The New Jerusalem

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

A. John Saw the New Jerusalem

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

1.     The New Jerusalem is the bride of Messiah.

2.     This passage confirms the church is the bride of Christ.
“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect,” (Heb 12:22-23, NKJV)

1. The heavenly Jerusalem is the church.
2. There are two Jerusalems.
3. The physical Jerusalem is in the land of Israel and the spiritual Jerusalem is the church.  
4. The church is the bride of Christ.
   “For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.” (2Co 11:2, NKJV)

3.     God’s purpose behind the creation of mankind was to create a bride for Himself that could live with Him forever.

1. God devoted Revelation 21 to describe his ultimate prize – the church.
2. The prophecy about the bride of Christ is revealed in symbols.

B. The Church is the Tabernacle of God

 “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."” (Rev 21:3-4, NKJV)

1.     The tabernacle of God is where God dwells.

1. Those who have been raptured will make up the tabernacle of God.
2. There will be no death, nor pain, nor sorrow or crying.

2.     The Apostle Paul explained that our bodies are the temple of God.
“Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?” (1Co 6:19, NKJV)

3.     God doesn’t dwell in temples made with hands, according to the sermon preached by the first martyr, Stephen, before he was stoned.
“"However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says:” (Act 7:48, NKJV)

1. This is so important to understand since humans have a tendency to exalt temples, church buildings and holy places.

C. It is Done 

1.     As John was receiving his vision, he saw One sitting on the throne.
“Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful." And He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.” (Rev 21:5-6, NKJV)

1. The One on the throne said, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.”
2. This is Jesus speaking because in Revelation 1:8, He said He was Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.
3. When Jesus said, “It is done,” He is saying that His purpose from the beginning of creation was fulfilled and now He has His bride.
4. His bride is now redeemed and His marriage to His bride is accomplished.

2.     Jesus encouraged all to be a part of His bride and warned those who would choose to follow the path of damnation.
“He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."” (Rev 21:7-8, NKJV)

D. How can We Overcome?

1.     We can be overcomers and inherit the Kingdom of God.
“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” (Rev 12:11, NKJV)

1. The blood of the Lamb is the Christian’s defensive weapon.
2. There is nothing Satan can inflict upon us that the blood of Jesus Christ cannot eradicate.
3. The word of our testimony is our offensive weapon.
4. After we are saved, we can lead others to Christ by testifying to them about how Jesus saved us.
5. Not loving our lives unto death describes the old man who was bound by death. Death and the fear of death no longer rule our hearts, where our love resides. We overcome because the devil has no threat to hold over us of death!

2.     Jesus warned about those who would not be a part of His Kingdom.

1. The first two conditions were the fearful and the unbelieving.
2. His Word tells us we have not received a spirit of fear.
   “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2Ti 1:7, NKJV)

3.     Jesus said all liars would have their part in the Lake of Fire.

1. The reason liars are so severely condemned is that salvation is dependent on belief of the truth.
2. The Apostle Paul said because people receive not a love for the truth, they wouldn’t be saved.
   “and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” (2Th 2:10, NKJV)

E. I will Show You the Bride

 “Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, "Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife." And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,” (Rev 21:9-10, NKJV)

1.     When Jesus promised to show John the bride, the Lamb’s wife, He showed him the holy Jerusalem.

1. This provides absolute proof the bride is the holy Jerusalem.
2. The holy Jerusalem and the New Jerusalem are the same entities since the bride is called the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21:2.

2.     God describes the New Jerusalem throughout Revelation 21.

1. The New Jerusalem is the church.
2. All the descriptions given about the New Jerusalem are descriptions about the church.

F. The New Jerusalem has 12 Gates

 “having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:” (Rev 21:11-12, NKJV)

1.     The names of the 12 tribes of Israel are inscribed on the 12 gates of the New Jerusalem.

1. Many have wondered if the Old Testament saints will be included in the church and consequently in the Rapture.
2. Since the names of the 12 tribes of Israel are included in the New Jerusalem, it is obvious that the Old Testament saints will be a part of the church.
3. Remember the New Covenant is with Israel and Judah first.

2.     Jesus specifically said Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, as well as all of the prophets, will be in the Kingdom of God.
“There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out.” (Luke 13:28, NKJV)

G. The New Jerusalem has 12 Foundations

 “Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” (Rev 21:14, NKJV)

1.     The names of the 12 Apostles of the Lamb are inscribed in the 12 foundations.

1. The names of the 12 tribes of Israel are in the gates of the New Jerusalem.
2. The names of the 12 Apostles are in the 12 foundations of the New Jerusalem.

2.     According to the Apostle Paul, Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone of the church.
“having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone” (Eph 2:20, NKJV)

1. When a cornerstone is laid in the construction of a building, everything must line up perfectly to that cornerstone.
2. Everything in the New Jerusalem will be in perfect alignment with Jesus Christ. “till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;” (Eph 4:13, NKJV)

H. The Measurements of the New Jerusalem are Symbolic

 “And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. 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.” (Rev 21:15-16, NKJV)

 1.     Since the New Jerusalem is not a physical city, the measurements describing the city are symbolic.

1. The one with the measuring reed measured the length of the city as being 12,000 furlongs.
2. He also said the width and the height of the city would be the same.
3. Since the city had 12 foundations, and since the measurement of the city is 12,000 furlongs, it is interesting that 12 x 12,000 equals 144,000.
4. This figure could be related to the 144,000 Jews who were sealed in Revelation 7:4.

