We have already seen that Yeshua cannot return at the start of the Millennium. However, if Yeshua does not return at the start of the Millennium to give everyone an immortal body, then how do we explain verses such as Isaiah 65:20, which tells us that there will come a time when a child will die at a hundred years of age, and still be considered ‘young’?

 

 

 

Believing that this verse applies to the Millennium, some believers start to wonder how can a child die at a hundred years old, and still be considered a ‘child,’ if we are still to have these same types of mortal bodies during the Millennium. How does that work? The answer, of course, is that Isaiah 65:20 does not refer to the Millennium.  Isaiah 65 refers to a time that comes after the Millennium, when those few who survive the Day of Judgment will go on to a ‘New Earth.’

 

 

 

Believing that Yeshua returns at the start of the Millennium, and that Yeshua will give all of His people supernatural bodies capable of living for a thousand years, Pre-Millennial Return Theory wrongly applies this passage to the Millennium. However, if we will but look at what this passage really says, then we should be able to see that verse seventeen clearly tells us that this passage applies not to the Millennium, but to the time frame of the New Earth (which comes only after the Day of Judgment).

 

The thought of living for a thousand years sitting next to Yeshua is so dear that people hate to let go of it. However, since we are already several years into the Millennium (in 2007 CE), it should be clear that we are not going to live for a thousand years in the Millennium. Therefore, what we need to recognize is that the actual time sequence Scripture speaks of is this:

 

1.     During the Millennium, the saints rule and reign in Yeshua’s stead (and with His rod of iron);

2.     The Great Tribulation comes at the end of the Millennium (more on this in the next chapter);

3.     Yeshua returns in the clouds at the end of the Tribulation (at the end of the Millennium);

4.     We are not caught up to be with Yeshua until He returns in the clouds (at the very last trump);

5.     Then we go to the Judgment; and then

6.     (Finally) we go to the New Earth.

 

 

While this sequence may seem unfamiliar, and while the idea of going to a ‘New Earth’ may seem foreign, other passages witness to it. To see this, first notice how Revelation 20 tells us that the War of Gog and Magog will come at the end of the Millennium.

 

 

 

Then, three verses later, Revelation 20:11 tells us that at the end of the Millennium, we will all go to stand before YHWH’s throne in the Day of Judgment.

 

 

During the Day of Judgment, the present (defiled) heaven and earth flee away, since no more place (i.e., no more need) will be found for them.

 

 

 

Then, in the Judgment, we will be judged according to our works.

 

 

 

Next, the New Heavens and the New Earth appear.

 

 

 

So the actual sequence of events we have seen so far is this:

 

1.      First comes the Millennium (on this present earth, with our defiled bodies); and then

2.      Second, Yeshua physically returns in the clouds at the end of the Millennium, and takes us to the Day of Judgment. Then,

3.      After the Day of Judgment, we go to the New Earth (where an infant will die at one hundred year of age, and still be considered ‘young’).

 

 

Scholars disagree as to what happens when we get to the New Earth. There are different theories, and it is difficult to know what will happen with any kind of certainty, since Scripture only speaks of these things in allegory, in parable, and in prophetic shadows. It is not our purpose here to determine exactly what will happen once we get to the New Earth, but only to show that some who survive the Judgment will go on to one.

Some scholars suggest that those who lay down their lives to build Yeshua’s empire here on this earth will have shown themselves worthy to go on to the New Earth. They will have ‘made the cut’ (whereas those who have not labored and sacrificed will not be desired, and will therefore not ‘make the cut’). 

 

Other scholars suggest that from this elect group (that ‘makes the cut’), YHWH will take His bride, which will then go with Yeshua to the place that is prepared for His bride. The rest of His people Israel (who survived the Judgment, but who did not ‘make the cut’ for the bride) will go on to the New Earth, where they will get yet another opportunity for refinement.

