The New Jerusalem

Transcript

GR 2058
11/18/2018
The New Jerusalem
Revelation 21:9-17
Gil Rugh

We’re singing about God’s glory, and that’s what we’re studying about as we come to the conclusion of the Book of Revelation so if you’ll turn to Revelation chapter 21. The amazing awesome truth of God’s word is, God has planned and prepared for us to enter into the experience of the fullness of the glory of His presence for all eternity. He’s unfolded in these closing chapters of Revelation, where all creation is moving, and we’ve emphasized on several occasions as you wrap up the Book of Revelation in chapters 19, 20, 21 and 22, you’re reminded of what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount. There are two gates, leading to two roads, that culminate in two destinies. Everything for all humanity narrows down to those facts. Only two…..only two gates, only two roads, only two destinies. It’s that simple, it’s that clear.

One gate is a broad gate and Jesus said multitudes goes through that gate. It’s a broad road. It includes multitudes of people. It ends in destruction. That was what was focused on in Revelation chapter 20 verses 11 to 15, an eternal hell. We want to be careful, but we want to hear everything God has to say. People do not like to hear about hell, God’s wrath. They love you to talk about heaven and God’s love, but one is as true as the other is and the wrath of God being poured out in sentencing people to an eternal hell is just as much a reality as the love of God has provided a Savior, and that’s the narrow gate. “Jesus said, ‘I am the way the truth and the life; no one come to the Father, but by Me.’” You must come through faith in Christ and His finished work, and that leads to a life lived in obedience to Him, which culminates in glory, and that’s been the focus of the first eight verses of chapter 21, and there we got an overview and a summary, and it concluded with verse eight.

It starts out talking about the glory that is for those who belong to God, but He reminds us in verse eight there will be many who will not enjoy that glory and blessing, so important things you may share at times when you talk to an unbeliever about, two gates two roads two destinies. Ask them, “where will you spend eternity? Are you going to be part of those described in Revelation chapter 20 verses 11 to 15 or part of those described in chapter 21 verses 1 to 8, and verse 8 summarizes, concludes by reminding you back to the end of chapter 20.” It’s nice that we talk about it as a sentimental approach to heaven, and,, you know it’ll be great and we’ll be with the angels and people—and people talk like everybody’s going there. Jesus said most people are not. People talk about the Sermon on the Mount, but they understand Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, most people are not going to heaven.

Most are going through the broad gate on the broad road leading to destruction, but there is a new heaven and a new earth coming that will replace this first earth. The first earth passes away the first heaven. We saw that in chapter 20 verse 11, “I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away.” Then chapter 21 began “and I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away,” and it tells some of the characteristics of this new earth, and then coming down out of heaven the new Jerusalem we saw. It’s not the old Jerusalem, it’s a new Jerusalem but it is Jerusalem. It’s connected, and what we’re seeing is that much of what’s taken place on this earth has been a reflection of heaven, and that’s going to be elaborated as we go through chapter 21. The Jerusalem on earth ultimately will be replaced on this earth with the heavenly Jerusalem, called here the new Jerusalem. Called, in another passage we’ll look at shortly, the heavenly Jerusalem. The reality is coming to replace what was but a shadow, and that will be true.

In the Old Testament, we have the tabernacle under Moses and the Mosaic Law, then Solomon built the temple. Then we’re going to have a Millennial Temple talked about in Ezekiel chapters 40 to 48, but ultimately, we will have the reality of the heavenly temple come to earth, which is the new Jerusalem, so the holy city, new Jerusalem, it comes down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride for her husband. We noted that connects it to the description of the church in chapter 19 verses 7 to 9 particularly, where the church is described as His bride, so the new Jerusalem is the bride city. There will be people other than the church in the new Jerusalem, but the church is the prime people. The people of focus. It is the bride of Christ the church, and this is the city, where the church will dwell and be preeminent. This is the city to which all Old Testament saints were looking and anticipating. Jesus said in John 14, “I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come . . . and receive you to Myself.” The place He had prepared was, if not specifically the new Jerusalem, a place within the new Jerusalem specifically for the church, a place of honor. We’ll talk about other people involved in the new Jerusalem beside the church, but the church will be in the new Jerusalem.

