Article January 18, 1969 Issue

Gates of Pearl

FLORENCE E. MAY

"And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven," we read in Revelation, "...and the twelve gates were twelve pearls."^{Rev. 21:2, 21;} Just what does it mean that the gates to this holy city, or heaven, were made of pearl?

Christ Jesus in one of his parables tells of "one pearl of great price," for which a merchant man "went and sold all that he had."^{Matt. 13:46;} And Mrs. Eddy, telling of John's discernment of the kingdom of heaven states, "Death was not the door to this heaven. The gates thereof he declared were inlaid with pearl,—likening them to the priceless understanding of man's real existence, to be recognized here and now."^{Miscellaneous Writings, p. 30;}

Through the understanding of man's relationship to God, Truth, and of man's real being, which is manifested here and now, all evils may be overcome. It doesn't matter whether the evil is sickness, sin, inharmonious relationships, poverty, or any one of the myriad forms of evil including death, the last evil to be overcome. Every evil must and eventually will disappear before the understanding of Truth, which makes free. Can it not be said, then, that there is nothing, simply nothing, more valuable than this understanding?

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Article

Spiritual Navigation