 

It is difficult for us to know just exactly what YHWH will do in the future with any certainty. He speaks of these events only in allegory, in parable, and in prophetic shadows, so we do not have enough details to foretell these things with any kind of certainty. Also, YHWH is utterly sovereign, and He can do whatever He wants. The truth, really, is that we do not need to know, but there are some patterns that prove very interesting.

 

The Book of Genesis is thought to be prophetic, in that it establishes patterns that seem to repeat themselves over and over again, throughout Scripture. Since these patterns recur, is it conceivable that some of these patterns may have already recurred? What do we mean by this?

 

The Book of Genesis describes a seven day Creation Week for this present earth.

 

 

 

The Apostle Kepha (Peter) tells us not to forget that a day in prophecy can represent a thousand earth years.

 

 

 

If the Creation Week was seven days long, and if each of these days represents a thousand years, then this gives a prophetic shadow picture of a seven thousand year plan for this present earth. However, beyond the seven thousand year mark lies a ‘New’ Earth. There are witnesses to this in Isaiah, in Revelation, and even in the Feast of Tabernacles.

 

It is commonly held that the Feast of Tabernacles is an eight day festival. However, technically speaking, the Feast of Tabernacles lasts for seven days, and then it is followed by a separate one day celebration on the eighth day. This eighth-day is called “Shemini Atzeret” (‘The Eighth-Day Assembly,’ or ‘The Last Great Day’). Let us take a look at the commandment, and see how this Eighth-Day Assembly is also representative of the New (or Renewed) Earth.

 

 

In Hebrew, the word for ‘solemn assembly’ is the word ‘atzeret’ (עצרת). This word indicates a very special kind of assembly. It indicates that one’s host is not letting one go home, but is ‘holding one over’ for an extended period. Strong’s Concordance gives the definition for the word atzeret (עצרת) as:

 

 

When we look up the root word at Strong’s OT:6113, we find:

 

 

 

The seven days of Tabernacles are symbolic of the seven thousand years of Earth, while the Last Great Day is a prophetic foreshadow of the New Earth, in which YHWH will ‘hold over’ those who have been chosen to go on to the New (or Renewed) Earth. We do not know for sure whether those who will be sent on to the New Earth are those who are chosen as the bride, or whether it will be those who ‘did not quite make the bride.’ However, it is clear that someone in Israel will survive the Day of Judgment, and that YHWH will ‘hold them over’ in a New Earth.

 

That the Last Great Day is a prophetic foreshadow of the New Earth answers some questions, but it leaves us with still others. For example, Revelation 21:1-4 tells us that in the New Earth, there will be no more death, for the former things will have passed away.

 

 

 

This language shadows Isaiah 65:17-19 perfectly:

 

 

 

And, six verses later, Isaiah 65:25 still speaks of a blissful, Edenic-like state.

 

We do not know if these passages are to be taken literally, or if they are symbolic, but they seem to suggest that those who go on to the New Earth will enjoy a life that is far superior to the one in this world.

 

[Alternately, Isaiah 65:25 could be speaking of the Millennium, in that the wolf is the symbol of Benjamin (which is part of the House of Judah) and the Lamb is symbolic of Yeshua (whose cause is more-or-less championed by the House of Ephraim).  The lion may symbolize Yeshua (who is part of the Tribe of Judah), while the ox may symbolize the House of Joseph (Ephraim), whose symbol was the ox. If so, then Isaiah 65:25 is actually a prophecy about peace between the Two Houses, which could pertain to the Millennium (and not the New Earth). However, this would not alter the fact that there will be a New Earth.]

 

These insights still leave us with some questions. While Revelation 21:4 (above) tells us that there will be no more death, Isaiah 65:20 seems to contradict this. Isaiah 65:20 tells us that there will still be death (and also sin) in the New Earth.

 

 

 

Not only does Isaiah 65:20 tell us that there will be sin and death in the New Earth, but Revelation Twenty-two also tells us that there will be sin in the New Earth (and that there will further be idolaters, and liars).

