Peace and grace in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Revelation 21:15-16
21:15. And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall.
21:16. 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.
The city of the New Jerusalem, its gates, and its wall are measured by a gold reed.
[verse 16] The city of the New Jerusalem is laid out as a square; its length, breadth, and height are equal, namely twelve thousand furlongs.
I. The height of the New Jerusalem--vertical.
Psalm 103:10-11
103:10. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities.
103:11. For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
Fulfilling the height of the New Jerusalem or the measurement of the heavenly bride means that we must experience the height of God's mercy.
Ephesians 4:8-12
4:8. Therefore He says: "When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men."
4:9. (Now this, "He ascended" --what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth?
4:10. He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)
4:11. And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,
4:12. for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
Jesus has descended from heaven to the lower parts of the earth or the death. It is the height of God's mercy until He willingly dies on the cross to do the things as follows:
Revelation 1:5-6
1:5. and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood,
1:6. and has made us kings and prieststo His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Jesus ascends to heaven. He becomes the High Priest to appoint us as the priests and kings, namely the servants of God who are holy.
We can feel the height of God's mercy when we are appointed as the priests and kings.
Ephesians 4:11-12
4:11. And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,
4:12. for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
We are equipped with the ministry and Holy Spirit's gift to be used in the ministry of the building of the body of Christ. We are moved from the captivity of death to the one of Holy Spirit.
Acts 20:17-20,22-24
20:17. From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church.
20:18. And when they had come to him, he said to them: "You know, from the first day that I came to Asia, in what manner I always lived among you,
20:19. "serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears and trials which happened to me by the plotting of the Jews;
20:20. "how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house,
20:22. "And see, now I go bound in the spiritto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there,
20:23. "except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me.
20:24. "But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
The facts of being bound in the spirit are as follows:
II. The length and breadth of the New Jerusalem--horizontal.
Psalm 103:2-3,12-14
103:2. Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits:
103:3. Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases,
103:12. As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
103:13. As a father pities his children, So the LORD pities those who fear Him.
103:14. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.
It refers to the human's need in the world.
Matthew 25:42-43
25:42. 'for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink;
25:43. 'I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'
The six basic needs of man in the world are as follows:
1 John 1:7,9
1:7. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
1:9. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
If we confess our sin, we will be forgiven. Do not sin anymore! It means that our sin has been finished by Jesus' blood. We still get the lengthening of our life to finish our sin. The sin is the heaviest burden of men from the world up to hell.
The length and breadth of the New Jerusalem are same. It means that the physical need must be as important as the spiritual one; even we must prioritize the spiritual one more than the physical one. As a result, if we are limited physically, the spiritual thing can lift it up. For example, we need the physical food and drink, but we also need the spiritual food, namely the Word to set us free from the sin as long as we live in the world.
Genesis 25:27-34
25:27. So the boys grew. And Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a mild man, dwelling in tents.
25:28. And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.
25:29. Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary.
25:30. And Esau said to Jacob, "Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary." Therefore his name was called Edom.
25:31. But Jacob said, "Sell me your birthright as of this day."
25:32. And Esau said, "Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?"
25:33. Then Jacob said, "Swear to me as of this day." So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob.
25:34. And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.
Esau was the image of man who repented--coming out red--and was anointed by Holy Spirit--being like a hairy garment all over--, but he did not want to be shepherded. He just hunted the fleshly or worldly thing, but not the spiritual one namely the birthright. The birthright is the right to become the bride and inherit the heavenly kingdom.
Hebrews 12:16-17
12:16. lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright.
12:17. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.
Esau became fornicator spiritually and profane person. He sacrificed the spiritual things such as the ministry, shepherding, and teaching just for getting the physical thing. Consequently, he wept forever.
Jacob did not have the birthright, but he stayed in the tent. It refers to the perseverance in the shepherding. As a result, he received the birthright. Jacob prioritized the spiritual thing more than the physical one.
Ephesians 5:25-27
5:25. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,
5:26. that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,
5:27. that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
The fact of the length and breadth of God's mercy is that Jesus as the Bridegroom is able to wash us of water by the word. It means washing us with water baptism and the rain of the true teaching Word to purify and change us from the spiritual leprosy.
Leviticus 14:8-9
14:8. "He who is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean. After that he shall come into the camp, and shall stay outside his tent seven days.
14:9. "But on the seventh day he shall shave all the hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows -- all his hair he shall shave off. He shall wash his clothes and wash his body in water, and he shall be clean.
