All posts tagged 12 foundations

New Jerusalem has twelve foundations; twelve signifying eternal perfection and fullness.

Transformation Produces Precious Stones

Transformation from the spirit produces precious stonesRevelation 21:19-20 says, “The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every precious stone: the first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire…the twelfth, amethyst.”

In 1 Corinthians 3:6-12 we see planting, watering, farming, and growth. The result is material of the plant life. Yet in the same verses we see that the proper building materials are gold, silver, and precious stones. The change from life to the precious materials implies transformation. The same thought is in Matthew 13 with the sowing of the seed eventually leading to precious materials, and in 1 Peter 2:2-5 with nourishing milk for growth and then living stones for building up.

Transformation is presented directly in Romans 12:2—“transformed by the renewing of the mind” and 2 Corinthians 3:18—we ,“beholding and reflecting like a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed.” The transformation in Romans 12 is detailed in Ephesians 4:23 where the renewing of our mind is by the Spirit with our spirit. (The Spirit with our spirit is seen in John 3:6 and Romans 8:16.) The transformation in 2 Corinthians is by turning our heart to the Lord so that every veil is taken away thereby allowing us to behold Him clearly. His glory shines into us to transform us “into the same image” (His image) “from glory to glory” and He is also reflected for others to see Him. This proceeds “from the Lord Spirit.” The result of this transformation is New Jerusalem with its precious stones expressing the glory of the Lord.

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by Don on July 31, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on July 31, 2012

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Christ Received, Experienced, and Ministered

Receiving, Experiencing, Ministering ChristRevelation 21:14 declares, “And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” Because these foundations are multiple, they are not Christ alone, yet they are not separate from Christ. They are the Christ received, experienced, and ministered by all New Testament believers following the pattern of the apostles.

The simplest expression about receiving for ministering to others is in Ephesians 3:2  “…the grace of God which was given to me for you.” To me for you is an important aspect of our New Testament life. Here it is in other verses:
•__It pleased God…to reveal His Son in me that I might announce Him as the gospel among the Gentiles. (Galatians 1:15-16)
•__That which we have seen and heard we report also to you that you also may have fellowship with us. (1 John 1:3a)
•__We have received not the spirit of the world but the Spirit which is from God, that we may know the things which have been graciously given to us by God; which things also we speak. (1 Corinthians 2:12-13a)
•__The things which you have heard from me through many witnesses, these commit to faithful men, who will be competent to teach others also. (2 Timothy 2:2)

Although the first two verses are testimonies of Paul and John, we must remember that the apostles are patterns to us. Our receiving, experiencing, and ministering of the Lord is part of the process by which “His wife has made herself ready” (Revelation 19:7). Lord, grant us more revelation, grace, and spiritual understanding, and rise up in us to share with others what we have experienced of You.

 

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by Don on July 27, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on July 27, 2012

http://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2012/07/27/christ-received-experienced-and-ministered/

The Foundations are Christ Received, Experienced, and Ministered

 

In Revelation 21:14, “the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” In 1 Corinthians 3:10-11, Paul says, “According to the grace of God given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid a foundation….another foundation no one is able to lay besides that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

Christ Himself is the foundation for the church, but New Jerusalem has 12 foundations. Because of the plurality, those foundations cannot be the unique Christ. On the other hand, those foundations cannot be apart from the Christ who “is all and in all” (Colossians 3:11). The key to this apparent dilemma is the names of the twelve apostles on the foundations of New Jerusalem. The apostles have been constituted with Christ and minister Christ to others. Christ, constituted into and ministered by men, forms the foundations.

In Ephesians 3 Paul says that the grace of God was given to him for us (v.2) and that the mystery of Christ was made known to him (v.3-5). He briefly describes the mystery (v.6), then he says, “Of which [the gospel] I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God….To me…was this grace given to announce to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ as the gospel” (v.7-8). Revelation and grace were given to Paul so that he could minister the unsearchable riches of Christ to all of us. The apostles are patterns for us all (Philippians 3:17). We too receive revelation and grace, and we too minister to others the Christ we have seen and experienced, thereby following the apostles in preparing the foundations of New Jerusalem.

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by Don on July 25, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on July 25, 2012

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Precious Stones on the Foundations

Precious Stones on the Wall of New JErusalemRevelation 21:19-20 tells us that, “The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every precious stone: the first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald; the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprase; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst.”

The wall of New Jerusalem has twelve foundations (v. 21:14), declaring the eternal perfection and fullness of the wall. The names of the apostles are on the foundations because they take the lead, and all believers participate, in the New Testament building up in life. Because the wall is built in and with eternal life, the wall expresses the Triune God who is life to us.

The foundations of the wall of New Jerusalem are adorned with twelve precious stones. Each foundation is associated with a different type of precious stone. People have written much about the colors of these stones. Although there are different views about the colors, many agree that the overall appearance is like a rainbow. This corresponds with Revelation 4:2-3, “there was a throne set in heaven, and upon the throne there was One sitting; and He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance, and there was a rainbow around the throne like an emerald in appearance.” In chapter 4 the city had not yet been revealed to John but in chapters 21-22 the city is revealed with throne in it (v. 22:1-3) surrounded by the rainbow composed of the precious stones on the foundations of the wall. These stones do not have light in themselves but they shine with the glory of God and of the Lamb on the throne. This is a picture of our shining with the God who lives in us; more on this in the next post.

