Eternity Future: The Glorious New Heaven, New Earth, and the Literal Holy City New Jerusalem

After the thousand-year reign of Christ upon this earth and after the final judgment at the Great White Throne, Scripture opens the door to the eternal state. The old order ends completely, and God brings forth a new creation filled with His presence, His glory, and His redeemed people. This is not a vague spiritual realm. It is a real, tangible, physical reality that will last forever.

Let us begin by anchoring ourselves in the immediate events that lead into this eternal future. After the thousand years expire, Satan is released for a short time. He deceives the nations one last time. They gather in vast numbers like the sand of the sea to surround the camp of the saints and the beloved city. But fire comes down from God out of heaven and devours them. Then the devil himself is cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet already are. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Immediately following this, John sees the Great White Throne. The One seated upon it causes the earth and the heaven to flee away. There is no place found for them. The dead, small and great, stand before God. Books are opened, including the book of life. Every person is judged according to their works recorded in the books. The sea gives up its dead. Death and hell deliver up their dead. All are judged. Then death and hell are cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. Whoever is not found written in the book of life is cast into the lake of fire.

With the judgment complete and the old creation removed, John records the breathtaking vision of what comes next.

The New Heaven and the New Earth

John writes: “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.”

The old heaven and earth do not merely receive a fresh coat of paint. They pass away entirely. The elements melt with fervent heat. Everything built on the foundation of sin and rebellion is dissolved. In its place God creates something entirely new in quality and character—a heaven and earth where righteousness dwells perfectly and permanently.

There is no more sea. Throughout the Bible the sea often pictures unrest, chaos, and separation. In this new creation those things are gone. There will be no restless tossing of waves, no vast oceans dividing continents, no symbol of the wicked whose waters cast up mire and dirt. The new earth will be a place of perfect order, perfect stability, and perfect unity under the rule of God.

The prophet Isaiah had already seen this coming reality hundreds of years earlier. He declared: “For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. 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. There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed. And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them. And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock; and dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.”

While some aspects of this prophecy find expression during the millennial kingdom, the complete and final fulfillment belongs to the eternal state we are considering now. Grief, frustration, premature death, and the curse upon creation will be remembered no more. The new creation will be a place of unending joy and perfect fulfillment.

The Literal Holy City, New Jerusalem, Descending from Heaven

John continues: “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

This is a real, literal city. It is not an allegory or a symbol for something else. It is a tangible, physical city that descends from the very presence of God. Its preparation is described as that of a bride adorned for her husband—beautiful, pure, radiant, and perfectly suited for the glorious purpose for which it was made. The city itself shines with the glory of God. Its light is like a most precious stone, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. It radiates the very presence and holiness of the One who created it.

An angel carries John in the Spirit to a great and high mountain so he can see this city clearly. The angel says, “Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.” Then John beholds the city descending out of heaven from God.

The Massive Scale and Perfect Design of the City

The city is foursquare. Its length is as large as its breadth. John measures it with a golden reed and finds it to be twelve thousand furlongs in length, breadth, and height. Twelve thousand furlongs equals approximately fifteen hundred miles. Picture a city that stretches one thousand five hundred miles from north to south, one thousand five hundred miles from east to west, and rises one thousand five hundred miles into the sky. It is a perfect cube of staggering proportions—larger than any city humanity has ever imagined or built.

The wall of the city is measured at one hundred forty-four cubits according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel. This wall is great and high, providing perfect security and separation from anything unholy. The city has twelve gates—three on the east, three on the north, three on the south, and three on the west. At each gate stands an angel. On the gates are written the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. The wall itself rests upon twelve foundations, and in those foundations are written the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

This design reflects perfect governmental order and divine completeness. The twelve gates and twelve foundations speak of access and stability rooted in God’s covenant dealings with His people throughout history. The angels at the gates guard the holiness of the city. Nothing unworthy will ever pass through them.

The Breathtaking Materials and Radiant Beauty

The building materials of this city are beyond anything known on the present earth. The wall is constructed of jasper. The entire city is pure gold, and this gold is like clear glass—transparent and flawless. The foundations of the wall are adorned with every kind of precious stone in dazzling array:

The first foundation is jasper—clear and radiant like the glory of God Himself.

The second is sapphire—a deep, heavenly blue.

The third is chalcedony—a stone of milky, translucent beauty.

The fourth is emerald—a rich, vibrant green.

