Isaiah 62:1-12
Beulah will be the name of the new Christian nation in all of the holy Land, that will be born in one day,
Which day which day?
Where does it fit with the AntiChrist - before or after?
But reading it myself - and this is without any study - my first impression of this passage is that it is another bridal reference that we see clearly fulfilled in the new heavens and new earth and new 'Jerusalem' descending from heaven. After all, Beulah means 'married'.
No longer will they call you Deserted,
or name your land Desolate.
But you will be called Hephzibah,
and your land Beulah;
for the Lord will take delight in you,
and your land will be married.
5 As a young man marries a young woman,
so will your Builder marry you;
as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride,
so will your God rejoice over you.
The thing you need to keep in mind? In the OT - the Day of the Lord is the one event described in all manner of biblical symbols. The NT then breaks it into two events - the gospel events are the Day of the Lord - in that Jesus proclaimed the kingdom of heaven was near, healed the sick and raised the dead and then died for all, paying for our sins. As Ephesians and Hebrews make clear, we are now seated in heaven, secure in our citizenship there, and every time we fellowship and pray are gathering around The Mountain, the 'Heavenly Zion', heavenly temple, etc. Eschatological tension is what it is called -
we are in the now but not yet.
This is the Amil eschatology taught to every Sydney Anglican minister that graduates from Moore College. Amil is a form of eschatology the Reformers believed, going all the way back to St Augustine.
So what does it mean for the Day of the Lord? In the OT it is like we are floating down a river and see one big tree. But as we get closer, we make out more details and see two trees - the Day of the Lord gospel events and then the final judgement day of the Lord.
ANY attempt to read Revelation as a chronological timetable of the Last Days (which we've been in for over 2000 years and counting) breaks not only Revelation, breaks John's promise to his generation that the book was for and about them and for them to 'keep' or hear and obey, but also breaks the general flow of NT theology about the kingdom of God. We have already experienced the Day of the Lord - in many weird and strange aspects. EG: The Nations were judged already - in part - in Jesus death on the cross. Anything in rebellion to God was killed there, if that person or group repents later on and trusts in Jesus death and resurrection. So the Nations have in a sense already been judged - and are being resurrected now as more and more people groups come into the kingdom. But in a profound sense there are still active nations against God's people like North Korea and China. They exist - they haven't been judged yet. So it's now - and not yet. Eschatological tension.
So Beulah? That's Judgement Day - when the Lord returns and brings in a New Heavens and New Earth, the dead are raised, the ungodly judged, the saved saved and renewed for eternity and ushered into our new home as a bride marrying their groom, and the 'heavenly Jerusalem' - our new home and reality - 'descends from heaven' in that somehow heaven and this material universe are married together. The poetic description of these theological events are not literal, but metaphorical theological descriptions of what is going to happen. The measurements of the New Jerusalem? Not literal - it was outlined to show that it basically covered the whole known ancient world.
Metaphor.
Poetry.
And then the beautiful theological significance of it all fitting into other New Testament descriptions so neatly.
That's what literal timeliners miss out on.
Isaiah 66:7-14. The Day the Lord clears and cleanses the entire Middle east region; Deuteronomy 32:34-43, His Day of fiery wrath, the Sixth Seal event.
Sorry - but there you go trying to cram poetic metaphors into your 'literal' Revelations futurist timetable. It just doesn't work - it's not literal.
Does Jesus have 7 eyes and 7 horns?
The 7000 year Plan of God for mankind, is well proven. Jesus came at year 4000. We are now at year 5990 since Adam.
This is just sad. When it doesn't happen as you predict, will you still have your faith?