Revelation 21:21-23

Verse 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.”

As for the gates, each one is made up of a single pearl. Out of curiosity as to how others interpreted this, I did something which I seldom do. I went online and looked up some well-known commentaries to see what others were saying. Everyone that I read said the same thing, that this is not to be taken literally, as there is no such thing as a giant pearl. I have to laugh at so-called Christians who believe that God created the universe, incarnated in human form, and came back from the dead, but lacks the ability to create a giant pearl. John is not describing a metaphor, he is describing a city that he actually sees, and he is describing it in literal detail. These are either giant pearls which have a doorway carved out of them, or it may simply be that each gate is made of a single sheet of mother of pearl, both which would require a special creation of God. But then is not this whole city a special creation of God? We were not told how large the gemstones in the foundation were. They may be enormous also. As we do not know exactly what these gates look like, it is hard to say whether it is a round pearl with a doorway in it, or a gate made of one piece of mother of pearl. What we do know is that John perceived them as being a literal single pearl each, not a metaophor for some spiritual application.

Again we are told of the transparency of the gold used in this city. The streets are made of transparent gold. Years ago the idea of transparent gold may have not been understandable, but now with our technology, we know there is such a thing. As mentioned before, that is what is put on the visors of astronauts' helmets to protect them from the sun's brilliance when they are outside their spacecrafts. They can see through the gold, as it is transparent. To repeat the purpose one more time, the transparency is so God’s glory can shine throughout the entire city.

Verse 22 “And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.”

There is no temple building anymore. The millennium requires a temple, so we now can differentiate between the Scriptures that are speaking of the millennium and those which refer to eternity. I say that, as there are some who try to make the millennial Scriptures refer to the world of eternity. For eternity the old things have passed away. The need for a temple, rituals, and intercession by a priest is no longer necessary. Sinless perfection reigns and sinless perfection can come before the presence of God. Therefore God and the Lamb (Yeshua) live in the city without the need for a temple. They are the temple of the city. That is why God’s glory shines throughout. Unlike the original temple where God resided in the Holy of Holies apart from humanity, as no person can see the face of God and live, here all can look upon God, so He need not be separate from His children any longer. He has no need of a temple to separate Himself.

Verse 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.”

The city is coming down to the earth now, so it will not be in orbit any longer. There is no sun as that blew itself out before the millennium, and there is no need for the moon either. God has had those pass away and has not created new ones to replace them. God's glory shining through the city will still light the earth, so there is no need for a sun or moon even with the city on the ground.