Which Old Testament prophecies connect with Revelation 21:11's description of the city? Connecting Revelation 21:11 to Earlier Prophecies “[The city] shone with the glory of God. Its radiance was like a most precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.” Old Testament Passages That Foreshadow the City’s Radiance • Isaiah 60:1-3, 19-20 “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you… Nations will come to your light… No longer will the sun be your light by day… the LORD will be your everlasting light.” —Jerusalem’s supernatural glow and God-provided light mirror the crystal-clear brilliance John sees. “O afflicted city… I will set your stones in antimony, your foundations with sapphires. I will make your pinnacles of rubies, your gates of sparkling jewels, and all your walls of precious stones.” —The promise of gem-studded architecture anticipates the jasper-like radiance of the New Jerusalem. “‘I will be a wall of fire around it,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will be the glory within it.’” —God Himself is both protection and inner splendor, exactly what Revelation describes. “I will fill this house with glory… The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine… The glory of this latter house will be greater than the former.” —Points forward to a final dwelling overflowing with divine glory and precious materials. “The name of the city from that day on will be: THE LORD IS THERE.” —The climax of Ezekiel’s temple vision aligns with John’s picture of God’s glory permeating the city. Precious-Stone Imagery Picked Up in Revelation • Exodus 28:20; 39:13 – Jasper listed among the high priest’s breastpiece stones. The high priest carried the tribes over his heart; John sees those stones magnified into the very walls, showing God permanently dwelling with His people. • Ezekiel 28:13 – “Every kind of precious stone adorned you… jasper…” Eden’s lost glory is restored and eclipsed in the New Jerusalem. • Exodus 24:10 – A sapphire pavement “clear as the sky itself” under God’s feet; that crystalline clarity reappears in the city’s jasper-like brilliance. Key Themes Pulled Together • Glory That Outshines Sun and Moon – Isaiah 60; Revelation 21:23. • Walls and Foundations of Gems – Isaiah 54; Revelation 21:18-20. • God Himself Within the City – Zechariah 2; Ezekiel 48; Revelation 21:3. • Paradise Restored – Eden’s jeweled beauty (Ezekiel 28) fulfilled in a city “as clear as crystal.” Why These Links Matter The Spirit inspired the prophets to paint a consistent, literal picture: God will one day unveil a city bathed in His own visible glory, built of dazzling jewels, with no need for created light. Revelation 21:11 is not a new idea but the grand finale of promises first whispered in the Law, thundered by the Prophets, and now shown in perfect clarity to John. |
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