The new Jerusalem will come down from heaven.
At the Last Judgment “I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them” (Rev. 20:11).
Here is the event with the greatest immediate impact in the history of the universe. God Himself appears. Heaven and earth disappear.
God Himself, with no mediating form such as Jesus’ body, manifests too much for creation to stand. Only those created in His image can stand before Him. All else including death, which separates men from God, flees. At the Last Judgment, men must face their Maker alone.
“And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done” (Rev. 20:12-13. NIV).
Book of Deeds and Book of Life
They have nothing to face God with, but their deeds. The books record their deeds forever. But another book, the book of life, records the names of those who belong to Christ. Their sinful deeds in the first books have vanished forever.
For “they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Rev. 7:14). Therefore they wear “fine linen, bright and clean, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints” (Rev. 19:8).
The “saints” consist of all who have Christ dwelling in them. They face God with the deeds that Christ did through them. God has forgiven and forgotten the sins they committed against God.
Why? Because Christ took them away on the cross. He so loved them that He gave them His righteousness instead. Thereafter, every deed they did in His love and His righteousness will last forever.
That becomes their reward. Before God, they will forever wear “the righteous acts of the saints.” The quality of their eternal life will depend on what they did with Christ in their earthly life.
Unhappily, the same goes for those who never received Christ as Lord. They will have nothing to show for their lives except for their continual rejection of Him.
In turn, God will reject them. They will have to live with shame for every deed they did without Him and against Him. And they will suffer the consequences of their sinful deeds forever, in the lake of fire.
“This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” (Rev. 20:14-15).
The new heaven and earth
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband” (Rev. 21:1-3).
The first heaven and the first earth pass away. But the new heaven and the new earth remain. From the new heaven, the New Jerusalem comes down to the new earth.
For the New Jerusalem, “no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” All our lives we have been building on that foundation with gold, silver and precious stones (1 Cor. 3:11-12). We have been laying up treasures in heaven.
Whatever we built without Christ will burn up. But whatever we did build with Him will remain, and result in eternal rewards (1 Cor. 3:13-15).
The new Jerusalem consists of all that believers did with Christ throughout history. We have made our own resting place, with Him. At the end of time, our faithful Lord will complete the good works He began in us.
Then the new Jerusalem will come down from heaven to earth. On earth, it will still rest on the foundation of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for us. And the Father Himself will come to dwell with us there.
Father God on Earth
“I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people… God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away’” (Rev. 21:3-4).
Until the first things pass away, Jesus says, “In this world you will have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
By His grace, we can overcome with Him and look forward to our heavenly reward. “He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son” (Rev. 21:7).
To be God’s beloved child forever is the greatest reward.
Read more on Rapture and Second Coming
See Is there hope for those who are left behind?
Other ETG articles related to last judgment:
Related sources for last judgment
Affirming Israel’s borders: Scripture & history
Bible supports Jerusalem as Israel’s capital
Keyword: last judgment
Evil ends with last judgment
