The New Jerusalem – the New Humanity
The “New Jerusalem” symbolizes the Church, God’s people. The people of God are the “city He loves.” Revelation 20:9. The “New Jerusalem” does not necessarily represent a physical city in Revelation. It is a spiritual symbol of the multitude who have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb. One of the seven angels told John, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb! So he took me away in the Spirit to a huge, majestic mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.” Revelation 21:9–10. Jesus did not marry the earthly city of Jerusalem; He married all of humankind. The faithful believers will come down from heaven with Jesus. (Colossians 3:3–4). The multitude of believers who have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb will inherit the new earth. Jesus Christ, our Redeemer and Lord, our Husband, and God our Father will be with us forever.
The Church, the body of Christ, has twelve foundations with Jesus as the chief cornerstone. The twelve apostles form the foundation of the Christian Church (Ephesians 2:20). Jesus Christ is the foundation of our faith (1 Corinthians 3:11). Believers who have surrendered themselves to Christ, or those who have died to themselves, must be built on this foundation, which is Jesus Christ, regardless of where they fellowship. Those who add, subtract, or alter it in any way will not go to heaven with Jesus and will not inherit the new earth. (Revelation 21:27). Jesus Christ is the only foundation that will last forever. There is one God and one Jesus Christ; therefore, there is only one Christian Church—the body of Jesus Christ. Consequently, there is only one foundation, one gospel, and one doctrine: salvation through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. The gospel, the Good News, is Jesus Christ (Luke 2:10–11). Anything beyond this is simply a human construct that lacks eternal value.
Only those whose names are written in the Book of Life of Jesus Christ will be part of the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:27). The Book of Life symbolizes the perfect and eternal new human life that Jesus separated from His body on the cross as a sacrifice for sin that we committed in the Garden of Eden. He then took upon Himself our sin and our sinful human spirit so that our sinful life, our sinful spirit, would die forever in His body on the cross at Golgotha. Only those who are righteous in Jesus Christ will wear the white robes. The white robes of righteousness from God, Jesus Christ, are the required attire for the new earth. Even a trace of self-righteousness will disqualify someone. The “I” shall not inherit eternity. The glory of God will cover only those who are righteous in Jesus, not those who are righteous like Jesus but are not in Him.
The blessings we will have in the New Jerusalem. Read the next blog.