Illuminated Bible

the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth

Rev 21:9-17

Rev 21:9-17

9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.

10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

11 Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;

12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:

13 On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.

14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

15 And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.

16 And the city lieth foursquare, and the length 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.

17 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.

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Explanations

New Jerusalem (Part 1)

New Jerusalem (Part 1)

Revelation 21:9–27 — The Bride of Christ as a Poetic City (Part 1)

Session 49 John is shown the bride, the wife of the Lamb — and sees a city. New Jerusalem is a symbolic, poetic description of the church as God’s redeemed people.
Source: A2K Online Church Archive — *The Bride of Christ is a Poetic City Revelation 21:9-27*

The Key Insight: The Bride Is the City

*“Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.””

John hears “bride” but sees “city.” This is the interpretive key to the entire passage. The bride of Christ (the church) is being described as a city — just as Babylon (Rome) was described as a harlot city in chapters 17–18.

The teacher notes he was formerly taught that New Jerusalem was a literal architectural city that would physically descend. He no longer holds this view for several reasons:

  • If it’s a literal city, the passage has no practical application for how to live today
  • The text itself says John is being shown the bride — the church
  • The description is highly poetic and symbolic — gates of pearl, streets of gold, a perfect cube — the language of symbol, not architecture

The City’s Dimensions (vv. 10–21)

The Great and High Mountain

John is taken to a mountain — echoing Ezekiel 40:2 where Ezekiel is shown the visionary temple. From this vantage, he sees the city descending.

The Glory of God

*“Having the glory of God. Her brilliance was like a very costly stone, like a stone of crystal-clear jasper.””

The city’s light is not its own — it reflects God’s glory. This is what the church is supposed to be: a reflection of God’s character.

The Wall and Gates

  • A great and high wall — security, separation from evil
  • Twelve gates — with twelve angels at the gates
  • Names of the twelve tribes of Israel written on the gates
  • Twelve foundation stones — with names of the twelve apostles

The twelve tribes + twelve apostles = the unity of Old and New Testament people of God. The church is built on both.

The Measuring

An angel measures the city with a golden measuring rod — a symbolic act (like Ezekiel 40–48) indicating that the city belongs to God and meets his standards.

The Cube

*“The length and the width and the height are equal.””

The city is a perfect cube — 12,000 stadia on each side (about 1,500 miles). The cube recalls the Holy of Holies in Solomon’s temple (1 Kings 6:20), which was also a perfect cube. The entire city is the Holy of Holies — the place where God dwells.

The number 12,000 = 12 × 1,000, symbolizing the complete fullness of God’s people.

The Building Materials

Material Symbolic Meaning
Jasper God’s glory (4:3)
Gold like clear glass Pure, transparent — nothing hidden
Twelve foundation stones The apostles
Pearl gates Precious, beautiful — each gate a single pearl
Streets of transparent gold Purity, value, radiance

The extravagance of the materials is not about literal wealth — it is poetic language to express the incomparable value and beauty of God’s people.

No Temple (v. 22)

*“I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.””

In the Old Testament, the temple was where God dwelled. In the new creation, God and the Lamb are present everywhere — no building is needed. The church has direct, unmediated access to God.

The City’s Light (vv. 23–24)

*“The city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb.””

  • No sun or moon — God’s glory is the light
  • The Lamb is the lamp — Jesus is the means by which God’s light reaches the city
  • The nations walk by its light — the city is a beacon to all peoples

The City’s Inhabitants (vv. 25–27)

*“Its gates shall never be closed; and they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it.””

  • Gates never closed — perpetual safety and access
  • Nothing unclean — only those written in the Lamb’s book of life
  • The glory of the nations — not military conquest but redeemed cultures bringing their best to God

Summary

Element Symbolic Meaning
Bride = city The church described as a glorious city
Cube The entire city is the Holy of Holies
12,000 stadia Complete fullness of God’s people
No temple God and the Lamb are directly present
No sun needed God’s glory provides light
Pearls, gold, jewels Incomparable value and beauty of the redeemed
Gates never closed Eternal security and welcome

“If I were to teach you about the architecture of a city 1,000 years in the future, there’s no application for your life. But if this is a description of what the church is supposed to be — that changes everything.”

The Tale of Two Cities

The Tale of Two Cities

Revelation 17–22 Introduction — The Tale of Two Cities

Session 40 | An introduction to the contrasting visions of Babylon (the harlot) and New Jerusalem (the bride). Revelation presents two cities and two women — each demanding the reader’s allegiance. Source: A2K Online Church Archive — Babylon & New Jerusalem - An Introduction to Revelation’s Two Cities

The Structure of Revelation’s Final Section

From chapter 17 through chapter 22, Revelation presents two contrasting cities personified as women:

Babylon (Chs. 17–19) New Jerusalem (Chs. 21–22)
A harlot / prostitute The bride of Christ
Drunk on the blood of saints Pure, prepared for her husband
Clothed in purple and scarlet Clothed with the glory of God
Holds a golden cup of abominations Holds the water of life
Rides a scarlet beast Descends from heaven
Destined for destruction Eternal and enduring

These are not merely literal cities — they represent two realities, two value systems, two ways of life:

  1. Fallen Babylon = the world system organized in opposition to God; the culture of empire, self-glorification, and violence
  2. New Jerusalem = the people of God living under his reign; the community of the faithful, pure and prepared for Christ

Why This Introduction Is Necessary

The teacher devotes this session to orienting readers to the “two cities” framework because the details of both visions are dense and easily misunderstood. Before diving into the specifics:

  • Babylon = Rome for the first readers, but Babylon is a recurring reality in every age
  • New Jerusalem = the church as the bride of Christ, already descending from heaven as a present spiritual reality
  • The reader must choose which city to be a citizen of

How the Two Cities Function

Revelation does not present these two cities as mere information. They are rhetorical — designed to persuade and motivate:

Babylon

  • Unmasks evil — shows Rome for what it truly is rather than its propaganda
  • Discourages compromise — associating with Babylon brings judgment
  • Shows the end of evil — Babylon’s destruction is certain

New Jerusalem

  • Gives hope — God’s people have a glorious future
  • Encourages faithfulness — the reward is worth the suffering
  • Defines identity — believers are citizens of heaven, not of earthly empires

The Practical Application

“This really challenged me into how I view the church today.”

The two cities call the reader to:

  • Discern which “city” they are building their life in
  • Reject the values of Babylon (greed, violence, self-glorification, idolatry)
  • Embrace the values of New Jerusalem (faithfulness, purity, worship, love)
  • Recognize that every generation has its own “Babylon” — and its own call to “come out of her”

Summary

Babylon New Jerusalem
Harlot Bride
Drunk on blood Clothed in righteousness
Worldly wealth Divine glory
Destined for destruction Eternal
Demands allegiance to Caesar Calls for allegiance to the Lamb
Built by human empire Built by God

“Revelation puts two cities in front of you and says: choose. You can be a citizen of Babylon or a citizen of New Jerusalem — but you cannot be both.”

Lenses

New heaven and earth

Four Lenses on Revelation — Preterist

Every school except full preterism reads this as genuinely future — which is also preterism’s pressure point, since Rome fell and no city descended. Full preterism puts 21–22 at AD 70 as well.