Jerusalem, for most people, refers primarily to a real city in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. Also known as Zion, this city is mentioned many times in the Bible.<\/p>\n
But the name Jerusalem is also associated with another location in the Bible.<\/p>\n
In his letter to the Galatians, the Apostle Paul contrasts earthly Jerusalem with a \u201cJerusalem that is above\u201d (Gal 4:26). The author of Hebrews also mentions a \u201cheavenly Jerusalem\u201d (Heb 12:22). Strikingly, this heavenly Jerusalem reappears in the final chapters of Revelation, where the Apostle John sees a \u201cnew Jerusalem\u201d descend from heaven to a \u201cnew earth\u201d (Rev 21:1\u20132, 10; cf. 3:12).<\/p>\n
What are we to make of this?<\/p>\n
Jerusalem as God\u2019s earthly residence<\/h2>\n
In the Old Testament, the city of Jerusalem<\/a> stands apart from all other locations.<\/p>\n After God dramatically redeems the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, the people sing of how he will \u201cplant them\u201d on a \u201cmountain\u201d where he will dwell in the \u201csanctuary\u201d which he has established (Exod 15:17). <\/p>\n This expectation of residing with God on a holy mountain is partially fulfilled after King David captures Jerusalem from the Jebusites and transports there the ark of the covenant<\/a> (2 Sam 6:1\u201319). As the footstool of God\u2019s heavenly throne (1 Chron 28:2; cf. Pss 99:5; 132:7), the ark signifies God\u2019s majestic presence on earth.<\/p>\n God\u2019s association with Jerusalem is confirmed by the building of an ornate palace\/temple<\/a>, which becomes his earthly residence (1 Kgs 6\u20138). After Solomon\u2019s dedication of the newly constructed building, God\u2019s glory fills the palace\/temple as it did the tabernacle (1 Kgs 8:10\u201311; cf. Exod 40:34\u201335). By replacing the portable tabernacle<\/a> with a palace\/temple, Solomon makes Jerusalem God\u2019s permanent home (e.g., Pss. 46:4; 48:8; 135:21). No other city experiences God\u2019s presence in this way. <\/p>\n The presence of God transforms Jerusalem, making it a source of blessing to those who live or travel there as pilgrims to worship God (e.g., Pss 84:5\u20137; 128:5\u20136; 133:1\u20133; 134:3; 147:12\u201314).<\/p>\n As God\u2019s holy mountain city, Jerusalem is \u201cperfect in beauty\u201d (Ps 50:2) and becomes an object of praise. The author of Psalm 48 declares:<\/p>\n Great is the Lord, and most worthy of praise, More significantly, the Israelites emphasize the mountain\u2019s holiness due to God\u2019s holy presence<\/a>. Not surprisingly, God expects exemplary moral behavior from those who dwell there. As the Psalmist declares:<\/p>\n Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Unfortunately, despite being known as the city of God, Jerusalem\u2019s residents live immorally. They break their unique covenant with God<\/a>. Moses warned that disobedience would lead to exile (Deut 28:64\u201368). <\/p>\n When the kings of Judah turn away from God, disastrous consequences follow. Despite the Davidic dynasty\u2019s<\/a> role in establishing Jerusalem as the city of God, the prophets announce God\u2019s condemnation. Various prophets condemn the citizens of Jerusalem for their immorality (e.g., Isa 1:2\u201331; Jer 2:1\u201337; Ezek 5:8\u201312). In a notable parable illustrating God\u2019s disappointment with their behavior, Isaiah compares Jerusalem\u2019s residents to bitter grapes (Isa 5:1\u20135). <\/p>\n Eventually, through divine punishment, Jerusalem falls to the Babylonians in 586 BC. Ironically, challenging the belief that God would always safeguard Jerusalem, Jeremiah predicts that the Judaeans exiled to Babylon are safer than those left in Jerusalem. And, as the Prophet Ezekiel reveals, Jerusalem is so corrupted by idolatry<\/a> that God can no longer dwell there.<\/p>\n While Lamentations graphically reveals the devastating reality of God\u2019s judgment against Jerusalem, all is not lost. Remarkably, the eschatological hope of the Old Testament centers on a new Jerusalem<\/a>.<\/p>\n Against a backdrop of destruction and exile, the Old Testament prophets envisage a transformed Jerusalem where the nations will come for divine instruction, leading to universal peace (Mic 4:1\u20134; Isa 2:2\u20134). As Heath Thomas observes, \u201cZion becomes a symbol of new creation<\/a> and redeemed humanity that lives before God without sin, death, or pain because God rules in its midst.