A Glimpse Of Glory 19

A Home Like You Have Never Seen

An Unmatched Eternal Home Built For You

Text: Revelation 21:9-27

Introduction

Here are a few of world’s largest homes:

10. Biltmore Estate (Asheville, North Carolina)

It’s not uncommon for travelers to fall so in love with a destination that they scoop up a vacation property. What is less common, however, is when they scoop up 125,000 acres and build a 175,000-square-foot French Renaissance château as their country retreat. That’s exactly what George Vanderbilt did after visiting Asheville, North Carolina, with his mom, Maria Louisa Kissam Vanderbilt. In 1889 he began construction on Biltmore Estate, with its 35 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, and 65 fireplaces. Today, the gargantuan getaway—designed by architect Richard Morris Hunt—is open to the public for tours, wine tastings, art exhibits, shopping, and even overnight stays.

8. Palace of Versailles (Versailles, France)

Each year, France’s Palace of Versailles draws over 10 million visitors who are eager to walk its centuries-old halls, ogle its 6,000-plus paintings, stroll its nearly 2,000 acres of gardens, and maybe purchase a souvenir Marie Antoinette throw pillow. But Versailles had much more humble beginnings. King Louis XIII originally bought the land and built a small hunting lodge on the grounds in 1623 for when he couldn’t make it back to Paris before dark. King Louis XIV then expanded on what his father had built to transform the property into a royal palace and an architectural masterpiece—which spans 721,206 square feet.

7. Buckingham Palace (London, England)

Home to the most famous balcony in the world, London’s Buckingham Palace has been the official residence of the British sovereigns since 1837. The palace regularly hosts state banquets, garden parties, weekly audiences between the king and prime minister, as well as all those famous balcony appearances with the royal family. It has a total of 775 rooms, including 52 royal and guest bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices, and 78 bathrooms. All of this is spread out across 828,820 square feet, making Buckingham Palace one of the most grandiose work-from-home setups in the world.

6. Umaid Bhawan (oo·mayd baa·wn) Palace (Jodhpur, India)

Not only was this palace turned hotel once fit for a maharaja—it still is. One wing of the one-million-square-foot Umaid Bhawan Palace serves as a residence for the current maharaja of Jodhpur. Other sections of the property are now an opulent stay operated by Taj Hotels. The one-million-square-foot property was originally built between 1929 and 1943 for Maharaja Umaid Singh and designed by architect Henry Lanchester. Today, guests can mingle with peacocks among the property’s 26 acres of gardens that overlook the Blue City, swim in the Maharaja’s subterranean Zodiac Pool, or visit the spa for an ancient Indian healing ritual.

1. Lakshmi Vilas (Luhk-shmee Vee-lahs) Palace (Gujarat, India)

At a whopping 30.5 million square feet, it’ll be hard to dethrone the biggest house in the world, Lakshmi Vilas Palace. Built by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III in Vadodara, India, in 1890, the palace is still home to Vadodara’s royal family. And why would they ever want to leave this stunning Indo-Saracenic-style home? It has 170 rooms adorned in Rajasthani marble, mosaic flooring from Venice, and stained glass windows from Belgium. But because the royals only occupy the top floors, the public can get a peek at sections of the palace that are open for tours.

1) The Beauty Of Your New City

A. Measurement of the city:

“foursquare” — This speaks to the perfection by which Jesus built this city for you.

1 furlong = 606.75 feet

12,000 furlongs = 7,281,000 feet

Length and width and height are equal proportions = 1,400 miles cubed

If laid out on the map of the United States, its footprint would stretch from Miami, Florida, to beyond Boston, Massachusetts, then west to Minneapolis, Minnesota, down to Houston, Texas, and back to Miami

B. Measurement of the wall:

Pertaining to the “thickness” of the wall.

1 cubit = Roughly 18 inches (from tip of fingers to elbow)

144 cubits (according to the measure of the man; similar in height to the angel. = 2,592 feet thick

C. Construction of the city/wall:

The New Testament speak a lot about foundation:

(v14) Ephesians 2:20 “20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;”

(v14) “foundations” Hebrews 11:10 “10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.”

(v14) Twelve foundations: 2 Timothy 2:19 “19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”

1 Corinthians 3:10 “10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.”

The wall is made of Jasper.

The city itself made of pure gold (clear as crystal).

Building foundations are usually underground, but these foundations will not only be visible but beautifully garnished with precious stones. Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 623.

It’s foundation is made up of 12 precious stones — Jasper, sapphire, chalcedony (kal·seh·duh·nee), emerald, sardonyx, sardius, chrysolite, beryl, topaz, chrysoprasus (kri-zo-prah-sus), jacinth, amethyst.

There is no need to be dogmatic about the exact color of these, but here is a very common agreed upon description by several scholars:

Jasper, as we have seen, is a clear crystal.

Sapphire is a blue stone.

Chalcedony (kal·seh·duh·nee) is probably greenish-blue.

Emerald, of course, is green.

Sardonyx is like our onyx, a white stone streaked with brown, though some scholars describe it as red and white.

Sardius is a red stone (sometimes described as “blood red”).

chrysolite a yellow quartz like our modern topaz.

Beryl is green

Topaz a yellow-green.

Chrysoprasus (kri-zo-prah-sus); some think it is a golden-tinted stone, others, an apple-green color.

Jacinth (ja·sinth) is probably blue, though some claim it was yellow

Amethyst (a·muh·thuhst) is a rich purple, or blue-red.

