Shalom, Warrior.
In the bible, it speaks of a 1000 year millenium, where Christ will reign. Is this literally 1000 years?
Yes, this is a literal 1000-year period. That's what Yochanan and Kefa (John and Peter) said, and there's no justifiable reason to believe otherwise.
After the rapture we are set to go to the supper (Wedding of the Lamb) but after that, are we in Heaven for eternity? or are we coming back to earth?
Three things here. First, we won't leave the vicinity of the earth when we are "raptured." It is a MASS TRANSIT SYSTEM to get us quickly to the skies over the Middle East to join the Messiah in His descent to take His revenge on the enemies of His people.
Second, the "supper (Wedding of the Lamb)" takes place at the beginning of the Millennium! There's an easy way to prove this: Yeshua` (Jesus) said,...
Matthew 26:29
29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.
KJV
Mark 14:25
25 Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God.
KJV
Luke 22:18
18 For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.
KJV
And, yet, drinking wine is an integral part of the Jewish wedding feast:
John 2:1-10
2 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there:
2 And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.
3 And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.
4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.
5 His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.
6 And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece.
7 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.
8 And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.
9 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom,
10 And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.
KJV
So, the conclusion is that Yeshua` would not have His wedding feast until the Kingdom has started after His return! He also made it a point to mention that He would drink it NEW in His Father's Kingdom! That implies that the wine would be from a NEW cutting and pressing of grapes!
Third, the words that have been translated "heaven," "heavens," "heavenly" and "heavenlies" refer primarily to the "sky" - the "atmosphere" around this planet we call home, not to some ethereal, nebulous place beyond the stars or in another dimension.
The Greek word translated "heaven" is "
ouranos." It is the same word used in both Matthew 16:1 ("heaven") and in verses 2 and 3 ("sky"):
Matthew 16:1-4
16 The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.
2 He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.
3 And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?
4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.
KJV
Often people will claim that the "third heaven" is "God's abode," but this comes from Rev. C. I. Scofield who wrote the reference material for the Scofield Reference Edition of the King James Version of the Bible. On page 1,238 of his Scofield Reference Edition in the marginal note for 2 Corinthians 12:2, he bluntly said that the first heaven is "of clouds"; the second heaven is "of stars"; and the third heaven is "God's abode." However, he gives NO Scriptural reference to support this view! Let me give you a BETTER view than that of Scofield:
2 Peter 3:3-13
3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth (the first heaven and first earth)
standing out of the water and in the water:
6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished (the FLOOD)
:
7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now (the second heaven and second earth)
, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat (the FIRE)
?
13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth (third heaven and third earth)
, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
KJV
Just as other prophets received visions about the future, Paul knew a person (whether himself or someone else) who likewise received a vision about the future and saw in the distant future the New Earth and its New Sky, the "third heaven."
Of the other Greek words, such as
ouranothen,
ouranios, and
mesouraneema, they are combinations of prefixes or suffixes and
ouranos. "
Ouranothen" means "from
ouranos." "
Ouranios" means "of or related to
ouranos." "
Mesouraneema" means "in the middle of
ouranos." And, there is ONE other that refers to some place other than "
ouranos": "
epouranios" which means "of or related to above-
ouranos."
There are only three verses in Scripture that use the word "
mesouraneema," all in Revelation: Revelation 8:13; 14:6; and 19:17:
Revelation 8:13
13 And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!
KJV
Revelation 14:6-7
6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
KJV
Revelation 19:17-18
17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;
18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.
KJV
The first two are about an "angel" flying in the "midst of heaven"; so that doesn't help us, but the LIMITING FACTOR, like a limiting reagent in a stoichiometric chemical reaction, is the third verse. Fowls or birds fly in the "midst of heaven." Since birds do not leave our atmosphere. Therefore, the "midst of heaven" or the "middle of
ouranos" still refers to our atmosphere.
Concerning "
epouranios," this word is used in 1 Corinthians 15:40-41, translated "celestial":
1 Corinthians 15:40-41
40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.
41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.
KJV
And, these "celestial" bodies are the sun, the moon, and the stars here! These bodies are in the area "above the
ouranos." This further supports the idea that "
ouranos" refers to the earth's atmosphere.
If you can accept this, then according to Hebrews 12:22, the New Jerusalem is a city "above the atmosphere." In other words, it is currently in outer space. Furthermore, it is said to descend from God "out of heaven" (Rev. 21:2), but this again is the word "
ouranos!" So, it comes from God out of the atmosphere! What does that suggest? Well, there's nothing between the atmosphere and the ground; therefore, the city will LAND on the New Earth.
I watch
youtube videos of a Brother in Christ who has seen visions of the rapture and the millenium. He saw that Jesus had police that arrested people if they sinned during the 1000 years. I believe this Brother as a true prophet, and someone who has seen Jesus and his home. If you want I could give you his youtube page to spread the message The Lord Jesus is giving to people before it is too late.
Anyways, after the 1000 years is over, will we be taken back to Heaven, or will we be able to travel between Heaven and the new earth?
Thoughts......
After the 1000 years are over, we will be protected while the Fire falls, but then the Great White Throne Judgment will occur, and afterward, the Earth will be re-fashioned as the New Earth and our Atmosphere will be re-fashioned into the New Atmosphere and the New Jerusalem will land upon the New Earth and eternity begins. We won't "go to heaven" at all. Man was made for the earth and the earth for man. We'll have everything we've ever needed or wanted right here on this planet. The New Jerusalem will be our home, and the whole New Earth will be our back yard!
We'll be able to travel through the "heavens," through the skies, through the atmosphere, as we do today, but there is no Scriptural proof for a "Heaven" as "God's abode!" That's the fiction of theology forced upon us down through the years.
We were NEVER instructed in Scripture to anticipate "going to heaven," not before the Millennium nor after the Millennium. We were ALWAYS instructed to anticipate the LORD'S RETURN and OUR RESURRECTION and our NEW BODIES, "fashioned like unto His glorious body" (Phil. 3:20-21)! There's ONLY the New Earth and the New "Heaven" we'll breathe!
Consider a few verses in closing:
Luke 1:30-33
30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
KJV
Psalm 25:11-13
11 For thy name's sake, O Lord, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great.
12 What man is he that feareth the Lord? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.
13 His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth.
KJV
Psalm 37:8-11
8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.
9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.
10 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.
11 But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
KJV
Psalm 37:18-24
18 The Lord knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever.
19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
20 But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.
21 The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth.
22 For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.
23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.
24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.
KJV
Matthew 5:3-10
3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
KJV
Thus, RIGHT HERE ON THIS PLANET (after its surface, the New Earth, is formed) is where we are to live forever. That is our destiny.