Adam Knowlden
01-07-2003, 07:28 PM
Eternity, "When it's all said and done"
As we approach this study we would do well to remember the Apostle Paul's words in I Corinthians 2:9, "...eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him."
Keep that in mind as we study eternity! As there is no way that this post can even come close to glimpsing what God has in store for us. I simply can't do it justice! I'll make an attempt to give you a glimpse, but understand it is just that, a glimpse.
Try to imagine your best day ever, a day where everything was totally perfect. Now amplify that a million times and you're just getting a taste of heaven!
As you read along open your bible to Revelations 21. This is the main chapter this post will deal with.
First let's take a look at the three types of heavens the bible talks about...
1. The First Heaven:
Gen. 1:6
<font color="red">6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
</font>
The atmospheric heaven, which God created on the second day of creation. Which God also called the Firmament. This heaven is seen by day.
Exodus 20
<font color="blue"> 11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it </font>
2. The Second Heaven:
The planetary Heavens, which God created on the fourth day of creation.
Gen. 1:14 <font color="green"> 14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day. </font>
These heavens can be seen by night.
3. Finally the Third Heaven:
The headquarters of God, which He created before the universe and has lived in since eternity past. These heavens are seen by faith!
The Capital City of Heaven- "The New Jerusalem"
1.The location of this city- This city is already in existence and will be brought down from the 3rd heaven down to the restored earh. During the millenial kingdom the city will hover over the earh, but after the 1000 years, and the earth is restored, the kingdom will be re-located on the earth!
Rev. 21: 1,2
<font color="red"> 1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
</font>
A. It is a real place, with Real mansions, prepared for those who will serve the Lord in eternity!
Jn. 14:1
<font color="blue"> 1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
</font>
B. It is a renewed place- 2 Peter 3:10, and Is. 65:17, 24:5, Job 15:15
<font color="brown">10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
</font>
Christ heals the planet's wounds when he establishes his Millennial Kingdom. At that time, there will be a massive rebuilding program; it will not be presto chango, poof-all is now well! This would be an impossibility because one third of the earth was recently destroyed by fire (Revelation 8:7). So how will Christ revive, revitalize, and restore the earth? What will be His divine strategy, and what will He use to return earth to it's original status? The greatest restoration program in history called "the times of refreshing (Acts 3:19), "the time of restoration" (Acts 3:21), and "the regeneration" (Matthew 19:28).
As the Millennium begins, all armaments will be scrapped. Finally, the promise of the great spiritual "I ain't gonna study war no more" will become a reality. The mere physical presence of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ, ruling and reigning, will bring universal peace to earth. For centuries, men and women have promised peace to humankind. Politicians have guaranteed a "chicken in every pot." Every conceivable system of government has come and gone-all promising some degree of utopia. "The next election will make all things right," one promises. "Vote for me. I am the one who can turn the tables right side up. Put me in office and things will be different," says another. How foolish for us ever to believe a word of their hollow promises. It simply never happens. It will take the return of Christ to this earth to deal with the challenges of the insane and dangerous international situation in which the world finds itself today.
There will be a shift in the operation of the celestial bodies, possibly even a dramatic shifting of the poles of the earth, resulting in a universal climate that will eliminate the extremes of cold and heat we experience today (Isaiah 30:25). The physical health of humankind will greatly improve. If a person( of the kingdom, not the raptured church) dies at the age of one hundred, his neighbors will shake their heads in despair, lamenting that their friend died in mere infancy (Isaiah 65:20). Such will be the Golden Age of the earth to be ushered in at the Second Advent of the Lord of Glory and governed righteously by our precious Lord Jesus.
The "New Jerusalem" is a city so bright that its glow will light the world both by day and by night. It is where we will live in new spiritual bodies that allow us to walk through walls, disappear and reappear at will, and travel at the speed of our own desires, just as Jesus did in His resurrection body (Luke 24:36-41).
This spinning, heavenly city is for real, and at the appointed time, believers will become inhabitants of this sublime, celestial place. First, during the one-thousand-year reign of Christ as it hovers over the earth, as announced in Revelation 21:9-22:15, then eternally as this heavenly palace descends to earth and becomes situated on terra firma forever and ever.
So the good news is that Jesus is returning, and this time, He will remain on earth to rule personally for one thousand years-ten incredible, unrivaled centuries that will be as no other in the history of mankind. However, there is even more excitement as we contemplate the fact that following the one thousand years, Christ is recommissioned to continue His earthly kingdom forever-in a world without end (Isaiah 45:17; Ephesians 3:21).
<font color="red">17 For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. </font>
Just imagine that! This new heavens and earth are going to be so awesome we won't even remember the present ones! How is that possible! Well, there is no way our finite minds can comprehend now what God has in store for us! But once we are given new bodies and minds that have never been corrupted by sin, we won't even think about the old ones!
2. The Loveliness of this city.
Rev. 21:2b
"prepared as a bride adorned for her husband."
Just imagine you wife(or for you women imagine your wedding day) on you wedding day. Imagine the best wedding money can buy. This will fail in comparison to the day when we will be brought to our new home that Jesus has prepared for us! Like a bride adorned for her husband! Also, understand that in Revelations, the bride is the church, and the groom is Jesus. This is an analogy used multiple times in this book. A whole topic I will get into later is the Jewish wedding and it's comparison to the Rapture and eternity.
A. the presence of God. 21:3
This is what makes heaven, heaven! It's not the paradise or the re-uniting with friends and family, or the city. It&'s the fact that God will be there. Now we only know him through faith, but then we will know him face-to-face. This alone is what makes heaven, heaven; What makes this place a paradise!
<font color="green">3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
</font>
B. the absence of grief. 21:4
<font color="blue">4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
</font>
There will be no more suffering and pain. Suffering, death, and pain are all here because of sin. God will do away with sin after the 1000 year kingdom with the new earth and heavens. Therefore sin's sting will be no more!
I interpret 21:4 as not only God wiping away our tears, but also God wiping the tears from his own eyes. The Day of Judgment will not be a day when God happily casts people into Gehenna, but it will be a day in which God will wipe the tears from his eyes as he sends his creation whom He Loves so much He died for into eternal separation from His presence;The part of creation that willingly rejected His free gift of Salvation and willingly chose to be eternally separated from the Lord.
God never interferes with the free will of mankind. But the consequences of one's free will, will be brought to justice one day. Free will is a very powerful gift. It has the power to let us live forever with God or cast us into Hell. Which I might add is not about the fire and brimstone, but the fact that God will not be there. Where there will be crying, sorrow, and gnashing of teeth. Where the worm dyeth not and the fire is never quenched.
3. The Law of this city.
A. The law of satisfaction. 21:6
<font color="green">6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
</font>
God will give Himself to us freely! Jesus is the water of life! Some day we will all come to Him and be with Him for eternity. This is something we can't even imagine right now. But if you have a loved one who has died in the Lord, they are experiencing first hand, what we can only dream about!
B. The law of service. 21:7
<font color="purple">7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
</font>
We will spend eternity serving the Lord of Hosts! God is infinite. It will literally take an eternity to comprehend his greatness!
C. The law of security. 21:8
<font color="red">8But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars--their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death </font>
Make no mistake about this. Those who reject Jesus will not get into this city of holiness. The only chance we have of dwelling in Righteousness is by taking on the Righteousness of Jesus through Salvation. We can not possibly earn this Righteousness through works, but can only receive it as the free gift that it is from a loving God.
4. The Luster of this city.
A. It is a mysterious city. 21:9-11
<font color="red">9One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb." 10And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. 11It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.
</font>
Our minds can't comprehend the beauty of this place. Man, we Neeeeed these new bodies, just to take in what God has in store for us! As a result this is a mysterious place, in which the Holy Spirit has only let us catch glimpses of in the scriptures.
B. It is a majestic city. 21:18-21
<font color="brown"> 18The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. 19The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, 20the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.[4] 21The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass.
</font>
Just imagine that! A city made of gold so pure it's transparent! And we'll be walking into and out of the city, into the paradise section, through the pearly gates!
C. It is a massive city. 21:15-17
<font color="red"> 15The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. 16The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia[1] in length, and as wide and high as it is long. 17He measured its wall and it was 144 cubits[2] thick,[3] by man's measurement, which the angel was using.
</font>
In describing the city let me clarify a few things.
1.21:16 That is, about 1,400 miles (about 2,200 kilometers)
2.21:17 That is, about 200 feet (about 65 meters)
3.21:17 Or high
4.21:20 The precise identification of some of these precious stones is uncertain.
Why is it so large? This is God's way of telling mankind there is plenty of room for all! This world had "no room" for God's Son when He came to this earth, but God has enough room for the entire world that wants to come to Him.
5. The Lord of this city. 21:5,6
<font color="green">5He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."
</font>
Jesus is the Lord of this city, and all the inhabitants will dwell in what we here on earth have always longed for...a perfect government. Let me remind you of the prophecy of Isiaiah.
<font color="brown"> 6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
</font>
A. The Lord is the light of this city. 21: 23, 24; 22:5
<font color="red"> 22I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it.
5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. </font>
B. The Lord is the life of this city. 22:1,2
<font color="green">1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. </font>
Again, we see the Tree of Life, which Adam and Eve ate from! We will eat from that very tree, and drink from the River of Life which comes from the throne of the Lord!
