New Heavens and a New Earth

²² But you have come to Mount Zion,^(A) to the city^(B) of the living God,^(C) the heavenly Jerusalem.^(D) You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, ²³ to the church of the firstborn,^(E) whose names are written in heaven.^(F) You have come to God, the Judge of all,^(G) to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,^{(H) 24} to Jesus the mediator^(I) of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood^(J) that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.^(K)

¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief.^(A) The heavens will disappear with a roar;^(B) the elements will be destroyed by fire,^(C) and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.^[a](D)

¹¹ Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives ¹² as you look forward^(E) to the day of God and speed its coming.^[b](F) That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.^{(G) 13} But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth,^(H) where righteousness dwells.

²⁰ But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet^(A) who had performed the signs^(B) on its behalf.^(C) With these signs he had deluded^(D) those who had received the mark of the beast^(E) and worshiped its image.^(F) The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake^(G) of burning sulfur.^(H)

¹⁰ And the devil, who deceived them,^(A) was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur,^(B) where the beast^(C) and the false prophet^(D) had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.^(E)

The Judgment of the Dead

¹¹ Then I saw a great white throne^(F) and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence,^(G) and there was no place for them. ¹² And I saw the dead, great and small,^(H) standing before the throne, and books were opened.^(I) Another book was opened, which is the book of life.^(J) The dead were judged^(K) according to what they had done^(L) as recorded in the books. ¹³ The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades^(M) gave up the dead^(N) that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done.^{(O) 14} Then death^(P) and Hades^(Q) were thrown into the lake of fire.^(R) The lake of fire is the second death.^{(S) 15} Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life^(T) was thrown into the lake of fire.

A New Heaven and a New Earth

21 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”^[a](A) for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away,^(B) and there was no longer any sea. ² I saw the Holy City,^(C) the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,^(D) prepared as a bride^(E) beautifully dressed for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them.^(F) They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.^{(G) 4} ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes.^(H) There will be no more death’^[b](I) or mourning or crying or pain,^(J) for the old order of things has passed away.”^(K)

⁵ He who was seated on the throne^(L) said, “I am making everything new!”^(M) Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”^(N)

⁶ He said to me: “It is done.^(O) I am the Alpha and the Omega,^(P) the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost^(Q) from the spring of the water of life.^{(R) 7} Those who are victorious^(S) will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.^{(T) 8} But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars^(U)—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur.^(V) This is the second death.”^(W)

The New Jerusalem, the Bride of the Lamb

⁹ One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues^(X) came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride,^(Y) the wife of the Lamb.”

¹⁰ And he carried me away^(A) in the Spirit^(B) to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.^{(C) 11} It shone with the glory of God,^(D) and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper,^(E) clear as crystal.^{(F) 12} It had a great, high wall with twelve gates,^(G) and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.^{(H) 13} There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. ¹⁴ The wall of the city had twelve foundations,^(I) and on them were the names of the twelve apostles^(J) of the Lamb.

¹⁵ The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod^(K) of gold to measure the city, its gates^(L) and its walls. ¹⁶ The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia^[a] in length, and as wide and high as it is long. ¹⁷ The angel measured the wall using human^(M) measurement, and it was 144 cubits^[b] thick.^{[c] 18} The wall was made of jasper,^(N) and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass.^{(O) 19} The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone.^(P) The first foundation was jasper,^(Q) the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, ²⁰ the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby,^(R) the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.^{[d] 21} The twelve gates^(S) were twelve pearls,^(T) each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.^(U)

²² I did not see a temple^(V) in the city, because the Lord God Almighty^(W) and the Lamb^(X) are its temple. ²³ The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God^(Y) gives it light,^(Z) and the Lamb^(AA) is its lamp. ²⁴ The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it.^{(AB) 25} On no day will its gates^(AC) ever be shut,^(AD) for there will be no night there.^{(AE) 26} The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it.^{(AF) 27} Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful,^(AG) but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.^(AH)

Eden Restored

22 Then the angel showed me the river^(AI) of the water of life,^(AJ) as clear as crystal,^(AK) flowing^(AL) from the throne of God and of the Lamb ² down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life,^(AM) bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.^{(AN) 3} No longer will there be any curse.^(AO) The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.^{(AP) 4} They will see his face,^(AQ) and his name will be on their foreheads.^{(AR) 5} There will be no more night.^(AS) They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light.^(AT) And they will reign for ever and ever.^(AU)