The New Jerusalem is a city described in the Bible as the future dwelling place of God and redeemed humanity. It is referred to in several books of the Bible, most notably Revelation 21-22. Here is an overview of what the Bible teaches about the New Jerusalem:
The Origin and Location of the New Jerusalem
The New Jerusalem is said to come “down out of heaven from God” (Revelation 21:2). So its origin is heavenly and divine, not earthly. It is also described as the “holy city” (Revelation 21:2) and the “city of my God” (Revelation 3:12), indicating it belongs to God.
The specific location of the New Jerusalem is not defined. Revelation 21:2 states only that it will come “down out of heaven.” Some believe it will either hover over the earth or descend upon a renovated earth. The dimensions given in Revelation 21:16 suggest a massive city of about 1,400 miles by 1,400 miles by 1,400 miles.
The Design and Construction of the New Jerusalem
The New Jerusalem is constructed entirely of gold, pearls, and precious stones (Revelation 21:18-21). It has foundations decorated with jewels, gates made of giant pearls, and streets of gold. The entire city shines with the glory of God (Revelation 21:11). The proportions given in Revelation 21:16 suggest a cube-shaped city.
The materials reflect the splendor, beauty, and value of the city. The construction is perfect, symmetrical, and glorious. The city needs no sun or moon because God Himself illuminates it (Revelation 21:23). Overall, the description emphasizes the surpassing grandeur of the New Jerusalem.
The Purpose and Function of the New Jerusalem
The New Jerusalem serves several key purposes:
– It is the dwelling place of God. Revelation 21:3 says, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.” God’s presence fills the entire city.
– It is the dwelling place of Christ and the saints. Believers will inhabit the city in resurrection bodies (Revelation 21:7).
– It is the place of reward. The New Jerusalem is called the “city of my God” where Christ promises to write His “new name” on those who overcome (Revelation 3:12). Entering the city is presented as a reward for faithfulness.
– It restores Eden. The New Jerusalem contains the tree of life and river of life (Revelation 22:1-2) just as Eden did (Genesis 2:9-10). Access to the tree of life had been barred after the Fall (Genesis 3:22-24).
– It is the capital of the new creation. The New Jerusalem descends to a renewed earth (Revelation 21:1). As the city where God dwells among His people, it represents the capital and center of the new creation.
Key Attributes of the New Jerusalem
– Purity – Nothing unclean can enter it (Revelation 21:27). There is no sin, misery, pain, or death (Revelation 21:4, 27).
– Security – Its gates are never shut and it has no night (Revelation 21:25). The glory of God protects it wholly.
– Perfection – The entire city reflects symmetry, beauty, and perfection as God intended.
– Paradise Restored – The New Jerusalem contains references back to Eden, reversing the curse of sin.
– God’s Presence – God’s glory fills the entire city. His presence is perfect and complete.
– Eternal – The New Jerusalem lasts forever as the dwelling of God and His people. It represents eternal life and reward.
When Will the New Jerusalem Appear?
The Bible connects the appearance of the New Jerusalem with a sequence of end times events:
– The return of Christ (Revelation 19)
– The defeat of God’s enemies (Revelation 19:11-21)
– The resurrection and rapture of the saints (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
– The millennium (Revelation 20:1-6)
– The final judgment (Revelation 20:11-15)
– The renewal of heaven and earth (Revelation 21:1-8)
– The descent of the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:2)
This sequence suggests Christ must return and complete His victory before the New Jerusalem is established on the renewed earth as the dwelling of God and His people.
The Significance of the New Jerusalem
The concept of the New Jerusalem provides several important truths:
– God desires to fully dwell with His people. The New Jerusalem represents the restoration of perfect communion between God and humans. This was God’s intention from Genesis onwards.
– Salvation includes resurrection and reward. Entering the New Jerusalem signifies receiving new bodies and rewarded positions in the fullness of redemption.
– Creation will be renewed. The New Jerusalem comes to a renewed heavens and earth. God’s plan encompasses the redemption of all creation.
– Sin, curse, and death will be no more. The New Jerusalem is utterly devoid of sin, reflecting complete victory over the effects of the Fall.
– Hope motivates faithfulness. The vision of the New Jerusalem gives hope and encouragement to suffering believers to persevere in faith and good works.
– Heaven is a real, physical place. The vivid details of the New Jerusalem emphasize heaven is an actual locale, not just a spiritual state. Eternity includes a renewed physicality.
Interpreting the Imagery of the New Jerusalem
The vivid imagery of the New Jerusalem has led to much speculation about the exact nature of the city. However, biblical interpreters offer these guidelines:
– The language is symbolic, not literal. For example, streets of literal gold would be impractical. The precious stones and metals portray glory, beauty, and divinity.
