After 7 major, international and one major national moving experiences, I have a few clues about what’s involved in such. But there’s something akin to this about which I am totally clueless—namely, preparing for an intra or inter-universal move! 1 So I asked The Lord about His pending plan …to practically empty Heaven on Earth!!! That’s the perspective I have when reading Psalm 149:9, Zechariah 14, Matthew 25:31, and 1 Thessalonians 3:13. His response was, ‘Look more carefully and closely, J!’
I had been wondering if I might be mis-interpreting those verses, because the concept of an ‘empty Heaven’ was so striking. Of course, The Spirit of God is everywhere, so no place in existence can ever literally be empty. But the notion of The Lord, all His angels, and all His saints from the first several ages of history coming to this current version of Earth, is indeed stark.
During a session with ChatGPT, my focus turned to the final of 3, promised earthquakes during the apocalypse. That one will be the worst ever quake in Earth’s history! 2 It is mentioned in various prophetic verses. When they are strategically connected, they paint the picture of the entire planet, except Jerusalem, becoming a massive, possibly unified plain! Ezekiel 38:18-20 predicts every wall on Earth shall fall down!!! Selah…
Based on my international development experience (including designing and overseeing disaster projects), I shared in several posts, some imaginations about managing a GLOBAL disaster relief, recovery, rehabilitation program. From every perspective, that is indeed UN-IMAGINABLE!!! Yet, the need for such seems to be inferred in Earth’s near future. 3
Reflecting on my visit to Cape Town’s Table Mountain during my assignment to South Africa, I tried to imagine the future Jerusalem on a massive table mountain. Then it dawned upon me: With everything an apocalyptic mess across Earth’s land mass, where might The Lord, spend the first night of His Millennial Reign?! And what about His Throne?! I thought surely His earthly Palace would NOT be included in some Earth Strategic Rehabilitation Plan, nor would His earthly Throne likely be fashioned on this Earth! (See: End His Homelessness (Poem))
Suddenly, I saw in my spirit, what Apostle John saw in Revelation 21:2, ‘…the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of Heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.’ Of course, his vision was of that city descending upon the promised, eternal Earth, not on this current version of Earth. So my thoughts quickly transitioned from what might remain in Heaven, to what else might The Lord bring with Him to this Earth, along with all His saints and all His angels?!
Attempts to force every event in The Book of Revelation into a time linear sequence, should raise these questions:
1. Since it was not until Revelation 21 that John saw and visited what his angel tour guide called, ‘the lamb’s wife’—the massive, new, eternal Jerusalem, where might The Lord’s wife/bride have been in Revelation 19? That chapter portrays The Marriage Supper of The Lamb, with all His saints—friends invited to the supper. No bride is present! (Imagine that!) That scene is followed by our return to Earth for the Armageddon War, both of which will pre-date the start of The Millennial Reign age. Presuming ‘bride’ and ‘wife’ are the same, the angel’s description of that city, suggests it, rather than the church, is The Lord’s bride and wife. (See: The Bride of Christ (Series))
2. Why, in John’s vision, did he see the eternal Jerusalem descend onto the new, eternal Earth, after The Millennial Reign will have concluded??
Indeed much, if not most of The Book of Revelation might be sequenced events. It may be a stretch to presume what John saw in chapter 21 indicates the ‘first on the scene appearance’ of the eternal Jerusalem. Moreover, ChatGPT reminded me of The Lord’s history of ordaining earthly types of things and events in Heaven.
Ergo, it might not be too much of a stretch to imagine much more might accompany The Lord in our transition from Heaven (likely the new, eternal Earth), to Earth, to end the apocalypse, and begin The Millennial Reign age!
What if an earthly type of the new, eternal Jerusalem
comes along with us, complete with The Lord’s Palace and Throne?
Moreover, Bible scholars generally believe the predicted 3rd Jewish temple, described in detail in Ezekiel 40 – 47:12, will be constructed during the tribulation age, the short, 4th age of history, and it will serve as the Millennial Reign age temple. If so, ponder this enigma:
How might that temple be the only building on Earth
that will survive a massive, global earthquake, and be raised
from an altitude of 2,428 feet above sea level,
to a higher altitude? 4
~~~o~~~
‘Is there anything too hard for Me, The Lord God?’
(Genesis 18:14 and Jeremiah 32:27)
Finally, imagine that city, in all its grandeur, but minus the GLORY of The Lord and us, His immortal saints, after the end of the Millennial Reign age. Imagine all the wealth that might have accumulated there over the previous thousand years, from folks the world over, trying to curry favor from Jesus, and especially from His mortal, Jewish kinfolk. Just as in ancient times, and also during the Ezekiel 38, Russia-led invasion of Israel, I suspect that city will then be a HUGE WEALTH MAGNET that will attract hordes of greedy folks, aiming to get their share of that wealth. And I imagine some might seek to extract revenge against the (mortal) Jews living there—people who will have been highly-favored during the previous thousand years! 5
At that time, Revelation 20:7-9 predicts the following:
Now when the thousand years have expired, [the kingdom of] satan will be released from his [its] prison [the bottomless pit], 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. They went up on the breadth of the Earth, and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city [Jerusalem]. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. 6
I refer to this rebellion as the 2nd War of Gog and Magog—humanity’s final rebellion against any/all things righteous. It will set the stage for the promised resurrection and transformation of all peoples who will not have been previously resurrected and transformed into immortal beings. It will be the first such event to include a mix of saints and sinners, for the Lord’s promised Great White Throne Judgment. Revelation 20:11-15 predict He will consult His Book of Life—possibly to separate out His saints from sinners. 7
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1 The title of this post is ‘a take on’ the colloquial expression, ‘Moving Heaven and Earth’, which means doing everything possible to achieve a seemingly impossible objective. The Bible is not absolutely clear on the location of the new, eternal Earth – whether in this current, or another universe. It depends upon the meaning of ‘new heaven(s) and new Earth’ mentioned in Isaiah 65:17, 66:22, Hebrews 8:1, 1 Peter 3:13, and Revelation 21:1, especially since the terms, heaven(s), have different, contextual meanings.
2 See: Global Earthquake (Series) and Revelation 16:18).
3 I say, ‘near future’, because every prophetic precursor of the predicted transition from this current 3rd age (the church age), to the pending 4th age (the tribulation age), has been actively visible across the Earth for several decades. I am unaware of any other ‘prophetic shoe’ that needs to drop before the next transition occurs. For more on this exciting topic, please see: Human History Ages (Series), Mid-ages Musings (Series), and especially the video, Historical Countdown – 7 Biblical Ages of Human History. Also, email me (KeyofJLife@gmail.com) if you know of any prophetic precursor that has not yet manifested anywhere on the Earth. Thanks~
4 The altitude of the temple mount in Jerusalem is 2,428 feet above sea level. Zechariah 14:10 does not indicate the height to which Jerusalem will be raised just before the start of the Millennial Reign age.
5 See: Isaiah 14:1-2, 60:3, 5 &10, 61:5-6, Zechariah 8:23, Zephaniah 3:19-20, and Micah 4:1|2.
6 I perceive ‘saints’ in this passage may refer to mortal people who will have embraced Jesus as Messiah and The Lord God during the 5th and 6th ages. For more on this distinction, see: Salvation in the Millennium? (Series).
7 See: Bible Raptures – Types and Timings (Series), and also Revelation - Future Attacks in Israel.
