End Time Timelines

Revelation 4:5-8 says, "Then one of the elders said to me, "Stop weeping! Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has conquered; thus he can open the scroll and its seven seals". Then I saw standing in the middle of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the middle of the elders, a Lamb that appeared to have been killed. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Then he came and took the scroll from the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne, and when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders threw themselves to the ground before the Lamb".

Revelation 6:2 says, "So I looked, and here came a white horse! The one who rode it had a bow, and he was given a crown, and as a conqueror he rode out to conquer".

This depicts Antichrist riding out to conquer. It appears from Daniel 11:40 that he is first attacked by Egypt (the King of the South), and Antichrist (the King of the North) launches an invasion of Israel, Egypt and other countries.

When Jerusalem falls, Antichrist sets up the abomination of desolation (Matthew 24:15) and takes his seat in the temple claiming to be God (2 Thessalonians 2:4). This marks 'Day 1' of the Great Tribulation.

At this point, Jesus makes a brief appearance on the Mount of Olives to provide an escape route for Jerusalem's refugees (Zechariah 14:4-5a). He is then caught back up to heaven, and the refugees escape to a place of safety for the rest of the Great Tribulation (Revelation 12:5-6).

The Two Witnesses begin their prophetic ministry (Revelation 11:1-6).

Revelation 6:4 says, "And another horse, fiery red, came out, and the one who rode it was granted permission to take peace from the earth, so that people would butcher one another, and he was given a huge sword".

Red is the colour of blood and depicts world war breaking out as a consequence of Antichrist's invasions. By this point, Antichrist will already have established his control over the newly restored Islamic Empire and deposed three of its rulers. That leaves seven rulers, with him ruling over them as the eighth.

Micah 5:5 indicates that God will raise up seven shepherds (national rulers) to resist 'the Assyrian' (the Antichrist), with Jesus ultimately as the eighth commander against him.

Revelation 6:5-6 says, "So I looked, and here came a black horse! The one who rode it had a balance scale in his hand. Then I heard something like a voice from among the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat will cost a day’s pay and three quarts of barley will cost a day’s pay. But do not damage the olive oil and the wine!”".

This depicts famine following as a consequence of world war.

Revelation 6:8 says, "So I looked and here came a pale green horse! The name of the one who rode it was Death, and Hades followed right behind. They were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill its population with the sword, famine, and disease, and by the wild animals of the earth".

This depicts sickness and death following as further consequence of world war and famine. See my commentary on Revelation 6 for consideration of the Great Tribulation death toll.

Revelation 6:9 says, "Now when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been violently killed because of the word of God and because of the testimony they had given".

The bible depicts widespread persecution and martyrdom of Christians during the Great Tribulation (Daniel 12:7, Revelation 2:10, 7:9-17, 12:11, 20:4-6).

Revelation 6:12-13 says, "Then I looked when the Lamb opened the sixth seal, and a huge earthquake took place; the sun became as black as sackcloth made of hair, and the full moon became blood red; and the stars in the sky fell to the earth like a fig tree dropping its unripe figs when shaken by a fierce wind".

The response of people hiding in caves (v15-17) suggest the possibility this describes nuclear war breaking out.

Between the sixth and seventh seals, 144,000 Israelites receive angelic seals of protection, 12,000 from each tribe (Revelation 7:1-8).

John then sees an enormous crowd of Christians from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before God's throne in heaven and worshipping. These appear to be Christian martyrs (Revelation 7:9-17).

This ominous silence introduces the next series of events, with seven trumpets being given to seven angels who prepare to sound them.

Revelation 8:3 says, "Another angel holding a golden censer came and was stationed at the altar. A large amount of incense was given to him to offer up, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar that is before the throne".

This depicts Christians actively participating in God's end-time program through prayer. God works with and through his people.

Revelation 8:7 says, "The first angel blew his trumpet, and there was hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was thrown at the earth so that a third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up".

The seals affect a quarter of the earth, and the trumpets a third. This represents a progression in severity.

Revelation 8:8-9 says, "Then the second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain of burning fire was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea became blood, and a third of the creatures living in the sea died, and a third of the ships were completely destroyed".

The seals affect a quarter of the earth, and the trumpets affect a third. This progression represents an increase in severity.

Revelation 8:10-11 says, "Then the third angel blew his trumpet, and a huge star burning like a torch fell from the sky; it landed on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. (Now the name of the star is Wormwood.) So a third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from these waters because they were poisoned".

Revelation 8:12 says, "Then the fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. And there was no light for a third of the day and for a third of the night likewise".

This seems to describe the effects of localised atmospheric pollution that affects one third of the sky. If so, it may be from the perspective of an observer in Jerusalem.

