S. Michael Houdmann Supporter Got Questions Ministries

The New Jerusalem, which is also called the Tabernacle of God, the Holy City, the City of God, the Celestial City, the City Foursquare, and Heavenly Jerusalem, is literally heaven on earth. It is r...

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July 01 2013 • 4 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jack Gutknecht Supporter ABC/DTS graduate, guitar music ministry Baptist church

First, see the big picture: 

The Great City, the Holy Jerusalem Rev. 21:10
Contrast to man’s cities on earth—ENOCH, the first city, built by the first murderer, Cain had—Supplies of food by Jabal-Cain

Metal Industries by Tubal-Cain

Musical Entertainment by Jubal-Cain

It was destroyed by the Flood. Gen. 4:17,21

BABEL, the city built after the flood had Skyscrapers, but the citizens were scattered and it too was destroyed Gen. 11:1-9
UR of the Chaldees, that Abram left—‘wholly given to idolatry Josh 24:2-3

THE CITY FOURSQUARE is in Heaven, and its citizens, the Bride, the Lamb’s Wife, are identified with their city.

1 The Eternal City—the city for which Abraham and the patriarchs looked, and for which all believers look Heb. 11:10,16; 13:14

2 An Impregnable City—had foundations with the apostles’ names in them Heb. 11:10; Rev. 21:14, 19

3 A Planned City—has Perfect Architect, God Heb. 11:10

4 A Constructed City—has an infallible Builder, God Heb. 11:10

5 A Resplendent City—has the Glory of God Rev. 21:11

6 An Accessible City—has twelve open gates of pearl Rev. 21:11

7 An Undefiled City—‘Nothing that defileth’ shall enter it Rev. 21:27

8 A Perfect City—perfect in every dimension, the height, breadth, and length being equal Rev. 21:16

The NEW JERUSALEM is where God lives with His people (as Michael said, it's called the tabernacle. Rev 21:3). "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. '"

If we take literally that John reports, the New Jerusalem is a cube measuring 1,400 miles in all directions (Re 21:16)

In this case, a fleet of 150 million Borg spaceships could park easily in the New Jerusalem. (Borg spaceships in the Star Trek films are cube shaped; so is the New Jerusalem). “The New J”, as our missionary, John DeCleene, formerly in the Philippines, called his radio station on the island, was purposely chosen as the title of his radio station. Why? John says, "The reason we chose "The New J" is because the call letters of the station are DXJL. The previous music was slow jazz. We chose "new" since now it was Christian, and, J for Jesus. At first some extremely conservative Christians thought we were promoting a new Jesus, which, of course we don't! It was just that we wanted everyone to know it was a new station focusing on Jesus."

October 04 2021 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

John Appelt Supporter

The New Jerusalem is a literal city John saw coming down out of heaven from God, Revelation 21:2. This heavenly Jerusalem, Hebrews 12:22, is not heaven for it comes from heaven. Also, a loud voice from heaven announces the tabernacle or dwelling place of God is with men, Revelation 21:3. The New Jerusalem will contain the temple in the persons of “the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb,” Revelation 21:22. The kings of the earth will bring treasures into the capital city of the world, Revelation 21:24-26, to honor God and the Lamb.

This beautiful, sparkling city prepared as a bride adorned for her husband, Revelation 21:2, is the bride/Lamb’s wife’s city, Revelation 21:9-10, in contrast to the city that is the harlot, Revelation 17:1,18.

The 12,000-furlong measurement, Revelation 21:16, equivalent to about 1,400 miles, is usually understood to mean the city is an enormous cube. However, the literal Greek translated in English would be, “And he measured the city with the reed, at 12,000 stadia.” The preposition “at” is in only a few English versions. The Greek word for “at” is “epi.” It can also mean “over,” or “above” as in Luke 23:38, describing the inscription “over” Jesus when He was on the cross. If so, John possibly saw the city orbiting above, providing a solution to the remarkable measurement.

Also, the next statement, “The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal,” is not necessarily connected. As the original Greek had no punctuation, the sentence can stand alone as it is in some versions. This is possible because the passage, Revelation 21:9-27, lacks organization, as if John attempted in his enthusiasm to describe the mind-boggling vision all at once. The translation could be: “And he measured the city with the reed, 12,000 furlongs above. The length, breadth, and height are equal.” 

The city is not measured here, but Ezekiel 48:30-35 says each side of the city is 4,500 cubits, which according to the royal cubit (about 20.5 inches) is 7,687.5 feet or 1.46 miles. This makes the city almost a thousand times smaller but a more reasonable size.

The height (presumably) of the wall is next measured to be 144 cubits or about 216 feet, Revelation 21:17. If the wall is 144 cubits tall around the 1,400-mile-high city, it would be unproportional. It would be a miniature wall, contradicting Revelation 21:12. Considering Ezekiel’s measurement, the wall, about a third of the height of the city, is in proportion to the city. 

When John said he saw the city descending, it means it will eventually “land” on the earth. Ezekiel 45:6 describes the apportioned land for it, 5,000 × 25,000 cubits which is equivalent to 1.6 × 8 miles. The enormous city could never fit, but the 1.46 × 1.46-mile edifice would fit well. 

The New Jerusalem is the holy, brilliant, sparkling city where God will dwell with man on earth, and which all believers in faith wait for, Hebrews 11:10.

July 31 2023 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report