New Jerusalem
Prophetic length
As it is mentioned in Typology of Trinity, to every prophetic day corresponds a real year. Taking in account that according to Einstein’s relativity the time represents just a dimension of space, in my mind was conceived a thought that the similar correspondence should be applied for the length, too. Studying relationship among the Book of Prophet Ezekiel and the Revelation, I found the clue. Namely, in both books are noted precise dimensions of the New Jerusalem. Let’s start.
Ezekiel first mentions a city in 40th chapter:
In the twenty-fifth year of our captivity, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was captured, on the very same day the hand of the Lord was upon me; and He took me there. 2 In the visions of God He took me into the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain; on it toward the south was something like the structure of a city. (Ezek. 40:1-2)
Then, in 48th chapter he gives detailed description of the city:
“The five thousand cubits in width that remain, along the edge of the twenty-five thousand, shall be for general use by the city, for dwellings and common-land; and the city shall be in the center. 16 “These shall be its measurements: the north side four thousand five hundred cubits, the south side four thousand five hundred, the east side four thousand five hundred, and the west side four thousand five hundred. (Ezek. 48:15-16)
“These are the exits of the city. On the north side, measuring four thousand five hundred cubits 31 ‘(the gates of the city shall be named after the tribes of Israel), the three gates northward: one gate for Reuben, one gate for Judah, and one gate for Levi; 32 “on the east side, four thousand five hundred cubits, three gates: one gate for Joseph, one gate for Benjamin, and one gate for Dan; 33 “on the south side, measuring four thousand five hundred cubits, three gates: one gate for Simeon, one gate for Issachar, and one gate for Zebulun; 34 “on the west side, four thousand five hundred cubits with their three gates: one gate for Gad, one gate for Asher, and one gate for Naphtali. 35 “All the way around shall be eighteen thousand cubits; and the name of the city from that day shall be: The Lord Is There.” (Ezek. 48:30-35)
On the other hand in Revelation we may read for New Jerusalem:
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, 11 having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. 12 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: 13 three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west.
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.
But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. (Rev. 21:10-13, 16, 22-23)
Comparing these two descriptions, one may conclude that the same city is in point. Namely, both cities are on a high mountain, Lord is present in both, both have twelve gates and names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel written on them Only dimensions differ. At Ezekiel the length of the wall is 4,500 cubits, while in Revelation 12,000 furlongs.
A cubit in the Book of Ezekiel is longer then a “common” cubit used in Old Testament:
Now there was a wall all around the outside of the temple. In the man’s hand was a measuring rod six cubits long, each being a cubit and a handbreadth; and he measured the width of the wall structure, one rod; and the height, one rod. (Ezek. 40: 5)
“These are the measurements of the altar in cubits (the cubit is one cubit and a handbreadth) (Ezek. 43:13)
One “common” cubit according to SDA Bible Commentary should be approximately 17 ½ inches (i.e. 0.4445 m), while one handbreadth is 1/6 cubits (i.e. 0.0741 m). Ezekiel’s cubit is than:
1 cubit = 20.4 in. = 0.5186 m
Furlong mentioned in New King James translation is one STADION in Greek, that is according to Lidell-Scott Greek Lexicon:
1 STADION = 606 ¾ feet = 185 m.
Hence:
4,500 cubits = 4500 x 20.4 in. = 91,800 in. = 2333.7 m
12,000 stadia = 2,220,000 m.
Comparing the two results one may conclude that the wall of the New Jerusalem cited in Revelation is about 1000 times longer from the Ezekiel’s city. Taking in mind that nobody knows exactly the length of old Hebrew measuring units, one may conclude that the ratio should be exactly 1000. In other words:
1 prophetic meter = 1000 meters.
Assuming that the value for stadium is correct, we may get exact value for Ezekiel’s cubit:
1 cubit = 2,220 m : 4,500 = 0.493 m = 19.42 in,
which will be useful hereafter.
Holy Land
Applying the obtained proportion to a part of holy Land allotted to the Levy’s tribe, we met the strange coincidence. We read in Ezekiel:
“Moreover, when you divide the land by lot into inheritance, you shall set apart a district for the Lord, a holy section of the land; its length shall be twenty-five thousand cubits, and the width ten thousand. It shall be holy throughout its territory all around.
“An area twenty-five thousand cubits long and ten thousand wide shall belong to the Levites, the ministers of the temple; they shall have twenty chambers as a possession.
6 “You shall appoint as the property of the city an area five thousand cubits wide and twenty-five thousand long, adjacent to the district of the holy section; it shall belong to the whole house of Israel. (Ezek. 45:1, 5-6, cf. 48:8-20)
In other words, here are mentioned three parts:
a district for the Lord, 25,000 x 10,000 cubits,
a district for the Levites, 25,000 x 10,000 cubits, and
the property of the city, 25,000 x 5,000 cubits,
which is a square:
25,000 x 25,000 cubits = 12,325 x 12,325 meters.
Being that the real dimensions are1,000 times longer that the prophetic ones, we get a square:
12,325 x 12,325 kilometers,
which is an area of 151,905,625 square kilometers.
Is it a coincidence that almost the same value is related to the Earth’s land area (about 150 million square kilometers)? Is it a coincidence that the continents of the Earth once were a unique land? Should it be such on renewed Earth? Assuming that the new Earth will be the center of the Universe, the result should not be a mere coincidence!?
New Jerusalem
Taking in mind that the New Jerusalem will be a square:
2,220 x 2,220 km,
I supposed that it could be a state with today’s Jerusalem at the center. Assuming that, we get the borders shown in the following map.
Approximate place of the New Jerusalem (according to above reasoning). It is strange that today’s Egypt border coincides with south-west border of the city.
Is it a coincidence that main events in the Bible happened just inside the denoted square? Is it a coincidence that today’s Egypt (where God’s people spend time of bondage), Assyria and Babylon (where Gods people were expelled as slaves, too)? And Asia Minor (today’s Turkey) completely belong to this region, to which are addressed messages from Revelation. One more question is posed to me: Did the old apostle see the women from Rev. 12:1 standing on the Earth, being that he possibly didn't know the shape of the Earth. It fits typologicaly, too, being that today there live moslem people, the sign of which is earth.
Last updated 15.1.2006