Pure Gold

Gold jewelry is not all gold. It’s mixed with other metals or alloys to make the soft metal more durable. The purity of gold is measured in karats on a scale of 0 to 24. That means a piece of jewelry of one karat is only one-part gold and 23-parts other metals. But 24-karat gold also means only 99 percent pure gold. In 1957, the Perth Mint refined the purest gold ever produced: 999.999 percent.

The New Jerusalem is not almost pure gold; it’s pure gold! That’s not just metallurgy; it’s also spiritual. As we have learned, the holy city and her residents are spoken of together. Of the latter, Jesus instructed the church of Laodicea: “I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich” (Revelation 3:18). The Bible speaks of at least two things more precious than gold: the commandments of God (Psalm 119:127) and faith (1 Peter 1:7), of which this city is saturated.

As previously mentioned, the stone we call jasper today was probably not the stone referred to by John here as he attempted to describe the beauties of the city. His efforts to describe such a reality focus on the brilliancy and colors of what he saw, especially the flashing brightness. It reminds us of the description of gold that adorned the Second Temple as told by the Jewish historian Josephus. He explained that the brilliance of the sun reflecting off the temple in the early morning was so bright that you would need to turn your eyes away.

The glory of the New Jerusalem is “like clear glass.” The brilliance of God’s light shines everywhere. Nothing is hidden behind walls or veils. Nothing prevents the saints from looking at their Creator. On earth, we looked by faith “with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18). Now, God “will dwell with them” (Revelation 21:3). The saved will commune face to face with their Redeemer; our countenances, like pure gold, will reflect His image.

Dear Jesus, as I behold You by faith today, I anticipate seeing You in all Your glory when You come again.

For Further Study: 1 Corinthians 15:49; 2 Corinthians 3:7–18; 4:6; 1 John 3:2

Key Bible Texts

And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. (Revelation 21:18 KJV)