“And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.” Rev. 21:2-3 KJV)
Some believe that this does not happen until the end of the 1000 year Millennium reign of Christ on Earth. They believe this because of the previous chapter, Rev. 20 where it describes what will happen at the end of the Kingdom Age. But what about this verse?
“And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the NATIONS of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.” (Rev. 21: 23-25 KJV)
If the Heavenly New Jerusalem comes down after the 1000 year Kingdom Age on Earth, how is it that the nations on Earth will walk in the light of it?
I believe this is during the Millennium with Christ ruling and reigning on Earth. The thing is, if you think about it, in Revelation 19 and 20, John is giving an overview of what this means for satan and his fallen angels, and what will happen to those who took the Mark of the Beast in worship of Antichrist. It is pretty much an overview discussing about Satan and His Angels and all those who rejected Christ during the Tribulation Period, and where their final destination is going to be. It shows the devil and his angels being locked in chains in the Abyss for 1000 year period and loosed near the end of that time period. It shows that later after the 1000 years, the Great White Throne Judgment of all the dead who rejected Christ and the devil and his evil angels will all be cast into the lake of fire forever. All at that final destination are going to be condemned because they are not found in the Book Of Life, which contains the names of every person who ever lived who was not blotted out because of unbelief on Christ at their death. The way I see this is that this not a chronological order between chapter 19 and 21. Chapter 19 and 20 is like an insert to discuss what will happen to the unredeemed and the devil and his angels and how it will take place. It is written as an overview and warning to people to repent and believe the Gospel of salvation, and especially for those alive during the Tribulation Period on Earth, after the Rapture has occurred. In his describing this, while still showing the overview, Revelation 21 actually picks up where Revelation 20:6 left off and that is at the beginning of the 1000 year Kingdom Age.
Then John goes to writing about the start of the Kingdom Age Millennium reign of Christ on Earth in Chapter 21. The Good News! God fulfills His promise to Israel with The Kingdom Age. This is written as a great encouragement for people to believe on Christ and get eternally saved by belief on Christ and His once for all blood atoning sacrifice (Hebrews 10) for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). This is how I see it and it makes sense by the Scriptures in Matthew 24 and Revelation 21 as well.
The New Heavens and New Earth; Is This After The Millennium?
In Rev. 21:1 it reads,
“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.“
Some read this and think the English translated word for ‘passed away’ means ‘destroyed’. Well, let’s look at the Greek for the usage of passed away. The Greek word for this is “parerchomai“. Strongs concordance defines this word to be used in a few ways:
παρέρχομαι parérchomai, par-er’-khom-ahee; from G3844 and G2064; to come near or aside, i.e. to approach (arrive), go by (or away), (figuratively) perish or neglect, (causative) avert:—come (forth), go, pass (away, by, over), past, transgress.
The Old Earth is over with. The promised New Earth has come and Jesus has fulfiled His promise to Israel for the Kingdom Age on a restored Earth.
But what about the ‘no more sea’ part of this. Doesn’t that indicate an entirely new planet with no more sea as many teach? Not necessarily.
We read this happens at the 7th Seal judgment before the Kingdom Age on Earth,
“And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.” (Rev. 16:17-20 KJV)
A mighty world wide Earth quake so great that every mountain was no longer found and EVERY island fled away. No nmore islands, no more ocean around the island right? Otherwise, they would still be islands would they not?
More Insight I Found Into The New Jerusalem Hovering In Space Above Earth During The 1000 Year Kingdom Age
Matthew 24:29
In Matthew 24:29 Jesus said that after the Tribulation period, the sun and moon will not give it’s light. Rev. 16:10 reads that the 5th bowl judgment will plunge the world into darkness. No sunlight. That could possibly be because of the New Heavens of Revelation 21. We already know the Earth will be renewed during the Kingdom Age and become the utopia it once was before the fall of Adam and Eve. Maybe the Earth was taken off it’s axis giving it different stars? It is speculation on my part and we do not know the specifics, but we do know that it will happen.
In describing the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21 it does read,
“And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.” (Rev. 21:23-24 KJV)
The light of the New Jerusalem will be bright enough as the sun and all on the Earth will walk in it’s light! Jesus said He is the light of the world and this also gives new meaning to the enormity of the presence of God and the light He is. So where the sun was no more shining, the New Jerusalem will do the job for the new Earth now! It all just fits, doesn’t it?
Revelation 21 & Isaiah 65
And then there is another clue in Revelation 21 and that is how it starts right at the first verse.
“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.” (Revelation 21:1 KJV)
Now let’s compare this to the description Isaiah gave those in the Old Testament as an encouragement about the final destination of those who will believe which is not the New Jerusalem but the Earthly Jerusalem on Earth in the Kingdom Age promised by God to come,
“For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying. There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.” (Isaiah 65:17-20 KJV)
Sound familiar? This is about the 100 Year Kingdom Age on Earth folks! This sure looks exactly the same as Rev. 21 and the timing is at the start of the 1000 year Kingdom Age where Christ begins His ruling on Earth, the New Jerusalem hovering a certain distance from the Earth in space.
Content When Describing The Final Rebellion Of Satan and Unbelievers From The Kingdom Age
We know the New Jerusalem is a physical place in our universe because this Scripture is telling us that after the Millennium it will land on the Newly created Earth. It is described as massive in size with length height and depth equally 1500 miles long each! (So it’s in our physical 3D universe). Likely a cube or possibly a huge pyramid. A massive place that would easily hold billions of believers with vast room to spare! Much too large to reside on the Earth in the Kingdom Age.
