20141107 Friday, November 7 2014
Job 28: The City Of Pure Gold

by Wayne Blank
See also 1 Year Holy Bible Reading Plan

"The city was pure gold, like unto clear glass ... 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"

When the LORD (Who was and is Jesus Christ - see Genesis 1: In The Beginning Was The Word and The Kingdom Of The LORD God) has completed all that the Father has sent Him to do (see What's The Expiration Date Of The Church?, The Kingdom Of The LORD God and The Church: Mission Accomplished), the Father is coming to Earth - after which "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away" (see below). The Earth and the New Jerusalem will thereafter be the Place of God's Throne - making the Earth the Capital of the Universe.

Notice that only place where the famous "pearly gates" are actually described is on Earth, in the New Jerusalem: "And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl" (verse 21 below). The street of the city will be paved with gold ("the street of the city was pure gold" verse 21 below), but moreover the city itself will be made of gold ("the city was pure gold" verse 18 below).

"21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

21:5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

21:6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 21:7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

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. 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, 21:11 Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; 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: 21:13 On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. 21:14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

21:15 And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. 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. 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. 21:18 And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. 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; 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. 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.

21:22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. 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. 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. 21:25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. 21:26 And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. 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." (Revelation 21:1-27 KJV)

Job's righteousness (see What Was In The Heart Of Job's Tabernacle?) was based upon the Godly wisdom that enabled him to see the fulfillment of salvation (see Job's Prophecy Of The Resurrection and the Fact Finder question below). Job understood that the physical life is merely a temporary time of refinement (i.e. repentance and overcoming) until such time, spiritually speaking, "I shall come forth as gold."

"23:10 But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. 23:11 My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined." (Job 23:10 KJV)

Notice how Job used the search for and refinement of gold as a direct analogy of the search for, and righteous refinement of, wisdom and the Way of the LORD. The point of his teaching is the physical and spiritual place that is described in the verses quoted above from the Book of Revelation.

"28:1 Surely there is a vein for the silver, and a place for gold where they fine it.

28:2 Iron is taken out of the earth, and brass is molten out of the stone. 28:3 He setteth an end to darkness, and searcheth out all perfection: the stones of darkness, and the shadow of death. 28:4 The flood breaketh out from the inhabitant; even the waters forgotten of the foot: they are dried up, they are gone away from men. 28:5 As for the earth, out of it cometh bread: and under it is turned up as it were fire. 28:6 The stones of it are the place of sapphires: and it hath dust of gold. 28:7 There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture's eye hath not seen: 28:8 The lion's whelps have not trodden it, nor the fierce lion passed by it. 28:9 He putteth forth his hand upon the rock; he overturneth the mountains by the roots. 28:10 He cutteth out rivers among the rocks; and his eye seeth every precious thing. 28:11 He bindeth the floods from overflowing; and the thing that is hid bringeth he forth to light.

28:12 But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding? 28:13 Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living. 28:14 The depth saith, It is not in me: and the sea saith, It is not with me. 28:15 It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof. 28:16 It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire. 28:17 The gold and the crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold. 28:18 No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom is above rubies. 28:19 The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold.

28:20 Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding? 28:21 Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air. 28:22 Destruction and death say, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears. 28:23 God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof. 28:24 For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven; 28:25 To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure. 28:26 When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder: 28:27 Then did he see it, and declare it; he prepared it, yea, and searched it out. 28:28 And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding." (Job 28:1-28 KJV)

Fact Finder: How is salvation like a series of harvests?
See The Harvest Prophecies