The New Jerusalem

They say say that a picture is worth a thousand words… In our passage today, John sees somethings visually that is difficult to find words for to describe! In order for us to visualize what he is seeing John writes down for us 611 words.

Johns words will immerse us in a tour given by an angel as he has opportunity to see THE NEW JERUSALEM… As John explored this place I wonder if his mind went back to the night that Jesus would be betrayed…

Judas had left to go and betray Him

Jesus says that He will be leaving and they will not be able to follow

Peter states that he would follow Jesus anywhere… even to death

Jesus informs him that he will deny Him three times before the rooster crows

It is after this conversation… Jesus makes this statement: John 14:2-3

John 14:2–3 NASB95

“In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. “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.

A place where “many” are able to dwell

Jesus is preparing this for you and me!

He desires us to be with Him!

As John takes his tour of this “PLACE” Jesus has prepared it must have been amazing! Follow along this tour as we read Revelation 21:9-22:5

Revelation 21:9–22:5 NASB95

Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her brilliance was like a very costly stone, as a stone of crystal-clear jasper. It had a great and high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names were written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel. There were three gates on the east and three gates on the north and three gates on the south and three gates on the west. And the wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. The one who spoke with me had a gold measuring rod to measure the city, and its gates and its wall. 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. And he measured its wall, seventy-two yards, according to human measurements, which are also angelic measurements. The material of the wall was jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. The foundation stones of the city wall were adorned with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation stone was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald; the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprase; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the gates was a single pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it; and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.

GINORMOUS

First off… I checked with grammarly and it said that this is now a word used most likely derived from the combination of “Gigantic” and “Enormous”… and if there was a case for it to be used I feel this city fits the bill!

Step back… REALLY FAR BACK!!! and let’s take a moment to imagine this “GINORMOUS” city that John is able to see! We will start with it’s SIZE!!!

It is sooo large John is taken to a “great and high mountain” … otherwise all he would see is this massive wall in front of him!

He gets to observe as this city that has been prepared descends from Heaven, the dwelling of God Almighty!

He sees the walls, the gates, even the foundation

The angel giving the tour gives John a “golden measuring rod” to measure these things

1500 miles length and width!

Denver to DC top of North Dakota to the bottom tip of Texas! SQUARE!!! [show image]

This city is the size of continents!

The height of this city is also 1500 miles!

The dimension of the walls is most likely how thick they are!

It has been calculated that if only 25% of the space was used for dwellings it could comfortably hold 20 Billion people!

No wonder John needed to be on a “great and tall mountain”!

WAIT!!!!… HOLD UP PASTOR JED…

Wouldn’t a city that big be TOO LARGE for even the atmosphere?

Maybe these measurements are symbolic to show perfection or completeness?

I would respond with THREE answers...

1- Verse 17 states these are not just angelic or heavenly measurements, they are man’s measurements as well

The people of John’s day would have been just as much if not even more amazed by these

John here is stressing that these measurements are accurate… Yes it is massive

2- REMEMBER… this is the new heaven and earth! We have no idea of its scale or atmosphere

This New earth is not a remodel… it is new all together

The last heaven and earth was burned up, it is gone!

3- Stop trying to put God and what He is capable of in your comfortable small box… LET GOD BE GOD!

If you think her size is amazing wait until we look at her splendor!

The Bride & Wife

When the angel introduces Jerusalem to John and shows him the “wife and bride of the Lamb” he is encompassing the Old & New Testament concepts of all those redeemed through the ages! This New Jerusalem is a real place where the redeemed of God dwell with God!

This is beautifully depicted in the walls and foundation of this city!

On the four walls of the city we see three gates on each bearing the names of the twelve tribes of Israel

We look and see the foundation stones are the names of the twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ

The writer of Hebrews spoke of this Celestial City… “whose architect and builder is God”!

This is “the city” which Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob looked to

This is “the place” which Jesus spoke about and promised

Did you NOTICE the splendid details of John strived to convey as he observed this place?!

