Glorious City
“I have stated that one writer had asserted that the powers of Heaven had been shaken and the sign of the Son of man been seen. His argument on the twenty-fourth of Matthew, I like much, until he begins to prove what none of us have yet seen or heard. If so, why continue to say that "men's hearts fail them for fear and for looking after the things that are coming on the earth." Jesus does not say that they will be looking for him, but then they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven, when they have seen the preceding signs. What arguments are there yet to be presented that will so alarm the Laodicean church, and scoffer, to fulfil. Isa. 60:14, and Rev. 3:9. It appears to me that nothing short of the voice of God will do this. Then, I think, the wise will understand, and get their blessing, as in Dan. 12:12; then will they return and discern between the righteous and the wicked; then will they be found with the world, in the time of Daniel's trouble; they will then have passed through the "fiery trial" and the Sealing Angel have done his last work. This, as it looks to me will be the time when God will roar out of Zion and utter his voice from Jerusalem - and the heavens and the earth will shake; then shall Jerusalem be holy. Joel 3:16,17. It will then be cleansed from every impurity. This, I think, will be the shaking of the powers of heaven, for then will God's people know that he dwells in Zion, (17th verse) not in the Shaker's camp, but in his Heavenly Sanctuary, and then shall appear the "Sign of the Son of Man in Heaven," the "Holy Jerusalem descending out of Heaven from God, having the glory of God; And her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone clear as crystal." I have not the least particle of doubt but that it will be seen just as he has described it. The glory and effulgence of that sight will so light up the heavens in its majestic course down from the parted skies, that we shall have no further need of the telescope; but in the language of our adorable coming Lord, exclaim "I see heaven open and the Angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man"! This, I think, will be the Sign of the Son of Man in Heaven. A telescopic view of the burning bright star Sirius, on the southeast of the belt of Orion, in the southwestern heavens, early in the evening, will give a faint view of the above description.
St. John saw this City suspended in the air, he therefore had a clear view of its twelve foundations and the names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb, and the twelve gates, and the names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel." "And he measured the wall a hundred and forty and four cubits," two hundred and sixty-two and a half feet, and they were studded with all kinds of precious stones, and diamonds from the bowels of the earth, while the gates are adorned with the treasures of the ocean. Now this beautiful description of the City is given in the twenty-first chapter, from 16 to 18 and 21st verses. We must keep it distinct from the walls. He says, it lieth four square, and measures twelve thousand furlongs. This sum, divided by eight furlongs, which make a mile, would stand thus: 8)12000 - fifteen hundred miles square or seven millions nine hundred and twenty thousand feet on six sides (it being a cubical form.) When we look at the size of this City of Gold, we are at once almost overwhelmed with the view of its dimensions, Fifteen hundred miles high, long and wide! In the seventeenth verse, he gives but one way to measure the wall, and that is its height. If he had undertaken to have given the contents of the City by the same rule, he would have measured the wall.
Then we have nothing more to do in making an arithmetical calculation, but follow the Apostle's description. Jesus said, in my Father's house are many mansions. Now, allowing twelve feet between joints for a story, this seven millions nine hundred and twenty thousand feet square would give six hundred and sixty thousand stories, twelve feet high, (Ezekiel 40:7,) and fifteen hundred miles square, four hundred and forty stories to a mile: which would amount to 990,000,000, nine hundred and ninety millions of square miles on a level surface, twelve feet high - equal to the square miles contained in five worlds like this, (which is only one hundred and ninety-nine millions five hundred and twelve thousand square miles,) and seventy times more extensive than the Continent of America. Now six hundred and sixty thousand twelve foot rooms in each story, would make in all 435,600,000,000 - four hundred and thirty-five thousand and six hundred millions of twelve feet square "rooms," -Ezekiel; "places," - John; or "mansions," - Jesus. It is computed that there are 900,000,000 - nine hundred millions of inhabitants now on the Earth. The Bible informs us that there was but one, six thousand years ago. Admit that there was nine hundred millions at the commencement of creation, and this number had passed away every thirty years for two hundred generations, their whole number would only amount to 180,000,000,000 - one hundred and eighty thousand millions, a little more than one-third of the mansions in this building; four hundred and eighty-four to every human being now on the earth. Surely, this looks like an "abundant entrance" into the everlasting kingdom. O yes, say many, I see there is abundance of room for every body! The apostle tells us who they are. He says, "There shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination or maketh a lie; but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life." This then is the capacious and glorious "golden City;" the "New Jerusalem;" the "heavenly Sanctuary;" the "Bride of the Lamb's Wife;" the "Mother of us all;" the "Paradise of God;" the capital of our coming Lord's E V E R L A S T I N G kingdom, which is now about to descend from the "third heaven" by the way of the open door, down by the "flaming sword" of Orion. O let us see to it, that we are all ready to enter into this celestial City.”
1846 JB, BP1 36-38