The Book of Life

 

The Bible speaks of a book in heaven that lists the names of all the people who will inherit eternal life. Will your name be included in the Book of Life?

God reveals through His servants, the prophets, that He has a very special book. This is currently an open book containing a registry of names. God deems very precious the individuals whose names are being recorded in it.

This unique book was not made with human hands. Instead, it exists in the heavenly realm. It belongs to Jesus Christ and is called “the Lamb’s Book of Life” (Revelation 21:27). To have one’s name written in this book means that one is considered righteous before God and will inherit eternal life provided he or she remains faithful to the end (Revelation 3:5). To have one’s name blotted out of this book signifies a fate of eternal death (Revelation 3:5; 20:15).

The first mention of this Book of Life is when Moses offered to have his name erased from it. Speaking to God, Moses said, “Oh, these people have committed a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold! Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written” (Exodus 32:31-32).

God replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book” (verse 33). As noble as Moses’ intentions may have been to protect his fellow Israelites from God’s wrath, God will not negotiate with people’s salvation in this way.

Who is currently in the Book of Life?

The Book of Life contains the names of those who have been spiritually converted and who have dedicated their lives to the service of God. Like other servants of God, Moses understood that his name was already written in the Book of Life (Exodus 32:31-32).

Jesus said that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the prophets will be in the Kingdom of God, so their names are certainly in the Book of Life (Luke 13:28). Jesus further told His disciples to “rejoice because your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20). The apostle Paul wrote a letter citing the names of a few faithful brethren alive at the time “whose names are written in the Book of Life” (Philippians 4:3).

What faithful believers have in common with the patriarchs and prophets of old is that they all share the same gift of the Holy Spirit (1 Peter 1:10-12; 2 Peter 1:21). Having God’s Holy Spirit is the key to being granted eternal life in the Kingdom of God (Romans 8:9, 11). Those who will be in God’s Kingdom will have their names in the Book of Life (Malachi 3:16-17).

Can a name be erased from the Book of Life?

God was very clear that a person’s name can be removed from the Book of Life: “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book” (Exodus 32:33).

At the end of the book of Revelation, a warning stands as a guard defending God’s truth. “For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life” (Revelation 22:18-19).

In the last days, there will be a global resurgence of a false religious system. God says this system of worship of a man will be synonymous with worshipping Satan the devil (Revelation 13:4). The deception will be so great that “all who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (verse 8).

Only those who resist participating in this system of worship will be rewarded for their victory over Satan (Revelation 15:2; 17:8; 20:4). See our article “What Is Babylon?” to better understand this false system.

A promise to the faithful

The prophet Daniel, while being given a vision of “a time of trouble” at the end of the age, was told: “At that time your people shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the book [of life]” (Daniel 12:1).

The apostle John was given a vision even farther into the future of “the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God” (Revelation 21:10). It was revealed to John that “there shall by no means enter it [the holy city] anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life” (verse 27).

The prophet Malachi was given a message of correction and warning for God’s wayward people, the Israelites. God still loved His people, though they had strayed from His laws; but He now demanded honor, faithfulness and obedience from them.

God then inspired Malachi to share a wonderful promise of hope. God would grant to those who fear Him the reward of eternal life in the Kingdom of God. They would be identified in a registry called a “book of remembrance” (Malachi 3:16).

This “book of remembrance” is a reference to the Book of Life. As Malachi noted: “Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, and the LORD listened and heard them; so a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the LORD and who meditate on His name. ‘They shall be Mine,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him’” (Malachi 3:16-17).

This fear of the Lord that Malachi spoke of is a healthy respect and love for God. To fear God and to keep His commandments is the whole duty of man (Ecclesiastes 12:13). To love God is to keep His commandments (1 John 2:5; 5:3).

God remembers the faithful deeds of “those who fear the LORD and who meditate on His name.”God remembers the faithful deeds of “those who fear the LORD and who meditate on His name” (Malachi 3:16). This means their godly conversations with each other are being listened to intently, and every act of kindness and mercy is being noted (Matthew 10:42; 25:34-40). To those who care for the needs of others, we’re reminded, “For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name” (Hebrews 6:10).

What else does God keep a record of?

