Hi
@Tanya
Iam a Christian and what i care about is what the Bible says. (
@Thunderian aswell)
There are many verses in my bible describing the state of the earth and cosmic phenomena; shortly before, during, and after the Second Advent to lend credence to the fact that we won't be here during the millenium.
The entire 24th chapter of Isaiah is a great starter.
Isaiah 24:1
See, the LORD is going to lay waste the earth and devastate it; He will ruin its face and scatter its inhabitants
Zephaniah 1:2-3
‘I will sweep away
everything from the face of the earth,’ declares the LORD. ‘I will sweep away
both man and beast; I will sweep away the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea – and the idols that cause the wicked to stumble.’ ‘When I destroy all mankind on the face of the earth,’ declares the LORD,"
So, if Christ is returning to reign on Earth for 1000yrs, why would He destroy it, let alone reign in darkness? In vision, the Prophet Jeremiah saw the earth reduced to its former state, as at the beginning, that is; dark,formless and empty (Gen 1:2) and man will become more rare than the gold of Ophir (Isa 13:12).
Jeremiah 4:23-28
I looked at the earth, and it was formless and empty;
and at the heavens, and their light was gone.
I looked at the mountains, and they were quaking; all the hills were swaying.
I looked, and there were no people; every bird in the sky had flown away.
I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert; all its towns lay in ruins before the LORD, before his fierce
anger. ‘The whole land will be ruined, though I will not destroy it completely.
Therefore the earth will mourn and the heavens above grow dark, because I have spoken and will not relent, I have decided and will not turn back.’
We see the same theme in Revelation (the 7 bowls will completely ruin the earth) when every mountain and island is removed from its place (6:14; 16:20). Isaiah continues: 24:18-20
The floodgates of the
heavens are opened, the foundations of the earth shake. The earth is broken
up, the earth is split asunder, the earth is violently shaken. The earth reels like a drunkard, it sways like a hut in the wind; so heavy upon it is the guilt of its rebellion"
Now, i don't believe in the 3rd Temple being rebuilt, its purpose, and Christ reigning here because, honestly, as in Revelation(cities of the nations collapsed), what structure is actually going to withstand earth's convulsions? Unless ofcourse, Christ will keep only His temple standing. But the mountains are going to disappear too/shifted. We are talking Everest, Shasta, etc
Joel 2:10-11
Before them the earth
shakes,the heavens tremble, the sun and moon are darkened, and the stars no longer shine. The LORD thunders at the head of his army; his forces are beyond number, and mighty is the army that obeys His command.
The day of the LORD is
great; it is dreadful. Who can endure it?"
The verses are way too many and i do not want to turn this into a long post.
Luke mentions heavenly bodies being shaken, a little time, before Christ appears (24:25-26). We are all aware of the effect of the moon on tides. If a massive planetary body, 10 times the size of earth entered our solar system, what would the gravitational pull effect? It would threaten to rip our planet apart.
And because the last plagues are almost the same as those that fell on ancient Egypt, Immanuel Velikovsky (of Worlds in Collision) postulated that "God used" a huge comet to bring about those that devastated Egypt
http://tmgnow.com/repository/secret/velikovsky2.html
God can and will use His creation and i guess i should expect the same since 100 pound hailstones (Rev 16:21) will fall on men.
@Red Sky at Morning
it was great idea you brought up....to find the identities of the guests, the bride and wedding venue. I disappeared for a little while and came back and found nothing. What happened? Here, a feast prepared for all those who have emerged victorious over sin, right from Adam down to the last saint.
Isaiah 25:6-9
On this mountain the
LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine – the best of meats and the finest
of wines. On this mountain He will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; He will remove his
people’s disgrace from all the earth. The LORD has spoken.
‘Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and He saved us. This is the LORD, we trusted in Him; let us rejoice and be glad in His
salvation.’
Finally, John 14:1-4. Surely, Christ wouldn't have wasted His time with these preparations, if infact, we are to be here with Him for the millenium.
"My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were
not so, would I have told
you that I am going there
to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come
back and take you to be
with me that you also may be where I am..’