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New Creation Premillennialism: A Fresh Look at the New Jerusalem, New Heavens, and New Earth
In this episode, the host introduces what he calls New Creation Premillennialism, a framework for understanding how the new heavens, new earth, and New Jerusalem relate to the millennium. The conversation centers on a newly published book by Janet Willis, titled What on Earth Is Heaven Like? The New Creation and the New Jerusalem?—a work the host calls the best Bible prophecy book written in the past year. He emphasizes his strong endorsement by noting that he personally wrote the foreword to the book and believes it offers a well-researched, biblically grounded contribution to eschatology (end-times theology).
What Is “New Creation Premillennialism”?
The host explains that “new creationism” is becoming more popular, but it is often expressed in different ways. He contrasts two commonly held positions with his own view.
View 1: “No Historical Millennium” New Creationism
One perspective he mentions is a form of millennialism that denies a historical millennial period after Christ returns. In this view, when Jesus comes back, the New Jerusalem, new earth, and new heaven are fully realized immediately—without any intervening millennium. The host notes that while this approach affirms new creation realities, it rejects a distinct future era in which Christ rules the nations on earth.
View 2: Traditional Premillennial Timing After the Millennium
A second view comes from more standard premillennial interpretations. Many premillennialists place the new heavens, new earth, and New Jerusalem after the millennium. In other words, Christ returns, then the millennium occurs, and only afterward do the final new creation realities arrive in full form.
The Host’s Position: New Creation During the Millennium
The host disagrees with both approaches and proposes what he labels New Creation Premillennialism: the belief that the new heavens, new earth, and New Jerusalem are established when Jesus returns and are experienced during the millennium, not before it and not after it. For him, the millennium is not merely a transitional footnote—it is the period when the New Jerusalem descends and the renewed creation is actively integrated into Christ’s Davidic reign over the nations.
Why the Details Matter: “Where” and “How” We Live With the Lord
Drawing from his foreword, the host highlights a pastoral and devotional motivation for studying these themes. He references Paul’s teaching that believers will “always be with the Lord” (from 1 Thessalonians), and observes that many Christians are content to stop there. But he argues Scripture invites deeper understanding: Where will believers live with the Lord? How will life function? What will believers be doing? What is the relationship between God’s people and the nations?
To illustrate the point, he compares this future-focused study to how intensely people research temporary homes—spending hours browsing listings and visiting houses they may live in for only a few decades. If people can be that invested in short-term housing, he suggests, believers should be far more eager to explore what the Bible reveals about an eternal home with Jesus on earth.
Janet Willis’ Book: Three Major Contributions
The host argues that Willis’ book doesn’t merely recycle familiar prophecy talking points. Instead, he claims it reshapes the discussion by challenging long-held assumptions and weaving biblical data into a coherent narrative of the millennial kingdom. He highlights three specific strengths.
1) She Challenges Assumptions About the New Jerusalem
First, Willis examines the nature, timing, layout, size, and shape of the New Jerusalem and its connections to the new creation, the nations, and the temple. The host stresses that she does not rely on a few isolated proof texts. Instead, she amasses what he considers abundant biblical evidence for a clearer, more integrated picture than many interpreters typically present.
A major claim he emphasizes is her argument that the New Jerusalem descends at the beginning of the millennium. He notes that many readers have traditionally accepted a descent at the end of the millennium without much thought, even though it often feels difficult to reconcile with the broader storyline.
2) She Builds a Coherent Biblical Narrative
Second, the host praises Willis for not “atomizing” eschatological topics into disconnected fragments. Rather than leaving readers wondering how the pieces fit together, he says her chapters follow biblical logic, carefully allowing Scripture to define the new creation and the millennial narrative.
He adds that her writing is both scholarly and devotional, aiming not only to inform but also to shape spiritual understanding and hope. Notably, he says she begins her narrative not with the millennium itself, but in the Garden of Eden, making a case for a relationship between the Garden and the New Jerusalem—an approach he considers essential for telling the story coherently.
3) She Observes Scripture’s “Small Details” Without Speculation
Third, the host notes Willis’ background as an artist and credits her with noticing meaningful details in the biblical text—details many Christians and leaders disregard. He stresses that God is “a God of details,” and those details exist for a reason. Importantly, he says Willis does not indulge in imaginative speculation. She avoids using “artistic freedom” to invent scenery and instead lets Scripture supply the descriptions—especially passages many interpreters have historically spiritualized rather than treated as describing real, future events.
Ezekiel’s City and Revelation’s New Jerusalem
One of the most significant theological claims highlighted is Willis’ argument that Ezekiel’s millennial city is the same city John describes in Revelation as the New Jerusalem. The host calls this identification crucial, because it strongly affects the timing of the city’s descent and its role in the millennium. He mentions he devoted an entire previous episode to defending this connection and intends to continue expanding the argument.
Final Invitation: Engage the Argument, Even if You Disagree
The host closes by encouraging listeners to pick up Willis’ book—especially if they have never considered the possibility that the new heavens, new earth, and New Jerusalem occur during the millennium rather than afterward. Even if readers do not adopt the view, he urges them to understand the biblical case for it. He notes a link will be provided in the show notes for purchasing the book, presenting the episode as both a recommendation and an invitation to reexamine Scripture’s kingdom storyline with fresh eyes.
