soon we all will witness the Kingdom of God Jesus on earth.
1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Revelation 21
....the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God....
Where will be the river of life?
On earth or in the New Jerusalem/on the new earth created by God for the redeemed/for those whose names are written in the Jesus' Book of Life?
THE NEW JERUSALEM
It will be made in Heaven and come down from there from God.
It will be a New Earth/planet.
This New Jerusalem will be the city where God will dwell with mankind.
He will wipe away every tear from our eyes; there will not be any death; no mourning or crying or pain; there will not be any sun or moon because the Glory of God will be the light to illuminate it and the "Lamp" (which radiates the light) will be the "Lamb" of God (a name of Jesus/the Son of God). There will be a "River of the Water of Life," as clear as crystal, coming from the Throne of God and of the Lamb. The "Tree of Life" will be for the healing of all our ethnic groups. There will not be any curse there. God�s sons/saints will serve Him. The kings and people of the New Earth will bring the glory and honor of the ethnic groups (nations) into the New Jerusalem because they will dwell in this city. We all are kings of God and His saints that�s why we will bring GLORY of sons to our Heavenly Father!
But, nothing unclean and no one unclean and no one who practices abominations, sexual immorality, murders and lying shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Jesus� Book of Life.
God Jesus will dwell in Jerusalem for 1,000 years of His reign on our plant earth.
Jesus will dwell in the Temple in Jerusalem.
Afterward he brought me to the gate, the gate that faces toward the east.
And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east.
His voice was like the sound of many waters;
and the earth shone with His glory.
Then I heard Him speaking to me from the temple,
while a man stood beside me.
And He said to me,
�Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet,
where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel forever.
No more shall the house of Israel defile My holy name,
they nor their kings, by their harlotry or with the carcasses of their kings on their high places.
Ezekiel 43:1-2,6-7
The prophet Ezekiel describes how God�s Temple will look like.
Within Ezekiel 40-48, there is an extended and detailed description of the measurements of the Temple, its chambers, porticos, and walls. Chapter 48:30-35 contains a list of twelve Temple gates named for the Israel�s tribes. We also know that the gates of the Heavenly New Jerusalem will be twelve gates too:
The twelve gates were twelve pearls:
each individual gate was of one pearl.
And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
Revelation 21: 21
There will be a river from the Throne of God one earth like it is described in the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21,22).
Will it be literally the Kingdom of God on earth?
YES.
Let�s look at it. Read the description of the New Jerusalem:
Revelation 22
The River of Life
And he showed me a pure river of water of life,
clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb (Jesus).
In the middle of its street,
and on either side of the river,
was the tree of life,
which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month.
The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
And there shall be no more curse,
but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it,
and His servants shall serve Him.
They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.
There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun,
for the Lord God gives them light.
And they shall reign forever and ever.
Read now the description of the Jerusalem when Jesus will reign on earth:
Ezekiel 47:1-12
The Healing Waters and Trees
Then he brought me back to the door of the temple;
and there was water,
flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east,
for the front of the temple faced east;
the water was flowing from under the right side of the temple, south of the altar.
He brought me out by way of the north gate, and led me around on the outside to the outer gateway that faces east; and there was water, running out on the right side.
And when the man went out to the east with the line in his hand,
he measured one thousand cubits,
and he brought me through the waters;
the water came up to my ankles.
Again he measured one thousand and brought me through the waters;
the water came up to my knees.
Again he measured one thousand and brought me through;
the water came up to my waist.
Again he measured one thousand,
and it was a river that I could not cross;
for the water was too deep, water in which one must swim, a river that could not be crossed. He said to me,
�Son of man, have you seen this?�
Then he brought me and returned me to the bank of the river.
When I returned, there, along the bank of the river,
were very many trees on one side and the other.
Then he said to me: �This water flows toward the eastern region, goes down into the valley, and enters the sea. When it reaches the sea, its waters are healed. And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live. There will be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters go there; for they will be healed,
and everything will live wherever the river goes.
It shall be that fishermen will stand by it from En Gedi to En Eglaim; they will be places for spreading their nets. Their fish will be of the same kinds as the fish of the Great Sea, exceedingly many. But its swamps and marshes will not be healed; they will be given over to salt. Along the bank of the river, on this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food; their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for medicine.�
Why this description is like what we see in the New Jerusalem?
(the tree of life) which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month.
The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
Because it will be the Kingdom of God on earth like it is in the Heaven.
Who is this God?
He is the Son of God Jesus.
The sanctuary is the place where He will put His feet.
He is HOLY.
God commands you to be holy to enter this city through your FAITH in God Jesus!
Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there).
And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it.
But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles,
or causes an abomination
or a lie,
but only those who are written in the Lamb�s Book of Life.
