John saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and the first earth were passed away (fled away); and there was no more sea – it earlier would have given up the dead. [“The earth … He hath established for ever” in Psalms might mean that the Lord would revamp the same geographical earth to establish the new earth. “The earth has He given to the children of men”, adds another Psalm]. No, we will not be transported to Mars.

John also saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. The Holy city is the tabernacle of God. The tabernacle of God is with men. He will dwell with them. They shall be His people; God Himself shall be with them and be their God. The Church comprising the saints of God is the New Jerusalem. The believers will occupy the new earth.

God shall wipe away all tears from the eyes of His people. There shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain. Jesus said, “Your sorrow will be turned to joy! I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you”. “Therefore, the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away”

One of the seven angels (which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues) took John to a mountain to show the bride, the Lamb's wife. It was that same great city, the holy Jerusalem. She was 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 / diamond stone, clear as crystal. Totally transparent. Zero absorption.

Now, this city Jerusalem is being built right here on earth; it started from the day the church was established on earth fifty days after the resurrection of the Lord. From then on, it has been work-in-progress. Nothing will be added to it after the city ascends to heaven. Here are the details of this construction by the Builder:

The city had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and twelve angels (to welcome?) On every gate was a name of the twelve tribes of Israel. Did not Jesus say, “Salvation is of the Jews”? And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every gate was of one pearl. The gates were never shut to enable entry all the time. God said that the whole mankind would be blessed in Abraham. The twelve tribes of Israel are Abraham’s physical seed. The believing line descended from these tribes. These believing Israelites were hidden yet nurtured as in an oyster and were all the while polished to shine forth brilliantly on being revealed. Yes, the pearl would not have become a precious one had it not undergone irritation and pain all the while inside the oyster. Others – the ungodly gentiles and the unbelieving Jews - were totally deceived by the devil.

Gentile and Jewish believers of the New Testament, Abraham’s spiritual seed of promise, from the four corners of the world, enter through these gates situated on the four sides of the city – three on each side. In other words, the ‘living stones’ with which the City is being built are brought in through these gates. All these living stones conform to the prototype ‘the Living Stone’ Jesus Christ. The Lord has been building His Church. The disciples of Christ were sent by Jesus to build this building with gold, silver and precious stones. The gates of hell could never prevail against this Church. Those who build it with wood, hay and stubble – hypocrites, the proud and worldly wise - will suffer loss. It would be a great escape for the servants of God who wasted their time adding combustible material to the Church building!

The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them were written the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. The Apostles’ doctrine of the Lord Jesus Christ forms the foundations of the City. He is the foundation. He is also the Cornerstone. He was the stone that the builders (so-called ministers of God of the Old and New Testament) rejected. He became the stumbling stone for them. God willed to make Him the prototype for building the City. Every stone that the Lord adds would also be a stumbling block to a blasphemer. But as He said about Himself as well as His believers, whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

Jesus is also the Chief of the corner – the apex or capstone of the city. A pyramidal (tetrahedron) structure? Those who reject this Stone, might feel elated or derive cheap pleasure now. However, the structure will not be complete without Him. He is the beginning (Cornerstone) as well as the end (Capstone) of this City as well.

The angel (a fellow servant of John) measured the City, its gates and its wall with a golden reed. The city is foursquare. Its length, breadth and height are equal – twelve thousand furlongs. Twelve is God’s number for His government. Thousand is a big number. The height of the wall was one hundred and forty-four cubits. This is twelve times twelve. Again, the number for God’s government. The wall of the City was built of jasper. It (twelve tribes and twelve apostles) becomes the uncompromisable framework within which the City is built. God would administer and rule the city.

The City and its street were pure gold, like unto clear transparent glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones, one stone each for each foundation – jasper, sapphire, chalcedony, emerald, sardonyx, sardius, chrysolite, beryl, topaz, chrysoprasus, jacinth and amethyst. Each of these were formed after immense pressure and severe heat acted on them. Disciples and servants of the Lord Jesus Christ belonging to various ethnicities are wrought through great tribulation and fiery trials that would make them precious by the pain they endure and agony that they undergo. And it certainly is not an overnight process. Each stone might require different treatment, varied time and diverse environment to bring them to the state of purity. Each one’s experience while being formed, would be different.

There was no temple in the City. The invisible Lord God Almighty and the visible Lamb are its temple. They deserve worship, adoration and praise. And because God dwells in New Jerusalem, the whole city is in a way, the temple of God. God takes pleasure in dwelling with His people. This has been His desire even from the Eden garden days! The earthly tabernacle and the Old Jerusalem temple were only indicators.
And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it, for the glory of God lit it. The Lamb is its light. Why would anybody turn to another source for light when the Creator Himself is the True Light? There is no night for the City. It will be evening and morning everyday as was in Eden. The nations of them which are saved shall walk in His light. The kings of the earth bring their glory and honour into the City. They shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.

Let every kindred, every tribe, on this terrestrial ball,
To Him all majesty ascribe, and crown Him Lord of all!

Only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life will enter it. They are the foreknown, the chosen, the called, the justified, and the glorified. Because they obey His commandments, they will enter through its gates.

However, there shall in no wise enter the City anything that defiles. Those who have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, if they are again entangled in such pollutions, and overcome they cannot enter the City. They are called dogs; having known the way of righteousness, after they have known it, they turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. The doom of the ungodly is sealed while here on earth. Sorcerers, whoremongers, murderers, idolaters, whosoever loves and makes a lie are out of this City. These along with the fearful, the unbelieving, and the abominable shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone. This is the second death. None of these have their names in the book of life. The new earth where they arrive would be sin-free.

The former things are passed away. God who sits upon the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new”. He also said, “Write: for these words are true and faithful”. It resonates with the bidding of the angel who earlier said, “Write, these are the true saying of God”. (Rev 19:9). The Lord said unto John, “It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely”. This is detailed in chapter twenty-two.

While God relates with His people as their God, He also relates to everyone as a Father; He says, “He that overcomes shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be My son”. the Father of the Lord Jesus is the Father of every believer. The God of the Lord Jesus (as Man) is the God of every believer. Bringing more sons to glory is His eternal purpose.

Jesus is the firstborn among the brethren. He has shared His sonship and His inheritance with once-mortals. What a sacrifice! The Father relates to every one of His sons individually and equally. As His children, we will bear the nature of the Firstborn, as physical beings. Even now, are we the sons of God. However, it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. We will gain more than what Adam lost.

Women will be held in honour equally with the men. There would be no gender discrimination in eternity. And, this chauvinism would not be present anymore. Every daughter would be considered as a son.