Revelation 17 - The Final Rebellion

It has been years since I did an in depth bible study. Alas, the final three books of The Millennium Series required a return to Scripture to ensure the series culminated on strong biblical footing, and this week I dove back in.

One challenge in writing about the Millennium is the lack of text and commentary to draw upon. The Millennium is two steps forward in the Biblical timeline, and as a result most scholars focus on the Rapture and Tribulation, leaving the Millennium as a mere footnote. I found myself fascinated by it in 2015 and wrote The Millennium Bible Study. If you are unfamiliar with the subject, I encourage you to check it out.

Digging into Scripture for clues about the final rebellion at the end of the Millennium, I believe I have an interpretation of Revelation 17 that is both unique and doctrinally sound, surmising it is a Millennial prophecy. Most commentaries attribute the chapter to the Tribulation, understandable given the language, symbolism, and location in Scripture. However, a careful study reveals several key differences that set it apart.

The primary texts used in this study are: Daniel 2 & 7, Revelation 12, 13, 17, & 20.

I must admit after several years of writing novels, digging back into prophecy I was rusty. As such, a review of symbols and times became essential. With all the beasts rising, I found myself a bit cross-eyed, so here are some basic explanations of the terms:

1. Beasts - Kingdoms but also the Tribulation Trinity of Satan, the Antichrist, and the False Prophet
2. Heads - Historical or coming kingdoms or kings
3. Horns - Kings
4. Diadems - Crowns
5. Mountains - Kingdoms
6. Seas/Waters - Multitudes of people, typically the unsaved Gentiles

Discerning the difference between Tribulation prophecy and Millennial prophecy required a study of beasts, heads, and diadems, which all denote Satanic Kingdoms, both past and future. A big shout out to the folks at Revelation Logic for doing a ton of the legwork for this post, and while some our our conclusions differ, their work is well thought out and organized.

Seven Kingdoms

We see in Scripture numerous references to the rise of evil kingdoms, both in the Old and New Testaments. Some are mentioned more frequently than others, but it is reasonable to extrapolate there will be seven Satanic kingdoms.

Revelation 12:3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems.

Revelation 17:10 and they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while.

I believe Revelation 12:3 is a depiction of Satan at the beginning of the Tribulation and Revelation 17:10 depicts his rise at the end of the Millennium, and I will attempt to walk you through the logic.

To get started, here is a list of the kingdoms in order:

1. Egypt
2. Assyria
3. Babylon
4. Persia
5. Greece
6. Rome
7. Tribulation Government

For my own edification, I mapped out the physical territory of the first six kingdoms, and while I am not a cartographer, the visual will give you the gist.

Egyptian Kingdom - First of the Five who have fallen

Assyrian Kingdom - Second of the Five who have fallen

Babylonian Kingdom - Third of the Five who have fallen

Persian Empire - Fourth of the Five who have fallen

Greek Empire - Fifth of the Five who have fallen

Roman Empire - The Kingdom "that is" at the time John wrote Revelation

Note, they become progressively larger. In Daniel 2, we begin with Babylon and the great statue of Nebuchadnezzar's dream:

1. Babylon - Head of gold
2. Persia - Chest and arms of silver
3. Greece - Belly and thighs of bronze
4. Rome - Legs of iron
5. Tribulation - Feet of clay and iron

Jack Kelly notes, "While each metal is less valuable than its predecessor, indicating a decline in the quality of its rule, each one is also harder and therefore stronger, showing it to be more powerful than the kingdom it replaced."

In Daniel 7, we see the kingdoms through a vision God gives to Daniel.

1. Babylon - First beast, a winged lion
2. Persia - Second beast, a bear
3. Greece - Third beast, a leopard
4. Tribulation Government - Fourth beast, unlike the others, more terrible than any before it

In Daniel 8, we see two of the seven.

1. Persia - The two horned Ram
2. Greece - The fast Goat

You may note that Egypt and Assyria are not listed specifically, but if we can include them in this list because they fit the profile and because they meet the criteria of "five have fallen", which means they must have predated Rome. 

What are the characteristics of a Satanic Kingdom?

