A New City
For our 30th wedding anniversary, I planned a dinner at a nice restaurant and invited family, friends and all of the people who were in our wedding party to celebrate with my wife and I. I had pictures remade from our wedding album so that everyone could reminisce, and they were free to take the pictures with them as keepsakes. The height of the celebration came as I presented my bride with a beautiful new wedding band and ring. I watched as her face registered surprise and then I saw the tears begin to stream down her cheeks. As I looked around the room, I saw elation and tears on the faces of our friends and loved ones as they witnessed this presentation. There was joy (and maybe a little awe) as my wife showed everyone the new ring and they took in it’s beauty and splendor. In Revelation 21:10-21, John describes the beauty and splendor of the Holy City of New Jerusalem that he saw as he was shown around that city by an angel. His description gives us a view to a spectacularly beautiful city that God has planned for us to live in with Him eternally. I can only imagine the tears of joy and elation that we will have when we finally see New Jerusalem for ourselves! May God adorn you with the beauty and splendor of His majesty this week and may you be reminded that you are a child of the King...eternally.
And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. (Revelation 21:10-14). In continuation from the previous verse in chapter 21, v10 begins with the angel showing John the Holy City of New Jerusalem. John is taken up high on a mountain and sees the city descending from God. John begins to describe for us what he was seeing. He described the city’s radiance as reflecting God’s glory and it’s brilliance as that of a rare and precious crystal jewel. He saw that the city had twelve gates, each one bearing the name of one of the twelve tribes of Israel (representing the heritage of Israel and their inclusion in God’s eternal plan). John also saw a wall surrounding the city (representing safety and security from all enemies), that had twelve foundations, each with the name of one of the twelve apostles (representing the solid doctrine upon which the church and the city are built).
The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. 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 angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits thick. The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. (Revelation 21:15-18). The angel used a gold measuring rod to measure and give John perspective on the dimensions of the city, it’s walls and it’s gates. The city was equally about 1,500 miles long, 1,500 miles high and 1,500 miles wide. The dimensions of the city indicates that there will be room for all of God’s people in New Jerusalem. The wall around the city was approximately 72 yards thick, again reinforcing the notion of the safety and security of the city.
The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass. (Revelation 21:19-21). The foundations of New Jerusalem are adorned with precious stones (how rich and precious are the foundations of the church). Each of the gates of the city were made from pearls. Pearls come from living organisms and these pearl gates are the entry to eternal life in God in this Holy City. Finally the streets of New Jerusalem aren’t the dirty and filthy streets that we are used to in our current world, but are pure and made of gold.
John’s description of New Jerusalem leaves us with an incredible picture of the beauty and splendor of New Jerusalem. Certainly this new city will be unparalleled by any place we know or have seen before. But, as much as John has attempted to describe what was revealed to him about the Holy City of New Jerusalem, what we will one day see for ourselves will exceed anything we can imagine. God is always doing a new thing. Whether it be a new thing in our physical or spiritual lives, in our work, in our relationships, or in our families, He is always bringing us into something new. Like John, we need to see what God is doing around us and through us, and embrace the new things He is doing in our lives. One day, He will make all things new, and we will rejoice and shed a tear (or two)… as we enter a new city where we will eternally live with Him.
Blessings,
Rev. Glenn
