Finding the New Jerusalem: Second Edition

The title "New Jerusalem" is mentioned twenty times in the LDS scriptures, but only twice in the entire Bible, both of these are in the book of Revelation. The Lord is giving the apostle John specific instructions for the branch of "the church in Sardis," which is in modern western Turkey, telling them they will be blessed if they overcome the things of this world. Then they will be a part of the " ... city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name." (Rev. 3:12) In a later chapter, we will see that John actually saw that future event when the holy city was coming down from heaven, "And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." (Rev. 21:2) The other eighteen references are in the latter-day scriptures. For instance, in Book of Mormon, 3 Nephi, the Lord has just finished instituting the sacrament and then he tells the Nephites, "And behold, this people will I establish in this land, unto the fulfilling of the covenant which I made with your father Jacob; and it shall be a New Jerusalem. And the powers of heaven shall be in the midst of this people; yea, even I will be in the midst of you. (3 Nephi 20:22) In the book of Ether, translated by Moroni, he tells us about this land of America: "And that it was the place of the New Jerusalem, which should come down out of heaven, and the holy sanctuary of the Lord." (Ether 13:3)