Revelation 21:15-21

In this study, we will examine more of the same regarding the blessings we will know in our eternal state. One of the issues that faces us constantly at this point is whether the text can or should be taken literally, and I think there is a way to tell. There is a great deal of oddly specific detail here, which makes this the most detailed allegory ever, or there is at least a literal component to it. As I have stated all along, I believe that sometimes it is both things at once. More than one thing can be true at a time, and this may be one of those situations. I choose to think so because it makes the most sense to me in the context of reading the text. Somehow, I don’t think John himself could tell you all of the nuance contained in the book, because he must have been overwhelmed with what he saw, and he wrote down what he saw, and it overwhelms the rest of us.

I broke down the text into the following thought units:

KV16: The Eternal City

16: The city is laid out as a square, and its length is as great as the width; and he measured the city with the rod, fifteen hundred miles; its length and width and height are equal.

15-17: Measurements of the City

18-21: Materials of the City

As I prepared for this study, I had cause to reflect on my dual consideration of reality. Through John, we see a city in the form of a cube (others think pyramid; either could be correct) descending from God onto a high mountain. It occurred to me that believers who are here (and they will all be here) will literally be on top of the world.

Last time, we considered the dual analogies of the Bride, the Wife of the Lamb, and the Heavenly City, the New Jerusalem, and how John irreversibly connected the two analogies. I even threw in a third (sort of) from the Apostle Peter who likened believers to “…living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Pet. 2:5) If we are the stones built upon the foundations of the Apostles and Prophets, maybe this is all talking about us as a group, now fit together most logically. If the foundation stones bear the Apostles’ names, perhaps each stone in the city will bear the name of a believer. Although I am speculating, I wonder how close this really is because of Revelation 3:12, which says, “He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.” Is this not what we are watching here? And the size of the City indicates that there were many believers in the end. Three analogies that all address the same thing. Yet, in a strange amount of detail, which usually indicates that, in the here and now, a literal truth. We’ll revisit this in a bit. For now, we’ll get onto the passage of study this evening.

KV16: The Eternal City

16: The city is laid out as a square, and its length is as great as the width; and he measured the city with the rod, fifteen hundred miles; its length and width and height are equal.

Regardless of how one wishes to view the City, it is a reality. Paul saw it and described it in Galatians 4:23, which states, “But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother.” Thus, it is our mother, that is, the being that gave us life, and it is identifying us, meaning we are also to give others the same life. How do WE do that? We share Christ with them by means of the Gospel, the good news that our Lord Jesus, God Himself, became a human, lived a perfect life under the law, gave up that life to pay the debt we could never pay of sin, and then rose from the grave to prove it, because the Law, which He wrote, had no hold on Him. Paul puts it like this in Galatians 1:3-4, which says, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father…” That is the very essence of the Gospel. We should be able to relate that good news to any passage easily, and I have just done so. Not one of those living stones would be here without it.

The task before us is to understand what the Lord is telling us through this allegorical language and symbolism. And brother, there is a LOT here, so let’s get into it.

15-17: Measurements of the City

If the purpose of presenting the measurements was to demonstrate the greatness of God’s power, then mission accomplished. We will use the original measures expressed in Greek, rather than the converted miles of the NASB or others, because I think there is meaning in the original that is lost in translation, so we will explain some of that, as well as other principles that the Lord will reveal through John’s conversation with the angel. Here we go.

15: The one who spoke with me had a gold measuring rod to measure the city, and its gates and its wall.

The angel held in his hand a golden reed [κάλαμον]. I am certain you are all familiar with the English phrase, “The Gold Standard.” Over time, that phrase has taken on the connotation of “the acceptable measure of accuracy.” This reed is an official measure of God’s eternal kingdom, apparently. More on that in a moment.
The angel proceeds to measure the city for John, or perhaps already had, the text is unclear because we do not actually read about the measuring of the city, we only see the results. The reed is rodlike in shape, so I have no trouble using the words interchangeably in this context.
The angel provides John with information about the city itself, the wall that surrounds it, and its gates. All are mentioned in the text, so we will examine them as we encounter them.
Earlier in Revelation 11:2, when measuring the temple in the Tribulation period, John was told to leave out a part of the temple: “Leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it, for it has been given to the nations; and they will tread under foot the holy city for forty-two months.” It was not measured because it was given to profane use, not the holy purpose that the temple of God should be, and even that will be defiled by the man of sin himself. By way of contrast, everything here is measured, because it is all holy. Nothing is left out, because we speak of the eternal kingdom, wherein only righteousness dwells. (cf. 1 Pet. 3:13)

16: The city is laid out as a square, and its length is as great as the width; and he measured the city with the rod, fifteen hundred miles; its length and width and height are equal.