Bible verses quoted in these posts are from The Holy Bible, Recovery Version, published and copyrighted by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim CA, 2003. The New Testament of this Bible, with its outlines, footnotes, and cross-references, may be viewed at online.recoveryversion.org; this too is copyrighted by Living Stream Ministry.

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by Don on July 17, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on July 17, 2012

http://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2012/07/17/precious-stones-on-the-foundations/

Christ Formed in Us

The prior posts focus on being constituted with Christ as life which causes us to be built into New Jerusalem. This is the work of the apostles and the work of us all. However, this “work” is not merely activity; it is a change in our being. The Christ we have seen, received, experienced, lived out, and who has made home in us (Ephesians 3:16-17), and been formed in us (Galatians 4:19) flows out for building up.

Revelation 21:14 proclaims, “The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” As the prior post pointed out, these are not like names on brass plaques; the names on the foundations indicate the apostles themselves. Consider these verses:

  • John 3:16 speaks about God’s only begotten Son. Verse 18 says, “He who believes into Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe has been condemned already, because he has not believed into the name of the only begotten Son of God.” Believing into Him (God’s only begotten) is equal to believing into the name of the only begotten Son.
  • Acts 1:15, says, “And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the brothers and said (there was a group of persons gathered together, about a hundred and twenty).” The word translated “persons” here is literally in Greek (and in some English New Testaments) “names.” The names are the persons.
  • Romans 10:12-13 says, “…the same Lord is Lord of all and rich to all who call upon Him; for ‘whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’” To call on the Lord in verse 12 is to call on the name of the Lord in verse 13.

The names on the foundations indicate that the apostles have been built into the foundations. We can say that the Christ constituted into them is the foundations of New Jerusalem. Christ is being formed in us too, so we too are being built into this marvelous city.

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by Don on July 7, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on July 7, 2012

http://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2012/07/07/christ-formed-in-us/

Christ as Life in the Apostles is the Foundation

the foundation of the apostlesChrist as life and the building up of His Body go together. The more His life flows through us, the more we are built together. This flowing and building continues for our entire Christian life. In Romans 5:10 we are being saved in His life, and in Colossians 3:4 and 1 Peter 2:5 we are being built together. To the extent that Christ has become our life in every aspect of our daily affairs, that is the extent to which we are built up with other Christians.

Revelation 21:14 says, “And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” The apostles’ names are on these foundations because they take the lead to minister life for building. They also train all New Testament believers to enter into the ministry of life for building up. This is seen in Ephesians 4:11-12; the gifted members in verse 11 perfect all the members to do the work of ministry unto the building up in verse 12. This ministry is not merely something we do; instead, the building up is the constitution of Christ as life in our being.

The names of the apostles on the foundations are not like the brass plaques we see on buildings memorializing a donor. In the Bible, the name indicates the person. The names on the foundations indicate that the apostles themselves, through their ministry of life, have been built together as the foundation of the wall. This reality is also in Ephesians 2:19-20, “…we are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets…” May we all give ourselves to follow their example and be constituted with Christ as our life for the building of His Body and New Jerusalem.

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by Don on July 5, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on July 5, 2012

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We Are Being Built Together

“The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb” (Revelation 21:14). The wall of New Jerusalem has twelve foundations. The apostles’ names are on these foundations because take the lead in the New Testament ministry of life for building. However, they are not the only people who minister life. All New Testament believers have life and should minister life.

The New Testament ministry of life is not a matter of our doing but of our being. Christ is our life (Colossians 3:4) to make us people of life. We are daily being saved in His life (Romans 5:10) so that we can reign in His life (Romans 5:17). To the extent we have life and reign in life, life flows out, and this flow builds us together in Christ.

Look at Ephesians 2:19-22. (I changed “you” to “we” to make it more personal and highlighted for emphasis.) “So then we are no longer strangers and sojourners, but we are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone…in whom we also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in spirit.” Likewise in Colossians 2:6-7, “As therefore we have received the Christ, Jesus the Lord, walk in Him, having been rooted and being built up in Him…” And in 1 Peter 2:5, “We ourselves also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house…”

Lord, I am open to You. Fill me every day with life. Lord, build me with others!

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by Don on July 3, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on July 3, 2012

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We All Participate in the Ministry of Life for Building

The wall of New Jerusalem has “twelve foundations, and on them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb” (Revelation 21:14). This portrays the New Testament ministry of life for the building up of the Body of Christ; a building work which has New Jerusalem as its goal. The relationship between life and building is seen in Ephesians 2:21, “all the building…is growing into a holy temple in the Lord” and 4:16 “the growth of the Body unto the building up of itself in love.”

