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Have you ever heard about the city of Pompeii? Pompeii is a city in Italy near Naples. In the year A.D. 79, the volcano Vesuvius erupted, leaving the city partially buried in 13-20 ft of volcanic ash. Interestingly, some sources believe that the devastating eruption occurred the day after the people of Pompeii celebrated a festival to the Roman god of fire. While much of Pompeii has been excavated in the last few hundred years, when the volcano erupted all life in the city was destroyed. Today, Pompeii is a tourist destination and archaeological site only; it is essentially a dead city.

Even though it happened many years ago, the tragedy of Pompeii is a warning to us that no earthly city will last forever. Cities rise and cities fall, whether due to natural disasters or to economic causes, such as ghost towns of the “old west” in the United States. Nothing in this life is forever; all things will eventually pass away. Hebrews 13:14 says, “For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.”

What is the “city that is to come”? It is the New Jerusalem. For all of the details of the New Jerusalem, I encourage you to go read the entire chapter of Revelation 21. After this world passes away, the New Jerusalem will appear. It will be a holy and perfect city that will last forever. God will bring us heaven on earth (literally) with the New Jerusalem, and we who believe in the saving work of Jesus Christ will be able to spend all eternity with God in that place.

The New Jerusalem will be nothing like any city on this earth. It will “shine with the glory of God” (verse 11) and have “no need of the sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it” (verse 23). In addition, there will be “nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it” (verse 27).

Here on this earth, we have darkness; we have places where we don’t clearly see the glory of God; and we have many things are unclean and people who are sinful. The New Jerusalem will truly be heaven on earth, and it will never be destroyed!

Does that sound like a place you want to be for all eternity? If so, there is a guest list. The last part of Revelation 21:27 says that “only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life [shall ever come into it].” The way to get your name in the book is to believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and to have faith in Him, that He died for you and rose again, so that you can have life forever in the New Jerusalem.