1. Harlotry - both sexual and in worship, seductive, leading many astray.
2. Idolatry - worshipping beings or things as supreme other than God.
3. Hostility toward the Jews - they ALWAYS occupy Israel.
4. Great evil
5. Military power and conquests
6. Striking terror in the hearts of men
7. For a time, they seem invincible but crumble under the weight of their own wickedness.

Egypt and Assyria meet the above criteria.

The Phrase that Caught My Attention

My first novel, M1-The Black Key, opens with Revelation 20. After editing for three years, listening to the Audiobook a dozen times, and creating videos that included the Scripture, I can recite it in my sleep. But when I came across similar wording in another verse, it grabbed my attention.

Revelation 17:10 and they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while.

Revelation 20:1-3 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.

Looking up the original Greek, we see that while the English is translated the same, the original text uses different words.

1. Revelation 17:10 the word is Oligon, which translates to puny, neutered somewhat.
2. Revelation 20:30 renders the phrase mikros chronos, which translates to small, little, brief period of time especially in view of a sequence or succession of moments.

It struck me that the Tribulation is well defined in dozens of places, from Daniel's 70th week onward, we have a precise calculation of dates, durations, and markers, yet the most cataclysmic period on Earth is never rendered as a "puny" or "neutered" event.

Missing Crowns

The next thing that struck me as different was the lack of "diadems" in Revelation 17. 

Revelation 17:3 And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns.

Compare the above to the rise of Satan at the beginning of the Tribulation.

Revelation 12:3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems.

In Revelation 12, his is the great red dragon and his kingdoms have crowns. In Revelation 17, he is the scarlet beast and has been stripped of his crowns.

Endurance of the Saints

The next clue that Revelation 17 might be describing the final Millennial rebellion and not the Tribulation was the outcome and the domination of Satan against God's people. Compare these passages:

Revelation 13:10 If anyone is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes; if anyone is to be slain with the sword, with the sword must he be slain. Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.

Revelation 17:14 They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.

We know from Revelation 20:9 the final rebellion is not a long protracted war... "and they did go up over the breadth of the land, and did surround the camp of the saints, and the beloved city, and there came down fire from God out of the heaven, and devoured them."

Basically, at the end of the Millennium, the Lord runs out of patience for this nonsense.

Who Was, Is Not, About to Rise - The Eighth

Revelation 17:8 The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come.

The above text is quite definitive, and I believe provides the key to anchoring Revelation 17 at the end of the Millennium. "Who was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit," to a Millennial audience, Satan was once on the Earth, he has been banished (he is not), and is about to rise from the bottomless pit. Satan is bound in the bottomless pit during the Millennium, not before.

Revelation 17:11-12 As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction. And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. 

The above indicates that Satan attempts to establish a final kingdom, an eighth, but he is unable to attain former dominance and the ten kings give him power for "one hour" in the final rebellion. Compared to the Tribulation, we know exactly how long it will last. Using Daniel's 70 week timetable, one hour could be as little as 30 days.

It also appears that unlike the Ten Kings during the Tribulation, the Millennial Kings see the folly of their ways. Revelation 17:17 for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and handing over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.

The Great Prostitute

It is quite interesting to note that the only "female" character in Revelation or Daniel is the Great Prostitute, Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations. And while neither she nor the scarlet beast wear a crown, she arrays herself in gold, jewels, pearls, and royal robes. Most scholars agree this character represents the false religions born out of Babylonian worship, and I agree with this interpretation.

Consider, of the seven kingdoms, six will fall to utter defeat, yet one endures, one survives, one morphs and changes: Rome.

In Revelation 17:10, it is the kingdom "that is", and in Revelation 17:18 John clearly identifies her, "And the woman that you saw is the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth." Note the use of the present tense in the verse, not will have, has dominion.

Finally, we see her fate Revelation 17:16 And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire, 

The kings AND the beast hate her and turn on her in the end because God has put it in their hearts to do so.

And Then The End

Revelation 20:7-10 And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

A fitting end, don't you agree?

I would be remiss, not to invite you to visit my new website, Alanthia.com, if you are so inclined to go on an adventure, I promise you will not regret it.

Maranatha, my friends.

The Cautious Watcher

The Prophecy Watchers have been on alert for the last 20 years.  We have read the Scriptures, we have watched the Heavens, we have deduced the times.  We have correctly identified thousands of significant prophetic events, compelling numerical distances between dates, extrapolated Hebraic meanings from those numeric dates, and correctly concluded that we are indeed living in the last days.