The apostles take the lead in the ministry of life and hence their names are on the foundations of the wall of New Jerusalem. Nevertheless, every believer should participate in the ministry of life for building. Here are some examples:

  • Ephesians 4:15-16, “…we may grow up into Him in all things, who is the Head, Christ, out from whom all the Body, being joined together and being knit together through every joint of the rich supply and through the operation in the measure of each one part, causes the growth of the Body unto the building up of itself in love.” We all grow up into Christ and the supply from Him comes through not only the joints of rich supply (such as apostles) but also through “each one part.”
  • Romans 14:19, “So then let us pursue the things of peace and the things for building up one another.” This is a word to all of us and encourages all of us to pursue what is good for building up. First Thessalonians 5:11 also speaks of each one building.
  • First Corinthians 14:26, “What then, brothers? Whenever you come together, each one has…. Let all things be done for building up.” Every one has something out of all the riches of Christ presented in the first 13 chapters of this book, so all can speak for mutual building up.

Lord, draw us to Yourself as life that we may be people full of life for Your building.

Bible verses quoted in these posts are from The Holy Bible, Recovery Version, published and copyrighted by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim CA, 2003. The New Testament of this Bible, with its outlines, footnotes, and cross-references, may be viewed at online.recoveryversion.org; this too is copyrighted by Living Stream Ministry.

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by Don on July 1, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on July 1, 2012

http://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2012/07/01/we-all-participate-in-the-ministry-of-life-for-building/

The Apostles Have One Ministry

Revelation 21:14 tells us that, “the wall of the city [New Jerusalem] had twelve foundations, and on them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” Remember that Revelation is a book of spiritual signs and that New Jerusalem is the greatest and ultimate sign in the Bible. Therefore, we should not try to guess which twelve specific apostles are named on the foundations. That would be to consider “twelve” merely as a physical number. Instead, consider that “twelve” means not only lasting for eternity but also eternal fullness and perfection. Hence, the names on the foundations indicate the eternal outcome of the apostles’ ministry.

There have been many apostles through the church age, but they all have one ministry. Each one has “his portion of this ministry” (Acts 1:17, 25). This is the unique ministry of Christ as life for the building up of His Body. The apostles spoke in many places, in many ways, and at many times, yet the intrinsic element of all their ministry is Christ Himself as the life supply for the growth of all the members of the Body. This ministry of Christ builds the wall of New Jerusalem which separates us from common things (Revelation 21:27) and expresses the Triune God in and through us.

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by Don on June 29, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on June 29, 2012

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The Names of the Apostles

Revelation 21:14 announces, “And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” Verse 12 says that at the gates are inscribed “the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel.” These verses show us that both God’s Old Testament people and His New Testament people are constituents of New Jerusalem.

The apostles represent all the New Testament believers. First Corinthians 12:28 says, “God has placed some in the church: first apostles…” The apostles represent everyone in the universal church, everyone in the Body of Christ through the Spirit’s baptizing (1 Corinthians 12:13).

Ephesians 4:11-12 tells us that our ascended Head “gave some as apostles and some as prophets and some as evangelists and some as shepherds and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints unto the work of the ministry, unto the building up of the Body of Christ.” Both the apostles and the other particular gifts in verse 11 are for the perfecting of all the saints in verse 12, all who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus (1 Corinthians 1:2). Their perfecting work is so that all the saints (not a few) be brought into the work of the New Testament ministry, which is the ministry of the Spirit who gives life (2 Corinthians 3:6). The result of the universal New Testament ministry is the building up of the Body of Christ. This brings us onward toward New Jerusalem which is the consummation of all God’s building work throughout the ages. Lord, perfect us all for our participation in this building ministry.

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by Don on June 24, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on June 24, 2012

http://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2012/06/24/the-names-of-the-apostles/

The Wall Has 12 Foundations

Revelation 21:14 says, “And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” Hebrews 11:10 says, “For he [Abraham] eagerly waited for the city which has the foundations, whose Architect and Builder is God.” Since no verses in Revelation mention the foundations of the city being separate from those of the wall, Revelation 21 with Hebrews 11 indicate that the foundations of the city are the foundations of the wall. The wall and the city are one entity.

Twelve foundations indicate that the foundations have eternal perfection and fullness. This wall has no defect. It will never crack. It is a perfect separation. John saw that “the city was pure gold” (Revelation 21:18) and that “the street of the city was pure gold” (21:21). Gold symbolizes the divine nature. Not only the evil things but even anything “common,” not saturated with the divine nature, is kept out of New Jerusalem. “And anything common and he who makes an abomination and a lie shall by no means enter into it” (Revelation 21:27).

Revelation 21:18 says, “the building work of its wall was jasper” and verses 21:19-20 names the precious stone on each foundation. The wall not only keeps out all that is common or evil. Even more, it declares that all that is enclosed is of God. Our Christian life should be the same. We are not for the world but our focus is neither to tear down nor to correct the world. The focus of our testimony is Christ Himself, all His riches and accomplishments, and our love for Him.

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by Don on June 22, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on June 22, 2012

http://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2012/06/22/the-wall-has-12-foundations/

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