New Jerusalem is a Spiritual Sign
Revelation 1:1 says “The revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave to Him to show to His slaves the things that must quickly take place; and He made it known by signs…” New Jerusalem is one of these signs. It is not a physical city but a spiritual city, the culmination and outcome of Jesus Christ building His church.
The entire book of Revelation shows us invisible things. Do you believe there are seven physical lampstands? Surely these lampstands are not physical. The seven lampstands signify the seven local churches (1:11-12, 20). A local church can be seen since it is physical, but if we are going to see the intrinsic reality of the local church, we need a figure of speech. Thus, the lampstands are not real lampstands. They are figures. They are signs. They signify the local churches, not in the physical sense but in the intrinsic, invisible sense.*
To see the spiritual signs in Revelation we need spiritual sight. Natural vision with natural understanding is the wrong realm. Paul prayed “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the full knowledge of Him, the eyes of your heart having been enlightened…” (Eph. 1:17-18).
We all can pray the same prayer, asking for a spirit of wisdom and revelation with a divinely enlightened heart to see the significance of New Jerusalem.
* This is the first of a series with quotes from chapter 28 of The Central Line of the Divine Revelation by Witness Lee, copyright by Living Stream Ministry.
Photo courtesy of NASA.
Posted by Don on July 12, 2021
