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The New Jerusalem: Future Home of the BelieversAlfred B. Davis
Posted: August 17, 2021
In John 14:1-3, Jesus says:
"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."
Later, in Revelation 21:2, John writes:
"And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband."
I believe there is a direct connection between these two passages. In the Gospel of John, Jesus is telling His followers that He is going, future tense, to prepare a place. In the Book of Revelation, John sees, in the future, a prepared place. Also, Jesus told His disciples that He was going to prepare a place for them, meaning the Believers. And, in Revelation 21, John sees a place, the New Jerusalem, that has been prepared as the dwelling place for the Bride of Christ.
This prepared place, which John called the New Jerusalem, is exciting to think about because it appears to be the eternal home of the Believers of this current age. By this current age, I mean the time between the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the rapture, or catching away (1 Thessalonians 4:13), of Believers. This period is sometimes referred to as the Age of Grace or the Church Age.
The Believers in this age make up a unique group, referred to in Scripture as the Bride of Christ. Paul, for instance, writes in 2 Corinthians 11:2, "For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ." In Romans 7:4, he says, "Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God."
In John 3:28-29, John the Baptist indicates that Believers from other ages are not part of the Bride of Christ, but make up the friends of the Bridegroom (Jesus):
"Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled."
Believers from other ages would include the pre-flood Believers, the post-flood Believers prior to the cross (including both Jew and Gentile), Tribulation Believers, and Millennial Believers. As we will see later, these Believers will have access to the New Jerusalem, but it will not be their dwelling place.
After mentioning the New Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven in Revelation 21:2, John is told by an angel in verse 9, "Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife." John describes it in Revelation 21:10-14 by saying:
"And 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, Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; And 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: On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb."
Since the angel has told John that he was going to show him "the bride, the Lamb's wife" and then shows John "that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God", it is reasonable to conclude that the city is the dwelling place of the Bride of Christ. After all, if I wanted to show you someone, taking you to the place where that person lives would be a reasonable thing to do. Consequently, looking at what the Bible says about the New Jerusalem will give us a peek at the future home of the Believers.
The first thing we learn about the New Jerusalem is that it is a prepared place. As we saw in Revelation 21:2, John is shown the city "coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." Again, this corresponds to the comment Jesus made in John 14:1-3 that He was planning to go and prepare a place for us.
Hebrews 11:16 also supports this idea:
"But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city."
This means that God in His infinite wisdom and power is preparing a place for us that is beyond our current ability to comprehend. Or, as Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 2:9:
"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him."
We do, however, get a glimpse of what the New Jerusalem will be like from John's description of it in Revelation chapters 21 and 22.
The first thing that John notes in Revelation 21:11 is that the New Jerusalem has "the glory of God" with light shining out from it "like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal." Jasper, today, refers to an opaque form of quartz found in several colors, the jasper of the Bible was likely a clear, greenish stone, similar to an emerald. In fact, the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica article about jasper says:
"Although the term jasper is now restricted to opaque quartz it is certain that the ancient jaspis ... was a stone of considerable translucency. The jasper of antiquity was in many cases distinctly green, for it is often compared with the emerald and other green objects. Jasper is referred to in the Niebelungenlied as being clear and green."
John then goes on to describe the city in verses 12-13 as having: "a wall great and high", with 12 gates. The 12 gates he describes as having angels standing by them and bearing the names of the12 tribes of the children of Israel. He also notes that there are three gates on each side of the city: "On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates." Additionally, in verse 14, John says that "the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb."
In verse 16 John gives us the shape of the city and its dimensions. He describes it as "foursquare," saying that the "length and the breadth and the height of it are equal." Each side is measured to be twelve thousand furlongs, which is about 1500 miles. For perspective, 1500 miles is roughly the distance between the eastern edge of Ohio and the western edge of Colorado.