Beauty Beyond Words

The imagery here is hard to capture in ones mind’s eye. The colors and richness is beyond ones comprehension.

The city paves its roads with gold… it says the city was made of gold so pure it was “LIKE” clear transparent glass!

John is grasping for words to describe its brilliance and splendor

The gems and stones he states here give us an amazing image of color and glimmer

The twelve gates were single pearls! Massive in size… beauty from suffering

John Philips writes this concerning pearls…

All other precious gems are metals or stones, but a pearl is a gem formed within the oyster—the only one formed by living flesh. The humble oyster receives an irritation or wound, and around the offending article that has penetrated and hurt it, the oyster builds a pearl. The pearl, we might say, is the answer of the oyster to that which injured it.

The pearl are the gateway to this city… it is also through the suffering of our Lord and Savior Jesus that we are able to enter into this place of Heaven to us!

These gates remain open… they never close

No need for this, it is SAFE!… the Lord’s dwelling is accessible!

In this city safety is not the only thing God provides…

God’s Provisions

He is the source of LIGHT… no sun exist… therefore there is no night, darkness, or shadows

Reminds me of what John wrote in his gospel about Jesus as He came to earth the first time… John 1:4-5

John 1:4–5 NASB95

In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

There is NOTHING unclean there…

The ABSCENCE of lies, filth, sin, abominations… brings with it comfort and safety

ONLY… those “whose name is in the Lamb’s Book of Life” are able to enter

From His throne flows the river of life and on either side of it is the tree of life

One commentator described it as a flowing source of life down the very center of the streets and on either side as a garden are the trees of life in a row down this river.

Life, sustenance, healing, provision all flowing from our God!

It is with this wonderful life He will provide that it says we will reign forever and ever!

Creation back to God’s perfect intention… where we will rule once again with Him

It’s been a minute since I read verses 3-5 of Revelation 22 … let me read them again and just listen…

Glory of God!

This is where God will be! In His very presence… we see His face!

We will serve Him… such adoration, intimacy. One you love you seek to serve!

John continues to draw our the brilliance and illumination that is present here!

His GLORY shines forth… what is referred to as the Shekinah Glory of God...

Darkness is gone and truth reigns… the glory, illumination, the closeness and absences of the temple brings to mind the deep intimate worship taking place in the New Jerusalem!

Swindoll describes it well:

Humans tend to associate impressive structures with religious activity, such as the massive, ornate buildings of the Vatican or the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, with its enormous golden dome. Even smaller structures such as our own churches represent sacred places to us where we learn about and worship our God. The new Jerusalem, however, will have no need for a special building set aside for worship.

No temple will be needed in Heaven, for our abode will be with Him. As we close I wanted to contemplate Heaven…

Heaven…

I blame flannelgraph and Hollywood for our distorted view of Heaven (clouds, harps, wings, etc.)

Heaven = Is a celestial abode (home) with another (Jesus Christ) our location and place will be with Him!

Jesus said to His disciples that last supper… “where I am you may be there also!” (Relationship / Heaven!)

HOWEVER, Heaven is not for all…

It is for those who trust Jesus Christ as Savior… ONLY! (those in the book of life) …

As we finish this tour of Heaven, left with great anticipation, wonder, and excitement… let’s go back to Christ’s conversation with His disciples in John 14:1- 6

John 14:1–6 NASB95

“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. “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. “And you know the way where I am going.” Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

It is not enough to just believe there is a God… you must believe in what Jesus Christ in His work of Salvation.

Jesus said that “I am THE way, THE truth, and THE life, NO ONE comes to the Father except through Me!”

We REMEMBER that work of salvation as we take communion today…

Another beautiful PICTURE that no words could express ( not… 611, 1000, or even a hundred thousand)

The depth, power, or grace of Jesus Christ cannot be expressed enough, yet we pause to REMEBER

The Bread - His Body

The Cup - His Blood