The Holy City

He carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 
having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.    
Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: 
three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west. 
Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 
And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. 
The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth.    And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal. 21:10-16 

The Glorious City


   The new perspective of this last section is glorious. “From the smoke and pain and heat it is a relief to pass into the clear, clean atmosphere of the eternal morning where the breath of heaven is sweet and the vast city of God sparkles like a diamond in the radiance of his presence” (Moffatt) Guzik

  In 16:20 we learned that when the seventh angel poured out his bowl of wrath the mountains of earth were not found. Here in v. 10 the writer was "beamed up" to a great and high mountain; I suppose we must assume that this mountain is on the new earth, it was from that mountain that he saw heaven, the holy Jerusalem, our eternal abode.

In its meaning 21:10 is a repeat of verse 21:2. 21:3-8 are simply an interruption in the major thought. In 21:2 the city was noted as being as beautiful as a bride and starting in 21:10 it is described in the same way again. This fact indicates that the two verses are in the same time frame.

This holy city is bathed in the glory of God. It's splendour and radiance as a luminary, a light giving body, was like a stone which is most precious, like a stone of crystal clear jasper. Wuest#.  The basic color of jasper is that of fire. Vine+++.  In fact, it is so bright that the people, living on the new earth, live in the light of this holy city. 21:24

On each of the twelve gates is the name of one of the twelve tribes of Israel, and each gate has a guardian angel attending it.  The city wall has twelve foundations and on each one of them is the name of one of the twelve apostles of Christ.  You…having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone. Eph.2:20

   This phrase about the names of the twelve apostles, being on the twelve foundations, has caused some to suggest that, it was not John, the Apostle, who wrote The Apocalypse.  For, they say, it would be an unprecedented display of egotism for the writer, an apostle, to claim that his name is on one of the foundations of the holy city.

On each side of the city are three gates, and we imagine them all on the same level, but a city that is as high as it is long may well have the gates staggered at different levels.  This would be very practical, if those who came to visit the new city came in spaceships.  For anyone who has watched Si Fi movies of this type, this is easy to imagine and certainly easy to believe. 

The Size of the City

He who talked with me, is the angel, which we met in 20:9.  He has a measuring reed made of gold.  The length of a reed is given in Eze. 40:5, as being six times a cubit plus six handbreadths or almost eleven feet long. Unger++

   The city is square; in fact, it is a cube.  In each direction, it is 12,000 furlongs or 1500 miles.  Measuring in a straight line, West to East, that is the distance from Victoria, Canada to the western tip of Lake Superior in Canada and North to South from Tuktoyaktuk in the North-West Territories of Canada straight south to the Canada-US border.

   A rather large city when one considers that it stands as high as it is wide.  Yet we cannot think of it as a small planet because planets, by their very nature are round, but this city is laid out as a square.  

   Dr McGee* explains how this could be possible.  He admits that the city is a cube but that a translucent sphere surrounds the cube.  He says that the people living in heaven would live inside the sphere, not on the surface of the sphere as dwellers on earth live on its surface.

   Foster*** has given the calculation of the capacity of the Holy City.  It is 3,375,000,000 cubic miles.  Then he continues by saying, multiply that figure by 64 and you have the number of allotments equaling one quarter of a cubic mile the city would provide.  That gives a total of 216,000,000,000...segments.

   One gets the idea that he is implying that each "block" in heaven will have a cubic area of one-quarter mile and that there will be room for 216,000,000,000 "blocks" in heaven.  Christ said, There are many rooms in my Father's house. I wouldn't tell you this, unless it was true. I am going there to prepare a place for each of you. After I have done this, I will come back and take you with me. Then we will be together. John 14:2-3 CEV 

The present population of the earth is less than 7,000,000,000.  It has been estimated that the total number of people that have ever lived in the world is 107,602,707,791.  Playing around with all this wild speculation would allow for a population of about 15 people per one quarter cubic mile.  If by some weird coincidence, these numbers happened to be true, and if all the people that have ever lived in our world, would be in heaven, heaven would still not be crowded.

   More about the physical structure of heaven in the next post.

________________________________
# An Expanded Translation, K.W. Wuest.

+++ An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, W.E. Vine

++ Unger’s Bible Dictionary, Merrill F. Unger

* Through the Bible with Dr J Vernon McGee.

