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"Heaven - The New Jerusalem"
| John Hoole | November 30, 2003 |
I can still remember the first time I visited Washington D.C. I was impressed by the view of its magnificent structures and monuments. You can walk out of the south entrance to the capital building, walk past the Air and Space Museum on the left and the Art and History Museums on the right, past the Holocaust Museum on the left. You continue walking in the Federal Mall, past the Washington Monument. You see the White House on the right, and in the near distance to the left is the Jefferson Memorial. You walk around the reflecting pool, and you pass the Viet Nam Wall on the right. Now you are standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial with its huge columns. If you were to continue, taking a slight jog to the left, you would walk across the Potomac River over the Arlington Memorial Bridge. And now you are standing in Arlington Cemetery where you can witness the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns.
As an American, we can be proud, in the right sense of the word, of our national capital. It ranks with the great cities of the world.
And yet, every Christian is a citizen of a heavenly city. This is a city more dazzling and beautiful than anyone on earth has ever seen. Its streets shimmer with gold and its jeweled walls and foundations glow in a spectrum of color. We are told that it is free from evil of all kinds, and nothing in it will ever tarnish or decay. Let's read what the apostle John says about this city.
Revelation 21:1-7 NKJV
1 I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.
2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.
4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."
5 Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful."
6 And He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.
7 He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.In verse 6, Jesus calls Himself the "Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End." He repeats that description of Himself in the next chapter, verse 13. Most of us know something about the beginning. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." (Genesis 1:1)
But this morning, I want us to think and discuss about the Omega - that is the end. But it's an ending without an end. We enter our eternal state, in the presence of the Father and Son and all who love Him. The final two chapters of the Bible takes us to the ultimate prophetic vision. They take us to eternity.
Beyond the Great Tribulation that will come to try those living on the earth, beyond the 1,000-year reign of Christ, beyond all judgments of the saved or unsaved, lies the final reality - the eternal state of the believers.
Once again, these chapters are a powerful reminder that this present world is not the end. There is indeed a new world coming where God is in complete control, and wherein dwells righteousness. Even the blessings of the coming reign of Christ cannot compare with the glorious eternity that awaits the children of God.
If we live as if this world is all there is, we will surely be disappointed in what it gives us. That is why these concluding chapters of the Apocalypse are so important. They take our focus off everything that is temporal and place it on that which is eternal. I pray that God will open our eyes to a glorious vision of our future home: The New Jerusalem. We are going to spend a lot of time there after we arrive.
John was not the first to see all the way down the canyon of eternity to a New Heaven and Earth and the New Jerusalem.
Isaiah 65:17 reads: "Behold I create new heavens and a new earth."
Isaiah 66:22 (NIV) adds:
"As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me," declares the LORD, "so will your name and descendants endure."The apostle Peter also spoke of a new heavens and a new earth.
2 Peter 3:7-13 NKJV
7 But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.
11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,
12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?
13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.The New Jerusalem is also mentioned a number of time prior to the time when John records the visions he was given.
Thousands of years ago, Abraham "was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God." (Hebrews 11:10).
Elsewhere, the writer of the book of Hebrews exhorts us.
Hebrews 13:14 (NIV)
14 For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.Hebrews 11:16 NASU
16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.God has prepared this heavenly city for all who love Him.Hebrews 12:22 (NIV)
22 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly.John also mentions this city earlier in the book of Revelation.
Revelation 3:12 (NIV)
12 Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name.John tells us there will be a beautiful and magnificent new Jerusalem. He was so moved by its splendor that he compared it to the beauty of a bride. But the revelation John received was not limited to his sight alone.
Revelation 21:3 says,
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.So, in the New Jerusalem, we will enjoy uninterrupted fellowship with God who will live with us.
Let's look at one more Passage, spoken by Christ Himself, that I believe speaks of this city.
John 14:2-3 (NKJV)
2 In my Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself; that where I am, there you may be also.Jesus tells us in this Passage that there are plenty of dwelling places in His Father's house. Then He says that He is leaving so He can build and prepare a place for His bride. It is my opinion that the place He has be preparing for the last 2,000 years is none other than the New Jerusalem. This is the place where Christ, the Groom, will live forever with his bride.
Now, let's go with the apostle John and one of God's angels to a very high mountain. From there we will get a clear view of the Holy City. We are immediately swept up into the grandeur of this brand-new world. It is beyond anything of mere human imagination. In these last two chapters of the Bible, we are given the most detailed account in the Bible of what Heaven will be like. Let's get into the details of this city.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT ITS SHAPE AND SIZE?
