He showed me the great city
Revelation 21:9 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.
Well this is a shocker to many Christians. Here is the guy who had one of the seven last plagues poured out on the earth and he is the one showing us the Bride of Christ? Would you want him anywhere near the Bride? The word of God is a two edged sword, for some it is a word of judgment and to others it is a word of encouragement. Paul compared the believers to captives in a war. The Romans would bring those captives back to the city, some would become slaves and others would be killed. They would carry censors with incense burning and Paul said the smell was a savor of life unto life for those who would be saved and a savor of death unto death for those who would be condemned. Many Christians try to remove any word that would condemn anyone unto death. But the reality is there are two choices, you can choose life or you can choose death. That is the gospel. The gospel is not that we are all saved, the gospel is that you can choose salvation or you can reject it, you have a free choice. People need to be very clear on what they are choosing, if they choose death you should let them know what that looks like and not just let them treat it as a joke. So if you have a problem with a faithful messenger of God sharing the full message, then you have a problem with God and with the Lord Jesus Christ.
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,
Jerusalem is the Bride of Christ. Yes, it will be a great transition when we are raptured, but what you are seeing here is after the one thousand year millennial reign. It takes time spent in the presence of God and the Lord Jesus to become "the holy city of peace".
11 Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
Jasper is typically found in petrified wood. The wood is immersed into a lake that is saturated with Jasper. This is a picture of us being baptized into the triune God. Then molecule by molecule the carbon in the wood is replaced with the Jasper. This is a universal picture of being transformed into the image and likeness of God.
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:
There are twelve angels, twelve messengers. I have shared links to many other believers on this blog, they do not share the same message I do, if they did I wouldn't put up the link because I am avoiding redundancy. Vicky Goforth Parnell is a very good example because the message she has is quite different from the message I have and yet it is the same protective wall.
13 On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.
There are differences between people in the North like Canada, People in the east like China, People in the West like America and People in the South like Africa. But the New Jerusalem is situated precisely in the middle with three gates facing every direction so that people can enter in.
14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
The twelve apostles were twelve messengers. They are the foundation of the wall of the city. If you think you are defending the city of God from those that would harm it, well the fellowship of the apostles needs to be your foundation.
15 And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.
A reed is like a yardstick and the fact that it is golden means we are measured by the word of God.
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.
There is a misconception that this is a cube. No, the length, breadth and height are all equal is a hemisphere. The picture here is of a come covering a city that lies four square.
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.
Do you see that! Who are the 144,000? I would suggest they are the wall, they are twelve messengers, and their foundation is the fellowship of the apostles. They are according to the measure of a man, that is a messenger of the gospel of God.
Revelation 21:9 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.
Well this is a shocker to many Christians. Here is the guy who had one of the seven last plagues poured out on the earth and he is the one showing us the Bride of Christ? Would you want him anywhere near the Bride? The word of God is a two edged sword, for some it is a word of judgment and to others it is a word of encouragement. Paul compared the believers to captives in a war. The Romans would bring those captives back to the city, some would become slaves and others would be killed. They would carry censors with incense burning and Paul said the smell was a savor of life unto life for those who would be saved and a savor of death unto death for those who would be condemned. Many Christians try to remove any word that would condemn anyone unto death. But the reality is there are two choices, you can choose life or you can choose death. That is the gospel. The gospel is not that we are all saved, the gospel is that you can choose salvation or you can reject it, you have a free choice. People need to be very clear on what they are choosing, if they choose death you should let them know what that looks like and not just let them treat it as a joke. So if you have a problem with a faithful messenger of God sharing the full message, then you have a problem with God and with the Lord Jesus Christ.
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,
Jerusalem is the Bride of Christ. Yes, it will be a great transition when we are raptured, but what you are seeing here is after the one thousand year millennial reign. It takes time spent in the presence of God and the Lord Jesus to become "the holy city of peace".
11 Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
Jasper is typically found in petrified wood. The wood is immersed into a lake that is saturated with Jasper. This is a picture of us being baptized into the triune God. Then molecule by molecule the carbon in the wood is replaced with the Jasper. This is a universal picture of being transformed into the image and likeness of God.
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:
There are twelve angels, twelve messengers. I have shared links to many other believers on this blog, they do not share the same message I do, if they did I wouldn't put up the link because I am avoiding redundancy. Vicky Goforth Parnell is a very good example because the message she has is quite different from the message I have and yet it is the same protective wall.
13 On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.
There are differences between people in the North like Canada, People in the east like China, People in the West like America and People in the South like Africa. But the New Jerusalem is situated precisely in the middle with three gates facing every direction so that people can enter in.
14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
The twelve apostles were twelve messengers. They are the foundation of the wall of the city. If you think you are defending the city of God from those that would harm it, well the fellowship of the apostles needs to be your foundation.
15 And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.
A reed is like a yardstick and the fact that it is golden means we are measured by the word of God.
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.
There is a misconception that this is a cube. No, the length, breadth and height are all equal is a hemisphere. The picture here is of a come covering a city that lies four square.
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.
Do you see that! Who are the 144,000? I would suggest they are the wall, they are twelve messengers, and their foundation is the fellowship of the apostles. They are according to the measure of a man, that is a messenger of the gospel of God.