Part 2: The City of God
4. Who built New Jerusalem?
“For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” Hebrews 11:10 For further study see 2 Corinthians 5:1.
5. How big is the city?
“And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. 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. 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
Key: furlong= 606.5 feet cubit=17.5 inches
Wall: 144 cubits X 17.5 inches = 2520 inches
Since the height is equal to the length and the breadth this must be the thickness of the wall.
City: 12,000 furlongs X 606.5 feet = 7,278,000 feet or 1,378.4 miles (118,749 square miles) That is a little smaller then the state of New Mexico which is 121,589 square miles.
This is making the provable assumption that the 12,000 furlongs is the perimeter of the city rather then a single wall or the square area. Ancient cities were typically not square therefore it would not be accurate to measure one wall and call that the measure of the city. It could also be the area which would make the city four times the size of New York City. However, the city must be large enough to accommodate all the righteous from all ages as this will be our home for a thousand years and the universal capital. Whatever the size I am sure that it will be big enough for all who desire to make it home.