New Jerusalem is the Holy of Holies

In Revelation 21:22a John says about New Jerusalem, “I saw no temple in it.”

In the new heaven and new earth the temple of God will be enlarged to be a city. Since the city itself will be the temple, there will be “no temple in it.”
The Greek word for temple in verse 22, naos, does not denote the whole temple…Rather, it denotes the inner temple, the Holy of Holies. This indicates that the entire city of New Jerusalem is the Holy of Holies. The three equal dimensions of the city (v. 16) also indicate that the whole city is the Holy of Holies, the inner temple.*

In the Old Testament the tabernacle was prepared first. Centuries later it was enlarged to and replaced by the temple. Both of these were physical shadows of the heavenly reality. In the New Testament the believers corporately are the temple as in 1 Corinthians 3:16 and Ephesians 2:21.

in Ephesians 2 (and 4) the building of God’s dwelling, which is also the Body of Christ, is coupled with growth. God’s building is not physical but is a living entity. This is true now and with New Jerusalem.

At the end of the Bible the building has enlarged to a city and we have been fully and permanently brought into the inner chamber, the holy of holies. Hence there is no more need of the outer court nor of the holy place. We will live and serve God in New Jerusalem, the completion of His building work throughout the ages.

* Life-Study of the New Testament, Conclusion Messages: The Church, the Kingdom, and the New Jerusalem, message 262, p. 2729, by Witness Lee. Published 1998 and © by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, California.

Posted by Don on February 5, 2025

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