MY DISCLAIMER: Believe what you will about Revelations. There is three things I will probably never enter into debate on. Revelations and/or the "end times", politics, and music.
Having said that....
I thought I might address John chapter 14 in the post I have yet to get to about what the New Earth/Heaven will be like. However, something intrigued me in Plain Truth magazine and Gordon's comments in the previous post have changed my mind.
There is an artical in the March/April 2006 issue of Plain Truth entitled Figuratively Speaking by John L. Bray. I found it highly amusing. I feel the writer unitentialy confirms the the literal translation of the new Jerusalem in his attempt to "show the fallacy of using literal interpretations for the symbolic language in the book of Revelation". The author also provides an excellent way to explain at least part of John 14, albeit, I'm sure he did not mean for me or anyone else to see the connection.
Mr. Bray states that there is an estimated 2,000,000,000 Christians. "To allow seven square feet per person for all 2,000,000,000 Christians, it would take 14,000,000,000 square feet. A square mile is 27,878,400 square feet (5,280 X 5,280). 14,000,000,000 square feet equals 502.18 square miles.
For all Christians, if all were in heaven today, it would take 502 sqare miles, or a space of about 22.5 miles long and 22.5 miles wide, for all to be seated in one area. (This does not count all Christians who have died.)"
Jesus said in Revelations 3:21, "To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame and have sat down with My Father in His throne." Mr. Bray misinterpets this verse and implies that we sit with Jesus ON his throne.
"Using my figures, if all Christians are in Christ, then Jesus is going to have to enlarge his throne so that it will be at least 22.5 miles wide and 22.5 miles long, in order for all Christians to sit with him in his throne." He goes on to imply that the throne itself is not real.
Now let me introduce you to what Jesus has been prepairing for us. John chapter 14 tells us that Jesus went to prepair a place for us. Go read it! Revelation 21:1-2,10 tells us about the new Jerusalem comming down out of Heaven. Where is Jesus? I would like to submit that Jesus has been prepairing the new Jerusalem. "I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of Heaven, PREPARED as a bride adorned for her Husband" (Revelation 21:2).
Mr. Bray throws out some pretty big figures doesn't he? I think he would like to boggle our minds with these huge numbers. God is not impressed. Jesus has been working on a city that has a perimeter of 1500 miles. Since New Jerusalem is laid out as a square, this means that each side of New Jerusalem is 375 miles long. In summary, New Jerusalem has an area of 140,625 square miles, or 90 million acres. These are VERY conservative figures. I believe this figure much more accurate, ...The New Jerusalem's dimensions are 1,500 miles equally in every direction or an area of 2,250,000 square miles. We will work with the MUCH smaller figures though for this study.
502 square miles would be a small park in this city. 22.5 miles long and 22.5 miles wide for just the Christians living today would occupy a fraction of the space of 140,625 square miles. 502 square miles fit in the new Jerusalem roughly 280 times! This means that if you "allow seven square feet per person" 560,000,000,000 people could fit in new Jerusalem. Now Click Here. Then come right back here!
Did you see that? It was the entire population of the world right now. Some people estimate that 96,100,000,000 people have lived on the earth. Now check this out. New Jerusalem could hold 560,000,000,000 people. That means that there is room for 463,900,000,000 after you put the entire population of everyone who has ever lived on planet earth in the it!! Remember, this is the smallest possible estimation of the size of new Jerusalem!!
I ask you, Is it any wonder Jesus said, "In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you" (John 14:2)? Jesus is prepairing a city that can hold everyone who has ever lived FIVE TIMES OVER but not everyone who has ever lived will be in it. Can you say MANY MANSIONS? And remember, We are working with a very conservative estimate of the size of new Jerusalem. To use what I believe is the actual size is.....well....beyond words.
Mr. Bray is wrong. The Bible is the Word of God. What God says, God can do! Mr. Bray says to "get your reservation in early if you want a good seat!". Don't worry, Jesus promised me that He went to prepair a mansion for me. I CHOOSE TO BELIEVE HIM!
10 comments:
Very good point, Michael. I like your math.
Michael,
Wow! Need to catch up with your posting and read them all. (hehehe). That was a good series.
To be in heaven, it will be delightful to go there. Some people may living in fear of death and not knowing about heaven, and cannot bear to think of it. but for us who believe and who trusted Jesus Christ, knows that heaven is to be our "Eternal Home", and ought not to fear "death".
Straight to heaven. Can't wait.
God bless you.
Im studying to be a maths teacher.
This is your best post yet! hehehe
Great point about God not telling lies/fibs/porkies/untruths etc.
Imagine it though, "After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no-one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb."
We can count the population at the moment so there must be more people than that going to be in heaven. It will take an eternity just for each of us to get to say thanks to Jesus. And then an eternity more of worshiping Him in all His glory.
wow!
Magi,
I think you should check my math if you haven't already. I would hate to have a mistake in it although I think it is all correct.
It would be interesting to work up the math on 1,500 miles equally in every direction or an area of 2,250,000 square miles since this is what most people believe is the actual size of new Jerusalem.
Michael,
There is something you need to think about considering your "Disclaimer". God gave us the book of The Revelation of Jesus Christ to read, to hear, and to keep. See chapter 1:3. It is a book of encouragement for the Christian of all ages. The one who reads, hears and keeps them is blessed.
Tim,
I simply mean that I am not going to enter into debate about what it means.
If someone does not believe in the rapture then I am not going to debate with them.
If they are pre-trib, mid-trib, or post-trib. I'm not going to debate with them.
If someone believes that all of the "symbols" of Revelations were fulfilled when the temple fell then I'm not going to debate them.
If we agree on something then I am all about discussing it to learn more. If someone is teaching a view I don't agree with but want to know more about then I'm all ears but I'll have nothing to say except to ask questions.
There is one other thing that I think strengthens your argument and it is this:
"Eye has not seen nor ear heard, neither has entered into the heart of a man the things which God has prepared for them that love him"
Then it goes on to say "But God has revealed them unto us by his Spirit:"
See the scripture is speaking about spiritual things and this is how we understand what he is saying. It has been given to the Christian to know the height and the depth and the width of the things of God and we do this by the Spirit and not by a calculator.
Puritan!
Good to see you back! I always value your comments.
"we do this by the Spirit and not by a calculator."
I wish I would have said that!
I imagine Mr. Bray thinks that God has revealed his facts and figures unto him.
Very interesting....
funny how we are still so confined to our human mentality of space and time even when we are trying to get outside the box....Perhpas God measures in completely different way...oh yeah, puritian belief said it...God is Sprit...:)
"I think you should check my math if you haven't already" I dont think Im the man for the job. you know Those who can do, and those who can't teach and all that.
:)
The numbers look fine though.
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