“The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. He measured its wall and it was 144 cubits thick, by man’s measurement, which the angel was using.“
Revelation 21:15-18
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John’s look at the Holy City continues with a description beyond our ability to conceptualize. What he describes is a cube. The length of each side (including height!) was 12,000 stadia or the equivalent of 1,400 miles—roughly the distance from Chicago to Salt Lake City, Utah.
Planet earth could not accommodate a city with these dimensions! My tendency to try and visualize the Holy City in terms of structure, function, and location is unproductive. My categories and parameters need to be set aside to consider this question: What truths can we draw from the description of the Holy City in Revelation 21?
God has a destination for His people. God will not only provide an eternal home for us, but He will dwell there with us. We will not only see Him, but we will interact with Him face to face. How this will happen cannot be explained in human terms, but this is our future. God has something special for His people beyond our comprehension.
With all this to look forward to, our sincere desire is for as many people as possible to participate. Only faith in Jesus our Savior will assure citizenship in the Holy City. We have the privilege of sharing the gospel with others, knowing that our loving God works through the Holy Spirit to open human hearts.
Questions for reflection and discussion:
- What sort of image comes to your mind for a cube-shaped city measuring 1,400 miles on each edge?
- How are you encouraged as a believer by our hope in what is to come?
- How can our anticipation of heaven motivate engagement in the work of the Lord?
Church Reading Plan: Isaiah 24; 1 John 2