New Jerusalem Bible

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When He created the heavens and the earth, God declared all His creation good ( Genesis 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25). Genesis 1:31 tells us God saw everything He had made, and “it was very good.” It was perfect, with no sin. Then came the Fall ( Genesis 3), and God told Adam, “Cursed is the ground for your sake” ( Genesis 3:17). Since that time, “creation groans and labors” ( Romans 8:19-22), and God is in the process of restoring humans (those who have surrendered to Jesus Christ as Lord) and the rest of creation. The New Jerusalem gates may bear some relation to the gates mentioned in Enoch, Chapters 33–35, where the prophet Enoch reports that from each of the four "heavenly gates – opening in heaven – three (new gates) were seen distinctly separating (off, as if) the extremities of the whole earth" [were pulling apart each of the four gates into three new ones]. Thus, the four gates were each replaced by three new ones, totaling twelve [i.e. 3 x 4 = 12] gates in all. [33, 3.][ref. Laurence translation, Book of Enoch.] [ citation needed] Geometry [ edit ] The angel measures the New Jerusalem with the rod or reed. Note the Lamb of God and the twelve sets of figures, gates, and stones. God created man in the image of himself, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them.

One of the most obvious differences is that the dimensions of the New Jerusalem of Rev. 21 are 1000 times bigger than dimensions of the city in Ezekiel 48 (and, in Rev. 20:9). a b Bess, Philip (2003-04-19). "Design matters: the city and the good life: can the art of traditional urban design be renewed, and can we relearn how to create beautiful and livable cities?". Christian Century. Archived from the original on 2004-09-18 . Retrieved 2007-01-02. Abdu'l-Bahá (1981) [1904–1906]. Some Answered Questions. Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Baháʼí Publishing Trust. p.67. ISBN 0-87743-190-6. Over the course of the years the English language has changed; it continues to change. When The Jerusalem Bible was published in 1966 it was the first full translation of the Bible into modern English. The translation of the biblical text itself was in fact a secondary initiative in that edition of the Bible. The primary purpose of The Jerusalem Bible was to make available to the English-speaking public the theological richness of the French Bible de Jérusalem elaborated over the previous twenty years at the French biblical school in Jerusalem. There, a team of scholars had applied to biblical study the advances of the previous century in archaeological, linguistic, literary and theological studies. It was also the era of the exciting discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, in which the École biblique had played a major part. The translation of the text was secondary to that of the notes and introductions; it arose out of a need to support the notes ·with a new translation. However, the editor, Alexander Jones, a former student of the École biblique, at that time teaching in Liverpool, saw that a fresh translation of the text was needed to support the scholarship of the theological notes and introductions. For this purpose he assembled a skilled and distinguished literary team, which ensured that the biblical translation was hailed as an achievement in its own right. Nevertheless, the principal feature of this Bible was the mediation of the results of biblical research. Until then a fully annotated Bible had not been part of the English biblical tradition. One of the aims of the great King James Version, since 1611 the template and model of all English Bibles, had been to avoid commentary and annotation. King James himself had prescribed the elimination of all notes, for such notes had served largely as weapons in inter-confessional and indeed also political controversy.

Will the “New Heaven and New Earth” Really Be a New Place?

New Jerusalem is made up of a group of Jesus’ followers, the bride of Christ. New Jerusalem is called “the bride, the Lamb’s wife.” ( Revelation 21:​9, 10) In this symbolic description, the Lamb refers to Jesus Christ. ( John 1:​29; Revelation 5:​12) “The Lamb’s wife,” Christ’s bride, represents Christians who will be united with Jesus in heaven. The Bible likens the relationship between Jesus and these Christians to that of a husband and wife. ( 2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:​23-​25) In addition, the foundation stones of New Jerusalem are inscribed with “the 12 names of the 12 apostles of the Lamb.” ( Revelation 21:14) This detail helps to confirm the identity of New Jerusalem, since Christians who are called to life in heaven are “built up on the foundation of the apostles and prophets.”​— Ephesians 2:​20. New Jerusalem will be very beautiful. However, the city’s beauty will not even begin to compare to the joy of the saved as they experience no more aches and pains, suffering or death. Revelation 21:4 explains that, “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” The New Jerusalem and you God saw all he had made, and indeed it was very good. Evening came and morning came: the sixth day. Verses related to Genesis, 1: Verse 23 proclaims, "And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is the light, and its lamp is the lamb." For the author of Revelation, there is no need for a Temple because the Lord will be the New Jerusalem's eternal light and Jesus (the lamb) will be its lamp. This re-interpretation uses Isaiah to make its case: As the original New Jerusalem composition, Ezekiel functioned as a source for later works such as 4 Ezra, 2 Baruch, Qumran documents, and the Book of Revelation. These texts used similar measurement language and expanded on the limited eschatological perspective in Ezekiel.

The One who was sitting on the throne said, “Look! I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this, because these words are true and can be trusted.” Baruch is distressed when the Lord informs him of Jerusalem's impending doom. Baruch responds with several theological questions for God. For this study, Baruch's inquiry about the future of Israel and the honor of the Lord are most pertinent (2 Baruch 3:4-6). Baruch learns that the Lord will destroy the city, not the enemy. Baruch also learns of a pre-immanent heavenly Temple: "[The Temple] was already prepared from the moment I decided to create paradise." And I showed it to Adam before he sinned." (2 Baruch 4:3). This Temple was created before Adam, and shown to him before Adam’s fall. James C. VanderKam and William Adler, The Jewish Apocalyptic Heritage in Early Christianity (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1996)The apocalypse of 2 Baruch is a contemporary narrative of 4 Ezra. The text also follows the same basic structure 4 Ezra: Job-like grief, animosity towards the Lord, and the rectification of Jerusalem that leads to the comfort of the Job-figure. Second Baruch is historical fiction, written after the Roman destruction but set before the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians.

The New Jerusalem, which is also called the Tabernacle of God, the Holy City, the City of God, the Celestial City, the City Foursquare, and Heavenly Jerusalem, is literally heaven on earth. It is referred to in the Bible in several places (Galatians 4:26; Hebrews 11:10; 12:22–24; and 13:14), but it is most fully described in Revelation 21.The name emerald comes from the Greek word smaragdos, which means green gem. Emeralds are a variety of beryl. The New Oxford Annotated Bible: New Revised Standard Version with the Apocrypha (3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001), p. 1359 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God Her brilliance was like a very costly stone, as a stone of crystal-clear jasper. It had a great and high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names were written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel. read more.

The chrysolite of Bible times is the equivalent of modern-day topaz and is a precious stone of golden color.

5. The walls

God blessed them, saying to them, 'Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. Be masters of the fish of the sea, the birds of heaven and all the living creatures that move on earth.' Peter 3:12-13 describes “waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to His promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”