Let's look at the size first.
Revelation 21:16 NKJV
16 The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal.12,000 furlongs is about 1,500 miles. But, do all Bible scholars agree with that. No, and not all Bible translations agree with that. Look at how this verse reads in other translations.
Revelation 21:16 (NIV)
16 The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long.The RSV also reads 12,000 stadia.
The NAS and the NASU omits 12,000 of anything.
16 The city is laid out as a square, and its length is as great as the width; and he measured the city with the rod, fifteen hundred miles; its length and width and height are equal.The ASV and the KJV reads 12,000 furlongs.
The differences between these translations hinges on whether the verse is translated furlong or stadia. 12,000 stadia equals about 1,380 miles. 12,000 furlongs equals about 1,500 miles. This issue hinges on what the distance of a stadia was at the time of John's writing. During the Greek and Roman periods, the stadia was equal to 600 Greek feet, but that is equal to 625 Roman feet. But both of these are different from the English foot. So most have settled on this equation: The stadia is equal to one-eighth of a mile, which would make it the same length as a furlong. And if a stadia and furlong equals one-eighth of a mile, then 12,000 of them equals 1,500 miles
Let me give you an illustration of comparable size to this city. Assume that when the New Jerusalem descends from heaven, that it covers part of the United States. This is only an illustration - since there are no seas in the New Earth, then the countries we know today probably won't exist then. But, assuming it does;
o Its western wall would reach from southwest of San Diego to Vancouver B.C.o Its northern wall would reach from Vancouver B.C. to Winnipeg.
o Its eastern wall would reach from Winnipeg to Houston, Texas.
o And its southern wall would reach from Houston to southwest of San Diego.
That's nearly two-thirds of the total area of the United States. And that's only the ground floor of this great city. It reaches 1,500 miles high as well.I want to mention one further item relative to the measurement of the New Jerusalem.
Revelation 21:15 (NIV) says:
15 The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. When God measures, it is a sign of His ownership. The number 12 appears repeatedly in this account:
o 12,000 Stadia or Furlongs
o 144 cubits (12 squared)
o 12 gates
o 12 foundations
o 12 angelsThe number 12 in Scripture symbolizes government. The New Jerusalem, then, is the complete fulfillment of the prophetic words of Isaiah: "The government will be on his shoulders, and He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6)
Now, how about the shape of the New Jerusalem. As we just read in Revelation 21:16, the length, width and height of it are equal. The first object that comes to mind is the cube. But the shape of a pyramid would fit that description as well.
To be frank, there is no way to know for sure. But, if you were to ask me, this is one on which I do have an opinion. I would lean towards the shape of the New Jerusalem being a cube. He are two reasons.
1. Several translations use the phrase "the city lies foursquare." I believe this word lends itself more to a cube.2. I believe the Bible uses repeated patterns. The only other perfect cube mentioned in the Bible is the Holy of Holies. In the temple it was 20 cubits long, wide and high.
The only thing visible from the inside of the Holy of Holies was gold.
The walls were covered with gold. The Ark of the Covenant was covered with gold. This is similar to the New Jerusalem. Revelation 21:18 says, "the city was pure gold."
What was the Holy of Holies in the Jewish Temple? It was the place where God dwelt in the presence of His people. And the New Jerusalem is a place where God will dwell with His people.
Now let's look at the rest of the details given about this great city.
WHAT ELSE DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE NEW JERUSALEM?
The Gates
o 12 gates in all (21:12)o Names of the 12 tribes of Israel are inscribed on the gates (21:12)
o 3 gates are on each side of the city - north, east, south, west (21:13).
o Each gate is made of a single pearl. (21:21)
o The gates will never be closed (2 1:25).
o An angel is located at each gate (21:12)
The angels are not stationed at each gate to guard the city. Most likely, they are there to serve God's people (Hebrews 1:14) By the way, there is no mention of St. Peter at any of these gates.I want to add something about the gates being made of pearl. All other precious gems are metals or stones. But the pearl is a gem formed within the oyster. It is the only gem formed by living flesh. The oyster receives an irritation or a wound, and around the offending article that has penetrated and hurt it, the oyster builds a pearl. The pearl, we might say, is the oyster's answer to that which injured it.
