Revelation 21:19
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, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; 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, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;
The foundations of the wall are adorned with every kind of precious stone, the first jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, belonging to the Holy City, the New Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven with twelve gates and twelve foundations. That city descends from heaven and settles upon the earth after the thousand years following Christ's second advent, as the home of the beautiful new earth. Its stones are of the same kinds as those set in the priest's breastplate bearing the names of the twelve tribes, picturing Christ bearing every repentant believing soul on His heart, and they represent true converts, Jews and Gentiles brought to the true foundation as gold, silver and precious stones for God's house. The chapter was made known by Christ Himself to John on Patmos as a living reality of the last events of this earth's history, and its words will surely come to pass as a solemn warning to be read, understood and proclaimed with great power in these last days. Entrance through its gates belongs to those who have kept the truth by doing His commandments and whose characters are changed and sanctified in this life, where the dead raised by the Lifegiver meet never to part again and sickness never enters, calling for earnest seeking and a settled resolve to be there and meet one another there.
Jeweled Foundations of the City
The verse names four of the twelve foundations of the city, the first jasper, the second sapphire, the third a chalcedony, the fourth an emerald. Those foundations are garnished or adorned with all manner of precious stones, made of precious stones.
They belong to the Holy City, the New Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven, with twelve gates and twelve foundations. It is the city whose builder and maker is God, with streets of transparent gold clear as crystal, with golden gates and sapphire walls.
The chapter gives in this the picture of the beautiful new earth. The city descends from heaven and settles on the earth after the thousand years following Christ's second advent.
Breastplate Stones and Living Stones
The twelve foundations of the city of God are made of precious stones, adorned or garnished with every kind of jewel. Those foundation stones are like, indeed of the same kinds as, the stones set in and around the breastplate of the priests and of the high priest. The breastplate bore twelve stones, and upon them were engraved the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. Those twelve engraved stones pictured Christ as the great High Priest, bearing every repentant and believing soul upon His heart while He pleads His own blood before the Father.
The foundation of precious stones was also shown to Paul in vision. In that meaning the precious-stone foundations represent true Christian converts, described as gold, silver, and precious stones. Both Jews and Gentiles who accept the truth and are brought to the true foundation are legitimate building-stones for God's house. Jews who claimed to be the only true children of Abraham murmured against Gentile converts as building material and thereby hindered the work.
Sure Prophecy and Homeward Call
Revelation 21 was made known by Christ Himself to John on the Isle of Patmos as a living reality, revealing the last events of this earth's history, and its words will surely come to pass. Together with Revelation 3, 16, 18, 19, and 22 it stands as a solemn warning given from God to be read and understood in these last days and to be proclaimed with great power. Especially verses 1-4 and 5-7 are to be read and understood so that it may be known where the world stands in earth's history, for the chapter is a lesson reminding of the things which will be, which Satan tries to hide by keeping minds confused.
The Word of God believed and practiced is the only hope of the world, requiring the putting away of magazines and fictitious reading and refusal to be deceived by Satan's sophistry. The jeweled foundations belong to the representation of the glories awaiting the saved in the city of God, a very beautiful description of the city and its gates to be read at home. Its glory was pictured by a sunset that seemed to reveal the city's gates standing open with light from within shining through, pointing beyond earthly life to the heavenly home and the rest awaiting the faithful. That vision gives assurance of God's care and reason to long to see the golden city with foundations adorned with precious stones and to behold the King in His beauty.
The city of God is the place God wants people to be, proved by His giving Jesus, and those glories should lead every believing soul to seek earnestly for eternal life. They call for a settled resolve to be there without failing and to meet one another there. Entrance belongs to the nations that have kept the truth, with right to the tree of life and entrance through the gates by doing His commandments. Obedience to all the commandments fits a person for a place in the royal family in that city, to be numbered with God's commandment-keeping people among the redeemed.
Everyone who goes into that Holy City, the New Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven, is changed and sanctified in character here in this life. It is a golden city of golden beauty that the faithful will soon enter if they are faithful. There the dead raised by the Lifegiver from their graves meet again in the city whose builder and maker is God, with golden gates and sapphire walls. There loved ones never part again, there are no more partings, and sickness never enters.