2.     The person with John measured the wall of the New Jerusalem as 144 cubits. “Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel.” (Rev 21:17, NKJV)

3.     John described the different materials making up the New Jerusalem.
“The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass.” (Rev 21:18, NKJV)

1. Gold has a special characteristic that causes it not to tarnish.
2. All those who make up the New Jerusalem will have been purified.
   “I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.” (Rev 3:18, NKJV)

I. The Beauty of the Apostolic Ministry

“The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.” (Rev 21:19-20, NKJV)

1.     The 12 foundations are adorned with all manner of precious stones.

1. In Exodus 28:15-21, when God gave Moses the design for the garments the priests were to wear, He commanded them to make a breastplate of judgment for each priest.
2. This breastplate was to contain 12 stones.
3. These stones appear to be the same as those described in the 12 foundations of the New Jerusalem.
4. These stones were beautiful and emphasized the importance of the God-called ministry.
   “And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF PEACE, WHO BRING GLAD TIDINGS OF GOOD THINGS!"” (Rom 10:15, NKJV)

2.     The sacredness of the ministry is described in the following scripture:
“And no man takes this honor to himself, but he who is called by God, just as Aaron was.” (Hebrews 5:4, NKJV)

1. No individual can just choose to be a minister.
2. This vocation is only available to those that God Himself calls.

J. There will be No Temple in the New Jerusalem

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. And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. (Rev 21:221-22)

1.     To depict the glory of the church, it is portrayed as having streets of pure gold, as if they are transparent glass.

2.     Each gate is depicted as one solid pearl!

K. No Sun or Moon in the City

 “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. 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.” (Rev 21:23-24, NKJV)

1.     Jesus is the light of the New Jerusalem.

1. During His ministry on earth, Jesus proclaimed in John 8:12, ...I am the light of the world...
2. The Lamb is the light of the New Jerusalem. Light comes from the same Hebrew root as order, ar.
3. The nations that are saved will walk in the light of the New Jerusalem, a Divine order!

2.     The saints will rule and reign as kings and priests with Jesus Christ during His Millennial Reign.
” And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth." (Rev 5:9-10, NKJV)

1. The church will provide light by teaching the principles of the Kingdom of God to the mortals who will be allowed to live upon earth into the Millennium.
2. The rest of the nations (beasts) will have their dominion removed, but they will live on into the Millennium for a season and a time (Daniel 7:12).

L. The Gates of the New Jerusalem will Never be Shut

“Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it.” (Rev 21:25-26, NKJV)

1.     These aspects are descriptions of God’s immortal church.

1. Since the gates are symbolic, this means that access to the immortal church will not be shut.
   “And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.” (Zec 14:16, NKJV)
2. Everyone who remains of the nations that came against Jerusalem during the Battle of Armageddon shall then go up to worship the King, Jesus Christ, from year to year.

2.     John continued his description of the New Jerusalem and reiterated Revelation 21:8 concerning those who will not be allowed access to the holy city.
“But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.” (Rev 21:27, NKJV)

1. Only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life will be allowed inside the New Jerusalem.
2. We must partake of the salvation purchased by the Lamb, Jesus Christ to have our names written in the Book of Life.
3. Jesus Himself named His plan of salvation of being born again when He spoke to Nicodemus
   “Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."” (John 3:3, NKJV)

3.     The Apostle Peter clearly defined how to be born again
“Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Act 2:38, NKJV)

1. The most important decision in every person’s life in order to prepare to enter the New Jerusalem is to be biblically born again.

M. Living Water in the New Jerusalem

“And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.” (Rev 22:1, NKJV)

1.     Jesus met the woman at the well in Samaria and asked her for a drink of water.

1. She questioned Him, asking her for a drink since she was a Samaritan and Jesus was a Jew.
   “Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." (John 4:10, NKJV)
2. Jesus then explained further about the living water of which He spoke.
   “Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw." (John 4:13-15, NKJV)

2.     Jesus also spoke of the living water on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles.
“On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” (John 7:37-39, NKJV)

1. Jesus explicitly stated the living water was His Spirit, the gift of the Holy Spirit.
2. At the time He spoke of this living water, it was not yet given because His Spirit only became available after He was glorified.

3.     The Tree of Life grew beside the River of Life in the Garden of Eden.
“In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” (Rev 22:2, NKJV)

1. Once Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, they were forbidden from eating from the Tree of Life lest they should live forever.
2. To the saved who will dwell in the New Jerusalem, they will be given open access to the Water of Life and the Tree of Life.
3. The leaves of the Tree of Life were for the healing of the nations.
4. There will be no sickness, no pain and no death in the New Jerusalem.

4.     There will be no more curse because Jesus bore the curse for us.
“And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.” (Rev 22:3-4, NKJV)

Galatians 3:13 “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE"),” (Gal 3:13, NKJV).

1. We will be the Lamb’s servants and serve Him.
2. We will have access to His presence continually. I Thessalonians 4 :17 ...and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
3. Jesus’ name is placed in our foreheads when we are baptized in His name.

5.     John concludes his record of the vision of the New Jerusalem
“There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.” (Rev 22:5, NKJV)

1. There will be no need for the sun, electricity, or artificial light!
2. We will dwell in His presence, and He is the light!
3. We shall reign with Jesus Christ forever and forever!

Activation: Yeshua told us we are the light of the world. In the new Jerusalem, the bride, the light will shine that is sourced from the Lord. Yeshua told us to work the works of Him while it is still today.