Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone.
And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a beautiful bride prepared for her husband.
I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, "Look, the home of God is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.
He will remove all of their sorrows, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. For the old world and its evils are gone forever."
And the one sitting on the throne said, "Look, I am making all things new!" And then he said to me, "Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true."
And he also said, "It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega--the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give the springs of the water of life without charge!
All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.
But cowards who turn away from me, and unbelievers, and the corrupt, and murderers, and the immoral, and those who practice witchcraft, and idol worshipers, and all liars--their doom is in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death."
Then one of the seven angels who held the seven bowls containing the seven last plagues came and said to me, "Come with me! I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb."
So he took me in spirit to a great, high mountain, and he showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.
It was filled with the glory of God and sparkled like a precious gem, crystal clear like jasper.
Its walls were broad and high, with twelve gates guarded by twelve angels. And the names of the twelve tribes of Israel were written on the gates.
There were three gates on each side--east, north, south, and west.
The wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were written the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
The angel who talked to me held in his hand a gold measuring stick to measure the city, its gates, and its wall.
When he measured it, he found it was a square, as wide as it was long. In fact, it was in the form of a cube, for its length and width and height were each 1,400 miles.
Then he measured the walls and found them to be 216 feet thick (the angel used a standard human measure).
The wall was made of jasper, and the city was pure gold, as clear as glass.
The wall of the city was built on foundation stones inlaid with twelve gems: the first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald,
the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst.
The twelve gates were made of pearls--each gate from a single pearl! And the main street was pure gold, as clear as glass.
No temple could be seen in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light.
The nations of the earth will walk in its light, and the rulers of the world will come and bring their glory to it.
Its gates never close at the end of day because there is no night.
And all the nations will bring their glory and honor into the city.
Nothing evil will be allowed to enter--no one who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty--but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.