things to come. This is what we pray this morning,
that the Lord might be pleased to show us all things. Turn back with me to Revelation
21. This service, I'd like for us
to begin looking at the details of the holy city as John sets
forth under the inspiration of the Spirit of God that which
the Lord Himself has done for His people. We just looked a moment ago at
the city, the gates, the wall, and we found out that they were
all measured by the golden reed of God's Word. Well, that's what
Scripture told us. Now, we began this morning in
this service looking at the exact measurements of that city. Verse 16 says, ìAnd 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.î Now from that Scripture, there
are some things that we are able to conclude or deduct. Number one, the city is a cube
in a sense, and realizing that this is a vision, this is a setting
forth, there is a picture that is set forth here. It is a cube. There is nothing irregular about
it. Its dimension, as we looked at
in this first service, was determined eternally. God has eternally
chosen His city, His bride, the Lord Jesus Christ bride. No matter how one looks at this
city, This is what we can conclude. It's perfect. It says the width,
breadth, height, same. Nothing about it is irregular.
You know, most cities are built and the environment dictates
the size or the shape of that city. You know, you've got a
river coming through, well, you can only build, you know. You
can't build in the middle of a river, you know. If there's
an ocean, I know the Japanese I saw on the History Channel
or Discovery the other day, the Japanese, you know, they built
part of a city out there in the middle of an ocean, you know,
built it up and all this kind of stuff. Well, give it some
time. Ocean will get it. Don't get me wrong. Most cities
are built with the environment dictating what shape, what size
that city is going to be, the character of that city. But what
determined the character of this city, God's will, God's purpose,
God's power. This city is built upon the chief
cornerstone Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ. And all that's
built on Him, the chief cornerstone, it's square. It's plumb. There's nothing about it that's
out of plumb. It's perfect. It's true. He's
the chief cornerstone. The Scripture says, and here
again, someone says, well, how do you know that this city, the
setting forth of this city, the vision, the picture, the
type, how do you know that this city is perfect in all its dimensions? The breath, the height. How do you know that it's exactly
that way? The Word of God says so. Someone
said, well, I don't know if I can depend on that. Well, as I heard Brother Tim James
said one time, somebody said, well, you know what, I can't
go along with that. He said, well, I'm not talking
to you. The Word of God. is the determining factor. We rest everything we know, brother
Scott, on God's Word. Thus saith the Lord. And a believer says, that settles
it. Length is as large as the breadth,
and he measured the city with the reed twelve thousand burlums. Well, I've got some thoughts. The reason I'm saying it this
way is because I want to base some thoughts on what I know
the Scripture sets forth. This city, I know beyond a shadow
of a doubt, is the bride of Christ. We know that. I know that the
length and the breadth of this city is the same. I began to notice on the measurement
of that city, and I want you to notice something, that the
city itself is measured in a measurement called furlongs. I want you to
notice, we'll look, Lord willing, at the next verse, verse 17,
He measured the wall thereof, 144 cubits. Wouldn't that kind of strike
a question there? I mean, the city was measured
in furlongs, and the wall is measured in cubits. Lord willing,
I'll deal with that in just a minute. Let's look at the city first.
I looked up furlong. I thought, a furlong. Now, I've
heard of a furlong, and I know it's a measurement because I
know it is. Well, what is a furlong? and
realize that a furlong, it says it's an eighth of a mile. That's
its exact measurement, an eighth of a mile. I know that. But here
is the distinguishing thing about a furlong. It was the measurement
that set forth a race course, a stadium race course. That's
what a furlong was. They used that unit of measurement. to determine the course of a
race. I mean, that was in the definition
of the word, the measurement of a race course. I know this based upon what I
realized a furlong is. It's a measurement of a race,
knowing that that is the city being the bride of the Lord Jesus
Christ There are scriptures that I know that sets forth how this
city is determined, how she's manifested. Let me say it like
that. Hebrews 12, verse 1 says, "...wherefore, seeing we also
are accomplished about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let
us lay aside every weight, every sin that doth so easily beset
us, and let us run with patience," that is, with cheerfulness and
endurance, "...the race, the effort, the fight, is what that
word means, that is set before us looking unto Jesus, the author
and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before
Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at
the right hand of the throne of God." Now, I know that this
city is set forth that the measurement, what determines or what sets
forth who this city is. It's set forth by the race that
she runs. Not that she runs the race of
herself, but Almighty God has set forth, this is the way that
you'll know. They'll endure to the end. They'll
run a good race. Paul says, he says that we run
with patience the race that's set before us, that's placed
there. For the Lord Jesus Christ, who
for the joy that was set before Him endured," that means stayed
under, endured. He stayed under. Endured the
cross. The atonement is what that word
means. He endured or stayed under the
cross, despising the shame. Now listen well to what I'm about
to say. When Almighty God set forth the
Lord Jesus Christ to be His Lamb. He set His face like a flint
to the cross, despising or He thought against or He did not
submit to or to shun away from. Despising. The shame. That word shame means and it
says that He endeared the cross, despising or did not think concerning
himself, concerning the shame." And this is what that word shame
means. It means disgrace, despising
the shame, the dishonesty, and the loss of one's reputation.