Even the struggles of trying to live a godly life against hardship and temptation appear to be recorded in heaven. David, who was destined to be Israel’s next king, asked God to remember his suffering during a low point in his life when he was surrounded by enemies. He said, “You number my wanderings; put my tears into Your bottle; are they not in Your book?” (Psalm 56:8).

Nehemiah may have been making reference to a heavenly record as he prayed: “Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and do not wipe out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God, and for its services!” (Nehemiah 13:14).

Is there also a record of men’s sins in heaven?

The simple truth is that we will be judged for what we do (Isaiah 66:15-16; Romans 1:18-32). Solomon said, “For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:14).

Jesus Christ, after His return and during His judgment of mankind, “will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts” (1 Corinthians 4:5). While here on earth, Jesus also said, “I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:36-37).

While the scriptures we have just seen do not necessarily imply that there is a written record of men’s sins, the reality is that God knows everything we do. And because God has perfect memory, there is indeed a record.

Thankfully, there is a way to have our sins blotted out and remembered no more by God (Hebrews 8:12). This forgiveness is made possible by Jesus Christ paying our death penalty for us, if we repent and accept it.

Through the prophet Ezekiel, God says, “Again, when a wicked man turns away from the wickedness which he committed, and does what is lawful and right, he preserves himself alive. Because he considers and turns away from all the transgressions which he committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die” (Ezekiel 18:27-28). When a wicked man repents of his sins, “none of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him” (verse 22).

When people repent, God also declares through the prophet Isaiah: “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins” (Isaiah 43:25). For more understanding on this subject, see the article “Judgments of God: The Real Story.”

The basis of God’s judgment

The prophet Daniel, describing the vision he was given of God’s throne room where judgment takes place, said: “I watched till thrones were put in place, and the Ancient of Days was seated. … The court was seated, and the books were opened” (Daniel 7:9-10).  

The apostle John was also given a vision of God’s future judgment. John recounted: “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened” (Revelation 20:11-12).

These books represent the books of the Bible, which contain God’s law—the standard by which everyone’s deeds will be judged. “And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books” (verse 12).

John, still recounting his vision, then explained that an additional book was opened: “And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life” (verse 12). When the process of judgment is finished, the record of names will be examined and “anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire” (verse 15).

Are people predestined to be in the Book of Life?

Because of the wording of several scriptures that mention the Book of Life, some have wondered if God determined at the foundation of the world, prior to the existence of any human, whether or not each person would be in the Book of Life.

Passages from which this question arises include:

• “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will” (Ephesians 1:3-5).
• “The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is” (Revelation 17:8). 

What exactly was predestined from the foundation of the world?

From the foundation of the world, God’s plan was predestined. God the Father and the Word (the One who came to earth as Jesus) agreed, from the outset, to the plan that the latter would die for the sins of mankind so humans could be forgiven of their sins and become part of God’s eternal family. This is clearly attested to in Revelation 13:8, where Jesus is referred to as “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”

In addition, from the foundation of the world, God predestined that some humans would be called in this age for an opportunity to become members of His eternal family, and the majority would be called later. Additional passages make it clear that humans are free moral agents who, upon receiving knowledge of God’s expectations, have to decide whether they will act on that knowledge or not.

Our loving God is not willing that any should perish. Instead, He wants all men to repent and be saved.This is why Jesus urged people to “repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). And this is why Paul spoke of God taking vengeance “on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 1:8). Noting that judgment had begun at the house of God, Peter asked, “What will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?” (1 Peter 4:17).

Our loving God is not willing that any should perish. Instead, He wants all men to repent and be saved (2 Peter 3:9; 1 Timothy 2:4). The warnings issued by Jesus and His disciples and the clear desire of God would make no sense if God had purposefully created some humans to fail.

The Bible teaches that we humans must choose what course of action we will take and that we will be judged by God for the choices we make. In the next sections we will consider what God expects of us if we are to have our names written in the Book of Life.

For further study, see the article “What Is Predestination?”

When is a name entered into the Book of Life?

The apostle Paul explains that the initial step toward salvation is for a person to believe the gospel message of Jesus Christ. “In him you also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, which is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:13-14, Revised Standard Version).

Upon receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit, at that moment a person is begotten into the spiritual family of God (Romans 8:14, 16). When a believer receives the Holy Spirit, the seal of promise, he or she joins the “general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven” (Hebrews 12:23). Thus, a person’s name is entered into the Book of Life.

