In 2017, while justifying the U.S.-Mexico border wall construction on Fox and Friends, Pastor Robert Jeffress stated: “Even heaven’s gonna have a wall.” He’s not wrong! The seer of the book of Revelation describes the walls and gates of the New Jerusalem in great detail and emphasizes who must stay outside the city walls. America’s apocalyptic self-identification with the New Jerusalem has, in part, led to a national focus on borders and walls in reaction to immigration and “foreigners.” This talk will explore that connection in U.S. history and the implications of an apocalyptic theology of nationhood.
Video from the event is at Borders and Walls in the New Jerusalem and American History.