SCRIPTURAE PRIMUM ET SOLUM
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THE VISION OF THE NEW JERSULEM
(REVELATION 21:10-21)
The New Jerusalem
"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea is no more. I also saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God and prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: “Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his people. And God himself will be with them. And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away" Revelation 21:1-5).
Obviously, the "New Jerusalem" is quite different to the "Jerusalem from above" and the "Heavenly Jerusalem". This time it the bride of the heavenly King Jesus Christ, that is, the 144,000 redeemed kings and priests of the earth (Revelation 5:10, 7: 3-8, 14: 1-5).
This "New Jerusalem" will come down to earth after the Great Tribulation, in the sense that humans will be anointed as princes and others as earthly priests. The Great Crowd that will survive, as a whole, will represent the Levites or Sons of Levi (Isaiah 32: 1,2 (Princes), Ezekiel 44: 3 (Chieftain), 40:46 (The sons of Zadok, the earthly priests); (Son of Levi)).
The New Jerusalem, represents the earthly administration of the Kingdom of God, by the 144,000 kings and priests in heaven. This administration is described as a symbolic city on earth, in direct relationship with heaven. Here is the description:
"Now the one who was speaking with me was holding as a measure a golden reed, that he might measure the city and its gates and its wall. And the city lies foursquare, and its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs; its length and breadth and height are equal. Also, he measured its wall, one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to a man’s measure, at the same time an angel’s. Now the structure of its wall was jasper, and the city was pure gold like clear glass. The foundations of the city’s wall were adorned with every sort of precious stone: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedʹony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh hyacinth, the twelfth amethyst. Also, the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the gates was made of one pearl. And the broad way of the city was pure gold, as transparent glass" (Revelation 21:15-21).
Before understanding concretely what this measurement of the city and its description means, let's pay attention on the dimensions: It is a cube of twelve thousand stadia on a side, by its height, length and width (12000x185 (m)=2220 (km)). A cube has six faces, if we reason in area, which is not the case, in the measurement that interests us. The measurement is expressed in perimeter or in horizontal and vertical parallel lines:
- Base of the cube: four sides of the same length.
- Top of the cube: four sides of the same length.
- Height of the cube: four sides of the same length.
Thus, the total of the straight lines is twelve. A straight line is twelve thousand furlongs (stadium). We have the following equality: Twelve thousand furlongs multiplied by twelve equals one hundred and forty thousand. We have exactly this equality in Revelation 7:4-8, hence its connection with Revelation 21:15-17 (see the symbolism of numbers in the Bible).
The unit of length is a Roman stadium (185 meters). In that case, a stadium is equal to the earthly ministry (the race properly completed on earth) of a Christian with heavenly hope (see 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (the winner of the race (in the stadium Roman) received a crown (see verse 25, compared with Revelation 2:9; 3:11)); 2 Timothy 4:7; see Revelation 14:20). The 144,000 furlongs represent the whole perimeter of the cube. This would mean that the measurement would represent the preparation of a construction of a city or its completed construction in the present case. But also by its vertiginous height, the relations with Jehovah God, the heaven with the earth, the New Jerusalem acting as an umbilical cord. However, this measurement also expresses a judgment during the millennial reign, made on the basis of the "law of the temple" written in the "scrolls" mentioned in Revelation 20:12 (Ezekiel 43:10-13: This text links the measure of the house with the "law of the temple", like the New Jerusalem).
The measurement of the wall is expressed only by its height, very small compared to the general height of the city itself, that is to say 144 cubits, a measurement of man that is to say of angel, according to the Revelation . The thousand is replaced by the cubit (if referring to 144,000), which is a measurement of human length (the length of a forearm, to the elbow). The wall has twelve gates, but its height is twelve times twelve cubits. These are several ways to demonstrate that it will be impossible to pass through this wall without authorization, both by its extent, its number of guarded doors, and its height.