*** Shadow of the Antichrist, Ivan Foster

A Great Multitude

All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 

saying: “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, Thanksgiving and honor and power and might, Be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”
   Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?” And I said to him, “Sir, you know.”
   So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 7:11-14 

The Wedding Day Has Arrived

   This is all just too wonderful for words; the bride and the bridegroom are finally together.  After all these years of separation and longing for closer fellowship, it has happened.  Now The Church is there where Jehovah Himself will be with them.

   It is so fitting that All the angels stood around the throne ... saying: "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, Thanksgiving and honor and power and might, Be to our God forever and ever. Amen.” 

  Would we expect less than that the elders and the four living creatures, would fall on their faces before the throne and say: Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, Thanksgiving and honor and power and might, Be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”

   The writer is asked by one of the twenty-four elders, who are these that are dressed in white robes, and where do they come from.  The answer given is; I do not know, but you do.  The elder answered, These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 

  These are the saints, which throughout the ages have overcome torture in a time of great tribulation and are now worshipping at the throne of God.   But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 20:5.  This statement clearly tells us that we do not "go to heaven" when we die!

  Why do modern Christians think that Christians of other ages should have undergone torture and persecution, but, we, the modern generation will bypass the tribulation at the end of time?  The Bible distinctly says that Christians will still be on earth during the great tribulation.

  These are the ones who...washed their robes implies a certain element of responsibility for each individual to have his robes washed.   Even though Christ does the cleansing, the onus lies with each person individually to ask for it.  It sounds like a good argument against the teaching of absolute predestination. Jehovah will not force people to repent, neither did He decide beforehand who would and who would not believe.  This is always the choice of the human.

The Blessings of Heaven

   Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them.

   “They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; 

   “for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." 7:15-17

  There, those who are dressed in white with the Lamb as the Shepherd (AS) will have ultimate comfort.  No more hunger, no more thirst, no more tears and no more working in the burning sun. 

   All those whose names are in the Book of Life, on the day of judgment, will be before the throne of God.  Christians will serve Him 24/7; I wonder, though, if we will have eight hours shifts.   In any case, temple service to Jehovah will be continuous.  The benefits are out of this world:

• Those who serve shall never hunger anymore. This promise is the antitheses of the great famine that will be coming at the end of time. see 6:6, http://ikefehr1939.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-black-horse-pale-horse.html 

• They shall never thirst anymore. This promise obliterates the curse of the third bowl of wrath. see 16:4-7. http://ikefehr1939.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-third-trumpet-and-third-bowl.html 

• the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat.  This promise cancels the curse of the fourth bowl of wrath.  Extreme heat and worse sunburns will become more prevalent in the last days perhaps due to the thinning of the ozone layer.  see 16:8-9.    http://ikefehr1939.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-fourth-trumpet-and-fourth-bowl.html

   for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters.  This is when the first part of the 23rd Psalm really takes on meaning. 

   And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.  Babylon, that great city which we studied has killed so many saints throughout history, and the ones left behind have shed oceans of tears.  Terminal illness has torn families apart and what can the ones who are left behind do, but weep?  Praise Jehovah, there is a promise, given by One who cannot lie, and that promise is, God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

The Lamb's wife - The Church

    Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife. 21:9

   Here the writer again meets an angel he had already seen in action.  This angel was one of those who had one of the seven bowls of wrath.  The angel said to him, Come, I will show you the (video of the) bride, the Lamb's wife. 

The Wedding Feast

   After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God! 

   “For true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her.” 

    Again they said, “Alleluia! Her smoke rises up forever and ever!” 

  And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne, saying, “Amen! Alleluia!” 

   Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!” 

   And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! 

   “Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” 

   And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. 

   Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.” 

19:1-9 

1. In 19:1-3 it is a great multitude that speaks the praise of Jehovah.
2. In 19:4 it is the 24 elders and the four living creatures (see chapter 4) which say, Amen, Alleluia.
3. In 19:5 it is the voice from the throne that says, Praise our God.
4. In 19:6 the voice of the great multitude said, Alleluia! For the Lord God omnipotent reigns!

   And such a reason to praise Jehovah!  It is time for the marriage supper of the Lamb.  At this point in the book, the angels have called The Church home to heaven.  Surely, we will have reason to praise Jehovah!

  In a parable Christ told, He said, The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son. Mat.22:2.  Here we see the full meaning of that parable. 

   A certain king, God, the Father, has prepared a marriage for His Son, Jesus, the Messiah.  His wife has adorned herself; she is arrayed in smooth, clean and pure linen.  This linen is merely symbolic of what she is really wearing.  Her attire is the deeds of righteousness which is the trademark of a true Christian.

