The judgments are over, the guilty have been punished and now it is time for the redeemed of the Lord to enjoy the glories of heaven.
As the chapter begins, John sees a new heaven and a new earth, for the first – sin-stained and decayed, have passed away. A whole new universe has been created to be the eternal dwelling place for the redeemed.
Just as the old world was groaning under the weight of sin along with our old bodies, we now will have a glorified world for our glorified bodies – how exciting!
It will be far different from anything we know. One thing John mentions is that there was no more sea. Therefore, since our present earth is 75 percent water, we can conclude that our new environment will not be water-based and completely different.
Then John sees our end goal, our final destination, the place we dream about, try to picture in our head, the place we long for – heaven.
The New Jerusalem, he calls it. The holy city. A place that has always been, but now descends to the new universe that man may finally dwell there.
The whole city, filled with its new inhabitants – the redeemed – is prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Finally, fulfilling the New Tesstament metaphor of the bride (the church) being united forever to her groom (Christ).
Then John hears a great voice – the very voice of God. As he speaks, we hear some of the most hope-filled words in all of life. He declares that He will be forever with his people and dwell among them.
He will wipe every tear from their eye, for there will be no more death, nor sorrow, or pain – no reason to ever cry again.
Old things are passed away, and He will make all things new.
Hallelujah!!!
“It is done!” he declares. That’s right, the Alpha and Omega of all Creation will have the final say in this life and only he will say when it’s time to launch us into eternity.
9-11
We then focus in on that great heavenly city, as one of the seven angels who held the seven vials carries John away in the spirit and gives him a close-up view of our forever home.
John says its radiance is like a most rare jewel. In fact, he gives a name to this jewel – the jasper.
MacArthur describes the jasper as a completely clear diamond, a perfect gem and one perfectly suited to reflect the radiant glory of God.
12-16
He then begins to describe the structure of the city- the wall surrounding it and the dimensions of the city itself.
The city is a a perfect square with a huge wall around it. The wall has 12 gates, three on each side and 12 foundations with the name of the 12 Apostles written in them.
The angel has a golden rod to measure the city, and we find that it is 12,000 stadia, or approximately 2,000,000 square miles.
The wall measures 144 cubits thick and it is fashioned of jasper. While its foundations are garnished with all manner of precious stones.
Can you imagine? I can’t. Even with MacArthur’s explanation of each stone and it’s color, I find it hard to picture the awesome beauty of it.
However, it is fun to try sometimes, so if you’d like to give it a shot, here are MacArthur’s notes on these verses.
“Because some of these gems have changed through the centuries, it is difficult to identify each one with certainty. The gems picture a brilliant indescribably panoply of beautiful colors that send forth the light of God’s glory. The following are possible identifications:
agate – a variety of chalcedony…The gem is a sky-blue stone with translucent, colored stripes.
onyx – A variety of chalcedony with parallel layers of red and white.
carnelian – A common stone from the quartz family, which ranged in color from orange-red to brownish-red to blood-red.
chrysolite – A gem with a transparent gold or yellowish tone.
beryl – A mineral with several varieties of gems, ranging from the green emerald to the golden yellow beryl to the light blue aquamarine.
topaz – Ancient topaz was a softer stone with a yellow or yellow-green color.
chrysoprase – The modern form of this jewel is an apple-green variety of quartz
jacinth – Today, this stone is a transparent zircon, usually red or reddish-brown. The one John saw was blue or shining violet in color.
amethyst – A clear quartz crystal that ranges in color from a faint purple tint to an intense purple.”
The 12 gates are each made of a single pearl, and the city itself is of pure gold. Not the shiny yellow-gold color found on our planet, but a transparent, glass-like gold.
But why such a transparent gold? To perfectly transmit the radiant glory of God, of course!
For we read that there is no need for a temple there, no sun, no moon to light it, for the glory of God fills that place. He is the temple, and He is the light thereof.
People from all nations and every ethnic group who have accepted Christ will walk in His light, and there will be no night there.
So many glorious things about what awaits us in heaven. The most exciting, of course being the presence of our Lord.
Another joyful thing about heaven though, is what will be absent. Nothing unclean, no deceivers, no one who seeks to lie, no sin whatsoever!!
Final Thoughts
Honestly, I don’t think there’s anything I need to say to further highlight this chapter. No one can outshine the beauty of heaven. It is just so glorious. All I can offer is this: go back and read this chapter again. Be sure to take in every wondrous aspect of our forever home and take a moment to worship the Creator who has prepared it all for you. Then, go out and make sure your neighbor will experience that place too.