Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth,a for the first heaven and earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Document version 0.2
By: Don Milligan
I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; For behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing And her people for gladness.
Isaiah 65:17-18
Introduction
I have been wanting to write about this for a very long time, because I was quite sick for a few years, and during that time I believed I may die. I studied the bible daily, sometimes over 90 hours in a week, and one of my favorite subjects became the prophecies concerning heaven and the new earth.
These references are salted throughout the bible, and each one is quite detailed, however there are only a few places where the prophecies are condensed into multiple paragraphs. I’d like to tie in as many as I can remember here.
This document is versioned (top-left), because it will continue to grow and be revised until I’m happy with it, and when additional studies shed new light on a particular feature.
We’re going to start this by discussing prophecies regarding the New Jerusalem, a place Jesus spoke of –
In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. (The New Jerusalem)
The New Jerusalem
One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.
Revelation 21:9-11
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.. ..Its radiance was like a most precious jewel, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal..
..The city lies foursquare, with its width the same as its length.. ..all its dimensions were equal—12,000 stadia (~2220 km or 1348 miles) in length and width and height.
The wall was made of jasper, and the city itself of pure gold, as pure as glass.
Revelation 21:1,11,15-16,&18
City Dimensions
The city is a giant gold cube spanning 12,000 stadia on every side. 12,000 stadia is about 2220 km or 1380 miles. That’s about the distance between Jerusalem and Rome (~2320 km).
In a recent 3D modeling test created for a future video, I discovered that with the city centered over modern Jerusalem, it would be visible from these locations.
North as far as Sweden
East as far as Pakastan
South as far as central Africa
West as far as the eastern Atlantic
The City Gates
The wall around the new Jerusalem is 144 cubits (~66 meters or 216 feet) thick, and its twelve gates are made from twelve individual pearls (Revelation 21:21).
Wouldn’t you love to visit the ocean planet those pearls came from? The oysters are so large that the gates of the new Jerusalem were carved from them! I’m sure one oyster would be much larger than the city of Vernon, BC – where I live.
Just think, its out there somewhere. When we stare at the stars, there’s an ocean planet that God sourced the pearls for the city he’s building for us.
Blessed are those who wash their robes,a so that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by its gates. But outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
Revelation 22:14-15
Perpetual Day
The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.
Revelation 21:23
Prophetically, this means more than it says in straight forward language.
No longer will the sun be your light by day, and the brightness of the moon will not shine on you; for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your splendor.
Your sun will no longer set, and your moon will not wane; for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and the days of your sorrow will be over.
Isaiah 60:17-20
We won’t even sleep while we are there.
There will be no more night in the city, and they will have no need for the light of a lamp or of the sun. For the Lord God will shine on them, and they will reign forever and ever.
Revelation 22:5
Job spoke of this as well.
Life will be brighter than noonday, and darkness will become like morning.
Job 11:17
Lets try and unravel the straightforward meaning a bit, because Jobs comment shows us the other verses are not only subject to prophetic interpretation but also literal.
In context of the new earth, Ezekiel speaks of sleeping in the forest:
I will make with them a covenant of peace and rid the land of wild animals, so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the forest.
Ezekiel 34:25
This is another witness to this statement by a person I consider to be another prophet, Ellen G White. She says the same thing as she leaves the new Jerusalem in her first vision.
Then we entered a field full of all kinds of beasts—the lion, the lamb, the leopard, and the wolf, all together in perfect union. We passed through the midst of them, and they followed on peaceably after. Then we entered a wood, not like the dark woods we have here; no, no; but light, and all over glorious; the branches of the trees moved to and fro, and we all cried out, “We will dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods.” We passed through the woods, for we were on our way to Mount Zion.
Early Writings, p.18
Certainly the city is tall enough, that if the earth were only slightly tilted on its axis, the sun would never set on the top of the city, fulfilling (Isaiah 60:20), and since we won’t be sleeping in the city which is brighter than the sun, that leaves the backside of the planet, in a dim place under the forest canopy, far away from our home in the city to oddly grow tired and need a nap.
This is forever interesting to me. Maybe that’s how it is whenever we leave the planet too? We’ll just have to go and find out.
The Tree of Life
Then the angel showed me a 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 main street of the city. On either side of the river stood a tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit and yielding a fresh crop for each month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.
No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be within the city, and His servants will worship Him. They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads.
Revelation 22:1-4
While the river flowing from the throne of God is symbolic of the infinite love of Christ proceeding from his heart —
The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out.
Proverbs 20:5
The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will.
Proverbs 21:1
–this stream becomes deeper outside the city, and feeds the earths large bodies of water (its in Ezekiel).
The tree of life feeds directly from this water next to the throne of God in the New Jerusalem. She is also Wisdom, one of the seven spirits of God (Isaiah 11:2–3).
Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who acquires understanding, for she is more profitable than silver, and her gain is better than fine gold.
She is more precious than rubies, nothing you desire compares with her.
Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.
All her ways are pleasant, and all her paths are peaceful.
She is a tree of life to those who embrace her, and those who lay hold of her are blessed.
Proverbs 3:13-18
Who Will Will Live There
Let the unrighteous continue to be unrighteous, and the vile continue to be vile; let the righteous continue to practice righteousness, and the holy continue to be holy.”
“Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to each one according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”
Blessed are those who wash their robes,a so that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by its gates. But outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
Revelation 22:11-15
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
John 10:9-10
The Cross Connection
A cube has six sides, and those six sides unfold into a cross shape. also notice how the view of the cube from this angle creates a hexagon.
The city’s appearance is that of gold glass (Revelation 21:18), the color of honey. I find it interesting that inside of golden hexagon shapes in nature, there is a golden glass colored substance, and it is directly related to Jesus Christ.
How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth
Psalm 119:103
Jesus Christ is that Word
Whether or not it is a coincidence is up to you.
The selfish principles exercised on earth are not the principles which will prevail in heaven. All men stand on an equality in heaven.
To be continued. . .
Don
I would rather do the Lords work than anything else.