And on the West.—The side of the Gershonites, the Restitution classes.—Num. 4:22; F. 129.
Three gates.—The mystical tribes of Gad, Asher and Naphtali.—Ezek. 48:34; Rev. 7:5, 6.
Although the pictures here given are pictures of the Bride, and the gates apply as above shown, nevertheless these gates also represent the Ancient Worthies, who during the Millennial Age will be the earthly representatives of the Church, and, perhaps, exactly 144,000 in number. Additionally, the Ancient Worthies are called “gates” in Isa. 26:2. “The gates or entrances of the City, which are twelve in number, are inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. This is in harmony with what we have learned of the earthly phase of the Kingdom of God that the Ancient Worthies from the various tribes of Israel, selected during the Jewish Age, will be the visible representatives of the Heavenly Kingdom in the earth through whose instrumentality the nations may enter into the blessings of the Kingdom.”—Z. '92-16.
“The city lies open and accessible to all quarters, and to all quarters alike.”—Luke 13:29. Weym.
21:14. And the wall of the City had twelve foundations.—“The Lord himself, is the foundation, ‘Other foundations can no man lay than that is laid—Jesus Christ.’ (1 Cor. 3:11.) He is the great Rock, and St. Peter's confession of Him as such was, therefore, a rock testimonial—a declaration of the foundation principles underlying the Divine Plan. St. Peter disowned any pretension to being the foundation-stone himself and properly classed himself to with all the other ‘living stones’ (Gr. lithos,) of the Church,—though petros, rock, signifies a larger stone than lithos, and all the Apostles as ‘foundation’ stones would in the Divine Plan and order have a larger importance than their brethren.”—F. 220; Matt. 16:18; Eph. 2:20.
And [in] ON them the TWELVE names of the Twelve Apostles of the Lamb.—“We are entirely out of accord with the views of Papacy, of the Protestant Episcopal Church, of the Catholic-Apostolic Church, and of the Mormons, all of whom claim that the number of the Apostles was not limited to twelve, and that there have been successors since their day who spoke and wrote with equal authority with the original Twelve. (2 Cor. 11:13.)” (F. 209.) “We still have [pg 323] with us the gift of Apostles, in that we have their teachings in the New Testament, so full and complete as to require no addition; and hence the Twelve Apostles have no successors, and need none, since there are but ‘Twelve Apostles of the Lamb;’ they are the twelve stars; the twelve foundations.'”—John 6:70; E. 229, 207.
12:15. And he that talked with me.—Volume VII of Studies in the Scriptures.
Had a [golden] MEASURING reed of gold.—The Divine Word.
To measure the City, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.—Surely, if we can not find the measurement in the Scriptures it is hopeless to look elsewhere.—Zech. 2:1, 2; Rev. 11:1; Ezek. 40:3.
21:16. And the City lieth foursquare, and the length is [as large] as the breadth.—A perfect cube, like the Most Holy of the Tabernacle.