Here is some things later learned about precious stones:

The twelve stones mentioned in Revelation 21:19-20 are believed to be anisotropic, a property that wasn't widely known until relatively recently. Anisotropic materials have the unique ability to refract light in different directions, causing it to split into a spectrum of colors when exposed to polarized light. Isotropic stones, like diamonds, do not exhibit this property and appear black or dull when viewed under the same conditions.

D. Construction of the twelve gates:

Ezekiel 48:31–34 “31 And the gates of the city shall be after the names of the tribes of Israel: three gates northward; one gate of Reuben, one gate of Judah, one gate of Levi. 32 And at the east side four thousand and five hundred: and three gates; and one gate of Joseph, one gate of Benjamin, one gate of Dan. 33 And at the south side four thousand and five hundred measures: and three gates; one gate of Simeon, one gate of Issachar, one gate of Zebulun. 34 At the west side four thousand and five hundred, with their three gates; one gate of Gad, one gate of Asher, one gate of Naphtali.”

Made up of twelve pearls. Each gate made from a single pearl???

Consider this…a pearl is created from an injury a single grain of sand causes in the interior part of a clam. I can’t help but think of this…the only reason by which we get to enter these pearly gates, is due to the willingness of Jesus to be “wounded” by our sin.

Isaiah 53:5 “5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: The chastisement of our peace was upon him; And with his stripes we are healed.”

2 Corinthians 8:9 “9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.”

There will be no begging at these gates!

(v13) Luke 16:20 “20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,”

E. Construction of the street

Made from pure gold.

You will be able to see the foundation below.

2) The Temple Of Your New City

A. Through all of history, God has had a dwelling place in order to walk among His people.

For the Old Testament believers, they had the Tabernacle and later the Temple.

However, even though He was with them in that sense, there was still a sense of personal distance between them and God.

For the New Testament believers (prior to Jesus’ ascension) they were able to witness the fullness of God in “like-flesh.”

However, even then, there was a shrouding from the purest representation of God’s glory.

For the early church and even us today, we have the indwelling Spirit of God by Whom God channels all of the fullness of Christ that we might live victorious for Him as we wait for His return.

However, we long until the fullest sense of our redemption has been fulfilled and we stand face to face and see Him as He is.

B. John is announcing that the temple of the new city is made up of the Father and Son.

Can you image the fullest sense of dwelling with God without any kind of softening filter to protect our mortal bodies? He will have already given us our immortal bodies to withstand the purest form of His glory.

You and I will be dwelling with God in the most perfect sense, in the most perfect of bodies, in the most perfect of places, throughout a perfect and undisturbed eternity.

Isn’t it amazing that God in His purposes wants you and I to experience Him in that way for eternity? He could allow us to experience Him the way we do now and never change it...and I would thank Him for that! BUT...THE HERE AND NOW IS NOT THE SWEETEST CONNECTION HE HAS INSTORE FOR YOU AND ME!

3) The Light Of Your New City

A. Can you even imagine not have the sun and moon as we know it in the cosmos above us?

a) What if the sun went away today, what would happen?

Extreme Cold: Earth would rapidly cool down, with temperatures potentially dropping below 0°F within a week and plummeting to -100°F within a year.

Ocean Freezing: The oceans would freeze over, starting with the surface and eventually freezing deeper.

No Photosynthesis: Plant life would be unable to survive without sunlight, leading to the collapse of the food chain.

Human Survival: Humans might survive for a while in insulated structures using geothermal energy and recycled resources, but long-term survival would be challenging.

Other Planets: All other planets would continue their orbits, but without the sun's warmth, they would freeze.

b) What if the moon went away today, what would happen?

Reduced Tides: Tides would be significantly smaller as the moon's gravitational pull is the primary driver of tides.

Unstable Axial Tilt: The moon helps stabilize Earth's axial tilt, preventing extreme weather variations. Without it, the tilt could fluctuate wildly, causing dramatic climate changes and ice ages.

Shorter Days: Days would be shorter as the moon's influence slows Earth's rotation. Without it, the day would be much shorter.

Loss of Stabilizing Effect: The moon also helps stabilize Earth's orbit. Without it, the Earth's orbit could be less predictable and potentially unstable.

B. Describing the very light of this new eternal dwelling is itself God’s glory. (v11)

The very light of His glory that used to be confined to the “most holy place” in the tabernacle and Temple, the very light that was reduced down for Moses to witness and changed his entire appearance, the same presence theophanized in the pillar or cloud and fire and even on the mount Sinai, will be FULLY EXPERIENCED in your new city!

John describes it as the most beautiful yet completely transparent.

(v24) “walk” — This can be seen as physically walking around as well as speaking to someone conduct.

Isaiah 60:3 “3 And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, And kings to the brightness of thy rising.”

Illustration: Have you ever been outside on a cold day and just stand in the sunlight? Isn’t that feeling just comforting and wonderful?

Illustration: Have you ever been outside on a summer day and try to find a spot to hide from the sun? In your new city, God the Father and Son will be a temple that shine a light that brings no negative or unwanted effect on you. You will never look for shade again!

4) The Peace Of Your New City

VERSES 25-27

Q — If there is a time during a 24 hour period that you lock up your house, when would it definitely be? NIGHT TIME!

“the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there”

God is described as light and God’s children are called “children of light.”

1 John 1:5 “5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”

1 Peter 2:9 “9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:”

1 Thessalonians 5:5 “5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.”

God won’t need a subscription to ADT or any security provider!

Light expels darkness! (v27)

Conclusion

With 100% assurance, can you say that the city that is soon coming, will be where you will dwell for eternity?

Notice the last part of verse 27… “but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”