The beauty of the New Jerusalem
April 18, 2019
Commentary
One of the angels invited John to view the New Jerusalem in greater detail (v. 9). He was transported by the Spirit to a special place where he could view the Holy City (v. 10). The overall impression is described as a huge, brilliant jewel (v. 11). However, it is evident that his description is beyond the beauty of anything that we could really comprehend. This city has a great high wall which suggests the security of being with Christ (v. 12). In the wall are twelve gates with an angel at each one and named after the twelve tribes of Israel (v. 13). The wall also has twelve foundations and on them are the name of the twelve apostles (v. 14).
An angel with a gold measuring rod (ten feet long) measured the city which was approximately 1400 miles on each side (vv. 15-16). This would be about the distance from the Pacific coast of the United States to the Mississippi River. The wall around the city was approximately 216 feet high and 216 feet thick (v. 17). The wall was made of jasper stone and the city of pure gold (v. 18). The foundation was decorated with many precious stones of brilliant color (vv. 19-20). The gates were pearl, and the street was pure gold which was like transparent glass (v. 21). It is hard for our earthly minds to understand all of this, but we can know that it will be a place of extreme beauty.
Application
It is easy for me to get caught up in the materialism of this life and spend most of my time accumulating things that will soon be gone. How much more important it is for me to be introducing people to the Savior who will then spend eternity in this beautiful place we have just read about.
Revelation 21:9– 21 (NET)
9 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven final plagues came and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb!” 10 So he took me away in the Spirit to a huge, majestic mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. 11 The city possesses the glory of God; its brilliance is like a precious jewel, like a stone of crystal-clear jasper. 12 It has a massive, high wall with twelve gates, with twelve angels at the gates, and the names of the twelve tribes of the nation of Israel are written on the gates. 13 There are three gates on the east side, three gates on the north side, three gates on the south side and three gates on the west side. 14 The wall of the city has twelve foundations, and on them are the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15 The angel who spoke to me had a golden measuring rod with which to measure the city and its foundation stones and wall. 16 Now the city is laid out as a square, its length and width the same. He measured the city with the measuring rod at 1,400 miles (its length and width and height are equal). 17 He also measured its wall, 144 cubits according to human measurement, which is also the angel’s. 18 The city’s wall is made of jasper and the city is pure gold, like transparent glass. 19 The foundations of the city’s wall are decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation is jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. 21 And the twelve gates are twelve pearls—each one of the gates is made from just one pearl! The main street of the city is pure gold, like transparent glass.