Iapetus Report: Has NASA Found the New Jerusalem

NASA's Cassini mission sent back photos of Saturn's moon Iapetus in December of 2004. Those photos strongly suggest artificiality. This article explores the Biblical New Jerusalem and compares.

Background

In January of 2003 I went on a prayer drive from Oregon, to Minnesota, south to Texas and east to Washington DC. It was an amazing adventure. I got meet many people who were interested in the Bible Time project. I got to pray for various cities and the nation as a whole.

Throughout the many meetings there were many different topics of discussion, the Holy Spirit just kept calling the meetings and the subjects for those meetings.

One 'unplanned' topic that came up several times was a series of similar prophetic dreams that people had been having across the latter half of 2002. Those dreams all dealt with different views of a 'city in the sky.'

People had been dumbfounded by these dreams. In nearly all cases they were wondering what they had seen. Yet, in the Bible, there are several places where people are taken to a city in the sky and they report those visits for us to read, even today.

The New Jerusalem

The longest, and most detailed account, of the city in the sky, the New Jerusalem, is given near the end of the Book of Revelation.

This placement in scripture is likely no accident. Adam and Eve likely started in the New Jerusalem and the fall to earth was likely a forced departure from this place. The time line of the Bible is symmetric, so the return to the New Jerusalem is likely the symmetric event that matches the fall of Adam. At that future time the symmetric event is a return to the place were we started. It also represents adulthood for the entire human race when we can take our place in the 'army of the Lord.' We will collectively be 19,000 years old at that point.

The structure of the city is detailed in Revelation, and rather than paraphrase it, I'd rather just give you the text. The following is the account, form John's perspective as recorded in Revelation:

