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The Angel's Second Visit – Revelation 21:9 – 22:21

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Beginning Point in Time: At the End of the 1,000 Years
Ending Point in Time: When the Old Order Has Passed Away

Introduction:

You may recall in our study on Revelation 17 that Jesus sent one of the angels having the seven bowls to explain what John had seen previously.  In that setting, John was carried away in the Spirit into a desert and while there, he saw a richly adorned harlot sitting upon the composite beast which was covered with blasphemous names.  The beast had seven heads and ten horns. [1]   The final verses in Revelation are similar to Revelation 17.  Once again, Jesus sends one of the seven angels to John with more information.  However, this time John is not carried into a desert, but instead he is carried to a high mountain where the angel shows him the bride of Christ, New Jerusalem.

Many Bible students do not agree whether Christ’s bride in Revelation 21:9 is His church (the saints) or His city (New Jerusalem).  The solution to this confusion is the dual role of Jesus.  Jesus is King of kings (the Ruler of the city) and Lord of lords (the Head of His church).  In terms of kinship, affection, and worship, the bride of Christ is His church (the saints).[2]  In terms of a kingdom and government, the bride of Christ is a glorious city filled with happy and holy citizens.[3]


The Sequence


Revelation 21:9-10

And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,d{9} One of the seven angels of the seven last plagues said, “Come with me John, I will show you the bride.  The wife of the Lamb is the glorious kingdom which the Father has given to Him.”[4]

{10} He carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain. He showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down from Heaven where Jesus lives.


Revelation 21:11-14

Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.{11} The city shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.

{12} It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels welcoming visitors at its gates.  The names of the twelve tribes of Israel were written on the city’s gates.

{13} The city faced north, south, east, and west.  There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south, and three on the west.

{14}  The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.


Revelation 21:15-18

And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.  And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. 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. And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.{15} The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls.

{16} The city was laid out in a square, as long as it was wide. The angel measured the city with his measuring stick and found it to be 12,000 stadia (1,420 miles) on each side. The city was as tall as it was wide.  The city is a giant cube!

{17} The angel measured its wall and according to the Roman cubit, it was 216 feet thick.

{18} The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass.


Size of the New Jerusalem

I believe that God revealed the physical dimensions of New Jerusalem to John to insure that human beings would understand the physical nature of the Holy City.  The Holy City is not a mirage or a ghost town; it is a three dimensional reality.  The New Jerusalem is 12,000 stadia or furlongs in length, width, and height and the city wall is 144 cubits thick.  A Roman furlong was 625 feet in John’s day and a cubit was 18 inches.  Therefore, 12,000 furlongs is approximately 1,420 miles and a wall 144 cubits thick is approximately 216 feet thick.  Even though we have to accept the measurements given at face value, I do not have a perfect solution for the enormous dimensions of the Holy City in terms of Earth’s size and mass.  It is hard to imagine a 1,420 mile cube sitting on Earth’s surface.  For the sake of comparison, Earth’s diameter is 8,000 miles.  Earth’s atmosphere is 62 miles high and the International Space Station orbits Earth about 200 miles up.  Can you imagine living about half way up the Holy City (say, at mile marker 710) and looking down on the International Space Station 500 miles below?

In an effort to rationalize the size of the Holy City and the physical parameters of Earth, please consider two suggestions.  First, suppose planet Earth could be expanded to the size of Saturn at the end of the 1,000 years.  If so, a 1,420 mile cube sitting on the surface would not be such a problem.  The diameter of Saturn is about ten times the size of Earth.  To put this in perspective, 764 planets the size of Earth can fit within Saturn.

The second possibility is one that I favor.  I have wondered if the shape of Earth will be changed at the end of the 1,000 years from that of a sphere to that of a toroid.  (A toroid looks like a doughnut with a hole in the middle.)  Suppose that when the New Jerusalem descends from Heaven, the Mount of Olives splits from East to West as the Scripture says, and a great valley (actually, a large hole) opens up through the middle of the Earth to accommodate the city of God.[5]  In this scenario, Earth would flatten out to look something like a huge doughnut revolving around the celestial Cube of God which faces north, south, east, and west.  This physical arrangement would insure that everyone is close to God’s throne, no matter where on Earth he lived!

We know that the holy city will not need the light of the Sun or the moon, for the glory of God will be its light.[6]  The Bible also says that God Himself will live among men.[7]   I mention these two facts because Jesus might have a special purpose for planet Earth.  Jesus may take Earth out of its orbit around the Sun, since the Sun will not be needed.  Jesus could use this planet as a giant “motor home” that travels throughout the universe.  If so, the saints would see and visit an infinite number of galaxies and worlds which the Lamb will create during eternity to come.  Think about this, New Jerusalem could become something like a huge “RV” where happiness and joy, homes and gardens, animals and victorious human beings will live forever with God.  I know this is wishful speculation, but the Bible says we cannot conceive the wonderful things that God has prepared for His children.[8]  Nevertheless, I like the idea of the redeemed being known throughout the universe as “happy campers.”


The Sequence Continues


Revelation 21:19-22

And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass. And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.{19} The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald,

{20} the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.

{21} There were twelve gates and each gate was made of a single pearl. The great street in the city was made of pure gold that looked like transparent glass. Words cannot describe the beauty and glory of God’s city.

{22} I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.  People in the Holy City will not worship in a temple because they will worship the living God, wherever He happens to be!

A temple became necessary in Heaven when sin began.  The plan of salvation required a command and control center and this made it necessary for God to establish a temple in Heaven.  Before sin existed, there was no need for altars and atonement.  When the work of the Two Witnesses is completed on Earth, there will be no need for altars and atonement.  Thus, the temple in Heaven will be vacated.[9]  During the 1,000 years, the saints will return to Heaven and they will sit (reign) with Jesus in Heaven’s courtroom to determine the amount of restitution which must be extracted from the wicked.  After this phase of judgment is completed, the temple will be forever eliminated.  It will have no further purpose because the problem of sin will be concluded.  When the Holy City descends at the end of the 1,000 years, it will not have a temple in it.  The Father and Son will be worshiped wherever they present themselves.


 

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