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THE EARTHLY INHERITANCE SERIES of BIBLE SUBJECTS
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Various Bible study guides in subjects pertaining to
New Earth prophecy, as taught by Paul Phelps
For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD,
they shall inherit the earth. Psalm 37:9
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THE SIZE OF NEW JERUSALEM
John’s
Rev. 21:16 vision of New Jerusalem should be seen in comparison with
other Bible descriptions. Ezekiel 48:15-19 says the size of the future city is
4500
cubits on each side. There is an extra 250 cubit width land area around the
city
making the overall land portion 5000 cubits on each side.
All Bible
translations based on the Greek text say there are twelve thousand
stadia on each side of New Jerusalem but the original Peshitta Aramaic text has
“about twelve stadia, twelve thousand…” Lamsa translates this verse as
saying
“about twelve stadia, twelve thousand paces.”
A Greek
Stadia is 185 metres, but when Roman writers talk about stadia they
usually mean an artabic stadia. Sea distances were calculated in artabic stadia.
Roman artabic stadias average 187.5 metres. This serves our calculations
well.
The
twelve stadia dimension of each side is
2250
metres so the parameter all
around is 9000 metres. There is also mention of twelve thousand paces. That is
correct for the 9000 metre parameter of all four sides. One pace will be 75
cm.
The 9000 metre parameter around the city wall’s four sides can easily be paced
in twelve thousand of these paces, the normal pace of a man walking.
Ezekiel
was a priest in the First Temple. Solomon built the Temple using the
first cubit of 2
Chron.
3:3 (see the writing entitled “Discovering Israel’s Cubits).
Measures taken of corner stone sockets found cut in Jerusalem’s Temple Mount
confirm this cubit was 42.857142 cm (this was the Israeli cubit before
captivity).
The angel with Ezekiel took measures using a longer cubit (40:5) “a cubit and a
handbreadth.” Human cubits are six handbreadths but angel cubits are longer.
The
angel’s seven-handbreadth cubit is therefore 50 cm exactly, an half metre.
The measuring rod of the angel was six of these long cubits, a three-metre rod.
Ezekiel
said the city of his vision has a parkland space all around, 250 cubits
(125 metres), thus making the land portion on each side of the city 5000 cubits
(2500 metres). So the outer parameter parkland around the city is 20 000 cubits
(10 kilometres). A stroll through the parkland around the city is a six mile walk.
The wall enclosing the city is 144 cubits tall (72 metres). The towering wall
is
very beautiful because it is jade green—and because the twelve gates are very
magnificent. We know this city is built in space because it comes from heaven.
It is for earth however, and it will be the centre of God’s earthly kingdom.
This
city is very high tech but is nevertheless material and physical. It will be
home
to the glorified saints, coming or going in their earthly activities. The
righteous
people of Earth are allowed to enter the city and have access to the Tree of
Life
(Rev. 21:24-27; 22:2,14).
We are
sure that John’s and Ezekiel’s visions of New Jerusalem are the same.
They are not different cities, and John’s vision does not replace Ezekiel’s
vision.
Both visions add together. This future city, though large, is still small
enough to
set upon earth without causing an earthquake. The height is like a tall
mountain
but the mass probably will not exceed the mass of medium-size mountains such
as now exist all over the world.