 

 

So how can we reconcile these passages, some of which speak of an Edenic-like state, and others of sin and death? With the few prophetic pictures we are given, it is difficult to say with certainty. However, Revelation Twenty-one does tell us that those who are selected to be ‘held over’ in the New Earth do not go to the New Jerusalem right away, but that the New Jerusalem comes down to earth only somewhat later.

 

 

Is it possible that once YHWH causes the Renewed Jerusalem to come down from above, that there will be created an Edenic-like state within Jerusalem itself; but that whosoever sins will be put outside of Jerusalem, where sickness and death still exist? We do not know, but this solution harmonizes with some other passages.

 

 

Blessed are those who do all of His commandments, that they may take hold of the Tree of Life, and enter into the city (and its Edenic-like state); while outside are all those who do not keep the Torah completely.

 

Since the Book of the Revelation speaks in symbolic language, we cannot know just exactly what the New Earth will be like. However, we do know that to make it into the Renewed Jerusalem means life, and not to make it there means death. Bearing in mind that this is an issue of eternal life or death, why would anyone not choose to do all he can, to build Yeshua’s empire? And why would anyone not choose to do all he can to help Nazarene Israel build the Stick of Ephraim? With life or death at stake, is there any truly good reason?

 

Additionally, some scholars suggest that this present earth may itself be a kind of a ‘renewed’ earth. What else can we say about this?

 

 

 

Now here is a difficult concept. In Hebrew, the word ‘created’ is the word ‘ba-ra’ (בָּרָא). This word בָּרָא means, essentially, “created from nothing.” So what Genesis 1:1 tells us, then, is that Elohim created the heavens and the earth literally ‘from nothing.’

 

In contrast, when we read that the earth ‘was made’ formless and void, the word is ‘hay-yi-tah’ (הָיְתָה). This word הָיְתָה means ‘made from something else.’ Some scholars therefore suggest the possibility of a lag time in between the time when YHWH ‘created’ (בָּרָא) the earth from nothing, and the time when the earth ‘was made’ (הָיְתָה) formless and void. Is there any truth to this? And if so, then what would it mean?

Let us take a look at the Hebrew of how the earth ‘was made’ (or ‘was rendered’) formless and void:

 

 

 

The word ‘made’ can also be translated as ‘rendered.’

 

 

 

The Hebrew for “formless and void” is “tohu v’bohu” (תֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ). This phrase has been colloquially rendered as, ‘tossed green salad.’ It speaks to a process of complete upheaval, and being made totally desolate (or gutted), so that a renewal and refreshing can occur. The Hebrew word “tohu” (תֹהוּ) is defined as:

 

Similarly, the Hebrew word “bohu” (בֹהוּ) means:

 

 

 

Next, remembering that in Hebrew, the word ‘new’ is actually the word ‘renewed’ (חָדָשׁor חֲדָשָׁה), we can see that Isaiah 65:17 is speaking to the same concept of destruction-and-renewal that Genesis 1:2 speaks of.

 

 

 

Bearing all of these things in mind, some theologians have suggested that the earth may have already been ‘renewed’ back when the earth was first rendered (or made) “tohu v’bohu” (back in Genesis 1:2).

 

We do not know if the earth was ‘renewed’ at the start of this present seven thousand year period, but if so, then there might be some interesting parallels between the Scriptural record of creation and renewal, and the philosophies of creation-and-renewal found in some eastern religions. This would not be to condone or support these eastern religions in any way (as they are heretical). However, it might explain a few things.

 

In the Book of Genesis, when Avraham wanted to give his inheritance to Yitzhak (Isaac), he sent his other sons away eastward, to the “land of the east.”

 

 

 

Technically, this “land of the east” is Haran, but it does indicate an eastward pattern of migration that is similar to the northward pattern of migrations that the House of Ephraim later followed. It indicates a direction.