The spiritual leprosy refers to the uncleanness and self-truth.
Psalm 103:14
103:14. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.
We can be lowly in heart. We confess that we are dust that is unworthy and powerless. We confess that we have many weaknesses and infirmities physically and spiritually. As a result, God pours out Holy Spirit for us.
Genesis 2:7
2:7. And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
The function of Holy Spirit is making us, from mortar to a living being.
Holy Spirit is able to take care of our life physically and spiritually in the midst of the difficulties of the world. We can live in holiness and peace, so we can see God. We never stumble and fall.
Holy Spirit creates us to become the vessel of glory, namely those who are used in the building of the body of Christ. We can glorify God until we are glorified with Him.
Holy Spirit is able to finish all of impossible problems; even He changes us up to perfection. We fulfill the measurement of the height, length, and breadth to enter the New Jerusalem.
God blesses us.
Revelation 21:15-16
21:15. And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall.
21:16. 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.
The city of the New Jerusalem, its gates, and its wall are measured by a gold reed.
[verse 16] The city of the New Jerusalem is laid out as a square; its length, breadth, and height are equal, namely twelve thousand furlongs.
I. The height of the New Jerusalem--vertical.
Psalm 103:10-11
103:10. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities.
103:11. For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
Fulfilling the height of the New Jerusalem or the measurement of the heavenly bride means that we must experience the height of God's mercy.
Ephesians 4:8-12
4:8. Therefore He says: "When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men."
4:9. (Now this, "He ascended" --what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth?
4:10. He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)
4:11. And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,
4:12. for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
Jesus has descended from heaven to the lower parts of the earth or the death. It is the height of God's mercy until He willingly dies on the cross to do the things as follows:
- Setting the Israelites free from the captivity of death by the four major injuries. It is God's love for the Israelites.
- Setting the Gentiles free from the captivity of death by the fifth injury at Jesus' side, of which immediately blood and water come out. It is the height of God's mercy to the Gentiles.
So, the Gentiles must receive the sign of blood and water coming out of Jesus' side, so they can be set free from the captivity of sin.
The blood sign refers to the Altar of Burnt Offerings, namely one trusts Jesus as the only Savior as well as repents. For with the heart one believes in Jesus, and with the mouth confession of the sin is made. Being forgiven, we must repent and die to sin.
The water sign refers to the Brazen Laver, namely the true water baptism.
Matthew 3:13-17
3:13. Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.
3:14. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?"
3:15. But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he allowed Him.
3:16. When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.
3:17. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
The true water baptism is doing the will of God or being encouraged by the preaching of the Word of God. Do not be blocked or forced! Do not be of necessity!
The true water baptism means being baptized as Jesus is.
Romans 6:2,4
6:2. Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?
6:4. Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
The implementation is that we who have died to sin or repented must be buried in the water with Jesus and come out or rise from water with Him, so the heavens are opened and we receive new life or the heavenly one, namely we experience Holy Spirit baptism. We become God's sons.
Matthew 15:26-27
15:26. But He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."
15:27. And she said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table."
We are lifted up from dog to become God's sheep. We can eat the crumbs or the shepherding Word.
We are purified from the characteristics of dog, namely the idle words, and the ones of swine namely the unclean deed. We are also purified from the characteristics of the Gentiles that make us become unfaithful and untrue.
Revelation 1:5-6
1:5. and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood,
1:6. and has made us kings and prieststo His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Jesus ascends to heaven. He becomes the High Priest to appoint us as the priests and kings, namely the servants of God who are holy.
We can feel the height of God's mercy when we are appointed as the priests and kings.
Ephesians 4:11-12
4:11. And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,
4:12. for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
We are equipped with the ministry and Holy Spirit's gift to be used in the ministry of the building of the body of Christ. We are moved from the captivity of death to the one of Holy Spirit.
Acts 20:17-20,22-24
20:17. From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church.
20:18. And when they had come to him, he said to them: "You know, from the first day that I came to Asia, in what manner I always lived among you,
20:19. "serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears and trials which happened to me by the plotting of the Jews;
20:20. "how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house,
20:22. "And see, now I go bound in the spiritto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there,
20:23. "except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me.
20:24. "But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
The facts of being bound in the spirit are as follows:
- Ministering with all humility. It means as follows:
- Being able to confess the sin. Do not sin anymore after being forgiven! We minister without a burden.
- Esteeming others more than us, so we can work together.