That's what the word means. Despising the shame. The loss
of one's reputation. What has man in Adam done? He's been shamed. He lost his
reputation. He has no reputation. He's dead
before Almighty God. He has shamed himself. If you
do something in this city, and you're caught, and you're guilty,
and you shame yourself, You shamed your family. You shamed this
church. You shamed this community. People
read about it in the paper. Did you all read about what that
guy did in Fairmont over there? Do you realize what he did? What
do you think about when you think of the name Benedict Arnold?
He's a traitor. You traitor. You shamed your
family. You shamed yourself. You shamed
your family. You shamed this country. of Benedict
Arnold. You see what I'm saying? The
shame. That's what this word means right here. Despising the
shame, the disgrace, the dishonesty, the loss of reputation. Why? He was made sin. And God would
not look on him. And God forsook him. Why? For he was made the guiltiness. He was made sin. Despising the shame. Paul says,
seeing we're compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us lay aside every weight and sin which doth so easily
beset us. Let us run with patience the
race that's set before us. Why? Because he despised the
shame. The loss of reputation made sin. He was made what I am. He's made
what I am. That's what He did. I shamed
myself before God. I shamed myself. And Christ was
made to be sin. Made sin. Paul says in 2 Timothy
4, 7, I fought a good fight. I looked up the word fight. It
means race. Same word. I fought a good race,
I finished my course, I kept the faith, henceforth is laid
up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous
judge, shall give me at that day, and not to me only, but
unto all also that love his appearing." John looked, and he said, This
city lies foursquare. Length, large as the breath,
measured the city with the reed twelve thousand furlongs. That
city was laid out and distinguished to be a race, perfect, perfect. But one other thought before
we continue. It says, ìThe length, which is
as large as the breadth, is the same in all directions.î Okay,
would we agree with that? The length, the breadth, the
height, Same. Same. Here is the spiritual city. And no matter how you look at
this spiritual city, it's the same. It's the same. The measurement
is the same. Turn with me to Matthew 20. Matthew
20. Matthew 20, verse 1. Matthew 20, verse 1, for the
kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is a
householder, which went out early in the morning to hire laborers
in his vineyard. When he had agreed with the laborers
for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. He went out
about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace. He said unto them, Go ye also
into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And
they went their way. Again he went out about the sixth
and ninth hour, and did likewise. About the eleventh hour he went
out and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why
standeth ye here all the day idle? And they said unto him,
Because no man hath heard us. He saith unto them, Go ye also
into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right that shall ye receive. So when even was come the Lord
of the vineyards, saith unto his steward, Call the labourers,
and give them their hire, beginning with the last unto the first.
And when they came that which were hired, about the eleventh
hour, they received every man a penny. But when the first came,
they supposed that they should have received more. They likewise
received every man a penny. When they had received it, they
murmured against the good man of the house, saying, These last
have wrought but an hour. The hour has made them equal
unto us. which have borne the burden of the heat of the day.
And he answered one of them and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong. Didst not thou agree with me
for a penny? Take that thine is, and go thy
way. I will give unto this last, even
as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do
what I will with mine own? Is thine I evil, because I am
good? So the last shall be first. First,
last, many are called, but few are chosen. The race that is
run is according to God's purpose, God's timing, God's will. Paul says, when it pleased God
who calls me out of darkness, all that run the race shall receive
the same reward. Is it fair? that Almighty God
called out. Here's this city, the width,
the breadth, the height, measure it any way you want to measure
it, it's all the same. Measure it in furlongs. The race
is the same. It's furlongs by furlongs by
furlongs. But is it right that Almighty
God would call that preacher right there and that he would
bear the brunt of the heat of the day, fifty years preaching
the gospel? Is it right that God would call
one man, and for years and years and years and years and years,
he'd be in that ministry God called him, run that race? Brother
Don Fortner told me the other day, he drove out, flew out to
California. There was a couple that were
in their, I think he said late seventies or early eighties,
both of them Catholic. And the Lord called them out
of darkness, One of them lived two years before he died. And
they asked Don to come out there and preach one of them's funeral. Called them out of darkness,
Gary. Roman Catholics believed that their salvation was totally
in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Pope and stuff like
that, you know. Called them out of darkness.
