The new Jerusalem

“I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.” Revelation 21:22-23
Chapter 21 of the book of Revelation gives us a description of the city of the new Jerusalem. We are told it is 12,000 stadia on each side, as wide and long as it is high (Rev. 21:16), which makes it about the size of the moon! It has the brilliance of a clear gemstone (Rev. 21:11), possibly a diamond. It has twelve gates of pearls (Rev. 21:21) and twelve foundations of gemstones (Rev. 21:19-20), the wall is made of jasper, about 200 feet thick (Rev. 21:17-18), the streets are made of glassy gold (Rev. 21:21). There is no day or night (Rev. 21:25), no sun or moon (Rev. 21:23), instead it is the glory of God that gives it light.
What an amazing place! – and this description is only of the basic structural things: the wall, the gates, and the roads. John doesn’t tell us what else is inside the city; for that, we’ll have to wait until we get there. And what is the purpose of the new Jerusalem? It is the house that Jesus as the bridegroom has been preparing for His bride, the church. This magnificent city will be our new home, where God will dwell among us. We will be living there!