THE BILTMORE
READ REVELATION 22:10-24
The year 1892 was the height of the Guilded Age in American history, an era marked by unprecedented wealth belonging to a forward-looking group of entrepreneurs. At least 100 millionaires acquired fortunes exceeding $10 million dollars, an unheard-of sum of money at that time. It was estimated that nine percent of American families controlled 71 percent of the nation’s wealth. [1]
One of the most colorful and well-known families of this upper class was the Vanderbilt family. Patriarch Cornelius Vanderbilt, also known as The Commodore, began his career in the shipping industry carrying passengers on a ferryboat from the New York harbor. Later in life, he expanded his enterprise to railroads. After a lifetime of ambitious business dealings, he amassed a personal fortune of $105 million. At age 83, he was richer by far than anyone in the United States. [2] The Commodore died in 1877, leaving his vast wealth to two sons, eight daughters, 16 grandsons, and 17 granddaughters. [3]
In the winter of 1888, the 26-year-old grandson, George Vanderbilt, traveled with his mother to the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina for relief from the harsh cold of New York City. George was inspired by the majesty of the area and envisioned building a retreat home near the mountain-crowned city of Ashville, North Carolina.
Investing his portion of the family inheritance, George purchased an enormous tract of land in 1889 to build Biltmore Manor. He commissioned world-renowned architects and landscape designers to create an estate of distinction. The plans for the French Renaissance-style four-story mansion were modeled after three sixteenth century chateaux in Loire Valley, France.[4] Its construction required hundreds of local laborers and skilled artisans who handled countless tons of materials such as limestone, wood, and brick. A special railroad spur was built to transport materials to the site.
As the work progressed at home, George and his wife, Edith, traveled extensively throughout Europe to select artwork, tapestries, and furnishings to make the interior equally as impressive as the exterior. Six years later, in 1895, George Vanderbilt unveiled Biltmore Estates to his family and friends.
The carriage ride from the railroad station to the house was three miles, described as “magical miles”[5] of enchanting natural sights. The road design purposefully had no open views until, at the end, the forest opened up. There, the summit of a leveled mountain offered visages of the French Board River and the Swannanoa River with the Great Smoky Mountains rising in the background. As breathtaking as those views were, they were secondary to the sight of Biltmore Manor, the largest private residence built so far in the United States.
Sprawling with acres of floor space, the 250-room chateau featured a magnificent dining hall, 33 family and guest bedrooms, 43 bathrooms with indoor plumbing, 65 fireplaces, three kitchens, electricity, and an indoor swimming pool. The surreal grounds encompassed 125,000 acres of forest, farms, a dairy, a 250-acre wooded park, five manicured pleasure gardens, and 30 miles of navigable roads. The final price tag was about five million dollars, the equivalent of $180 million today.
Inside, the opulence of this “mountain retreat” was unparalleled with its worldly wealth on display. All of this was unveiled on Christmas Eve to the surprise of the family coming in from New York. They had no prior knowledge of the scope of the project and were utterly amazed at the ingenuity of young George, deeming him worthy of the name Vanderbilt.
The legacy of the Biltmore lives on as one of America’s most celebrated tourist attractions. Nearby hotels house travelers who come to take in the history and splendor of the well-preserved mansion. A staff of eager volunteers help answer tourist’s questions and self-guided tours using headphones aid visitors to browse the rooms at their own pace. The recorded dialogue they hear allows folks to step back in time to imagine daily life at the manor.
For anyone who has toured or seen pictures of Biltmore Estates, it is truly a mesmerizing “city on a hill.” Yet, as exhilarating as those sights may be, they can’t compare to the eternal “city on a hill,” the New Jerusalem, described in the Book of Revelation. Here we look forward to what will be, instead of looking back at what was. “For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.” (Hebrews 13:14)
Jesus put His followers at ease by telling them that He was going to a place to build them a future home with Him. “Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.” (John 14:1-2) Just like George Vanderbilt who traveled to the scenic mountains of North Carolina to construct a retreat for family and friends, exclusively with their comfort in mind, so Jesus assures people of the same preparation. The Greek language translates “heavenly dwellings” as “mansions.” Thus, it is appropriate to use the Biltmore as the visual for our eternal destiny.
Years after Christ ascended into heaven, the Apostle John described the city Jesus had built. John was caught up by the Holy Spirit in a futuristic vision while a prisoner on the Isle of Patmos and wrote about what he saw. “And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain and showed me the holy city from God having the glory of God, her brilliance was like a very costly stone, as a stone of crystal-clear jasper.” (Revelation 21: 10-11)
John cites the layout of the city as a square measuring 1,500 miles in length, width, and depth, figured in human measurements and angelic measurements. The brilliance of the materials Jesus used are beyond our comprehension. The city has no need of illumination from the sun or the moon because the glory of God provides its light. Interestingly, we will help decorate the facility by bringing the glory of our works for God with us when we get there.
Like the pure mountain waters flowing alongside the Biltmore, so the river of the water of life, clear as crystal, flows from God’s throne. Along with the Tree of Life, this eternal water keeps everything and everyone vibrant and alive forevermore. “And on either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” (Revelation 22:2) Upon arrival, we will be healed of earth’s disease, discomfort, and weakness. Our minds will be at perfect peace and our hearts will overflow with joy. We will realize our forever freedom from planet earth’s pain, trauma, and fears.
Most notably, we will co-exist with God Himself, never again to be separated from Him by sin. We will no longer suffer from the Spector of death. Nor will we become bogged down and discouraged from the inglorious drudgery of life on earth.
Like turning the corner of that winding road to the Biltmore, the view of our future opens up when we read this description in Revelation. This is the place that Christ has prepared for those who put their hope in Him. How is this possible? We don’t know and we won’t know until we arrive there. But just like every home has a front door key to enter, the key that allows our entrance to the holy city is belief in God and in Jesus. Believe that this fantastic revelation is a true place. Convince yourself that what you read is ready and real.
Accept and internalize the teachings of Jesus as right, true, and worth following. Believe that Jesus is the resurrected Savior, sitting on heaven’s throne, alive and capable of loving you right where you are. Realize that God, the ultimate Architect, will lead you on His righteous path towards Him until you reach your destination in His waiting, loving arms.
[1] Fortune’s Children, P. 264
[2] Ibid, P. 49
[3] Ibid, P. 53
[4] The Biltmore, P. 14
[5] Fortune’s Children, P. 272
