Knowing about the Holy City will inspire people to strive to reach for
it and dream someday to live in it. Studying the scriptures will give us a
good picture on how it will look like, how it is constructed, what it is
made of and what are some of the things we will expect to see. The Holy City is constructed like no other city here on earth. Apostle John described the Holy City as he
saw it in a in phantasmagoric vision while he was in the isle of Patmos.
50B.1
How does it look like from afar as
it comes down out of heaven from God?
In Revelations 21:10-11, this is how
Apostle John described it to be as it descends out of heaven from God:
And 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. And her light was like a most precious
stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. (NKJV)
The Holy City is clothed in God's glory
--- splendid and radiate. Its luster resembles a rare and most
precious jewel, like jasper, shinning clear as crystal.
50B.2
What
is the shape and size of the Holy City?
In Revelation 21:16, Apostle John described
it:
The city lies
foursquare, its length the same as its width; and he measured the
city with his rod, fifteen hundred miles; {Gk [twelve thousand
stadia]} its length and width and height are equal. (NRSV)
The same verse in other versions of the
Bible:
The city was shaped like
a cube, because it was just as high as it was wide. When the angel
measured the city, it was about fifteen hundred miles high and fifteen
hundred miles wide. (Contemporary English Version)
When he measured it, he
found it was a square as wide as it was long; in fact it was in the form
of a cube, for its height was exactly the same as its other
dimensions--1,500 miles each way. (Living Bible)
The city was laid out as a square, the
length being the same as the breadth. The city was shaped like a cube.
It measures 1500 miles in length, 1500 miles in width and 1500 miles
high.
50B.3
How is the Holy City constructed? Does it have walls and gates?
In Revelations 21:12-21, Apostle
John vividly describes it:
12.
It has a great, high wall with twelve gates, and at the gates
twelve angels, and on the gates are inscribed the names of the
twelve tribes of the Israelites; (NRSV)
The Holy City has a massive and high
wall with twelve gates guarded by twelve angels, with the names of the
twelve tribes of Israel written on the gates.
Where are the
City gates located? And how are they constructed?
13. on the east three
gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on
the west three gates. (NRSV)
21. And the twelve gates are
twelve pearls, each of the gates is a single pearl, and the
street of the city is pure gold, transparent as glass.(NRSV)
There are
twelve gates three on each side of the Holy City. And the gates are
constructed out of a single pearl.
How about its walls? How high are its walls and what are they made of?
14.
And the wall of the city has twelve foundations, and on them are the
twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15. The
angel {Gk [He]} who talked to me had a measuring rod of gold to
measure the city and its gates and walls.
17. He also
measured its wall, one hundred forty-four cubits
{That is, almost seventy-five yards} by human measurement, which
the angel was using.
18. The wall is built of jasper,
while the city is pure gold, clear as glass.
19. The
foundations of the wall of the city are adorned with every jewel;
the first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the
fourth emerald,
20. the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian,
the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth
chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst.(NRSV)
The height of
the wall is "one
hundred forty-four cubits" or about seventy five yards. The
walls are built of Jasper and the foundations are adorned with precious
stones or jewels like sapphire, agate, emerald, onyx, carnelian,
chrysolite, topaz, chrysoprase, jacinth and ametthyst
50B.4
What about the city itself, how does it look like? How about
the City streets, what are they made of? Are there rivers and
trees?
In revelations 21: 18 & 21,
the city and the streets are described:
18. The wall is built of jasper, while the city is pure gold, clear
as glass.
21. And the twelve gates are twelve pearls, each of the gates is a
single pearl, and the street of the city is pure gold, transparent as
glass. (NRSV)
The city is pure gold, clear as glass
and the streets of the city is pure gold, transparent as glass.
50B.5 What
can we see in the city? Are there rivers?
In Revelation 22:1, the river of life
and the great street is described:
Then the angel showed me
the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the
throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the
city. (NIV)
There is a river flowing from the
throne of God and of the Lamb to the middle of the great street of the
city. The rivers is as clear as crystal and it is called the "river of
the water of life".
50B.6 So
there is a river flowing from the throne down to the middle of the great
street of the city, are there trees planted along the river bank?
In Revelation 22:2, this is written: the tree of life
and its location is described:
On each side of
the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit,
yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are
for the healing of the nations. (NIV)
On each side of the river (of the
water of life) which flows from the throne (of God and of the Lamb) down
to the center of the great street, stood the
"tree of life", It bears with twelve crops of fruit and yield its fruit
every month.
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The Holy City is constructed like no other city
here on earth. The Holy City with all its
grandeur is clothed in God's glory --- splendid
and radiate. Its luster resembles a rare
and most precious jewel, like jasper, shinning
clear as crystal. The plan
of the city is a square, the length being the
same as the breadth; and measure 1500 miles by
1500 miles. It is in the form of a cube,
for its length and width and height are 1500
miles each.
The Holy City has a
massive and high wall almost 75 yards high with
twelve gates guarded by twelve angels, with the
names of the twelve tribes of Israel written on
the gates.
And the gates are constructed
out of a single pearl. The walls are built
of Jasper and the foundations are adorned with
precious stones or jewels like sapphire, agate,
emerald, onyx, carnelian, chrysolite, topaz,
chrysoprase, jacinth and ametthyst.
And the streets of the city is of gold and the
City itself is pure gold shinning like glass.
And, the river of the water of life, is
flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb
down the middle of the great street of the city.
On each side of the river stood the Tree of
Life.
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