1. When Jesus returns physically as the glorified King, where will He be found on the earth? In other words, what will be His address?
Christ won't be found on the earth when He returns. The children of disobedience are the ones who will seek Christ on earth, and instead they will find Antichrist. When Christ returns the righteous will caught up in the air to meet Him.
2. Does the Orthodox church believe in a literal Millennium as stated in Revelation 20?
Meaning a literal 1,000 year reign on earth? No. Antichrist will make a pretense of setting up such a literal and carnal kingdom. This is related to your first question, and falls under the widespread heresy called "chiliasm" from the Greek word "chiliad" which means a thousand. "Millennium" is simply the latin equivalent to the Greek word "chiliad".
Does the Orthodox church believe in the literal renewal of the earth under the reign of the returned Messiah which produces such effects as lions and other predatory animals becoming tame and herbivorous as stated in Isaiah 11?
Christ already has come to transform the earth. Take for example the blessed Apostle Paul, who formerly was Saul. He was from the tribe of Benjamin, and in Gen 49 Benjamin is called a ravening wolf that devours the prey. This is what Saul did, devouring and persecuting Christians. But when Christ transformed him, he became tame as a lamb, and dwelt with the other Apostles, fulfilling the passage in Isaiah 11 where the wolf and the lamb will dwell together.
Will be a time in earth's future when the nations will not wage war any more as stated in Isaiah 2:4 and Micah 4:3?
Once again this was fulfilled at Christ's first advent. For the prophets say, "neither shall they learn war any more." Did not Christ teach blessed Peter after cutting off the ear to put his sword down and exchange it for a sickle? For the harvest was ripe for the preaching of the Apostles and Peter brought much grain into the storehouse of Christ.
Will the tree of life, which was barred from man by Adam's sin, grow again on the earth for the benefit of the nations? If so, where will this tree be found?
Christ is the Tree of Life. Whomever tastes of his fruit has eternal life. The Cross is also called a Tree of Life, for through it salvation was effectuated for man. Drinking the blood of Christ means drinking the blood of the grape, which is mystically transformed at every Orthodox liturgy into the actual blood of Christ.
"Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life"
What is the meaning of the descriptions of the temple and its service; the river that begins in that temple that flows into the land toward the dead sea and the Mediterranean sea and the parallel strips of land divided among the tribes of Israel that we find in Ezekiel 40-48? Does the Orthodox church see this literally?
This is a description of the Church -- the heavenly and true Temple. It is not to be taken literally. St. Gregory the Great wrote a nice commentary on the spiritual interpretation of these chapters in Ezekiel 1400 years ago.
Does the Orthodox church see the 144,000 as literal Jews from the 12 tribes listed in Revelation 7:4-8?
I cannot say, for I have not encountered enough commentary from the Fathers to make a definitive statement on behalf of the entire Church. I have read some differing interpretations from a couple different Fathers.
Hope I was of help.
Cyprian |