Revelation 9:1-3 says, "Then the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the abyss. He opened the shaft of the abyss and smoke rose out of it like smoke from a giant furnace. The sun and the air were darkened with smoke from the shaft. Then out of the smoke came locusts onto the earth, and they were given power like that of the scorpions of the earth".

See Revelation 9:1-11 for the full description of these. They are allowed to torment people for a period of 5 months.

Revelation 9:13-18 says, "Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a single voice coming from the horns on the golden altar that is before God, saying to the sixth angel, the one holding the trumpet, “Set free the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates!” Then the four angels who had been prepared for this hour, day, month, and year were set free to kill a third of humanity. The number of soldiers on horseback was two hundred million; I heard their number. Now this is what the horses and their riders looked like in my vision: The riders had breastplates that were fiery red, dark blue, and sulfurous yellow in color. The heads of the horses looked like lions’ heads, and fire, smoke, and sulfur came out of their mouths. A third of humanity was killed by these three plagues, that is, by the fire, the smoke, and the sulfur that came out of their mouths".

This appears to be a description of mechanised warfare.

In Revelation 10, John hears further revelation spoken by the seven thunders, but is told to seal it up and not write it down. These are pieces of the end time puzzle that will remain hidden until the time comes for them to somehow be revealed, probably through God's end-time prophetic anointing on the Church (Joel 2:28-29).

Revelation 11:1-6 introduces the Great Tribulation ministry of the Two Witnesses who prophesy for 1,260 days.

Revelation 11:7-14 describes the death, resurrection and ascension of the Two Witnesses after they have completed their 1,260 days of ministry. As they are caught up to heaven, a huge earthquake occurs. People are terrified and give glory to God.

Revelation 11:15 says, "Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven saying: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever". Then the twenty-four elders who are seated on their thrones before God threw themselves down with their faces to the ground and worshiped God with these words: “We give you thanks, Lord God, the All-Powerful, the one who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and begun to reign. The nations were enraged, but your wrath has come, and the time has come for the dead to be judged, and the time has come to give to your servants, the prophets, their reward".

This is the 'last trumpet' at which Jesus appears, dead Christians are resurrected and living Christians are raptured (Matthew 24:30-31, 1 Corinthians 15:52, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). Jesus is visibly enthroned as king upon the clouds (Daniel 7:13-14, Matthew 26:64). This results in a worldwide reaction of rage that Jesus must dash as with a sceptre of iron (Psalm 2).

The second coming of Jesus is the blessed hope of all Christians (Titus 2:13), but a great woe to non-Christians.

Chronologically, this is placed after the completion of the 1,260 day ministry of the Two Witnesses.

Having been zoomed in on the chronology of the seals and trumpets, chapters 12 to 14 zoom out to give us a wide-angle view of end-time events.

Revelation 12:1-6 begins with two great pre-tribulation signs that were fulfilled in the sky on 23 September 2017 (see my commentary on Revelation 12). These point to coming events at the beginning of the Great Tribulation when Israel will suffer the agonies of invasion, and cry out like a woman in labour (also see Micah 4:9-10). Her deliverance comes with the arrival of Jesus, portrayed figuratively as the birth of her baby (also see Micah 5:3-5). At this point, Jesus will make a brief appearance on the Mount of Olives to provide an escape route for Jerusalem's refugees (Zechariah 14:4-5a). He will then be caught back up to heaven, and the refugees will escape to a place of safety for the remaining 1,260 days of the Great Tribulation (Revelation 12:5-6).

Revelation 12:7-12 depicts war in heaven, with Satan and his fallen angels being defeated and thrown out of heaven by the Archangel Michael and his righteous angels. Satan and his demons are outnumbered two-to-one.

Revelation 12:13-17 depicts Satan making war against Jews and Christians, furious that he has been thrown down, and knowing that he only has a little time.

Revelation 13:1-10 depicts the rise of Antichrist and his end-time empire. This is the restored 4th empire of Daniel 2 and 7. Its restoration is depicted as the healing of a fatal head wound. Like the dragon it has seven heads and ten horns, and is the earthly expression of Satan's kingdom. Satan gives Antichrist his power, his throne, and great authority to rule. The Antichrist arises out of Turkey (Ezekiel 38:2), and will likely be affirmed by the Muslim world as their Caliph and Mahdi.

Revelation 13:11-18 depicts the rise of the False Prophet. This is Antichrist's side-kick, like a counterfeit Aaron to a counterfeit end-time Moses. He forces everyone to receive the mark of the beast and to worship the beast. I understand that that he will force everyone to convert to Islam. It is likely that Muslims will think that the False Prophet is Isa (the Muslim Jesus).

