Heavenly City · People
People of the Heavenly City
Imagined The people of this city are imagined. The Bible pictures a great crowd "from every nation and tribe and people and tongue" in heaven (Revelation 7:9), where no one is sick, hungry or sad. The pictures show residents, musicians, builders and angels.
Woman in white
A resident of the city
In the Book of Revelation, a great crowd "from every nation, tribe, people and language" stands in heaven wearing white robes (Revelation 7:9). In this imagined city, everyone who lives here is welcome, at home and at peace.
Where to find them: Welcome hall, Garden of light, Marble cottage
Harpist
Musician with a golden harp
Music fills the Bible: King David played the lyre and wrote many of the psalms, and Paul and Silas sang hymns to God at midnight in prison (Acts 16:25). Harps and lyres are among the oldest instruments: some found in the royal tombs of Ur, in what is now Iraq, are about 4,500 years old.
Where to find them: Harp workshop, Bell tower, Lantern circle
Child with a palm branch
Waving in celebration
When Jesus rode into Jerusalem, the crowds took palm branches and went out to meet him (John 12:13), and Revelation pictures a great crowd in heaven holding palm branches (Revelation 7:9). Palm branches are a sign of joy and victory.
Where to find them: Donkey with fruit, Golden track, Pearl gate
Angel with a trumpet
Messenger with good news
In the Bible, angels are God's messengers: Gabriel told Mary that she would have a son, Jesus, and the Bible says that the Lord will come back "with the trumpet of God" (1 Thessalonians 4:16). This angel is one artist's picture; the Bible describes angels in different ways.
Where to find them: Angel statue, Bell tower, Cloud carriage
Elder with a staff
Wise and welcoming
The Bible honors older people: "Gray hair is a crown of glory" (Proverbs 16:31). Revelation pictures 24 elders dressed in white around God's throne (Revelation 4:4), and in many families grandparents are the keepers of stories and advice.
Where to find them: Hall of wisdom, School of wisdom, Scroll library
Woman with golden fruit
Sharing the harvest
Fruit appears all through the Bible, from the trees of the garden of Eden (Genesis 2:9) to the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit (Revelation 22:2). The Bible says that "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control" (Galatians 5:22–23).
Where to find them: Tree of life, Sharing pavilion, Banquet hall
Angel builder
Carrying a gold brick
In this imagined city, even angels help build. Jesus told his friends that he was going to "prepare a place" for them (John 14:2). Building homes with and for other people is one of the most practical kinds of kindness.
Where to find them: Light crane, Building materials, House of many rooms
Pearl carrier
Bringing a pearl for the gates
In Revelation, each of the city's twelve gates is made of a single pearl (Revelation 21:21). Real pearls grow inside oysters and mussels, layer by layer, around a tiny piece of grit or tissue that got inside.
Where to find them: Pearl gate, Building materials, Hall of treasures
Keep exploring
Back to the Heavenly City map Take the tour: The story of Jesus