A Greater Look at the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:15-21)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11/29/2005

 

My Worship Time                  Focus:  More descriptions of the New Jerusalem

 

Bible Reading & Meditation             Reference:  Revelation 21:15-21

 

            Message of the verse:  “15  The angel who talked to me held in his hand a gold measuring stick to measure the city, its gates, and its wall.  16  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 length and width and height were each 1,400 miles.  17  Then he measured the walls and found them to be 216 feet thick (the angel used a standard human measure).  18  The wall was made of jasper, and the city was pure gold, as clear as glass.  19  The wall of the city was built on foundation stones inlaid with twelve gems: 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. 21  The twelve gates were made of pearls—each gate from a single pearl! And the main street was pure gold, as clear as glass.”

            I must say that I needed some help with these verses today so I went to one of my study Bibles to get it.  I choose the “Life Application Study Bible” and there were a couple of good notes that I found.  The first one was on verses 15-17 and I will use part of it to help explain these verses.  “The city’s measurements are symbolic of a place that will hold all God’s people.  These measurements are all multiples of 12, the number for God’s people:  There were 12 tribes in Israel, and 12 apostles who started the church.  The walls are 144 (12x12) cubits (200 feet) thick; There are 12 layers in the walls, and 12 gates in the city; and the height, length, and breadth are all the same, 12,00 stadia (1400 miles).  The New Jerusalem is a perfect cube, the same shape as the Most Holy Place in the Temple (1 Kings 6:20).  These measurements illustrate that this new home will be perfect for us.”

            Note on verses 21:18-21:  “The picture of walls made of jewels reveals that the new Jerusalem will be a place of purity and durability—it will last forever.”

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  There is always hidden meaning in God’s Word, and because God is the One who put this hidden meaning into His Word, He, through His Holy Spirit, is the One who will reveal it to those who search for it.

            I am not so sure that I received these words that I am about to write from this passage above, but I do believe that they came to me from God’s Spirit:  God wants me to trust in Him, and not on the things that He has given to me.  I do believe that this is the main thing that God wants me to learn throughout this storm, or trial that I am going through, and it makes perfect sense to me as I was surely trusting in the money that God had entrusted me with and not the God who provided it.

 

The Word of God was refreshing to my heart as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  I want to trust the God of the gifts and not the gifts from my God.