66 Revelation 21:10-21 10ܘܐܘܒܠܢܝ ܒܪܘܚ ܠܛܘܪܐ ܪܒܐ ܘܪܡܐ ܘܚܘܝܢܝ ܠܡܕܝܢܬܐ ܩܕܝܫܬܐ ܐܘܪܫܠܡ ܕܢܚܬܐ ܡܢ ܫܡܝܐ ܡܢ ܨܝܕ ܐܠܗܐ ܀ 11ܘܐܝܬ ܠܗ ܬܫܒܘܚܬܐ ܕܐܠܗܐ ܘܢܘܗܪܗ ܐܝܟ ܕܡܘܬܐ ܕܟܐܦܐ ܝܩܝܪܬܐ ܐܝܟ ܝܫܦܗ ܐܝܟ ܕܘܡܝܐ ܕܩܪܘܤܛܠܘܤ ܀ 12ܘܐܝܬ ܠܗ ܫܘܪܐ ܪܒܐ ܘܪܡܐ ܘܐܝܬ ܠܗ ܬܪܥܐ ܬܪܥܤܪ ܘܥܠ ܬܪܥܐ ܡܠܐܟܐ ܬܪܥܤܪ ܘܫܡܗܝܗܘܢ ܟܬܝܒܐ ܐܝܠܝܢ ܕܐܝܬܝܗܘܢ ܫܡܗܐ ܕܬܪܥܤܪ ܫܒܛܐ ܕܐܝܤܪܝܠ ܀ 13ܡܢ ܡܕܢܚܐ ܬܪܥܐ ܬܠܬܐ ܘܡܢ ܓܪܒܝܐ ܬܪܥܐ ܬܠܬܐ ܘܡܢ ܬܝܡܢܐ ܬܪܥܐ ܬܠܬܐ ܘܡܢ ܡܥܪܒܐ ܬܪܥܐ ܬܠܬܐ ܀ 14ܘܫܘܪܐ ܕܡܕܝܢܬܐ ܐܝܬ ܠܗ ܫܬܐܤܐ ܬܪܬܥܤܪܐ ܘܥܠܝܗܝܢ ܬܪܥܤܪ ܫܡܗܐ ܕܫܠܝܚܘܗܝ ܕܒܪܐ ܀ 15ܘܗܘ ܕܡܡܠܠ ܗܘܐ ܥܡܝ ܐܝܬ ܗܘܐ ܥܠܘܗܝ ܩܢܝܐ ܕܡܫܘܚܬܐ ܕܕܗܒܐ ܠܡܡܫܚܗ ܠܡܕܝܢܬܐ ܘܠܫܘܪܗ ܀ 16ܘܡܕܝܢܬܐ ܡܪܒܥܐܝܬ ܤܝܡܐ ܘܐܘܪܟܗ ܐܝܟ ܦܬܝܗ ܘܡܫܚܗ ܠܡܕܝܢܬܐ ܒܩܢܝܐ ܥܠ ܬܪܥܤܪ ܐܠܦܝܢ ܐܤܛܕܘܬܐ ܐܘܪܟܗ ܘܦܬܝܗ ܘܪܘܡܗ ܫܘܝܢ ܐܢܘܢ ܀ 17ܘܡܫܚܗ ܠܫܘܪܗ ܡܐܐ ܘܐܪܒܥܝܢ ܘܐܪܒܥ ܐܡܝܢ ܒܡܫܘܚܬܐ ܕܐܢܫܐ ܐܝܕܐ ܕܐܝܬܝܗ ܕܡܠܐܟܐ ܀ 18ܘܕܘܡܤܐ ܕܫܘܪܗ ܝܫܦܗ ܘܡܕܝܢܬܐ ܕܕܗܒܐ ܕܟܝܐ ܒܕܡܘܬܐ ܕܙܓܘܓܝܬܐ ܕܟܝܬܐ ܀ 19ܘܫܬܐܤܐ ܕܫܘܪܐ ܕܡܕܝܢܬܐ ܒܟܐܦܐ ܝܩܝܪܬܐ ܡܨܒܬܢ ܘܫܬܐܤܬܐ ܩܕܡܝܬܐ ܝܫܦܗ ܘܕܬܪܬܝܢ ܤܦܝܠܐ ܘܕܬܠܬ ܩܪܟܕܢܐ ܘܕܐܪܒܥ ܙܡܪܓܕܐ ܀ 20ܘܕܚܡܫ ܤܪܕܘܢ ܘܛܦܪܐ ܘܕܫܬ ܤܪܕܘܢ ܘܕܫܒܥ ܟܐܦ ܕܗܒܐ ܘܕܬܡܢܐ ܒܪܘܠܐ ܘܕܬܫܥ ܛܘܦܢܕܝܘܢ ܘܕܥܤܪ ܟܪܘܤܦܪܤܐ ܕܚܕܥܤܪܐ ܝܘܟܢܬܘܤ ܕܬܪܬܥܤܪܐ ܐܡܘܬܤܤ ܀ 21ܘܬܪܥܤܪ ܬܪܥܐ ܘܬܪܬܥܤܪܐ ܡܪܓܢܝܬܐ ܚܕܐ ܠܚܕܐ ܘܟܠܚܕ ܡܢ ܬܪܥܐ ܐܝܬ ܗܘܐ ܡܢ ܚܕܐ ܡܪܓܢܝܬܐ ܘܫܘܩܐ ܕܝܢ ܕܡܕܝܢܬܐ ܕܕܗܒܐ ܕܟܝܐ ܐܝܟ ܙܓܘܓܝܬܐ ܐܝܬ ܒܗ ܀ (SYP)

66 Revelation 21:10-21 10And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 11Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; 12And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: 13On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. 14And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 15And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. 16And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. 17And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel. 18And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. 19And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; 20The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst. 21And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass. (KJV)

66 Revelation 21:10-21 10And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 11Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; 12And had a wall great and high, and had 12 gates, and at the gates 12 angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the 12 tribes of the children of Israel: 13On the east 3 gates; on the north 3 gates; on the south 3 gates; and on the west 3 gates. 14And the wall of the city had 12 foundations, and in them the names of the 12 apostles of the Lamb. 15And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. 16And the city lieth 4 square, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, 12000 furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. 17And he measured the wall thereof, 144 cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel. 18And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. 19And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The foundation 1 was jasper; 2, sapphire; 3, a chalcedony; 4, an emerald; 205, sardonyx; 6, sardius; 7, chrysolite; 8, beryl; 9, a topaz; 10, a chrysoprasus; 11, a jacinth; 12, an amethyst. 21And the 12 gates were 12 pearls; every several gate was of 1 pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass. (KJV/NC)

66 Revelation 21:10-21 10And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, 11having the glory of God: her light was like unto a stone most precious, as it were a jasper stone, clear as crystal: 12having a wall great and high; having twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: 13on the east were three gates; and on the north three gates; and on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. 14And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 15And he that spake with me had for a measure a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. 16And the city lieth foursquare, and the length thereof is as great as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs: the length and the breadth and the height thereof are equal. 17And he measured the wall thereof, a hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. 18And the building of the wall thereof was jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto pure glass. 19The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald; 20the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprase; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst. 21And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the several gates was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass. (ASV)