\u201d Significantly, however, \u201cin all this Jerusalem\u2014the historical city\u2014recedes into the background.\u201d<\/p>\n In a series of oracles, Isaiah looks forward to a transformed world centered on a new Jerusalem that is highly prized by God (Isa 62:1\u20135, 12). Isaiah contrasts God\u2019s rejection of a deeply corrupted Jerusalem with a future Jerusalem that is associated with a second creation that mirrors the creation of the heavens and the earth<\/a> in Genesis 1. Strikingly, Isaiah describes how this new Jerusalem will be marked by harmony in the natural environment (Isa 65:25; cf. Isa 11:6\u20139). <\/p>\n Like Isaiah, the Prophet Ezekiel envisions a future Jerusalem on a holy mountain where God will reside (Ezek 40\u201348). Scholars see this vision as symbolic, discounting a literal fulfillment. For example, Daniel Block writes, \u201cAll in all Ezekiel\u2019s scheme appears highly contrived, casting doubt on any interpretation that expects a literal fulfillment of his plan.\u201d Ezekiel foresees a time when the Jerusalem sanctuary is undefiled and everything is holy (Ezek 43:12; cf. 43:6\u201311). To convey the otherness of this transformed city, Ezekiel\u2019s vision notably depicts a river originating from the temple that revitalizes the Dead Sea\u2019s lifeless waters (Ezek 47:1\u201312).<\/p>\n The city envisaged by Isaiah goes far beyond all that is achieved under the post-exilic restoration initiated by Cyrus, the king of Persia<\/a>. While Isaiah portrays Cyrus as a gentile messiah who rebuilds the temple in a restored Jerusalem (Isa 44:28), still more significantly, Isaiah anticipates a future Davidic king who, as the \u201cservant of the Lord,\u201d will be a light to the nations (Isa 49:6) and will atone for the sins of others (Isa 53:4\u201312).<\/p>\n The rebuilding of Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile highlights that God\u2019s plan to establish a holy city where he will dwell with his people remains intact. Starting with the rebuilding of the temple, the city\u2019s reconstruction offers hope for the return of a Davidic king, as foretold by various prophets during the exile (see Jer 23:5\u20136; 33:14\u201326; Ezek 34:23\u201331; 37:24\u201328; cf. Zech 9:9\u201310).<\/p>\n While it is often assumed that the new Jerusalem envisioned by Isaiah and Ezekiel involves the transformation of the post-exilic Jerusalem, there are indications that the new Jerusalem will be inhabited by those who are resurrected from the dead<\/a>. Using imagery of captives returning from exile, Isaiah describes \u201cthose the Lord has rescued\u201d entering \u201cZion with singing\u201d and enjoying \u201ceverlasting joy\u201d (Isa 35:10). This refers to more than exiles returning from Babylon. Elsewhere, Isaiah speaks of how God \u201cwill swallow up death forever,\u201d having prepared \u201ca feast of rich food for all peoples\u201d on his holy mountain (Isa 25:6\u20138). With confidence Isaiah proclaims: <\/p>\n But your dead will live, Lord; These expectations suggest that Isaiah has in view a city that far exceeds the Jerusalem of his day or anything that it could become through merely human actions. The same is true of Ezekiel\u2019s vision of Jerusalem. In light of such expectations, Jewish writings from the intertestamental period express belief in an eternal, heavenly Jerusalem. The same hope is also present in the New Testament.<\/p>\n Building on the Old Testament, New Testament writers emphasize the importance of Jerusalem\u2019s role in God\u2019s redemptive plan<\/a>.<\/p>\n Significantly, attention shifts from the earthly city to a heavenly Jerusalem. Declaring him to be the promised Davidic king, the Anointed One, the Christ (i.e., Messiah), Jesus of Nazareth is central to this transition. While Jesus\u2019s birth is associated with the \u201credemption of Jerusalem\u201d (Luke 2:38), the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke emphasize Jesus\u2019s public ministry in Galilee, suggesting that earthly Jerusalem is not the primary locus of the kingdom of God<\/a>, contrary to the hopes of Jesus\u2019s contemporaries. Matthew\u2019s references to the \u201ckingdom of heaven\u201d also diminish the importance of the earthly Jerusalem, as does the Galilean ending of his gospel with its international perspective.