As we approach this study we would do well to remember the Apostle Paul's words in I Corinthians 2:9, "...eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him."
Keep that in mind as we study eternity! As there is no way that this post can even come close to glimpsing what God has in store for us. I simply can't do it justice! I'll make an attempt to give you a glimpse, but understand it is just that, a glimpse.
Try to imagine your best day ever, a day where everything was totally perfect. Now amplify that a million times and you're just getting a taste of heaven!
As you read along open your bible to Revelations 21. This is the main chapter this post will deal with.
First let's take a look at the three types of heavens the bible talks about...
1. The First Heaven:
Gen. 1:6
<font color="red">6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
</font>
The atmospheric heaven, which God created on the second day of creation. Which God also called the Firmament. This heaven is seen by day.
Exodus 20
<font color="blue"> 11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it </font>
2. The Second Heaven:
The planetary Heavens, which God created on the fourth day of creation.
Gen. 1:14 <font color="green"> 14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day. </font>
These heavens can be seen by night.
3. Finally the Third Heaven:
The headquarters of God, which He created before the universe and has lived in since eternity past. These heavens are seen by faith!
The Capital City of Heaven- "The New Jerusalem"
1.The location of this city- This city is already in existence and will be brought down from the 3rd heaven down to the restored earh. During the millenial kingdom the city will hover over the earh, but after the 1000 years, and the earth is restored, the kingdom will be re-located on the earth!
Rev. 21: 1,2
<font color="red"> 1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
</font>
A. It is a real place, with Real mansions, prepared for those who will serve the Lord in eternity!
Jn. 14:1
<font color="blue"> 1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
</font>
B. It is a renewed place- 2 Peter 3:10, and Is. 65:17, 24:5, Job 15:15
<font color="brown">10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
</font>
Christ heals the planet's wounds when he establishes his Millennial Kingdom. At that time, there will be a massive rebuilding program; it will not be presto chango, poof-all is now well! This would be an impossibility because one third of the earth was recently destroyed by fire (Revelation 8:7). So how will Christ revive, revitalize, and restore the earth? What will be His divine strategy, and what will He use to return earth to it's original status? The greatest restoration program in history called "the times of refreshing (Acts 3:19), "the time of restoration" (Acts 3:21), and "the regeneration" (Matthew 19:28).
As the Millennium begins, all armaments will be scrapped. Finally, the promise of the great spiritual "I ain't gonna study war no more" will become a reality. The mere physical presence of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ, ruling and reigning, will bring universal peace to earth. For centuries, men and women have promised peace to humankind. Politicians have guaranteed a "chicken in every pot." Every conceivable system of government has come and gone-all promising some degree of utopia. "The next election will make all things right," one promises. "Vote for me. I am the one who can turn the tables right side up. Put me in office and things will be different," says another. How foolish for us ever to believe a word of their hollow promises. It simply never happens. It will take the return of Christ to this earth to deal with the challenges of the insane and dangerous international situation in which the world finds itself today.
There will be a shift in the operation of the celestial bodies, possibly even a dramatic shifting of the poles of the earth, resulting in a universal climate that will eliminate the extremes of cold and heat we experience today (Isaiah 30:25). The physical health of humankind will greatly improve. If a person( of the kingdom, not the raptured church) dies at the age of one hundred, his neighbors will shake their heads in despair, lamenting that their friend died in mere infancy (Isaiah 65:20). Such will be the Golden Age of the earth to be ushered in at the Second Advent of the Lord of Glory and governed righteously by our precious Lord Jesus.
The "New Jerusalem" is a city so bright that its glow will light the world both by day and by night. It is where we will live in new spiritual bodies that allow us to walk through walls, disappear and reappear at will, and travel at the speed of our own desires, just as Jesus did in His resurrection body (Luke 24:36-41).
This spinning, heavenly city is for real, and at the appointed time, believers will become inhabitants of this sublime, celestial place. First, during the one-thousand-year reign of Christ as it hovers over the earth, as announced in Revelation 21:9-22:15, then eternally as this heavenly palace descends to earth and becomes situated on terra firma forever and ever.
So the good news is that Jesus is returning, and this time, He will remain on earth to rule personally for one thousand years-ten incredible, unrivaled centuries that will be as no other in the history of mankind. However, there is even more excitement as we contemplate the fact that following the one thousand years, Christ is recommissioned to continue His earthly kingdom forever-in a world without end (Isaiah 45:17; Ephesians 3:21).
<font color="red">17 For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. </font>
Just imagine that! This new heavens and earth are going to be so awesome we won't even remember the present ones! How is that possible! Well, there is no way our finite minds can comprehend now what God has in store for us! But once we are given new bodies and minds that have never been corrupted by sin, we won't even think about the old ones!