What must I do to have my name in the Book of Life?

For God to record our names in the Book of Life, we must repent of our sins, be baptized and become spiritually converted. (See more about the process of conversion in our booklet Change Your Life.) Water baptism symbolizes one’s lifelong commitment to follow God’s way of life (Acts 2:38).

Jesus told His followers, “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him” (John 6:27). Why is it so important for us to do this?

Jesus Christ declares, “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels” (Revelation 3:5).

For more on this subject, see “Is Your Name in the Book of Life?” To better understand what it means to overcome, we encourage you to read the articles in the “Change” section of this website.

What Are the New Heaven and New Earth?

 

In Revelation 21, John described seeing “a new heaven and a new earth.” What is the meaning of his prophetic vision? What will the new heaven and earth be like?

Revelation 21 is an amazing prophecy about what God has in store for the future of our world. Here’s what John wrote about the vision he saw:

“Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea” (Revelation 21:1).

What is the meaning of “a new heaven and a new earth”? What will this new heaven and earth be like? What will happen to our current heaven and earth?

The time setting of the new heaven and earth

To understand this prophecy, it is necessary to understand the context or time setting to which it refers. The book of Revelation contains prophecies of events leading up to the return of Christ to earth and the establishment of God’s Kingdom on earth that will follow.

After Christ returns, He will reign for 1,000 years with His glorified saints. These saints will be resurrected to immortal, spirit life in the first resurrection, which will take place when Christ returns (1 Corinthians 15:50-52; Revelation 20:4, 6).

To learn more about the return of Jesus Christ, read our article “Second Coming of Christ.”

After this initial reign of 1,000 years (often called the Millennium), Revelation 20:5 tells us that all other humans who have lived and died through human history will then be resurrected: “But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years [the Millennium] were finished.”

The “rest of the dead” refers to the vast majority of all people who have ever lived and died. Verses 12-13 show that these humans will be resurrected to a time of judgment. (By contrast, now is the time of judgment for those God calls out of this present world, as shown in 1 Peter 4:17. But the criteria of judgment—the books of the Bible, God’s revealed instruction—are the same for all people, no matter which resurrection they’re in.)

By the end of that period of judgment, all who embrace God’s way will be given eternal life (their names being entered into the Book of Life), and those who reject God’s way will be “cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15).

Verse 14 explains that this condemnation to the lake of fire is “the second death” (emphasis added throughout). Their first death was the end of their lives in this world (also see Revelation 21:8). This “second death” is final—a death from which there will be no hope of a resurrection.

This “lake of fire” is also called “hell fire” in other places in Scripture. The Greek word translated hell in many of these scriptures is “Gehenna,” which is another name for the valley of Hinnom (located in the southern part of Jerusalem).

It appears the “lake of fire” will be in the valley of Hinnom in Jerusalem. But the book of Revelation shows it will encompass much more than this valley. It will actually be instrumental in leading to the new heaven and earth.

The lake of fire

The lake of fire is described as getting much larger in 2 Peter 3: “But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men” (verse 7). So after all “ungodly” men are destroyed in the lake of fire, the heavens and earth will then be destroyed by fire.

Now notice verse 10: “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.”

The Greek word for “heavens” in this verse includes the sky or atmosphere above the earth, which will be ignited as well. So both the earth and its atmosphere will be “burned up.”

Peter continues, “Looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt [liquefy] with fervent heat?” (verse 12). The physical elements of our earth and sky will melt and dissolve.

New heaven(s) and earth

“Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (verse 13).

The Greek word Peter uses for “new” is kainos, which refers to a state of freshness, rather than the Greek word neos, which means new in terms of age. Whether the earth is entirely consumed by this fire or the surface is melted and thereby purified, the end result will still be a planet that is “new”—remade or refashioned by God. We see that it is still called the “earth” and that the heavens will likewise be made “new.”

Psalm 102:25-26 compares this future transformation to putting on a new garment: “Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You will endure; yes, they will all grow old like a garment; like a cloak You will change them, and they will be changed.”

Again, whether God will replace existing stars and planets with new ones or transform those now existing into a new state or configuration that endures forever is something we will find out when the time comes.

