(The angel) 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 (Revelation 21:16)
Here is the Bible’s
final, idealistic picture of the perfectly-proportioned City of God – measured
by a multiple of twelve and ten; twelve being the number of ‘the
Church’ (the twelve tribes of the Old Testament, the twelve apostles of the
New); ten - the number of rounded-off completion.
Only in one other place does the Bible feature a cube – in
the Tabernacle, the worship tent of Moses’ day. The
Tabernacle represented the universe – and the dwelling place of God. At first
(Exodus 26:1-30) it was a single undivided space, symbolic of an untroubled and
united world order. It is only as we reach verse 31 that the instruction is
then given to give it a dividing curtain, with the intention of separating the
sinful worshipper from the inner cube-sanctuary of God.
This ‘Most Holy Place’
could never be approached by anyone, except the High Priest, and then only once
a year. There was always that curtain, like a silent sentry saying, “Keep out!”
It was as Jesus died upon
the Cross that the dividing curtain, in what was then Jerusalem’s Temple, was
dramatically torn in two (Matthew 27: 51). The message was obvious: “The way
into God’s holy presence is open at last – to every believer!” And Revelation
21-22 sets out the final picture. It’s a return to Eden. The tree’s back! the
curse has gone! Babel is reversed! And believers are united at last with
God - with heaven and earth together in a perfect cube tabernacle.
Get ready now for the Day!
--ooOoo--
