NOTES : And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance (Rev 4:3 NKJ) Precious stones are mentioned many times in the Bible. But, with respect to the presence of God, an exclusive instance are the instructions to embed precious stones in the breastplate of the High Priest (Ex. 28:17-20). In the instruction in Exodus, there were to be four lines of embedded gems, each line having three gems; thus, the total twelve gems would each represent a tribe of Israel. Comparing the appearance of God, who is a Spirit, with these stones does certainly convey some message. William Barclay noted: The jasper is nowadays a dull opaque stone, but in the ancient world it seems to have been a translucent rock crystal, through which the light would come with an almost unbearable scintillation. Some think that here it means a diamond, and this is not impossible. The sardian, so called because it was said to be found mainly near Sardis, was blood-red; it was a gem which was frequent...
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