Jaw-dropping Jewels about Jesus
Rarely does Jesus, God the Son, do exactly what we expect of Him. It seems odd that He so frequently surprises us, given that He never changes. Hebrews 13:8 makes this absolute statement: “Jesus the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Still, though He is blessedly consistent in His goodness, Jesus does unforeseen things. Even when He does what is expected, He does not always do it in the way that we anticipate. Let us join with Jesus on a jaw-dropping journey. (I will be using this opening paragraph for each of the brief messages in this series. The following material will change daily.)
“The Revelation of Jesus Christ” (1:1) provides information about the significant size of the heavenly city: “And he [the angel] that talked with me [John] had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. And the city lieth foursquare, and the height 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. 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” (Revelation 21:15-17). These measurements indicate that this holy city is a cube of about 1500 miles on each side, with walls more than 200 feet thick. Clearly, there is ample space for all who choose to place their trust in Jesus. Two other thoughts are suggested by this passage. First, even a simple measuring rod (the meaning of “reed”) in heaven is made of gold, indicating the comprehensive beauty of our future home. Second, the perfect cube shape of the city recalls the structure of the Most Holy Place in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple. This was the place where the glory of God resided with the Israelites. Even then, God was preparing His people for this revelation of the eternal city.