Sorry friend, please accept my apolisy, for I will try again to answer your pertinent questions below.
Good to know, excellent!
Absolutely, I concur!
Couldn't agree with you more.
No, Isaiah 65 marks the 1st advent of Jesus where Jesus arose, ascended up to the Father and was anointed as our Crowned Monarch, by the Ancient of Days (The Father), and was given an Eternal Heavenly Kingdom. Jesus would advise his disciples that he would make accomodation for them, who leave this temporal life to be forever with him in his Father's house. Paul would say, to be absent from the body, is to be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8)
Revelation 21 is his return to consecrate his bride and to usher in the Eternal millenium reign in his Father's house. There is no purpose for the Old heaven and the old earth to continue.
I believe that Ezekiel is doing his best to describe a realm which has a different purpose and function. I see that he uses worldly objects living and non-living and names of places to portray a wonderful place of plenty. I believe he is trying to convey Heavenly Jerusalem being partitioned into the Northern and Southern portions, that is the Old Testament Saints as say the North and the New Testament as the South.
I believe that the river is what partitions North from South and that the Lord's presence will be along that line of partition of the mountain /congregations valley mentioned in Zechariah 4:5.
The River I believe is Christ's presence in the midst of the northern and southern mountains/congregations, both former sea (Old Testament) and the latter sea (New Testament).
Notice mount of Olives is a term used for Christ's presence and is located along the east to west corridor of the Heavenly New Jerusalem, that is the line of demarcation, that segregates the northern congregation (Old Testament saints) from the southern congregation (New Testament saints).
1Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold,
waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the
house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south
side of the altar.
2Then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward, and led me about the way without unto the utter gate by the way that looketh eastward; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side.
3And when
the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters
were to the ancles.
8Then said he unto me,
These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea:
which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed.
18And
the east side ye shall measure from Hauran, and from Damascus, and from Gilead, and from the land of Israel
by Jordan, from the border unto the east sea. And
this is the east side.
20The west side also shall be the great sea from the border, till a man come over against Hamath. This
is the west side.
The Great sea that number as the sand of the sea, are the New Testament saints.
So it seems Ezekiel is using literal terminology to convey purpose and function, yet the literal is merely a prop that he is using to emphasise his conveying of the purpose and function.
It will not be like this realm. Even John in 1 John 3:2 says....
what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
I don't know.
Not like the constructs of the old one, which accommodated the dirt man. As Paul would say.....
47The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven.
48As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven.
49And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man. (1 Corinthians 15:47-49)
No need, for the animals/beasts were made for Adam to keep him company, where he was given dominion over them. The focus in the Heavenly Realm is the Lord's presence, the very river of life that both the northern and southern congregations will flock to. Animals no longer serve a purpose and function and will detract from the central focus figure.
Eating according to the new bodies is not required. The food there will be pure light eminating from the Lord.
Sure, I view it in vast contrast to what we know today, in our earthly bodies. John in 1 John 3:2 states that he didn't know how it will be like, but when we are raised, we will only know then what it will be like, when we see Jesus as he is in his glorified body.
