That passage is referring to heavenly New Jerusalem located on heavenly mount Sion. New Jerusalem is also known as the Church. The New Testament mentions them in several places:
"But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant … " (Heb 12:22-24 KJV)
Note the present tense of the previous passage. Recall that John witnessed the new holy city while he was in the spirit:
"And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God," (Rev 21:10 KJV)
There is no need for a temple, since the temple of God is within us:
"And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it." (Rev 21:22 KJV)
"Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit." (Eph 2:19-22 KJV)
People who "go up to the mountain of the Lord" do so spiritually, as in, being saved by calling on the name of the Lord, and learning his "law" through his Word:
"And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it." (Rev 21:24 KJV)
To distinguish heavenly Jerusalem from earthly Jerusalem, Paul wrote:
"Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all." (Gal 4:24-26 KJV)
The fact that earthly Jerusalem is represented by bondage explains the second spiritual reference in the Revelation to Jerusalem as "Egypt" (Rev 11:8.) The first reference was Sodom, the theme of this thread.
>>>Rev 17:18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.<<<
There has been a lot of discussion on that verse on this thread. I personally believe it was referring to the local rulers of the land of Israel, which the leaders of Jerusalem were most definitely superior to. My belief is derived from the theme of all the new testament writers who were focused primarily on the upcoming judgement of Israel; God's divorcement of the nation; and the Lord's mission to gather the lost sheep of the house of Israel before that judgement and divorcement (Mat 15:24, 10:6.)
Some believe it related to the influence that Jerusalem had over other lands due to Jewish presence in those lands. Others insist that verse must be taken "literally" to be the type of kings that we are familiar with today.
But no one really knows what that verse means, that I am aware of. About all that verse does is provide a good "gotcha" so the primary themes of the threads can be avoided. If you read all the posts on the two threads of this subject, you will notice an almost complete lack of discussion of the main themes: the blood of the prophets (part I,) and harlotry (part II.) Those themes are almost impossible to dispute in any rational way, so futurists typically avoid them.
Philip
(>>>Isaiah 2:3 And many people shall go and say , Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord , to the house of the God of Jacob ; and he will teach us of his ways , and we will walk in his paths : for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.<<<
That passage is referring to heavenly New Jerusalem located on heavenly mount Sion. New Jerusalem is also known as the Church. The New Testament mentions them in several places:)
THERE ARE NATIONS IN HEAVEN? NATIONS WILL BE TAUGHT TO TURN THEIR WEAPONS INTO AGRICULTURAL TOOLS? IS GOD A LIAR?
“But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant … “ (Heb 12:22-24 KJV)
WRITER OF THE LETTER TO THE HEBREWS IS CONTRASTING MOSES WITH CHRIST HERE AND “To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven” NOT IN HEAVEN.
“To distinguish heavenly Jerusalem from earthly Jerusalem, Paul wrote:
“Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.” (Gal 4:24-26 KJV)”
PAUL WAS CONTRASTING AGAIN LIKE THE WRITER TO THE HEBREWS SEE “Gal 4:23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.”
On Rev 17:18 you said “But no one really knows what that verse means, that I am aware of.” but the angle interpreted it and it means the city is not Jerusalem.
You said “My belief is derived from the theme of all the new testament writers who were focused primarily on the upcoming judgement of Israel; God’s divorcement of the nation;”
That sounds like what Paul was warning the Romans about “Rom 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
Rom 11:26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: “