Okay, I'm back, dear Alice (again, peace to you!)... and would like to address another part of your post, if I may - thank you!
The article you posted states:
“The beloved city” must be the city that is spoken of by the glorified Jesus Christ to his followers at Revelation 3:12 and that he calls “the city of my God, the new Jerusalem which descends out of heaven from my God.”
Let's just take this part, for a second.
must be the city that is spoken of by the glorified Jesus Christ to his followers at Revelation 3:12
A very interesting thing about that verse. It also includes the thought:
"I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God..."
Hmmmm... what, though, is the "temple... of God?" Paul made a suggestion:
" Do YOU not know that YOU people are God’s temple, and that the spirit of God dwells in YOU ?" 1 Corinthians 3:16
Say, what? How can PEOPLE be a "temple"? Well, Paul also made a suggestion as to that, as well. In order to understand him, though... and what the "temple of God" truly is, you would have to understand was a "temple" is. A temple... is a place... that "houses"... a spirit being. Sometimes, even a false spirit being (think, Temple of Athena). If it "houses" such a spirit, then one can also call it a "house", yes? As in, the Temple of Jerusalem, which was also called, "the House of God" because God's spirit filled it, yes? 2 Chronicles 5:14
So, how is it that PEOPLE can BE God's temple? Well, let's take a look. Again, we're gonna defer to Paul, who suggests:
"Certainly, therefore, YOU are no longer strangers and alien residents, but YOU are fellow citizens of the holy ones and are members of the household of God..." Ephesians 2:19
Okay, makes sense... people being members of a houseHOLD. But Paul went on and what he wrote was very interesting:
"...and YOU have beenbuilt up upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets..." Ephesians 2:20
Okay, wait... a "foundation." OF people? But don't you usually find those in... buildings? Structures? Could be...
"... while Christ Jesus himself is the foundation cornerstone." Ephesians 2:20
Okay, well, now we've got a foundation... and a foundation cornerstone. Sounds like a building...
" In union with him the whole building..." Ephesians 20:21
Well, lookie there, a BUILDING!
"... being harmoniously joined together, is growing into a holy temple..." Ephesians 20:21
A building... that is going to be TEMPLE! A temple for WHO? WHICH spirit?
"... for JAH." Ephesians 20:21
Well, well, well! But, wait, there's MORE...
"In union with him YOU , too, are being built up together into a place for God to inhabit by spirit." Ephesians 2:22
Well, okay, now! We have a building... that is a temple... that is going to be inhabited... by God... by SPIRIT. Cool. Let's move on (or back) to "the City"...
The scripture we both referred to (Revelation 3:12) mentions pillars in the temple of God... and we now know that "temple" is people. It also mentions the “the city of my God, the new Jerusalemwhich descends out of heaven from my God.”
What is that "city" exactly? Do we know? Can we? Sure, we can. John tells us that, as well:
"I saw also the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God and prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." Revelation 21:2
So, John sees and writes about the "holy city" that Christ mentions - same name, both descending/coming down "out of heaven from God." However, the John adds to the description that "she" is "prepared as a bride for her husband." A bride? First, we have a building/temple/house made of people... and now we have a city prepared as a bride. How can a city be a bride, let alone prepared as one? How can that be? Because, like the temple... that "city"... is made of people, too! THE SAME PEOPLE.
Let's take a look. But, first, let's make sure we're talking about New Jerusalem, the City... which is also a bride:
"And there came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls which were full of the seven last plagues, and he spoke with me and said: “Come here, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.” So he carried me away in [the power of the] spirit to a great and lofty mountain, and he showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God and having the glory of God." Revelation 21:9-11
Okay, same city... same bride... New Jerusalem. But how is New Jerusalem made of PEOPLE? Well, let's look at that, too. Again, Paul is of some help:
"For I am jealous over YOU with a godly jealousy, for I personally promised YOU in marriage to one husband that I might present YOU as a chaste virgin to the Christ." 2 Corinthians 11:2
And who was Paul speaking of when he wrote this? He tells us that, too:
"Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through God’s will, and Timothy [our] brother to the congregation of God that is in Corinth, together with all the holy ones who are in all of A·cha´ia:" 2 Corinthians 1:1
So, as you can see (although, perhaps you cannot "see", yet - Psalm 146:8; Isaiah 42:7; Mark 8:23; Luke 4:18; Revelation 3:17, 18)... this "chaste virgin,"... this "bride"... this "New Jerusalem"... is not only a temple, but a city... made of people... THE HOLY ONES.
Now, back to your article:
Since this is a heavenly organization, how could those earthly forces ‘encircle’ it? In that they encircle “the camp of the holy ones.” A camp is outside a city;
Those "earthly forces" can "encircle" the camp of the Holy City because... New Jerusalem... COMES DOWN OUT OF HEAVEN. To... the earth. The camp is not outside the city, dear one... it is outside the temple. In a "fortressed" city, the "camp" was outside the CASTLE (where the king dwelled), true... which castle was either in the CENTER of the city compound (or toward the back if the city was built against a cliff/mountain side). The CAMP... was outside the castle, but INSIDE the walls. Dear one, if camp was outside the City walls... the town would fall. If you study ancient buildings, you would see not only the camp inside the wall, but the marketplace, livery, smithy, forge, butcher, laundry, and more. True, the market often spilled OUTSIDE the city, when there was peace in the land and good weather. But for the PROTECTION of the CITIZENS of the city that the king ruled OVER... the camp was inside the gate. When enemies attacked, the gate(s) were closed and everyone was INSIDE.
therefore, “the camp of the holy ones” must represent those on earth outside the heavenly location of New Jerusalem who loyally support Jehovah’s governmental arrangement.
