New Jerusalem
In Chapter 21 God (Jesus Christ) revealed to John the New Heaven and
New Earth. The first heaven and earth had passed away and there was no
longer any sea. John saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, coming down
from heaven. A loud voice from the throne proclaimed that God will
reside with mankind and that there will be no more tears, death,
mourning, or pain for the old things have passed away.
Another
proclamation from the throne declared “I am making everything new!”
Looks like the handyman will no longer be needed if everything is
always new.
Still another announcement that he who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.
The
cowardly, the nonbeliever, the vile, the murders, the sexually immoral,
and those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars will be
placed in the lake of burning sulfur.
John saw the New
Jerusalem and it shone with the glory of God and its brilliance was
like that of a very precious jewel. The great high wall surrounding it
had twelve gates, three on each side. Each gate had the name of one of
the twelve tribes of Israel written on it. The wall had twelve
foundations, one for each of the twelve apostles.
The
width of the wall was 144 Cubits (216 feet to 252 feet thick). We are
not told how high the "great high wall" is, only how thick. However,
entry into the New Jerusalem is through one of the 12 gates so it must
be a pretty high wall to allow all traffic to and from all the nations
of the New Earth.
The Holy City was a cube of 12,000 stadia
on each dimension. If we use the Roman measure the 12,000 stadia would
be 1379 miles cube. If you tried to put that size of a city on our
earth it would sink, throw the earth out of balance, and probably send
it whirling out into space. So, this earth that receives the New
Jerusalem is a much larger place than the earth we know today. With
God being with us we do not need the universe. Did God use all the
material in the universe to create the New Earth and New Jerusalem?
The New Jerusalem was the same shape as in the inner sanctuary in the
old Testament.
John did not see a temple in the city. God Almighty and the Lamb
is its temple. There is no need for the sun or moon for the glory
of God gives it light and the Lamb is its lamp. There is no
night. Your new home is luxurious beyond your wildest
imagination. Only those whose names are written in the
Lamb’s book of life will enter the New Jerusalem.
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