The Architecture of Heaven, a devotional thought

In Revelation 21 we come to one of the most mysterious and beautiful passages in the whole book, John's vision of the Heavenly Jerusalem, descending from heaven and opening up in all its transcendent splendor. 

I find every detail of this celestial city fascinating.

We’re told, for instance, that it has 12 gates guarded by 12 angels, inscribed with the names of the 12 Tribes of Israel; and the wall of the city has 12 foundation stones, each one inscribed with the name of one of the 12 apostles. In other words: the New Jerusalem, the Heavenly City of God, is founded on the work/witness/ministry of the Apostles, and entered into through the Story of Israel. This Heavenly City is seamlessly consistent with the Old Testament story of God’s acts on behalf of Israel, and the New Testament story of his work in Jesus Christ.

And then, notice, that the foundation stones are each precious gems: jasper, sapphire, chalcedony, emerald, and so on. This, of course, recalls the 12 precious stones in the priest’s breastplate from the Book of Exodus (though they are not identically correlated). And what’s more, the city itself is a cube, as long and high as it is wide, which is the same shape as the Holy of Holies in the OT Temple/Tabernacle. 

On the one hand, all of this suggests that the description of the Tabernacle in Exodus, which many readers skip over because it seems so tedious—with its intricate priestly garments and careful temple measurements—are meant actually to give us a tiny little microcosm of Heaven. And on the other hand, it suggests that when we finally get there, these intricate, symbolic details, which seem so tedious, at times, to modern day readers, are going to be foremost among the mysteries we ponder (for eternity), as we press further in and higher up, for ever, into the beauty and glory and goodness and wonder of God.