The vision which John experienced took him, and generations of believers including ourselves, on a tour of the future. Revelation is a pictorial description of what will happen. The reality will be far more intense and rich, but we can only appreciate something new by reference to what we already know. Thus, the imagery projects what has already been experienced, either through previous Bible accounts of the Exodus, the prophecies in Daniel and from the Lord Jesus; or from observed life events. So, the occupants of God's eternity are described as the bride of the Lamb (Revelation 21:2, 9), and now as a city – the new Jerusalem. We are used to the Bible's terminology of people being buildings from 1 Peter 2:4-8 where Christians are stones making up the walls of the 'Temple of God', and Jesus Christ is the capstone – as prophesied in Isaiah 28:16.

Now, in John's vision, the church in glory is much bigger than a temple, the private dwelling place of God isolated from an unholy world because the 'old order of things has passed away … God has made everything new' (Revelation 21:4-5). There is no sin of any kind. The Antichrist, the false prophet, the blasphemous world government and the devil have been consigned to the lake of fire along with all whose names were not in the Lamb's book of life (Revelation 20:10, 15). The whole city is God's temple because He lives with His people. It is as visually brilliant as the glory around Moses when he came from meeting with God (Exodus 34:29-35), and at the transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-8). There is no imperfection in this glory; it is consistent and transparent – hiding nothing and revealing everything.

The city has high walls to indicate that it is an indestructible fortress of righteousness; and gates to let in only those who have been made pure in heart (Matthew 5:8). God's angels welcome His people through the gates, and they are forever safe in Him. The twelve gates are like those in Ezekiel 48:30-35, named with the tribes of Israel, for salvation is founded on the Jewish line (John 4:22). The foundations are named after the apostles. Ephesians 2:19-20 says, "… you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone."

That is our destiny, if we love Jesus. To be with the Lord forever, radiating His glory perfectly and transparently. The splendour cannot be imagined, like the report of the Queen of Sheba (1 Kings 10:6-7). We can deserve none of it; like our salvation from God's wrath and the lake of fire, it is His gift of grace (Ephesians 2:8-9). So we need to prepare. 1 John 2:5-6 says, "But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did." Our faith must not be passive, but as we look forward to such glory we should desire to be a part of it. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, will be filled (Matthew 5:6).