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Heaven's City and Street of Gold |
By David J. Stewart
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Revelation 21:18-21, “And the building of the wall of it was of 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, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; 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.” These are the precious words of the King James Bible, God's inspired Holy Word. Every born-again believer will soon be in Heaven, a city of pure gold, walking down a street of pure gold. Notice that the Bible speaks of a “street” (singular), not streets (plural). The Greek word for “street” in Revelation 21:21 is plateia, meaning, “a wide 'plat' or 'place,' that is, open square.” I believe that there will be a public gathering place in the heavenly city, a happy place, where there won't be any crime, swindlers, nor troublemakers to sadden or hurt us. The angels will be our friends. We will have new glorified bodies, just as the Lord received when He arose from the dead (1st Corinthians 15:22-23; 52-53). Heaven will be a place of joy. But first there will be the Judgment Seat of Christ (2nd Corinthians 5:10-11), when all believers will be held accountable for their failures and sins in life. There will be much tears and heartbreak for many saints who have lived their lives in worldliness, divorce and sin. The happiest people in Heaven, according to Daniel 12:3, will be Soul Winners here on earth now. Time is running out! What are you doing for the Lord Jesus Christ to get people saved?
It is interesting to note that the New Jerusalem doesn't come down to earth until the end of the 1,000 year Millennial Period. This city is the New Jerusalem, spoken of in Revelation 21:2.
I agree with Bible scholar, Merrill Unger, that the city of New Jerusalem will hover above the earth during the Millennial Period. The Apostle John said he saw the city descending down to the earth in Revelation 21:2. Notice carefully in Revelation 21:3 that the TABERNACLE OF GOD is in this city.
This is fascinating to me. As in the Old Testament, the holy of holies is in the tabernacle. This is where the Lord applied His literal blood to the mercy seat, before God the Father, to appease the wrath of God against sinners (Hebrews 9:12,22-24). This tabernacle is precious, just as the Old Testament tabernacle was precious, and this tabernacle will be brought down to earth in the city of the New Jerusalem. Amen and amen!
From this city, God will reign over the earth forever. Interestingly, God specifically mentions “gold.” I never really gave much thought to the fact that Heaven has a street of gold, and I never even noticed that the entire city is made of pure gold. Wow!, that's a lot of gold! Again, the meaning of street
is AN OPEN SQUARE. A square is an open area where two or more
streets meet. Heaven may have multiple streets, but the meaning of the
word street indicates that the heavenly city has an open area, which I
think will be the center of the city where the Lord reigns. The Falsehood of FIAT Money and the Bogus Stock Market I have recently realized something about gold that has opened my eyes as to perhaps “why” God has made the heavenly city out of gold. To understand this, you need to understand the history behind money in the United States. Originally, the only money used in this nation was silver and gold. For convenience sake, dollars (paper monies) were created as certificates of deposit representing EQUAL amounts of silver or gold (for example, 271.4 grains of silver equaled one dollar). This system was fair because a “dollar” represented a TRUE value (in gold or silver). BUT... In 1913, something very horrible happened in America known as the “Federal Reserve Bank” (or central bank). This new evil invention of greedy men allowed the printing of paper money with a FALSE value; that is to say, the new dollars had NO real value! Proverb 6:16-19 teaches that God hates a heart that deviseth wicked imaginations. The Federal Reserve bankers are criminals! The creation of the central bank allowed the U.S. government to borrow money, thus going into massive debt at our expense. We've gone further and further into debt as a nation ever since, very serious debt! Then President Nixon in 1972 removed the remaining TRUE value from money, by eliminating the gold standard completely. Today, the U.S. dollar is worthless. World financier and multi-billionaire George Soros has stocked up on foreign currency, betting against the U.S. dollar. What is happening to America? Our money has NO TRUE value anymore (it representing NOTHING)! Our money is only worth what the Federal Reserve Banksters say it's worth. Likewise, the stock market is a big mirage of artificially inflated, manmade, FALSE value. Your paying 20, 30... sometimes even 100 times what a stock is TRULY worth (called the stock's P/E ratio, i.e., price-to-earnings ratio). Over ninety-five percent of the stock market has NO TRUE value at all. Sadly, our economy is also in bad shape. America no longer produces anything (very little). Only 12% of the steel used in our nation is manufacturer at home. Much of our steel comes from China. As a matter of fact, just about everything in the United States comes from China. What does America manufacture of TRUE value anymore? We've become a