The New Jerusalem is God's answer, in Christ, to wicked men who crucified heaven's beloved and put Him to open shame. How like God it is to make the gates of the New Jerusalem of pearl. The saints, as they come and go, will be forever reminded, as we pass the gates, that access to God's home is only because of Calvary. It is made possible only because Christ suffered. The size of each pearl in the New Jerusalem is representative of the great suffering born by our Lord. Those pearls, hung eternally at the access routes to glory, will forever remind us of One who hung upon a tree.
The Walls
o There are 12 foundations under the wall (21:14)o The wall is made of jasper (21:18) - as clear as crystal (21:11).
o The measurement of the wall is 144 cubits (or 216 feet.) (21:17)
Look at the way the King James renders this measurement.
Revelation 21:17 KJV
17 And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.From this, one is not sure whether the measurement is the height or the width of the wall. Personally, I believe it is talking about its width.
The NIV comes out and specifically states it is measuring the width.
Revelation 21:17
17 He measured its wall and it was 144 cubits thick, by man's measurement, which the angel was using.The Foundation
o The names of the 12 apostles are inscribed on the 12 foundations.
o Each foundation was a precious gems (21:19)o Jasper Diamond
o Sapphire Deep blue
o Chalcedony Green (agate)
o Emerald Green
o Sardonyx Layered stone of red
o Sardius Blood red (Carnelian)
o Chrysolyte Golden yellow
o Beryl Sea green
o Topaz Greenish gold or yellow
o Chrysoprasus Gold green
o Jacinth Gold violet
o Amethyst Purple quartzAs I thought about the 12 stones making up the 12 foundations, my mind went to another biblical object having 12 stones in it.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT OBJECT IS?
I am speaking of the breastplate worn by the high priest.The priest's breastplate has four rows of stones, each row having three stones. When I first looked at this picture, it looked different that I expected. Then I realized it was backwards - left to right - because Hebrew is written right to left.
In Exodus 28:15-21, we are given the 12 stones of the breastplate, and the order in which they would appear. Eight stones are mentioned in both lists, although not necessarily in the same order. Two of the stones in the breastplate probably can be linked to two in Revelation 21, but by a different name. The other two couldn't be matched.
Unlike the 12 foundations of the New Jerusalem, which are engraved with the names of the apostles, the 12 stones of the Priest's breastplate are inscribed with the names of the 12 tribes.
As I was looking at this part of the city's description, I began to wonder. What did John think when Jesus told him his name will be attached to one of the gates? That question led to other questions related to John. What did John think when told the New Earth would have no seas? He was on an island in the middle of a sea, and that sea essentially kept him from seeing his spiritual children.
The Temple
o There is no temple in the New Jerusalem (21:22)
o The Lamb of God is the temple (21:22).The most important structure in the old Jerusalem was the Temple, where the priests and the people worshipped God. In the New Jerusalem, there will be no need for an individual building to worship God. His dwelling with man will no longer need to be symbolized through a physical temple. We will worship and fellowship with him deeply through the temple of our hearts.
The Sun & Moon
o There is no need for either the sun or the moon, for the glory of God is the light (21:23).In other places in the Bible, we are told:o God is light, and in him is no darkness at all - 1 John 1:5o Christ is said to be "the brightness of his glory" - Hebrews 1:2-3
The Night
o There will be no night there (21:25).The Rivers
o The river flows out from the throne of God (22:1).
o The river is clear as crystal (22:1).
o The river is called the "river of life" (22:1, 17).
o There are springs of living water (7:17)Some believe there are at least 12 rivers, each flowing down the center of each street, from the throne through each of the 12 gates.The Tree of Life
o They line both sides of the river (22:2).
o The trees bear 12 manner of fruit, yielding fruit each month (22:2).
o The leaves of the trees are for the healing (Therapeia - serving, care) of the nations (22:2).
o We will have access to the Tree of Life (22:14).The City
If we peer over the walls, we find that the city and the streets are made of gold. So pure is it that it appears like clear glass. I don't know how gold can be clear, but in heaven we will find out.
o The city is made of pure gold, like clear glass (21:18).
o The streets are made of pure gold like transparent glass (21:21).
o It will be adorned like a bride (21:2).
o It will descend out of heaven (21:10).
o It will be filled with the glory of God (21:11).The Throne
o The throne of the Father and the Son (22:1).The detailed description of this city, make me have no doubt that this is a real, tangible city. We saints of God will eat the fruit and drink the water in real, physical, resurrected bodies. Our hands will touch the cheeks of our loved one. Our arms will embrace them again. While I believe that the New Jerusalem is a real, tangible city, just as Seattle, Tokyo or London, all the great cities of this present world are mere villages when compared to our future dwelling place.