Revelation 14:1-5 gives us further revelation of the 144,000. These are young people of Israelite descent whom God redeems as firstfruits of his plan to redeem all twelve tribes of Israel in accordance with many Old Testament prophecies (e.g. Isaiah 11:10-16, Ezekiel 37:16-22, Jeremiah 3:17-18, 31:31-33, Hosea 1:11).

Revelation 14:6-7 prophesies that an angel will proclaim the Gospel to every nation, tribe, language, and people. He will warn everyone saying, "Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has arrived, and worship the one who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water!"

This reveals God's mercy to earth's people, some time during the Great Tribulation before Jesus returns in glory at the seventh trumpet.

In Revelation 14:8, a 2nd angel proclaims, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great city! She made all the nations drink of the wine of her immoral passion". This is the fall of Saudi Arabia and the destruction of Mecca, which occurs in two stages (see my commentaries on Isaiah 21, Revelation 17 and Revelation 18). It is likely this is the first stage when the Saudi regime falls, about two and a half years into the Great Tribulation. This results in a Saudi Arabian refugee crisis (Isaiah 21:13-15). The destruction of Kedar (Mecca) follows a year later (Isaiah 21:16, Revelation 16:19).

In Revelation 14:9-13, a 3rd angel warns people not to receive the mark of the beast (convert to Islam). He also encourages Christians to endure, telling them they are blessed if they die from this point on.

Revelation 14:4 says, "Then I looked, and a white cloud appeared, and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man! He had a golden crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand".

Jesus coming on the clouds fulfils the prophecies of his coronation (Daniel 7:13-14, Matthew 26:64). This second-coming coronation confirms his post-resurrection coronation (Matthew 26:64, Ephesians 1:20-22).

Revelation 14:15-16 says, "Then another angel came out of the temple, shouting in a loud voice to the one seated on the cloud, “Use your sickle and start to reap, because the time to reap has come, since the earth’s harvest is ripe!” So the one seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped".

This is Jesus gathering his elect in the rapture (Matthew 24:31, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, 2 Thessalonians 2:1). The Parable of the Net (Matthew 13:47-50) portrays this as a broad sweep with the sheep and the goats still needing to be separated afterwards (Matthew 25:31-46).

Revelation 14:17-19 says, "Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. Another angel, who was in charge of the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to the angel who had the sharp sickle, “Use your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes off the vine of the earth, because its grapes are now ripe. So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and gathered the grapes from the vineyard of the earth and tossed them into the great winepress of the wrath of God. Then the winepress was stomped outside the city, and blood poured out of the winepress up to the height of horses’ bridles for a distance of almost two hundred miles".

This may represent the targeted judgment of many non-Christians, as in Matthew 24:40-41. Jesus is also seen to stomp the winepress of God's wrath in his Edom campaign (Isaiah 63:1-6) and at the battle of Armageddon (Revelation 19:15).

With Revelation 12-14 having given a wide-angle view of the Great Tribulation, Revelation 15 now zooms back in to the chronology of seals, trumpets and bowls. The raptured Church is seen worshipping God before his heavenly throne, and seven angels are given seven bowls filled his God's wrath. They prepare to pour these out upon the earth in order to complete God's wrath.

These bowl judgments are likely focussed geographically on Antichrist's empire, but within that region their effect seems to be total. The seals affect a quarter of the earth. Whatever the trumpets affect, only a third is affected. The effect of the bowls seems to be total within the region affected. They are the most severe judgments.

The bowl judgments are similar to many of the plagues with which Moses afflicted Pharaoh and Egypt (Exodus 7-12). As such, it is as though Jesus is the end-time Moses, and Antichrist is the end-time Pharaoh.

Revelation 16:2 says, "So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth. Then ugly and painful sores appeared on the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image".

Revelation 16:3 says, "Next, the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea and it turned into blood, like that of a corpse, and every living creature that was in the sea died".

Revelation 16:4 says, "Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and the springs of water, and they turned into blood".

Revelation 16:8-9 says, "Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was permitted to scorch people with fire. Thus people were scorched by the terrible heat, yet they blasphemed the name of God, who has ruling authority over these plagues, and they would not repent and give him glory".

Revelation 16:10-11 says, "Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast so that darkness covered his kingdom, and people began to bite their tongues because of their pain. They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their sufferings and because of their sores, but nevertheless they still refused to repent of their deeds".