– Specifics are less significant than the overall picture. Debating dimensions or materials misses the bigger point – the splendor and perfection of God’s dwelling with humanity.
– Revelation utilizes Old Testament imagery. Concepts like the cube shape may reference the Holy of Holies in Solomon’s temple (1 Kings 6:20). This utilizes familiar imagery to convey truths about God dwelling with man.
– God’s dwelling surpasses earthly limitations. Even the extravagant beauty of the imagery falls short of actually portraying the full glory of God’s presence. Human language cannot adequately capture heavenly realities.
– Focus on what is clearly stated. Speculation about uncertain details is unhelpful. Study should emphasize what the text clearly teaches about God’s purposes for creation and the future of the redeemed.
Contrasts Between the Present Earth and the New Jerusalem
| Present Earth | New Jerusalem |
|-|-|
| Imperfect | Perfect |
| Temporary | Eternal |
| Mortal | Immortal |
| Cursed | Uncursed |
| Polluted by sin | Pure and holy |
| Separated from God’s presence | God’s presence fully dwells |
| Night and darkness | No night, only God’s glory |
| Pain, sorrow, death | No more pain or sorrow or death |
| Natural materials like stone and wood | Supernatural materials like gold, pearls, jewels |
| Buildings crumble in time | Foundations are unshakeable |
| Created by humans | Constructed by God |
| Glories fade | Glories surpass anything known |
42 Bible Verses about the New Jerusalem
Here is a selection of 42 key Bible verses that mention or describe the New Jerusalem:
1. Revelation 21:2 – “And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”
2. Revelation 21:10 – “And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God,”
3. Revelation 3:12 – “The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.”
4. Revelation 21:3 – “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.”
5. Isaiah 65:18 – “But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and her people to be a gladness.”
6. Galatians 4:26 – “But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.”
7. Hebrews 11:10 – “For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.”
8. Hebrews 11:16 – “But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.”
9. Hebrews 12:22 – “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering,”
10. Hebrews 13:14 – “For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.”
11. Revelation 21:23 – “And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.”
12. Revelation 22:5 – “And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.”
13. Revelation 21:27 – “But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”
14. Revelation 22:3 – “No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him.”
15. Revelation 21:4 – “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
16. Isaiah 52:1 – “Awake, awake, put on your strength, O Zion; put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; for there shall no more come into you the uncircumcised and the unclean.”
17. Revelation 21:1-2 – “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”
18. Revelation 21:18 – “The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass.”
19. Isaiah 60:14 – “The sons of those who afflicted you shall come bending low to you, and all who despised you shall bow down at your feet; they shall call you the City of the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel.”
20. Psalm 87:3 – “Glorious things of you are spoken, O city of God.”
21. Revelation 22:2 – “Through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”
22. Isaiah 33:20 – “Behold Zion, the city of our appointed feasts! Your eyes will see Jerusalem, an untroubled habitation, an immovable tent, whose stakes will never be plucked up, nor will any of its cords be broken.”
23. Psalm 48:8 – “As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God, which God will establish forever.”
24. Revelation 21:21 – “And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.”
25. Zechariah 8:3 – “Thus says the Lord: I have returned to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts, the holy mountain.”
26. Ezekiel 40:2 – “In visions of God he brought me to the land of Israel, and set me down on a very high mountain, on which was a structure like a city to the south.”
27. Revelation 21:16 – “The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia. Its length and width and height are equal.”
28. Revelation 21:25 – “And its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there.”
29. 2 Peter 3:13 – “But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”
30. John 14:2 – “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?”
31. Revelation 22:14 – “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.”
32. Psalm 46:4 – “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High.”
33. Revelation 21:22 – “And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.”
34. Revelation 21:24 – “By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it,”
35. Revelation 22:19 – “And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.”
36. Revelation 21:12 – “It 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”
37. Ezekiel 48:35 – “The circumference of the city shall be 18,000 cubits. And the name of the city from that time on shall be, The Lord Is There.”
38. Psalm 126:1 – “When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream.”
39. Isaiah 52:9 – “Break forth together into singing, you waste places of Jerusalem, for the Lord has comforted his people; he has redeemed Jerusalem.”
40. Isaiah 33:6 – “And he will be the stability of your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is Zion’s treasure.”
41. Isaiah 62:7 – “And give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth.”
42. Psalm 137:6 – “Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy!”
Summary
In summary, the New Jerusalem is the holy city where God will fully dwell with His redeemed people on the renewed earth. This gloriously designed metropolis represents the culmination of God’s purposes – the restoration of perfect communion between God and humankind. As the Bible’s final chapters describe, the New Jerusalem signifies the climax of salvation history and the beginning of a new creation unmarred by sin, death, and brokenness. The promise of the New Jerusalem powerfully conveys the believer’s eternal hope and God’s ultimate triumph.