Two years they sat there and listened to a man preach. Let
me ask you this. their two-year race to sit in
a pew and listen to a man preach. Is their race the same as his
race? Yes, it is. Same race. Same race. Can he not do what
he will with his own? The height of that, the breadth
of it, the width of it, it's all the same. It's a race. The
height is the same as the breadth. I got to thinking about that.
The width and the height, I mean, the width and the breadth of
it was the same. Now, I can understand just looking
at a city, just thinking about a city. You say, well, I think,
you know, 20 miles across. It's not very high. I mean, it's
only as high as a building, you know, over here in Fairmont.
That's about as tall as it goes right here. This one says the
width and the breadth and the height are all the same. That's
something that this earth just cannot fathom, that you could
have a city that was as tall as it was wide or deep. But this
is not just a city. This is a city that has foundations.
Now, that would take a foundation to have a city that was as high
as it is deep. You see what I'm saying? When
it says the height, That's giving honor to Him who holds it up,
who sustains it. But realizing also that this
length and breadth and height is all equal, and knowing that
this city is the bride of the Lord Jesus Christ, we see that
this city, width, breadth, height, this is His workmanship. This
is not Frank Lloyd Wright, you know, built a real nice city. Boy, he could really build a
house. He'd get those cantilevers to
stick way out there like that. Man, can you imagine? This is
the workmanship of Almighty God created in Christ Jesus. But
here also, we see this city. though we can't perceive with
perfect understanding the sweet influences of his love for his
people. But we realize that his love
for his own is unsearchable, past finding out. And the dimensions
of his love in the bringing about of his people, his bride, is
perfect in breadth, length, In depth, look over in Ephesians
3. Ephesians 3, verse 14. Ephesians 3, verse 14. For this cause, Paul says, I
bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of
whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that he would
grant you according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened
with might by His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell
in your hearts by faith, that ye, being rooted and grounded
in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth
and length and depth and height, and to know the love of Christ
which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the
fullness of God. Now unto him that is able to
do exceedingly, exceeding, abundantly, above all that we ask or think,
according to the power that worketh it us. Unto him be glory in the
church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. John said, I measured that
city, and here is the way it was measured. It was the measurement
of a race, a race that sat before us. And the dimension, 12,000
furlongs, was as wide as it is deep as it is high. What a city! And he said in verse 17, and
he measured the wall thereof, 144 cubits, according to the
measure of a man, that is, of the angel. John had seen, as
we said, that city measured in the dimensions of a race course. Run a good race and finish the
course. Kept the faith. Why? Because God kept him. They
that endure the end shall be saved. He is able to keep you
from falling. It is a race. A man or woman
that quits, Why did they quit? Because God never had them. If
God has a man, God has a woman, they don't quit. God's people
don't quit. Believers don't quit. Those that
are found in this city have been distinguished to run with patience
that race. Now, John sees the wall being
measured, but it's measured with another standard. This one is
measured in cubits. This measurement is a measurement
that the meaning of the word cubit gives it all the significance
to this passage. I looked up the word cubit. This
is what it means. The mother. The mother. That's what the word Cupid means. The mother. What is being said here is that
this measurement is the mother or the standard from which all
other measurements come according to God's standard. This is the
measurement. Everything else comes. I did
a painting a few years ago. There were seven ladies sitting
out in front of this antebellum home, and the name of the painting
was Ladies of the Cause. Just seven ladies sitting out. For some reason, that painting
seemed to do really well. It did better than others. Everything
else that I painted was compared to, well, how did it do compared
to Ladies of the Cause? How did it do compared to that?
Ladies of the Cause was the mother of all the other prints that
I did. Nothing else ever did that well.
But that was the measurement. How did it do compared to that? The word cubit means the mother. It's the standard. When God gave
Noah the dimensions of the ark, This is what God said, this is
how you're going to build it. He didn't measure it in furlongs.
