新耶路撒冷是历代以来所有蒙神救赎的圣徒活的组合
她是基督的新妇，作基督的配偶（约三29）；也是神的圣城，作神的居所。这就是那属天的耶路撒冷（来十二22），是神为我们豫备的，也是亚伯拉罕、以撒、雅各所羡慕的（来十一10，16）。
新耶路撒冷要从天上降到地上
启示录二十一章二节和十节都说，新耶路撒冷“由神那里从天而降。”神的心意不是要在天上得永远的居所，祂渴望住在地上。宗教梦想上天堂，神却渴望降到地上。甚至今天，神最好的居所也不是天，乃是地上的教会。今天神有两个居所－诸天和教会。神和祂的天使住在天上，祂也和祂的儿女住在地上。你若身为父亲，你愿意和天使－仆人－在一起，还是愿意和儿女在一起？
基督的新妇
启示录二十一章二节说，新耶路撒冷“豫备好了，就如新妇妆饰整齐，等候丈夫。”在九节，有一位天使说，“我要将新妇，就是羔羊的妻，指给你看。”在新旧两约，神将祂的选民比作自己的配偶（赛五四6，耶三1，结十六8，何二19，林后十一2，弗五31～32）。配偶是在爱里使神得着满足。作基督新妇的新耶路撒冷，是出自她的“丈夫”基督，而成为祂的配偶，正如夏娃是出自她的丈夫亚当，而成为亚当的配偶（创二21～24）。她是藉著有分于基督的生命和性情的丰富，所豫备好的。
二十一章九节说到新妇和妻子。新妇主要的是为着结婚之日，而妻子乃是为着一生之久。新耶路撒冷在千年国将是新妇，为时千年，如同一日（彼后三8）；到新天新地里将是妻子，直到永永远远，万世无终。国度时代的新妇只包括得胜者（启三12，十九7～9），而在永远里的妻子却包括所有蒙神救赎的人（启二一9）。新耶路撒冷既是新妇，我们就不该将她看作一座物质的城。
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New Heaven and New Earth (the New Jerusalem) – Rev. 21:1-2
The New Jerusalem Is the Living Organism of All God’s Redeemed Saints Throughout the Ages
She is the bride of Christ, as His spouse (John 3:29); she is also the holy city of God, as God’s dwelling place. This is the heavenly Jerusalem (Heb. 12:22), which God has prepared for us, and which Abraham, Isaac and Jacob desired (Heb. 11:10, 16).
The New Jerusalem Will Come Down from Heaven to the Earth
Revelation 21:2 and 10 both say that the New Jerusalem “comes down out of heaven from God.” God’s heart desire is not to have an eternal dwelling place in heaven; He longs to live on earth. Religious people dream of going to heaven, but God longs to come to earth. Even today, God’s best dwelling place is not heaven, but the church on earth. Today God has two dwelling places – the heavens and the church. God lives in heaven with His angels, and He also lives on earth with His children. If you are a father, would you rather be with the angels, your servants, or with your children?
The Bride of Christ
Revelation 21:2 says that the New Jerusalem is “prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” In verse 9, an angel said, “I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” In both the Old and New Testaments, God likens His chosen people to His wife (Isa。 54:6, Jer. 3:1, Ezek. 16:8, Hos. 2:19, 2 Cor. 11:2, Eph. 5:31-32). A wife satisfies God in love. The New Jerusalem, the bride of Christ, comes from her “husband” Christ and becomes His wife, just as Eve came from her husband Adam and became Adam’s spouse (Gen. 2:21-24). She is prepared by participating in the riches of Christ’s life and nature.
Revelation 21:9 talks about the bride and the wife. The bride is mainly for the day of marriage, but the wife is for a lifetime. The New Jerusalem will be the bride in the Millennial Kingdom for a thousand years as one day (2 Pet. 3:8); she will be the wife in the New Heaven and New Earth forever and ever without an end. The bride in the age of the kingdom only includes the overcomers (Rev. 3:12; 19:7-9), but the wife in eternity includes all those who have been redeemed by God (Rev. 21:9). Since the New Jerusalem is the bride, we should not regard her as a material city.