I Corinthians 15:22-24: �For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ the firstfruits, then when He comes, those who belong to Him. Then the **END** will come, when He hands over the Kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.� And so when Jesus comes again He will hand over the Kingdom to God the Father!
2 Peter 7,10,13: �The present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the Day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men... But the DAY OF THE LORD {See I Cor 1:7,8} will come like a thief.{To unbelievers-I Thess 5:4,5} The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be burned up... But in keeping with His promise we are looking forward to a NEW HEAVEN and a NEW EARTH, the Home of righteousness.�
Rev 21 1:1-3: "Then I saw a NEW HEAVEN and a NEW EARTH, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. {THEN} I saw the NEW JERUSALEM, coming down out of heaven from God....And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, �Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them!! They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be NO MORE DEATH or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. He who was seated on the Throne said "I am making **EVERYTHING NEW**!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."
You will note that the New Jerusalem will come only ***AFTER*** the present heaven and earth have passed away on the DAY OF THE LORD! Read Hebrews 11:10, 14-16 & John 14:1-3.
The Temple in Ezekiel 40-48 with its thousands of disgusting sacrifices for sin has absolutely nothing to do with the New Heavens and the New Earth and the Heavenly New Jerusalem which is 1377 miles square.
Hebrews 9:15,26b-28: Christ is the mediator of a **NEW COVENANT** so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance--now that He has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant...But now He has APPEARED once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the SACRIFICE of Himself... so Christ was SACRIFICED ONCE to take away the sins of many people, and He will *APPEAR* a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.
Hebrews 8:8,9,13: God found fault with the people and said: The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a **NEW COVENANT** with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will **NOT** be like the covenant I made with their forefathers.....By calling this covenant **NEW**, He made the first one **OBSOLETE**; and what is **OBSOLETE** and aging will soon disappear.� When all the words of the New Covenant were completed by the Book of Revelation in AD 96!!
Hebrew 10:8-10: Jesus said, "Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them. Although the law required them to be made. The He {Jesus} said. "Here I am, I have come to do your will." He {Jesus} set aside the first {Covenant} to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus ONCE FOR ALL!!
Isaiah 53:5,6: "He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him and by His wounds we are healed. We all like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to His own way, and the Lord has laid on HIM the iniquity of us all."
To suggest that Jesus will rule for 1,000 years in the symbolic Ezekiel Temple in Ezekiel 40-48 with its thousands of animal sacrifices for sin is completely disgusting since Jesus put an end of all sacrifices for sin ONCE FOR ALL!!
Good word Bahira:applause:... all I can say is , that I look forward to reigning with the Lord in all of His glory at Christ's return the final vicotry... Maranatha!
You will note that the New Jerusalem will come only ***AFTER*** the present heaven and earth have passed away on the DAY OF THE LORD! Read Hebrews 11:10, 14-16 & John 14:1-3.
The Temple in Ezekiel 40-48 with its thousands of disgusting sacrifices for sin has absolutely nothing to do with the New Heavens and the New Earth and the Heavenly New Jerusalem which is 1377 miles square.
But I gave you wonderful similiarities of the River of life on earth flowing from the Temple of God and of the River of the Life which is described in the New Jerusalem!
I told you that God's Kingdom will be literally on earth when Jesus will establish here His millenium reign for 1,000 years!
I told you that we all will dwell in the Kingdom of God ON EARTH when He will establish His reign with His mighty angels and sainst/christians.
Then this prayer will be literally fulfilled:
" Let your kingdom come. Let your will be done on earth as it is done in heaven. "
Matthew 6:9,10: Jesus says, "This, then is how you should pray: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come; your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." This daily prayer by God's saints to do God's will on earth as it is in heaven does not refer to a possible 1,000 year reign on this earth where people sin and sacrifices for sin are made.
�IS THE 1,000 YEAR FIRST RESURRECTION IN REVELATION 20:4-6 FOR THE 24 ELDERS ON THRONES AND MARTYRS ONLY??
Jesus promised to 12 Apostles who followed Him {Including Paul?} that they would be given 12 THRONES and the authority to JUDGE in Matthew 19:28 & Luke 22:30. In Revelation 4:4 Before the beginning of the Great Tribulation John saw exactly 24 thrones surrounding God's Throne in Heaven. The other 12 thrones were most likely given to 12 prominent OT Elders such as Abraham, Joseph and Isaiah. One of these 24 Elders speaks in Rev 7:13-17 and after the 7TH angel sounds the 7TH and Last Trumpet in Rev 11:15 ONLY the 24 Elders state in Rev 11:16-18: �The time has come for JUDGING the dead and for rewarding your saints.�
��It is completely obvious that the 1,000 year reign mentioned in Revelation 20:4-6 is for 24 ELDERS on Thrones and MARTYRS ONLY according to God's Word in Revelation 20:4,5b,6a: "I saw Thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to JUDGE and I saw the SOULS of those who had been beheaded {Or martyred} because of their testimony for Jesus {NT Martyrs} and because of the Word of God {OT Martyrs}. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands {Tribulation Martyrs}. THEY {THE 24 ELDERS & MARTYRS} came to life and reigned with Christ for 1,000 years... This is the FIRST RESURRECTION... Blessed and holy are those who have part in the FIRST RESURRECTION.