66 Revelation 21:10-21 10And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 11Having the glory of God, radiant as a brilliant light, resembling a very precious gem, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. 12It had a wall great and high and it had twelve gates, with names inscribed thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. 13On the east were three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. 14And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 15And he who talked with me had a measuring rod of golden reed to measure the city and its gates and its wall. 16And the city was laid foursquare, the length the same as the breadth; and he measured the city with the reed, twelve furlongs, twelve thousand paces. And the length and breadth and the height were equal. 17And he measured the wall thereof, a hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel. 18And the wall was constructed of jasper; and the city itself was pure gold, resembling clear glass. 19And the foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, 20The fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolyte, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprasus, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. 21And the twelve gates were adorned with twelve pearls, one for each of the gates, and each gate was made of a single pearl; and the great street of the city was of pure gold. as it were transparent glass. (LAM)

66 Revelation 21:10-21 10And in the Spirit he carried me away to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, 11having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed; 13on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. 14And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

15And he who talked to me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls. 16The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its breadth; and he measured the city with his rod, twelve thousand stadia; its length and breadth and height are equal. 17He also measured its wall, a hundred and forty-four cubits by a man's measure, that is, an angel's. 18The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, clear as glass. 19The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every jewel; the first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. 21And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, transparent as glass.(RSV)

66 Revelation 21:10-21 10And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. 11It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. 13There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. 14The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

15The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. 16The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. 17He measured its wall and it was 144 cubits thick, by man's measurement, which the angel was using. 18The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. 19The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, 20the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. 21The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass.(NIV)

66 Revelation 21:10-21 10He carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, 11having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, as if it was a jasper stone, clear as crystal; 12having a great and high wall; having twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. 13On the east were three gates; and on the north three gates; and on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. 14The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them twelve names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb. 15He who spoke with me had for a measure, a golden reed, to measure the city, its gates, and its walls. 16The city lies foursquare, and its length is as great as its breadth. He measured the city with the reed, Twelve thousand twelve stadia. Its length, breadth, and height are equal. 17Its wall is one hundred forty-four cubits, by the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. 18The construction of its wall was jasper. The city was pure gold, like pure glass. 19The foundations of the city's wall were adorned with all kinds of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald; 20the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprasus; the eleventh, jacinth; and the twelfth, amethyst. 21The twelve gates were twelve pearls. Each one of the gates was made of one pearl. The street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. (WEB)

66 Revelation 21:10-21 10He carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, 11having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, as if it was a jasper stone, clear as crystal; 12having a great and high wall; having twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. 13On the east were three gates; and on the north three gates; and on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. 14The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them twelve names of the twelve Emissaries of the Lamb. 15He who spoke with me had for a measure, a golden reed, to measure the city, its gates, and its walls. 16The city lies foursquare, and its length is as great as its breadth. He measured the city with the reed, Twelve thousand twelve stadia. Its length, breadth, and height are equal. 17Its wall is one hundred forty-four cubits, by the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. 18The construction of its wall was jasper. The city was pure gold, like pure glass. 19The foundations of the city's wall were adorned with all kinds of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald; 20the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprasus; the eleventh, jacinth; and the twelfth, amethyst. 21The twelve gates were twelve pearls. Each one of the gates was made of one pearl. The street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. (WEB/HNV)

66 Revelation 21:10-21 10And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 11Having the glory of God, radiant as a brilliant light, resembling a very precious gem, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. 12It had a wall great and high and it had 12 gates, with names inscribed on them, which are the names of the 12 tribes of the children of Israel. 13On the east were 3 gates, on the north 3 gates, on the south 3 gates, and on the west 3 gates. 14And the wall of the city had 12 foundations, and on them the 12 names of the 12 apostles of the Lamb. 15And he who talked with me had a measuring rod of golden reed to measure the city and its gates and its wall. 16And the city was laid 4-square, the length the same as the breadth; and he measured the city with the reed, 12 furlongs, 12,000 paces. And the length and breadth and the height were equal. 17And he measured the wall, 144 cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel. 18And the wall was constructed of jasper; and the city itself was pure gold, resembling clear glass. 19And the foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones. The 1st foundation was jasper, the 2nd sapphire, the 3rd chalcedony, the 4th emerald, 20The 5th sardonyx, the 6th sardius, the 7th chrysolyte, the 8th beryl, the 9th topaz, the 10th chrysoprasus, the 11th jacinth, the 12th amethyst. 21And the 12 gates were adorned with 12 pearls, 1 for each of the gates, and each gate was made of a single pearl; and the great street of the city was of pure gold, as it were transparent glass. (BRB)

Depending on your translation, the size may or may not be obvious, but the consensus is this city is between 1200 and 1500 miles across in 3 dimensions.