With the publication of the Harbinger, the discovery of the blood moons and their historical significance, and the availability of free Stellarium softwarem the Watcher community has been on heightened alert since 2008.  As the book of Daniel has opened, our understanding of the Scriptures of the End Times has multiplied at a breakneck speed, the Holy Spirit has poured out the anointing on His Servants far and wide.

An example of this is the knowledge of the fulfilled Spring Feast at the first coming of the Lord Jesus.  Those of us who have been at it for a while take that revelation for granted these days but I have to stress that a mere 7 years ago even the most ardent and learned of Watchers was unaware of this amazing fact.  I was blown away in 2013 by the Rosh Hashanah Rapture.

Feasts of God

Prior to the Fall Feast in 2013, the Watcher Community went into overdrive.  I was absolutely part of that movement, albeit on this little blog, but I have a loyal following and regular readers and so many of you will remember when that journey began in earnest.  I could effectively compile a list in 2013 of why the Rapture could occur on the Feast of Trumpets that year.  The same held true for 2014.  In 2015, the comprehensive list was so long that it became one of the most visited blog posts in the history of Abigail and Dolley.  We so eagerly awaited Rosh Hashanah 2015, I had a countdown on my computer.  I did a great 30 Days of Birth Pangs series.  My Rapture Box was full, my unbelieving neighbor had a letter and a key to the house (in case the animals don't get Raptured) and we were ready to go!

Then the Lord sent the largest dust storm in modern Israeli history and totally screwed up everyone's "count down" clocks.  We waited, we watched, we moved the countdowns... we kept looking up and then we got through the whole Fall Feast Season 2015 and we were still here.  I do not know of a single, reliable teacher that actually "set the date" but boy oh boy we all sure did hope and pray.  It was hard and disappointing.  Many of us were in a funk for quite a while!

The events have continued to unfold, prophecies are still being fulfilled.  Even the 2016 Fall Feast had a glimmer and good reason behind a rapture that year.  The 2017 Fall Feasts have as many "proof" texts and signs in the Heavens behind them as the 2015 Season did, maybe more.  I love the excitement, I love reading about the Blessed Hope but I am very cautious these days. The Revelation 12 and Birth of the Child being the Church is an interesting and compelling interpretation of Scripture, the times, and is perhaps a unique revelation for such a time as this.  Perhaps, it is not.  It is worth noting that this particular season is marked with a vitriol and division I have never seen within the body of Christ and the Watcher community.

This is where we must be very cautious!  No mystery interpretation should divide believers.  We must not be dogmatic about anything other than the core of the Gospel as expressed in the Apostles and Nicene Creeds

The thing is, the lists we put together in all these years are STILL valid, they still mean something, just like the current signs, interpretations, writings, theories, and hopes do for a final fulfillment in 2017 do.  Friends, I have to encourage you, if we are celebrating Thanksgiving 2017 on this Earth and not hanging out at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, that will be okay, too.

The Counterfeit Apostles - Waiting in the Wings

Merriman-Webster defines counterfeit:  made in imitation of a genuine article without authorization and especially with intent to deceive or defraud.

Jesus and the Apostles - The Originals

We know that Satan always tries to counterfeit God.  We see it throughout Scripture but especially in the Book of Revelation where he mimics the Triune God of the Bible with the Beast, the False Prophet, and the Anti-Christ.  There are other players in this final drama that we don't talk too much about, the 10 kings.

The Club of Rome's 10 Kingdoms - Sponsored by the UN

We meet these nefarious 10 kings several times in Scripture, (Dan 2:31-35, Dan 2:40-45; Dan 7:7-8, 19-24; Rev 13:1-2; Rev 17:3,7) but most explicitly in Daniel 7:24 and then again in Revelation 17:12,16.  The imagery of Revelation requires and understanding of the symbols, a horn in ancient culture was a symbol of royal power.  It is why today, crowns have spires resembling horns.  The 10 kings, the False Prophet, and the Anti-Christ are all subservient to the Beast who is Satan.  Thus, we have the counterfeit 12 Apostles, but who are they?