Now come back to Hebrews chapter 11. Hebrews chapter 11 in your bibles. You don’t get much specific information on the New Jerusalem, in the Old Testament through the Old Testament prophets. They said things they talked about it. The prophets, Isaiah 65, Isaiah 66 for example, we looked at the passages in our previous study. We saw a new heavens and a new earth, but all that’s involved with the new Jerusalem and its uniqueness, they knew something about, look in Hebrews chapter 11. This is the great chapter of faith, because “without faith it’s impossible to please God.” That’s verse 6 of Hebrews 11, but then he talks about different Old Testament people, who walked by faith, trusting God and His promises. Verse 8, “by faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed God going out to a place, he was to receive as an inheritance, but he didn’t know where he was going. He’s dwelling in Ur of the Chaldeans. God appears to him and says I want you to leave your homeland,” your family basically, “and go to a land I’m going to give you,” but Abraham really didn’t know where he was going, he just set out. Verse nine, “by faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land.”

He finally comes to the land God says He’s going to give him, but its controlled and lived in by foreign people and he lived there in tents with Isaac and Jacob. That indicates the promises God gave to Abraham come through Abraham, through his son Isaac through Jacob, and yet none of these really had control and possessed the land as their own. They lived in tents that indicates they didn’t build permanent residences here, so it’s the land God promised, but they’re just temporary residents at the time. What’s going on, verse 10, “for he was looking for a city, which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God,” and the point there is, we don’t want to miss it. He’s looking beyond just what is there, to a city that God would provide all the promises to Abraham and his descendants could not be realized just in that physical city, that physical land. There is something greater, fuller, more complete, that will bring about the final realization and fulfillment, and this is what Abraham was looking for, and I want you to note something, he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

Now this ties with what we’ll be talking about shortly. Remember the Old Testament tabernacle. Moses was the instrument in overseeing the construction of it. God gave the blueprint to Moses on Mount Sinai. Construct this tabernacle, but we’re told that it was a reflection of what was true in heaven. Then Solomon replaced the tabernacle with a permanent temple. Still the same basic model, but it was just a reflection of what was in heaven. Then we’re going to have the Millennial Temple of Ezekiel 40 and 48, but that too is just a reflection, of the temple in heaven. As we’ve moved through Revelation, we’ve noted the reality of heaven.

The Book of Hebrews develops that like chapter 8 of Hebrews that there is this earthly shadow, but the reality is in heaven. In Revelation, we’ve seen for example, the real altar of incense, before you come in before the throne of God, and so on so these things done on earth, just a reflection of what is in heaven.

The Millennial Temple, the instructions are given to be built by other people, but the builder of the new Jerusalem that will come down on the new earth, the architect and builder is God. What you see there was just a shadow as it’s described. Like you made a little model of what was going to be built, but the reality is what God built, man doesn’t build it. God designed it, God built it, so we see in Revelation 20 it’s coming down out of heaven because God alone brought it into existence. He designed it, He built it. It was reflected in the tabernacle, it was reflected in the temple, it will be reflected in the millennial portion of the kingdom as we see in Ezekiel 40 and 48. You’ll note Abraham knew something about this. He’s looking beyond what he could see. That’s what the promises are that’s what faith; faith is trusting what we can’t see. If you can see it, you don’t need faith.

I’ve got a watch here. I can’t see it, so it must be by faith. No, if I look, I can see it, I know it’s a watch, I can’t say what the hands indicate, but faith is something you don’t see. That’s the point, even when he was on the land God promised him, living in a tent there, but this isn’t where his ultimate goal was. God had promised him something more, something greater, that’s why we live our life by faith. I’ve never seen heaven. I’ve never seen God. I’ve never seen an angel. I believe what God has said and someday we will experience the reality of it.

You’re still in Hebrews chapter 11 look down in verse 16. This is just not true of Abraham because everyone who truly belongs to God has placed their faith in Him and His promises and the Savior He provided is living by faith, so down in verse 16 He summarizes.
As it is, they, these I’ve been talking about who lived their life by faith in the Old Testament. They desire a better—you have the word country inserted there trying to fulfil the thought, but He’s been talking about the city, yet I don’t have a problem with calling it a country here in the context, but that word better that’s the key word in Hebrews, better. Better-better-better things, a better high priest, a better sacrifice, a better covenant, and here a better city that is a heavenly one. Remember we’re talking about the new Jerusalem, it is the heavenly one. “This is the city” verse 10 “whose architect and builder is God,” it’s heavenly; this is the city that will come down out of heaven, and therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God for He has prepared a city for them. He has prepared the city, for them, for those who live and walk by faith.

