Audio Download

Rev 21:13-17 Four Walls, Twelve Gates, Twelve Foundations

[Study Aired July 25, 2025]

Rev 21:13 On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.
Rev 21:14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
Rev 21:15 And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.
Rev 21:16 And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.

Introduction

As we saw in our last study, this ‘city’ signifies you and me, “the bride the Lamb’s wife”. If indeed we are the first to be judged in this present time, and the first to die to our old man, then we will not be judged at the great white throne judgment after the thousand-year reign, and we will not be hurt of the second death. We saw that as the bride and wife of the Lamb, we are secured by “a wall great and high”, which ‘wall’ signifies “the doctrine of Christ” (2Jn 1:9).

Rev 21:12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:

Why would those who are “the bride the Lamb’s wife” have upon their twelve gates the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel? The reason God’s elect have the names of the twelve tribes is that they are “the Israel of God” (Gal 6:15-16) and are part of “the commonwealth of Israel”, the very foundation of God’s government for the next thousand years: https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/numbers_twelve/

Eph 2:11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
Eph 2:12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth [12 tribes] of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:

God’s elect were “in time past Gentiles”. What are they now?

Eph 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

Just how near does “the blood of Christ” make these Ephesians who were “in time past Gentiles in the flesh?” Are they near enough to be called “the holy Jerusalem, the bride the Lamb’s wife?” What do the scriptures teach?

Eph 2:14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
Eph 2:15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
Eph 2:16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

Both physical Jews and physical Gentiles are now “in Christ… both… made one… commonwealth of Israel”, because God is not saving mankind via a dual channel of a physical chosen people along with a spiritual chosen people. The way God is reconciling both Jews and Gentiles to Himself is “in one body by the cross” by “making of twain one new man.” God most assuredly is not making twain of twain.

What does this have to do with “the holy Jerusalem, the bride the Lamb’s wife” with “a wall… lying four square, great and high, and the twelve gates with the names of the twelve apostles?”

Rev 21:12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:

Rev 21:16  And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.

It is manifested by the fact we are told that this ‘city’ signifies “the Lamb’s wife” that nothing being said here is literal or physical. It is all “signified” language, as is made crystal clear in the very first verse of this prophecy:

Rev 1:1  The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

Four walls each being 12,000 furlongs, has everything to do with the fact that “the bride, the lamb’s wife” signified by this city whose wall is “great and high” is the very foundation upon which all men will be brought to God. That great high wall is constructed of the rejected doctrines of our Lord and His Word. It is Christ’s doctrines which keep “that which is defiled” out of His body, which body is this holy Jerusalem. The doctrine that he is “making of twain one new man… that He might reconcile both Jews and Gentiles unto God in one body” is only one of those doctrines which make up the great and high wall of that holy Jerusalem, who is the bride the Lamb’s wife. The whole orthodox Christian world ridicules this doctrine, insisting instead that God has both a physical and a spiritual chosen people through whom He will reconcile a few of humanity. On the other hand, God does not even consider physical descent as a factor in determining who is and who is not a Jew. This holy Jerusalem has no one in it who believes contrary to this Truth:

Rom 2:28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
Rom 2:29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

“The bride, the Lamb’s wife… is not a Jew, which is one outwardly… but [she] is a Jew… of the commonwealth of Israel… which is one inwardly… of the heart, in the spirit.” That is the very reason we are told this in this same chapter:

Rev 21:9  And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.
Rev 21:10  And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

This holy Jerusalem and its great high wall is made up only of those who are Jews inwardly and whose circumcision is that of the heart in the spirit.

Add to that doctrine the doctrine of loving your enemies, turning the other cheek, wives submitting themselves to their husbands as unto the Lord, husbands faithfully loving their wives as themselves, women not teaching in the church, and following Christ’s example of refusing to keep the established traditions of His day, and the wall of the holy Jerusalem is indeed “great and high.”

Isa 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
Isa 55:9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

So we now know what a great high spiritual wall does. It protects those who are within that wall from all the false doctrine of the “many false prophets [who] are gone out into the world.”

1Jn 4:1  Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

What more does our Lord want us to know about this “great high wall” which protects the holy Jerusalem, the Lamb’s wife?

Rev 21:13 On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.

Remember that this holy Jerusalem is “the bride the Lamb’s wife.” There are three numbers with which we are dealing as we read of the description of ourselves as this holy Jerusalem. Those three numbers are three, four and twelve. We will be reminded of the spiritual significance of both the numbers three and four, but the number twelve dominates our thoughts as we read and hear the description of this great city. Let’s go back to verse 12 to demonstrate how many times the holy spirit repeats, for our benefit, the number twelve in this one verse:

Rev 21:12 And [the Lamb’s wife] had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:

The four sets of three gates on each of the four walls of this ‘city’, “the Lamb’s wife”, are the twelve gates mentioned here in verse 12. So regardless of how you approach this city, there will be three gates through which all who come into her must pass. As we have demonstrated, the spiritual significance of this number three is the process of judgment which our Lord is working with all of mankind.