Rev 20:5a: �The rest of the dead {Those saints who are not martyrs or the 24 Elders on Thrones} did not come to life until the 1,000 years were ENDED.� Which, of course, would be the SECOND RESURRECTION at the 2nd Coming of Jesus. There are only TWO RESURRECTIONS for all saints mentioned in Rev 20:4-6: The FIRST RESURRECTION is for Martyrs and the 24 Elders only and INCLUDES the Tribulation Martyrs. And therefore the SECOND RESURRECTION must come on the Last Day of the Great Tribulation and must include all saints {Both OT & NT} who are not martyrs or the 24 Elders on thrones.
The Heavenly rewards for the faithful and courageous *MARTYRS* is one of the most important central themes in the book of Revelation. For they will reign with Jesus in Heaven during the 1,000 years before His 2nd Coming; and according to Revelation 7:14-17: They are before the Throne of God and God will spread His tent over them. They will receive White Robes washed in the blood of the Lamb. Never again will they hunger or thirst and God Himself will wipe every tear from their eyes. Jesus will be their Shepherd and will lead them to springs of Living Water.
FOR EXAMPLE: Let us suppose that the SECOND RESURRECTION takes place on April 5th, 2015; then the continuous 1,000 year FIRST RESURRECTION for MARTYRS AND 24 ELDERS ONLY would take place from April 5th, AD 1015 to April 5th, 2015. The 24 Elders and all of the OT & NT saints martyred before April 5th, 1015 were awakened to reign with Jesus in Heaven and every Martyr martyred after April 5th, 1015 were and will be immediately awakened to reign with Jesus in the continuous 1,000 year FIRST RESURRECTION to be completed on April 5th, 2015 at the SECOND RESURRECTION when "The rest of the dead come to life when the thousand years are ENDED." {Rev 20:5a} Rev 20:4b �I saw the *SOULS of those who had been martyred because of their testimony for Jesus... they came to life and reigned with Christ for 1,000 years. The Martyrs SOULS will only get their New Heavenly bodies when the 1,000 years are ENDED at the 2nd Coming of Jesus.
This seems to contradict John 6:40: Jesus says, �EVERYONE who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life and I will raise him up at the LAST DAY.� However, the LAST DAY RESURRECTION could last 1,000 years for in 2 Pet 3:8 we read: �With the Lord a DAY is like 1,000 years, and 1,000 years are like a DAY!!
In Revelation 20:4,5,6: "I saw Thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to JUDGE and I saw the SOULS of those who had been beheaded (Or martyred) because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the Word of God. They had not worshiped the beast (the Anti-Christ) or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands (Tribulation Martyrs). THEY (MARTYRS) came to life and reigned with Christ for 1,000 years... This is the FIRST RESURRECTION... Blessed and holy are those who have part in the FIRST RESURRECTION.
So, the martyrs, who died because of their faith,were resurrected and reigned with Jesus for 1,000 years.
Rev 20:5: �The rest of the dead did not come to life until the 1,000 years were ENDED.�
Richard, NOTE now: �The rest of the dead did not come to life until the 1,000 years were ENDED.�
All the saints came with Jesus during the Third World War!
Re- read rev 20 again!
It is CLEAR as the day that all people will be judged at the end of the millenium reign of Jesus!!!!
Then it would be what is called the SECOND RESURRECTION of all people/unbelievers after the 1,000 reign of God Jesus.
After the judgment they will be found guilty for their disbelief in God Jesus and they will be cast to the lake of fire.
Their souls will be taken from the hell/temporary imprisonment/temporally confinement to be judged.
Then I saw a great white throne
and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away.
And there was found no place for them.
And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God,
and books were opened.
And another book was opened,
which is the Book of Life.
And the dead were judged according to their works,
by the things which were written in the books.
The sea gave up the dead who were in it,
and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them.
And they were judged, each one according to his works.
Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire.
This is the second death.
And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
Revelation 20:11-15
God clearly said that:
5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God,[c] and books were opened.
Summary: your theory is weak. re-consider it. You should have SOUND teaching of the Scripture. If you have any questions better re-consider them with us together. Because it is quite dangerous to proclaim the changes of Revelation because such people will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Do not be among them. Be among holy people of God and teach what God says.
and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
2 Thessalonians 2
The Great Apostasy
1 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, 2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. 3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