How much space the New Jerusalem contains is mind boggling. There are two shapes that fit the description of the city having equal length, breadth, and height: cube and pyramid. If it were a cube, as some believe, it would contain some 3,375,000,000 cubic miles. Or, if it is a pyramid, as I think is more likely, it would still contain about 1,125,000,000 cubic miles. To help put it in perspective, the volume of Pluto is about 1,532,385,114 cubic miles. In either case, the city would have an immense base of 2,250,000 square miles.
Clearly, then, it would be physically impossible for the New Jerusalem to set on the earth. However, the Bible never says that the city will be place on the earth. Instead, the Bible describes the city as "coming down from God out of heaven" (Revelation 21:2) and "descending out of heaven from God" (Revelation 21:10). Consequently, it may be that the New Jerusalem is placed in orbit around the earth, possibly in a geosynchronous orbit. This idea is supported by the statement in Revelation 21:24 that "the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it".
The light of the New Jerusalem comes from the presence of God Himself in the city:
"And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof." (Revelation 21:22-23)
The light shining forth from the New Jerusalem will be an incredible sight. It will be reflected and refracted through and by the walls and streets of the city, which are described in Revelation 21:18-21:
"And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. And 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; The 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. And 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."
Interestingly, this is reminiscent of the role that Lucifer once fulfilled. Ezekiel 28:13-14 tells us:
"Thou [Lucifer] hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire."
Just as Lucifer once reflected the glory of God, the Bride of Christ will, in the New Jerusalem, reflect the glory of God in the future.
Further support for the idea that the New Jerusalem is the future home for the Believers of this age comes from Revelation 21:24-26, where John tells us:
"And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it."
These nations and the kings of the earth apparently are made up of Believers from other dispensations. They would include the pre-Flood Believers, the Believers from the times of the Patriarchs prior to the Law, and the Jewish and Gentile Believers from the time of the Law to the Cross. They would also include the Tribulation Saints and the Millennial Saints. These Believers appear to have their home on the New Earth but will be welcome to visit the New Jerusalem at any time.
Another intriguing aspect of the New Jerusalem is that it may well serve as the gateway between heaven and earth, between the spiritual realm and the physical. Remember, in the Bible the entrance to the spiritual heaven was often pictured as being in the clouds. If the New Jerusalem is in orbit above the New Earth, then it would seem the likely place to provide access for humans and angels to move between the spiritual and physical realms throughout eternity future.
And, since Revelation 21:22 tells us that "the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it" it seems the throne room of God, described in Revelation chapter 4, may well be relocated in the New Jerusalem. Perhaps, and this is speculation on my part, the city, or at least the part where God's throne is located, will exist simultaneously in both the spiritual and physical realms. This is especially intriguing if the New Jerusalem is a shaped like a pyramid.
Consider, for instance, 1 Peter 2:4-8 where Peter writes to Believers:
"To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed."
The Bride of Christ is described as a "spiritual house" with Jesus Christ as the "chief corner stone," who is also "made the head of the corner." He is also called, however, "the stone which the builders disallowed," "a stone of stumbling," and "a rock of offence." This interesting description perfectly describes the chief corner stone of a pyramid which becomes the head of the corner. This stone is the last stone to be put in position. It is placed at the top as the capstone and completes the pyramid. Until then it is "a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence" to the builders, just like Jesus is to "them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed." Also, it is the only stone that bears the shape of the entire structure. In fact, it can be said that the whole building takes the shape of the chief corner stone, reflecting the Bible's teaching that we are to become Christlike.
There is much more to consider about the wonderous dwelling place that Jesus Christ is preparing even now for those who choose to put their faith in Him as their Lord and Saviour. Unfortunately, time and space, as well as the limitations of our current understanding of God's glories prevent us from fully grasping the incredible place the God is preparing for us.
Again, as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2:9:
"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him."
Will you be there? God wants you to be there and you can if you will confess your sin, put your faith in Jesus Christ, and call upon Him to save you. Otherwise, you will be unable to enter in because, as John tells us in Revelation 21:27 and 8:
"And 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."
"But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."