The purpose of this paper is to investigate the function of the motif of “gold” in the book of Revelation. Special interest will lie in how this motif serves to redefine the concept of wealth. This paper will first show the high value of gold in Greco-Roman upper classes by surveying relevant extra-biblical literature. Next it will provide an overview of the golden objects or things in the book of Revelation. The rest of this paper will concentrate on two contrasts in this book in which the twin notions of “gold，，and “wealth” are linked. The first contrast is concerned about the two churches of Smyrna and Laodicea. The second contrast is concerned about the two cities of Babylon and the New Jerusalem. On the basis of the exegetical analysis, the concluding section of this paper will point out four implications for Chinese churches today.