Ancient Kings and Idols with Horns

The bible is quite clear that the man of perdition will not come to power until the great restrainer is taken out of the way.  Thus, any Christian living today can not be certain of the identity of these men but something occurs to me that we should explore....

There are always and have always been 12 men waiting in the wings, always 12 men striving for the top position, and 12 men always controlled and committed to the service of the Devil.  They can read, they know that at some point the world will be given over to them.  Even if they did not live at the time of the end, the Devil promised Jesus the world and the Lord did not rebuke him as one who does not have the power to give it.  The run after the king of this earth with all of their hearts.

Hidden Men of Power

Think of it, 12 highly placed and regarded Satanists wielding the power of the Devil on this Earth.  Preying on the people and each other:  what must they have to do to themselves to achieve such a position?  Satan would have to have certain rules in place, otherwise, they'd kill each other.  He must dangle rank, wealth, and power in front of them enticingly.  They each strive to achieve the highest place in the Dark Kingdom to come.

Conservatives Will be the First to Go

Revelation Chapter 13 chronicles the rise of the False Prophet and the Antichrist, who are given their power by the great Dragon, Satan.  We read that this evil trinity will impose a mark on the world.  No one will be able to buy or sell anything lest they carry this mark.  Such a worldwide system of control was not technologically possible until now.  Make no mistake friend, the time is short, and the Tribulation is at the door.

The machinations of the US government in terms of spying are unprecedented.  They have built massive data collection sites,  where the NSA is storing trillions of kilobytes of Data.  They are monitoring and cataloging every key stroke you make, every word you say on social media, even conversations that you hold in your home can be recorded via microphones in computers, smart TVs and smartphones.  They have the ability to watch you via your laptop camera.  Your phone calls home to your wife are being recorded.  They are cataloging your web photos for facial recognition.  They are determining which businesses are approved and starving the ones who don't fall in line with their master plan by pressuring banks to drop the accounts.  US Police are no longer required to protect and serve but instead must enforce the law.  The National Guard has had helicopters confiscated and put into federal control.  Free speech is under worldwide attack and men no longer tolerate biblical and moral teachings.  We could go on for hundreds of pages, all sited and documented, but the stage is set.

The last kingdom in Nebuchadnezzar's dream has not yet come to pass, the feet of clay and iron with ten toes.  We see these ten kingdoms in Revelation 12 and Revelation 13.  The great harlot of Revelation 17 is the last great false religion and is represented by a woman riding on the beast.  This image currently resides outside of the EU Parliament Building in Strasbourg, FR.

The blind public will read the above with a ho hum.  This is obvious, as all of the above are not a blip on the radar.  The enemy is before you but the game is on and the wife just came in with KFC, so who cares?  These blind dupes will cheer with joy at the ascension of the Man of Perdition, who has come to save the World.  They will gladly line up to take their microchip, they are as like lemmings over a cliff.

The church will be gone.  The Great Restrainer will be caught up in the air with Christ and the man of lawlessness shall be revealed.  Those who have heard the Gospel and rejected it will be given a powerful delusion and believe the Antichrist.

What of my conservative friends, my Tea Party Patriots, who love what the US used to be and have worked tirelessly and futility to put things right?  You have already been demonized.  The Left calls you all sorts of vile names designed to marginalize you and they have succeeded brilliantly. Make no mistake, if you are a conservative that is not a Christian, you will be the first to go.  They have your name, they have your face, they have your bank account, they know you friends, they monitor your car by its GPS, the listen to your calls, they will control your job and you will be an enemy of the state.  The independent patriotic fervor that you hold may prevent you from accepting the new world order but your life here on this Earth will be in immediate peril and you will be hunted and killed like an animal.

I do not write these words lightly but I write them in obedience for it is clearly written what is coming, it is clearly demonstrated in the signs of the times.  I weep for you if you have not accepted Jesus as your Savior, it is written that God wishes all to be saved and has provided a way for you to avoid the trial to come and to not be present at the Final Judgement.  For there will be no where for you to hide on that terrible day but know this that every knee shall bow, every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.  You can do it now or you will do it later, your choice.

(Author's Note - Originally Published on 3/1/2014 - please comment below if some of the links are broken.)

Who is the Anti-Christ?

