Now we want to consider the pearl gates as the entry into the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:12b-13). This is the entry of being crucified on the cross to be conformed to the mold of Christ’s death and the entry of His resurrection, which will conform us by the Spirit into the image of the glory of the firstborn Son of God.
Such an entry into the New Jerusalem to partake of the tree of life has been established by Christ through His death and resurrection, fulfilling the righteous requirements of God according to the law of Israel in the Old Testament so that the closed way to the tree of life is reopened to the seeking believers. Genesis 3 shows that after the fall of Adam, the way to the tree of life was closed by the righteous requirements of God according to His righteous law. Now there is an entry of Christ’s death and resurrection which satisfies the requirements of God’s righteous law.
Revelation 21:12 says that the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel are inscribed on the twelve gates. Israel here represents the law of the Old Testament, indicating that the law is represented at the gates of the New Jerusalem. The law watches and observes as a gatekeeper to insure that the entrance into the holy city meets the law’s requirements. If we have been crucified and resurrected with Christ, we are qualified to satisfy the righteousness of the Old Testament law. Such an entry is justified by the righteous law of God. We can fulfill the righteous requirements of God’s law by being persons who have died and resurrected with Christ through His twofold secretion, making us a pearl before the eyes of God, which is fully satisfactory to God according to His righteousness of the law. To fulfill the righteousness of the law is not an easy thing. We need an entry of two kinds of secretion, two kinds of dispensing, that is, the secretion of Christ’s death and the secretion of Christ’s resurrection. By these two kinds of secretions, we have been made pearls, which are satisfactory before the law of God.
This entry reopens the way for the seekers to contact Christ as the tree of life. This reopened way to partake of the tree of life by entering into the New Jerusalem is universally available to the four directions of the earth with three gates on each of the four sides of the holy city, signifying that the processed and consummated Triune God is willingly open to receive the repentant sinners into the ultimate consummation of His eternal economy. We all have to learn to speak this kind of divine language. Such an entry today is available to all the people on this earth in four directions: east, north, south, and west. This is signified by the twelve gates. Three gates are on each of the four sides. The three gates signify the processed Triune God, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.
In Luke 15 we see the operation of the Triune God to receive the repentant sinners to enter into the New Jerusalem. In this chapter the Son is the seeking One to seek the sinners, the Spirit is the sanctifying One to sanctify them unto God, and the Father is the receiving One. Right after receiving the repentant son in Luke 15, the father gave him the best robe, which signifies the objective Christ to cover us as our God-satisfying righteousness. He also gave his returning son a ring and sandals. The ring signifies the sealing Spirit to show that the accepted believer now belongs to the Triune God in His ultimate consummation of His eternal economy. The sandals signify the power of God’s salvation to separate the believer from the dirty earth. Finally, the father killed the fattened calf for his son. This calf signifies the subjective Christ for our enjoyment of Him.
This is why we have to go out with God to the four directions of the earth to be the gates, bringing God with us to present to people. This is why we have to go to Russia to the north, to Africa to the south, to Malaysia to the east, and to South America to the west. The Lord is doing this among us to spread His economy. This Triune God today is willing to receive any repentant sinner to come and enter into the New Jerusalem through such an entry which was established by Christ through His death and resurrection.
(The Application of the Interpretation of the New Jerusalem to the Seeking Believers, Chapter 2, by Witness Lee)