A City's Whose Architect and Builder is God

The armies of Gog and Magog have been defeated. The beast, antichrist and devil are in the lake of fire. The Lord is on His great white throne. The dead, both the small and the great, stand before God. Books are opened. The dead are judged by the works that are recorded in the books: each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades are cast into the lake of fire. Anyone not found written in the Book of Life is cast into the lake of fire. [1]

After this, John testifies, “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.” [2]

The Lord promised long ago via His prophet Isaiah, saying, “I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.” “As the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before Me, says the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain.” The Apostle Peter also spoke of this event, “We, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwells righteousness.” [3]

The new heaven and new earth are not merely a “remade” heaven and earth. We know this because Jesus said that heaven and earth shall pass away, but His Word would live forever. When God said that He would create a new heaven and new earth, He used the Hebrew word which means to “create out of nothing,” instead of re-fashioning existing material. [4]

“Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 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.’” [5]

Jesus described His city as paradise to the dying thief next to Him on the cross. Abraham called it a city whose builder and maker was God. In, the hope of getting there empowered Moses to endure the insults of the world rather than enjoy the pleasures and riches of Egypt for a season. Paul wrote of the city of God in the Book of Hebrews, saying, “You are come to mount Zion, and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels.” “Here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.” [6]

The new heaven, new earth and new Jerusalem arrive on the heel of the devil’s demise.

Have you ever heard of a book called the “City of God”? It was written during a period of thirteen years, 413-426, by Augustine of Hippo, also known as Saint Augustine. Augustine witnessed the fall of the “Christianized” Rome to pagans. In response to this dramatic event, he wrote, “The City of God.” He wrote of two rival cities formed by two loves. The earthly city, formed by love of self even to the contempt of God, stands in contrast with the heavenly city, the city of God. The city of God is founded and shaped by love of God. Currently, these two cities are progressing along separate paths toward radically different ends.

The new Jerusalem that descends from heaven is different than earthly Jerusalem in which Israel dwelt during the millennium. Paul wrote of a Jerusalem that is from above in Galatians 4:25-26. It is God’s creation and He sustains it.

Jesus promised at the beginning of the Revelation, saying, “To him that overcomes will I make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, which is new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God: and I will write upon him My new Name.” [7]

The significance of new Jerusalem is presence. God with us. We with God. God promised to us in Ezekiel 37:27, “My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” God promised to us in Jeremiah 32:38, “They shall be My people, and I will be their God.” God promised to us in 2 Corinthians 6:16, 18, “You are the temple of the living God; as God has said, ‘I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” “I will be a Father to you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”

New Jerusalem is adorned as a bride for her Husband. Not only is the city new, but the people within it are new. They love God as a bride loves her husband. I am reminded of what Jesus said on the cross... “I thirst.” That thirst was being quenched by His atoning sacrifice for our sins. Having received God’s forgiveness, and His subsequent indwelling Holy Spirit, God’s thirst for us and our thirst for God is quenched.

In Ephesians 5:32, the Church is called the Bride of Christ. In Revelation 21:2 the holy city, the New Jerusalem, is prepared as a bride for her husband, again referring to Christ. So, what is New Jerusalem? A city or a group of people! Both!

God has prepared a place for His people where we can live in an eternal union with Him. Jesus said in John 14:2-3, “I go to prepare a place for you, and I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am.”

The word Church in Greek literally means “Called Out.” I envision being “called out” as a person being selected by a suitor at a dance. He could have asked any of the ladies to dance but chose a particular one because she is the one he wants to have an everlasting relationship with. The wonderful thing about Christ is that when He calls a person out from among the people of the world, He makes a covenant with them. He is faithful to them.

God uses the metaphor of a bride often in the Bible to explain His love for His people. In Isaiah 62:4-5, He says, “You shall no longer be termed Forsaken, nor shall your land any more be termed Desolate; but you shall be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married. As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so your God will rejoice over you.” Thanks be to God for rejoicing over us with lavish love.

God is the One who said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make him a helper comparable to him.” Humanity’s first love relationship began with God. He is the original matchmaker. [8]

God enters a relationship with us through the sacrificial offering of His Son on the cross. Romans 5:7-8 says, “One will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” How much are we willing to pay and to keep on paying to have a love relationship with someone? The Lord chose to love us even when our race, the human race, had nailed Him to a cross. That’s faithfulness!

The word Jesus used when He talked about marriage was the Greek word for glued. He said, “For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined [glued] to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh. So that they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined [glued] together, let not man tear it apart.” [9]

After a carpenter glues two pieces of wood together, the glue-bond between the wood actually becomes stronger than wood itself. This is the kind of bond of love the Lord creates.

The lovers in Song of Solomon have dove eyes. “Behold, you are fair, my love; behold, you are fair; you have dove’s eyes.” Doves can only focus and see one thing at a time. Doves mate for life. They fly with their mates side by side. They land almost at the same time. [10]

The Church is a group of people who profess that Jesus is God’s Son, our Messiah. We embody bride-like love for our bridegroom Jesus Christ. We love Him deeply. We speak His name with awe and wonder. We talk about Jesus Christ because we want others to know Him.

The first miracle of Jesus in the Gospels took place at a wedding. Jesus says to His servants, “Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.” [11]

“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.” [12]

Revelation 7:17 says, “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.” Isaiah 25:8 says, “The Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of His people shall He take away from off all the earth: for the Lord has spoken it.”

“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.’” [13]

2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” Christ makes us of a new people with new passions to prepare us for the new Jerusalem, new earth and new heaven that He is bringing to pass.

“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. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.’” [14]

Jesus quenches our soul’s thirst for God. This promise is repeated multiple times in the Bible: “For with You is the fountain of life.” “Whosoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” “If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He that believes on Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” “The Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters.” “Let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” [15]

“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.” [16]

Multiple passages of Scripture confirm the verdict of God on such sins as listed above, for example, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, “Know you not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.” This warning is repeated in Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 5:5-6; Hebrews 13:4; 1 John 3:15, and Revelation 22:15.

It is absolutely imperative that we come to Jesus and repent of our sins and ask Him to forgive us and to make of us a new person, otherwise, we will perish in our sins and be with the devil and his angels forever. We can’t but sin until Christ changes us.

“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, 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 12 gates, and 12 angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the 12 tribes of the children of Israel: three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west.” [17]

John was blessed to have an angel speak with him. An angel, who had brought plagues on the earth, now shows John the Lamb’s wife. He carried John in the Spirit to a great mountain to show him New Jerusalem.

John was carried by the Spirit. Both he and the prophet Ezekiel credit the Holy Spirit with showing them the things of God. [18]

Holy Jerusalem descends from God to man not vice versa. We cannot generate that which is of God apart from God. We need Him. Problems arise when we expect ourselves to create this this kind of community with human ingenuity and strength. God is God and we are not. Holy Jerusalem comes down from God. This city is not and never can be the achievement of man. It is gift from God.

Hebrews 11:10 says that this city’s architect and builder is God.

The names of the twelve tribes on the gates of New Jerusalem commemorate the fact that God gave to the world the Old Testament Scriptures to the world through them.

“Now the wall of the city had 12 foundations, and on them were the names of the 12 apostles of the Lamb. 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: 12,000 furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal. Then he measured its wall: 144 cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. 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 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. The 12 gates were 12 pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.” [19]

Joshua chose twelve men to carry twelve stones over the Jordan with them into the Promised Land. Jesus chose the names of His twelve apostles to be on the twelve foundations of the heavenly city. The Christian faith was built upon their testimonies recorded in the New Testament. “We are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone.” [20]

He measured the city with a gold reed: The size of the New Jerusalem is enormous. 12,000 furlongs equals 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers). It is 1,500 miles long on each side. 1,500 miles is the distance from Maine to Florida. The square footage is equal to the size of the moon.

Henry Morris, guessing that there will have been 100 billion people in the human race through history, and that 20% of them will be saved, calculated that each person would have a “block” with about 75 acres on each face to call their own. This is highly speculative but illustrates the point that there is plenty of room in the New Jerusalem.

Like clear glass: “The constant mention of transparency indicates that the city is designed to transmit the glory of God in the form of light without hindrance.” “Jasper… sapphire… chalcedony... the precise identification of these gemstones in modern terms is difficult, but the impression is of unending, staggering beauty. “The symbolism is not meant to give the impression of wealth and luxury, but to point to the glory and holiness of God.” [21]

The precious stones are probably same one that God had Moses place on the breastplate of the High Priest. Each stone represented a tribe of Israel. [22]

The walls are not there to keep people in. The walls are not to keep the wicked out because they are in hell. These are monumental walls. The gates are monumental gates. Jew and Gentile will sing together the song of Moses and the Lamb.

“But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.” [23]

In the ancient world, it was unthinkable to have a great city without many different temples. During the Christian era, the temple was not removed but expanded. Those in Christ became God’s temple. In New Jerusalem, the temple is the One who sits on the throne and the Lamb.

God revealed to Solomon: “Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You; how much less this house which I have built!” And to Isaiah: “‘The heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool: where is the house that you build to Me? Where is the place of My rest?’” [24] God is much greater than our minds can imagine and comprehend.

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. 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.” [25]

Light emanates from God. He is glorious. Saved nations enjoy walking in His light. Saved kings bring their glory and honor back to Him from whence it came. The gates of New Jerusalem are always open because there is no threat of danger to those inside. The open gates remind me of Jesus with His arms stretched wide open on the cross. He would have all men to be saved and to enjoy His presence forever.

“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.” [26]

Never again will the servants of the Lord need to cry out, “How long Lord until you avenge our blood?” The days of being oppressed and cruelly treated by those who wanted them to deny the Lord and to disobey His commands are over. Never again will this holy city be defiled.

Paradise is a real place. Those who resurrected with Jesus are already there. Jesus prepared this place for us. It shines with the glory of God.

Now, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be and abide with you, and bring you to be with God.

[1] Revelation 19:21; 20:8-15
[2] Revelation 21:1
[3] Isaiah 65:17-19; 66:22; 2 Peter 3:13
[4] Luke 21:33; Isaiah 65:17
[5] Revelation 21:2-3
[6] Luke 23:43; Hebrews 11:10, 26; 12:22; 13:14
[7] Revelation 3:12
[8] Genesis 2:18
[9] Matthew 19:5-6
[10] Song of Solomon 1:15
[11] John 2:1-11; Matthew 22:1-10
[12] Revelation 21:4
[13] Revelation 21:5
[14] Revelation 21:6-7
[15] Psalms 36:9; John 4:14; 7:37-38; Revelation 7:17; 22:17
[16] Revelation 21:8
[17] Revelation 21:9-13
[18] Ezekiel 3:14; 8:3; 11:1, 24; Revelation 1:10, 4:2, 17:3
[19] Revelation 21:14-21
[20] Joshua 4:1-3; Ephesians 2:20
[21] Enduring Word Commentary
[22] Exodus 28:15-21
[23] Revelation 21:22
[24] 2 Chronicles 6:18 Isaiah 66:1
[25] Revelation 21:23-26
[26] Revelation 21:27