{"id":17919,"date":"2020-10-10T08:13:18","date_gmt":"2020-10-10T15:13:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hoshanarabbah.org\/blog\/?p=17919"},"modified":"2020-10-10T08:13:23","modified_gmt":"2020-10-10T15:13:23","slug":"my-notes-on-revelation-chapters-20-22-on-the-millennium-and-eternity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hoshanarabbah.org\/blog\/2020\/10\/10\/my-notes-on-revelation-chapters-20-22-on-the-millennium-and-eternity\/","title":{"rendered":"My Notes on Revelation Chapters 20\u201322 on the Millennium and Eternity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Revelation 20<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Revelation 20:1, Bottomless pit. <\/em><\/strong>(See notes at Deut 32:22; 2 Pet 2:4; Rev 9:1. Also see notes at Isa 14:18\u201321.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Revelation 20:4, A thousand years. <\/em><\/strong>This is but one of six references in the Bible to the Millennium lasting for one thousand years. The other references are found in the surrounding verses (vv. 2, 3, 5, 6, 7). Even then, some biblical students still question the idea of the Millennium and categorize it as a NT concept only and, therefore, feel they can relegate it to the realm of the allegorical. An understanding of the prophetic implications of the seventh day Sabbath should settle this question once and for all. In traditional Jewish thought, the seven days of creation picture the time man will be on this physical earth. Six days (for six days or six thousand years) man does his own work, while on the seventh day (or one thousand years) he rests and fellowships with Elohim. This is a picture of the millennial rest, which the Jewish sages have long called the Messianic Era, which is yet to come. The Millennium is not uniquely a Christian or NT concept, but is rooted in Judaism going back before the Christian era. For example, the writer of Hebrews juxtaposes the Sabbath and the Millennium in Hebrews chapter seven when he compares Joshua taking the Israelites into the Promised Land with Yeshua taking the saints into the Sabbath, millennial rest of our spiritual inheritance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Revelation 20:5, The rest of the dead. <\/em><\/strong>This phrase is a parenthetical thought. Before and after this phrase, the author is discussing those who will be part of the first resurrection, which occurs at Yeshua\u2019s second coming. Later in the same chapter, John goes on to discuss what happens to the rest of the dead (vv. 12\u201313).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Revelation 20:7\u201321:1, Events after the Millennium. <\/em><\/strong>The events in these verses appear to be chronological and occur after <\/em>the Millennium. In Rev 20:2ff John seems to be receiving a pre-millennial flashback vision. (See my discussion on these verses.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Revelation 20:8, The four corners. <\/em><\/strong>These rebels who will inhabit the millennial earth have removed themselves as far as possible from Jerusalem, which is the seat of King Yeshua\u2019s rule and is at the center of the earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Revelation 20:9, Fire came down from heaven. <\/em><\/strong>If the New Jerusalem, the seat of Yeshua\u2019s millennial government, is hovering over the earthly Jerusalem during the Millennium, then this is the source of the fire or Yeshua\u2019s judgment against the rebels who dare to defy his divine governance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Revelation 20:10, The devil\u2026lake of fire. <\/em><\/strong>(See notes at Deut 32:22; 2 Pet 2:4; Rev 9:1.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tormented forever.<\/em><\/strong>The devil as a spirit either can only be contained, but not destroyed meaning Elohim is not all-powerful, or, more likely, Elohim will allow the devil to exist, though in a place of torment, as an on-going example and testimony to his sovereign greatness and power over evil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Revelation 20:12. Books.<\/em><\/strong>Is this a reference to the books of the Bible, the Word of Elohim by which we will all be judged? Will those died who never heard the gospel be resurrected at this time to hear the gospel for the first time and given a chance to accept or reject it? Those who do, like repentant thief on the cross will be granted a place in paradise, while those who don\u2019t will go into the lake of fire presumably like the unbelieving thief?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The dead.<\/em><\/strong>Who are these dead? Besides those who physical humans who lived during the Millennium, who else might they be? See notes at 1 Peter 4:6.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Revelation 20:12, 13, According to their works.<\/em><\/strong>Why judge the dead (both those who did good and those who did evil) according to their works if there aren\u2019t levels of rewards (and punishment) for both the righteous and the evil? For the righteous, the Scriptures teach that Yeshua will dispense eternal (spiritual) rewards at the judgment seat based on the good works of Torah-obedience. Rewards, not salvation, is based on good works. (See Matt 5:19; 16:27; Rom 2:6; 2 Cor 5:10; Eph 6:8; 1 Pet 1:17; Rev 2:23; 19:8; 20:13; 22:12 cp. Ps 62:12; Jer 17:10; 32:19; Ezek 7:27). For the wicked, even though they will be burned up in the lake of fire, some will suffer a longer torment before being annihilated (see Luke 12:47\u201348).