The Kingdom Road Map, Part 1: Start With the Destination

When you open Google Maps to plan a trip, you enter your destination. Then you examine the route, identify important stops, and locate your starting point.

What if we studied the Bible that way?

We could begin at the end of Revelation, examine the destination God reveals, and then work backward through Scripture to understand how the journey brings us there.

Welcome to the Kingdom Road Map.

Throughout this series, we will explore the biblical case that believers belong to God’s Kingdom today and share in the spiritual life pictured in the New Jerusalem. We will follow the passages carefully, explain the connections, and address the difficult questions along the way.

All Scripture quotations below are from the King James Version.

Stop 1: Enter the Destination

Revelation 21:2–3:

“And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

“And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.”

Notice the direction: New Jerusalem comes down from God out of heaven.

Notice also the central promise: God dwells with his people. “Tabernacle” means a dwelling place. At the heart of this vision is fellowship between God and humanity.

This gives us our first landmark. To understand the destination, we must examine what it means for God to live among his people.

Stop 2: Identify the City

Revelation 21:9–10:

“And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.

“And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.”

The angel promises to show John a bride. Then he shows him a city.

That connection matters. It gives us a reason to examine the city as a picture of a people united with Christ. Its meaning reaches beyond streets, walls, and buildings.

Paul uses related language when describing believers:

Ephesians 2:19–22:

“Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

“And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

“In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:

“In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”

These believers are fellow citizens and members of God’s household. Together, they form a dwelling place for God through the Spirit.

Here we find another landmark: God’s people described as a building in which he dwells.

Stop 3: Find the “You Are Here” Marker

A map becomes useful when we can locate ourselves on it.

Hebrews 12:22–24:

“But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,

“To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,

“And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.”

Look closely at the words “ye are come.” The writer speaks to those believers as people who have already approached heavenly Jerusalem and Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant.

This passage gives us strong grounds for exploring heavenly Jerusalem as a present spiritual reality for those who belong to Christ.

It does not, by itself, settle every question about Revelation’s fulfillment. But it must have a place on our map.

Stop 4: Pay Attention to the Difficult Signs

Revelation 21:4:

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”

How does this promise fit with the suffering we still experience?

That is an important question. A study emphasizing fulfillment must explain what death, sorrow, and the passing of the former things mean in this setting. We cannot simply pass over those words.

In this series, we will examine the case for understanding these promises through Christ’s victory and the transition between the old and new covenants. We will distinguish the biblical wording from our interpretation and consider the passages that challenge our conclusions.

Our Route From Here

We will trace the landmarks backward: the city and its people, the river of life, the promises of the prophets, the work of Jesus, the blessing promised to Abraham, and finally the garden of Eden.

The purpose is to understand where we belong and how that belonging shapes our lives.

If we are members of God’s household, our conduct should reflect his character. Our citizenship should be visible in our love, honesty, forgiveness, and care for others.

This week’s reflection:

Am I living with an awareness that, through Jesus Christ, I belong to God’s household today?

Next stop: The City and the Bride—Who Is the New Jerusalem?

Nick Aschenbrenner
Kingdom of God Outreach