It turns out that the measure the Greek records use is σταδίων, the genitive, neuter, plural noun, which we anglicize as “stadia (plural)” or “stadium,” singular. I want to use the original because of the symbolism in the numbers John gives. We are actually speaking here about σταδίων δώδεκα χιλιάδων, and that translates from stadión dódeka chiladón to 12,000 stadia. One stadium is approximately one-tenth of a mile (to two significant figures). Johann Albrecht Bengel, a Lutheran theologian of the late 1600s and early 1700s, stated what we all infer from the text: the length, width, and height of the city are equal. I tend to think in cubes for some reason, so I think big cube, but it could well be a pyramid, in keeping with some extrabiblical lore that surrounds the topic, though it is a more modern idea. The word for the city is τετράγωνος, which directly supports the concept of the cube from the text, but is that one level, or what? I don’t know.
Twelve thousand stadia converts to 1380 miles, about 1400 actually, so I don’t know what they mean when they say 1500 miles. This is where it gets interesting for me. But hey, I’m a nerd. Think of this: The city is seen as where all of God’s people will reside. Each measurement given in the text is a multiple of 12. According to F. W. Grant in his book, The Numerical Structure of Scripture, the number 12 is a product of 4 (the number of the creature or world) and 3 (the number of divine manifestation). This renders the number 12 a symbol of manifest sovereignty, that is, God actively laying hold of and transforming the world through His rule. Twelve times a thousand yields 12,000, but the thing of note to me is that God has extended His rule to and through His people. I know it sounds like gematria, but it is a real concept that can help in understanding the text, so I mention it here. Would anyone dispute that the New Jerusalem, the Bride, the Wife of the Lamb, the Heavenly City built from saints, does not meet that definition? What a mind God has, and how He uses it are beyond imagination. There were 12 patriarchs. There were 12 Apostles. And in each length of wall, there are 12,000 stadia. What does it all mean? God is sovereign over it all, almost like He had planned it from the beginning, and was completely consistent in all the expressions He chose to manifest to us over the whole of history. Incidentally, 1400 stadia was the approximate length of the Roman Empire.
This is the final and eighth kingdom of that prophecy given to Nebuchadnezzar and interpreted by Daniel 2:44, which says, “In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.” Nebuchadnezzar saw it, if only in a type in a dream. Daniel understood it. Paul may have seen it when he was taken either in the body or out of the body to the third heaven, where God is, and now John is describing it. It has been consistent all the way through the Scriptures when it is described as the Eternal Kingdom of the God of Heaven, who lives for all ages of time. Now, if I can pick my own jaw up off my desk, we’ll get to the next verse.

17: And he measured its wall, seventy-two yards, according to human measurements, which are also angelic measurements.

Now, John’s attention turns to the wall that surrounds the city. The first thing we would notice if we were standing beside it is that the city is MUCH taller than its wall of protection. Personally, that means that defence is irrelevant, but hey, I’m just a farm boy from Kenora.
We must again examine the text and disregard what our translations say. The Greek phrase is ἑκατὸν τεσσεράκοντα τεσσάρων πηχῶν, which means 144 cubits, with one cubit approximately 18 inches in the sources I consulted. Again, a multiple of 12. In fact, it is 12 times 12, the number of the church squared. This is representative of the perfection and completeness of the city under His expressed sovereignty. Some have said this is the height of the wall; others have said it is the width of the wall, but why can’t it be both? Beloved, this wall that surrounds the city will necessarily be wider and taller than the Great Wall of China, which was between 4 and 8 yards wide and 6-7 yards high.
Then John adds something that I find fascinating on multiple levels. The first point is that the text suggests that humans and angels will be equal in the coming kingdom as servants of the living God. We know that from Paul in 1 Corinthians 6:3a, which says, “Do you not know that we will judge angels?” But the second is more interesting for a man who was once part of the Charismatic movement and spoke in tongues (me). I will explain. I was taught by my “elders” (note the use of the quotes, I am not using this word according to the proper definition, I mean people who had been around longer than me) that speaking in tongues was a kind of private heavenly prayer language (says no bible verse anywhere incidentally), and that I should happily babble it whenever I could so I could be more spiritual and direct in my prayers to God. Yes, I know that’s utter nonsense now, but I was new to faith then, and I didn’t know what idiocy I was participating in. Can you imagine my joy when, many years after I had left that movement, I read this and realized the truth? The Holy Spirit caused me to notice that the measurements of men were ALSO the measurements of angels. If the measurements were the same, why not the languages? John and the angel were conversing, so they clearly understood each other. I have never seen a reference in the Bible (and I have been reading it for 40 years, searching for just such a reference for 38 of those) in which the angels who were visiting men spoke any language other than what the men they were visiting understood. There are a couple of things here.
God created language and units of measure. He understands them perfectly and has assigned each of them to its purpose according to His will. Measurements record data, and languages communicate information. God created Adam with a complete understanding of whatever language he spoke (I suspect ancient Hebrew, but that’s speculation). He could even write it, apparently, according to some ancient extrabiblical sources. God doesn’t need you to speak to understand what you are saying to Him. He knows you, thought, word, and deed. Nehemiah prayed to the God of Heaven in front of his boss, King Artaxerxes. I doubt Artaxerxes even knew it happened. If God doesn’t need it, I cannot imagine a circumstance in which He would supply us with a pointless and needless exercise. God always has a reason, and he even explains it to us at times, though not always. Why, for example, did He save me? I have no idea. I do know that it had nothing to do with me. Those who would say He had a reason He didn’t explain to me for tongues ignore the fact that nothing He does is actually about us. It is about His will and His Christ, the Lord Jesus. Everything in Scripture revolves around that, right down to the measures we use. To me, that is also an expression of His great power and sovereignty. Moving on.

Beloved, I didn’t think I would see as much as I did when I first sat down to study this. I suspect you didn’t either, and some of what I saw is surprising, but still blessed and centred on Christ. We now move from measurements to materials, and I have high expectations as a result.

18-21: Materials of the City

Something I kept in mind is that the measurements of the city describe the nature of the city, but the materials describe its composition. What makes up the city? Remember, this is a significant analogy about our eternal state, so it may be seen as something of what we, as a group, will be like. Let’s get into it.

18: The material of the wall was jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass.

We begin with the city wall, as if someone were approaching it from the outside, and I wonder whether this is John moving toward the city. I don’t know whether he would be walking, given the size we heard earlier, but perhaps the angel was carrying him, though it doesn’t matter. His point of view would have been amazing.
The wall was made of jasper. Here is our first interpretive challenge: to what does the jasper refer? Is it just a precious stone? Somehow, I doubt that, given the material we have just covered. And what exacly IS this jasper? I know what I call jasper, it’s a birthstone (I have 2, the other is aquamarine). It is a green stone with red and white streaks. I’ve seen one. When I was much younger, my mother’s parents gave me something (not a ring, something like a tie pin or the like) with one on it. One interpretive problem we face when studying this is that the names of precious stones change over time, and some materials are represented in their pure theoretical form, such as gold. What we call jasper may not be what they meant when they said “jasper” stone. The best thing I find to do here is to stick to the Word, and it simply does not say what this means. I also do not trust typical allegorical schemes to get it right, because at times these are things that somebody else essentially made up. So I will do my best here.
First, Jasper. In Rev. 4:3a, the Word describes God the Father’s appearance on His throne: “And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance;” I still don’t know what He meant by “jasper,” but I can understand that this means that the glory of God will be radiating and running throughout the city. I like to think that the opalescent green of the stone is representative of life itself, and the red and white are, respectively, the cost of that life, the Blood of Christ, and the holiness that it took to achieve it, but, like other commentators, I’m just making that up. I will leave it to you to judge whether that is worthy. That’s just the stones of the wall around the city.
The city itself is pure gold. But there is something different about this gold: It’s clear, like glass. It is, I think, meant to convey that it is so pure that nothing impedes the transmission of God’s glory through it. If you recall that this could be an analogy for the living stones that build up the dwelling place of God, as Peter says, then anyone looking will only see God through us. Now that’s a blessed thought.

19: The foundation stones of the city wall were adorned with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation stone was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald;

The foundation stones of the city are described next. Each one is a different stone, and I could try to interpret each stone; I don’t know that my brain is up to that task. I will do my best as my brain can recall, but I am not as learned as some.
The first foundation stone is jasper, and we’ve already just looked at that, so I will skip ahead a little. The second stone is sapphire, a pale blue gemstone. I have seen one, and it is beautiful. It is used in Scripture as the pavement upon which rests God’s throne, and in Ezekiel, the throne itself. I would take this to mean that this is a form of guarantee that the thing and person upon which our faith rests is beautiful, strong, and will not fail. Because it is used in the throne, it has a royal and divine quality that may speak to our status as believers and signify the future to which we are destined.
The third is chalcedony. This is a type of quartz, also light blue, and is named for the region in which it was first discovered. Again, this is representative of the heavenlies, and the hardness of the quartz is not only a sign that it will hold its shape under hardship but also a stronger assurance of our future divine destiny. In modern mineralogy, it is a blue agate-like stone. It has also been called a carbuncle and an Indian Ruby by Pliny (I’m not clear on which Pliny).
The fourth is Emerald, the Greek word σμάραγδος. It is a green transparent stone. And σμάραγδος means “live coal.” I see the significance here as that of being living and of being what fuels things. Is that a hint at our future work? We will be the living energy that accomplishes God’s work? I have often heard it said that we are to do everything that we do to the best of our ability as service to God. Could this be why? It makes a great deal of sense to me. As we serve Him here, so will we serve Him there. Moving on.

20: the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprase; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst.

The fifth stone is sardonyx, a transliteration from the Greek text. It is a transparent red stone with spots, white and sometimes an additional colour. In my thinking, it speaks to me of the blood of Christ that isolates and contains sin and unrighteousness (as in a container). I have no idea what this stone represents, but that is what it evokes.
The sixth is sardius, Greek σάρδιον, and here we encounter one of our interpretive issues. There are two varieties of this stone: one yellow and one red. Which is it? We have no way of knowing, but this stone was in the Garden of Eden, according to Ezekiel 28:13, which says, “You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The ruby, the topaz and the diamond; The beryl, the onyx and the jasper; The lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the emerald; And the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets, Was in you. On the day that you were created They were prepared.” That is God speaking through Ezekiel to the “King of Tyre,” who, to be sure, was NOT in Eden at the beginning. The King of Tyre is used here as a form of symbolic analogy for none other than Lucifer himself. In event either red or yellow, if it represents those who withstood his attacks, then it makes sense to me.
The Seventh is chrysolite. This is a gold-coloured stone that we would identify as a topaz today. This was also among the precious stones that covered Lucifer, and it indicates that these stones were created for this purpose on the day he was created. Think about this for a moment: a beautiful badge of office that was applied to the first angel, and the one who was the right hand of God, is now being applied to the New Jerusalem’s foundation, which bears the name of one of the 12 Apostles. By extension, as living stones laid on that foundation, that badge of office and the authority that it conveys will apply to us. You know, us: the broke, sinful, depressing, garbage-like, twisted image-bearers of God, broken in the fall, now glorified and made holy by the blood of the Lamb. What privilege.
The eighth is beryl. This is where it can be confusing. Let me read what Easton’s Bible Dictionary says and see if you are also confused. “In Ezek. 28:13 the LXX. render the word by “chrysolite,” which the Jewish historian Josephus regards as its proper translation. This also is the rendering given in the Authorized Version in the margin. That was a gold-colored gem, the topaz of ancient authors.” Didn’t we just see a “topaz?” At any rate, my mind goes back to a theoretical conversation between God and Lucifer at the time of the revealing that humanity was to be created to bear the image of God. “Have you seen my latest idea? I’ll call them mankind,” said YHWH. “Yes, they are something to behold. Will they be mine?” asked the angel who was first in creation and rank before all other angels. YHWH maintained a neutral expression as he surveyed His creation. “No, Lucifer, my son. They will replace you.” Those stones that covered Lucifer meant something. That meaning, whatever it may have been, will be applied to the people of YHWH at this point. They will be holy, and more importantly, will do as YHWH says with a willing heart.
The ninth stone is, to complicate things, topaz. In Greek, the word is τοπάζιον, so it is somewhat of a transliteration. Today, we would call it Chrysolite. Vine records this: “…the stone is of a yellow colour (though there are topazes of other colours) and is almost as hard as the diamond. It has the power of double refraction, and when heated or rubbed becomes electric.” Double refraction is like putting a beam of light through a prism, but it only splits into two rays, the ordinary ray or O-ray, and the extraordinary ray (the E-ray). The two refractory angles are typically 90 ° to each other and are likely at least partially responsible for the glow of topaz, which makes it stand out among common stones. I can think of meanings for that, but I go back to the idea that God’s people are his “luminaries,” which Paul expresses in Philippians 2:14-15 as “Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world…“. Among a community of profane vessels in the world, we stand out as those who are God’s “light-bringers,” a form of the Greek word φωστήρ, one who brings or transmits light.” We will no longer reflect His light; it will then pass through us in pure transmission.
The tenth stone is chrysoprase, another transliteration of the Greek. It is a stone coloured like a golden leek, a golden-green hue. Pliny (again, not sure which) records that he thought it was a kind of beryl. I have no idea what this could mean, other than that the eternal living God is again present, in this case, in a typological sense.
The eleventh is jacinth, a transliteration that ends up looking like “hyacinth” [ὑάκινθος], but is described by Vine to look like a sapphire, and we’ve already seen that. Here again, we do not necessarily understand what this looks like from the description, aside from a deep blue and transparency. This is more of that heavenly pavement stuff upon which God’s throne is set. Are we good and confused yet? I am.
The twelfth and final stone is amethyst, and I’ve picked my own on the north shore of Lake Superior, visiting my grandparents in Terrace Bay, Ontario. It’s a pinkish-purple stone on a quartz base in its natural form, and can be polished into a transparent rock of the same colour. The name itself is the interesting part. In Greek, it means “not drunk.” Peter tells us to be sober, so do Paul and James. Paul told the Ephesians, “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.” (Eph. 5:18-21)
All of these stones must mean something, and my confusion notwithstanding, I am betting that where I could reason out detail with the help of the Spirit of Christ, I have not even scratched the proverbial surface in terms of puns or in terms of meaning. Our God is an awesome God. Moving on, last verse…