The wall itself and its height may well represent the earthly replica of the New Jerusalem sent down from God (See Revelation 21:1-4); the 144,000 in the heavens would represent the cube of 12,000 stadia, while the wall would represent the earthly part of the city, its foundation or base, the walls and gates acting as protection. The wall has no reason to exist except on earth because those who must be temporarily kept outside (before their destruction) are human beings or at most spirits confined to the vicinity of the earth (Revelation 12:13; 22:15).
The tent of God mentioned in Revelation 21:3 is associated with the descent of New Jerusalem to earth. It would be logical to think that it represents the lower part, or the base of the city on earth, the wall, a protective structure for the city on earth. The tent of God on earth, as we have seen above, could constitute a group of humans in the service of the worship of Jehovah. It should be represented by earthly princes and priests. In Revelation 7:15 it is mentioned that the tent of God will be over the Great Crowd, implying that this group will be directly subordinate to earthly princes and priests in the administration of Jehovah's worship and the earthly governance.
The measurement of the New Jerusalem is like to that of the Temple Sanctuary, made by the apostle John (Revelation 11:1,2). The measurement of the temple sanctuary made by the apostle John, seems to indicate that the divine standards written in the Bible, must be applied, within the temple sanctuary, that is to say the Christian congregation. The fact that it is John, a human, who makes the measurement, indicates that these Christian standards are maintained by the pastoral work of the priests or overseers of the Christian congregations. This is confirmed in Revelation 2 and 3, when the glorified Jesus Christ gives his instructions, sometimes very severe, to the seven human angels in charge of the seven congregations.
Thus, these two measurements represent a judgment (Matthew 7:2 (Jesus compares judgment to a measurement) and Amos 7:7-9 (Jehovah compares his judgment to the use of a plummet)). Jesus Christ in Matthew 19:28 described the period of "re-creation" or earthly resurrection as a earthly judgment of all of humanity being resurrected. However, in the case of New Jerusalem, this time it is an angel who measures with an angel's measure. This time, in the earthly paradise, it will be measures certainly applied by humans, under the direct supervision of angels.
This idea of the judgment of humanity, expressed by Jesus Christ, stands out symbolically by the presence of the twelve precious stones at the entrance to each of the twelve gates of the city, allowing or preventing entry into this city. What does it mean ? Every gates have the inscription of one of the twelve tribes of Israel, this seems to allude to the twelve tribes of Revelation 7:4-8, therefore the 144,000. The gates give access to the trees of life or not (Compare Revelation 22:2,13,19 with Genesis 3:24). Now in Matthew 19:28, Jesus Christ said that the 144,000 would be established as judges of the 12 tribes of Israel. It therefore seems logical that these gates represent the authority of the 144,000 to judge who will be worthy to enter the city or not. Since these gates are part of the wall, it is logical to think that it is the earthly princes and priests, who will notify on earth what the 144,000 will have decided in heaven (themselves supervised by the twelve apostles (Matthew 19:28)) (See Matthew 18:15-17 and then 18-20). Earthly princes and priests are referred to respectively in the prophecy of Ezekiel 40-48 as "chieftain" (princes) and sons of Zadoc (earthly priests).
The presence of an angel at each door, or twelve angels, seems to describe them as the executors of God's judgments (Revelation 7:1,2; 12:7; 14:18-20; see also Matthew 13:41,49). They will be decided by the 144,000 in heaven, notified by princes and priests on earth, and effectively enforced by angels. This would also explain that the measurement is made by an angel, to the measurement of man (applied to humans (reed)), that is to say of angel (applied by angels (the gold symbolizes the heavenly matter that covered all the furnishings of the Holy and Most Holy in the temple sanctuary)) (Revelation 21:15-17).
The wall is built of jasper (Revelation 21:18). The sparkle of the jasper stone very accurately reflects the glory of God. Similarly, the dominant sparkle of New Jerusalem is jasper (compare Revelation 4:3, (dominant color emanating from the throne is jasper) with 21:11 (dominant color emanating from New Jerusalem is jasper)). The sparkle of jasper could symbolize the glory of God's sovereignty, expressed by the administration of New Jerusalem on earth.