That 3 dimensional quality to the size makes this city into something like earth's moon. If you look up at the moon and mentally draw a square inside the circle of the moon, you've drawn a square at about the size of this city.

The Prophetic Dreams

The recent prophetic dreams that people have had of this city often involve an enormous city built of gold, or other polished metals, and bathed in various colors of light.

In one dream the city was very close to earth and was seen from an earthly perspective in a valley. The city was so large it spanned from one horizon to the other.

One dream in particular that was related to me included great bands of color, about like what we would call northern lights, which caused music as the people traveling into this city passed through the bands.

Paul is another who appears to have visited the New Jerusalem. His account remains nebulous as he does not want to reveal what, exactly, he saw.

58 Second Corinthians 12:2-4 2ܝܕܥܢܐ ܓܒܪܐ ܒܡܫܝܚܐ ܡܢ ܩܕܡ ܐܪܒܥܤܪܐ ܫܢܝܢ ܐܢ ܒܦܓܪ ܕܝܢ ܘܐܢ ܕܠܐ ܦܓܪ ܠܐ ܝܕܥ ܐܢܐ ܐܠܗܐ ܗܘ ܝܕܥ ܕܐܬܚܛܦ ܗܘ ܗܢܐ ܥܕܡܐ ܫܡܝܐ ܕܬܠܬܐ ܀ 3ܘܝܕܥ ܐܢܐ ܠܗ ܠܗܢܐ ܒܪܢܫܐ ܐܢ ܒܦܓܪ ܕܝܢ ܘܐܢ ܕܠܐ ܦܓܪ ܠܐ ܝܕܥ ܐܢܐ ܐܠܗܐ ܗܘ ܝܕܥ ܀ 4ܕܐܬܚܛܦ ܠܦܪܕܝܤܐ ܘܫܡܥ ܡܠܐ ܕܠܐ ܡܬܡܠܠܢ ܐܝܠܝܢ ܕܠܐ ܫܠܝܛ ܠܒܪܢܫܐ ܠܡܡܠܠܘ ܐܢܝܢ ܀ (SYP)

58 Second Corinthians 12:2-4 2I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. 3And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) 4How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. (KJV)

58 Second Corinthians 12:2-4 2I knew a man in Christ above 14 years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an 1 caught up to the number 3 heaven. 3And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) 4How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. (KJV/NC)

58 Second Corinthians 12:2-4 2I know a man in Christ, fourteen years ago (whether in the body, I know not; or whether out of the body, I know not; God knoweth), such a one caught up even to the third heaven. 3And I know such a man (whether in the body, or apart from the body, I know not; God knoweth), 4how that he was caught up into Paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. (ASV)

58 Second Corinthians 12:2-4 2I knew a man in Christ more than fourteen years ago, but whether I knew him in the body or out of the body, I do not know; God knows; this very one was caught up to the third heaven. 3And I still know this man, but whether in the body or whether out of the body, I cannot tell; God knows; 4How that he was caught up to paradise and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. (LAM)

58 Second Corinthians 12:2-4 2I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven--whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. 3And I know that this man was caught up into Paradise--whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows-- 4and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. (RSV)

58 Second Corinthians 12:2-4 2I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know -- God knows. 3And I know that this man -- whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows -- 4was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell. (NIV)

58 Second Corinthians 12:2-4 2I know a man in Christ, fourteen years ago (whether in the body, I don't know, or whether out of the body, I don't know; God knows), such a one caught up into the third heaven. 3I know such a man (whether in the body, or outside of the body, I don't know; God knows), 4how he was caught up into Paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. (WEB)

58 Second Corinthians 12:2-4 2I know a man in Messiah, fourteen years ago (whether in the body, I don't know, or whether out of the body, I don't know; God knows), such a one caught up into the third heaven. 3I know such a man (whether in the body, or outside of the body, I don't know; God knows), 4how he was caught up into Paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. (WEB/HNV)

58 Second Corinthians 12:2-4 2I knew a man in Messiah more than 14 years ago, but whether I knew him in the body or out of the body, I do not know; God knows; this very one was caught up to the 3rd heaven. 3And I still know this man, but whether in the body or whether out of the body, I cannot tell; God knows; 4How that he was caught up to paradise and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. (BRB)

Note that Paul does not take credit for this visit, but many think he is talking about himself in 3rd person so as to hide any questions back about what he saw.

