Table of Contents
The Third Coming Of Jesus And The New Jerusalem
(based on Revelation chapter 21)
Another Resource: The Great Controversy
1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
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.
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.
10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
11 Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
13 On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.
14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15 And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.
16 And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.
17 And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.
18 And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.
19 And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;
20 The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.
21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.
22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.
26 And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.
27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.
Revelation 21:1-27 KJV
My Personal Belief
My personal belief is that before the worldwide Flood, there was no ocean anywhere on Earth. There were only freshwater systems and underground rivers for watering the vegetation from below, similar to the pampas in Argentina today. I believe that most of the water in the ocean today originated from the area known as the ionosphere, where it was stored as a dense, homogeneous cloud layer that shielded the harmful rays of the sun. I believe that the cloud layer was probably at least 5 miles thick and that it surrounded the entire Earth!
God Will Recreate This Earth
And I’m sure that when God recreates the Earth after the millennium, He will restore that cloud layer, along with removing the oceans and rebuilding the underground watering system that the Flood mostly destroyed! And for me, Revelation 21:1 is a confirmation of these personal beliefs because it says, “and there was no more sea.”
Where Was The Garden Of Eden?
Furthermore, I believe that the Garden of Eden was specifically located right where the Mariana Trench (the deepest part of the Ocean) is located today. The Garden of Eden was taken literally by God’s Hand to Heaven at the time of the Flood, so it makes sense that there would be a deep trench where it used to be! God’s removal of Eden would also have caused much of the devastation that was included in the Flood! (Another movie idea!)
But these are just indicators of what we can expect when God recreates the Earth again! I’m eager to witness that re-creation in person!
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Revelation 21:2 KJV
The Ultimate Teaching Tool!
There’s so much meaning packed into this one verse! God designed the whole institution of marriage as a teaching method to explain both the nature of the Godhead and the nature of the relationship that God wants to have with each human being! And, of course, God will “spare no expense” in preparing the new home for His bride, His church! There won’t ever be any more beautiful sight than the New Jerusalem anywhere in the Universe! And it will someday be on our planet! Our wonderful God will dwell among us! This is all confirmed in verse 3!
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.
Revelation 21:3 KJV
Then comes a picture of God’s tenderest love in verse 4!
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
Revelation 21:4 KJV
God Understands
God understands what we’ve been through in this evil world! His Son, Jesus, went through it too! He knows how to comfort His bride! The comfort of the church is restored during the millennium in the place where the New Jerusalem now resides, not on the Earth! The New Jerusalem lands on the Earth AFTER the millennium!
5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
Revelation 21:5 KJV
Jesus Is The Only Creator!
“He that sat upon the throne” in this verse is Jesus! How do we know this? Because Jesus is the only being described as the Creator in the entire Bible! When He says, “Behold, I make all things new”, He makes His actual identity crystal clear!
And next, He says to John, “Write: for these words are true and faithful.” To what words is Jesus referring? To verses 6, 7, and 8! So we need to pay special attention to those words!
6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
Revelation 21:6-8 KJV
In these three verses, Jesus explains some fundamental principles of salvation! First, the water of life is the Holy Spirit! Here, Jesus promises to give the Holy Spirit to anyone thirsty for God’s presence. Then, to help us identify what is needed for that kind of relationship, he describes the relationship in verse seven! And to make sure we understand, He contrasts the relationship of the lost in verse eight.
What Do We Overcome?
What does Jesus want us to overcome in verse seven? A similar message is found in ALL seven of the messages to the seven churches found in Revelation chapters 2 and 3. He wants us to overcome sin, of course! And what is sin? “For sin is the transgression of the Law” 1 John 3:4b KJV This means that any church that says the Ten Commandments are no longer needed is causing you to misunderstand the truth! They are working against God! Without the Ten Commandments, there is no definition of what sin is! (Ten Commandments – Exodus 20:3-17 KJV)
At the end of verse 8, there is mention of the “second death.” That’s because ALL of the wicked have to die twice! Once at the natural end of their human life, and again after the “Great White Throne Judgment!” And of course, this sentence will be carried out in the “lake of fire,” which burns on the surface of this Earth for a short time.
9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.
10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
11 Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
Revelation 21:9-11 KJV
In verse 9, John recognizes the angel as one of those who poured out one of the seven last plagues; however, this does not mean that the angel has just finished pouring out one of the plagues. That happened over 1,000 years before! The whole point of verse 9 is to identify the “bride of Christ” as the holy city or the New Jerusalem!
Of course, the church (God’s faithful followers) is also described as His bride (see Ephesians 5)! And the New Jerusalem is designed as a very special home just for them! Each one has their own home in the city with their own name on it. And their name is also carved into the dinner table of Heaven. But they also get to choose their own place in the countryside for their own little private “getaway” from the city.
Please note that in verse 11, the wall of the city is “clear as crystal,” even though it is made of Jasper! Scientists say that it is possible to refine jasper to the point where it becomes as clear as glass.
