New Jerusalem

Biblical Text

The New Jerusalem is the holy city in Revelation where God dwells with his people at the end of the age. The name appears in Revelation 3:12 (in the promise given to the church in Philadelphia) and in Revelation 21:2. In chapter 21, after the new heaven and the new earth appear, the city comes down out of heaven, "prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." God then declares that he will wipe away all tears and that there shall be no more death or sorrow (Revelation 21:1–4).

Revelation 21:9–22:5 describes the city as follows:

• Its twelve gates bear the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, and its twelve foundations bear the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb (Revelation 21:12–14).
• The city's length, breadth, and height are each twelve thousand furlongs (stadia), and its wall measures one hundred forty-four cubits.
• The city is made of pure gold, like clear glass. Its foundations are garnished with precious stones, and its gates are made of pearls.
• There is no temple in the city, for God and the Lamb are its temple, and it has no need of the sun or the moon.
• It contains the river of the water of life and the tree of life, and only those written in the Lamb's book of life may enter.

Background

The earthly Jerusalem was the capital of the Davidic dynasty and the site of the temple. The Old Testament prophets foretold a day when the city would be restored.

• Isaiah 65:17–25: speaks of new heavens and a new earth, together with a Jerusalem created as a rejoicing.
• Isaiah 54:11–12: depicts a city adorned with precious stones.
• Isaiah 60:19: speaks of a day when the LORD, rather than the sun, will be the light.
• Ezekiel 48:30–35: describes twelve gates named after the tribes and gives the city the name "Jehovah-shammah" ("The LORD is there").

The Greek word translated "new" is kainos. It is commonly explained as denoting newness in quality rather than newness in time.

Significance in the Whole of Scripture

The New Testament also speaks of the heavenly Jerusalem as a reality to which believers already belong. Paul compared "Jerusalem which is above" to the mother of the children of promise (Galatians 4:26). Hebrews says that believers have come to "the heavenly Jerusalem" (Hebrews 12:22) and refers to "a city which hath foundations" for which Abraham looked (Hebrews 11:10). Many interpreters hold that the city's cubic shape recalls the Holy of Holies in the temple (1 Kings 6:20). Some also see the reappearance of the tree of life from Eden as linking the beginning and the end of the Bible.

Interpretations and Issues

• Symbol or literal city: Many interpreters, including those in the Reformed tradition, point to the expression "the Lamb's wife" (Revelation 21:9–10) and therefore read the city as a symbol of the perfected people of God, that is, the church. In dispensationalism, it is often understood as a literal city.
• Timing: Views differ depending on how the millennium is understood. Some see the city as belonging to the eternal state after the millennium, while others see it as existing during the millennium as well.
• Nature of the new creation: One view holds that the present world will pass away and be created anew. Another holds that the present created order will be renewed (2 Peter 3:10–13, Romans 8:19–23).
• Ideas not found in the text: The text says that the city comes down from heaven to earth. In popular piety, however, the city is sometimes simply identified with the heaven to which people go after death. Stories are also told that each believer will receive a house of a different size, but the text does not directly say this.
• Interpretations of particular groups: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints affirms in its Articles of Faith that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent. The World Mission Society Church of God interprets "mother" in Galatians 4:26 as a basis for belief in "God the Mother." Many denominations reject this interpretation, noting that Paul explicitly identifies the passage as an allegory (Galatians 4:24).

In the Korean Church

Because of its comforting words, "there shall be no more death," Revelation 21:1–4 is frequently read at funeral services and memorial services. Expressions such as "streets of gold" and "pearly gates" are also commonly used in sermons and hymns to describe heaven.