In Revelation 21:1 John writes, “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.”

John here uses the same Greek word for “new” that Peter used, which means a state of freshness. He also uses the singular word “heaven,” rather than the plural that Peter used. Perhaps John simply means all that is seen from the earth, which would include the atmosphere and all that is seen in the night sky.

The Greek word that John uses for “passed away” in Revelation 21:1 conveys the idea of things that have come and gone, perished, meaning they no longer exist.

Why will there be a new heaven and earth?

If heaven—God’s current abode—were the eternal reward of the righteous, as traditional Christianity teaches, then there would be no purpose for a new earth. But the Bible shows that heaven is not the reward of the righteous. Instead, Jesus plainly taught: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5).

What will be so special about inheriting the earth instead of heaven?

If heaven—God’s current abode—were the eternal reward of the righteous, as traditional Christianity teaches, then there would be no purpose for a new earth.First, we know that God is going to transform this earth into a pure, fresh, beautiful new earth.

Notice what will happen next: “Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Revelation 21:2).

Upon this newly refashioned earth will descend a dazzling, enormous city that extends some 1,500 miles in each direction!

Verses 9-27 describe this incredible city in more detail. Even Abraham, the “father of all those who believe” (Romans 4:11), looked forward to this future city: “For he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Hebrews 11:10).

Verse 16 also makes clear that God has prepared this city for His faithful elect: “Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.” And again in Hebrews 13:14: “For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come.”

Why such a huge city? When Christ returns in the near future, He will reign from Jerusalem, making it the capital of the earth. But when New Jerusalem is on earth, it will become the capital of the entire universe!

It will even become the new residence of God the Father Himself! Notice Revelation 21:3: “And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.’” Verse 22 adds: “But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.”

Yes, God the Father and Jesus Christ will ultimately dwell on earth! We are not going to heaven to dwell with God.

So why will the heavens—all the planets, stars and galaxies—also be made new or fresh? God has revealed a few hints in Scripture. Romans 8:19, 21-22 says, “For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. … Because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption [decay] into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.”

Here the apostle Paul relates a glimpse of what the future has in store for us; and that future is connected with the “whole creation.” He is saying the entire universe will eventually come into the care of glorified saints!

Currently, the physical creation is subject to entropy—the continual winding down of all physical things. Left alone, the earth would eventually deteriorate and become uninhabitable. Left alone, all stars—including our sun—would eventually exhaust their fuel and burn out. This is why God will “make all things new” (Revelation 21:5).

God’s glorified immortal saints won’t live in a world in a constant state of decay. They will live on an earth and under a heaven that is eternal.

To learn more about this future time, read “The Prophesied Restoration of All Things.”

The saints will inherit “all things”

An intriguing question to God, along with an astounding answer, is found in the book of Hebrews: “‘What is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man that You take care of him? You have made him a little lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor, and set him over the works of Your hands. You have put all things in subjection under his feet.’ For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him” (Hebrews 2:6-8).

Verse 5 shows that “the world to come” will not come under the control of angels, but of humans, who will by then be glorified spirit beings.

This prophecy reveals that God made humans temporarily lower than angels (as verse 9 shows even Christ was, as a human on earth). But the potential God has in store for humans is that they become glorified, spirit members of His own divine family and take ownership of the whole creation.

“All things” includes all planets, stars and galaxies in a creation that is so extensive it is staggering. Some astronomers now estimate that there are 200 to 500 billion galaxies or more, each containing billions of stars! Numbers such as these are impossible for us to comprehend; but they exceed the number of humans who have ever lived through all history!

In Hebrews 1:2 we see that God has appointed Christ as the heir of “all things.” And Romans 8:17 says the glorified saints will become joint heirs with Christ. Revelation 21:7 reiterates, “He who overcomes shall inherit all things.”

What God has in store for our future is so fantastic we cannot yet fully grasp all the details (compare 1 John 3:2).

To learn more about the future God wants to give you, download our free booklet God’s Purpose for You: Discovering Why You Were Born.

God’s ever-increasing Kingdom

Isaiah 9:6 prophesies Christ’s first coming to the earth as a human and His second coming as a king to administer the government of God in His Kingdom. Verse 7 then says, “Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end.” 