He didn't measure it in inches. He measured it in cubits. It
will be 300 cubits in length, 50 cubits in breadth, and 30
cubits high. And the window is going to be
one cubit. That ark, you know, was built to be a picture of
the Lord Jesus Christ, the salvation of God's people. Whoever was
found in that ark survived. Whoever wasn't in that ark perished. Cubits, you build it in cubits. That's the measurement. That
ark set forth God's standard for salvation. Everything is
based upon Him. Now, this wall in Revelation
21, 17, that the Scripture has already
set forth, that we've looked at in Isaiah 60, means the salvation. That's what it means. It means
the salvation. That's the wall, Christ. That
wall, Isaiah 60, 18 says, Thou shalt call thy walls salvation. The wall of this city is set
forth in the measurement from which all of the measurements
flow. Bottom line is this, your salvation
that you rest in, your salvation, what you believe, how does it
measure up as opposed to God's salvation? Concerning what God
says, concerning the wall Himself, how does your salvation measure
up to what God says, the cubit Himself? as we behold the wall
of salvation to be measured in cubits. God's standard for all
of the measurements. We see that the salvation of
this city, the bride herself, is totally in the hands and in
the merit of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is God's standard right
there. This wall is 144 cubits. Now, as to the measurement itself,
144 cubits, and I will be honest with you, I did my best to look
up and to try to find. I struggled a little bit with
this. I am going to tell you what I
know, and then I pray the Lord be pleased to teach us something
through it. that the exact measurement was
144 cubits. I know what cubits means. It
means the mother. The mother measurement. God's
measurement. I know that numbers have meaning
in Scripture. I understand that. I know that
the ark was built 300 cubits, 50 cubits, and 30 cubits. Now, I could sit here and I could
try as long as I could to try to find out why is it 350 by
30. But the Scripture is silent on
the exact reason why God chose those dimensions. But I can tell
you this, Neal, He chose them for a purpose. It was for the
exact dimension to house exactly everyone that was going to be
in, Noah, his family, and all those animals. God built it exactly
for their salvation. I know that. I know that six
days God created, the seventh day He rested. We could go into
all the depth, but do you know those numbers are not just arbitrary?
Now, you know and I know that there's a reason for them. I
know that the Lord Jesus Christ, when I was looking up numbers,
and I did, I got up and went back and started looking up biblical
meanings of numbers. And there's a lot of things that
I could look at and I could see how they came up with that. The
number 40, for example, it says concerning in Hebrew and Greek,
both, it says that the number 40 is for trials. That's the number of trial. Well,
I can say this. I know that the nation of Israel
was in the desert 40 years. I know that the Lord Jesus Christ
was in the desert for 40 days. I know that. I can see that.
I can see that. But the bottom line is this.
I cannot find in Scripture that the 40... Now, some things are
set forth in Scripture concerning numbers. And the number was 666.
That's the number of a man. Well, I can rest on that one.
I know that one means that. I understand that. I know that
the Lord was in the grave three days, three nights. Why? Because
that's exactly why God set forth. I know fifty days after His resurrection
was Pentecost. I know that the average lifespan
of a man shall be three-scoring ten. But if he goes a little
bit longer than that or a little bit less than that, it's just,
you know, Seventy, that's about the average. But reading different
writers on these biblical numbers and their meanings, I found some
things that seemed to be consistent in their explanation. Of all
the writers that I read, and they're supposedly supposed to
be Hebrew scholars and stuff like this, and the way they would
do it is they'd take a number. And they would multiply that
and this, that and the other. Every writer that I read on the
number 144, and they came up with a meaning. This was the
meaning that they came up with for the number 144. It means the consistent walk
of a believer led by the Holy Spirit. That's what every writer
I read said. 144. Now, their reasoning stems from
that multiplication, but since I cannot personally find within
the Scripture a scriptural interpretation of that number, I am going to
leave the meaning to that hidden mystery to Almighty God, because
God said it was 144 cubits. that that means exactly what
that city or what that wall needed to be. I know that. That 144. Now, you know, let all the potsherds
strive with the potsherds. Well, this number means this.
This number, if it doesn't say it in Scripture, then be very
careful how dogmatic you get over something. But I know this. I will say that obviously that
144 right there, had a perfect meaning because I know this,
that that 144 cubits was God's measurement, 144. It means that
whatever the demand for the salvation of God's elect was, the city
to be found on, that demand has been met by the wall himself. I know that. Now, I might not
be able to look up and find out 144 means da-da-da-da-da in Scripture. And if I can't find it, let's
just say this, it means exactly whatever God says it means. But
I do know this about it. It says, He measured the wall,
thereof 144 cubits. I mean, I think there was 144,000. that set forth of God's elect.
I can see that. That's a perfect number, both
Scott, meaning exactly. I looked that up. Some of them
said, well, it was 12 apostles and 12 tribes of Israel, and
they multiplied all out. It means the exact number that
God Himself set forth to be His people. 144,000. This is 144. It means exactly what God demanded
for the salvation of that city. That's what it means. But it
says he measured the wall thereof, 144 cubits, according to the
measure of a man. That is, of the angel. The vessel of measurement that
God demands for the salvation of his people is a man. This is what that means. According
to the measure of a man. The wall is the salvation of
God's people. It's 144 cubits. The cubit is
the mother measurement. Everything is measured to that
measurement. Christ. This is my beloved Son
in whom I am well pleased. You hear Him. Everything is measured
from Him. It says, 144 cubits, according to the measure
of a man, meaning God Almighty has set forth a measurement for
the salvation of His people, and His measurement is a man. But not just any man. Romans
5, 15 says, but not as the offense. so also is the free gift. For
if through the offense of one many be dead, more the grace
of God and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ
hath abounded unto many." 1 Timothy 2.5 says, For there is one God
and one Mediator between God and men, and it's the man, Christ
Jesus. This man, he measured the wall
thereof, 144 cubits, according to the measure
of a man." God has measured the salvation of His people according
to the man. Christ Jesus. That is of the
angel. That is why I am saying, not
just any man. This man is the Lord Jesus, God's angel. Now, I know that he did not take
upon himself the nature of angels, meaning the created ones. He didn't come to redeem angels,
is what that means. But in Revelation 1.1, the Scripture
says, speaking of him, the Lord Jesus Christ, the angel, or the
messenger, the messenger of God. the revelation of Jesus Christ
which God gave unto him, to show unto his servant things which
must shortly come to pass, and he sent and signified by his
angel unto his servant John." Christ is the Word, the messenger,
the angel of God Himself. This angel, no created angel,
But the angel here is God's messenger of the covenant. Malachi 3.1,
and with this I'll close. Behold, I will send my messenger,
and he shall prepare the way before me. And the Lord, whom
ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger
of the covenant, whom ye delight in. Behold, he shall come, saith
the Lord of Hosts." John was shown in the measurement, the
exact measurement. He said this city was four square. The length, as large as the breadth,
measured the city with the reed 12,000 furlongs. The length and
the breadth and the height of it was the same. How is God's
people measured? They are measured or set forth
or determined exactly by the race that God set before them.
They that endure to the end, God is going to keep them. They
shall endure. Why? Because they are kept by
the power of God. Width, breadth and height, furlong,
the race is all the same. You mean even if one of them
is called and endures in the ministry for 50 or 60 or 70 years
and another one is just Two years or one year or one day? Is it
the same? Same. Same. What reward is Paul,
the apostle, going to get over any other of God's sheep? He's
going to have a crown of righteousness. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
It's no difference. That city was four square. And
he measured the walls. 144 cubits. According to the
mother measurement, according to Christ Himself, according
to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel, the Lord Jesus
Christ. That's how God measures His wall.
That's how God sets forth His Son. That's how God sets forth
His angel. That's just how He says the bride
is. This is how He says the wall is. Lord willing, we'll continue
looking at the wall. Then we'll look at the gate.
It says a little bit later, it talks about the gates. You can
read it. It says in the gates, every gate was a pearl. What
Scripture do you think of on that? A man had found a pearl. A pearl of great price. He sold
everything he had. Christ is our pearl of great
price. Well, our Father, this morning
we thank You, Lord, that You've given us time to be able to come
together and look into Your Word. Lord, these great mysteries that
are set forth. But how beautiful are these glorious
truths set forth and revealed to be in light of the person
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, whenever we're able to
see Him, we can breathe. We can breathe freely. When we
don't see Him, we're just choked up and we can't rest. to behold
Him as being the measurement, to behold Him as the salvation,
the wall, and to see that we are what we are by His grace. Lord, we are thankful. This is
truly food to our souls. This is water for our slaking
thirst. Keep us, teach us. Lord, we need
to be taught, and we thank You that You've been pleased to teach
us. For Christ's sake, Amen.