12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
13 On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.
Revelation 21:12, 13 KJV
I’ve been trying to figure out why there is one angel at each gate of the holy city. I looked up verse 12 in the original Greek and in various translations, but every translation states, “and at the gates, 12 angels.” I did find out from the Greek version that the angels are all male. Perhaps it has to do with protecting the city.
But once sin and sinners have been destroyed, there won’t be any more need for protection. Perhaps they are posted at the gates temporarily until the lake of fire has finished the destruction of the wicked.
In verses 14-21, we find a detailed description of the design of the holy city, also known as the New Jerusalem.
One of the most interesting aspects of the city is that, including the foundation stones, it forms a perfect cube (see verse 16). Can you think of any Star Trek series that portrays something similar? That’s right, the Borg cube in Star Trek: The Next Generation (the one with Captain Picard)! This is Satan’s attempt to brainwash the whole human race into believing that God’s system of government is evil and controlling, even though reality is just the opposite! Satan is the one who employs evil and control! God has no part in those things!
How big is the holy city? The length of one side is 1500 miles! I’ll let you do the math online to make your life enjoyable! That means that the total area is 2,250,000 square miles! Do you think that’s big enough for all the saved to have their mansion? Let’s say that each mansion took up 1 square mile, including the yard. That would leave enough room for at least 2 million mansions after subtracting for the width of the walls and streets!
In verse 17, we find out that the height of the wall is 144 cubits. A cubit is very interesting! It is defined as the length of the person’s forearm who is doing the measuring. Since the angel Gabriel is doing the measuring, we need to estimate the length of Gabriel’s forearm. We know that Adam was approximately 22 feet tall, so the angel Gabriel should have a very similar height. If you ask your favorite AI software to calculate the estimated forearm length of a 22-foot-tall man, the answer should be approximately 3.38 feet. Multiply that times 144, and we get approximately 487 feet! That means that the height of the wall isn’t nearly as high as the rest of the city (1500 miles, including the foundation).
19 And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;
20 The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.
Revelation 21:19, 20 KJV
“In the past century, it has been discovered that gems can be classified as either anisotropic or isotropic, and only recently have scientists discovered cross-polarized light, which can be used to identify a gem’s classification, when viewed in crossed-polarised light (similar to ‘pure’ light), anisotropic stones produce a colorful array-reflecting all the colors of the rainbow, whereas isotropic stones lose all of their color and appear black.
It’s interesting that, in Revelation chapter 21, there are 12 gems mentioned to be inlaid for decoration of the New Jerusalem and ALL of these 12 gems are anisotropic gems, i.e., gems that can show colorful patterns under pure light.
Interestingly, neither diamonds, rubies, nor garnets are mentioned, despite their prevalence in this group of gems. For instance, the precious stones are generally considered to be diamond, ruby, sapphire, and emerald, with all other gemstones being semi-precious. Turns out, because they are isotropic when pure light passes through them, there is no beauty at all.
Of the 28 stones that are normally regarded as gemstones, only 16 are anisotropic. Since anisotropic behaviour has only been discovered in the last century (and John wrote Revelation almost 2,000 years ago), the odds of 12 stones being picked randomly and being in that one group are about 1 in 1,000.
21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.
Revelation 21:21 KJV
Well, if Gabriel is 22 feet tall, that means that each pearl is at least 22 feet tall! And where would you find a pearl that large? And do scientists agree that gold can be transparent? Yes, they do! They say that the color of standard gold is due to impurities.
Although I have not heard about any transparent gold yet, it should be possible to make it if you can figure out a way to remove all the impurities. On the periodic table, the abbreviation for Gold is Au. Pure gold is presumably transparent, like glass.
22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
Revelation 21:22 KJV
When you read Ephesians 5 and 1 Peter 2:1-10 in connection with verse 22, then you will realize that Jesus is the “head” and we are the “body of Christ” or the “church of Christ.” And that means that while God the Father and Jesus “are the Temple of it” as verse 22 states, there is also a sense in which we also form part of the same Temple! What an excellent thought!
23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
Revelation 21:23 KJV
By the way, does this verse remind you of anything in Genesis? Remember that John chapter one says that Jesus created everything that was made in the whole Universe! Does it remind you of Day 1 of Creation Week, when God said, “Let there be light?” Remember that the sun, moon, and stars were not created until day 4 of Creation Week, so where did the light come from on days 1, 2, and 3? That’s right, Jesus was the source of that light!
24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.
26 And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.
27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.
Revelation 21:24-27 KJV
These last four verses of Chapter 21 describe the nature of the new sinless Universe and the New Jerusalem. Jesus Christ often referred to Himself as “the Light of the world,” and this is confirmed in verse 25 with the phrase “for there shall be no night there.”
It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.
Proverbs 25:2 KJV
Here we see that the “honour of kings” is to know both what is happening in their kingdom and to know God! The honour and glory of the nations is their humility, Christ-likeness, and productivity!
Verse 27 shows us that we need a “total transformation” of our character! Only the Holy Spirit can accomplish this as we confess and forsake our sins!
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