The Glory of Heaven by John MacArthur

Author:John MacArthur [MacArthur, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Christian Books & Bibles, Theology, Angelology & Demonology, Eschatology, Humanities, Religious Studies, Christianity
ISBN: 9781433538681
Amazon: 1433538687
Publisher: Crossway
Published: 2013-05-30T00:00:00+00:00

It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed—on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb (21:12–14).

So the gates are named after the tribes of Israel and the foundations after the twelve apostles. This will be the dwelling place for all the people of God redeemed out of every era of human history. Israel and the church are brought together in the eternal realm to form one people of God for all eternity.

The existence of gates implies that people are able to leave and enter the city. Don’t think the city contains us. It will be our home, but we will not be confined there. We will have the infinite universe to travel, and when we do, we will go in and out through those gates.

Heavenly Measurements

In 21:15–16 John says, “The one who spoke with me had a measuring rod of gold [probably about ten feet long] to measure the city and its gates and walls. The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia. Its length and width and height are equal.” So the city is perfectly symmetrical, a massive cube, fifteen hundred miles square and fifteen hundred miles high. Some have suggested that this could actually describe a pyramid. While that is indeed a possible interpretation of these dimensions, it seems unlikely that Scripture would not say so if that’s what it meant to convey. I take this as a description of a cube.

What is the significance of a cube-shaped city? Remember that in Solomon’s temple the Most Holy Place was a cube of twenty cubits (1 Kings 6:20). The New Jerusalem is the Most Holy Place for eternity. This is the very sanctuary of God himself. It is his house, and our dwelling place is likewise part of the Father’s own house (see Psalm 23:6; John 14:2). God has brought the very heart of the heavenly tabernacle—the Most Holy Place—to earth.

A height of fifteen hundred miles is frankly difficult to envision. On the current earth, something fifteen hundred miles high would extend well out of earth’s atmosphere (which is only about a hundred miles deep). But remember that heaven and earth are now merged, and atmosphere ceases to be an issue.

Are these great heights and distances merely symbolic? I’m inclined to think not. John describes the angel’s measurement of the city wall: “He also measured its wall, 144 cubits by human measurement, which is also an angel’s measurement” (v. 17). The fact that such precise measurements are given seems to suggest that this describes a real place with real earthly dimensions. Indeed, the expression “by human measurement” could hardly mean anything else.

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