Twelve Gates of Pearl

THE TWELVE GATES OF PEARL
(Revelation 21:21)
Taught by:  Carolyn Sissom December 2, 2007

Text from "The Twelve Gates of the City".  Comments are my own. 
 
Last week we covered the twelve stones in the foundations of the wall of  New Jerusalem.  We used Genesis, Chapter 49 as the spring board into the Lord’s eternal redemptive plan to use the twelve tribes of  Israel to bring forth His Son, Jesus Christ and His Bride, The Gospel church.
 
New Jerusalem (21:2) “is prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”  (21:9b)  “Come here I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife having the Glory of God: and her light was like to a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; 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.” 21:21: 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.”
 
The Lord is speaking to John in metaphorical language.  This is one of the languages of God through which he has always spoken to His prophets and he still does.
 
Whether he has used a temple, a city, the Bride, the Sons of God, the tabernacle, etc. etc.  All of these images are used to describe a people in who dwells the fullness of God.  This is the Body of Christ, the Lamb’s wife, The church in glory and perfection.  This is God’s dwelling place among men.  “There is no need of a separate temple.  If the Lord is there, then the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.  In the present Gospel order, the temple city and commonwealth are all in that dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.
 
The Twelve Gates = twelve experiences  which do progressively unfold from the Christ.  (the God or divine) nature from within us.  1 Cor. 3:9-10)  “For we are laborers together with God.  You are God’s husbandry, you are God’s building.  According to the grace of God which is given to me, as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, and another builds thereon, but let every man take heed how he builds thereupon.
 
The twelve gates are twelve entrances into the Light of the Gospel church.  There are no shadows.  21:27:  “there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defiles, neither whatsoever works abomination, or makes a lie; but which are written in the Lamb’s book of life. 21:8:  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 burns with fire and brimstone which is the second death.”
 
21:25:  And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day:  for there shall be no night there.  And they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations to it.”
 
The Lord spoke to me once, “Carolyn teach New Jerusalem as purity”.  The City has God’s Glory which is God’s nature.  When I  first came to this pasture, I named it “Glory Land”.  The light of this Glory of the Gospel church is prophecies mentioned by Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Zachariah.  There is to be no shadows but only substance and reality. 
 
Each Gate is made of Pearl.  Pearl represents that which is costly and painful.  This is the fellowship of His sufferings:
 
Not just one experience,  but many.
All twelve experiences are costly.
 
Pearls are created because  of a foreign deposit.  Pearl oysters are found in clusters and in the depths.  One must dive in to the depths and search.
 
Each of the twelve gates is a manifestation of the nature of God in us kicking hard to be birthed from within.  Each is an experience and expression of His nature.
 
Before going into the twelve gates, I want to mention briefly Ezekiel 48.  1-35:  This is the final chapter of Ezekiel and concerns the distribution of the land and the permanence of the City of the Lord’s Presence.  Thus we see the permanence of the Glory!  Verse 1-29 reveal the portion of the twelve tribes.  Verses 30-35 provide the size and the gates and the name of the City.
 
The portion of the Zadok priesthood is a thing most Holy (48:12).  The goings out of the city (48:30) are its ministries.  Remembers Rev. 21:25, “the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day.  The name of the city from that day shall be, ‘THE LORD IS THERE’.   (Jehovah-Shammah).”  BLESSING, PEACE, SECURITY, AND GLORY.
 