Revelation 16:12-16 says, "Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates and dried up its water to prepare the way for the kings from the east. Then I saw three unclean spirits that looked like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of the demons performing signs who go out to the kings of the earth to bring them together for the battle that will take place on the great day of God, the All-Powerful…Now the spirits gathered the kings and their armies to the place that is called Armageddon in Hebrew".

Revelation 16:17-21 says, "Finally the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying: “It is done!” Then there were flashes of lightning, roaring, and crashes of thunder, and there was a tremendous earthquake – an earthquake unequaled since humanity has been on the earth, so tremendous was that earthquake. The great city was split into three parts and the cities of the nations collapsed. So Babylon the great was remembered before God, and was given the cup filled with the wine made of God’s furious wrath. Every island fled away and no mountains could be found. And gigantic hailstones, weighing about a hundred pounds each, fell from heaven on people, but they blasphemed God because of the plague of hail, since it was so horrendous".

For further explanation concerning the destruction of Mecca (Babylon the Great) see my commentary on Revelation 18.

Revelation 18:9-11 says, "Then the kings of the earth who committed immoral acts with her and lived in sensual luxury with her will weep and wail for her when they see the smoke from the fire that burns her up. They will stand a long way off because they are afraid of her torment, and will say, “Woe, woe, O great city, Babylon the powerful city! For in a single hour your doom has come!” Then the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn for her because no one buys their cargo any longer".

Revelation 19:1-3 says, "After these things I heard what sounded like the loud voice of a vast throng in heaven, saying, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, because his judgments are true and just. For he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality, and has avenged the blood of his servants poured out by her own hands!” Then a second time the crowd shouted, “Hallelujah!” The smoke rises from her forever and ever".

Revelation 19:9 says, "Then the angel said to me, “Write the following: Blessed are those who are invited to the banquet at the wedding celebration of the Lamb!” He also said to me, “These are the true words of God".

This is the great end-time banquet that is prophesied in Isaiah 25:6-9. Jesus portrayed it as a wedding banquet in several of his parables. Although the celebration is announced at this point, it almost certainly takes place after the battle of Armageddon, not before it.

Revelation 19:11-16 says, "Then I saw heaven opened and here came a white horse! The one riding it was called “Faithful” and “True,” and with justice he judges and goes to war. His eyes are like a fiery flame and there are many diadem crowns on his head. He has a name written that no one knows except himself. He is dressed in clothing dipped in blood, and he is called the Word of God. The armies that are in heaven, dressed in white, clean, fine linen, were following him on white horses. From his mouth extends a sharp sword, so that with it he can strike the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod, and he stomps the winepress of the furious wrath of God, the All-Powerful. He has a name written on his clothing and on his thigh: “King of kings and Lord of lords".

'He is dressed in clothing dipped in blood' implies that he has come from Edom where he has slaughtered his enemies and their blood has splattered his clothing (Isaiah 63:1-6, Habakkuk 3:1-15). Jesus fights alone in his Edom campaign, but is accompanied by armies at the battle of Armageddon. After Edom, it seems that he next liberates Jerusalem before finally defeating Antichrist at Armageddon (see my commentary on Revelation 19).

Revelation 19:17-18 says, "Then I saw one angel standing in the sun, and he shouted in a loud voice to all the birds flying high in the sky: “Come, gather around for the great banquet of God, to eat your fill of the flesh of kings, the flesh of generals, the flesh of powerful people, the flesh of horses and those who ride them, and the flesh of all people, both free and slave, and small and great!"

This anticipates Armageddon as a great massacre. Jesus prophesied that vultures gathering over the battlefield to feast off the corpses of the slain would be visible from east to west like lightning (Matthew 24:27-28).

Revelation 19:19-20 says, "Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to do battle with the one who rode the horse and with his army. Now the beast was seized, and along with him the false prophet who had performed the signs on his behalf – signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. Both of them were thrown alive into the lake of fire burning with sulphur".

Revelation 19:21 says, "The others were killed by the sword that extended from the mouth of the one who rode the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves with their flesh".

Zechariah 14:12-15 gives further details about this battle, "But this will be the nature of the plague with which the LORD will strike all the nations that have fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh will decay while they stand on their feet, their eyes will rot away in their sockets, and their tongues will dissolve in their mouths. On that day there will be great confusion from the LORD among them; they will seize each other and attack one another violently. Moreover, Judah will fight at Jerusalem, and the wealth of all the surrounding nations will be gathered up – gold, silver, and clothing in great abundance. This is the kind of plague that will devastate horses, mules, camels, donkeys, and all the other animals in those camps".

Zechariah 14:16 also speaks of survivors, "Then all who survive from all the nations that came to attack Jerusalem will go up annually to worship the King, the LORD who rules over all, and to observe the Feast of Tabernacles". It is possible these survivors are civilians from the nations that attack Jerusalem, rather than enemy combatants.