Paul, though, was not the only person to visit that city. There are others.

Other Visits in Scripture

The first visit appears to be Enoch, the 7th from Adam. His visit is interesting, but we will return to it below.

The next clear reference is in Exodus when the LORD has Aaron, Moses and 70 elders over for dinner.

2 Exodus 24:9-11 9וַיַּ֥עַל מֹשֶׁ֖ה וְאַהֲרֹ֑ן נָדָב֙ וַאֲבִיה֔וּא וְשִׁבְעִ֖ים מִזִּקְנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ 10וַיִּרְא֕וּ אֵ֖ת אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וְתַ֣חַת רַגְלָ֗יו כְּמַעֲשֵׂה֙ לִבְנַ֣ת הַסַּפִּ֔יר וּכְעֶ֥צֶם הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם לָטֹֽהַר׃ 11וְאֶל־ אֲצִילֵי֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל לֹ֥א שָׁלַ֖ח יָד֑וֹ וַֽיֶּחֱזוּ֙ אֶת־ הָ֣אֱלֹהִ֔ים וַיֹּאכְל֖וּ וַיִּשְׁתּֽוּ׃ (WLC)

2 Exodus 24:9-11 9Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel: 10And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness. 11And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink.(KJV)

2 Exodus 24:9-11 9Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and 70 of the elders of Israel: 10And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness. 11And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink.(KJV/NC)

2 Exodus 24:9-11 9Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel. 10And they saw the God of Israel; and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and as it were the very heaven for clearness. 11And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: and they beheld God, and did eat and drink.(ASV)

2 Exodus 24:9-11 9¶ Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up; 10And they saw the God of Israel; and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, clear as the color of the sky. 11And he did not harm the elders of the children of Israel; and they saw God, and ate and drank. (LAM)

2 Exodus 24:9-11 9Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abi'hu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, 10and they saw the God of Israel; and there was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. 11And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank.(RSV)

2 Exodus 24:9-11 9Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up 10and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of sapphire, clear as the sky itself. 11But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw God, and they ate and drank.(NIV)

2 Exodus 24:9-11 9Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up. 10They saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was like a paved work of sapphire stone, like the skies for clearness. 11He didn't lay his hand on the nobles of the children of Israel. They saw God, and ate and drank.(WEB)

2 Exodus 24:9-11 9Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up. 10They saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was like a paved work of sapphire stone, like the skies for clearness. 11He didn't lay his hand on the nobles of the children of Israel. They saw God, and ate and drank.(WEB/HNV)

2 Exodus 24:9-11 9Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and 70 of the elders of Israel went up; 10And they saw the God of Israel; and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, clear as the color of the sky. 11And he did not harm the elders of the children of Israel; and they saw God, and ate and drank. (BRB)

The clue, common to the New Jerusalem visits, is that large window of glass, or sea of glass. (Different translations use different words.)

Ezekiel appears to have also been in the city in the sky when he saw a set of creatures with an 'expanse' or 'sea' of ice over their heads. Again, this is one of several veiled references to the New Jerusalem.

12 Ezekiel 1:22 22וּדְמ֞וּת עַל־ רָאשֵׁ֤י הַחַיָּה֙ רָקִ֔יעַ כְּעֵ֖ין הַקֶּ֣רַח הַנּוֹרָ֑א נָט֥וּי עַל־ רָאשֵׁיהֶ֖ם מִלְמָֽעְלָה׃ (WLC)

12 Ezekiel 1:22 22And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature was as the colour of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above. (KJV)

12 Ezekiel 1:22 22And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature was as the colour of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above. (KJV/NC)

12 Ezekiel 1:22 22And over the head of the living creature there was the likeness of a firmament, like the terrible crystal to look upon, stretched forth over their heads above. (ASV)

12 Ezekiel 1:22 22And over the heads of the living creatures there was the likeness of a firmament, resembling pure crystal, stretched out over their heads above. (LAM)

