In the book of Revelation, chapters 21 and 22, there is a detailed description of an era in which God dwells on earth with the righteous, following the judgment. This time period is the culmination of all God's promises. The rewards for righteousness listed by Jesus in Matthew 5: inheriting the earth, seeing God, being filled and comforted are all fulfilled in the ultimate sense at this time. The phrase Bible scholars have used to describe this era is: "The Perfect Age". It is different from the earlier portion of the Kingdom (see "1000 year reign"), in that there is no more: ...death... mourning, or crying, or pain (Rev 21:4). The mortals that were the subjects of the earlier portion of the Kingdom, have been judged, and are either immortal, (having been judged righteous), or have been destroyed for their wickedness (Rev 20:15, Mal 4:1-3). The net result of this is, there are no mortal people in existence when God comes from heaven, with the Holy City New Jerusalem, to live with His Son and the redeemed.

In the Perfect Age, Christ has turned the rule over to his Father (1 Cor. 15:24-28). Jesus is to reign from His 2nd coming, (Psa 2, Rev 11:15), until "He has put all His enemies under His feet" (1Cor 15:25) He is the King of the earth during the 1000 year period, (Zech 14:9). God has committed this authority to His Son, (Psa 2:5-9, Rev 2:26,27). In comparing the 1000 year period to the Perfect Age, there is clearly a different governmental structure, with different subjects.

There is also a drastic difference in the earth and the heavens, so much so, that the scriptures speak of "...new heavens and a new earth" (2 Peter 3:13). Rev 21;1 also states: "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. " Today, in this heaven and earth, the sea makes up the majority of the earth's surface. The bible also states that God will destroy the earth by fire. It is apparent that the entire planet will not be replaced with a new one, any more than the 1st earth which 2 Peter 3:6 describes as: "...the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water."

The Holy City new Jerusalem is a fascinating bit of prophecy. It is constructed from transparent jewels, gems and "... pure gold, like unto clear glass ", with God and Jesus dwelling in it, who are both described as being so brilliant the city won't need the sun (vrs 23). This is a prophetic picture of stunning glory and beauty. Imagine, lights that bright, inside a multicolored gem, 1500 miles high, wide and deep!