The Holy Capital City Constitutes the Center of this Eternal Kingdom
In this
capital city is concentrated all the benefits that flow out to the wide reaches
of the empire. Just as the empires of earth are known for what is centered in
their capital cities, such is true for this final capital city of the kingdom
of God. Think of what comes to mind as the following names are mentioned:
Nineveh, Babylon, Susa, Athens, Rome, Peking, Moscow, Berlin, Paris, London,
Washington. The splendor, wealth, qualities, and glory of empires are
concentrated in those cities, and flow out to the borders of them. That is
probably the reason that the emphasis in Revelation 21 and 22 is upon the New
Jerusalem.
Consider
the various names used to identify this city: holy, new, peace, heaven, as well
as tabernacle. These names are all positive. But they cannot help but bring to
mind the negatives with which mankind have been occupied over the span of
millenniums. At last there will be a capital city that is holy in contrast with
the un-holiness through the centuries. At last there will be a Jerusalem that
is new. It will be a Jerusalem that is new in kind from the one that has been
known among the peoples of earth. At last there will be a ruling city that is
characterized by perfect peace. Salem means peace, but not till this city comes
to earth will it be realized fully among men. At last heaven will take up its
location in the earth. No longer is heaven far removed from the haunts of men.
At last God will dwell among men. Not only will He dwell in His tabernacle, the
Church, but He will dwell among men in the person of His Son (Rev. 21:2-3).
So far as I
am able to understand the Scriptures, the New Jerusalem will come down and rest
upon the earth. There are those who insist that this is an impossibility. They
hold that it is suspended above the earth. Some even go so far as to say that
the imagery is purely symbolical, for nothing of this character could possibly
exist in the area of material construction. All this speculation really
contributes to the fact that here is a city that in reality will excite the
wonder of mankind through all eternity. It is the city God has prepared for His
own (Heb. 11:16). Abraham looked for a city which has foundations, whose
builder and maker is God (Heb. 11:10). And at last it is here in the earth. Out
from this city flows a river. On either side of this river grows the tree of
life. From its leaves the nations derive those qualities that preserve health.
Into this city the nations come to bring their glory and honor. And light
shines out from this city that illuminates the land to the far corners of the
earth (Rev. 21:23-26). And the nations shall walk in this light.
The
description of the city extends beyond human capacity to understand. It is the
heaven where God dwells, where the Triune God has localized the manifestation
of divine glory from the beginning of creation. Its builder and maker is God.
It is there where myriads of angels stand ready to perform the divine will. It
is there that the souls of the Old Testament saints rest. It is there where the
souls of Church saints go. It is a city which today is located somewhere out in
space, and will at last descend to earth. In every respect it is of material
construction. The language represents something real and tangible. This does
not mean that these realities may not also possess symbolical meaning. They do,
but this does not argue for etherealizing these realities into mere fantasies
of the mind. God was not impoverished when He built heaven any more than He was
when He spoke the earth into existence.
The first
impression of this city as it descends to earth is that of a gigantic jewel
blazing with light. This light was like that of a jasper stone, a diamond,
clear as crystal, thus depicting the glory of God, the very essence of which is
holiness (Rev. 21:11, 23). From every scintillating facet of this city, the
light of the knowledge of the glory of God that shines in the face of Jesus Christ
radiates out into the far reaches of space. A pilgrim approaching the city from
a thousand miles away would be attracted by the effulgence of the city, and in
open-mouthed, awestruck stance stop his trek to behold the spectacle.
The
entrance to the city consists of twelve gates made of pearl (Rev. 21:12, 13,
21). There are three gates on each side of the city. And since the length of
each side is 1500 miles, they must be at intervals of 400 miles. Guardian
angels stand like sentinels at each gate, perhaps to welcome the pilgrims from
the far corners of the earth. The pearl of each gate is to remind those who
enter that they were formed out of the riven side of the Lord Jesus Christ. The
name of one of the tribes of Israel appears on each gate. This is to remind all
humanity of the fact that entrance to that city on the human side was through
the ministry of the nation of Israel. For salvation is of the Jews (John 4:22).