What do the twelve precious stones mean? They represent the twelve names of the apostles, which are linked with the twelve names of the tribes of Israel, which constituted the foundation of this nation. And the text that obviously seems to solve the riddle is Exodus 28:15-21 where it is written about the breastpiece of judgment:
"And you must make the breastpiece of judgment with the workmanship of an embroiderer. Like the workmanship of the ephʹod you will make it. Of gold, blue thread and wool dyed reddish purple and coccus scarlet material and fine twisted linen you will make it. It should be foursquare when doubled, a span of the hand being its length and a span of the hand its width. And you must fill it with a filling of stones, there being four rows of stones. A row of ruby, topaz and emerald is the first row. And the second row is turquoise, sapphire and jasper. And the third row is leshʹem stone, agate and amethyst. And the fourth row is chrysʹo·lite and onyx and jade. Sockets of gold should be in their fillings. And the stones should be according to the names of the sons of Israel, the twelve according to their names. With the engravings of a seal they should be, each one according to its name, for the twelve tribes".
Thus the twelve precious stones of the foundation of the wall must probably allude to the "breastpiece of judgment", which was the foundation of divine justice on earth, the name of the precious stones being different for some, because different from the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. More concretely, in Matthew 19:28, when Jesus Christ says that the 144,000 will judge the 12 earthly tribes of Israel, he is specifically addressing to the twelve apostles. This would mean that it is particularly the twelve apostles in heaven who will be responsible for the judgment, who will act as chief judges, notifying to the 144,000 in heaven, acting as gates in the wall, who is to be prevented or allow to enter into the city (Ephesians 2:20-21).
In Revelation 21:22 it is written: "And I did not see a temple in it, for Jehovah God the Almighty is its temple, also the Lamb is". The New Jerusalem on earth will not need a visible building or an appointed place for the temple sanctuary of Jehovah and Jesus Christ (alluding to the presence of a temple in the ancient earthly Jerusalem). Jehovah and Jesus Christ, will be the temple sanctuary, Jesus Christ the Holy (see Revelation 1:12-16) and Jehovah, the Most Holy (Revelation 11:19).
THE NOT TRAMPLED JERUSALEM
Was the Jerusalem “trampled”, in the time when Jesus Christ was on earth, according to Luke 21:24?
No, it wasn’t, for several reasons. The first important reason is that the first fulfillment of the prophecy of Daniel, Chapter 4, by the temporary removal of the king of Babylon, that didn’t mean that the city of Babylon was “trampled” at the same time as a world power. Similarly, the reversal, in 607 BC, of the Davidic dynasty didn’t mean that the city of Jerusalem wouldn’t be restored, after 70 years of devastation, in what it represented, the city of the "great King" (Daniel 9: 2; Matthew 5:35).
The second important reason, indeed, in 607 BC, the city of Jerusalem has been effectively “trampled” for 70 years, but then, the city and its temple have been rebuilt from 537 BCE, according to the prophecy of Daniel, Chapter 9: “You should know and understand that from the issuing of the word to restore and to rebuild Jerusalem until Mes·siʹah the Leader, there will be 7 weeks, also 62 weeks. She will be restored and rebuilt, with a public square and moat, but in times of distress” (Dan. 9:25). The reconstruction of the walls of Jerusalem has been ordered in 455 BCE, by Artaxerxes. And the books of Ezra and Nehemiah show how this reconstruction happened to the city and its temple and the religious and secular administration.
The third important reason that shows that the city of Jerusalem was not "trampled" at the time when Jesus Christ was on earth, is the fulfillment of the prophecy of Zechariah chapter 9, when Jesus entered into Jerusalem as king: “Be very joyful, O daughter of Zion. Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem. Look! Your king himself comes to you. He is righteous, yes, saved; humble, and riding upon an ass, even upon a full-grown animal the son of a she-ass” (Zechariah 9:9; Matthew 21:5). It is obvious that this prophecy was to be fulfilled in a Jerusalem that wouldn’t be "trampled".
