Beauty! What does it bring to mind? A sunrise, a flower, a face? These are human parables that can serve as reminders of God's idea of beauty, which is only discerned spiritually.
Yet the mark of the beast See Rev. 13:16, 17. seems to be everywhere. It produces slums, fans violence, spawns hatred. What joy we have in knowing that as we strive to reflect the might of Soul, these situations, no matter how severe, can be reversed. A vision of beauty can be a vital factor in cleaning up a slum, dissolving violence, and fostering love. We really do have a choice! The onus is on each one to make the right choice.
In John's vision of the holy city, the New Jerusalem, God revealed to him the reality of His nature, expressed by spiritual man and the harmonious universe of His creation. The book of Revelation builds toward the climax when this beautiful city, or spiritual world, eternally inhabited by the real man, appears. In his rapturous description, John attempts to express the nature of this wonderful sight, despite the limitations of human language. He leaves us in no doubt that the way the New Jerusalem will appear is through a battling with error and a transcending of its ugly forms. Only then can the beauty of the city be perceived.