Through this people came the written revelation of God. Through this people
came the Savior of mankind. Through this people the work of evangelization of
the world has largely been accomplished.
The
foundation of the city is twelve-fold (Rev. 21:14, 19-20). Unlike most
foundations, this one is exposed to view and captures the fascination of everyone
who beholds it. It is garnished with twelve kinds of precious stones: jasper,
crystalline like a diamond; sapphire, deep blue; chalcedony, sky blue with
other colors streaking through it; emerald, bright green; sardonyx, red and
white in parallel bands; sardius, deep blood-red; chrysolite, bright gold;
beryl, sea green; topaz, yellowish green; chrysoprasus, apple green; jacinth,
violet color; amethyst, deep purple. Here are all the colors of the rainbow,
the full breadth of the spectrum of light. If we are not now color conscious,
we will be then. These gems will catch up the rays of light radiating from the
face of Christ and will project them in dazzling kaleidoscopic profusion out
into space.
Their
symbolic meaning will impinge upon the consciousness of every saint. The name
of one of the apostles of the Lamb appears on each foundation. This is to
remind the saved that on the human and natural level, these men were the
foundation of the Church (Eph. 2:20). We pay tribute to the men who signed the
Declaration of Independence because they laid their lives on the line in that
act. If King George the III could have apprehended them, he would have put them
to death for treason. And four of them did pay with their lives. But even in a
greater way, those apostles laid their lives on the line when they agreed to
follow Christ. They took a stance which countered the attitude of their people
and the world. And all of them paid with their lives, unless it was the apostle
John. There would be no Church today if it had not been for these men, and
therefore they deserve a place of honor with their names on the foundations of
this city which is called the Lamb's wife (Rev. 21:9).
The
magnitude of the city prostrates the human mind (Rev. 21:15-16). Nothing like
it has ever been produced in the earth among the sons of men. Whether a cube or
a pyramid, it is 1500 miles wide, long and high. It would cover the eastern
half of the United States. It would reach into the atmosphere to a distance
where the oxygen is so rare no human being could survive. It has been
calculated the number of people who could be crowded into this city by taking
the density of population in London and New York and reduced it and discovered
that on one level alone there was room enough for 72,000,000,000 people. If
every mile were another level or story for occupancy, there would be room
enough for 108 trillion people. Using either figure, that is more people than
has ever lived. It is my opinion there will be elbow room for all, and no one
will suffer with claustrophobia (John 14:2).
The
enclosure of the city is a wall 144 cubits high, or 216 feet. This wall is made
of jasper, therefore like a diamond, and crystalline, and capable of reflecting
the light of glory which emanates from the face of Christ. A wall of this
material height is scarcely able to serve as a protection for a city which
rises 1500 miles above the earth. But the thing that it symbolizes is able to
perform this feat. God is light, indicating His absolute holiness. This will provide
the protection from within and from without for this city and its empire
through the unceasing ages of eternity (Rev. 21:17-18).
The
material of the city is pure gold, the most precious of all metals (Rev. 21:18,
21). Even its streets are paved with this valuable material. But this is not
any ordinary gold such as seen by most of us. It is so pure that it is
transparent like glass. Per pound what do you think it would bring in the open
market today? Men have sold their lives in pursuit of this metal. But it is so
abundant that God can enjoy the luxury of building a city with it, and even
constructing the broad parkways of this metropolis with it. It is your
privilege to join the gold rush to this city. When at last you behold the
golden architecture of this megalopolis, and tread upon those golden streets,
that experience will be to keep before you an everlasting reminder of the
righteousness of Christ imputed to us by faith whereupon our feet have been set
in sovereign grace.
No city,
province, or empire has ever been like this one. It is without a temple (Rev.
