Chapter 21

The New Heaven and New Earth -4

v.15-21 And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates and its wall. And the city is laid out as a square, and its length is as great as its breath. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal. Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. And the construction of its wall was as jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eight beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.

The dimensions and materials of the city are carefully recorded. Its length, breadth and height are equally “twelve thousand furlongs” which some commentators estimate to be about 1378 miles cubed, others 1500 miles cubed, or as one put it, “about the size of our moon.” In any case, it’s clearly a vast cube.

The dimension of the wall is not as clear because it’s uncertain whether the angel is measuring the height or the width. As a result, some commentators regard the height of the wall to be about 216 feet while others consider it its thickness. As for the materials, they are all flawlessly precious and pure. Inlaid into its foundations and walls are varieties of brilliant stones, and each of its gates are solid pearl. The street of the city is made of pure gold.

In other words, the holy city of New Jerusalem is magnificent. It’s massive, perfectly uniform, flawlessly beautiful, and indescribably glorious. Once we see it in heavenly light, with its translucent whites, rainbow hues, and brilliant reflective colors, I believe we’ll be surprised how much more it is than we imagined.

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him” (1Cor.2:9)

v.22-23 But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it, and the Lamb is its light.

The temple and the sun are each part of this present world meant to serve man in this present age. The temple provided a place where sinful man can meet with God, and the sun was instituted at the dawn of creation to provide light to the world.

In New Jerusalem, however, a temple-structure would serve no purpose. Sin will be gone, the sinful nature of man passed away, and God shall Himself dwell with man, directly and eternally approachable by His people. Moreover, there will be no requirement for a sun. Though the sun and the moon are established forever (Ps.148:1-6), God—Who is light (1John 1:5) and “the Father of lights” (Jas.1:17)—will forever illuminate New Jerusalem with His eternal presence (see also—Isa.60:19-20).

v.24-27 And the nations of those saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). And they shall bring the glory and the honor of nations into it. But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

This passage implies that some saints will inhabit the new earth as “the nations” beneath the city of New Jerusalem. They will walk in its light, bring their glory and honor into it, and have a perpetual open door to enter and exit as freely as they choose. So who are they?

I believe (although speculative) that these are the self-same mortals (along with their offspring) who inhabit the earth and subsequently receive Jesus Christ as Savior during the Millennium because they’re the only group of saints otherwise not accounted for.

They did not take part in the first resurrection ending with the Tribulation martyrs (Rev.20:4-5) otherwise they would not have been subjected to our Lord’s judgment of the nations (see notes—Rev.20:5-6). It’s clear that they resist the devil in his final rebellion against God, and thus are righteous, otherwise they would have been destroyed at Millennium’s end (Rev.20:9). They certainly did not resurrect with the dead (Rev.20:13) or they would have been cast into the lake of fire and had no part in the new heaven and new earth (Rev.20:15; 21:27). Moreover, because God’s judgment of sin and death has already taken place (Rev.20:14), we must conclude that they’re transformed from mortality to immortality and will inhabit the new earth in the same perfection found in Adam and Eve; but without a sin nature of the former world and instead eternally perfect.