Lesson 24
We have taken a long, dark “journey” through the book of Revelation. It has been mostly bad news about disease, pain, smoke, global destruction, war, death, and the lake of fire. Now, we come to the good news. Therefore, what does John see in 21:1a?
The word translated new (KAINOS, ki-nos’) does not mean “recent,” or new in time; it means new in quality and nature. It is new in kind rather than in time. The new heaven and new earth are possible because the first heaven and the first earth had passed away (21:1b). No details are given here, but how will they pass away, according to 2 Peter 3:10b–c?
Next, John sees the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God (21:2a–c). This is what Isaiah predicted (Isa. 65:17a–b; 66:22). What does God say through Isaiah in Isaiah 65:17c?
The best part of heaven is not its beauty. The best part of heaven is described in 21:4a–d. Personalize it and write it below:
God also says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega” (21:6b). This repeats what Jesus said to John (1:8). Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. Therefore, God is the beginning and the end (21:6c) of everything. What does God say in the last sentence of verse 6?
God also tells John who will not be with Him in heaven (21:8). As I often mention, when you see a list in the Bible, always pay special attention to what comes first. What two groups are first in this list of those who will have their place in the lake of fire (21:8a–b)?
Next, one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues says to John, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb” (21:9). The angel carries John away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain (21:10a). John is transported in a vision from the isle of Patmos, where he is a prisoner. The angel shows him the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God (21:10). A city is not the buildings; it is the people. We never say, “A city of 50,000 buildings,” but rather, “a city of 50,000 people. The most distinguishing characteristic of the New Jerusalem is found in the first phrase of verse 11. What is it?
The city has a great, high wall, symbolizing the safety and impregnability of the city. The wall has twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of Israel (21:12). This means godly people of the Old Testament will be residents of the city. There are three gates on each side: east, north, south, and west (21:13). The wall of the New Jerusalem has twelve foundations (21:14a). What is written on them (21:14b)?
The angel who speaks to John has a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls (21:15). The city is a cube, being equal in length, width, and height. It measures 12,000 stadia [stay’-dih-uh] in length, width, and height (21:16). The word translated stadia, or “furlongs,” (STADION, stad’-ee-on) is the word from which we get our word “stadium.” In ancient Greece and Rome, this was a unit of measure for foot races. One stadia, or furlong, is about 607 feet, or 185 meters. The New Jerusalem is a 12,000-stadia, or 1,380-mile, cube—the distance from Dallas to New York City. It is shaped like the Holy of Holies, because what does 1 Kings 6:20a record about Solomon’s temple?
If each floor is one mile in height, and there are 1,380 floors, and if 150 million can live on each floor, that’s a total of over 207 billion people. The world population today is about 6.6 billion. So, there is room for everyone. Now, we can better understand what words of Jesus in John 14:2a?