All Things New
The old order is gone and our Father moves in with people — himself their Father, wiping their faces dry. The city comes down measured, jeweled, gated on every side, with no temple inside because he and the Lamb are its temple, and no night to shut the gates.
21 1Then I saw a new heaven and new earth, for the first heaven and first earth had passed, and the sea was no more. 2I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven, from our Father, ready like a bride dressed for her husband.
3I heard a loud voice from the throne say, "Look, our Father's dwelling is with humanity. He will live with them; they will be his people, and he himself, their Father, will be with them.
4Our Father will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away."
5The one seated on the throne said, "Look, I am making everything new." He added, "Write this: these words are trustworthy and true." 6He told me: "Done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will freely give from the spring of the water of life. 7Whoever conquers will inherit these, and I will be his Father, and he will be my son. 8But the cowardly, unfaithful, detestable, murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idol worshipers, and all liars—their share is in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, the second death."
9One of the seven angels holding the seven bowls filled with the seven final plagues came, telling me, "Come, I'll show you the Bride, the wife of Jesus, the Lamb." 10He carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem descending from heaven, from our Father, 11showing our Father's glory, brilliant like the rarest of jewels, jasper, clear as crystal. 12It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, twelve angels stationed at them, and the names of the twelve tribes of Israel's sons written there, 13on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, on the west three gates. 14The city's wall had twelve foundations, bearing the twelve names of the twelve apostles of Jesus, the Lamb.
15The one speaking with me held a gold measuring rod to measure the city, its gates, and its walls. 16The city is square, its length equal to its width. He measured it with his rod: about 1,400 miles—length, width, and height equal. 17He measured its wall—about 216 feet, by human measurement, which is also the angel's. 18The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, clear as glass. 19The city wall's foundations were covered with every kind of jewel: first jasper, second sapphire, third agate, fourth emerald, 20fifth onyx, sixth carnelian, seventh chrysolite, eighth beryl, ninth topaz, tenth chrysoprase, eleventh jacinth, and twelfth amethyst. 21The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made from a single pearl. The city's street was pure gold, clear as glass.
22I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Sovereign Father Almighty and Jesus, the Lamb. 23The city needs no sun or moon to shine on it—our Father's glory lights it, and its lamp is Jesus, the Lamb. 24The nations will walk by its light, and earth's kings will bring their glory into it. 25And its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. 26They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. 27Nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false—only those written in the book of life of Jesus, the Lamb.