service-oriented society, doing each other's laundry for a living. We're passing money back-n-forth, but what does America actually manufacture? We have become a nation of FALSE economy (with a negative return on productivity). So where is this all going to eventually lead? The answer is scary indeed! As of September 2010, 43,600,000 Americans are receiving government Food Stamps (welfare). History shows nation after nation crumbling to the dust of the earth, we are no different. America is morally bankrupt, and so is our nation financially. If what I fear unfolds in the decades ahead... there will be a shortage of food, there will be a massive job shortage, crime will run rampant, government will become a police state, many Christians will be ruthlessly killed, every citizen will be forced to have an identification chip implanted into their body (presently, you can't get a driver's license in Texas without being “thumb scanned”), we will become a “cashless society” (your implanted chip will contain your credit card information, Social Security number, et cetera), vaccinations will be forced upon the adult public (it's already happening to our children), masses of society will be legally drugged by their doctors to make more money (this is already happening), illegal drug abuse will become much worse (as the government becomes more desperate for money and power). Churches will lose their tax-exempt status if they don't support criminal government, the Bible will be labeled as “hate-literature” and banned in many places (for Scriptures such as Leviticus 20:13), sodomy will be openly practiced and greatly promoted (which is already happening), the world will run out of oil, American citizens will be labeled as “terrorists” for standing up for their Bill of Rights and their U.S. constitution (this is starting to happen already). Ultimately, money will be lying in the streets and people will be dying of starvation as massive deaths occur due to crime, rape and every atrocity imaginable happens before our eyes. It's already happening in many places around the world (but the news rarely tells us about these tragic occurrences). So you see friend, money is basically worthless if it is
not representative of something of true value (such as a commodity: corn,
oil, cattle, sugar, gold, etc.). Our money represents nothing! It is backed by a government which is in serious debt and chaos. Money which is NOT representative of any TRUE value is in constant danger
of losing it's artificial value. The Russians found this out
overnight when their ruble was devalued to almost nothing. Their
stock market lost 90% of it's value almost immediately. People then
were lined up for miles simply to get a loaf of bread. If you think
America is immune to such things, think again! The Great Depression
did happen in the United States. The central bank caused it!!! Heaven is a Place of True Value Having said all this, I want to share with you why I believe Heaven is made of gold... very simply, heaven is TRUE value! I thank God that Heaven will not have a P/E ratio or a discount value. Heaven is what it is! Jesus has promised to prepare a literal PLACE for me in Heaven “where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt” ... Matthew 6:20, “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.” I believe this is why God made Heaven's city and street of pure gold (and I love that...“pure gold”). Perhaps God chose to make gold a rare metal on earth, to teach us that Heaven is a place of true value. You see, here on earth money can be stolen by thieves (Enron executives and burglars). Materialistic belongings can be destroyed or lost by flood, fire or theft. Nothing is secure in this heathen world. I sincerely believe that God knew how much it would mean to us to know that Heaven is a place of TRUE value. We live in a world of FALSE values, a world of temporary worth, nothing is guaranteed (except taxes and death). Yet, Jesus promised to make a literal place (home) for us, and to furnish that home with possessions that cannot be stolen, break or wear old. Heaven will be a place of integrity and true ownership. Here in the United States, we don't really own land, we are legally required to pay property taxes (which is nothing less than reduced rent). Jesus has promised to prepare an individual place in Heaven for each believer. This is what the word “mansions” means in John 14:2, i.e., “a dwelling place.” A dwelling place wouldn't be much of a home if we didn't own the property now would it? I personally believe that we will each own property in Heaven. I want good ole dirt land. I pray for a ranch-style home with a big front porch. I hope for old trees, hundreds of years old, and a small creek running through, with lots of natural beauty. But I'll be content just to be with my Lord Jesus Christ, regardless of what I may or may not have. But thankfully, the Lord has promised that the Father will give us what we desire in that day (John 16:23). Remember that the city of the New Jerusalem will be placed upon the earth at the end of the millennium. The apostle John was permitted to see things which would occur in the future; therefore, the Bible can be considered as “history written in advance.” The Apostle sees this great new city descending upon the earth at the END of the 1,000 year millennium. Notice Revelation 21:1...
The earth will be renewed (renovated) with fire after the millennium is completed. Everything will be different. After this renovation, and only then, the New Jerusalem will descend upon the earth. God will live upon the earth with the saints forever.
The earth has been established by God forever, it will NOT be destroyed as some have taught. The Godhead will dwell in perfect harmony with all His children (only born-again believers), angels and the rest of creation for all eternity upon the earth. The New Jerusalem will be the city of our great Savior, God and King—Jesus Christ!
Again, the word “mansions” simply means “places to live.” There will be plenty of property in Heaven for us to be happy. You won't hear about overpopulation in Heaven. I don't want much when I get to Heaven, just tax-free land and a place to hang my hat. Jesus has promised to “prepare” a place for us to live in eternity. This means Jesus is customizing our future home for us, He knows exactly what will make us happy beyond our deepest imagination. Yes, there will be much sorrow during the millennium for those believers who have squandered their life, never having won anyone to Christ. For those who have been abusive and evil throughout their lives. However, the Bible teaches that at the end of the millennium ALL tears will be wiped away.
There will be joy in Heaven for those believers who have lived for God, leading others to Christ throughout their life on earth. Other believers will be sad and even miserable in Heaven because they lived selfishly here on earth, having become choked by the cares, pleasures and riches of the world (Luke 8:14). As we read in the preceding Scripture, all tears will be wiped away after the 1,000 year millennium period. All believers will ultimately be happy in Heaven. John 16:22 assures us that we will have joy, and that “no man” shall take our joy from us ever again. We will be with Jesus for all eternity in a place of TRUE value, with a home and property of TRUE ownership, with friends of TRUE friendship, with a God of TRUTH, in a city of GOLD. Will you have many tears in
Heaven? Will you be in Heaven? Are you a true believer, a
Christian? Have you been born-again, having your sins forgiven in
Christ? You Can't Take Gold with You When You Die Today, MANY people are recommending buying GOLD. Understandably, it's because if our money ever does devalue downward to nothing, gold will still retain its TRUE value on the world markets. Gold will always have TRUE intrinsic value. I had heard people recommend buying gold for many years and never really gave much thought to it, until I learned THE TRUTH behind the stock markets, U.S. fiat “funny” money and our faltering economy (all of them being mirages of wealth, having no TRUE value of their own). If you'd like to learn more about the things I am telling you, then go to www.moneyfiles.org I can now understand perfectly why many people would want to buy gold, it has TRUE value. Yet, you cannot take a penny of it with you. You cannot take one grain of gold beyond your coffin. The Pharaohs of Egypt were buried with great treasures, including gold and the finest of material possessions. The Egyptians believed that a person could take with them whatever was buried in the tomb. Many of the pyramids are actually tombs of the pharaohs. But THE TRUTH is that those pharaohs died in their sins and went to Hell, and not one material possession went with them into eternity! You CAN'T take it with you! Buying gold and silver is not the best investment you can make. I hear radio hosts and their sponsors literally begging like dogs for people to buy gold. They make profits from selling gold. I have always laughed at the irony of people who sell gold, who desperately want your Federal Reserve dollars. Money isn't worthless yet, as witnessed by their desire to have it so bad. My opinion is that you shouldn't worry about buying gold, because the government can confiscate your gold as fast as they can everything else you own. Are you really dumb enough to believe that gold will provide you with safety when the economy implodes? Good luck with that! We ought to heed the Words of Jesus Christ in Matthew 6:20, Who told us to LAY UP TREASURES IN HEAVEN. If money ever becomes totally worthless, people will kill you for your gold and any food and possessions you may have. That is reality. Gold would normally be a good investment; but you must consider what society is going to be like when America turns into a Police State. The government is already monitoring who is buying gold, and how much gold. You can't escape the evils of the coming tyranny. America has forsaken the God of the Bible, and now judgment is upon us. Communists have taken over our nation. Our nation is bankrupt! We are now an oppressive society. I don't know about you; but I am going to help the poor, live for God, contend for the Biblical faith, expose false prophets, go Soul Winning, pray for my enemies, and lay up treasures in Heaven. Heaven is a place of true value, which is why I believe God made the city and street out of pure gold. This world has nothing to offer but temporal riches, temporal pleasures, and temporal happiness; but God the Father offers true wealth and joy in Christ Jesus, the only begotten Son of God. |