When Jesus called His disciples, He said, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." (Matt. 4:19) Even today, one of the prominent symbols used to identify Christians is the fish. We sing songs about being fishers of men, as we wear T-shirts with the fish, and glue them to our bumpers. In Jeremiah, however, we can see why Jesus referred to his disciples as fishers. "Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the LORD, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks." (Jer. 16:16)

The first work of God in the grace age was fishing. That is because it was the fifth millennium: the fifth day, the day when God made everything from the sea. Nevertheless, the prophet records that after He will send hunters. In the sixth day, God created every creature from the earth. Those creatures are gathered by hunters. Because the sixth day follows the fifth, and God created fish in the fifth day, you may still fish in the sixth day. However, whereas you could not hunt in the fifth day, you can in the sixth. Therefore, if we as Christians still desire to be fishers of men, it is possible, but today?s work is being hunters of men. Jesus knew in which day He lived, do we?

Having laid the groundwork, now we can open to Revelation 21. "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, and I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb?s wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto 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: On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates." (Rev. 21:9-13)

The first thing I would like to point out is the gates. This city is made of two parts: the gates and the wall. Here, not only does the city have specifically 12 gates, but also we are told that there are three on each side. This is interesting to note, seeing that this is precisely the layout of the camps of the children of Israel: three on the north, three on the south, three on the east and three on the west.

Another detail expressed regarding these gates, is that there are twelve angels standing, one at each gate. That these represent Jesus? twelve apostles is not an unreasonable deduction. When the disciples asked of the Savior what their reward would be for having ?left all? and following after Him, His reply was not one of rebuke for desiring something, but one of promise: "Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." (Matt. 19:28) This promise was evidently exclusive to those twelve, because he continues, saying, "And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life," (Matt. 19:29) indicating sitting upon thrones to judge the twelve tribes was reserved for His apostles, but blessing and eternal life shall be to all others who leave everything and follow Him. Skipping down to verse 21, more information on the gates is given. "And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: every several gate was of one pearl." Where are pearls from? They are found in the sea. Remember, all that was made from the sea was created on the fifth day. These gates symbolize that part of the church that existed in the 1^st millennium A.D.

The narrative continues, in verses 16-17, giving us the dimensions of this great city. "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. 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." Now, if this is describing, as some suppose, a literal city, we have quite a discrepancy. Here we are told that the city measured 12,000 furlongs long, wide and high (about 1,500 miles) and the wall measured 144 cubits (about 210 feet) high. The difference between these two figures is overwhelming! Therefore, in next month?s installment, we shall set our conversion tables aside, and see what the Lord is trying to tell us.

By David M. McNabb