Definition
New Jerusalem is the eschatological city described in Rev. 21:1-22:5 — “the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” In the literal reading it is a future heavenly city that descends to the new earth after the millennium. In the typological-spiritual reading (Nee/Lee, Noordzij) New Jerusalem is a type of the Church as God’s final dwelling and Kingdom center.
Usage in the Corpus
Witness Lee / Watchman Nee
Nee/Lee connect New Jerusalem typologically to the temple and city built on the land of Canaan. The land (type of the all-inclusive Christ) bears the temple (God’s dwelling) and the city (God’s authority center): “The city is the center of God’s authority, God’s kingdom, and the temple is the center of God’s house, God’s dwelling place.” New Jerusalem is the eschatological realization of this type: the church as God’s ultimate home and as the center of his Kingdom rule. “As we possess Christ as a piece of land and enjoy all His riches, after a certain measure, something will come out — the Church with God’s Kingdom, the temple in the city.” [Nee/Lee, The All-inclusive Christ, Ch. 1]
Cees Noordzij
Noordzij cites Rev. 14:1 (“standing with the Lamb on Mount Zion”) as the eschatological destination for the 144,000 firstfruits: “They will then also ‘share in His glorification’ and sit with Him on His throne (Rom. 8:17; Rev. 3:21). And what was the ultimate goal? To redeem all of creation to the freedom of the glory of the children of God! (Rom. 8:21).” Mount Zion as eschatological destination points to New Jerusalem as the consummated sonship project. [Noordzij, Moses and the Path to Sonship, closing paragraph]