Daniel 12:11-12 implies there will be forty five days between the liberation of Jerusalem, when the abomination of desolation is removed, and the end of the age. Revelation does not tell us the order of events during that period, but Armageddon probably takes place immediately after Jerusalem is liberated. Describing the battle of Armageddon, Joel 3:16 says, "The Lord roars from Zion; from Jerusalem his voice bellows out…"

Revelation 20:4 says, "Then I saw thrones and seated on them were those who had been given authority to judge. I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. These had not worshiped the beast or his image and had refused to receive his mark on their forehead or hand. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years".

This may be the same judgment described in Matthew 25:31-46, when Jesus and his angels separate the sheep from the goats after the rapture. But given that martyrs are especially in view here, this may be a rewarding of the sheep after the goats have already been separated out and condemned.

Many Old Testament prophecies indicate that both Judah and Israel will be restored in the end times, and reunited under Christ's rule (Isaiah 11:10-16, Ezekiel 37:16-22, Jeremiah 3:17-18, 31:31-33, Hosea 1:11) together with Gentile nations (Isaiah 49:6, 55:5, 56:6-7, 65:1). This restoration begins early on in the Great Tribulation with the sealing of the 144,000 (Revelation 7:1-8). After Christ's coming in glory at the seventh trumpet, this restoration continues dramatically through his Edom and Armageddon campaigns. The Jews are restored to faith (Zechariah 12:10-14), and various other scriptures portray an end-time exodus of Israel and Judah back to the promised land (e.g. Isaiah 43:1-7, Jeremiah 23:5-8, Zechariah 10:6-12)

Although invitations are announced before the battle of Armageddon (Revelation 19:6-10), Revelation doesn't then tell us when the banquet actually takes place. But it likely takes place after the battle of Armageddon, the judgment of the elect, and the restoration of Israel.

Revelation 20:1-3 says, "Then I saw an angel descending from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the abyss and a huge chain. He seized the dragon – the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan – and tied him up for a thousand years. The angel then threw him into the abyss and locked and sealed it so that he could not deceive the nations until the one thousand years were finished".

Revelation 20:6 says, "Blessed and holy is the one who takes part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years".

Revelation 21:1-4 says, "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had ceased to exist, and the sea existed no more. And I saw the holy city – the new Jerusalem – descending out of heaven from God, made ready like a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: “Look! The residence of God is among human beings. He will live among them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death will not exist any more – or mourning, or crying, or pain, for the former things have ceased to exist".

John describes the city descending a second time in verse 10. Its description as a bride adorned for her husband suggest this first descent may be at the beginning of the Millennium. If so, then the New Jerusalem descends in order to receive the elect and become their Millennial home after the wedding celebration. Select individuals will rule Millennial earth with Jesus (Revelation 20:6). I assume that the rest of the elect spend the Millennium enjoying life in the New Jerusalem.

Although the new earth is not ultimately revealed until the end of the Millennium, Isaiah describes the Millennial state as the new heaven and new earth (Isaiah 65:17-25). The Millennium is a transitional age when distinctions between the eternal heaven and earth and the present heaven and earth are somewhat blurred.

Revelation 20:7-10 says, "Now when the thousand years are finished, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to bring them together for the battle. They are as numerous as the grains of sand in the sea. They went up on the broad plain of the earth and encircled the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and devoured them completely. And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulphur, where the beast and the false prophet are too, and they will be tormented there day and night forever and ever".

Revelation 20:11-15 says, "Then I saw a large white throne and the one who was seated on it; the earth and the heaven fled from his presence, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne. Then books were opened, and another book was opened – the book of life. So the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to their deeds. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and Death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each one was judged according to his deeds. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death – the lake of fire. If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, that person was thrown into the lake of fire".

Revelation 21:10 says, "So he took me away in the Spirit to a huge, majestic mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God".

It is possible this is a separate descent to the one in verse 2. If so, the New Jerusalem descends a second time to receive God's people from Millennial earth before its destruction at the end of the Millennium. It may then act as an ark for God's people while the earth is destroyed and replaced with the new earth. Thereafter, the New Jerusalem and the New Earth together become the eternal dwelling place of God's people.

Revelation 21:3-5 says, "And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: “Look! The residence of God is among human beings. He will live among them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death will not exist any more – or mourning, or crying, or pain, for the former things have ceased to exist.” And the one seated on the throne said: “Look! I am making all things new!” Then he said to me, “Write it down, because these words are reliable and true".

The new heaven and earth is described in all its beauty in Revelation 21:1-22:5.