If we look at Rev 20:9 it describes the final rebellion after Satan is released for a short time near the end of the 1000 year Reign of Christ on Earth.
“And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.” (Revelation 20:9 KJV)
Let us look at this verse as written in the Greek to gain a better understanding about this beloved city.
It says that those rebelling against Christ and being led by Satan, “went UP on the BREADTH of the Earth”. The original Greek word for ‘UP’ is ‘anabainō ‘ and means ‘to climb..ascend ‘. The original Greek the word ‘BREADTH’ is ‘platos ‘ and means ‘a great extent’. The original Greek word for ‘EARTH’ is ‘gē’ and means ‘the earth as a whole, the earth as opposed to the heavens’.
This verse mentions two locations. One is the camp of the saints and the other the BELOVED city. It does not state one place being attacked in this final rebellion led by the devil. It seems to indicate an attack on the camp of the saints on Earth (Earthly Jerusalem) and a Beloved City (New Jerusalem). Is this the city of Jerusalem on Earth? Is that the beloved city? Another question comes to mind and that is, won’t believers be found all around the globe and not just in this camp on Earth? So who exactly is the devil and the rebellious humans trying to attack? Well, who is ruling and reigning on Earth? Who is running the world system at that time? Jesus and the resurrected saints, that’s who! Everyone else is still mortal from the start of the Kingdom Age, who are the ones who repopulated the Earth in mortal human bodies. It seems like the devil and those siding with him, will attack two places where Jesus and the saints reside.
“…and compassed the camp of the saints about, AND the beloved city…”
Ephesians 1:6 shows believers are the ‘beloved’ and it is the very same word as used here in Rev 20 in the Original Greek. It is the Greek word ‘agapaō ‘. For this reason I believe this is Church Age believers residing in the New Jerusalem hovering above Earth. The Camp of the Saints is not a place of permanence. The saints place of permanence that Jesus is preparing for us (John 14) is the New Jerusalem which is right now residing in Heaven.
At the Second Coming, glorified Saints will return with Christ from Heaven, where the New Jerusalem is now located and will be ruling and reigning on Earth with Christ. And remember, at the Second Coming Scripture prophecy states that,
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” (Matthew 24:29-30 KJV)
“And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.” (Isaiah 2 :19 KJV)
The Heavens become new, are shaken and the moon and sun are not giving light. And then all those on Earth will SEE Him coming and mourn. Who will mourn? Those who did not believe and who worshipped the Antichrist as god, that’s who! We also see that earlier, leaders will be hiding themselves due to the wrath of God pouring out on the Earth to hide themselves. THEY KNOW HE IS COMING!
Apparently, we will be ruling and reigning from this ‘camp’ as Kings and Priests, which is headquartered in Jerusalem on Earth where Christ rules on Earth from. Just like an army has stations around the globe, it is a remote camp that is away from the homeland. This is a camp on Earth where the Saints reside while away from home in the New Jerusalem, ruling with Christ on Earth.
Satan and those who side with him for this final rebellion are where? They are on the Earth. So what is this great distance to the BELOVED CITY all about then? The attack will be on the Jerusalem on Earth and the Heavenly Jerusalem hovering above the Earth. Those siding with Satan will come from all over the Earth, wherever they are, in a final rebellion against Christ and the Saints. And they will be utterly defeated as God send fire from Heaven (space) and kills them all physically.
And What About The Promise In John 14:1-3?
Some believe that Church Age believers will reside on Earth during the Kingdom Age. However, in John 14, Jesus indicates that is not so. Yes, church age believers raptured will be Kings and Priests on Earth during the Millennium. But is that where we will RESIDE?
Let’s review John 14,
“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” (John 14:1-3 KJV)
This indicates that Jesus when going back to Heaven at the Ascension is going to prepare a PLACE for us. And when He comes for His bride, He will take them there after our bodily resurrection. Now, the Kingdom Age is not here for Him to prepare a PLACE for us. A Mansion for us. So I believe Jesus is referring to the New Jerusalem in Heaven. He has a place for every believer and we will reside there forever as our place of permanence. And so with this New Place hovering over Earth, and us in our Glorified bodies as Christ has, will be travelling to and fro to Earth as Kings and Priests on Earth in the Millennium Kingdom Age. Remember, the Kingdom Age was promised to Israel, not the church age believers, which was revealed after the cross, when Israel cut of Messiah in the 69th week of Daniel’s Prophecy. Old Testament Saints will reside on Earth in eternal bodies as priests on Earth. The Bride of Christ will reside in the New Jerusalem, though we will be Kings and Priests to the mortal people living o the Kingdom Age. The final rebellion of satan will occur as he is released from the Abyss near the end of the 1000 years, will be defeated, the Great White Throne Judgment will happen and eternity will begin.
That is how I see it, backed by Scripture watching the context closely.
Some believe that because there are no contradictions in the Bible, and certainly not by Jesus’s own words of prophecy, that it could also be that our eternal home is the New Heavenly Jerusalem and that we will travel vast distance to commute back and forth to Earth from Heaven and that the New Jerusalem will come down over Earth after the 1000 year Kingdom Age. This is not a salvation issue and an interpretation issue. I believe as I wrote above as Scripture does support it. But Jesus stated clearly in John 14 that He has been preparing a place for us for the last 2000 years. It is going to be an amazing place indeed!
How amazing Is Almighty God, our Father, to show us all these things in order to encourage us and help people come to salvation through Christ Jesus the Lord!