21:22). Since the beginning of time men have erected altars, shrines, and
temples. There have been sacrifices, ceremonies, symbols, and priesthoods. In
the highest sense these were all intended to convey truth to the mind and heart
of the worshiper. It was the purpose in these to bring about a unification of
those who were the suppliants. But all of them fell far short of the original intention.
This was due to the fact that within the narrow confines of the human mind, and
the limited comprehension of the human intellect, only part of the truth was
seen. But at last there will be a city and an empire without a temple. The
divine object of worship Himself will be that temple. Without a personal
mediator and without material mediation men will come directly and immediately
to the true God revealed in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb.
Complete unity will then be experienced by mankind throughout eternity.
The
illumination of this city is something that transcends anything in the realm of
human experience (Rev. 21:23). God Himself is the source of its light, and the
Lamb is the light bearer, the luminous orb from which the beams of light
radiate throughout the city and encircle the globe. There is no darkness
anywhere, and especially in the city. It’s very transparency make it impossible
for any recesses where evil can lurk, where there are any dark streets, or any
retreats where crime, or corruption, or insurrection can breed. Everything is
bathed in light, the light of holiness displayed in the glory of God. How this
light is diffused throughout the city and the realm is not revealed. Perhaps
some law of physics, not yet known to men, will, enable it to bend the rays
about the earth. Even though there are some who believe that there will no
longer be any sun or moon, the text seems to suggest only that there is no need
of them. So brilliant is this light that the sun fades into oblivion as does
the light of the moon when the sun comes up.
The
benefits of this city to the entire population of the earth is expressed both
by negative and positive statements (Rev. 21:4, 25; 22:3-41; 22:1-5). The
negatives are necessary in order to help mankind who live today under these
adverse circumstances. All these former things are going to be done away (Rev.
21:4, 25; 22:3-4). Seven are named: tears, death, sorrow, crying, pain, curse,
night. Four of these constitute realities that are imposed on mankind as a
result of sin. Three of them describe the emotional response of people. Death,
the last enemy, has been defeated, and never again will men experience
separation of body from soul and spirit, nor from loved ones, nor from the
earth. The pain that develops as a result of being subjected to toil and trouble
will have passed. The curse, too, is gone. That which is detestable, abhorrent,
abominable, in the order of human experience belongs to the past. And there is
no night. The word night comes from a word meaning to disappear. When the light
of day fades, all contact with the world of reality disappears from vision. But
this will no longer be the experience of mankind.
To these
adverse realities there has always been some sort of emotional response. Every
tear will be wiped away. The word "tears"
is in the singular suggesting that the emotional response of grief displayed by
tears will extend from the least thing that once produced grief to the very
greatest. There will be no sorrow such as expressed in mourning, that is, those
long periods of grief which grow out of the loss of a loved one or something
precious to the individual. But emotion does not always express itself in tears
or grief. Sometimes it comes as an angry outburst of rebellion or insurgency.
Even this will be completely done away.
But there
are positive benefits that come with the heavenly city in the earth (Rev.
22:1-5). For the first time in human experience there will be an absolute
throne of authority to which there will be complete response on the part of
humanity. It is the throne of God and the Lamb (Rev. 22:1, 3). Out from that
throne there flows the pure river of the water of life. All that this may mean
is hardly comprehensible to us now. But it certainly carries with it the
meaning that life and its renewal must come from Him who is the author of life.
In the original paradise there were two trees. But now there is just one. The
tree of the knowledge of good and evil is no longer needed. The time of
probation is over. Now all that is needed is the fruit which perpetuates life,
and the leaves which preserve the health of mankind. There will be a new
disposition displayed by men in their activities. It will be that of worship. A
Face is there which is no longer hidden from the eyes of men, nor partially
concealed by enigmatic understanding of the Word of God. The constant beholding
of that Face will ever result in the fixation of character indicated by that
name written in the foreheads. God originally created men to be kings. Now at
last this purpose will be achieved. Men will reign as kings, as the word for
reign signifies. These are the final things.
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