In Revelation 11:1, John had been given a reed, to measure the temple of God with, that was basically a stick. Here an angel measures the city of God in heaven with a golden reed. Measuring the city causes those who read the book to see the vastness of God's preparation for his people. (John 14:1-6) Twelve is a complete number and 1000 is a full number. A furlong is one-eighth of a mile, so the city is 1500 miles long by the same width and height. If 216 feet is the height of the wall around the city, then we assume the idea here is to emphasize the height of the city and the real lack of need for defense in heaven. The measures were true to those of men in JOhn's day though they were done by an angel.

Continues after advertising
Continues after advertising