Notice that God’s governmental realm will never stop increasing. At some point, God’s Kingdom—containing life and activity—will expand beyond the earth to other planets, star systems and galaxies. And by then they will all have been made “new” and will remain forever.

The future we have to look forward to in the new earth and new heavens is truly beyond our ability to comprehend. But a prophecy God gave through David is a positive promise to always keep in mind: “You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11).

In Christ’s letters to the seven churches of Revelation, He makes it clear that if we want to be there, we must be overcomers and totally faithful to God now (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21).

That is how we can be there to see and live in this exciting new heaven and earth!

Read more about this wonderful future in the article “New Jerusalem.”

New Jerusalem

 

Streets of gold with St. Peter standing at the pearly gates—many Christians expect to see these in heaven. Are they really looking for the New Jerusalem?

Much of the popular imagery of heaven actually comes from Revelation 21, where we find the most extensive description of New Jerusalem in the Bible. However, as we will see, what the Bible describes is quite different from the popular view—and is much more exciting!

In addition to the many prophecies in the Old Testament showing that God will transform and elevate the current city of Jerusalem into the capital city of the earth after Christ’s return (see, for instance, Joel chapters 2 and 3 and Zechariah chapters 12 and 14), passages in the New Testament explain that there is another Jerusalem being prepared for God’s people.

Hebrews 12:22 refers to it as “heavenly Jerusalem” and Revelation 3:12 identifies it as “New Jerusalem.” The Old Testament patriarch Abraham anticipated dwelling in this city. As Hebrews 11:10 notes, Abraham “waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.”

It is vitally important to understand that Revelation 21 teaches us that New Jerusalem is a very real city that will actually come down to this earth in the future. It is not simply an imaginary reward for Christians. Furthermore, Revelation 21 is not a description of heaven itself or of anyone going to heaven. In fact, the Bible clearly states that humans do not go to heaven upon their death (John 3:13; 7:34; 8:22; 13:33; Acts 2:34). For a more complete explanation of this truth, see “Do We Go to Heaven When We Die?”

Background of New Jerusalem

The time setting for Revelation 21, where we read most extensively about New Jerusalem, is quite different from today’s world. In brief summary, by the time we come to Revelation 21, this present evil world will have come and gone, Jesus Christ will have come down to the earth to set up God’s Kingdom and He will have reigned upon the earth for 1,000 years—a period of time commonly called the “Millennium.”

After the Millennium, the vast majority of all humans who have ever lived and died through human history will be resurrected to live another physical lifetime (still on earth)—except this time without Satan present and with the truth of God and eternal life offered to everyone. Christ will be the King over the whole earth. This time period is known as the “great white throne” judgment period (Revelation 20:11-12).

After this judgment period is concluded, a fire will engulf the entire planet, melting all the elements and works of earth’s history (2 Peter 3:10-13). After this fire—also known as the “lake of fire” (Revelation 19:20; 20:10, 14)—has finished burning, a pure, transformed new earth will be in place—one which can never grow old or corrupt (Isaiah 65:17; 66:22). It is this new earth upon which the city of New Jerusalem will descend.

New Jerusalem comes to earth

Explaining what he saw in vision, the apostle John wrote: “Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Revelation 21:2). Here we notice that God the Father is still in heaven at this point and that this city is from Him; He had a part in preparing it.

Notice that this city was specially prepared “as a bride adorned for her husband.”

Here we see that God the Father’s new place of residence will be earth, dwelling with His human-made-immortal family.As for the residents of this city, Revelation 3:12 identifies overcomers of this age as the inhabitants of New Jerusalem: “He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. 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 out of heaven from My God” (emphasis added throughout). Notice also Hebrews 11:10, 16 showing that this city is prepared for God’s faithful elect.

We now come to one of the most encouraging prophecies in the Bible: “And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away’” (Revelation 21:3-4).

Here we see that God the Father’s new place of residence will be earth, dwelling with His human-made-immortal family. It is most interesting to realize that while heaven is God’s current dwelling place, earth is destined to become His future home!

Promises in God’s Word, such as in Psalm 37, take on much more meaning in light of this reality. “But those who wait on the LORD, they shall inherit the earth” (verse 9). “But the meek shall inherit the earth” (verse 11). “For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth” (verse 22).

