T. D. Alexander
Two acts of God’s creation frame the books of the Bible: Genesis opens by describing how God created the heavens and the earth, and Revelation concludes by anticipating the creation of a new heaven and a new earth. While the beginning and the end undoubtedly resemble each other, an important difference exists between the first creation and the new creation. Whereas the opening chapters of Genesis focus on a garden with two human inhabitants, the concluding chapters of Revelation describe an enormous, populated city. Resplendent in glory, the new Jerusalem completes what God began when he created the earth. From beginning to end, Scripture is especially interested in constructing a holy city upon the earth, where God and humanity will reside in intimate harmony.
The Holy City Project
Although it may not be immediately apparent to modern readers, Genesis begins by anticipating the formation of a city that will be inhabited by both God and people. To this end, God delegates authority to people to rule on the earth as his vice-regents, working through them to fulfill his purpose. In line with this, God commands them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it” (Gen 1:28). Behind these commands lies the expectation that the ever-growing human population will live in community in or around a city in which God will dwell.
Adam and Eve’s disobedience in Gen 3 throws everything into chaos. By succumbing to the serpent’s temptations, the human couple betrays their Creator and fails to exercise dominion over their cunning opponent. Their God-given authority to rule over the earth is usurped by the serpent, and they themselves become subject to God’s enemy. Consequently God punishes them for their disobedience, stripping them of their viceroy status and expelling them from Eden.
The Godless City of Babel (Babylon)
Tasked with constructing God’s holy city on the earth, rebellious humanity builds an alternative city, traditionally known as Babel (the Hebrew name for Babylon). Although the Gen 11 report of the building of Babel/Babylon is exceptionally brief, the city described there casts a long shadow over the whole Bible. Babel/Babylon is the archetypal godless city. While Adam and Eve aspired to become like God (Gen 3:5), the inhabitants of Babel/Babylon seek to establish themselves as supreme not only on earth but in heaven as well (Gen 11:4). Uniting to make a name for themselves, they attempt to build a tower that will enable them to access and control heaven. Babel/Babylon typifies two contrasting aspects of human existence: (1) the capacity to achieve great things and (2) the arrogance of those who have turned away from God.
Although God intervenes to halt the Babel/Babylon project by scattering the city’s inhabitants throughout the earth, the human ambition to construct an alternative, godless city remains. Babel/Babylon typifies every social enterprise that seeks to exalt the creature over the Creator. From Genesis to Revelation, Babel/Babylon features prominently as the symbol of humanity’s attempt to govern themselves without reference to and in defiance of God.
The Holy City Anticipated
The short description of the building of Babel/Babylon precedes the much longer account of Abraham’s life. God’s promise to make Abraham’s name great (Gen 12:2) echoes the aspiration of the people of Babel/Babylon (Gen 11:4). God’s providing a particular land for Abraham and his descendants appears to deliberately respond to the city builders’ scattering over the whole earth.
In tune with the overall movement in the book of Genesis, the author of Hebrews links the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) with God’s construction of a unique city. Heb 11:10–16 commends Abraham’s faith because he looked forward to “a better country—a heavenly one” (v. 16), “the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (v. 10). Exhorting his readers to have a similar hope, the author of Hebrews expects that both he and his readers will join with others, including the patriarchs, in receiving what God promised (Heb 11:39–40). Describing it as “the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem” (Heb 12:22), he later states, “For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come” (Heb 13:14). The future experience of all believers involves a city.
A “city that is to come” (Heb 13:14) recalls John’s vision in Rev 21–22. John sees “the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband” (Rev 21:2). He then describes in detail the enormous size and splendor of the city; not only does it fill the entire earth, but it is constructed largely of gold. This unique city is the goal toward which everything in creation is moving; it brings to completion what God began in Gen 1.
The Holy City Foreseen in Jerusalem
In light of the new Jerusalem, it is hardly surprising that the city of Jerusalem figures prominently within the OT story. From the call of Abraham to the settling of the Israelites in the land of Canaan, the narrative moves toward a momentary climax after King David captures Jerusalem, also known as Zion (2 Sam 5:6–10). When the ark of the covenant, the footstool of God’s throne, is subsequently brought to Jerusalem, the city becomes the capital of God’s kingdom on earth (2 Sam 6). Jerusalem’s status as God’s special city is further enhanced when Solomon builds a magnificent temple there (1 Kgs 5–8). As the interim holy city where God lives with his people, Jerusalem takes on a unique status. Loved by God and chosen as his place of residence, Jerusalem becomes an object of praise due to God’s presence (e.g., Ps 48).
While establishing Jerusalem as a holy city marks an important step toward fulfilling God’s plan for the earth, God subsequently abandons the city because its immoral inhabitants defiled it (cf. Ezek 8–11). This occurs some centuries after the construction of the temple by Solomon when Jerusalem is captured by the Babylonians in 586 BC following a long and horrific siege. The Babylonians sack Jerusalem, demolishing its walls and temple, before taking into captivity some of the population, including the Davidic king (2 Kgs 25).
Although establishing ancient Jerusalem as a holy city is clearly linked to God’s creation plan, this was never perceived as permanently fulfilling all that God intended. It merely anticipated something greater to come. As Isaiah reveals in detail, the morally corrupt Jerusalem of OT times will in the future be replaced by a radically transformed Jerusalem, to which the nations will come in peace (e.g., Isa 2:2–5; 60:15–20; 65:17–25). While the hope of a new Jerusalem is prominent in Isaiah, it features also in other OT prophetic books (e.g., Ezek 20:40–44; Zeph 3:14–20; Zech 1:14–17).
The Challenge of Babylon
In the light of God’s creation plan to establish his holy city on the earth, the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians is highly ironic. Babylon appears to win the day, reducing to ashes Jerusalem and all that it stood for. God’s plan to build his city on the earth appears to receive a major setback.
But this is not the end of the story. Looking beyond the exile, the book of Isaiah contrasts a disgraced Babylon, sitting in dust (Isa 47), with a renewed Jerusalem, shouting for joy and knowing salvation (Isa 54). In a similar vein, Daniel foresees a time when the kingdom of God will destroy the mighty kingdom of Babylon (Dan 2). The name Babylon, however, continues to symbolize humans resisting the establishment of God’s holy city on the earth. In Rev 17–18, Babylon symbolizes God-defying human enterprise. As the Bible repeatedly highlights, humans continually resist the construction of God’s holy city upon the earth. Recognizing how present-day Babylon opposes God, the book of Revelation exhorts Christians to live here and now as citizens of the future new Jerusalem.
The New Jerusalem
While we do not need to take everything in John’s vision of the new Jerusalem literally, it likely anticipates the future existence of a redeemed humanity living together in harmony on a real earth. This expectation lines up with how Paul emphasizes bodily resurrection (1 Cor 15:3–58). There is good reason to believe that our existence in the world to come will not be entirely dissimilar to what we experience now, but without the negative impact of evil, sin, and death (Rev 21:1–8, 27).
Apart from the architecture’s grandeur and splendor, John’s vision of the city highlights other significant things. People drawn from many nations will inhabit the city and intimately experience God’s presence by seeing his face (Rev 22:4). This intimacy between God and humanity is unique in the Bible. For this reason, the whole city will be a holy temple; every inhabitant will be a priest. Every citizen, without exception, will not only serve and worship God but also reign with him (Rev 22:5).