12 Ezekiel 1:22 22Over the heads of the living creatures there was the likeness of a firmament, shining like crystal, spread out above their heads. (RSV)

12 Ezekiel 1:22 22Spread out above the heads of the living creatures was what looked like an expanse, sparkling like ice, and awesome. (NIV)

12 Ezekiel 1:22 22Over the head of the living creature there was the likeness of an expanse, like the awesome crystal to look on, stretched forth over their heads above. (WEB)

12 Ezekiel 1:22 22Over the head of the living creature there was the likeness of an expanse, like the awesome crystal to look on, stretched forth over their heads above. (WEB/HNV)

12 Ezekiel 1:22 22And over the heads of the living creatures there was the likeness of a firmament, resembling pure crystal, stretched out over their heads above. (BRB)

Paul uses an analogy between our earthly bodies and our heavenly bodies and our earthly world and a heavenly world. One such place is here:

58 Second Corinthians 5:1-5 1ܝܕܥܝܢܢ ܓܝܪ ܕܐܢ ܒܝܬܢ ܕܒܐܪܥܐ ܗܢܐ ܕܦܓܪܐ ܢܫܬܪܐ ܐܠܐ ܐܝܬ ܠܢ ܒܢܝܢܐ ܕܡܢ ܐܠܗܐ ܒܝܬܐ ܕܠܐ ܒܥܒܕ ܐܝܕܝܐ ܒܫܡܝܐ ܠܥܠܡ ܀ 2ܐܦ ܥܠ ܗܕܐ ܓܝܪ ܡܬܬܢܚܝܢܢ ܘܤܘܝܢܢ ܕܢܠܒܫ ܒܝܬܢ ܕܡܢ ܫܡܝܐ ܀ 3ܐܠܐ ܐܦ ܡܐ ܕܠܒܫܢ ܢܫܬܟܚ ܠܢ ܥܪܛܠ ܀ 4ܟܕ ܐܝܬܝܢ ܓܝܪ ܗܫܐ ܒܗܢܐ ܒܝܬܐ ܡܬܬܢܚܝܢܢ ܡܢ ܝܘܩܪܗ ܘܠܐ ܨܒܝܢܢ ܠܡܫܠܚܗ ܐܠܐ ܕܢܠܒܫ ܠܥܠ ܡܢܗ ܕܬܬܒܠܥ ܡܝܬܘܬܗ ܒܚܝܐ ܀ 5ܘܕܡܥܬܕ ܠܢ ܠܗ ܠܗܕܐ ܐܠܗܐ ܗܘ ܗܘ ܕܝܗܒ ܠܢ ܪܗܒܘܢܐ ܕܪܘܚܗ ܀ (SYP)

58 Second Corinthians 5:1-5 1For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: 3If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. 4For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. 5Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. (KJV)

58 Second Corinthians 5:1-5 1For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: 3If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. 4For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. 5Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. (KJV/NC)

58 Second Corinthians 5:1-5 1For we know that if the earthly house of our tabernacle be dissolved, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal, in the heavens. 2For verily in this we groan, longing to be clothed upon with our habitation which is from heaven: 3if so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. 4For indeed we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened; not for that we would be unclothed, but that we would be clothed upon, that what is mortal may be swallowed up of life. 5Now he that wrought us for this very thing is God, who gave unto us the earnest of the Spirit. (ASV)

58 Second Corinthians 5:1-5 1FOR we know that if our earthly house were destroyed, we still have a building made by God, a house not made with hands, eternal in heaven. 2We also weary over this earthly house, earnestly longing to use our house which is in heaven. 3If not so, even when we are clothed, we will still be naked. 4While we are in this earthly house, we groan because of its weight; yet we are unwilling to leave it, but rather wish to add to it, so that death will be overcome by life. 5Now he who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given to us the pledge of his Spirit. (LAM)

58 Second Corinthians 5:1-5 1For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2Here indeed we groan, and long to put on our heavenly dwelling, 3so that by putting it on we may not be found naked. 4For while we are still in this tent, we sigh with anxiety; not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.(RSV)

58 Second Corinthians 5:1-5 1Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, 3because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.(NIV)

58 Second Corinthians 5:1-5 1For we know that if the earthly house of our tent is dissolved, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal, in the heavens. 2For most assuredly in this we groan, longing to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven; 3if so be that being clothed we will not be found naked. 4For indeed we who are in this tent do groan, being burdened; not that we desire to be unclothed, but that we desire to be clothed, that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5Now he who made us for this very thing is God, who also gave to us the down payment of the Spirit.(WEB)