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Revelation 21<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chapter subdivisions <\/strong>are often misleading and fall at odd places. These were made by well-meaning men, but are not in the original Greek manuscripts. In this case, Rev 21:1 appears to be a continuation of the chronological events of Rev 20. Rev 21:2 picks up a new thought and is a pre-millennial event. See notes below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Revelation 21:1\u20132. Now. Then\/and. <\/em><\/strong>Is this expressing a chronological time line as in \u201cafter the preceding event this event followed\u201d or, rather, is it saying that \u201cthis was simply the next scene that I saw\u201d irrespective of chronology vis-\u00e0-vis those events that are listed above it. Then<\/em> is the Greek word kai<\/em>, which is a conjunction primarily meaning \u201cand, also\u201d (e.g. Zodhiates, Thayers, Arndt-Gingrich and Mounce) and not \u201cthen.\u201d Therefore, it seems that this verse is not necessarily a continuation of the previous thought, but a new, stand-alone prophetic vision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New heaven\u2026new earth.<\/em><\/strong>This appears to be occurring after the Millennium and white throne judgment, since this verse is a continuation of the scenario that occurs previously in Rev 20:11\u201315, which is clearly post-millennial and after the second death, when it appears that the old earth and heavens will be burned up or purified to make way for the new heavens and earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Revelation 21:2, New Jerusalem.<\/em><\/strong>This verse doesn\u2019t tell us when this event will occur, that is, before or after the Millennium. These things we do know, and they all point us to a millennial fulfillment of this verse:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Verse three: The New Jerusalem is the dwelling place of Elohim. If King Yeshua is ruling on this earth during the Millennium as King of kings, and Yeshua is Elohim, then this verse is being fulfilled at that time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Verse six: Those who are spiritually thirsty will receive spiritual water in the New Jerusalem. Elsewhere we learn that thirst is a biblical metaphor for salvation and that Yeshua (the Alpha\/Aleph <\/em>and Omega\/Tav<\/em>) is the source of that salvation (John 4:13\u201315), and that the Last Great Day of the Feast of Tabernacles (i.e. Hoshana Rabbah) is a picture of the Millennium when YHVH will pour out his Spirit like water on the dry earth to produce a rich spiritual harvest of souls (cp. John 7:37\u201339).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This holy city is the inhabitant of the bride of Yeshua. It is the dwelling place full of \u201cmansions,\u201d for which Yeshua declared he had to go away to prepare (John 14:2). In biblical times, when the bridegroom would return for his bride, he would immediately take her to the home he had prepared for her on his family\u2019s estate. It was here that the wedding festivities took place. This fact seems to be a convincing reason why the New Jerusalem must be accessible to the glorified bride-saints of Yeshua at the beginning of the Millennium, rather than after it. If it were to appear only after the Millennium, then the biblical patterns would be broken. As exemplified in the Parable of the Ten Virgins, the bridegroom would come to the bride\u2019s house and take her back with him to his father\u2019s house. Similarly, at Yeshua\u2019s second coming, he will fetch his bride who has come out to meet him in the air<\/em>, and she will then accompany him to his home\u2014the New Jerusalem. We see this fact born out in several places in the book of Revelation (e.g. Rev 7:9 and 19:1). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Revelation 21:12, 14. Twelve gates\u2026twelve tribes of Israel <\/em>and twelve foundations\u2026twelve apostles.<\/em><\/strong>One can only come into the New Jerusalem through faith in Yeshua and by being grafted into the Israel of Elohim (Eph 2:11\u201319; Rom 11:11\u201327; Gal 6:16), and the whole city is built on the foundation of the apostles\u2019 doctrine (Acts 2:42), which is the foundation of the household of Elohim, which grows into a set-apart temple unto YHVH\u2014the New Jerusalem (Eph 2:19\u201322). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Revelation 21:18. Foundation\u2026precious stones.<\/em><\/strong> The stones on this list almost completely correspond to the list of stone on high priest\u2019s breastplate in Exod 28:17\u201320 representing the 12 tribes of Israel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Revelation 21:22. Temple.<\/em><\/strong> The New Jerusalem has no temple, for the Elohim and Yeshua are its temple. Interestingly, the holy of holies in the Tabernacle of Moses was a square cube geometrically as is the New Jerusalem. As the holy of holies represented heaven on earth and the throne room of Elohim, even so, the New Jerusalem will be<\/em> heaven on earth and the literal place of Elohim\u2019s throne. Elohim and his glory will abide there (Rev 21:23, even as the manifest glory of Elohim abode over the holy of holies in the pillar of fire by night and the cloud of smoke by day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Revelation 21:23, The city had no need of the sun. <\/em><\/strong>This is not to say that the sun and the moon aren\u2019t shining on the rest of the earth during the Millennium. The light of the Lamb just blocks out the sun shining in the environs of the New Jerusalem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Lamb is its light. <\/em>The Torah in the Book of Revelation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the book of Revelation, at the very end of the Bible, we find a number of references to the written Torah, as well as to Yeshua, the Living Torah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n