Come over to chapter 12. Let’s talk about who will be in this new city, and then we’re going to go back in Revelation and look more at the details of the city, but who will be the residents of the new Jerusalem? We mentioned the church, but note verse 22 and He’s contrasting again as He does; what happened with Moses and Mount Sinai, but we’re coming to a different mount. We’ve come to Mount Zion to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, so He’s talking about that heavenly city that we just read about in chapter 11. Now we are looking beyond the earthly provisions. The problem was, some of these Jews keep looking back to Mount Sinai to the Law of Moses, to the Old Testament priesthood.

I have something better. God said that’s been replaced now with the coming of Christ, we have a new high priest of a different order, not after the order of Aaron but after the order of Melchizedek. We have a new city, a greater city. It’s connected to the old one but it’s a new one. You’ve come to Mount Zion to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem that’s the new Jerusalem. It comes down out of heaven. Men didn’t design it, men didn’t contribute to the construction of it. God did it all. This really is where God does dwell. Who’s there when you talk about this heavenly Jerusalem? Myriads of angels, so this city will be the dwelling place of angels. The general assembly and the church of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven. The church will be in the new Jerusalem and have a special position of honor because the church is the bride of Christ who is the Redeemer, who makes possible the residence of the redeemed in the New Jerusalem.

You come to God, who is the Judge of all, and you know people talk about God and God’s love. They’ll talk about it, we’re talking about the Judge of all. It ultimately comes under His authority. God will be present in the new Jerusalem. This gets elaborated in the passages we’re in, in Revelation. To the spirits of the righteous made perfect. Here He’s talking about--not the church, He’s talked about the church, this is also to the spirits of the righteous ones made perfect. These are Old Testament saints, who now in their spirits enter into glory, but they will be made perfect, when they receive their glorified body, and Old Testament saints will have received their resurrection. We saw that in Revelation chapter 20 and we looked at other passages. Old Testament saints have been resurrected and they received a glorified body. They’re made perfect.


You know it’s like Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5. When we die, our spirits leave our bodies. We go immediately into the presence of the Lord if we’re believers. The body without the spirit is dead. We don’t cease to exist, we just move out of this physical body, but Paul says we don’t just look forward to leaving this body. We look forward to when this body will be resurrected and glorified. That’s when we will be perfected, so that’s the completion. The spirits of Old Testament saints who have been perfected, they’ve received their glorified body. That brings salvation to its fullness and completion for that individual.

Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant, will dwell in this new Jerusalem and it’s connected to His sprinkled blood, which the Book of Hebrews is about. The sprinkled blood, remember that’s the application of the blood when the high priest would enter in and on the lid of the ark would sprinkle the blood. The death was being applied and accepted by God, but Christ was the ultimate sacrifice and Hebrews has indicated that Christ came and presented Himself in heaven itself. He didn’t come to an earthly tabernacle or an earthly place made with hands, He came into the very heaven and His sacrifice was accepted there in its finality. It speaks “better.” There’s that word, better-better- better. If you were here for our study of Hebrews, we went through and marked the uses of the word. Better than the blood of Abel, because the death of Christ accomplished what no other death could, so those are the groups who will dwell, in the new Jerusalem.

I take it there will be other people living on the new earth, who are not permanently residing in this city. This city comes down and dwells on the new earth. It’s not all there is to the new earth. A new earth is obviously of greater size evidently than the present just like the new Jerusalem is hugely bigger than the present Jerusalem. The new Jerusalem as we’ll see the measurements would take about from, in our country Colorado. I was in Colorado rather recently. If you went from Colorado to the east coast, and then from the boarder in the north of Canada all the way down to the southern border. That’s going to be the size of the new Jerusalem. That’s significantly bigger. Some of you have been to Jerusalem, as it exists. You know this is beyond what has been planned. This is what God has planned.