Well, that would be a good explanation... if John had not already written as to what was "outside" the City (New Jerusalem):
"Outside are the dogs and those who practice spiritism and the fornicators and the murderers and the idolaters and everyone liking and carrying on a lie.’" Revelation 22:15
What? Dogs??!! And other sundry non-desirables? Who in the world could THAT be? John tells us that, too:
"... those nations in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Ma´gog... they advanced over the breadth of the earth..." Revelation 20:9
Now, wait, how do we know those "dogs" are Gog and Ma'gog? Because, dear one... they're the ONLY ones OUTSIDE of the City! Because they advance over the breadth of the earth. However, if "the camp of the holy ones must represent those on earth outside the heavenly location of New Jerusalem"... wouldn't these... Gog and Ma'gog... overcome them... LONG before they even got CLOSE to the "heavenly location" of New Jerusalem (and how they would do THAT... from earth... is another WTBTS 'mystery' yet to be explained. But, I digress...). They would, IF those i the camp are on the earth and OUTSIDE the city.
But Gog and Ma'gog do NOT overcome these (the camp) because they are INSIDE the city walls. Thus, John writes:
"... they advanced over the breadth of the earth and encircled the campof the holy onesandthe beloved city." Revelation 20:9
Now, how, I ask you... could these have encircled BOTH the camp AND the city... if the two are in different places?? The WTBTS 'splanation, aside, the answer is... they can't. First, for the obvious reason: by the WTBTS definition, they're in two different places. But secondly, if New Jerusalem is in HEAVEN... how in the WORLD did Gog and Ma'gog get THERE... to encircle it, as well?
Here is a more logical explanation for you to consider, and one that is actually the TRUTH: New Jerusalem has come down out of heaven HERE (yes, I know, John writes about that later, but it has already happened here! John, a physical man... could only write linearly, dear one. So, he did not write the Revelation in chronological order. He wrote everything he saw (1) many of which things he saw ALL AT ONCE, but could only write about linearly (thus, "and I saw," "and I saw," does NOT mean, "and AFTER this I saw," but "I ALSO saw..."); and (2) he wrote as WHAT he saw was revealed to him. And it was not revealed in strict chronological order. Thus, at Revelation 20:9... he saw the "city" already having COME DOWN... DESCENDED. At Revelation 21:2... he saw that descension, as it occurred.
Now, how do we KNOW New Jerusalem has come down/descended when Gog and Ma'gog "encircle the camp?" Because they ALSO encircle the city... and we KNOW the City is not in heaven, because... FIRE COMES DOWN OUT FROM HEAVEN AND DESTROYS GOG AND MA'GOG. Who are "encirling" the camp and City!
I know, I know... you want to know how is it, then, that the camp and City aren't destroyed? I asked this and the answer is wonderful. Think Daniel... in the fiery furnace. If Nebuchadnezzar's fire, which was SO hot that it killed the men directly outside the furnace, did not kill Daniel and his companions, the very same kind of "protection" occurs here. Only, this time, instead of it being one angel protecting four young men... these, those who make up the camp and City... have the same KIND of body as that angel... and so no protection is needed!
When the rebels under Satan attack those faithful ones, the Lord Jesus regards it as an assault on him. (Matthew 25:40, 45)
Actually, not quite. My Lord is also "inside" the City, in that he is the Tree of Life... in the MIDST of that City. No, dear one, it is the Most Holy One of Israel Himself that regards it as an assault... and so acts:
"But fire came down out of heaven and devoured them." Revelation 20:9
It is not my Lord who brings down such fire from heaven:
"Smoke went up at his nostrils, and fire itself from his mouth kept devouring;" 2 Samuel 22:9
"Smoke went up at his nostrils, and fire itself from his mouth kept devouring; ... From your rebuke, O Jehovah, from the blast of the breath of your nostrils..." Psalm 18:8, 15
"Before him a very fire goes, And it consumes his adversaries all around." Psalm 97:3
"His throne was flames of fire; its wheels were a burning fire. There was a stream of fire flowing and going out from before him." Daniel 7:10
The Most Holy One of Israel is a seraph, dear Alice. A fiery, flying, serpent (and no, that is NOT a snake!). They all are, spirit beings. That is their species. That is why my Lord is likened to the "copper serpent" lifted up by Moses. Just as Israel was to keep their eye on the one lifted up by Moses, WE... are to keep OUR eye on the One lifted up... by God. That "serpent"... and Christ... are the ONLY "images" the Most Holy One of Israel directed earthling man to place... and keep... their gaze on.
I bid you peace... and ears to hear... when the Spirit and the BRIDE say to YOU:
"Come! "Take 'life's water'... free!"
Your servant and a slave of Christ,
SA