Abigail and Dolley readers books have been written around the question, "Who is the Anti-Christ?".  Internet bloggers have built huge followings around their theories and speculations.  People living during WWII could have made a good argument that Hitler was he.  Those living at the end of the Romanoff age in Russia could have made an equally good argument for Rasputin.  A few contemporary candidates are Obama, Putin, and Tspiras.  The Bible has plenty to say on the subject, so let's look at this together.

The Apostle John is the first to use the term Anti-Christ in 1 John 2:18, 1 John 2:22, 1 John 4:3, and 2 John 7.  It is interesting to note that the term, is only used four times and never in Revelation.  We can see from the above Scriptures that the spirit of Anti-Christ was on the Earth in the 1st century and is at work right now.  This tells us that since the resurrection, the Devil has had a plan in place.  Do you think that he would not, at all times have people in place?  Do you think for a moment that the Rapture of the Church would have caught him napping and not ready to fight his last battle?

Lucifer - The Beautiful

It is reasonable to assume then that on Earth at any given time in history, there are 12 powerful and chosen men ready to assume the role.  Why 12?  Well, the Devil always counterfeits what the Lord does.  Secondly, we know there are 10 kings (Rev 17:2), 1 False Prophet, and 1 Anti-Christ (Rev 19:20).

Speculation about the exact identity of THE Anti-Christ, while entertaining is somewhat futile.  The last book JR Church wrote, The Bloodline of the Anti-Christ, has the most thorough research and solid teaching on the subject.  Please know, that the Bible teaches that his identity will not be revealed until after the Rapture.  2 Thes 2:7-8 For this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will remain secret until the one who is holding it back steps out of the way. Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will consume with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.

Thus, in closing, our key spiritual point is that the these evil men are on the Earth right now.  They are waiting in the wings, they are chomping at the bit, they are ready to go.  But you friend, you spirit filled believer, the Holy Spirit Power living within you, restrains this wickedness.  Never forget that.

Time Travel in the Bible

Ground yourself in today and contemplate this:  If at some point in the future you could speak a word of wisdom or rebuke to yourself, what would it be? What are you worried about, what would you change, what choice do you have before you?  If you are old and gray, what would you say to yourself now?  If you are in your incorruptible body, with your heart of stone removed, and your will perfectly aligned with the Lord, what changes?  I think any version of this story has our future self holding our present self is some sort of contempt.

Look at the Scripture below, here's the scene:  The Apostle John has been taken in the spirit to Heaven, he is in the throne room with millions of angels and the 24 elders.  The Scroll is presented, which many scholars surmise is the Earth Lease.  It is obviously a very important document.  Note, John in his human form is the only one weeping.

Revelation 5:4-5 Then I began to weep bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll and read it. But one of the twenty-four elders said to me, “Stop weeping! Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the heir to David’s throne, has won the victory. He is worthy to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

Key Point:  Have we just seen John's future self, as one of the 24 elders rebuking his human self?  I think so.  Human eyes or minds can not comprehend the richness of God or His Heavens.  John would have been overwhelmed from a sensory perspective!  His perfected and glorified self had a something to say... cool, huh?

The Throne Room of God

Two Jerusalems? - Millennial Bible Study Part 2

Long term Abigail and Dolley readers will know that we love Bible Prophecy here.  We need to encourage one another and reassure our troubled souls that these days might be dark but there is a plan and there is a God and we do not lose.  But let's be frank, have you ever thought, "What the heck is going on at the end of the Book of Revelation?"  I have!  Our basic text for this will be the last two chapters of the bible, read Revelation 21 and 22 to get started.

Here's today's spiritual truths:  In the Book of Revelation, there are two cities named Jerusalem.  They both come down from Heaven and the city we know as Jerusalem is largely destroyed.

Like York and New York, they are different places!  New Jerusalem and Jerusalem aka the Holy City and hereafter referred to as such are not always specified in the text which is which, so the reader has to know the context and the differences to determine which place is being referred to in which passage.  Understanding the similarities and differences make that task easier.  So here goes:

How are they alike:

• They are both physical places
• God dwells with His People in both of them (Rev 21:3 and Rev 22:1)
• They both shine with the Glory of God (Rev 21:23 and Rev 22:5)
• There is no night in either place (Rev 21:25 and Rev 22:5)
• Both have 12 gates (Rev 21:12 and Ezekiel 48:30)
• Both descend from Heaven (Rev 21:2 and Rev 21:10)