2. The Loveliness of this city.
Rev. 21:2b
"prepared as a bride adorned for her husband."
Just imagine you wife(or for you women imagine your wedding day) on you wedding day. Imagine the best wedding money can buy. This will fail in comparison to the day when we will be brought to our new home that Jesus has prepared for us! Like a bride adorned for her husband! Also, understand that in Revelations, the bride is the church, and the groom is Jesus. This is an analogy used multiple times in this book. A whole topic I will get into later is the Jewish wedding and it's comparison to the Rapture and eternity.
A. the presence of God. 21:3
This is what makes heaven, heaven! It's not the paradise or the re-uniting with friends and family, or the city. It&'s the fact that God will be there. Now we only know him through faith, but then we will know him face-to-face. This alone is what makes heaven, heaven; What makes this place a paradise!
<font color="green">3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
</font>
B. the absence of grief. 21:4
<font color="blue">4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
</font>
There will be no more suffering and pain. Suffering, death, and pain are all here because of sin. God will do away with sin after the 1000 year kingdom with the new earth and heavens. Therefore sin's sting will be no more!
I interpret 21:4 as not only God wiping away our tears, but also God wiping the tears from his own eyes. The Day of Judgment will not be a day when God happily casts people into Gehenna, but it will be a day in which God will wipe the tears from his eyes as he sends his creation whom He Loves so much He died for into eternal separation from His presence;The part of creation that willingly rejected His free gift of Salvation and willingly chose to be eternally separated from the Lord.
God never interferes with the free will of mankind. But the consequences of one's free will, will be brought to justice one day. Free will is a very powerful gift. It has the power to let us live forever with God or cast us into Hell. Which I might add is not about the fire and brimstone, but the fact that God will not be there. Where there will be crying, sorrow, and gnashing of teeth. Where the worm dyeth not and the fire is never quenched.
3. The Law of this city.
A. The law of satisfaction. 21:6
<font color="green">6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
</font>
God will give Himself to us freely! Jesus is the water of life! Some day we will all come to Him and be with Him for eternity. This is something we can't even imagine right now. But if you have a loved one who has died in the Lord, they are experiencing first hand, what we can only dream about!
B. The law of service. 21:7
<font color="purple">7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
</font>
We will spend eternity serving the Lord of Hosts! God is infinite. It will literally take an eternity to comprehend his greatness!
C. The law of security. 21:8
<font color="red">8But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars--their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death </font>
Make no mistake about this. Those who reject Jesus will not get into this city of holiness. The only chance we have of dwelling in Righteousness is by taking on the Righteousness of Jesus through Salvation. We can not possibly earn this Righteousness through works, but can only receive it as the free gift that it is from a loving God.
4. The Luster of this city.
A. It is a mysterious city. 21:9-11
<font color="red">9One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb." 10And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. 11It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.
</font>
Our minds can't comprehend the beauty of this place. Man, we Neeeeed these new bodies, just to take in what God has in store for us! As a result this is a mysterious place, in which the Holy Spirit has only let us catch glimpses of in the scriptures.
B. It is a majestic city. 21:18-21
<font color="brown"> 18The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. 19The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, 20the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.[4] 21The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass.
</font>
Just imagine that! A city made of gold so pure it's transparent! And we'll be walking into and out of the city, into the paradise section, through the pearly gates!
C. It is a massive city. 21:15-17
<font color="red"> 15The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. 16The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia[1] in length, and as wide and high as it is long. 17He measured its wall and it was 144 cubits[2] thick,[3] by man's measurement, which the angel was using.
</font>
In describing the city let me clarify a few things.
1.21:16 That is, about 1,400 miles (about 2,200 kilometers)
2.21:17 That is, about 200 feet (about 65 meters)
3.21:17 Or high
4.21:20 The precise identification of some of these precious stones is uncertain.
Why is it so large? This is God's way of telling mankind there is plenty of room for all! This world had "no room" for God's Son when He came to this earth, but God has enough room for the entire world that wants to come to Him.
5. The Lord of this city. 21:5,6
<font color="green">5He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."
</font>
Jesus is the Lord of this city, and all the inhabitants will dwell in what we here on earth have always longed for...a perfect government. Let me remind you of the prophecy of Isiaiah.
<font color="brown"> 6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
</font>
A. The Lord is the light of this city. 21: 23, 24; 22:5
<font color="red"> 22I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it.
5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. </font>
B. The Lord is the life of this city. 22:1,2
<font color="green">1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. </font>
Again, we see the Tree of Life, which Adam and Eve ate from! We will eat from that very tree, and drink from the River of Life which comes from the throne of the Lord!