The New Jerusalem
- Public Domain
As I studied I found good arguments for labeling the stones differently. Some Bible searchers considered the types of stones known to be present in Egypt at the time of the Exodus, assuming that the Israelites received the gems as gifts when they left Egypt after the last plague. One source identified the stones so that the colors would have significance, moving from a clear Jasper prism to a red Ruby and ultimately to a violet Amethyst passing through all of the colors of the rainbow. Others still examined the Hebrew and Greek roots, the Biblical text associated with these words and as much history as they could find to anchor their interpretation.
I tried to mix the first and third approach, assessing all I could discover in the light of history and then settling on a choice. As I said before, my thoughts of today may change as I uncover more about these precious gems. Here I am presenting the "facts" as I see them today but take them with a grain of salt and do your own study into the "Minerals of Revelation."
A Gem cannot be Polished without Friction,
Nor a Man Perfected without Trials.
Nor a Man Perfected without Trials.
Here is a brief description of each mineral listed in Revelation 21:19ff. I have linked each stone to its blog entry.
- Jasper - is an opaque, impure variety of Silica (SiO2), usually red, yellow, brown or green in color.
- Sapphire - is a variety of Corundum, an Aluminium Oxide (Al2O3). Trace amounts of other elements give it a blue, yellow, pink, purple, orange or greenish color.
- Chalcedony (Agate) - is a microcrystalline variety of Silica characterized by its fineness of grain and brightness of color.
- Emerald - is a variety of the mineral Beryl (Be3Al2(SiO3)6) colored green by trace amounts of Chromium and sometimes Vanadium.
- Sardonyx (Onyx) - is a banded variety of Chalcedony. The colors of its bands can be almost every color.
- Sardius (Carnelian) - is a brownish-red mineral variety of Chalcedony colored by impurities of Iron Oxide.
- Chrysolite (Peridot) - is a Magnesium Silicate with the formula (Mg,Fe)2SiO4.
- Beryl - is a Beryllium Aluminium Cyclosilicate with the chemical formula Be3Al2(SiO3)6.
- Topaz - is a silicate mineral of Aluminium and Fluorine with the chemical formula Al2SiO4(F,OH)2.
- Chrysoprase - is a variety of Chalcedony that contains small quantities of Nickel. Its color is normally apple-green.
- Jacinth - is a red transparent variety of Zircon (ZrSiO4).
- Amethyst - is a violet variety of Quartz (SiO2).
This first table assembles the chemical facts I reported in each of the individual blog entries. Many of the stones are Quartz, a common mineral - as abundant as the sands of the sea - but with various mineral structures and impurities that create the different stones. Most of these minerals come in a variety of colors but I listed the one color that seems the best fit to me. The Mohs hardness is a scale where a Diamond, the hardest gem, is a 10.
with Iron Oxide
|Chrysoprase||10||SiO2 with Nickel||Quartz||Apple-Green||6-7|
|Amethyst||12||SiO2 with Fe+3||Quartz||Violet||7|
This next table connects the stones to the Breastplate of the High Priest in Exodus 9:8ff. As mentioned in the individual blog entries, each stone is tied to a son or grandson of Jacob by either birth order or by the order of the tribes in the camp. In addition, the stones each reference an Apostle of Jesus. Several stones have multiple apostolic links but I have listed just one.
|Emerald||3||Levi||Zebulon||John the Evangelist|
|Sardonyx||11||Joseph||Asher||James (son of Zebedee)|
|Jacinth||7||Gad||Ephraim||Simon the Zealot|
Finally, this last table lists some possible alternative stones that could have been the true identity of the stone listed. This is due to the fact that the names of several stones have changed over the years such that the name from the Bible does not point to the stone we know today by that name. Only Amethyst is lacking another possible stone. I include here as well the Hebrew and Greek words linked to the King James Version of the Bible that point to the stones along with a short description of my interpretation of the symbolism of each foundational stone.
|Jasper||Diamond||yashĕpheh||iaspis||The sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross|
|Sapphire||Lapsis Lazuli||cappiyr||sapphiros||The divine connection between God and man|
|Chalcedony||Agate||shĕbuw||chalkedon||Our service to the Lord that is done in secret|
|Emerald||Carbuncle||bareqeth||smaragdos||The Shekhinah Glory of God|
|Sardonyx||Onyx||shoham||sardonux||The Blood of the Martyrs|
|odem||sardinos||The Shed Blood of Jesus|
|nophek||chrysolithos||The Counsel of the Holy Spirit|
|Beryl||Aquamarine||tarshiysh||bēryllos||God's Power as the Giver of Life|
|Topaz||Chrysolite||pitdah||topazion||Seeking and finding the Kingdom of God|
|Chrysoprase||Emerald||yahalom||chrysoprasus||The Apple of God's Eye|
|leshem||hyakinthinos||The Light of God reflected in His Creation|
|Amethyst||NA||achlamah||amethystos||The Royal Priesthood|
I hope you have found this series interesting and informative. May it spur you on to your own study of the greatest book ever written.
Revelation 21:2-4 (NIV) - I saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."