That Sounds Like Home to Me! - Part 2

 Temple Baptist Church - 4-10-2022

Revelation 21:16-22:5

 

A.  Last week, we began to survey the heavenly city on earth, The New Jerusalem.  Our eternal home.  Ecclesiastes 12:5 says, "Man goeth to his long home."  Here on earth now, we live in our short home.  "Life is short; death is sure; sin the cause; Christ the cure!" 

 

B.  God's original intent for mankind was for them to live forever in a perfect place and in a perfect environment, the Garden of Eden.  When Adam sinned, God drove Adam and Eve from the Garden and placed guards to keep them from returning to the Tree of Life.

 

Genesis 3:22-24  And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:  (23)  Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.  (24)  So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

 

C.  At some point, God removed both the Eden and the Tree of Life.  The new heaven and new earth are now restored and the New Jerusalem in its place, either sitting on the earth of hovering over it.  I believe that the earth will be returned to its original glory and perfection where mankind will now live how and where God intended them to live.  They will live there for all eternity.

 

D.  In verse 16, we find that the New Jerusalem is a vast place.  The description given is that of a cube.  I am giving a picture of a cube so that you can visualize it.  Plane Geometry introduces us to area: length times width.  We use Plane Geometry as we measure to cut flat surface materials.  Solid Geometry introduces us to volume: length times width times height.  Thus, the cube.  We rarely us the cube so this picture will help us to understand the immensity New Jerusalem.

E.  The New Jerusalem "lieth foursquare," meaning that all dimensions are equal: twelve thousand furlongs.  "The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.  A furlong equals one eighth of a mile.  Twelve thousand furlongs equals 1,500 miles.  From the east coast of America to the west coast of America is 2,800 miles. 1,500 miles is over half that distance.  From New York City to Colorado!  From the Canadian Border to the Southern tip of Florida.  The area of the outside of the New Jerusalem, or net of the cube, will be 13,500,000 square miles.  The New Jerusalem, in its outer square miles would be 50.2 times as big as the state of Texas.  The inside of the New Jerusalem, or the volume of the cube, will be 3,375,000,000 cubic miles.  It is 93,000,000 miles to the sun.  If you lined single cubic miles together, the cubic miles of the New Jerusalem would stretch to the sun 36.29 times!  The New Jerusalem will be a city of indescribable size!  And Texas thinks that it has a monopoly on "big things?"  Enough room to house every person who has ever been born with space to spare.  God intended it to hold them all!

 

F. Verses 17-21.  Heaven Is A Beautiful Place!

 

1.  Walls of Jasper - Revelation 21:17-18  And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.18  And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.  (Jasper is opaque – either reflects or absorbs color.  The walls are given a size of 144 cubits or 244 feet.  The Bible does not specify if this is width or height.)

 

2.  Gates of Pearl - Revelation 21:21  And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.  (The size of the gates is not given but to only have 3 gates in a 1500 mile expanse of wall, the gates would have to be sufficient in size to allow masses in at a time.)

 

3.  Foundations of Precious Stones - Revelation 21:19-20  And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; 20  The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.

 

4.  Street of Transparent Gold – Revelation 21:21b  and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.  So pure and brilliant that you can see through it.

 

5.  Palaces Of Ivory - Psalms 45:6-8  Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.  (7)  Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.  (8)  All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.  (This Psalm gives a description of the Throne and house of the Lord.)

 

G.  Verse 22.  There will be no Temple found in the New Jerusalem.  The Tabernacle in the Wilderness spoke of the veil of separation between sinful man and a thrice holy God as did Solomon and Zerubbabel's Temples and worship through mediation of the high priests.  There is a Temple mentioned in heaven today (Revelation chapters 11-16) indicating that there continues to be a place of worship through our High Priest.  The New Jerusalem will have no Temple as God will now reside with man with no mediation needed as sin will be forever gone.

 

H.  Verse 23.  The canopy of heavenly bodies, given for light, signs, and seasons will no longer be required.  Heaven's light will be the light of the glory of God as it was in the beginning.  When God said, "Let there be light," there was neither natural nor artificial light.  That "Light" was the light of God.  There will be no need of signs as there will be no uncertainties and knowledge will be perfected. We shall know even as we are known! There will be no need of seasons as there will be no changes in weather. It will be perfectly wonderful, comfortable world to live in. 

 

J.  Verses 24-25.  The New Jerusalem will be an open city.  Though only the saved under the New Covenant will live there, the "nations" of the saved and the "kings" of earth will have perfect access and bring their glory and honour to God.  As there will be nations on earth in eternity, these nations will have kings.  I believe that there will be a reciprocal access as the saved in New Jerusalem will be able to come and walk on this restored earth while the saved on earth will be a able to walk on that street of gold.  The gates will have no doors to be closed because there will be no enemies to repel and there will be no night there.