First gate – Reuben – “ Behold a Son” (Gen. 29:32) This gate speaks of the experience of the New birth which is the impartation and deposit of the very nature of god.  This is the seed of life of the divine nature.  This emphasizes the ministry of the Holy Ghost as he draws an individual and brings Him to the place of repentance and Faith.  This marks the beginning of our salvation; the beginning of the descent of New Jerusalem into the visible realm.
Second Gate – Simeon – “Hearing” (Gen. 29:33) – this gate speaks of thee experience of the Holy Ghost Baptism (infilling0>  Note that another ten gates come after this one.  This experience moves us from tradition to truth.  We begin to “hear” after we are filled with the Spirit.  This is why the Pharisees fight this so hard, for if you hear from God, you will discern them!
Third Gate – Levi – (Gen. 29:34) “Union, twined; joined; adhesive; cleave; attached.”  This gate speaks of the experience of spiritual ministry.  (through the gifts of Spirit).  This is vertical union with God in the spirit and here is horizontal union with man in the Spirit.  This is the growth whereby we are not ministering in fleshly fellowship or worship.  We do not come to meetings to be ministered to but we come to minister unto Jesus and unto one another.  We do not come to meetings to “have a good time”.  Although that is the overflow of all Holy Spirit fellowship and worship.
Fourth Gate – “Judah” (Gen. 29:35)  “to praise, revere, or worship with extended hands).”  This gate speaks of the experience of Praise (confidence, faith, trust in God) coming from the Christ nature within us.  Real praise does not come from the mind, but from the belly.  When this Lion of the tribe of Judah begins to roar from in us, the power of praise is released to heal, deliver, and to set free!  True praise destroys the confusion of Babylon and every prison or place of limitation.
Fifth Gate – “Zebulun”  (Gen. 30:20) “habitation (to be desired).  This gate speaks of the experience of identification with the body of Christ.  These are those who are able to be planted in a local church or local assembly.  The church is the body of Christ.  We are the dwelling place of God.  We are his place of rest.  We are God’s habitation, temple, tabernacle, house, sanctuary, building, and mansion.  You will sense Zebulun coming forth when you want to be with your brothers and sisters in Christ.  Get to know the family and the city that you re going to live in forever.   Let this gate always be open.
The Sixth Gate – Issachar (Gen. 30:18) =  “Reward, hired, payment of contract, compensation; also benefit, price, wages, worth.:  This gate speaks of the experience that we do love our master and that we cannot be bought…We are bought by the Lord and cannot serve another.  We’re under contract (covenant) to Him and He has exclusive rights to us!  Jesus returned in power of the Spirit in His ministry after being tested.  Our reward is the Lord, with no abuse of the gospel. 
Seventh Gate – Dan – (gen. 30:5-6) “Judge”, umpire, execute judgment, Minster judgment.”  This gate speaks of the experience of pureness and righteousness of judgment flowing from in us to produce life.  The old nature can do nothing but minister death and condemnation.  Judgment is past, present and future. There is a people being judged now.  The Lord is dealing with the motives until we love righteousness and hate iniquity!  Many think the Lord will deal with others the way He dealt with me!  This is not true; for he will confound the Pharisee in us.  We must be led by the Spirit.
Eighth Gate – Gad – (Genesis 30: 9-11) = “troop or good fortune…to crowd upon, attack, invade, overcome, assemble by troops, army band of men armed and prepared.”  This gate speaks of the knowing that we are in the bosom of the Father.  We have been set apart and separated.   This is the point of no return.  I am persuaded” – no turning back – no stumbling block and no offenses!
Ninth Gate – Asher – (Genesis 30: 12-13) = “happy; to be level or straight or right; to go forward; be honest; prosper; blessed.”  This gate speaks of the experience of being content in every circumstance.  This is manifested by worship in every situation.  This nature cannot be bound.  This nature will flow even while hanging from a cross.  Jesus was anointed with more happiness and joy than any other (Heb. 1:9).
Tenth Gate – Naphtali (Gen. 30: 7-8) = “Wrestling,”  From a root to twine or struggle.  This gate speaks of the experience of being an overcomer who is releasing the creative word.  There is a negative side to Naphtali.  He was born as a result of sister wrestling enviously against sister (strife among believers).  Wrestling against flesh and blood will cause us to fall from the 6th place to last!. 
Eleventh Gate – Joseph – (Gen. 30: 1-2, 22-24) – Let him add or augment, continue to do a thing.”  “abundance of life”.  This gate speaks of the experience of being a preserver of life to others (family and nation).  We shall liken both Joseph and Benjamin to the 100-fold who constitute a first fruits company.  He was highly favored and was exalted to ruler ship to feed a nation. He was rejected, hated, and envied and then revealed to his brethren.
Twelfth Gate:  “Benjamin” = “Son of the Right Hand.”  This gate speaks of the experience of sitting with Him in the throne as a full brother.  This would include the adoption and our coming into the fullness of His stature.  Joseph = Jesus = our  elder brother;  “He shall add” another son! (Rom 8:29)  He. Received the Benjamin feast (5 times as much as his brothers).  Note two men of the tribe of  Benjamin:  (a)  Saul of O.T. = beginning of Kingdom. (b) Saul of N.T. = revelation of son- ship.
 
Rev. 21:12:  “And the twelve gates had twelve angels, and the names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.”  The Angels are messengers.  They proclaim the message of the Gospel Church to all who will dig into the deep for the Pearl.  Ezek 43:10-11b) “Son of man show the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities and let them measure the pattern, and if they be ashamed of all that they have done, show them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof.”  Ezekiel’s temple was never built in the natural, but is a vision of the Glory of the Gospel Church.
 
In Ezekiel 43 and 44, the Eastgate is the Gate that was shut when the Glory of God departed from the temple.  We are now the Temple of the Lord and the Glory of God will return through His Gospel Church as we give him place and repent of our sins that He may dwell in us and the Glory of God will dwell and abide in the Bride of Christ.  “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. (Rev. 21:3)  The Eastern Gate in within a people.  Let us not miss the Glory.
 
 
Carolyn Sissom, Pastor
Eastgate Ministries, Inc.
Scripture from King James Bible and text from The Twelve Gates of the City, by: K.V.