| John's vision of the last days. A new heaven,
new earth. New Jerusalem descends from heaven. God dwells with his people.
Seven angels, seven plagues. City of gold and precious stones. Twelve gates
for the twelve tribes, twelve wall foundations for the apostles, 1,500 miles
square, walls 228 feet high. No temple, sun, or moon, for God and the Lamb
dwell in the city. Only the pure, saved dwell in it. |
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| New heaven,
new earth |
1 |
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the
first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more
sea. |
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"And behold, this people
will I establish in this land, unto the fulfilling of the covenant which
I made with your father Jacob; and it shall be a New Jerusalem. And the
power of heaven shall be in the midst of this people; yea, even I will
be in the midst of you." 3 Nephi 20:22
"And there shall be a new heaven and a new
earth; and they shall be like unto the old save the old have passed away,
and all things have become new." Ether 13:9
"And righteousness will I send down out of heaven; and truth will
I send forth out of the earth, to bear testimony of mine Only Begotten;
his resurrection from the dead; yea, and also the resurrection of all
men; and righteousness and truth will I cause to sweep the earth as with
a flood, to gather out mine elect from the four quarters of the earth,
unto a place which I shall prepare, an Holy City, that my people may gird
up their loins, and be looking forth for the time of my coming; for there
shall be my tabernacle, and it shall be called Zion, a New Jerusalem."
Moses 7:62, [June] 1830.
"And the end shall come, and the heaven and
the earth shall be consumed and pass away, and there shall be a new heaven
and a new earth. For all old things shall pass away, and all things shall
become new, even the heaven and the earth" ¶
D&C 29:33–34, September [5–26], 1830.
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| New Jerusalem
descends from heaven |
2 |
And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from
God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. |
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| God dwells with his people |
3 |
And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the
tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall
be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. |
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| Wipes away their
tears |
4 |
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there
shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there
be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. |
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| God: Write this |
5 |
And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things
new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. |
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| Water of life
free |
6 |
And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the
beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain
of the water of life freely. |
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| Overcome all to be God's
son |
7 |
He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be
his God, and he shall be my son. |
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| Lake of fire and brimstone (second
death) |
8 |
But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the
abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters,
and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire
and brimstone: which is the second death. |
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"… that ye may not
become angels to the devil, to be cast into that lake of fire and brimstone
which is the second death." Jacob 3:11
"… the fearful, and the unbelieving, and all liars, and whosoever
loveth and maketh a lie, and the whoremonger, and the sorcerer, shall have
their part in that lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is
the second death. " ¶ D&C
63:17, August [30, 31], 1831. |
| Seven angels, seven plagues |
9 |
And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials
full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither,
I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. |
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| Jerusalem descends |
10 |
And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high
mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending
out of heaven from God, |
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| Shines like gems |
11 |
Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious,
even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; |
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| Walls, gates
for twelve tribes |
12 |
And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates
twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve
tribes of the children of Israel: |
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13 |
On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the
south three gates; and on the west three gates. |
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| Twelve foundations
for apostles |
14 |
And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names
of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. |
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15 |
And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and
the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. |
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| City 1,500 miles square |
16 |
And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth:
and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length
and the breadth and the height of it are equal. |
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A furlong is 1/8 of a mile, 1
SLC block, 40 rods, 220 yards, or 201.17 meters. 12,000/8 = 1,500 miles. |
| Walls 228 feet (high) |
17 |
And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits,
according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel. |
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A cubit is the distance from the
elbow to the tip of the middle finger, usually 18–21 inches. (19x144)/12
= 228 feet. |
| Walls of jasper, city of
pure gold |
18 |
And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the
city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. |
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Jasper is an opaque cryptocrystalline
quartz. May be red, brown, green, or yellow, but usually associated with
green. |
| Wall foundations of gems |
19 |
And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner
of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire;
the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; |
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20 |
The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the
eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh,
a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst. |
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| Pearl gates, streets transparent
gold |
21 |
And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: every several gate was of one
pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent
glass. |
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| No temple but God and the
Lamb |
22 |
And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are
the temple of it. |
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| No need for sun or moon |
23 |
And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in
it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. |
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| All who are saved |
24 |
And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it:
and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. |
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| No night, open gates |
25 |
And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be
no night there. |
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| Glory and honor to
its nations |
26 |
And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. |
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| Only the pure |
27 |
And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither
whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written
in the Lamb's book of life. |
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