In Revelation 20, a major event is described known as The Millennium. It is a highly controversial passage and there is much debate on whether the Second Coming of Christ will occur prior and lead to this prolonged period of holiness and salvation on Earth, or will the Second Coming occur after. Nevertheless, it is known that this will be a period of peace and righteousness, at the end of which New Heaven and Earth will form and the Final Judgment would occur. The passage reads, “Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also, I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years” (Revelation 20.4). During the Millennium, only the good people of the earth will remain and as it seems saints and holy people of the Church will be resurrected in their physical bodies to live on earth.
While the saints and others resurrected will leave heaven, it will not remain empty. The book of Revelation does indicate anything about the presence of angels and the Holy Spirit on earth during the Millennium. Furthermore, God will remain in Heaven until the Final Judgment comes. While Jesus will reign on earth, immortal and holy beings will continue to remain in heaven and potentially appear occasionally. During the Millennium, the earth will continue to be for mortals and humans, unclear if they would have extended lifetimes or immortality, but human agency is expected to remain.
It is difficult to predict which Heaven will exist at the time of the Second Coming of Christ. The First Heaven will which is the atmospheric earth will likely not exist in the way that is known today, transformed by the events of Armageddon in early Revelation. The Second Heaven may not exist as well. According to Matthew, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken” (24.29). However, the Third Heaven, the home of God and where Jesus resides at His side, will remain. After the Millennium, the Final Judgment will occur where God and Christ will judge “all nations” and set those who will inherit the Kingdom, at which point New Heaven and New Earth will form, and the faithful will live beside God in His Kingdom. “Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”[a] for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God” (Revelation 21.1-4).
Works Cited
New International Version. Bible Getaway, Web.