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Psalm 87 is about Jerusalem, Jerusalem. When I read it, I can’t help but think of Frank Sinatra, Michael Bublé, or Beyonce singing New York, New York.
The lyrics of New York, New York. . .
Start spreading the news; you’re leaving today. I want to be a part of it, New York, New York (Frank Sinatra).
And the lyrics of Jerusalem, Jerusalem. . .
O city of God, what glorious things are said of you! (Psalm 87:3, NLT)
We sing about famous cities. There’s a song about San Francisco and many about Paris, so it’s not unusual to find one Psalm dedicated entirely to the most important city in history.
On the holy mountain stands the city founded by the Lord. He loves the city of Jerusalem (Psalm 87:1-2).
From Scripture, we find no comparison between Jerusalem and all other cities — even Rome, the supposed “eternal city,” pales in significance.
Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God! His holy mountain, beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth (Psalm 48:1-2, ESV).
You have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering (Hebrews 12:22, NLT).
The Bible mentions only Jerusalem, the city founded by God, existing in eternity. In this day and age, we question citizenship in the USA, but in the true eternal city, everyone will be a citizen regardless of race or nationality.
Regarding Jerusalem it will be said, “Everyone enjoys the rights of citizenship there” (Psalm 87:5).
And. . .
When the Lord registers the nations, he will say, “They have all become citizens of Jerusalem” (Psalm 87:6).
Let’s ask the question, “How can all of God’s children living throughout history dwell in Jerusalem?” Answer: There will be a New Jerusalem that’s described in the Book of Revelation.
It’s a big city!
And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband (Revelation 21:2).
The size of the New Jerusalem boggles the mind.
When he measured it, he found it was a square, as wide as it was long. In fact, its length and width and height were each 1,400 miles (Revelation 21:16).
Fourteen hundred miles is about the distance between New York City and Houston, Texas, or about 28,000 typical American street blocks. And that number would be cubed, so about 21.952 trillion blocks. The entire human population (everybody who has lived since Adam) is at 117 billion.
That’s 187 blocks per person.*
Let’s conclude that New Jerusalem won’t have urban congestion.
But New Jerusalem will also be occupied with myriads and myriads of angels, and who knows what other types of sentient beings. And while the city could contain trillions, there’s still room for every house to have several acres, a swimming pool, and a three-car garage!!!
Wow!
Can we imagine the worship services in heaven? When. . .
The people will play flutes and sing, “The source of my life springs from Jerusalem!” (Psalm 87:7).
Amen. Peace out!
*I’m not a mathematician. Can somebody please check the math and let me know if it’s correct?
If I’ve erred, I think my point about the size of New Jerusalem as beyond our imagination still stands.