How to understand what Jesus Christ said: “and Jerusalem will be trampled on by the nations, until the appointed times of the nations are fulfilled” (Luke 21:24)? The context of the prophecy of Jesus Christ, based on Luke 21: 20-24, was that he announced the future destruction of Jerusalem as fulfillment of the prophecy of Daniel 9:26b and 27b: “And the city and the holy place the people of a leader that is coming will bring to their ruin. And the end of it will be by the flood. And until [the] end there will be war; what is decided upon is desolations. (…) And upon the wing of disgusting things there will be the one causing desolation; and until an extermination, the very thing decided upon will go pouring out also upon the one lying desolate” (Daniel 26b and 27b).
Thus, as it is written in the prophecy of Daniel 9: 2 that Jerusalem would be "trampled" 70 years, and then rebuilt, in the framework of the prophecy of Daniel 9:26b, 27b, pronounced by Jesus Christ, this time, he suggested that the future (at that time) destruction of Jerusalem would “be trampled on by the nations, until the appointed times of the nations are fulfilled" (Luke 21:24).
THE HEAVENLY JERUSALEM AND THE JERUSALEM ABOVE
THE SAME JERUSALEM
“But you have approached a Mount Zion and a city of [the] living God, heavenly Jerusalem, and myriads of angels, 23 in general assembly, and the congregation of the firstborn who have been enrolled in the heavens, and God the Judge of all, and the spiritual lives of righteous ones who have been made perfect” (Hebrews 12:22,23).
“But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. 27 For it is written: “Be glad, you barren woman who does not give birth; break into joyful shouting, you woman who does not have birth pains; for the children of the desolate woman are more numerous than those of her who has the husband.” (Galatians 4:26,27).
By comparing the two biblical quotations in Hebrews 12: 22.23 and Galatians 4: 26,27: there is no difference. The two biblical expressions, Heavenly Jerusalem and Jerusalem Above, represent God with Christ and those who are brought to reign with him together with the angelic people of God in heaven.
The "Jerusalem from above" or the "heavenly Jerusalem" represents the "woman" of Genesis 3:15: "And I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and her offspring. He will crush your head, and you will strike him in the heel" (Genesis 3:15).
The "Jerusalem from above" or the "heavenly Jerusalem" represents the "woman" who gives birth to a "child" in Revelation 12: "Then a great sign was seen in heaven: A woman was arrayed with the sun, and the moon was beneath her feet, and on her head was a crown of 12 stars, 2 and she was pregnant. And she was crying out in her pains and in her agony to give birth. (...) And she gave birth to a son, a male, who is to shepherd all the nations with an iron rod. And her child was snatched away to God and to his throne" (Revelation 12: 1-6). This child represents both Jesus Christ as enthroned heavenly King, but also the Kingdom of God, associated with the 144,000 mentioned in Revelation 7:3-8 and 14:1-5.
Given all of this biblical information, we understand that the "Jerusalem above" or the "heavenly Jerusalem" represents the heavenly family of God, associated with Him as His bride (Isaiah 54:1).
The destruction of the ancient Jerusalem
“Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, by no means will a stone be left here upon a stone and not be thrown down”
(Matthew 24:2)
The first fulfillment of the destruction of the ancient Jerusalem
“Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, by no means will a stone be left here upon a stone and not be thrown down”
(Matthew 24:2)
The prophecy of the destruction of the ancient Jerusalem is fulfilled in two stages. The first (not completed) is the destruction of the temple and the devastation of the city of Jerusalem in 70 CE (not mentioned in the Bible) (except for verses 21 and 22 which mention the great tribulation over Jerusalem which will be, both, international). This first fulfillment is based on the prophecy of 70 weeks of years, of Daniel chapter 9:24-27, which announced the end of the special covenant of God with the earthly Israel (verse 27a). This period of 70 weeks of years ended in 36 CE, when Officer Cornelius has been baptized, Jehovah God turned his attention to all nations. Henceforth, God's special relationship with the earthly nation of Israel had ended definitively (Acts 10). Currently, the city of ancient Jerusalem has been rebuilt but no longer has the biblical status of the world capital of Jehovah's worship (See Matthew 23:38 "Look! Your house is abandoned to you"). This old Jerusalem will be replaced by a New Heavenly Jerusalem which will rule over the whole earth (Revelation 21:1-4) (THE SIGN OF THE END).
