Chapter 67
The New Earth
"AND I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for
the first heaven and the first earth were passed away." Rev. 21:1. The fire that
consumes the wicked purifies the earth. Every trace of the curse is swept away. No
eternally burning hell will keep before the ransomed the fearful consequences of sin. One
reminder alone remains: our Redeemer will ever bear the marks of His crucifixion. Upon His
wounded head, His hands and feet, are the only traces of the cruel work that sin has
wrought.
"O Tower of the flock,
the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first
dominion." Micah 4:8. The kingdom forfeited by sin, Christ has regained, and the
redeemed are to possess it with Him. "The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell
therein for ever." Ps. 37:29. A fear of making the saints' inheritance seem too
material has led many to spiritualize away the very truths which lead us to look upon the
new earth as our home. Christ assured His disciples that He went to prepare mansions for
them. Those who accept the teachings of God's Word will not be wholly ignorant concerning
the heavenly abode. And yet the apostle Paul declares, "Eye hath not seen, nor ear
heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for
them that love Him." 1 Cor. 2:9. Human
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language is inadequate to describe the reward
of the righteous. It will be known only to those who behold it. No finite mind can
comprehend the glory of the Paradise of God.
In the Bible the inheritance
of the saved is called a country. (Heb. 11:14-16.) There the great Shepherd leads His
flock to fountains of living waters. The tree of life yields its fruit every month, and
the leaves of the tree are for the service of the nations. There are ever-flowing streams,
clear as crystal, and beside them waving trees cast their shadows upon the paths prepared
for the ransomed of the Lord. There the wide-spreading plains swell into hills of beauty,
and the mountains of God rear their lofty summits. On those peaceful plains, beside those
living streams, God's people, so long pilgrims and wanderers, shall find a home.
The
New Jerusalem
There is the New Jerusalem,
"having the glory of God," her light "like unto a stone most precious, even
like a jasper stone, clear as crystal." Rev. 21:11. Saith the Lord, "I will
rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in My people." Isa. 65:19. "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. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes;
and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any
more pain: for the former things are passed away." Rev. 21:3, 4.
In the city of God
"there shall be no night." None will need or desire repose. There will be no
weariness in doing the will of God and offering praise to His name. We shall ever feel the
freshness of the morning,
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and shall ever be far from its close. "And they need no
candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light." Rev. 22:5. The
light of the sun will be superseded by a radiance which is not painfully dazzling, yet
which immeasurably surpasses the brightness of our noontide. The glory of God and the Lamb
floods the holy city with unfading light. The redeemed walk in the sunless glory of
perpetual day.
"I saw no temple
therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it." Rev. 21:22.
The people of God are privileged to hold open communion with the Father and the Son. Now
we "see through a glass, darkly." I Cor. 13:12. We behold the image of God
reflected, as in a mirror, in the works of nature and in His dealings with men; but then
we shall see Him face to face, without a dimming veil between. We shall stand in His
presence and gaze upon the glory of His countenance.
There immortal minds will
study with never-failing delight the wonders of creative power, the mysteries of redeeming
love. There is no cruel, deceiving foe to tempt to forgetfulness of God. Every faculty
will be developed, every capacity increased. The acquirement of knowledge will not weary
the mind or exhaust the energies. There the grandest enterprises may be carried forward,
the loftiest aspirations reached, the highest ambitions realized; and still there will
arise new heights to surmount, new wonders to admire, new truths to comprehend, fresh
objects to call forth the powers of mind and soul and body.
And as the years of eternity
roll, they will bring richer and more glorious revelations of God and of Christ. As
knowledge is progressive, so will love, reverence, and happiness increase. The more men
learn of God, the greater will be their admiration of
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His character. As Jesus opens before
them the riches of redemption and the amazing achievements in the great controversy with
Satan, the hearts of the ransomed beat with a stronger devotion, and they sweep the harps
of gold with a firmer hand: and ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands
of voices unite to swell the mighty chorus of praise.
"And every creature
which is in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all
that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto Him
that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever." Rev. 5:13.
Sin and sinners are no more,
God's entire universe is clean, and the great controversy is forever ended.
THE END
Copyright © 1974
The Ellen G. White Estate, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Preparing For Eternity
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