IT’S ALL ABOUT JESUS
September 2022
Excerpt from The Evangelist Magazine
“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: On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.” —Revelation 21:12-13
Reading the book of Revelation is like reading tomorrow’s headlines today. It’s the only book in the world that gives to us the future of mankind.
The book of Revelation is divided into three parts: “Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter” (Rev. 1:19)
The divided parts are:
1. The things which you have seen. This pertains to Revelation 1—the vision of Christ.
2. The things which are. This covers Revelation 2 and 3, and all the present age of the church, which will not end until the rapture of the church.
3. The things which shall be hereafter. This covers Revelation 4 through 22.
Other key events covered in Revelation include:
• the rapture of the church (Rev. 4-5)
• the great tribulation (Rev. 6-19)
• the millennial reign (Rev. 19-20)
• the perfect age to come (Rev. 21-22)
The subject matter of my text deals with is the twelve gates of the wall that will surround the New Jerusalem. There will be three gates on the north side, three gates on the south side, three gates on the east side, and three gates on the west side. Each gate will be about three hundred seventy-five miles apart from each other.
Why The Number Twelve?
In the Bible, twelve is the number of government. Therefore, the government of God will rule the Holy City, making it a perfect city in every respect with perfect obedience being the norm because Jesus Christ will be ruling and reigning. It will be a perfect government that is 100 percent fair because of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Not only are there twelve gates, but each gate will have a name—the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.
This begs the question, why the names of the twelve tribes?
For God’s plan to come to fruition, God had to have certain things in place.
First, He had to have a people of which the nation of Israel would come forth from the loins of Jacob, Abraham’s grandson.
Second, He had to also have a place, a country for these people, hence Israel being formed and from the womb of these people the Messiah would come as would the Word of God.
Each of these twelve tribes plays a critical role in all that we enjoy today as Christians.
What Their Names Mean
Each name of each son of Jacob has a specific meaning that we need to know and understand:
• Reuben. His name means “see a son.”
• Simeon. His name means “hearing.”
• Levi. His name means “joined.”
• Judah. His name means “praise.”
• Issachar. His name means “reward.”
• Zebulun. His name means “dwelling.”
• Dan. His name means “judgment.”
• Naphtali. His name means “wrestled.”
• Gad. His name means “troop” or “good fortune.”
• Asher. His name means “happy.”
• Joseph. His name means “added.”
• Benjamin. His name means “strong right hand.”
These sons of Jacob also served as types of Christ:
• Reuben—Jesus is the “Son” of God.
• Simeon—through Jesus we “hear” God.
• Levi—through Jesus, we are “joined” to the Father.
• Judah—through Jesus, God has accepted our “praise.”
• Dan—Jesus took the “judgment” that was due us.
• Naphtali—Jesus has “wrestled” the power of darkness on our behalf and defeated the foe.
• Gad—Jesus is the “troop” who has fought on our behalf and brought us “good fortune.”
• Asher—Jesus made us “happy.”
• Issachar—Jesus is our “reward.”
• Zebulun—Jesus has made it possible for believers to “dwell” in the house of the Lord forever.
• Joseph—Jesus has “added” all believers to the kingdom.
• Benjamin—Jesus is the Father’s “strong right hand” and sits with Him in heavenly places.
Though these gates bear their names, they all portray Jesus. So it’s all about Jesus—the city, the gates, the names—everything speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ!