"It [The Holy City Jerusalem] had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed-"
(Revelation 21:12)
An ancient city’s security depended upon the size and strength of its wall. Cities without walls lay open to the ravages of their enemies. Ancient Jericho seemed impenetrable because of its great wall. Yet that kind of wall served as no security against the might of our God.
Now, if you’re running ahead of me, you are quickly thinking, “But why do we need walls in the new earth? All enemies of our God have been cast into the lake of fire.” Good observation! Some that view this passage with strict literalism have gone so far as to deny that it even refers to the new heaven and new earth; instead they consider it an explanation of life in the millennium. But John uses a device that his audience understood. The key to security in the ancient world was the city’s wall. “It had a great and high wall.” Later he says that it measured 144 cubits and was made of jasper. The cubit was from the tip of the elbow to the tip of the middle finger, about 18 inches long. 144 cubits implied a wall 216 feet high! No one had a wall of that height in John’s day. If it was made of jasper or a diamond type of stone, then it was impenetrable as well as lustrous. The “twelve angels” at each gate reinforces the picture of security.
What John sought to do with this picture was not to give specific dimensions but rather to use exaggerated language to help us understand the security of the church in eternity. The world battered the early church, just as it does in so many places in our own day. But when we enter the new earth, there will never be any security problems. The church will forever live in Christ’s presence without assault or threat or fear.
(Phil A. Newton)
No comments:
Post a Comment