A description of the city

New Jerusalem is described as an amazing city!

Illumination: In Revelation 21:9-10 we read of an angel showing John “the Lamb’s wife” and “the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.” John then says that this is a magnificent city, “having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal” (Revelation 21:11). The luminescence or radiance of the city is described as being like a precious, translucent gem.

We are also told that “the city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light” (Revelation 21:23). The shining brilliance of God and Christ will provide light in all directions throughout the city. This doesn’t necessarily mean that there is no sun or moon; rather, that the city doesn’t need their illumination.

A wall and gates: The city is described as having “a great and high wall with twelve gates” (Revelation 21:12-13). The Greek word translated “gate” is pulon, which means a gateway, doorway, vestibule or portal of a building or city. Angels stand at these gates, each named after one of the 12 tribes of Israel.

Here we see a continuation of a pattern that was set many years prior, in the city of Jerusalem during the Millennium, when the names of three of the tribes of Israel will be written on each of the four sides of the city (Ezekiel 48:30-34).

Above the foundations, the wall of the city extends upward about 250 feet (verse 17), constructed entirely of jasper and continuous on all four sides. In this wall are the three gateways or vestibules, each made of a single, enormous pearl. If evenly spaced in the wall, these gateways would be some 375 miles apart from each other!

Foundations: Continuing this pattern of naming parts of the city after people through whom God had worked, the city’s 12 foundations carry the names of the apostles (Revelation 21:14). Thousands of years prior, Christ had said that each of His 12 apostles would sit on a throne over a tribe of Israel (Luke 22:28-30). As a spiritual parallel, Christ’s Church today is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone” (Ephesians 2:20).

Size: Revelation 21:16 tells us that “the city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal.” According to most sources, the physical dimensions described here are astonishing—some 1,500 miles in each direction! (For comparison, the United States is about 1,300 miles north to south.)

Some of Christ’s final words to His disciples were, “In My Father’s house are many mansions” (John 14:2). The word “mansions” is translated from the Greek word mone, which means dwelling, abode, permanent place of residence or home. Christ was indeed correct in stating that His Father’s house had much space in which to dwell.

An apparent parallel to the shape of New Jerusalem is found in the “Holy of Holies” of the tabernacle and temple that God instructed Israel to build (and which will again be part of the new temple in the Millennium after Christ’s return). This room, which was modeled after God’s dwelling place or throne room in heaven, was a perfect cube (1 Kings 6:20; Hebrews 8:5). It is also interesting to note that New Jerusalem has no separate temple—God the Father and Christ “are its temple” (Revelation 21:22).

Construction materials: “The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones. … The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street [plateia, meaning a wide ‘plat’ or ‘place,’ as in an open square] of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass” (Revelation 21:18-21).

Any physical structure this high is impossible by our understanding of physics. But while New Jerusalem is described as constructed of various and distinctive materials familiar to us, it is apparently of a spirit composition that supersedes the laws of physics as we know them.

The city itself is described as being of pure, translucent gold. This is how John sees it, having no other words or frame of reference from his life to describe what he is seeing. While he sees that it is constructed of a variety of distinct materials, it is at the same time dazzling beyond what our human eyes have ever seen.

Somewhere in this great city is an open square or plaza. “Street” in verse 21 is singular and does not mean a street for travel, of which the city likely has many. Where this wide square or plaza will be situated in the city is not stated. Like the city, it, too, is described as being composed of glimmering, translucent gold in appearance. Could this place have something to do with the location of Jesus Christ’s and the Father’s thrones?

A dynamic city: Revelation 21:24-25 explains, “And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there).” Since it is always daytime in New Jerusalem, the gates are always open. This description implies a regular passage of earth’s spirit citizens into and out of the city. Who are these nations and kings of the earth? The Bible identifies them as “those who are saved,” so they are part of God’s spirit family. Beyond that, we accept the fact that God has not chosen to reveal all details about the earth’s amazing future, and we can merely speculate.

Even though we do not know everything about God’s future holy city, we can confidently believe what God said through King David: “In your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11). This is what we look forward to experiencing in New Jerusalem!

In order to dwell in New Jerusalem when it comes to earth, we need to respond to God’s expectations of us. If you wish to further your relationship with God, the section on “Change” on this website can be especially helpful.