Measuring the City

2006-10-29 14:47:00

Thanks for all your kind words private and public on my behalf over the death of my mother. If you want to read her obituary (that I wrote) go to the following address:

http://www.legacy.com/idahostatesman/Obituaries.asp

Then in the search feature type in the name - Dillon.

Measuring the City

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.
Revelation 21:15-17

It is curious that the angel had a reed to measure the city which was 12,000 furlongs, or approximately 1500 miles long, 1500 miles wide and 1500 miles high. Why is it curious? Because a reed in ancient days was like a staff one held in the hand and was usually no longer than 12 feet. It would seem impractical to measure something so large with something so small.

In our day a city so large staggers the imagination, but in John's day when there no cities as large as Los Angeles or London this size was really mind boggling. Indeed, the size was so great that the real message was that the city is unlimited - that there is space for all the sons and daughters of God no matter how many they may be or how much space they desire.

The reed given to make the measurement was golden, or of great value. This is a symbol of the measurement allotted to one person and tells us that each individual is precious in the eyes of God.

Because the city is said to be 1500 miles long, wide and high most students see it as a square, but they overlook the fact that a pyramid lies foursquare at its base and could have a height equal to its length at the base.

It is interesting that both a pyramid and a cube can fit this description for they both are rich in symbolic meaning.

The height of the side of a pyramid would not be the distance from the ground, but the distance of one of the triangular sides going to the top point. If a side were 12,000 stadia (furlongs) in length the distance from the ground would be approximately 8400 stadia.

The fact that all sides were equal is symbolic of the equality possessed by the inhabitants. One person cannot possess that which is above another because abundance and complete fulfillment is available to all.

The word "furlong" is an old English word and is not the word used in the original text. The original word for the measurement was STADION, which was a Greek measurement of around 660 feet and was called a stadia or a stade.

In ancient Greece this was the length of the stadium where spectators stood as they watched sprinting matches. The track for running was the same as the length of the standing area. 660 feet was picked because it was calculated that a runner could only keep his sprinting ability for this length, after which he would lose much of his wind.

So why was this unit of measurement used in connection with the number 12,000? 12,000 was the number of the individuals in each tribe of Israel. Altogether there were 12 tribes making the grand number of 144,000.

There are four triangles in a pyramid with three sides each making 12 sides each measuring 12,000 stadia creating the symbolic number of 144,000.

This tells us that those who follow the Christ "whithersoever he goeth" and reach the New Jerusalem are those who run the race of life with all the energy they have until they obtain the prize of eternal life.

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 21:17)

The wall was 144 cubits, or about 266 feet. This is an odd length for the wall because the height of the city is approximately 30,000 times as great. What does this tell us?

It tells us that the obstacles in the path to the New Jerusalem are really insignificant compared to the reward we receive once it is obtained. To us here on earth a wall 266 feet high seems like a great difficulty to surmount, but it is nothing compared to the 1500 miles that make up the sides of the city.

The measurement of the wall was in cubits and the number was 144. A cubit is the length of an arm from the elbow to the fingers. The arm is symbolic of labor.

This tells us that the disciple must master 144 different labors over a series of lifetimes before he enters the New Jerusalem and goes "no more out."

144 is also a number associated with Christ and those who follow him. In performing his various labors the disciple must, in the end, dedicate them to the service of others as is the way of the Christ. When he follows the inner Christ whithersoever it leads he will be on a path that ends in the New Jerusalem.

Always be ready to speak your mind and a base man will avoid you.
William Blake (1757 - 1827)