man will maniacally release all their demonic atomic weaponry and blow up the whole planet.

No, they won't. Heaven is going to keep that little joy for itself. And from any moment that you breathe at any time, day or night, you know that this planet will still exist another thousand years, because part of the judgment of these people is that he's going to come and he's going to force his reign upon the nations.

They are going to acknowledge him, whether they like it or not, with a rod of iron he's going to rule them, and all the ambassadors and the rulers are going to take their flights out to the Middle East to appear before the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and acknowledge he's right.

And all the system of Babylon that permeated and deceived the whole world was wrong. And he'll make them live with that knowledge for a thousand years before the rebel, and we have the final great conflagration of war with those that reject him.

And then he'll take care of this planet and give us the new one, as we'll see in the 21st chapter. And he had on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God.

Yes, this is not to the supper of the lamb. This is not the marriage. This is the fowls of the air being invited to a big feast that's about to take place. They can eat the carnage of the destruction of the wicked, that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of captains and the flesh of the mighty men and the flesh of horses and of them that sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free and born, both small and great, wealthy and poor alike, slave or free.

You know, that text always flashes to my mind as I drive to work in the morning to see how many hedgehogs caught it last night crossing the road. And you see the carrion crows in the middle of the road, pecking away at the innards of the hedgehogs.

Sorry if you've just finished fish and chips tonight. But every time I see these birds, scavengers out there cleaning up the debris of the rabbit that never made it across the road or the hedgehog, it always comes to mind that one day all of these birds are going to have a big bountiful feast and it will be dead men that eating dead men.

And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies. And remember that beast is that big political leader and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse and against his army.

It's no longer going to be detente with the religious people. It's going to be all out war to attempt for once and for all and forever to destroy this Christ and this God. And the beast was taken and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast and then that worshipped his image.

These were both cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. Goodbye, miracle worker. Goodbye, mighty politician. Enjoy the central heating forever and ever. And the remnant was slain with a sword of him that sat upon the horse which sword proceeded out of his mouth and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

The Millennium and the Final Judgment

Just a word was enough to put them to death. And I saw an angel come down from heaven having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand and he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent which is the devil and Satan and bound him a thousand years.

Yes, he's not going to be active because Christ is going to make the people remaining learn that they could have lived in this planet economically, ecologically, religiously. They could have lived here as one family happily had they acknowledged God as their king.

But this lesson is being taught to them by a rod of iron. It is not fellowship, it is not willing and they're still in the sinful bodies and by the end of these years there will be a great rebellion as they move towards the final rejection of him.

And he cast him into the bottomless pit and shut him up and he set a seal upon him that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years should be fulfilled and after that he must be loosed a little season.

And I saw thrones and they that sat upon them and judgment was given unto them and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the word of God and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads or in their hands and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

And he already stated in the parables of the kingdom and the Gospels that there would be those of his saints that would be given positions to rule over peoples. Yes, the church that's the minority that people laugh at now.

Oh, you got one of them next door in our street, you know, one of them religious ones, you know, she goes to church, you know, does she really? Ah, one of them, I wouldn't go too much near them. You know, they're dying out.

Give a hundred years and that lot will have gone. No, they won't. And I'll tell you this. We may be the laughable minority, but one day we will be judges. And at that time we will be sent by our Lord and we will be given tasks during those years on the earth.

And those people are going to acknowledge we were right. And we will come into our own with our authority and a God given authority to be judges on the earth. Yes, he's going to give us that joy. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished.

This is the first resurrection. In other words, he's referring to all those that are with him then are those that are belonging to that first resurrection when the rapture took place. And those of us that were alive were caught up to be with him in the air.

The others came out of the graves. Spirits were united with new bodies. That one's gone. Now there will be through that thousand years, there will be others. And those that came to faith through the tribulation, they will have to wait till the end of that time for their opportunity.

Blessed and holy is he that hath part in this first resurrection. On such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with him a thousand years on this earth.

And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.

And they went up on the breadth of the earth and encompassed the camp of the saints about and the beloved city and fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever.

So he's going to have good company in his damnation. Yes, the great false prophet that deceived the nations with his super spirituality will have in his congregation to preach to forever and ever his lies, Satan himself and the beast, that great political antichrist power.

And I saw a great white throne and him that sat on it from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead small and great stand before God and the books were opened.

And another book was open, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works. Now you begin to see why we Christians don't get away with it now.

We seem to be chastised of our Lord and dealt with by our Lord for the sins that we commit now. But the great thing is once we have repented, received his chastisement, and we've matured through it and become more holy, greater partakers of his holiness and learn to behave ourselves, those sins that we committed that were forgiven, they are forgiven and forgotten, there is no record.

But for everybody in the world it seems to get away with it. Commit murder and get away with it. Commit rape and get away with it. Mug somebody in the street and get away with it. Yes, today people do get away with it, they think.

But suddenly on that day, for those people that rejected the means of blotting out their deeds from the book of memory, every little detail is on record. My, I'm glad for the cross of Christ. I'm glad for the forgiveness.

I'm glad there's no record. I drew the students attention last Monday on doing Genesis to the fact that Noah, as a very senior believer, sinned in his old age. But it was interesting that Genesis means beginnings.

And there you have the genetic beginning of restoration and forgiveness. As Japheth and Shem went backwards and covered their father, indicating we neither want to see or know what daddy has done, and they hid and covered the sin.

