The New Jerusalem
In Chapter twenty-one of the Book of Revelation, the New Jerusalem, which was to replace the old city of Jerusalem that was destroyed in AD 70, is described. Some Christians think that this New Jerusalem is to be a physical city that will descend out of heaven to the earth and serve as the home base for Christ when He returns to set up a one thousand year reign here on the physical earth sometime in the future. What I propose to show in this Learning Activity is that the New Jerusalem is already present having been ushered in at the time of the AD 70 destruction of Jerusalem.
The first person who looked for the New Jerusalem in the Scriptures was Abraham.
1. Hebrews 11:10 (Note: To find out who the “he” is in this verse see verse eight).
2. What was it that Abraham looked for by faith?
3. Hebrews 11:13
4. Did Abraham find the city he was looking for in his lifetime?
5. Hebrews 11:16
6. What does the verse above tell us about this city that Abraham looked for?
The writer of the book of Hebrews makes another interesting statement about the New Jerusalem.
7. Hebrews 12:22
8. What is it that the writer of Hebrews says to the people to whom he is writing in the verse above?
From the verse above we can see that the New Jerusalem is not something that the believers in Christ should NOT be still waiting for today as so many are. It is already a present reality!
But is is spiritually discerned!
John also sheds some light on this topic.
9. Revelation 21:1–2
10. What was it that John saw in the two verses above which describe part of his vision?
11. What was it that John said the New Jerusalem was prepared as?
At this point it would be helpful if John would describe what this “bride” consisted of.
12. Revelation 21:9
The last part of the verse above tells us that John is going to have “the bride, the Lamb’s wife” shown to him. Remember, the “Lamb” is Christ in this verse.
13. Revelation 21:10
14. What is it that was shown to John as “the bride, the Lamb’s wife” in the verse above?
15. From the above, what is the scripture telling us that the New Jerusalem is made up of?
The New Jerusalem (those who are in Christ, the ekklesia) replaced the Old Jerusalem (the faithless wife of Christ) in AD 70 when the Old Covenant was totally done away with and the New Covenant came fully into being. The description of this new city, which city we are, is illustrated in Revelation Chapter twenty-one as our heritage for this life and for all eternity now that we are in Christ! The city of New Jerusalem (a spiritual city) has as its focus the new heaven and the new earth (the new way of living under the New Covenant) fulfilled in Christ in the New Covenant age.
Left click your mouse on the graphic above to enlarge it. Click on the back arrow to return to document.
The New Jerusalem (the new heaven and the new earth) can only be seen by faith because it is spiritual in nature and is in contrast to the Old Covenant that was physical in nature. The Apostle Paul reinforces this understanding when he states, “While we look not at the things which are seen; but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Cor.4:18), and “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor.5:7).
Click on Self-Check below to check your answers.