The New Jerusalem Described

After the destruction of the present world, God will make a new one, and will build a new city or place for his people to live for eternity, called New Jerusalem.  John begins to describe the city in Revelation 21:9-14.  “And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.  And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed 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.”

The description is quite detailed, yet exactly what is meant is somewhat unclear, probably as a result of translation from the Greek to English, especially as John was not a highly skilled linguist, writing Revelation in a somewhat crude form of Greek, as compared to the gospel of John which was originally written in Hebrew and translated to Greek by skilled translators, according to Pappias, about 100 AD.  For example he says the light was like a Jasper stone, clear as crystal.  Over the centuries various forms of chalcedony have been referred to as jasper.  Some are opaque, while others are translucent and even occasionally transparent,  While most of what we know as jasper is red or brown, it also include green, yellow, and black forms in various shades.  What we do know is that the city has twelve basic foundation blocks commemorating the twelve apostles. And that there are twelve gates, three in each wall to provide access.   

The city is huge, as we see in Revelation 21:15-17.  “And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.  And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.   And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.  A furlong is an eighth of a mile, so twelve thousand furlongs is a thousand, five hundred miles.  Imagine a city that reaches from Boston to Miami and west to Kansas City Kansas. And as tall as six thousand empire state buildings.  By comparison, the space station is about two hundred twenty miles above earth, and the Hubble Space Telescope is three hundred fifty three miles above the earth.   The walls are about two hundred sixteen feet thick to support the weight.   

Revelation 21:18-21 gives details about the materials used for construction.  “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, chrysolyte; 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.”  The walls are of Jasper stone, decorated with gold so pure you can see through it.  The twelve foundations commemorating the twelve Apostles are overlaid with precious and semi-precious stones.   

Because God himself and Jesus Christ are always there, there is no need for a temple of church where people go to meet him.  Because they are light, there is no need for the sun or the moon. John describes this in Revelation 21:22-23.  “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.”

While New Jerusalem is the capital city, the Christians are not restricted to staying within the walls.  The gates will remain open as long as there is light, and God and Christ provide light continually, as Revelation 21:24-27 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.  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.”   Obviously, the gates are strictly for decoration as they will never be closed.  Every evil thing was cast into the lake of fire before the New Heaven and earth were formed, so there is no need to shut anyone or anything out.