The Bible says that God is building an awesome and huge city for His people, and it is as real as any other city in the world!

At this moment, the holy city is now under construction in heaven.

• Name. The city is called the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:2).
• Size. The city is a perfect square. Its perimeter is 12,000 furlongs (about 2,400 km), roughly 600 km on each side (Revelation 21:16).
• Walls. A wall of pure jasper, 144 cubits high (about 66 m — nearly 20 stories), surrounds the city, with a radiance and beauty beyond description (Revelation 21:17,18).
• Gates. The high wall has twelve gates: three on the east, three on the north, three on the south, and three on the west; each gate is made of a single pearl (Revelation 21:12,13,21).
• Foundations. The city wall has twelve foundations decorated with every kind of precious stone in all the colors of the rainbow, so that from a distance the city appears to rest upon a rainbow (Revelation 21:14,19,20).
• Streets. The streets of the city are pure gold, like transparent glass (Revelation 21:21).
• Appearance. The holy city shines with the glory of God, and its brilliance is like a precious jewel, clear as crystal; its majesty is compared to a bride adorned for her husband (Revelation 21:2,11,16).

The tree of life bears 12 kinds of fruit, stands in the middle of the city (Revelation 2:7), and brings unending life and youth to all who eat from it. Even its leaves have wonderful sustaining qualities. This tree yields a new crop of fruit each month.

Yes! The majestic holy city will come down to this planet to become the capital of the earth made new. All the saved will have a home in this city.

God will cleanse the earth from sin; in deep sadness He will also cleanse it from those who would continue in sin. Then God will make a perfect new earth. The holy city will be its capital. Here the saved will live in joy, peace, and holiness throughout eternity. God has promised that sin will not rise up again. See Nahum 1:9.

• The Lord Himself will live with them (Revelation 21:3).
• They will never become bored: there will be pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11).
• There will be no more death, pain, tears, sorrow, sickness, hospitals, operations, tragedy, disappointment, hunger, or thirst (Revelation 21:4; Isaiah 33:24; Isaiah 65:23; Revelation 7:16).
• They will not get tired (Isaiah 40:31).
• Everyone will be physically whole: the deaf will hear, the blind will see, and the paralyzed will run (Isaiah 35:5,6; Philippians 3:21).
• Jealousy, fear, hatred, falsehood, impurity, cynicism, worry, and all evil will not exist in God’s kingdom (Revelation 21:8,27; 22:15). Time will become eternity, and the pressures and deadlines of earth today will be gone forever.

• Vast oceans as we know them will be gone (Revelation 21:1). Today oceans cover about 70% of the earth’s surface; this will not be so in the new kingdom. The whole world will be one huge garden of unsurpassed beauty, interspersed with lakes, rivers, and mountains (Revelation 22:1; Acts 3:20,21).
• Deserts will be replaced with gardens (Isaiah 35:1,2).
• Every animal will be tame. No creature — wolves, lions, bears — will prey upon others, and little children will lead them (Isaiah 11:6–9; Isaiah 65:25).
• There will be no more curse (Revelation 22:3). The curse of sin described in Genesis 3:17–19 will be gone.
• There will be no more violence of any kind (Isaiah 60:18): no crime, storms, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, or injury.
• Nothing defiling will be found (Revelation 21:27): no drunkenness, taverns, alcohol, brothels, pornography, or any other impurity.

There will be many young children in the holy city (Isaiah 11:6–9), and these little ones will grow up. Ever since the fall of man, we have degenerated much in stature, intellect, and vitality — but all of this will be restored! (Acts 3:20,21).

The Bible clearly teaches that the saved who have died will be raised to life, join the saved who are living, and enter God’s new kingdom together (Isaiah 26:19; Jeremiah 31:15–17; 1 Corinthians 15:51–55; 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18). It also teaches that loved ones in God’s new kingdom will know one another, just as people recognize each other on the earth today.

After His resurrection, Jesus proved to the disciples that He was flesh and bone by having them touch Him and by eating food. This same Jesus ascended to His Father and will come again to the earth. The saved will be given bodies like the body of Christ and will be physical people with flesh and bone throughout eternity. The difference will be that our heavenly bodies will not be subject to deterioration and death. The teaching that the saved in heaven are merely spirits who float on clouds and do nothing but play harps has no foundation in the Bible. Jesus did not die on the cross to provide such a trivial future for those who accept His love. If every person could learn the truth about God’s holy city and the new earth, millions more might understand His love, turn to Him, and enjoy the peace, joy, and purpose He designed them to experience.

The saved will build their own homes on the new earth. (Each person will also have a city home built by Christ — see John 14:1–3.) They will plant vineyards and eat the fruit from them. The Bible is plain about this: real people do real things in heaven, and they will thoroughly enjoy it all.

• Sing and play heavenly music (Isaiah 35:10; 51:11; Psalm 87:7; Revelation 14:2,3).
• Worship before God’s throne every week (Isaiah 66:22,23).
• Enjoy never-fading flowers and trees (Ezekiel 47:12; Isaiah 35:1,2).
• Visit with loved ones, ancestors, Bible characters, and others (Matthew 8:11; Revelation 7:9–17).
• Study the animals of paradise (Isaiah 11:6–9; 65:25).
• Travel and explore without ever becoming weary (Isaiah 40:31).
• Listen to God sing (Zephaniah 3:17).
• Experience their deepest desires (Psalm 37:3,4; Isaiah 65:24).
• And the greatest joy of all — enjoy the privilege of being like Jesus, traveling with Him, and seeing Him face to face! (Revelation 14:4; 22:4; 21:3; 1 John 3:2).

Not even in its wildest dreams can the human heart begin to comprehend the wonders of God’s eternal kingdom. The paradise that Adam lost will be restored (Acts 3:20,21).

Yes! It is being prepared for you personally right now. And the invitation from the Lord is to you personally. Please do not reject His offer!

Give your life to Christ and abide in Him so that He can cleanse you from sin and the desire to sin. It is that simple! When you abide in Him, Jesus gives you the power to do His will and to keep His commandments out of loving obedience. This means that you will begin to live as Christ lived, and He will help you overcome all sin. He who overcomes shall inherit all things (Revelation 21:7). A person is prepared for heaven when heaven is in the heart.