Magazine for February 2011
The Heavenly City
For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
(Hebrews 11: 10)
Why does the Bible picture heaven as a great city? And why is the image so powerful?
Two weeks spent in London during August last year have led me to reflect upon this question. For a great city engages us mind, body and spirit. Dr Johnson said, When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life. And certainly, London, with its rich history, cultural depth and vibrant life, is a source of inspiration to me.
From the BODY – the record of human infamy at the Tower of London – through the MIND – the Violent Universe show and the discoveries of Einstein at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, to the SPIRIT – the beauty of the Whispering Gallery and Holman Hunt’s painting The Light of the World at St Paul’s Cathedral, I have been informed, amused, shocked, amazed, touched, and filled with wonder. And in many ways, the life of London is encapsulated by the story of the Thames.
While looking round the exhibition in the Thames Barrier Information Centre at Woolwich, I was struck by the synergy of creative imagination, design ingenuity and engineering skill which tames the power of the river for the protection of a city and its people. But what of that other river – the river of life flowing through the holy city, Jerusalem? This river rises up from the throne of God and the Lamb and surges crystal-clear down the middle of the city street. On either side of the river grow the trees of life. This holy city is of pure gold transparent as glass, with a wall of diamond, and foundations faced with precious stones; and the 12 gates are 12 pearls. The city has no temple since God and the Lamb are themselves the temple; it does not need the sun or the moon for light as it is lit by the radiant glory of God.
Why does St John the Divine use this image for heaven? I suggest it is because, here on earth, the highest and the lowest of which we human beings are capable is encapsulated in a great city. In heaven all will be made perfect. And that is why the image of the heavenly city is so appropriate.
Sheila Robinson
Sheila’s novel ‘Mystical Circles’ is published under her pen-name S.C. Skillman. – visit www.scskillman.co.uk