You Brought Pavement?

Revelation 21:10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. 11 It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. 13 There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. 14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 15 The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. 16 The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. 17 He measured its wall and it was 144 cubits thick, by man's measurement, which the angel was using. 18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. 19 The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass. 22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. 27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.

A rich man was near death, and was saddened because he had worked so hard for his money, and he wanted to take it with him to heaven. So he began to pray that he might be able to take some of his wealth along. An angel heard his plea and appeared to him.

“Sorry,” the angel said, “but you can’t take your wealth with you.” The man implored the angel to speak to God to see if He might make an allowance. The man continued to pray that his wealth could follow him.
The angel reappeared and informed the man that God had decided to allow him to take one suitcase with him. Overjoyed, the man got his largest suitcase, filled it with pure gold bars, and placed it beside his bed. Soon afterward the man died and showed up at the gates of heaven to greet St. Peter.

St. Peter, seeing the suitcase, said, “Hold on, you can’t bring that in here!” The man explained to St. Peter that he had permission, and told him to verify his story with God.

St. Peter checked and came back saying, “You’re right. You are allowed one carry-on bag, but I’m supposed to check its contents before letting it through.” He opened the suitcase to inspect the worldly items that the man found too precious to leave behind, and exclaimed, “You brought PAVEMENT???”

When John describes heaven for us, that is how beautiful it is – that what we consider the most precious of gems and metals here on earth are used as building materials.

John probably had observed the destruction of beautiful Jerusalem after the Romans completely demolished the city in 70 A.D. The Romans had leveled the city that not one stone remained upon another. (Luke 21:6) Just as Jesus had prophesied.

Now John observes the new Jersualem of heaven. This is a city that can never be destroyed – not by earthquakes or enemies. The walls of this city are 144 cubits or 200 feet thick!

John informs us: “The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. He measured its wall and it was 144 cubits thick.” (v 15-17)

Nor is this some small, podunk little city. It needs to be the home of all the believers of all places and all times – the Holy Christian Church. It is a number of saints too numerous to count from every nation, tribe, people and language. (Revelation 7:9) Where are they all going to fit?

Check out the symbolic size of this city.

12,000 stadia would be about 1,400 miles. If the New Jerusalem's dimensions were taken literally, the square city plan would on each side stretch a distance roughly equal to that between Milwaukee and Salt Lake City!

But more than that. The city is also 1,400 miles high – a perfect cube! Can you imagine the view from the penthouse! Green pastures, quiet waters, the throne of God, the Tree of Life, the River of Life, etc.

This suggests strongly that these dimensions are not literal but symbolic. The city of God is laid out on the same cubical pattern that marked the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle and the Temple.

Not only is the view of the landscape beautiful, but the building materials are astounding! John describes them: “The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone ... jasper ... sapphire ... chalcedony ... emerald ... sardonyx ... carnelian ... chrysolite ... beryl ... topaz … chyrsoprase ... jacinth ... amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The street of the city was pure gold.” (v18-21)

The grandeur of this city boggles our minds. We can hardly begin to contemplate such lavish opulence. And that is exactly the point of the vision John was granted. God makes it clear that He has spared no effort or expense in preparing for us a home in which we are to spend eternity with Him. And His preparations stir in us a mighty longing to join Him in those heavenly mansions. In fact, with a city this size, we may each have our own mansion, but it is only considered a room in the city of God!

Though we cannot comprehend the grandeur of heaven or the grace of him who prepares it for us, yet neither of those ought really to surprise us. “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32)

He has given us a home so beautiful that precious pearls are used as city gates, priceless stones are used as building materials and valuable gold is used as pavement.