58 Second Corinthians 5:1-5 1For we know that if the earthly house of our tent is dissolved, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal, in the heavens. 2For most certainly in this we groan, longing to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven; 3if so be that being clothed we will not be found naked. 4For indeed we who are in this tent do groan, being burdened; not that we desire to be unclothed, but that we desire to be clothed, that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5Now he who made us for this very thing is God, who also gave to us the down payment of the Spirit.(WEB/HNV)

58 Second Corinthians 5:1-5 1FOR we know that if our earthly house were destroyed, we still have a building made by God, a house not made with hands, eternal in heaven. 2We also weary over this earthly house, earnestly longing to use our house which is in heaven. 3If not so, even when we are clothed, we will still be naked. 4While we are in this earthly house, we groan because of its weight; yet we are unwilling to leave it, but rather wish to add to it, so that death will be overcome by life. 5Now he who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has also given to us the pledge of his Spirit. (BRB)

Understand the full depth of the analogy. The temple at Jerusalem built by Solomon was a copy of a heavenly place that David was shown. The tabernacle at the time of Moses was a similar copy of that same heavenly place.

The temple is where the spirit of God lived, which is now our individual earthly bodies. There is also that original heavenly place, where our heavenly bodies will dwell, which John says has no temples because the Spirit is there throughout.

Enoch's Visit

The evidence for Enoch's visit is circumstantial. The texts that call out Enoch are quite short with little detail. All we know for sure is that he was taken away from earth because he was a man of faith.

Within Jesus' life, his age 12 visit to Jerusalem, was a prophetic replay of Enoch's ascension so we know by parable that Enoch's destination was the temple, by that I mean the temple in heaven, the temple off of planet earth. Jesus visited the earthly temple as a prophetic act matching Enoch's chronology.

Modern Replay

There is, of course, a 30:1 repetition of the time line in play now. Enoch's ascension replayed on September 8, 2004. At the exact time time of the replay there was a large mushroom cloud spotted over North Korea. No further details except denials that it was anything interesting came through the media. I suspect it was either a deliberate or an accidental nuclear explosion. The prophetic story was simply "up to heaven in a cloud."

Another possible prophetic fulfillment for this date is NASA's Cassini mission to Saturn. This is more difficult to date since the probe has been flying for 7 years and will remain in Saturn's orbit for several more years.

Cassini started taking pictures of Saturn's moons in June, 2004, and made a maneuver marking the final approach to Saturn on July 1, 2004.

The only apparent significant event for Cassini's mission on the specific September prophetic date was a test, 4 days later, of the Huygens probe that would land on Titan in December, 2004.

Even without specific timing I suggest that the Cassini mission is the prophetic replay of Enoch's ascension in this time line replay.

The most important support of this claim that Cassini replays Enoch, is what the analysis of Saturn's moon Iapetus is now revealing.

Saturn's Moon Iapetus

Iapetus is one of the most unusual objects in our solar system. Since its discovery it has been known to be black on one side and white on the other. Depending on the angle of observation it looks a lot like a "yin-yang" symbol and as such as earned the nickname of the yin-yang planet.

Close up photographs reveal two other striking features. It has a ridge, about 12 miles high, around the planet at the equator. This ridge looks a lot like a mold line on a toy ball, though its size dwarfs any wall ever seen anywhere else.

The second feature being revealed in the photographs is the planet's facets. Instead of being a ball, like all other natural planets in the solar system, the surface of Iapetus is faceted, like a diamond, or geodesic dome. Faceting on the surface of Iapetus suggests the entire moon is artificial.

Think back to John's details of his visit to the New Jerusalem. John is shown a wall. Such a striking feature the angel measures it for him. The Iapetus photos don't reveal a thickness, but the wall is clearly visible all the way around. John says the city is like a jewel. That means the New Jerusalem is faceted, like any jewel. John was seeing a structure like Iapetus.

In all of the accounts, both written in the Bible, and seen in prophetic dreams, there is this 'sea of glass' or 'sea of ice' and something that reminds modern people of the Northern Lights. If this is really the right location, then these might be the rings of Saturn with some sort of lighting unknown to us. The rings are made out of water ice and form a type of sea.