 

In Scriptural thought, everything has origins, and a beginning. If Avraham understood that there would be a New Earth, and then he sent his sons away eastward (to the “land of the east”), then could this explain why the Hindu religious caste is known as the Brahmins? Could it be that these Brahmins are really the Abramins (i.e., the descendants of Abram/Abraham)? If so, might this explain why Hinduism also teaches a religious tradition that speaks of creation and renewal?

In Hebraic thought, everything has origins, and a beginning. Can we therefore also trace the possible beginnings of Chinese Taoism?

 

In a book called the “Tao Te Ching,” the Taoist sages are recorded as ‘just appearing’ one day, as from afar, being endowed with unusually great spiritual wisdom. Is it possible that these could have been some of the other sons that Avraham sent away eastward, to the “land(s) of the east”?

 

The Chinese word for Zen spiritual enlightenment is Chan (or Chen), which is similar to the Hebrew word for Favor, or Grace (which is Chen, or חן). We could also note that in Chinese, the word for life force (or life energy) is Chi, which is similar to the Hebrew word for life, which is Chai (or חי). Is it possible that these words are corrupt derivatives of the Aramaic terms that Avraham taught to his sons?

 

If Chinese Taoism and Hindu really are corrupt variants of the Avrahamic faith, then this would not lend any credence to Taoism or Hindu. However, it might explain some of the many parallels that exist between the Israelite faith, and Taoism, Hindu and Buddhism (which arose from Hindu).

 

Both in Buddhism and in Hinduism, a person is thought to be sent into the material realm because of his ‘attachments’ (or desires) for certain pleasures in the material realm. Examples of desires that need to be overcome can be greed for material objects, sexual desires, control issues, or what-have-you). We should be able to see that this is more-or-less parallel to what the Apostle Yochanan (John) tells, which is that all that is in the world is the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life (First John 2:16-17).

Hinduism and Buddhism also teach that when one finally overcomes one’s desires, one no longer returns to this world. Since one has become purified, one can now progress onward to other worlds which are purer, and more satisfying. If this doctrine really is a corrupt variation of the original Avrahamic faith, and if the original Avrahamic faith understood that there would one day be a New Earth, then could this explain why the Book of the Revelation also teaches that life in the New Earth will be more satisfying than this one?

 

 

 

Many may misunderstand what we are saying here, so in order to avoid confusion, let us say a word more about these things.

The reason for pointing these things out is not that we want to lend any credence to Hinduism, Buddhism or Taoism: far from it. The author was delivered from these faiths, and so he knows first hand how empty and devoid of Salvation they truly are. However, it may be helpful for some people to know why parallels exist between what Scripture teaches, and the beliefs of these eastern faiths.

 

Many of the Ephraimite people are being lost to these eastern faiths, and to the New Age cultic religions. Some of these get lost because they are impressed at the parallels between Scripture and the religions of the east. This is because they do not realize that the religions of the east are merely corrupt variations of the faith that Avraham originally taught to his other sons.

 

Further, many ex-Christians believe that the Nazarene faith is just for Christians: Elohim forbid. There are many in China and India who are turning to Scripture, and the Sabbath movement is gaining strength there. Are their lives any less precious in Elohim’s eyes, than our own? Can we afford not to draft materials that witness to those in the east, who are being saved?

 

Could it be that by understanding why there are so many parallels between Scripture and the religious systems of the east, that we may be able to reach out to those who are presently lost in these faiths, so that Yeshua’s prophecy about many coming both from east and from west might be more completely fulfilled?

 

Finally, some suggest that we should not even mention these parallels, because Scripture commands us not to mention the names of other elohim.

 

 

 

It is true that we must not mention the names of false elohim unless we have a reason. However, let us recognize that even YHWH uses the names of other elohim in Scripture, when He has a purpose for doing so.

 

 

 

Further, we know that Yeshua is Elohim, and even Yeshua mentions Satan’s name, when He has a purpose in doing so.