Okay, come over to chapter 13. While you’re here, look at verse 14, and He’s giving the application and challenge to His readers that verse 13, the picture. Christ died outside the city of Jerusalem. These Jews ought to be willing to be disassociated with the old Judaism and its ways, and so we go outside the camp, bearing His reproach as One rejected and scorned by men, crucified as a criminal, rejected by His people. Why would he be willing to suffer that? For His readers, verse 14, “for here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the one, which is to come.” That’s the heavenly Jerusalem, the new Jerusalem. We’re finally coming to the final stage of God’s redemptive work. We saw this in Revelation chapters 4 and 5 in the heavenly scene and in chapter 5 of Revelation; they celebrated the Lamb who was slain, because He could open the seven-sealed scroll, which brought to completion now. It carries us all the way to the new heavens and the new earth with a new Jerusalem. It brings to final full completion what God has promised and prepared for those who love Him.

Come over on your way back to Revelation. Stop in Revelation chapter 3. Note the promise to the church at Philadelphia, one of the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3. In Revelation chapter 3 verse 11, “I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown. He who overcomes,” and remember we looked at this in a previous study and others. First John 5 also, John was the penman. “Who is he who overcomes but he that believes that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Your faith is in Him and Him alone as your Savior. “He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God. He will not go out from it anymore. I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem,” and we see the new Jerusalem is the temple of God.

The fact that we’re made a pillar in the temple doesn’t mean we’re going to turn into a marble statue, but it indicates that’s our permanent residence. That will be where we reside. We belong there. We won’t go out from it anymore. I don’t think that means that we won’t come and go, but that’s our permanent home. We talk about you’re building a house; you say I’m building a permanent residence; we’ve been just renting now. That’s where we’re going to be staying. Well that doesn’t mean you’re never leaving, but that does mean that’s your permanent home; that means you won’t be leaving there anymore. There’s no follow up phase to this part of God’s plan. When we have the new heavens and the new earth with the new Jerusalem, we have arrived at our destiny, and we will reside as believers in the glorified bodies in the new Jerusalem.

“I will write the name of My God.” That means we will belong to Him. His name is on us. We’re identified as belonging to Him. The name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, that’s our home. That’s our residence, and the new Jerusalem is the one which comes down out of heaven from My God and my new name. We belong to God, we belong to Christ. The new Jerusalem is home. That’s what He has prepared for us, a dwelling in that city, so the church is not the only one, so when Jesus said in John 14, “I go to prepare a place for you.” I think the better way and the commentators have noted this over the year,.it is more like a place within heaven, the new Jerusalem, but as we’ve seen there’ll be others in the new Jerusalem, but we won’t maintain our distinction.

Come back to Revelation 21. This is what we’re talking about in Revelation 21, the new Jerusalem that’s come down out of heaven. All unbelievers, they’re recognized as those who never knew the living God, who had never entered the narrow gate, and traveled the narrow way. Their conduct reveals it, their words reveal it because “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” Our conduct is a manifestation of our inner character, so all sin and sinners have been dealt with and cast into the lake of fire. Then verse 9 says, “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,’” so John now is called in the vision. He’s going to get an expanded picture, of the new Jerusalem, which is the wife of the Lamb.

Well, I thought the church was the wife. It is but this is the bride city, so it is also called the bride, the wife because preeminent in this—you understand the honor given to the church, to be called the bride of Christ. It’s remarkable that it will be significant! Remember John the Baptist, Jesus identified as the greatest of the Old Testament prophets, but what did He say? “I am a friend of the bridegroom.” He’s not the bridegroom, he’s not the bride. He is a friend. I don’t want to diminish in any way the importance of Israel in God’s future, but you understand I would rather be the bride of Christ than a friend of Christ, and that’s the distinction John, under the inspiration of the Spirit, makes so these others, Old Testament saints, they will be honored. Israel is honored but the church has a unique place in God’s prophetic plan in their relationship to Christ that continues into eternity.

