Short Answer
The New Jerusalem will be a central, massive city in the eternal state, but it will not be the only place where people live. The rest of the renewed earth will also be inhabited, with nations, cultures, and life continuing in a perfect, sinless environment. While details are limited, the whole earth will reflect God’s glory, not just the city itself.
The Overview
The Bible describes the New Jerusalem as an enormous, cube-shaped city—roughly 1,200 to 1,400 miles in dimension—symbolizing the dwelling place of God with His people. Its design reflects the Holy of Holies from the Old Testament, emphasizing that it is the central place of God’s presence. However, this does not mean that all believers will live exclusively within this city.
Scripture suggests that the entire renewed earth will be populated. Just as in the millennial kingdom where Jerusalem functions as a central capital, the New Jerusalem may serve as the focal point of God’s rule, while the rest of the world is also filled with life. There may still be nations, ethnic distinctions, and diverse cultures—all existing in harmony without sin.
Although the Bible does not provide exhaustive details about life outside the New Jerusalem, it does indicate that the eternal state will be physical and real. People will have glorified bodies and experience tangible joys such as fellowship, activity, and enjoyment of creation. The renewed earth will not be a vague spiritual realm but a restored, vibrant world.
Ultimately, the New Jerusalem highlights God’s presence, but His glory will fill the entire creation. The absence of detailed descriptions does not mean emptiness—it simply means that Scripture focuses on what is most important. What is certain is that the eternal state will be rich, full, and far greater than anything experienced in the present world.
Key Takeaways
- The New Jerusalem Is a Central City
It represents the dwelling place of God and the focal point of His presence. - The Whole Earth Will Be Inhabited
Life will extend beyond the city across the renewed earth. - There May Be Nations and Diversity
Cultural and ethnic distinctions can exist in a perfect, unified way. - The Eternal State Is Physical and Real
Believers will experience tangible life in glorified bodies. - God’s Glory Will Fill Everything
Not just the city, but the entire creation will reflect His presence.
The Source — The Speaker Transcript
00:00:01
Hey, Pastor Mike. Well, you said no questions too stupid. So, here we go. >> Okay, let’s get it. >> I think about I think about um heaven and and the new Jerusalem and you talked about I was listening to one of your series recently and you said so basically New Jerusalem is going to be like 1,400 miles cube basically or pyramid something like that. >> Right. That’s great, >> right? Like half the country. >> Mhm. >> So my question is I got to thinking about that and what what about the rest?
00:00:41
>> Yeah. I think just like in the millennial kingdom though the eternal state has a really really big Jerusalem. Uh I think the rest of the world’s going to be populated and I think there’s going to be nations. I think there’s going to be ethnicities. Uh, I think there’s going to be distinctions between people that are all beautiful and good and various, but there’ll be something special about the new Jerusalem. And um, yeah, I we just don’t have enough information in the last two chapters of
00:01:11
the Bible to go beyond that. If you look at the millennial kingdom, a lot of discussion about Jerusalem, and even in Isaiah, it does call it the new Jerusalem, even though it’s not the new New Jerusalem. It’s not the ultimate Jerusalem at the end of time, the eternal state. But before the world is remade, there is a Jerusalem that is the is the it’s the headquarters of the whole world. And it is there in the piece of land that we know of when we fly into Tel Aviv. But at the end of time, this particular city becomes
00:01:40
described as a cube. And it’s 1,200,400 miles uh cubed. And and the reason I think that is is because the Holy of Holies was described that way as a as a cube. I mean, it was the it was a cube- shaped room. So, it’s trying to be symbolic, at least in its dimensions, to show us that it is exactly where God’s greatness dwells, but it’s not like you’re not in heaven, so to speak, as some people like to call the eternal state, because you’re outside of that. It’d be like saying, “I’m in the holy
00:02:13
place, but no, no, no. I’m in the holy of holies.” I think everybody in the earth’s going to be going, >> “Oh, I thought we were all going to live there.” Oh, >> see it’s like a giant capital city where a lot of people can live. >> Oh, >> but I do think >> that’s different. >> The rest of the earth, I believe, will be will be inhabited. But remember this. Here’s the thing. When God remakes the the new Earth, I’m I’m I’m assuming it’s
00:02:37
the same size as the Earth we have. I don’t know, right? This could be this could be bigger. It could it could be three times the size. It could be Saturn’s size. I don’t know. But all I know is he remakes the world without any trace of sin. And then in the center of it is a place that’s described that’s 1,200 13 maybe 1,400 miles squared in cubed actually high as you put it. So yeah, I think the whole earth’s going to be inhabited. The whole earth’s going to be full of God’s glory in a very
00:03:07
specific way. But we don’t have enough information. And if you go to Randy Alhorn’s book, uh he wrote that book on heaven. One of the best sellers ever. Uh >> I have it. >> Yeah. you know, he does what the best we can do. Um, I mean, not that it’s exhaustive, but he spends hundreds of pages uh, taking the material we have and just thinking through what it means. And one thing I love that Alorn does at the beginning of the book is say, don’t think of it as something so radically
00:03:34
different that it has no correspondence to the Earth we know of now. And and that’s a great thing because most people think, as I often say, that we’re floating around on cottonball clouds and see-through bodies, and none of that’s going to be the case. This is going to be real. We were designed to be imshed in physical bodies. We’re going to be we’re going to eat. We’re going to hug. We’re going to have hair. We’re going to have eyes that are shining and teeth that are white. And it’s going to be
00:03:59
it’s going to be earth. And it’s going to be a great earth without any reference to sin. So, I wish we could answer all those questions, but one day, uh, we’ll get together and, uh, on the other side, we’ll get around to chatting with each other and saying, “Wow, look how big it is. Look at the difference between the new Jerusalem and the other side of the planet, and we’ll figure this all out when we get there.” That help the animals got to stay somewhere, too. >> Yeah, there’s going to be animals. I I
00:04:24
believe so. All of that. And that’s a good example of what Alorn’s trying to say. And I do think a lot of questions I get about the eternal state, I have to look at how God made the garden and I got to say, okay, it’s a city and not a garden. I get that. But, you know, the whole earth is filled with God’s glory in the creation that he made. Different kinds of trees, different kinds of fruit, different kinds of plants, different kinds of animals, right? Different kinds of fish, and all of them
00:04:49
reflect God’s glory. I mean, people still pay a lot of money to go out on a boat and see, you know, dolphins and whales. And I’m thinking to myself, okay, this is just something that we see God’s greatness in, that we enjoy. God’s going to create a world where everything is for our enjoyment. At the right hand of God, there are pleasures forever more. Psalm 16. We’re going to have a great place that is going to be amazing. And if someone says, “Well, I’m I don’t
00:05:13
know if I’m going to like it because it doesn’t have X, Y, or Z there.” Yeah, I think you’re going to like it without X, Y, or Z. if you can even prove to me that there’s not going to be x, y, or z. But I can’t prove that there’s not going to be a lot of things that just cuz they’re not mentioned. Just the absence of something mentioned in in Revelation 21 and 22 does not mean it won’t be there. And though there’s no discussion about animals in those last two
00:05:34
chapters, I believe animals will be a part of it for sure.
