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Here we have an account of God's second creation, "a new heaven and a new earth". this, John says, was needed because the old one had passed away. "Heaven" is the sky and space, "Earth", is the firmament. Everything completely new. So to make way for this new state of being, all old things had to be done away with.
Then John saw the "New Jerusalem", coming down, as it were, out of the heavens from God. It was a prepared place, all dressed up like a bride adorned for her husband. A place of perfection, an inheritance promised from the foundation of the world by God's plan of salvation.
Then John heard a great voice coming from the throne of God, speaking of this New Jerusalem, "Behold the dwelling place of God is with man".
Observe these facts:
Notice this about this "New Jerusalem":
How do we know this? John says these words are "faithful and true", because it is already done. Done by Him who is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. God was and is and always shall be. This perfect place, this perfect existence is given to us "without price". By Grace, through faith we become the sons and daughters of God.
But what of those whose names are not written in the books? They will perish in the lake of fire because of their sins. Notice the sins that are mentioned. Cowardice, faithlessness, polluted, mentally and physically unclean, murder, sorcery, power gained through the assistance of evil spirits, idolatry and lying.
Notice what heads the list..cowardice. This sin has caused many a person not to
accept Christ as their Lord and Savior, fear of social and economic pressures. The
Jews feared the Pharisees, the Gentiles feared the Jews and the Romans. To these,
their eternity will be in Hell not because of their sins but because of their
neglecting their salvation out of fear.
A New Jerusalem
["Click here for Revelation 21:9-14"]
The rest of Chapter 21 of the Book of Revelation contains 5 descriptions of the New Jerusalem
1. It's External Appearance Notice who it is that comes and takes John to see the new city. One of the 7 Angels that poured out one of the 7 bowls of God's wrath says to John, "Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb", and he took John to a "high mountain". God took Moses to the top of Mt. Pisgah to view the Promise Land, He took him up on Mt. Sinai to view the Covenant, He took Peter and John up upon the Mt. of Transfiguration to view the promise of life after death, the "mountain top experience" is always a place of spiritual revelation.
But the Angel did not call it a city, he called it a "Bride", the wife of the Lamb. So we need to remember as we look at these physical descriptions of a city that we are really looking at a prepared place for a chosen people, the Church of Jesus Christ.
Notice this about the external appearance of this "Bride". She radiated the Glory of God and it was like a rare jewel like Jasper or Crystal that denotes purity.
She was surrounded by 4 walls with 3 gates in each wall. These walls are symbolic
of separation (set apart) and security (the perseverance of the Saints). The
everlasting existence of this is symbolically portrayed by the size of these walls.
They were 210 feet high and 1380 miles long. They were built of Jasper, an opaque
crystalline of many colors and sat upon 12 foundations, each bearing the name of
one of the 12 Apostles who's Gospel was the foundation upon which the Church was
built. Each wall had 3 gates, with an Angel at each gate. The names of the gates
were the names of the 12 tribes of Israel. It is suggested that we all must enter
as the adopted sons and daughters of God's chosen people. The gates were always
open and the "cost of admission" was free.
A Description of the City
["Click here for Revelation 21:15-27"]
2. It's Measurements. Notice the Angel who was conducting John on his tour had a measuring rod of gold with which he measured the city, the gates and the walls. The city measured 1380 miles (12,000 stadia) square. As we mentioned before, the walls were 210 foot high (144 cubits) and 1380 miles long, built of jasper. The city was built of pure gold, clear as glass.
3. It's Composition. Notice the 12 foundations under the walls were adorned with the Jewels of Heaven. Jasper, sapphire, agate emerald, onyx, carmelian, chrysolite, beryl, topaz, chrysoprase, jucinth and amethyst. Some of these names are difficult to identify because they are local names given to these stones. It was a common practice in those days in the Middle East, to bury precious stones in the foundation of temples. These foundations, encrusted with precious stones, are really symbolic of the promises of God and the purchase by Christ of our salvation, for on these we build our faith, Christ, Himself, being the most precious of all the stones, the Cornerstone.
4. It's Devine Glory. Notice there will be no temple or church in the city. We will have no need for worship as we know it. Communion with God will be as it was in the first Garden of Eden before sin entered in. Adam walked with God, so shall we.
Secondly, there will be no need for light in Heaven, yet there will be no lack of it. The Glory of God will lighten the city, and the Lamb shall be its lamp. Thirdly, The honor of the Saints shall be brought in with them and that glory shall lighten the city also.
Fourthly, nothing unclean shall enter it, only those whose names are written in the Lambs Book of Life. Finally, the gates will never be shut by day and there will be no night.
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