How are they different:

• Jerusalem the Holy City is on the Earth (Rev 21:3, Ezekiel 40:2, Rev 20:9)
• New Jerusalem is above the Earth (See below for Scriptures)
• The Holy City is 1 mile square (Ezekiel 48:30)
• New Jerusalem is about 1400 miles square (Rev 21:16)
• People in physical bodies can enter the Holy City (Ezekiel 46:9) (Rev 22:14)
• No one in a physical body can enter New Jerusalem (Rev 21:27)
• The Holy City gives light to the region and its neighbors (Rev 22:5)
• New Jerusalem gives light to the Earth (Rev 21:24)
• The Holy City has a functioning and working Old Testament Style Temple (Ezekiel 45:13-15,17)
• New Jerusalem does not have a Temple (Rev 21:22)
• The Gentile Nations will come and bring sacrifices to the Holy City  (Zechariah 14:16-19)
• People in physical bodies, who keep God's commandments come and eat from the tree of life (Rev 22:14)

What happens to Jerusalem as we know it today?

• For all intents and purposes, the city is wiped out during the Tribulation. (Zechariah 14:2) (Isaiah 24:3 and Isaiah 24:12)
• Zechariah 14:4 describes the gigantic earthquake that accompanies the Second Coming touch down
• Fault lines have been discovered that run under Jerusalem
• The rubble falls into the chasm and is buried forever with the living water that flows from the new temple and the new city.
• Jeremiah 4:23-28 describes the condition of the Earth at the second coming, basically destroyed.
• Isaiah 24:19-20 confirms the utter destruction.
• The latter part of Isaiah 61 describes the Millennial Kingdom and speaks of rebuilding the desolate and destroyed cities (Isaiah 61:4). 

Now for what I believe is a new revelation -

Both Cities Come Down from Heaven:

Given that Jerusalem is in ruins, I surmise that both the earthly and the heavenly cities are made by God and both descend from Heaven.  No one disputes that New Jerusalem is made by God but I've never read any teaching that states that the earthly Jerusalem is made by God and descends from Heaven but here is my opinion:

Let's look at the Scripture: Rev 21:1-3 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away ; and there was no more sea.  And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying , Behold , the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

We must understand the new Heaven and the new Earth; the earth is wiped out after the Tribulation.  Also, this is a quote from the Old Testament: Isaiah 65:17 and Isaiah 66:22.  Taken in context this is clearly the coming age of Israel - the thousand year reign of the Lord on the Earth; the Millennium.  So we are talking about Israel here.  The next verse says she is adorned like a bride, not that she IS the bride.  Finally, God proclaims that his tabernacle is with men and that he will dwell with them.  We know men don't dwell in New Jerusalem.

In the same chapter, we move forward six verses to Rev 21:9-10 and the angel of the Lord takes John to another place to see the bride of the Lamb.  This is clearly a different place, a different city, yet both have descended out of Heaven made by God.

The Sheer Size of New Jerusalem make it impossible (well, nothing is impossible for God) for the city to be physically on the earth.  1450 miles square... this is equivalent to the entire east coast of the US to the Mississippi River.... Our atmosphere is only 300 miles tall, what would attaching a gigantic cube due to a perfectly balanced spinning planet?  How would the rest of the world receive light if the city was on earth? The below picture is not exactly to scale but you get the idea of how massive New Jerusalem is.

Jack Kelley put the resolution of this question quite eloquently:  With the differentiation of these two Holy Cities, the apparent conflict between Jewish and Christian eschatology is resolved. Israel was promised that one day GOD would come to Earth to dwell among them forever, while the Church is promised that Jesus will come to take us to heaven to live with Him there. Both promises come true.Since Ezekiel specifically quoted the Lord’s promise to dwell among the Israelites forever (43:7) and then described the new Holy City, while Jesus promised to return for the Church to take us to be with Him (John 14:1-3), they must have been talking about two different destinations. They were. Heaven is the New Jerusalem where we will dwell with the Lord forever, while the Holy City on Earth is Jehovah Shammah where God will dwell in the midst of His people Israel forever.. (source The Coming Temple)

(Note, we develop these ideas further in Part 3 but particularly in Part 4 where we show that Jesus makes both cities!)