The fifth is sardonyx—layered with bands of red and white.

The sixth is sardius—a fiery red stone.

The seventh is chrysolite—a golden, transparent gem.

The eighth is beryl—a sea-green or blue-green brilliance.

The ninth is topaz—a golden yellow that catches the light.

The tenth is chrysoprasus—a apple-green stone of rare beauty.

The eleventh is jacinth—a violet or reddish-blue gem.

The twelfth is amethyst—a deep purple that speaks of royalty and splendor.

The twelve gates are each made of a single pearl. Every gate is one enormous pearl. The street of the city is pure gold, transparent as glass.

Imagine standing before gates formed from single pearls of unimaginable size. Picture streets of transparent gold that reflect the glory streaming from the throne of God. Picture foundations sparkling with every color of the rainbow in perfect harmony. This is not poetic exaggeration. This is the literal description of the city God has prepared. Its beauty is real, visible, and eternal. The transparency of the gold and the clarity of the jasper reveal a holiness that has nothing to hide. Everything in this city is pure, open, and glorious.

No Temple Needed – The Presence of God Fills Everything

John notes something remarkable: “And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.”

In the old creation, temples and tabernacles were necessary because God’s presence was localized and mediated. In this new city, the entire metropolis is filled with the immediate presence of God and the Lamb. There is no need for a separate building. The whole city functions as the dwelling place of God. The Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple.

Because of this, the city has no need of the sun or the moon to shine in it. The glory of God lights the city, and the Lamb is its lamp. The light is not created light. It is the uncreated, eternal glory of God Himself radiating through the city. There is no night there. The gates are never shut. There is perpetual day because the source of light never sets.

Access for the Redeemed and Perfect Security

The nations of them which are saved walk in the light of the city. The kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. The gates stand open continually. People from every nation and tribe who have been redeemed enter freely and bring the glory and honor of their cultures and peoples into the presence of God. Yet nothing that defiles, nothing abominable, and nothing that makes a lie can ever enter. Only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life have access to this glorious city.

God Dwells with His People

A loud voice from heaven proclaims the central reality of eternity: “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.”

God’s presence, once veiled behind curtains and clouds, is now fully and permanently with His people. He dwells among them without any barrier. He Himself wipes away all tears from their eyes. There is no more death. There is no more sorrow. There is no more crying. There is no more pain. The former things—the entire order of sin, curse, and death—have passed away forever.

He who sits on the throne declares: “Behold, I make all things new.” These words are true and faithful. It is done. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. He gives the water of life freely to everyone who thirsts. The one who overcomes inherits all things. God becomes his God, and he becomes God’s son.

In contrast, those who refused grace have their part in the lake of fire—the second death.

The River of Life and the Tree of Life in the Heart of the City

John is shown the very center of this glorious city: “And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”

A pure river of the water of life flows directly from the throne of God and of the Lamb. It is clear as crystal—perfectly pure and refreshing. On both sides of this river stands the tree of life. It produces twelve different kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. Its leaves bring healing to the nations.

This is the complete reversal of the curse pronounced in Eden. In the beginning, man was barred from the tree of life. Now the tree stands openly in the middle of the city’s main street, freely available. The river flows from the very throne. There is no more curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb is central to everything. God’s servants serve Him with perfect joy and without weariness. They see His face. His name is written in their foreheads as a mark of eternal ownership and security. There is no night. The Lord God gives them light. And they reign forever and ever.

The Eternal Reign and God All in All

When the millennial kingdom ends and all enemies have been subdued, including death itself, the Son delivers up the kingdom to the Father. All rule and authority are put down. God becomes all in all. The redeemed reign with Christ in this glorious city forever. Their service is joyful. Their worship is perfect. Their fellowship with God and with one another is unbroken and eternal.

The former things have passed away. All things are new. The city stands as a real, glorious, physical reality—massive, radiant, secure, and filled with the immediate presence of God. Its streets of transparent gold, its pearl gates, its jeweled foundations, its river of life, and its tree of life will be seen and enjoyed by the redeemed for all eternity.

This is the inheritance of those who overcome. This is the home prepared for the people of God. This is the city whose builder and maker is God.

The closing words of Scripture call us to readiness: “Behold, I come quickly.” Blessed is the one who keeps the words of this prophecy. The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Let the one who hears say, “Come.” Let the one who is thirsty come. Whoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus.