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Revelation cannot be a future-timeline because the world keeps ending in it!

eclipsenow

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In Galatians 4:24-31 Paul reveals a city "above", which is our "mother."
Wow - that's amazing in the context of wondering what happened to the Land promises in the OT!
Oh, and it appears the Apostle Paul himself had no problem interpreting - with the guidance of the Holy Spirit no less - the OT 'spiritually' or figuratively!

"Galations 4:
24 These things are being taken figuratively: The women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother. 27 For it is written:

“Be glad, barren woman,
you who never bore a child;
shout for joy and cry aloud,
you who were never in labor;
because more are the children of the desolate woman
than of her who has a husband.”

28 Now you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29 At that time the son born according to the flesh persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now. 30 But what does Scripture say? “Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son.” 31 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman."​

So while Millennials go on about how we must expect promises about the literal Jerusalem today Paul himself just calls that city 'slavery' - and only the Jerusalem above is free.

We find the same in Hebrews 11:15-16, and Hebrews 12:22-24, and Revelation 3:12.
Hebrews is great isn't it? So clear! To be a Christian is to already in the city that matters. (Already a citizen of heaven, now citizens, but not yet revealed.)

Hebrews 12
22 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 23 to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.​


Heavenly Jerusalem is a real place, in the same way that Christ now resides in a real place. He went somewhere after His ascension.
He has built us a new house out of two pieces of wood and a handful of nails.
Yes - but indescribable. Also, in his resurrection Jesus kept his body as a first-fruits of the new reality that is coming where heaven and earth are fused together. How that works 'in heaven' now - with a physical body - kind of weirds me out. Real physicality taken up into the meta-spiritual reality - but it's the promise.

I do not pretend to understand how the New Heavens and the New Earth will replace this rotten, sin-cursed world, but that is what I understand the Bible to say in 2 Peter 3:10-13.
2 PETER 3
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.

11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.
So good! Make every effort to enter that rest / land / city. Amen.
 
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keras

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Amen and amen.
One sermon a day, is enough!
I could post plenty of Bible verses that specifically refer to the holy Land.
God gave it all to Abraham, for his descendants. His actual descendants never did take full control of all the area from the Nile to the Euphrates. Genesis 15:18
Now; some of Abrahams descendants occupy a small part of it, but are not now the people of God. Matthew 21:43

Galatians 3:26-29 and other scriptures plainly tell us that all Christians are the spiritual descendants of Abraham. WE are, therefore; the inheritors of the holy Land, Ephesians 3-6, Romans 9:24-26
We will be the people that God always wanted there, but has never yet had. His witness's and His Light to the nations. John 15:27, Matthew 5:14-16
 
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Andrewn

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Early Chiliasts were Amillennialists who believed in an earthly, rather than a heavenly, Kingdom after the resurrection. OTOH, modern Premills believe in a period of 1000 years in which both resurrected and unglorified people inhabit the earth and end up rebelling against Christ, again!!! You can't show me these beliefs in the early Church.

That’s why after the last trump is blown in revelation, the ark of the covenant appears in the heavenly temple, indicating the time of the gentiles is over, and the time of Jacob’s trouble has begun.

In Galatians 4:24-31 Paul reveals a city "above", which is our "mother." It is a real place. We find the same in Hebrews 11:15-16, and Hebrews 12:22-24, and Revelation 3:12.
Heavenly Jerusalem is the Victorious Church, our mother, and add that the ark was seen by theologians such as the Church Fathers and Thomas Aquinas as personified by Jesus Christ.

Gal 4:26 But the Jerusalem that is above is free. She is our mother.

Rev 3:12 The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will never leave it again. I will also write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God—the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God—and my new name.
 
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Timtofly

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Chicken little kept claiming the world was ending over and over again. It was hard for him to prove any thing. Was he a futurist?

The reality according to Amil Doctrine is we just don't know. Futurists should deal with it.
Futurist knowing is the wrong approach. You do not know, because it has not happened yet. You are a Futurist in theory, if not in practice. At least a Futurist knows one thing. Most of prophecy is future, except for what Christ already fulfilled. Claiming it is all fulfilled is the preterist view. Not the futurist view. We do not know when it is going to happen. Realist have to point out this creation can not last more than 8000 years. No one remembers the first 1000, and Amil deny and reject the age to come, which is the last 1000 years.
 
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Timtofly

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You are correct in the point this world is not our home. You cannot claim the few years on earth now can relate one iota to the age to come, and those who "bodily/physically" live on earth in the next age. That is the error. Claiming the age to come is already here in this present age. This age is not even symbolic of the next age, and the next age is not symbolic of this age. They are totally different both physically and spiritually. If you segregate the physical and spiritual that is your choice, even if very very wrong. Why point out the two age teaching if you totally reject it?
 
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Timtofly

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They were not amil. That is a conflict of interest. Either there is or there is not an age to come. They would be post if not pre. Amil can only state we live in the age after looking back at history. No one could look back at a 1000 year range until after at least 1070AD. Seeing as how no one lives past 150, how can one personally experience a millennium? Truly this world is not our home. Paul has been in Paradise over 1800 years now. That is his permanent home.
 
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chad kincham

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modern Premills believe in a period of 1000 years in which both resurrected and unglorified people inhabit the earth and end up rebelling against Christ, again!!! You can't show me these beliefs in the early Church.

But that is clearly scriptural, that Jesus rules the nations with a rod of iron, for a millennium, then Satan is released to tempt those born during that time who’ve never had to decide between Jesus and the devil, and he deceives them, and Satan and those armies surround the city Jesus dwells in, to attack it, and fire from heaven destroys them proving 1) Jesus is ruling from a city on earth, 2) people other than the redeemed by Jesus are alive during the millennium.

In fact in Zechariah 14, Jesus comes back to earth, and returns to Mount Olive, when Jerusalem is being attacked by a coalition of armies.

Jesus destroys those armies.

Zechariah 14 goes on to say that those left alive from the nations that attacked Jerusalem, live on, and come up yearly into the city to Worship God.

This cross references to Revelation 21 where God and the lamb live on earth with mankind, for eternity, in the city New Jerusalem, which descended down from heaven.

Thus after Jesus returns, and rules the nations along with believers who rule and reign with Him (who do they reign over? The natural people living on earth.)

BTW, Galatians 4 has nothing to do with the end times, it’s about two covenants, the old one being bondage, and the new covenant gives freedom.

And per Revelation 22, the new Jerusalem comes down to earth when the millennial reign of Jesus begins.
 
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chad kincham

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So while Millennials go on about how we must expect promises about the literal Jerusalem today Paul himself just calls that city 'slavery' - and only the Jerusalem above is free.

And that city New Jerusalem above, descends down to land in the old Jerusalem, and God and the lamb dwell in it, forever. Revelation 21.

We do expect that promise to be fulfilled at the start of the millennium.
 
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Timtofly

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And that city New Jerusalem above, descends down to land in the old Jerusalem, and God and the lamb dwell in it, forever. Revelation 21.

We do expect that promise to be fulfilled at the start of the millennium.
It cannot be at the start. The New Jerusalem does not come until the NHNE. The millennium is the 1000 years before the GWT. The GWT is before the New Jerusalem and NHNE. That is the chronologically order of Revelation 20-22.
 
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fwGod

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The revelation is about future things.. that will end. The world can and will end in future. But what is meant by the word "world"?

The Greek word translated "world" doesn't mean the planet, it means the age. As in the disciples asking Jesus "what will be the end of the age?"

This time we live in now is called "the church age". Then there's the Tribulation age. Then there's the millennial age. Whether those are the "ages to come" that the apostle Paul talked about, or he speaks of ages beyond those I mentioned.

The Bible says that the earth will remain forever. It will because it was created by God who is eternal and His word (spoken in Genesis 1) abides forever. He intends that what He creates will last.

So the words in the Bible of the end of the world is not speaking of this planet exploding like Leia's home planet was by the Death Star.

The end of the world is referring to the present world of the time of the gentiles. The apostle Paul uses in his epistles the phrase "this world", "this present world". It will in future give way to the Millennium age when Christ rules on this planet from his throne in Jerusalem.
 
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Timtofly

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The Bible says that the earth will remain forever. It will because it was created by God who is eternal and His word (spoken in Genesis 1) abides forever. He intends that what He creates will last.
I am sure there is a verse, but curious why you did not mention one.

Your error is in the fact, the heavens and earth is one single creation. The earth is not a planet, and never was. This creation will cease to exist. That is the definition of NHNE. God created this existence to last 8000 years. It is a finite creation with a beginning and end. The next version may be finite or it may be eternal. But we know that creation can begin and end, but God exists outside of creation and does not change nor is there any time at all. Time is built into this creation.
 
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chad kincham

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The Bible says twice, world without end, amen.

Just like the earth was destroyed in a flood, but it’s the same planet, it will be destroyed by fire, and restored to Edenic condition.

Actually only one third of the earth is burned, and one fourth of mankind is killed.

Shalom.
 
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fwGod

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I am sure there is a verse, but curious why you did not mention one.
There are a number of verses that I could look up and post them here. But then if I could, then so could you.
Your error is in the fact, the heavens and earth is one single creation. The earth is not a planet, and never was.
The earth is a biblical word. The planet is a secular word that is synonymous to the word earth.

You are on your own concerning your own philosophy.
This creation will cease to exist. That is the definition of NHNE.
New heavens and New earth, is a makeover using the same (this) earth. Like giving an old desk a newer look instead of totally destoying it and starting with a completely nuther desk.

That the earth would cease to exist is contrary to scripture of the earth remaining forever, world without end.. that you allow to be a verse in the Bible.

But I suggest that you are confusing the word earth with the word world. There is a difference.

This world will pass away and behold a new world comes. But it's the same earth/planet.
God created this existence to last 8000 years.
There's no scripture that says it will last 8 thousand years.

God gave this world 6,000 years for man to rule it plus 1,000 years for Jesus to rule the millennium.

Just as there are seven days to a week, there are seven thousand years to the earth, then will come the consuming of this present world and renovation of it to be a new heavens and a new earth.
It is a finite creation with a beginning and end.
The time of man's rule of this world is finite. This earth is forever.
The next version may be finite or it may be eternal.
This is a rhetorical question used to point out what you said.. Why is it that you allow for either at some other time but not allow for an eternal earth in this time? That is a contradiction of your own case.

The creation of the heavens and the earth existed previously as being covered with water. And darkness being upon the face of the deep. As a result of God's pre-Adamic judgement. The scripture speaks of a world that then was.
But we know that creation can begin and end,
There is no scripture that says that what God spoke into existence shall have an end.
but God exists outside of creation and does not change nor is there any time at all.
Eternity is a form of time. Even in eternity time passes by. As noted in the scripture that to God the passage of a thousand years is like a watch of the night to a guard in a castle.

But, again you contradict yourself. You said above that the next version may be finite or it may be eternal. Yet you believe that God doesn't change.
Time is built into this creation.
Time is a portion of eternity.

And eternity would be involved to see if the next earth will be finite as you think this earth is.. or if God will next create an eternal earth, which implies that God changes the duration of any earth. But you said that God doesn't change.

It seems that you are confused about the subject of which you speak.
 
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Rachel20

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Hi all,
anyone notice that the world keeps ending?

Yes! That's why I came to see the 7s in the series as container classes. The 7th seal contains the 7 trumpets, and the 7th trumpet contains the 7 bowls. So all the bowls and trumpets are contained in the 7th seal.
 
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Timtofly

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Genesis 1:1 states there was a beginning instant creation of physical heaven and earth. Revelation 21-22 claims there is another instant change of heaven and earth.

If God left out Revelation 21-22, then there would be an eternal existence until God changed existence.

If you think the earth is a planet in a vast universe, the sun would eventually encompass the earth, and it would dissolve. You would have to totally change your view of the universe if the earth is forever.


Without form was a state after creation. To say God used pre-existence to work with could put reality on par with God Himself. God would not transcend creation.

Sorry but God does not change. No change is no time. Eternity is not infinite time. It is the total absence of time. We will never enter eternity. We cannot transcend created reality. Not even "in God".

The Lord's Day, 1000 years/24 hr day, is only a part of this created reality. In Heaven time changes faster than on the earth's surface. In fact the 7th Day was a 1000 year period for the sons of God on earth, but only a day in heaven. That was the first 1000 years. Then God created/planted the Garden of Eden, brought it into reality. Then placed a "1000 year old" Adam into the Garden. Adam disobeyed and then man had to work 6000 years. Adam had no age when placed in the Garden. He lived his first 30 years until he disobeyed. Then his body started to age, decay, and 100 years later, Seth was born.


God presents Himself as 3 beings in this creation. GOD singular does not change. What changes is the time in heaven as related to the time on earth.

It is my opinion, since no other human I have met agrees with me. Eternity is the place of many mansions. Many created realities. Post cross Jesus as God existed before the creation of this reality of heaven and earth and we live in the place he left to prepare. Jesus said they already knew about this earth, even though He had yet to prepare it.

The place we are going is Paradise, and that was created when Adam was placed in it. It was not known to his disciples, because Adam was banned and Paradise was moved to heaven.

In the 6th seal, this earth will be put back to the way it was before the Flood of Noah's day. Noah and the second coming in seal 6 are the only great changes without making a totally different existence.

Forever just means endless to the normal observation of humanity. Melchizedek was known as having "eternal life". The reason was he was Shem a son of Noah. The oldest human on the planet. Many generations had come and gone, thus by Abraham's day, it was like he had never been born. In fact he was born 98 years before the Flood. He had known both "worlds". He witnessed all the separation of the continents, post Flood. Shem lived 502 years after the Flood, a total of 600 years.
 
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fwGod

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Genesis 1:1 states there was a beginning instant creation of physical heaven and earth.
There is no use of the word instant. It is assumed or implied by the phrases "He said .. and it was so."
Revelation 21-22 claims there is another instant change of heaven and earth.
Where is it written in Revelation 21-22 that the change was instantaneous?

~

Would that I could respond to all of your points in your post instantly.. but alas that's impossible. Most of it is your own opinions anyway and there's no point in responding to those.
 
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Andrewn

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They were not amil. That is a conflict of interest. Either there is or there is not an age to come. They would be post if not pre.
Your point is valid bec the term Amil is really a misnomer. "Amillennial" was actually coined in a pejorative way by those who hold premillennial views. Amillennialists do not deny the Millennium but rather believe it is already in progress. One can say Amils are actually Postmils in the sense that they believe in Christ's 2nd coming after the current Millennium.
 
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Andrewn

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This is all true about the Millennium except that:

1) The Millennium is already in progress. It has started in 30 AD; and

2) There is no indication in the Bible that Jesus physically dwells in a city on earth.

In fact in Zechariah 14, Jesus comes back to earth, and returns to Mount Olive, when Jerusalem is being attacked by a coalition of armies. Jesus destroys those armies.
You just contradicted yourself. I thought you said Jesus was already physically dwelling in a city on earth.

And that city New Jerusalem above, descends down to land in the old Jerusalem, and God and the lamb dwell in it, forever. Revelation 21.
Is that a physical city in which the saints are physical pillars and the Apostles are physical doors?
 
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Christian Gedge

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You live in the holiest of holies - New Zealand! I'd LOVE to visit NZ!
A slight exaggeration, yes? But when this horrible plague is beaten we would love to see our Aussiebros again.
 
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Christian Gedge

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Yes! That's why I came to see the 7s in the series as container classes. The 7th seal contains the 7 trumpets, and the 7th trumpet contains the 7 bowls. So all the bowls and trumpets are contained in the 7th seal.
Yes, I observed the same pattern.
 
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