The only strong miss is Iapetus' overall size. Iapetus appears to come up small, at least compared to normal understanding of John's New Jerusalem account in Revelation. NASA's calculations suggest Iapetus is 900 miles across. The New Jerusalem appears to be 1200 to 1500 miles across. But, this might be a problem with the translation, or with the technical meaning of the units used to report the size to us.

People will also likely object to the apparent square shape of the New Jerusalem. This I also take as a minor problem, one that may melt under careful study of the original Syriac texts.

A Prophetic Word

On June 4, 2004, I awoke with a prophetic dream. This is a common occurrence but the subject of this dream was anything but common. It appears to also be about Iapetus. The following are my notes from that morning.

In the dream there was commotion going on all around. Someone asked where we were going and I pointed into the sky and said, "There, Venus."

How could anyone live there? I was asked.

I said God was creating a new world there for us, that he was following the same plan as described in Genesis. Various stages to make a world.

I looked up and the planet was a ball of water in the sky.

I said the clouds were gone because he had removed the bad atmosphere and he would soon raise up continents out of the water.

The dream ended with a question about how to get there and I answered that the Lord would send his angel in order to get us moved.

Notes

Names in prophetic dreams are often given as substitutes for names I do not already know. "Venus" in this prophetic dream was likely a name substitute. (Or else I will share this with someone named Venus.) The name Venus is interesting because the Cassini mission first visited Venus on its way to the Saturn system. I did not know the name Iapetus until recently.

Timing for these remarkable scriptures show up in our generations at 2 times that I am aware of. The first is in the early part of 2006, when the 30:1 time line races ahead of history and starts showing us headline parables. I have no idea what those headlines might be, but this is the first change to figure it out.

The second set of possible timing, more important and likely after the general resurrection, is in 2029 AD. These dates are 7000 years from Noah's flood and key to the original flood prophecies for a future flood.

The final time these stories show up on the charts are about 6000 years from now when the human race turns 19,000 years old. The difference in possible headlines between our era and that future era is a matter of wild speculation.

Final Questions

Is this it? Is Iapetus the New Jerusalem?

I don't know.

The Enoch ascension prophetic word for September 2004, only needs a parable of the New Jerusalem. Iapetus certainly fills that need.

What the Iapetus discovery does is bring into the documented, measurable, scientific world, what was once only an obscure set of scripture references in the Bible. That such a place can exist is no longer a question for scientifically minded readers of the Bible. Moving from the unheard of, only imaginable, into the seen and measured is what is going on across our world in these days.

The question about the New Jerusalem now is where is it? Is there a bigger one, like Iapetus, somewhere else that we should be looking for? If Iapetus is the place, the question then becomes what is inside? How do we get inside?

John actually answers this last question later in his account:

66 Revelation 21:27 27ܘܠܐ ܢܗܘܐ ܬܡܢ ܟܠ ܛܡܐ ܘܕܥܒܕ ܡܤܝܒܘܬܐ ܘܕܓܠܘܬܐ ܐܠܐ ܐܢ ܐܝܠܝܢ ܕܟܬܝܒܢ ܒܟܬܒܗ ܕܐܡܪܐ ܀ (SYP)

66 Revelation 21:27 27And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lambs book of life.(KJV)

66 Revelation 21:27 27And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.(KJV/NC)

66 Revelation 21:27 27and there shall in no wise enter into it anything unclean, or he that maketh an abomination and a lie: but only they that are written in the Lamb's book of life.(ASV)

66 Revelation 21:27 27And there shall not enter into it anything which defiles nor he who works abominations and lies; only those shall enter whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life. (LAM)

66 Revelation 21:27 27But nothing unclean shall enter it, nor any one who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.(RSV)

66 Revelation 21:27 27Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.(NIV)

66 Revelation 21:27 27There will in no way enter into it anything profane, or one who causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.(WEB)

66 Revelation 21:27 27There will in no way enter into it anything profane, or one who causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.(WEB/HNV)

66 Revelation 21:27 27And there will not enter into it anything which defiles nor he who works abominations and lies; only those will enter whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life. (BRB)

If you want to enter into the New Jerusalem, you need your name written in the Lamb's book of life. How do you get your name written down there? By deciding to follow Jesus.

(And that promise is not dependent on knowing the nature of Iapetus, if you know what I mean.)

For further reading on the remarkable moon Iapetus I suggest Richard C Hoagland's series of articles that begin at http://www.enterprisemission.com/moon1.htm

Phil Stone

February 18, 2005, 2:00 PM, Pacific Time