Now let me just connect here. We’re told in verse 9 “one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me.” I want you to remember, we started out this adventure in chapter 6, really chapter 5, it begins at the beginning of the book but with the seven-sealed scroll, and that seven-sealed scroll contains everything in the Book of Revelation down through chapter 22 verse 6. That’s why they celebrate in chapter 5 the redemptive work of the Lamb, and His sacrifice. He can bring to fulfillment, because you couldn’t have the new heavens and the new earth, and the finality of redemption without the Redeemer, so that’s why one of the seven angels who had the seven last bowls--we had the series of the seven seals, out of the seventh seal came the seven trumpets. Out of the seventh trumpet come the seven bowls, and the judgments have been dealt with, but the angels who administer these bowls are still administering the revelation, sharing the revelation with John. He just doesn’t say and then an angel came and spoke with me but it’s one of the seven because understand we’re still in the context of that seven-sealed scroll, and the last phase of that are the seven bowls, and then the angel.

There’s also a contrast being drawn here. Remember there are two cities that are preeminent in the bible, Babylon the harlot city, Jerusalem the bride city. Come back to chapter 17 of Revelation. You’ll see the connection. Chapter 17, verse 1, “then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me saying,” so you see the similarity. Chapter 17 verse 1, chapter 21 verse 9, “then one of the seven angels, who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues, came and spoke with me saying. In chapter 17 verse 1, it doesn’t say it’s the seventh it’s one of the seven. That’s evidently significant. It shows we are still within the confines of that seven-sealed scroll, and we’re not done when all the judgments have been poured out of that bowl. Then those final angels bring to completion the revelation of the plan of God. In chapter 17 verse 1, “one of these seven angels said, ‘Come here, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters.” This great harlot is named by name in verse 5 as Babylon the Great and that is a mystery, because the spiritual reality that we went back to, remember Genesis 10 where you have that beginning of rebellion against God with Babylon, so you have the contrast. Babylon is a harlot. It has no true relationship to the living God. Jerusalem, the bride city, the residence for the redeemed of God’s grace in their glorified bodies so come back to chapter 21 verse 9.

This holy city, Jerusalem, and it’s emphasized as it was in verse two it’s “coming down out of heaven” because remember the architect and builder of this city is God. That’s why I say it is a replacement if you will, of everything that before was just a shadow. This is the reality, and that’s why it helps understand Ezekiel chapters 40 to 48, you have the Millennial Temple as we call it. Ezekiel didn’t know where it fit in the kingdom, as it adjusts what he was looking forward to when the Messiah came, but the instructions are given there for men to construct it, but this isn’t constructed by men from instructions given by God. God’s the architect and builder of this so it comes down out of heaven. It doesn’t originate down here in its construction. The plan came from heaven to Moses for example, but the construction took place down here. It’s true of Solomon’s temple. It will be true of the Millennial Temple, but this comes down. This is the reality. God brought this into existence by His own direct power.

“He took me to a great high mountain.” Now why this way? Well a vision…..remember Jesus when he was tempted by Satan. Satan took Him up to a great high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms; it is a picture of John being able to see all that God wants to lay before him. You go up to the top of one of our high mountains. Then, if it’s a clear day, you look out and say, “boy we see everything here.” Well, we don’t really because we only see a small portion of the world, but here he’s brought up to see what he needs to have that expansive vision to see what God is presenting to him, and “He showed me the holy city, Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God.” Now God brought His glory to earth in limited ways before. Now the fullness of God’s glory that exists today only in what we call heaven has not existed in that way on earth before. God’s glory dwelt with fullness in Christ in bodily form, but the full display, world manifestation of God’s glory like it exists in heaven, in its fullness, will not take place until this time. It’s the holy city, Jerusalem, it’s coming down out of heaven from God. It has the glory of God and then we’ll go on to describe something.

You know some people don’t take the Book of Revelation literally. Some of you asked me, “well what do they do with this?” They don’t take it literally. Let me read you what two writers have written. One older writer, and then one more recent. Here’s what one writes. “No man can suppose that this is literally true. The idea of a city literally descending from heaven is absurd.” Now that’s a man who claims to believe the gospel, the death, burial and resurrection. His commentaries are still in print. They are multi-volume. I have them. Some of it is very helpful, but when it comes to prophecy, he just jumps off the high dive with no water in the pool. I mean he lands on his head, I don’t know. Why do you say this couldn’t be? God can’t create a city that He would bring down from heaven. What kind of God is He? He created the world, the universes, the billions of trillions of stars and you’re telling me He can’t create a city that comes down out of heaven?

Here’s what a more recent writer said, he hasn’t learned anything, and this is another man, a part of an evangelical denomination. He writes clearly on the gospel, but he doesn’t believe you should interpret prophecy literally. Literally, there never was, is not now, and never will be such a city. Now doesn’t that give you something to look forward to. What was Abraham? Abraham was just fooled by God with a mirage. He was “looking for a city whose architect and builder is God.” You know you travel across the desert, you know how that is. Marilyn and I, going to the west coast, often driving across the desert, and you look and say, doesn’t it look like a huge lake before us, and, you know, you keep chasing that lake but you never catch up because it’s not really there, it’s a mirage. It’s a trick, we might say, being played on you. It’s not there and is that what Abraham was looking for, the city whose architect and builder is God, but it’s not really there? How can you claim to be a bible believing Christian and say literally there never was, is not now, and never will be such a city. Now again, these are people who would interpret the bible literally when it pertains to the gospel, the death and resurrection or any prophecy that was fulfilled in the past and, with some leap of insanity, they just decide you don’t interpret the bible literally when it comes to unfulfilled prophecy. I think it’s sad what they’re missing. We don’t want to miss the truth that God’s revealing. Why does God go and give you these details?

He tells us in verse 11, “her brilliance was like a very costly stone” and He’s going to describe everything about this city in terms of the stones we know of, great beauty, great value, that’s what they are; these aren’t stones that are just added on as decoration. It’s made out of all these precious things, gold, then all the precious jewels, stones that we know of, it has a brilliance like a very costly stone, as a stone of crystal-clear jasper. Now what happens with some of these stones over 2,000 years, what their colors are have changed, so if you read on a jasper—I read from really good men. One says it’d be like our present-day diamond. Another says no, it was green in color. Well the point is still the same, we’ll call it a diamond, and it’s crystal-clear. In other words, our stones—I was talking to a jeweler one time a long time ago. He was saying, well we evaluate the diamonds, we sell on their clarity, and then he showed me through what they use and you could see in one stone, you could see imperfections in it, but then you say, look at this there’s no imperfection in it. You know that has clarity and you know what we’re talking about, depth it’s like you know that is so clear it’s like you can see down into it almost through it. That’s what He’s talking about here, the brilliance of this stone, this jasper. It’s a diamond, you know something of how they sparkle, and it is pure. It has no flaws in it of any kind and that characterizes the city. It exudes a brilliance, a light, but that fits. “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all,” and a constant picture of God being light and here this is His residence. He resides in this city. That’s why we say, heaven comes to earth. This is where God will permanently dwell among His people, like now His dwelling is in heaven, His throne is moving to the new earth.

It had a “great and high wall. Twelve gates, at the gates, twelve angels and names were written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel.” Now they were told “the city has three gates on the east three gates on the north, three gates on the south three gates on the west.” I want you to know something here.

All the descriptions here are things we can connect to, the jasper while we may not be quite sure of the exact color because of the time between us, and John we’re aware of jasper. We’re aware of these precious stones. We’re aware of the city Jerusalem. You know hard to compare in one sense but it’s the city that God has chosen for Himself, and for the capital of the world. Now this one will be of an extent and a magnificence that has not been seen before. The twelve gates, well we know what gates are, they are access to go in and out, of a city. If you go to Jerusalem, today you can go through different gates or you may see a gate like the eastern gate, which has been walled up, so you can’t use it, but a gate is a place you go in and out. We have directions, the same as we have, north south, east west, and there are three gates on each side of the city. Isn’t it amazing how God describes all this, and this man says it doesn’t exist and never will.

The “wall of the city had twelve foundation stones.” We know the connection there; “on them were the names of the twelve apostles.” Well in verse 12, “we had twelve gates, twelve angels at each gate,” they’re like the gatekeeper—welcome. Think about that, we’ll be at that city, there will be the angel there. I’m going down to one of the gates on the east; I want to talk to the angel there. Zip, there I go, and this is where we’ll live, this brilliant city like a very costly stone exuding the brilliance, and the angels at the gates. Twelve angels, and on the gates are the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. Well, wait a minute, I thought they didn’t exist anymore. Here they are. They will exist as twelve tribes in eternity, and their names are on the gates because, remember, we saw in Hebrews that this will be a residence of resurrected Old Testament and Tribulation saints. I say Old Testament saints, I’m including Tribulation saints because they’re part of that plan God unfolded for Israel, but it’ll be Old Testament saints, Tribulation saints, in resurrected glorified bodies. They’ll dwell here, Israel will dwell here. The twelve tribes will dwell here, those that have glorified bodies I take it, because it was the spirits of just men made perfect, so Israel will be part of this, and so you see the connection with the past. It’s not, now we just move into eternity and we just don’t know anything about that. We’ll be with God forever. No, there’s more detail than that.

“The wall of the city had twelve foundation stones,” verse 14, “and this has the names of the twelve apostles.” What are the twelve apostles? Here they are foundation stones. What does Ephesians tell us, the church is built on the foundation of the apostles and New Testament prophets, and we study the revelation given through those? We’re studying the revelation given to the Apostle John, so here they’re foundational in this because this is the bride city, and the truth of the apostles and the redemptive work of Christ is foundational. They are the apostles of the Lamb connecting it to His sacrificial work. The Lamb, which they began to proclaim, which becomes the foundational truth for the church and what brings salvation to the nation at a future time, the nation Israel. Now the “wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, on them were the names of the twelve apostles” so we have twelve tribes, we had twelve apostles.

“The one who spoke with me,” remember one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls. “The one who spoke with me” from verse nine, “he had a gold measuring rod,” to measure the city. Well again, we see things going on here. It has dimensions that we can identify with. The angel is going to measure it. You know we use measuring tools all the time, but this is measuring a special place, you just don’t pull out a ruler made of metal or tin or wood or whatever. If you’re going to measure the city of God, you measure it with a gold measuring rod, and he’s going to measure its gates and its walls, so all of these have substance. The last hour I misused, I said they were concrete but that was a symbol you know, they’re not concrete, they’re made out of precious things but they have substance. They can be seen they can be touched they can be measured, the walls the gates.

The city is laid out as a square. Its length is as great as its width. He measured the city with the rod, fifteen hundred miles. We’ve translated it over from the “stadia” that would be equivalent to about fifteen hundred miles in our measurement. That’s all of it, equal all around it, and height. Now this is a big city. This is where people, well you know that’s just got to be some hyperbole. No! Why, He’s created a new earth, to replace the first earth. Whatever that entails, this is going to be significantly different. There’s no sea in it, we know that, so there’s a connection but I gave you an idea of how this city would sit if it were placed on our country. I take it, it will be placed where Jerusalem is, but in a much more expanded way. How is God going to expand it, is it going to be this earth expanded? Will it be the same?

Well maybe it’s like a little balloon and you know you pump air in it and it gets bigger and bigger and bigger, but it’s still the same. I don’t know how God’s going to do it, how can I come up—He’s the architect and He’s the builder. I don’t have all the answers, none of us does, we’ll find out when we get there, but it’s being measured. It’s fifteen hundred miles around and I think the most logical way is all it says is height. Now some people really get into this and, let me see. One person wrote, “it has enough room to accommodate 100 billion people, with each having adequate living space.” I didn’t write down the living space that was included in that. Well that’s quite a few people, 100 billion people. That would probably encompass and provide enough room for all the resurrected glorified believers that need a space. I ‘ve already asked for something on the third floor. At any rate it’s huge, it’s magnificent, but God’s the builder, does He sow small things? Look at the universe, we’re still trying to plumb how big this is, and God made it all.

You know sometimes when we’ve been riding through the mountains and we say look at the size of that. We visited Colorado Springs and you look out and see Pike’s Peak there and then you look at the buildings that man has built, and you know you talk about puny. It’s nothing. How many of those would you stack on top of one another to get to the top of one mountain God has made? Look at this we think we did something, we get to the moon, and now we think how you would get out of this universe to another to another. That God is going to make the new earth, something greater than we have experienced with a new Jerusalem that is a city that—any wonder Abraham was looking beyond what he could see to what God had promised. That’s how we’re to be living.

Isn’t it amazing how easily our sight is pulled down, and the things of this earth become so valuable, so precious, so important and they’re really nothing. They’re all going to go. That’s part of the devil’s plan in getting people to do away with revelation, so their eyes are more pulled here, and their focus and their actions are more focused on what they can accomplish. You know, all we want to do is serve faithfully here. Give everything I can here because tomorrow my opportunities could be over. They could be over before the day. My life will be gone. You know you look back as you get older and you say, boy there’s so much I can’t accomplish. I don’t have all the time I had then. Even if I live longer, I won’t.