21: And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the gates was a single pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.

Twelve foundation stones, twelve gates, and multiples of twelve all over the imagery. These 12 gates were each made of one single pearl. Pearls form when an oyster is irritated by a grain of sand; over time, the oyster coats the sand with layer upon layer of its nacre to form a pearl. I’d like to see the oysters that produced these pearls! That would be a sight to behold. Pearls in ancient times were highly valued. A pearl large enough to be used to create one of these gates would be worth more than we can imagine. And recall that Christ is the pearl of great price! A pearl forms the gate, the way to God, the most precious thing imaginable. I like how Matthew Henry put it in his commentary: “Heaven has gates; there is a free admission to all that are sanctified; they shall not find themselves shut out. These gates were all of pearls. Christ is the Pearl of great price, and he is our Way to God.”
The streets were of purest Gold. This gold, again, is so pure that you can see through it like glass, again, suggesting that there is no impurity in the gold. And it is the street! The saints walk on purest gold! They, being so safe and secure, anointed by Christ with the trappings of the one whom they will replace in function by the look of this, are now, and for the rest of eternity, at rest. In that state of rest, they are not inactive, because they have unbroken, unstained communion with God and with one another. And as glorious as all of this is, it is the faintest view of what we cannot even yet imagine, the things that God has prepared for those who love Him (cf. 1 Cor. 2:9).

The kind of things we have been considering this evening, and indeed through the end of Revelation, are meant to stir your heart to encouragement. Yes, the Bible has stern warnings about falling short of the mark, laziness, or outright disobedience, and we must take them seriously and pursue the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. However, we must allow in texts like this, for our hearts to be encouraged. We must let ourselves be inspired. We must let ourselves at least try to imagine these things, because as we pursue our Lord in holiness and obedience, He will bring us to these things, and knowing these things ahead of time at least helped the people of Smyrna, for example, or Stephen, or Antipas, or William Tyndale, or even Charlie Kirk to live now for that coming kingdom.

Beloved, I would be remiss if I did not tell you that there are some bad things coming down the pipe. The Lord Jesus Himself said in the Gospel of Luke, “…men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” This is all ahead of us, and at some point, it will overtake us where we are. However, if we are faithfully obeying His word, and walking in a worthy manner as Paul said, then these thoughts are meant to comfort us as we go on our way, and even to guide and inspire us on our way home, where we at last will be at perfect rest, in perfect communion with each other and our perfect Saviour and God, our Lord Jesus Christ, for the rest of the ages of the ages. Amen and amen.

That’s what I saw in the text this time.

Next Thursday, I find myself in the unenviable position of needing to cancel a study session due to a mandatory medical appointment. It is my semi-annual appointment, and I didn’t schedule it; my Doctor did. I had very few options to choose from, and this was the best I could do because my Boss also moved around the day I work for him. Call it warfare if you like, but the reality is, there will be no study next Thursday. However, Lord willing, the following Thursday, we will look at Rev. 21:22-27, the balance of the chapter.

I should mention that we have been promoted to the status of Content Creator on Rumble, where you are probably viewing this stream. This has opened up some stuff for us, not that we needed it, but it is a nice addition. We now have a tip jar where you can give us tips, but in cryptocurrency. It arrives in our rumble wallet, and the funds are transferred directly to us and will be used for operations and supplies at BereanNation.com. We’ll show you where it is when it comes up in the announcements, but it is at the bottom of the window, just under the video title, if that helps. Click and donate. As far as I know, it takes all forms of crypto.

As content creators, we will have to be on the air a bit more, at least in terms of video streaming. We have some ideas about that, and if you want to help or have ideas, get in touch, we would love to hear them. Now, for your regularly scheduled announcements.