- Being able to confess the sin. Do not sin anymore after being forgiven! We minister without a burden.
- Having many tears. It means ministering with seriousness even willingly suffering for God or suffering in the flesh because of Jesus.
- Not ministering deceitfully,but faithfully and fervently until the finish line.
- Having the fear of God.
Psalm 103:11
103:11. For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
Isaiah 11:1-3
11:1. There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.
11:2. The Spirit of the LORD(1)shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom(2)and understanding(3), The Spirit of counsel(4)and might(5), The Spirit of knowledge(6)and of the fear of the LORD(7).
11:3. His delight is in the fear of the LORD, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears;
It is the same as ministering in holiness and sincerity. It is like the burning lamp with its seven lights. We can become God's witness.
II. The length and breadth of the New Jerusalem--horizontal.
Psalm 103:2-3,12-14
103:2. Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits:
103:3. Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases,
103:12. As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
103:13. As a father pities his children, So the LORD pities those who fear Him.
103:14. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.
It refers to the human's need in the world.
Matthew 25:42-43
25:42. 'for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink;
25:43. 'I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'
The six basic needs of man in the world are as follows:
- Food.
- Drink.
- House.
- Cloth.
- Health.
Above are the physical needs. - The freedom from sin. It is the spiritual need.
1 John 1:7,9
1:7. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
1:9. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
If we confess our sin, we will be forgiven. Do not sin anymore! It means that our sin has been finished by Jesus' blood. We still get the lengthening of our life to finish our sin. The sin is the heaviest burden of men from the world up to hell.
The length and breadth of the New Jerusalem are same. It means that the physical need must be as important as the spiritual one; even we must prioritize the spiritual one more than the physical one. As a result, if we are limited physically, the spiritual thing can lift it up. For example, we need the physical food and drink, but we also need the spiritual food, namely the Word to set us free from the sin as long as we live in the world.
Genesis 25:27-34
25:27. So the boys grew. And Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a mild man, dwelling in tents.
25:28. And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.
25:29. Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary.
25:30. And Esau said to Jacob, "Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary." Therefore his name was called Edom.
25:31. But Jacob said, "Sell me your birthright as of this day."
25:32. And Esau said, "Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?"
25:33. Then Jacob said, "Swear to me as of this day." So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob.
25:34. And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.
Esau was the image of man who repented--coming out red--and was anointed by Holy Spirit--being like a hairy garment all over--, but he did not want to be shepherded. He just hunted the fleshly or worldly thing, but not the spiritual one namely the birthright. The birthright is the right to become the bride and inherit the heavenly kingdom.
Hebrews 12:16-17
12:16. lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright.
12:17. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.
Esau became fornicator spiritually and profane person. He sacrificed the spiritual things such as the ministry, shepherding, and teaching just for getting the physical thing. Consequently, he wept forever.
Jacob did not have the birthright, but he stayed in the tent. It refers to the perseverance in the shepherding. As a result, he received the birthright. Jacob prioritized the spiritual thing more than the physical one.
Ephesians 5:25-27
5:25. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,
5:26. that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,
5:27. that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
The fact of the length and breadth of God's mercy is that Jesus as the Bridegroom is able to wash us of water by the word. It means washing us with water baptism and the rain of the true teaching Word to purify and change us from the spiritual leprosy.
Leviticus 14:8-9
14:8. "He who is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean. After that he shall come into the camp, and shall stay outside his tent seven days.
14:9. "But on the seventh day he shall shave all the hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows -- all his hair he shall shave off. He shall wash his clothes and wash his body in water, and he shall be clean.
The spiritual leprosy refers to the uncleanness and self-truth.
Psalm 103:14
103:14. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.
We can be lowly in heart. We confess that we are dust that is unworthy and powerless. We confess that we have many weaknesses and infirmities physically and spiritually. As a result, God pours out Holy Spirit for us.
Genesis 2:7
2:7. And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
The function of Holy Spirit is making us, from mortar to a living being.
Holy Spirit is able to take care of our life physically and spiritually in the midst of the difficulties of the world. We can live in holiness and peace, so we can see God. We never stumble and fall.
Holy Spirit creates us to become the vessel of glory, namely those who are used in the building of the body of Christ. We can glorify God until we are glorified with Him.
Holy Spirit is able to finish all of impossible problems; even He changes us up to perfection. We fulfill the measurement of the height, length, and breadth to enter the New Jerusalem.
God blesses us.