<\/p>\n While Jesus\u2019s death in Jerusalem is exceptionally important, it is striking that when Luke writes of Jesus\u2019s journey to the city, he does not portray it as the final goal: \u201cAs the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem\u201d (Luke 9:51). Jesus\u2019s ascension to heaven<\/a> takes precedence for it results in his enthronement as universal king at God\u2019s right hand in the heavenly sanctuary (cf. Ps 110).<\/p>\n Highlighting Jesus\u2019s ascension in Luke 24:50\u201353 and Acts 1:6\u201311, Luke notes that God moves from residing in the Jerusalem temple to dwelling through the Spirit in the followers of Jesus. Importantly, consistent with Jesus\u2019s prophecy that the temple will be destroyed<\/a> (Matt 24:2; Mark 13:2; Luke 21:6), God transitions from living among his people to living within them, thereby reducing earthly Jerusalem\u2019s significance as the holy city.<\/p>\n Although Jesus appreciates Jerusalem\u2019s importance in God\u2019s redemptive plan and shows concern for its people\u2019s well-being, he highlights its rejection of God. While welcomed as the \u201cson of David,\u201d his brutal death, provoked by the religious leaders<\/a>, reveals the city\u2019s hostility toward God. Under a new covenant established by Jesus, God\u2019s plans for ransomed humanity involve a heavenly Jerusalem. <\/p>\n The Apostle Paul highlights this dramatic change of location in his letter to the Church of Galatia<\/a>. He uses the story of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar to illustrate a crucial contrast between the \u201cpresent Jerusalem\u201d and the \u201cJerusalem above\u201d<\/a> (Gal 4:21\u201331). Additionally, he reminds the Church of Philippi that \u201cOur citizenship is in heaven\u201d (Phil 3:20).<\/p>\n The author of Hebrews also highlights the significance of \u201cthe heavenly Jerusalem,\u201d calling it \u201cthe city of the living God\u201d (Heb 12:22). He adds, \u201cFor here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come\u201d (Heb 13:14). Linking this concept of a \u201ccity that is to come\u201d to the patriarch Abraham, Hebrews states that Abraham, in faith, looked forward to \u201ca better country, that is, a heavenly one\u201d (Heb 11:16), and \u201cto the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God\u201d (Heb 11:10). Though Abraham never lived in this city during his earthly life, the writer of Hebrews foresees a time when Abraham and his readers will dwell there together (cf. Heb 11:39\u201340).<\/p>\n Recalling the expectations in the book of Isaiah of a new creation involving a transformed Jerusalem, the Apostle John\u2019s climactic vision in Revelation 21\u201322 depicts the descent of a heavenly city to a new earth. Highlighting its grandeur and splendor, this cosmopolitan Jerusalem hosts redeemed believers who experience abundant, eternal life in a world purged of all evil<\/a>. Remarkably, as the goal of God\u2019s redemption activity, the entire biblical story from the garden of Eden onward comes to a finale in this new Jerusalem.<\/p>\n For believers, the Bible emphasizes that our future hope does not lie in present-day Jerusalem, despite its past importance in the purposes of God. Rather, we look with confidence to the creation of a new Jerusalem where the resurrected followers of Jesus will experience life in all its fulness in the presence of their Savior and Lord.<\/p>\n\n
in the city of our God, his holy mountain.
Beautiful in its loftiness,
the joy of the whole earth,
like the heights of Zaphon is Mount Zion,
the city of the Great King. (Ps 48:1\u20132; cf. Ps 125:1)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
Who may stand in his holy place?
The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not trust in an idol
or swear by a false god. (Ps 24:3\u20134; cf. Ps 15:1\u20135) <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n
Study Assistant searches reliable resources to get answers to your questions about Jerusalem<\/a>. Try Logos for free!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n
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<\/a><\/p>\nA new Jerusalem anticipated<\/h2>\n
\n
their bodies will rise\u2014
let those who dwell in the dust
wake up and shout for joy\u2014
your dew is like the dew of the morning;
the earth will give birth to her dead. (Isa 26:19)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
The eternal, heavenly Jerusalem<\/h2>\n
T. Desmond Alexander\u2019s suggested resources<\/h3>\n
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