Well, we’re talking about measuring the city. Fifteen hundred miles square and high. He measured the wall, seventy-two yards. I take it, in light of the previous and most commentators go this way, some say it could be just seventy-two yards high and then you see the city above it. I think probably what he’s talking about is the width of the wall. Some of you have gone to Jerusalem and walked around the top of the wall. Those old cities that were made, you could walk—I think that’s what’s he’s talking about here. Seventy-two yards, and you know I love the way God addresses us, and we have to finish here. To our weaknesses, our frailties, seventy-two yards according to human measurements, which are angelic, because you know what had happened. If He didn’t tell us that there’d be people who say, “well you understand that’s why he told us an angel measures this city because angel measurements aren’t the same as human measurements.” Well surprise-surprise, angelic measurements are the same as human measurements, so he’s measuring the city for our benefit, so fifteen hundred miles square and high and we’ll have a residence and as the church a prominent residence in this city, but we’ll be there with other glorified saints from other times.

Now I think that as we proceed along there will be people outside the city, that’s why there are gates. This isn’t just heaven, and this is all there is. It comes down and resides on the new earth and we have measurements, but it’s not all there is to the new earth, so I take it there are gates here and we’ll be told the gates aren’t closed and the nations will come up and in and out, indicating that there are people living outside the new Jerusalem. Now we saw in Hebrews it’s glorified saints and angels who reside permanently in the new Jerusalem, but that we can go out for tasks that we’re sent to, like angels leave heaven to come down and carry out the work of God on earth. We will be ruling over the earth through eternity, but I take it there’ll be people outside also. Now they’re not unbelievers outside because all unbelievers have been dealt with. That’s why the earth was purified by fire, whether it was destroyed totally or remained. This is now a place fit for the residence of God and they’ll be people out there I take it, in unglorified bodies, that will be coming up. We’ll have to talk about that the next time. Spend some time reading through this. This is your new dwelling place.

I told you we’re going to move. We’ve gone over there a lot just to see what they’re doing. We’re not building a new house but still want to see. You know we have to paint, you have to do things. I’m interested, I may live there tomorrow, or I may not get to live there and I’ll be in glory. If you hear Gil Rugh died last night say “praise the Lord, lucky guy!” No, in the plan of God, fortunate, we’re interested. Some people don’t care about revelation and a family that left that said, “you know I’m just tired of being in the Book of Revelation.” Well you missed the best part. It’s good for you. Well I hope you learned a lesson. This is where we’re going to live. Do we care? Sometimes we live like we don’t care. Well you know what? Well okay, I’m willing, whatever comes will be fine. God said this is a motivation for godly living. This puts everything on this earth in proper perspective. It’s nothing. It’s nothing. I’ve prepared something for you that when we see there—what’ll we say? I can’t believe it! This is far beyond anything I ever-ever-ever conceived in my mind. This is what God does on a scale only God could do it, with a beauty and a glory that is God’s alone.

The sad thing is, not everybody’s going there. I mean, how clear could God be, some roads end in hell. They all end in hell except one. This broad gate, broad road, includes everything but faith in Jesus Christ, and a life lived in obedience to Him, but anybody can have it. It’s free! I tell people, boy you could have this as your destiny. How much? I’ll work my life for it. No, it’s free. God gives it as a gift. Sin makes no sense but it’s still available today. You can get off the wrong road, enter through the narrow gate and start to travel the right road. Whenever it ends for you, it will end in glory.

Let’s pray together: Thank You Lord for the greatness of our salvation that took us from the road to destruction, and Lord You brought us through the narrow gate. Faith in the finished work of Christ, His death and resurrection to pay in full the penalty for our sin. Now we are privileged to travel together on the narrow road, and Lord the difficulties, the trials, the suffering, the heartaches, the pains, they are nothing. We are on the road to glory. We are privileged to serve you and, if need be, suffer in identification with Christ, but Lord our eyes are fixed as the Old Testament saints who walked by faith. We’re fixed on what You have promised, a city whose architect and builder is God. Lord I pray that this day and the days before us will be lived in that light. In Christ’s name. Amen.