The New Jerusalem

What is the New Jerusalem? Many Christians believe it to be a physical city that will one day come down from heaven. However, Jesus and the biblical writers described it as a spiritual place. For example, Jesus said:

“Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father…But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:21–24, bolding mine).

The apostle Paul, likewise, described the New Jerusalem in spiritual terms when he contrasted the physical land of Jerusalem, which represents the Old Covenant, to “the Jerusalem from above,” which represents the New Covenant (Gal. 4:26-29).

Similarly, the writer of Hebrews called the New Jerusalem the Church. “But you [Christians] have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven…and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant” (Heb. 12:22–24, bolding mine).

The New Jerusalem is the spiritual body of believers, the worldwide church of God.

Revelation, too, describes the “New Jerusalem coming down from heaven” as a “bride adorned for her husband” (Rev. 21:2). This “husband and bride” refers to Jesus and the church (Rev. 19:7–9, Eph. 5:25–27)! Revelation goes on the say this would happen “soon, for time is near” (Rev. 22:6-10)—which means it was about to happen when Revelation was written.

The physical city of Jerusalem was a type/shadow of the New Jerusalem, the heavenly Jerusalem, the church, in the new covenant age. When the physical city of Jerusalem was judged and destroyed in AD 70, the spiritual Jerusalem, the Church, replaced it…and the gates of Hades shall never prevail against it (Matt. 16:18)!

By Alex Polyak, Director of The Bible Fulfilled, 8/10/24