1Ti 2:4  Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

Job 23:13  But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth [1Ti 2:4], even that he doeth.

Isa 26:8  Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.

Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

Those being judged now are “learning righteousness…  [in] this present time” (Rom 8:18). Those who will be judged at the “great white throne… judgment… will learn righteousness… [at that time]… for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness”.

‘Harvests’ in scripture, signify judgment. That is why we are told that the false doctrines of Babylon are not removed from our lives until “judgment… begins at the house of God… which temple [we] are.”

1Co 3:16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
1Co 3:17  If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

It is the judgment which is now on the house of God to which Christ referred when giving us the parable of the wheat and the tares growing together “until the harvest.”

Mat 13:30  Let both [the wheat, signifying The Truth] and the tares, signifying the lies of Babylon] grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat [Those who know Christ who is The Truth] into my barn.

This process of the judgments of God is demonstrated by the three judgment harvest seasons of ancient Israel: 1) Passover immediately followed by the Days of Unleavened Bread, 2) Pentecost called “the feast of firstfruits” (Exo 34:22), and 3) Tabernacles and the last great day. These three harvests complete the ingathering of all people to our Lord.

Egypt was in “thick darkness” for three days, as Egypt was being judged. Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights as he was being judged for his disobedience. Saul of Tarsus was blind for three days while he was being judged for persecuting the disciples of Jesus. Of course we continue being judged, but the number three always reminds us of the process of being judged. This “revelation of Jesus Christ” comes to us in the three stages of our judgment which are called 1) ‘seven seals’, 2) ‘seven trumpets’, and 3) ‘the seven last plagues of the wrath of God’.

The fact that the city is four square reveals to us that this city will, in time, encompass the whole of God’s elect. Four is the number that speaks of “the four quarters of the earth, the four winds of heaven and the four beasts around the throne of God. Each case speaks of the whole of each: https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/numbers_four/

The number which is stamped upon every part of this city, and which is mentioned most in relationship to the holy Jerusalem as the wife of the Lamb, is the number twelve.

Rev 21:14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

Now let’s place verse 12 beside this 14th verse, and see just how prominent this number twelve is as it relates to “the Lamb’s Wife.”

Rev 21:12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:

So now besides the twelve gates, the twelve angels, and the twelve tribes of the children of Israel, here in this 14th verse we are told that we, as this holy Jerusalem, the wife of the Lamb, have twelve foundations named after the twelve tribes of Israel. That is just the beginning of the application of this number twelve to us as this city.

Rev 21:15 And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.

You and I, “the Lamb’s wife”, are measured with “a golden reed.” The holy Jerusalem as the wife of the Lamb must measure up to the exact measurements required of her. Here is this same statement as it is presented to us in the Old Testament. Here is how careful God is in the construction of this city where he dwells.

Exo 25:8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.
Exo 25:9 According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.

Exo 25:37 And thou shalt make the seven lamps thereof: and they shall light the lamps thereof, that they may give light over against it.
Exo 25:38 And the tongs thereof, and the snuffdishes thereof, shall be of pure gold.
Exo 25:39 Of a talent of pure gold shall he make it, with all these vessels.
Exo 25:40 And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was shewed thee in the mount.

“The pattern which was shown you in the mount” signifies our pattern which is Christ. He is our city, our wall, our going out and our coming in. He is “the pattern shown us in the mount.” He is both the golden reed and the pattern by which we are all measured.

Here is how Christ explains all of this to Ezekiel:

Eze 43:10 Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the pattern.
Eze 43:11 And if they be ashamed of all that they have done, shew them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof: and write it in their sight, that they may keep the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do them.
Eze 43:12 This is the law of the house; Upon the top of the mountain the whole limit thereof round about shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the house [“This is… the bride the Lamb’s wife”].

“If they be ashamed of all that they have done” means they will not be shown “the form or the house” if they are not ashamed of all they have done. Those who are seeking to make the word of God conform to the way they want to live will not be given to see “the forms thereof and the laws thereof.” Here is how Ezekiel is made to express this:

Eze 43:8 In their setting of their threshold by my thresholds, and their post by my posts, and the wall [“great and high”] between me and them, they have even defiled my holy name by their abominations that they have committed: wherefore I have consumed them in mine anger.

“Their thresholds” and “their posts” are not God’s thresholds and posts, and it is this enmity which forms the wall great and high between the world and the Lamb’s wife, the holy Jerusalem.

Rev 21:12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:

We are told this city is “foursquare”, and again we are given the number twelve and its multiples as the dimensions of the Lamb’s wife. We will discuss the spiritual meaning of the word “foursquare”, but first let us discuss why it is that the number twelve and multiples of twelve, are stamped all over the Lamb’s wife.

Rev 21:16 And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.
Rev 21:17 And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel

That the angel showing this all to John is “a man” who is the symbol of John’s brothers in Christ and is John’s fellow servant who is keeping the sayings of this book, is made clear by that same angel telling us “the measure of a man, that is the angel.”

Since all four sides of this city are referred to as a single wall, we will do well to understand the measurements of “the length [and] the breadth” in the same singular way. In other words, twelve thousand furlongs is the measure of each of the four walls around the city. Since a furlong is one eighth of a mile, and the city lies 12,000 furlongs “four square”, this gives us a city which is 1500 miles on each of its four sides or 6000 miles going around the city. The fact that we are told that “the length and the breath and the height of it are equal, while at the same time telling us that the walls are 144 cubits, tells us that the size of the city is not even the point because this is not a city at all. It is rather “the bride, the Lamb’s wife”, and the ‘wall’ simply signifies that nothing unclean will enter this city… “the bride, the Lamb’s wife.”

The Greek word translated as ‘furlong’ is G4712, ‘stadion’ or ‘stadia’.

Here is a cut a paste from :

https://math.answers.com/other-math/How_long_is_12_thousand_furlongs

I typed … “What is the difference between a ‘stadia and a furlong?’ and this is what I learned:

“The stadia and the furlong are both units of measurement for distance, but they belong to different systems and have different lengths.

Stadia

• • Definition: A stadia is an ancient Greek unit of length. It is often used in reference to distances measured in the context of stadiums or racecourses.
  • Length: The length of a stadia can vary historically, but it is commonly accepted as approximately 600 feet (or about 182.88 meters).

Furlong

• • Definition: A furlong is a unit of length in the imperial and U.S. customary systems, primarily used in horse racing and agriculture.
  • Length: A furlong is defined as 1/8 of a mile, which is equivalent to 660 feet (or about 201.17 meters).” (End Quote)

A furlong is 60 feet (almost 20 meters) longer than a stadia, but using either measurement gives us a city that is almost as wide and long and high as the distance from Maine to Florida. Remember this angel has carried John away “in the spirit” and ‘in the spirit’ words have spiritual meaning which is not at all the same as their primary natural outward meaning. The ‘Lion’ and the ‘Lamb’ of these verses are a very good example of this spiritual Truth:

Rev 5:1  And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.
Rev 5:2  And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?
Rev 5:3  And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.
Rev 5:4  And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.
Rev 5:5  And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
Rev 5:6  And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
Rev 5:7  And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.

12,000 stadia is approximately 1,380 miles (2,220.89 kilometers). That is almost exactly the same distance from Maine to Florida, which is 1,368 miles driving a car. It should be obvious that 12,000 stadia signifies a foundation which will support the salvation of all men of all time, from Adam to the great white throne judgment.

The next thing we are told is:

Rev 21:17  And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.

The shortest cubit to be considered is 18 inches. 144 cubits amounts to 216 ft high. That is the height of the walls of the city which symbolizes the Lamb’s wife, but it is not given to us in feet. I mention this only to demonstrate the absurdity of taking any of this literally. To say that the city is 1,380 miles (2,220.89 kilometers) “four square”, and the breadth and width and height are equal, and then in the very next verse tell us:

Rev 21:17  And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.

 “The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal”, being 380 miles (2,220.89 kilometers) each, yet the wall of the city is a mere 144 cubits, or 216 feet (65.84 meters) high, is somewhat like telling us that a lion and a lamb are one and the same thing.

It is obvious to anyone who accepts and remembers that this entire prophecy is “signified” that they will know from the sum of the Word (Psa 119:160 ASV) that a ‘Lion’ and a ‘Lamb’ both signify our Lord. In like manner the numbers 12,000 and 144, signify foundations.

The measurements of the city and the measurements of the wall may seem to be absurd or even, for some, to be contradictory, Nevertheless this situation is no different than telling us that “the lion of the tribe of Judah has prevailed to open the seals”, and then when you look to see who is opening the seals you see “a Lamb, as it had been slain…” Well, which is it? Are the seals opened by a lamb or a lion?

Rev 5:4 And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.
Rev 5:5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
Rev 5:6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
Rev 5:7 And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.

Is it a lion or a lamb? It is both, because both symbolize our Lord. The form used to symbolize our Lord is not even the point. So let’s not ask, is the city 144 cubits high, or is it 12,000 furlongs (Greek: ‘stadia’) high? It is both. The wall is “144 cubits, great and high”, and the city is as high as it is long and broad; 12,000 furlongs (‘stadia’).

We will pause here for now, and when we continue our study we will consider more closely the spiritual significance of the number 12, and why each gate of the twelve gates of this ‘city’ is “of one pearl”:

Rev 21:18  And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.
Rev 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;
Rev 21:20  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.
Rev 21:21  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.
Rev 21:22  And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
Rev 21:23  And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
Rev 21:24  And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
Rev 21:25  And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.
Rev 21:26  And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.
Rev 21:27  And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.