“Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, ‘Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.
Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west. Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb” (Revelation 21:9-14).
We can contrast the city that descends from God in Revelation 21:9-14 with the city of “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations” (ESV) mentioned earlier in Revelation 17:5…
- One is a prostitute, and the other is likened to a beautiful bride.
- One is blasphemous, and the other is holy.
- One descends from heaven, and the finds its origin among those who ascend from the Abyss.
- One is lustrous and brilliant while the other is drunk and corrupt.
These contrasting elements may offer insight into the feminine depiction of Babylon from earlier the Book of Revelation. While Revelation chapter twenty-one presents God’s people as a virtuous bride, the unholy city of Babylon was nothing more than a “great harlot” (Revelation 17:1).
A great, high wall defined this city’s perimeter, and its gates bore the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. Those inscriptions testify of God’s work within the nation of Israel and underscore the importance of the Old Covenant. In a similar manner, the city wall featured twelve foundations that bore the names of the “…twelve apostles of the Lamb.” Therefore, those who enter will stand on the foundation established by God through His New Covenant representatives.
“And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal. Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel” (Revelation 21:15-17).
Our text from this passage employs some antiquated units of measurement to calculate the scale of this city. We’ll translate those calculations into their contemporary equivalents next.