No. It is evident that the beloved city is heavenly, spiritual, not earthly. Rev. 21 follows Rev. 20. See Galatians 4, Hebrews 11 & 12. We are citizens of
the Jerusalem above.
How can there be future millennial animal sacrifices for sin? See Hebrews 10. Jesus gave us the Lord's Supper as a memorial until he comes.
Heb. 12:22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.
But it WILL become earthly.
Rev. 21: 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.
That future is the NH&NE - and it is reasonable to believe that the New Jerusalem, like the temple of God, comprises the redeemed people of God, not stones, bricks & timber.
Please read the context of the Scripture you quote:
Rev. 21:1 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. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
robycop3 said:
Most, but not ALL, will be Christians. I'm going by what SCRIPTURE sez will be occurring, not man's guesses.
I presume you are thinking in terms of the great rebellion after the millennium when there will be vast numbers of unbelievers.
Rev. 20:7 Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. 9 They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. 10 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
We know that Satan is in the Abyss, BUT
What are the rebels doing the supposed wonderful millennium? And where is Jesus? And where are the righteous?
Rev. 20:3 and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.
The flood did not change man's nature - Noah was saved by grace, & lived by faith. (Gen. 6, Heb. 11) He preached righteousness. (2 Peter 2) The post-flood narrative makes it clear that man was generally wicked. Abram was called to be the focus first to become a nation, then a blessing to
all families of the earth.
We see the activity of Satan - the old serpent - in the opening chapters of Genesis, & in Job, but his activity among the godless nations is not spelled out. They are deceived & living in sin, worshipping invented gods, & waging wars. That state of affairs continued throughout the OT, with God's dealings with Abram's descendants being recorded, being given laws & sacrifices, & a centre for worship, together with the promise of a Messiah. The promise of deliverance of both Israel & the nations is clearly stated.
e.g. Isaiah 49:5 “And now the Lord says,
Who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant,
To bring Jacob back to Him,
So that Israel is gathered to Him
(For I shall be glorious in the eyes of the Lord,
And My God shall be My strength),
6 Indeed He says,
‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant
To raise up the tribes of Jacob,
And to restore the preserved ones of Israel;
I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles,
That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’”
Following Calvary & his resurrection, Jesus commissions his Apostles to take the Gospel
to the end of the earth.
Acts 1:7 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
That is a declared war on what has been the usurper Satan's domain:
Luke 4:5 Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. 7 Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.”
Jesus has the victory over Satan:
John 12:30 Jesus answered and said, “This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake. 31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. 32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.”33 This He said, signifying by what death He would die.
In the providence of God, the casting out of Satan does not result in universal salvation. The world's population is still deceived. What is universal is the command to repent as the Gospel goes out to the nations. We see that during the millennium John sees
the souls of the faithful:
Rev. 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
These are not restored to earth bodily. They are souls who
lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
What is the
first resurrection that protects us from hell, the second death? What did Jesus teach?
John 5:24 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. 25 Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, 27 and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice 29 and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.
Peter teaches that the millennium is an indeterminate period that will end with
the coming of the day of God ... and the
new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. -
2 Peter 3:11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
We are living in the millennium & looking forward to the day of God, the glorious return of our Lord & Saviour.