The questions I am often asked about the New Jerusalem is: Can the New Jerusalem hold all the believers who have ever lived? And, if all children who die before the age of accountability, go to heaven, we must be sure not to leave them out. And we must include all aborted babies as well.
Before attempting to see if someone has actually tried to calculate this number, I tried to do this on a napkin while eating lunch at Southcenter. How many of you have heard, in some form or other, the statement "more than 50% of all the people that have ever lived are alive right now " Don't you believe it. It is nowhere close.
I tried to take these variables into account:
o Estimated birth rate and longevity after Adam
o The population dropped to 8 after the flood
o Estimated birth rate and longevity after the flood and Noah
o Estimated birth rate and longevity after Abraham
o Estimated birth rate at the time of Christ
o Current birth rate
o The length of humans on this earth is approx. 6,000 years.With these assumptions, I estimated the total number of people who have every lived. The number, using this non-scientific calculation, was 48 - 50 billion. When I arrived home, I did a search on the internet. I put in the question, "How many people have lived on earth?" into the search box. I received back 196 web pages.
Very few of them had any credible data. The first credible one, taking in some of the same factors I had estimated, came up with a little over 100 billion people. But this estimate assumed mankind had been on the earth at least 50,000 years, and gave no allowance for the flood. Because of that, nearly 50% of the people lived before Christ.
Another web site was more scientific in its approach, although any estimate of this number is just that, an estimate with many variable. They also went back more than 50,000 years, but had broken it up into smaller chunks. So taking the pieces going back to 6000 years ago, gave an estimate of 49 billion. I read another, which came in at 51 billion.
So now the assignment is: Can a significant portion of this many people live in the New Jerusalem? Again, certain assumptions have to be used. There could be any number of estimates, based on differing assumption. The assumptions I used in one scenario are these.
o Each person in heaven is given 100 acres where their mansion is located.
o Each of the floors, or levels, of the New Jerusalem are 1,000 feet apart.
o The New Jerusalem is in the shape of a cube.
Taking 1,500 miles wide times 1,500 mile long, times 640 acres per square mile, 1,440,000,000 acres on each level (floor). Divide that by 100 acres per person gives 14.4 million dwelling places per floor. 1,500 miles high by 5,280 feet per mile, divided by 1,000 feet per level = 7,920 floors. 7,920 floors times 14.4 million dwelling places per floor = 114,048,000.000 dwelling places.
I would guess this number is really on the low side. I can't see us living with that much distance between us. We are going to want to be near each other. Others Christians have calculated there will be room for 20,000 times the entire population that has every lived on earth.
Oh, by the way, if the shape of the city is a pyramid, the resultant number is exactly one-third that of a cube.
The bottom line is, there is plenty of room in our eternal city for all the people who have loved God. To say the least, the size and description of our eternal home is astonishing.
Gold, for which men have sacrificed their lives,…to most coveted treasure among nations will be commonplace in God's city. People will walk on it. Precious pearls, once the most valuable of adornments, will be so large that one of them will enhance the beauty of every entrance. These details emphasize the fact that the greatest valuables on earth are insignificant when compared with God's treasures.
Considering the glorious wonder, complexity, and beauty of this earth, which the lord created in 6 days, can our minds even comprehend what must be the glory of the heavenly city, the New Jerusalem, which our Lord has been creating over the last 2,000 years.
Revelation 21:6 NKJV
6 And He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.Notice that phrase, "It is done." This phrase is found two other times in the New Testament.1. On the cross, when atonement was paid in full (John 19:30).2. At Armageddon, where judgment of the nations is irrevocable. (Revelation 16:17)
3. The last time, here, at the dawn of eternity (Revelation 21:6).
An unknown devotional writer has said: "Heaven is a place of complete victory and triumph."
THIS is the battlefield. -- THERE is the triumphal procession.
THIS is the land of the sword and spear, -- THERE is the land of the wreath and crown.
Some day, according to 1 Peter 1:4, we will receive "an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade - kept in heaven for you." Some day the suffering and pain of this world will be over, and we will be with God forever in heaven.
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