   It seems that looking at the way some "Christians" carry on, they will not be allowed into the wedding feast at all; no acts of mercy, no unexpected traits of honesty, no superabundant caring for one's family; nothing special with which they can adorn themselves for their husband, Jesus.  

   In another parable, Jesus Himself warned people about coming to a wedding feast, but not being allowed to stay in the hall because they were not properly dressed. Mat. 22:11-14.  Unfit to stay at the wedding feast because of an ungodly lifestyle!  That sounds so sad.

The Lamb of Calvary

L) Saints Worship God

   Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father’s name written on their foreheads. 

   And I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder. And I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps.

   They sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders; and no one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth.

   These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.

   And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God. 14:1-5

The worshipping 144,000

   After the depression brought by the False Prophet, the Antichrist and the battle of Armageddon, it is so refreshing to again see the Lamb; the wonderful Lamb of Calvary! 5:6  Now He is not on Mount Calvary, now he is standing victorious on Mt. Zion.   Now he is not alone and forsaken as He was at Calvary, now one hundred and forty four thousand (a non-specific number) redeemed saints surround him, all of them have His Father’s name written on their foreheads.

   I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder.  Almost the same words are repeated again in 19:8, I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings.  Accompanying the heavenly, subtle sound of the harps, the redeemed sang a song; it was as if it were a new song, which only those 144,000 could learn. 

   These are they which have not defiled themselves with women; for they are virgins.  By using the word defiled he tells us that he is not talking about any moral sexual activity within the marriage bond; those activities do not cause defilement as the Roman Catholic church teaches.  

   Vine+++ suggests that the word, defile, has to do with physical fornication or adultery, whereas the word, virgin, has to do with spiritual uprightness.  According to Vine, even though they were sexually active within the confines of marriage, they are still called virgins because they are not sexually defiled.

   A question concerning gender does arise.  Were the 144,000 all males? Perhaps the whole statement is not gender sensitive at all; maybe it was simply John’s way of writing because of the times in which he lived.   Also, as mentioned earlier, the number given may just represent, a huge crowd; including everyone there. For more on this see: 

http://ikefehr1939.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-opening-of-fifth-and-sixth-seal.html

   they are without fault before the throne of God.  The Bible says that There is none righteous, no, not one; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Rom. 3:10+23.  Who, then, are those who are without fault? As surmised earlier - these are the Christian martyrs of all ages who are faultless in heaven because they have been washed clean by accepting the forgiveness provided by Christ.

The Song of Redemption

And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God. 

   They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints! 

   Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, For Your judgments have been manifested.” 15:2-4 

   I saw something like a sea of glass.  The writer again saw a video and the screen was showing what he thought looked like a Sea, but now he saw a fire burning on the sea of glass (the video screen).   He also saw, standing on the sea of glass, those who were victorious over the beast.  These saints had the harps of God and they sang two songs: the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb.  Mr Smith notes that the song of Moses is the song of redemption which the Israelites sang after they had successfully crossed the Red Sea. 

   Part of that song goes like this:

  Thou hast guided in thy righteousness this thy people whom thou hast redeemed, by thy strength thou hast called them into thy holy resting-place. Exodus 15:13  
Bring them in and plant them in the mountain of their inheritance, in thy prepared habitation, which thou, O Lord, hast prepared; the sanctuary, O Lord, which thine hands have made ready. 
The Lord reigns for ever and ever and ever. Exo 15:17-18.  

  How very fitting these words will seem when we are finally safe in the prepared habitation which the Lord has prepared for us.  Christ said, 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. John 14:2  

   At this point in the book, the rapture has happened, all people have been judged, and the earth has undergone cataclysmic changes.   Former Christians are worshipping Jehovah in heaven; people who had lived decent lives in their lifetime are living in peace on the new, refined earth; people who lived wicked lives, those we read about in 20:8, together with the false prophet, the beast and the devil are in the lake of fire. 

   The Bible says, that at that time all nations shall come and worship before You.  It seems as if this could refer only to the people on the new earth; they will come to the holy city to worship Jehovah.  To confirm this theory 21:26 says, And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it (from outside the holy city into it).

The next post will have more about the Bride of Christ - The Church.
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+++ An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, W.E. Vine,

The White Throne

The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. 

I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 
   And the time of the dead, that they should be judged, And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints 11:18 
   The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.  
  Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 
And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. 20:10-15

 Judgement

   I saw the dead; we recall that those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus…lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. 20:4-5.  We have come to the point in the narrative where the thousand years are finished, 20:7, and the last war is done with.  Satan has been disposed of, 20:10, and now the rest of the dead have come back to life. 20:12.  

  Except for those martyred for Christ, every human stands before the throne for judgement. According to true and honest accounting practices, the books were opened.  This is not a time for guessing, or for whitewashing.  It is not a time for embellishing good deeds or noble intentions. The open books will reveal all that really matters.

   It is important to realize that another book was opened, which is the Book of Life.  This tells us that it is not until this point, in the affairs of the world, that anyone, except martyrs for Christ, is allowed to enter heaven.

   Those who have lived good lives but were not born again are also destined for the same judgement seat.  Those who have lived decidedly wicked lives must also meet the Judge at the same time.

  Those who have died “in Christ” have been waiting in Paradise for this day. The Bible does not teach that when we die we immediately go to heaven or to the place of eternal torment.  Saint Paul wrote since it is a righteous thing with God ... to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels. 2 Thes. 1:6-7.  That rest is coming at the return of Christ - not before.

  They were judged according to their works.  This word, works, basically means, to toil, or, an occupation, but it also can mean, an act or a manner of acting as in a lifestyle. Strong.  It is good to remember that when we are standing at the Judgement seat the great accuser is no longer in the presence of God; he has been cast into the lake of fire. 20:10.

   Unregenerate people will stand alone, face to face, with the Judge.  There will be no one to witness against them and the only thing pleading their cause will be their works and their lifestyle.  Saint Paul again, since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation ... when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels. 2 Thes. 1:6-7

  The sea, death and Hades, the unseen (Wuest#), all delivered up the dead, which were in them. Now they have yielded up their dead for judgement.  Death and the unseen are now empty, with no future purpose, and consequently, they are cast into the lake of fire, to join the dragon, the beast and the false prophet. 20:14.

   Being cast into the lake of fire is the second death.  In 20:6 we read that those who were resurrected in the first resurrection (the martyrs) had no need for concern over the second death.    Judgement for all others, Christians and non-Christians, will be at the white throne.

   Christians, who have stood the test and remained true to Christ, that is, all those whose, names have not been blotted out of the book of life, also need not fear the second death.

   Unger++ states that the names of all people are in the book of life at birth and that the names are only removed from the book of life when a person, at his or her last chance, refuses to accept Christ as Saviour (or if a person turns back from following Christ).

  The spirit of God will not plead indefinitely with a sinner to repent.   People who put off "turning to God" until just before they die have no way of knowing whether or not the spirit of Jehovah will call them at that time.  For them, any rejection might be the last.

  All non-believers, those who have not actually accepted Christ, so as to have their manner of life changed (Wuest#) will be judged by their lifestyle alone; as is shown by these words, the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.
   
And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. Wuest#, whose translation is said to be based on the best manuscripts available, has made an interesting omission in 20:15. His text does not include the part that says, anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. 

Based on the teachings of Christ it is obvious that many who have done good deeds will rise to the resurrection of life.  The Bible makes it apparent that not all non-Christians will be cast into the lake of fire.  Only those, whose lifestyle was decidedly wicked, and those whose names are no longer in the Book of Life, will experience that fate.

   The Bible does not teach that all non-believers will spend eternity in the lake of fire.  In this connection we recall the words of Christ; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. John 5:28-29.  

   Christ is saying that the resurrection that non-Christians are destined for is in accordance with their works; their lifestyle.  Of course, it goes without saying that not only Christians do good deeds.  There are many who do not even profess to be Christians, who by their good works put many Christians to shame!

   To strengthen the argument, let us look at another example Christ left.  Come, you blessed...inherit the kingdom...I was thirsty and you gave me drink...Then He will also say to those on the left hand, Depart from me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:...I was thirsty and you gave me no drink...and these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. Matthew 25:34-46.

  Very distinctly, the rewards and punishments are commensurate with the works done by the individual.   I am well aware that this sounds like salvation by works, but we cannot just ignore these, and other Bible portions of this nature, just because they do not agree with what the church has taught us.

  Obviously, though, this is not a teaching of salvation by works, because those who are not saved will not spend eternity in heaven.  It is simply stating, as Christ did, that their eternal destination depends on their lifestyle.

   There is a third option; life on the new earth.  There will be much more about this thought later.

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++ Unger’s Bible Dictionary, Merrill F. Unger

# An Expanded Translation, K.W. Wuest.