Faith Baptist Church
4258 Botetourt Road
Fincastle, Virginia 24090
(540) 473-2325
We can labor all of our lives to own a fine home, and this is commendable that we are industrious enough and privileged enough to live in a nation that lets us own things. But we will have to admit after this lesson that nothing compares to what we have in glory. For this reason I encourage you take stock in where you are putting your treasures. Prosperity in America today has become the believer’s greatest deterrent to spiritual growth; it is adverse to spiritual interests. It is said in Deut.8:3 that “Man does not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord.” Mankind both lost and saved finds greater satisfaction in the bread of this world, than in the bread of God’s word. This is why so many believers will forsake the word of God, even on the Lord’s day. To many folks the bread that feeds the flesh is more important than the bread that feeds the soul. We Christians in particular, suffer when we do not let the word of God feed our souls, and this suffering does not end in this life.
Paul warned the saints at Corinth that they would experience suffering at the Bema Seat judgment of Christ because of the great loss of eternal rewards, I Cor.3:15. To see loss of eternal rewards reminds me of sitting in an awards assembly in high school, or a company awards ceremony and watching others get the prize while I sit and say to myself “That could have been mine if I had done better”. Yes, it is true we are not in a competition against other believers because there is plenty for all, but we are in competition against our rebellious old sin nature; the philosophy of materialism and tendency to exalt ourselves against the righteousness of God through human good.
Many believers say there cannot be suffering in heaven, but the Bible says otherwise.
For the believer, talent and good deeds will never cover unconfessed sins, or unfaithfulness to the place of worship to which God has called each of us.
Let’s get to our study now.
v.10 And he carried (aorist, active, indicative of apophero). He at once carried me up in the Spirit to a great and high mountain.
The word, spirit, used here is pneumati. It is the dative singular of pneuma. Pneuma is translated several different ways. The basic word meaning is breath. Sometimes it is used of the Holy Spirit; sometimes it is used of the human spirit. It primarily speaks of the world beyond this world, a world which is not seen with the physical eyes. John’s body is still at Patmos in this revelation, but his soul (me) is carried to the unseen world, just as it is done for much of this revelation. He is carried to a great and high mountain to view this city which will be physical and material. This is quite different than when he was carried into the wilderness to view the harlot city Babylon, 17:3.
John sees the heavenly city descending out of heaven from God.
v.11
The city has the glory of God; and her light, like a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
This verse gives an overview of the city in a snapshot. It has the glory (the doxology) of God. The word glory, doxa, primarily signifies an opinion, God’s good opinion. The glory of God demonstrates divine objectivity presenting the integrity of God. He is holy and there is none to compare to him. We cease from our efforts when we recognize his doxology. We admit our shortcomings when we recognize his doxology. We submit our will to him when we recognize his doxology.
John sees the expression of the absolute integrity of God magnified all over this heavenly city, the New Jerusalem.
Other than the description of this beautiful city let’s look at some of the basic structures of the city. After all, it is going to be your dwelling place for all eternity. It makes everything we have or could have materialistically in this life seem insignificant...
v.12-13
This city has a great wall and it is high. The city has twelve gates, and at each gate is a holy angel. The names on the twelve gates are the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. One tribe is inscribed on each gate. There are three gates on each side of the wall.
14.
The great wall of the city with its twelve gates, and its twelve angels posted, each at a gate; each gate having a name of the twelve tribes of Israel inscribed on it, this wall sits upon twelve foundations. Inscribed in each of the twelve foundations are the names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb, Jesus Christ.
We must note at this time that both Israel and the Church are represented in this heavenly City. We may speculate as to why Israel is the gate and the Church is the foundation.
We may conclude that Jesus Christ came through the door of Israel in the flesh as a Jew of the tribe of Judah, and the Church being the foundation is anchored to the Cornerstone of all salvation, Jesus Christ.
That the Church according to Rom.11:13-25 has been grafted into the blessings of Abraham and Israel through Jesus Christ. And for this reason the Church should forever keep Israel in her prayers. The Jews may be in apostasy now due to unbelief, but one day their eyes will be opened. This is why we spent so much time studying chapters 4-19 of this book. Israel for sure is in apostasy, but so is the Church of Jesus Christ. There is not a pleading on the greater part of the Church today for more Bible exposition, and dedicated study of the Bible in the local church. There is little occupation with Christ today because we are too busy in this present world to take the time out even on Sunday to come hear the word of God. Just as Israel lost her blessings from God, our blessings from God can discontinue as well, and we are naïve to think otherwise.
v.15-17
The next description we have of the heavenly city is its measurements. This measurement includes the walls and gates.
v.16 The city which faces north, south, east, and west evenly as foursquare is the same length and width. The city measured twelve thousand furlongs. The length, width, and height of it are equal. This makes the city cube shaped.
A furlong is 600 feet. The city is 12,000 furlongs. 12,000 furlongs x 600 feet = 7,200,000 feet which divided by 5,280 feet per mile comes to a city which is cube shaped in dimension, which measures 1,363.6 miles in all directions or approximately 1,400 miles cube. This is something unbelievable to many people, but to the believer it shouldn’t be since God spoke into existence the entire universe.
v. 17
The wall that goes around the city measured 144 cubits. A cubit is approximately 18 inches. This figure comes to 216 feet. Some say this has reference to the height of the wall, but most likely it refers to the thickness of the wall.
v.18
The jasper as mentioned in v.11 was almost translucent and the city was made of gold; so pure, it is like pure glass. No impurities lie in these precious stones.
v.19-20
The walls of the city are garnished with all manner of precious stones. And each of the twelve foundations of the city is made of precious stones.
1. jasper - translucent 2. sapphire - blue 3. chalcedony - blue with stripes 4. emerald - green
5. sardonyx - red and white 6. sardius - ruby red 7. chrysolite- golden color
8. beryl - sea green 9. topaz- transparent yellow-green 10. chrysoprasus - green 11. jacinth- violet 12. amethyst - purple. What a beautiful array of colors.
v.21
The twelve gates are twelve large pearls. Some has said since the pearl is formed in the oyster that this is the only stone formed in flesh. It is formed when an irritation or wound is encountered in the oyster.
These gates are made of a single pearl each which represents the one and only suffering Savior who is the gate to life everlasting. The pearly gates will be a constant reminder of the tremendous suffering Jesus Christ paid for us to have eternal life and this eternal home.
Some say a literal interpretation of this heavenly city is ludicrous and far fetched because it is too hard to believe. And I state what I stated in the introductory lessons to this book; that we believe in fulfilled prophecy quite easily because it has been documented. Belief in fulfilled prophecy requires little to no faith, but belief in unfulfilled prophecy does require faith. All I can say is I trust God will be just as honest with future events as he has been with past events.