The second fulfillment of the last destruction of the ancient Jerusalem
during the great tribulation
"Therefore, when you catch sight of the disgusting thing that causes desolation, as spoken about by Daniel the prophet, standing in a holy place (let the reader use discernment), then let those in Judea begin fleeing to the mountains"
(Matthew 24:15,16)
The future destruction of present-day Jerusalem during the great tribulation, announced prophetically by Jesus Christ, is also confirmed in the prophecy of Zechariah: "Jehovah will go out and war against those nations as when he fights in the day of a battle. In that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in half, from east to west, forming a very great valley; and half of the mountain will move to the north, and half of it to the south. You will flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains will extend all the way to Azel. You will have to flee, just as you fled because of the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah of Judah. And Jehovah my God will come, and all the holy ones will be with him" (Zechariah 14:3-5).
In the same way that this prophecy mentions that the chosen ones would flee from Jerusalem to save their lives, so Jesus Christ recommended them to flee the city before the future great tribulation: "Therefore, when you catch sight of the disgusting thing that causes desolation, as spoken about by Daniel the prophet, standing in a holy place (let the reader use discernment), then let those in Judea begin fleeing to the mountains. Let the man on the housetop not come down to take the goods out of his house, and let the man in the field not return to pick up his outer garment. Woe to the pregnant women and those nursing a baby in those days! Keep praying that your flight may not occur in wintertime nor on the Sabbath day; for then there will be great tribulation such as has not occurred since the world’s beginning until now, no, nor will occur again" (Matthew 24:15-21).
"When you catch sight of the disgusting thing that causes desolation, as spoken about by Daniel the prophet, standing in a holy place (let the reader use discernment)", this prophecy had its first fulfillment (not mentioned in the Bible) , in the year 66 CE. The Roman general Cestius Gallus, during the first siege of Jerusalem, partially came into the city by destroying part of the outer wall of the great temple. However, for unexplained reasons Cestus Gallus left without completing this siege. This unprecedented situation allowed the Christians of Jerusalem (the chosen ones) to flee the city, before its destruction in the year 70 CE, by the Roman general Titus.
The second fulfillment took place today, shortly before the future great tribulation mentioned in Daniel 12:1 and Matthew 24:21. In the prophecy of the King of the North and the King of the South, it is written that the King of the South, the current dominant world power, would install his "royal tents" in Jerusalem, a holy place, shortly before the great tribulation: "And he will plant his royal tents between the grand sea and the holy mountain of Decoration; and he will come all the way to his end, and there will be no helper for him" (Daniel 11:45). The fulfillment of this biblical prophecy took place on May 14, 2018, during the inauguration of the "royal tents" of the King of the South, the American embassy in Israel, located very exactly at the foot of the "holy mountain of Decoration", and between the "grand sea" (the Mediterranean Sea). This is the clue that shows that we are very close to the great tribulation, according to the end of Daniel's prophecy of the two kings and as well as the converging one of the prophecy of Jesus Christ:
"During that time Michael will stand up, the great prince who is standing in behalf of your people. And there will occur a time of distress such as has not occurred since there came to be a nation until that time. And during that time your people will escape, everyone who is found written down in the book" (Daniel 12:1).
"for then there will be great tribulation such as has not occurred since the world’s beginning until now, no, nor will occur again. In fact, unless those days were cut short, no flesh would be saved; but on account of the chosen ones those days will be cut short" (Matthew 24: 21,22).
The very fact that Jesus Christ said that there would be the great tribulation in the place of the geographical location of the present-day Jerusalem, shows that the day and the hour of the beginning of this dramatic planetary event, will begin from its time zone (C.U.T. Hour + 2) (Matthew 24:2, 21; Zechariah 14:3-5) (THE TWO KINGS (Last part of the biblical explanations)).
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