And you know that is never mentioned again the rest of that man's life, nor when you turn to Chronicles where we are receiving God's version of history all over again. God never mentions that sin of Noah.

Similarly, if you read in Samuel of the sin of David with Bathsheba, read of his life in Chronicles where God is telling you his viewpoint of man's history and you'll find that he never mentions David's sin with Bathsheba because that was covered and forgotten, forgiven.

But these people suddenly discover the entire awful list is still there. That's why I never would fail before finishing Revelation to appeal to you, oh beloved, make sure you've come to Christ and had your sins forgiven and that they will be blotted out and no remembrance.

Because if you're just religious for the sake of being religious, they're still recorded in the book. They have to be blotted out by the very blood of Christ. And the books were opened, which is the books with all their works, and the sea gave up the dead that were in it, death and the grave gave up the dead that were in them, and they were judged every man according to their works.

That's all those who died Christless, all of those ages. They're going to have to stand before him and be judged for what they did and in refusing the way of escape. And death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire.

This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. It's marvelous to think your names in the book and down there in the flames. They can talk about being on fire to the false prophet and he'll agree with them.

There will be a full congregation for him to preach to as they are tormented forever. And I saw a new heaven and a new earth. Now that word heaven there means atmosphere. I saw a new atmosphere and a new earth.

For the first heaven and the first earth were passed away and there was no more sea. And I, John, saw the holy city, new Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

The New Jerusalem and God's Dwelling With Humanity

Yes, the one that men are making in Israel right now and fighting over. Let them fight. That's man's best effort to make a place for God to live in. And you never saw such a mess in all your life if you've been there.

The church of the holy sepulchre, it is a sepulchre, an absolute grave. Never seen anything so deadly in all my life where every denomination has stuck their bit on and claimed their corner to be the most genuine part.

And it's just a conglomeration of a mixed up piece of stucco and brickwork with every religion under the sun claiming it. Everybody's got their own quarter in the city. Everybody's making Jerusalem the place of God.

But listen, this one's coming down and not one human hand will have created this one but God himself as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, behold, the tabernacle, the dwelling place of God is with men.

That's where he's always wanted to be. That's why he made Adam. And now in these last chapters, you're going to see a reversal of everything that happened when man fell into sin. God wanted to walk in the garden in the cool of the day.

He wanted to fellowship with the man that he'd made because God is love and had to give the love away. And he created the creature that he could give his love away to. But the creature ran and hid in the trees.

The creature sinned. The creature ended up leaving the presence of God. And from there until this moment, God has been working out that great plan where he could once again live amongst men. God Almighty longing to fellowship with the crowning creation men that he made in his own image.

And his tabernacle will be with men and he will dwell with them. And they shall be his people. And God himself shall be with them and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. And there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain for the former things have passed away.

Now, would you please note when that's going to take place on the new heavens and earth? And isn't it interesting that the counterfeit false spirit of prophecy these days is offering you all that now.

Come under the fullness of what we want to offer you. Come under our little denominational issue, our spiritual gift and fervor now. And we'll tell you that you can go out from our meeting and you will know that you can not be dead anymore.

No more sorrow, crying, no more pain. Everything of that is finished. The Christian will not suffer, have no pains, no need for tears. It will be superlative joy. This disagrees with that. I'm not very far from my very own home.

A young man got up in a house meeting recently and dared to declare to the people that I will never be sick, nor will I ever die. I'm afraid for him because unless God and his mercy and grace allows him to come to a knowledge of the truth, I can see nothing but an early death so that those that may believe his lie will see that he wasn't telling the truth.

Because it's after that he's going to obliterate these things, not now. And he that sat upon the throne said, behold, I make all things new, not men. And he said unto me, right, for these words are true and faithful.

And he said unto me, I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is a thirst of the fountain of water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things. And I will be his God and he shall be my son.

But the fearful and unbelieving and the abominable and the murderers and the whoremongers and the sorcerers and idolaters and all liars shall have their part in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.

That crowd will not share all of this. They will have gone. That will be their portion. And there came unto me one of the seven angels, which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, and I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.

And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. And her light was like unto a stone, most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal, and had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.

On the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

For he has broken down the wall of partition, and at last he is achieving what he set out to declare at the commencement of scripture. He's the Lord of hosts of the whole earth. And if you trace the genealogies in Genesis, you discover that everyone that's here now has a right to God as their heavenly Father, and to come under the grace of the same King of kings and Lord of lords.

And at last, in that new earth and new heaven, your Israel and your family of the Lamb are going to be together on that new planet. And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.

And the city lieth four square, and the length is as large as the breadth. And he measured the city with the reed twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth of the height of it are equal. And he measured the wall thereof a hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of man, that is of the angel.

And the building of the wall of it was as jasper, and the city was pure gold like unto clear glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper.

The second, sapphire. The third, chalcedony. The fourth, an emerald. The fifth, sardonyx. The sixth, sardius. The seventh, chrysolite. The eighth, beryl. The ninth, topaz. The tenth, a chrysophrasus. And the eleventh, a jacinth.

And the twelfth, an amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls. Every several gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold as it were, transparent glass. And I saw no temple therein, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.

Because all of these, the tabernacle, the temple, Solomon's, Zerubbabel's, all of these were temporary dwelling places of God until he made his great temple, himself and his people, together in a oneness.