Section 13
the throne, is also that of jasper, meaning that jasper is God's expression, God's appearance. Therefore, the whole New Jerusalem will have the same appearance as God; it will express God. This means that all the precious stones are one in the expression of God's image. This is real oneness.
Some Christians say that every local church should be distinct, being different from all the other local churches. I was deceived by this con cept for a number of years. But one day the Lord showed me that while the seven churches in Revelation were distinct, they were distinct in a negative way, not in a positive way. In their negativeness, some of those seven churches were different from the others, but in their positive ness, they were all the same. Look at the four sides of the New Jerusalem. According to the opinion of those who say that each local church should be distinctly different, the four sides of the New Jerusalem should also be different. One side should be jasper, and the others ruby, emerald, or diamond, each having its own dis tinction. According to those who hold this opinion, each side of the wall should express something unique, something different from the others. But that is not oneness. All four sides of