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THE WAY OF LIFE

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Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Feb 1, 1877

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 3, No. 6.

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THE WAY OF LIFE

By James White

FROM PARADISE LOST TO PARADISE RESTORED.

Fourth Paper—The Earth.

Once man was lord of creation. God said “let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” Gen. 1:26. Adam had dominion over all the earth. But in the transgression and fall he lost his Eden home, lost the peaceable dominion of the earth, and called the curse of God down upon the fair work of the Creator’s hands. The peculiar circumstances under which Noah and seven others were placed immediately after the flood, made it necessary that the fear of them should be upon the beasts; but from the time of the fall, man has not held the peaceable dominion of the earth and the other living creatures God made upon it.
The plan of redemption brings back the dominion of the earth through Christ, which was lost in Adam. This truth is stated by Paul in his epistle to the Hebrews, where he mentions the mysterious union of the divine and the human in Christ, that the Redeemer and the redeemed might be fellow-heirs to the inheritance which lies beyond the resurrection of the dead, and the destruction of the author of sin. The lengthy extract which follows should be carefully studied:—
“Unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak. But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honor, and didst set him over the works of thy hands. Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all things in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one, for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me. Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same, that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver them, who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted.” Heb. 2:5–18.
The close student of prophecy will readily observe the bearing which these words of Paul have upon the subject of the redemption of the fair and peaceful domain which the representative of the race lost in the fall. It is to assist those who have not studied the subject that we make the following points:—
1. In the plan of redemption the world to come is not put in subjection to angels, but in subjection to redeemed men. Angels are not to rule in that future domain, but redeemed men will there reign with their adorable Redeemer.
2. Adam was made a little lower than the angels, yet crowned with glory and honor, in that he was made lord of the works of the Creator’s hands. All things were put in subjection under him without reserve.
3. This dominion, lost in Adam, was not restored in Paul’s day. The apostle says, “But now we see not yet all things put under him.” Paul looked to the future for the redemption of this dominion through Christ at his second coming. He continues: “But we see Jesus,”—conveying the idea clearly that the redemption and restoration of the very dominion which was lost in Adam will be accomplished through Jesus Christ.
4. Jesus is represented as the captain of the salvation of the redeemed, who will lead many sons unto glory. He is represented as taking on him the seed of Abraham, and not the nature of angels; that he might through temptations and sufferings be perfectly adapted to feel our woes and sympathize with our sorrows. This makes both the Redeemer that sanctifieth and the redeemed that are sanctified of one family, so that Christ is “not ashamed to call them brethren.”
5. Christ will come the second time to destroy his enemies, and to deliver his people of all the ages from the power of death and the grave. He will remove the curse from off the earth. And, having subdued all his enemies, the Redeemer and the redeemed will take the dominion which Adam lost, and they will evermore reign with Christ in the redeemed inheritance.
6. In the expression “for whom are all things, and by whom are all things”—as applied to Christ—the apostle clearly conveys the idea that the very dominion which was made for Adam and his posterity, is, in the plan of redemption, in reserve for Christ’s future glorious reign.
The dominion promised to Abraham and to his seed was not received by them. These promises will be fulfilled in the future inheritance and reign of the saints with Christ in the world to come. From the time that the dominion was taken from Adam we pass down the brief sacred history of the fallen race to Abraham, and there we find the joyful news of redemption through Jesus Christ, to be extended to the nations of the earth, proclaimed to the trusting, obedient patriarch. Paul speaks of it thus: “And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.” Gal. 3:8. The apostle here quotes from Gen. 12:3. And in the same chapter we read the Lord’s promise of the land to Abraham’s seed. “Unto thy seed will I give this land.” Verse 7. After Lot separated from Abram, the Lord said unto him, “Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art, northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward; for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever.” Gen. 13:14, 15.
Later, when God establishes his covenant with Abram, he promises the land to him and his seed for an everlasting possession. “And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession.” Gen. 17:7, 8.
This promise of the land was confirmed to Isaac in these words: “Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father.” Gen. 26:3.
In his wonderful dream, Jacob saw a ladder reaching from earth to Heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending upon it. This ladder represents the plan of redemption through Christ, which plan connects earth with Heaven. Jacob saw the Lord standing above the ladder, and heard him declare: “I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac. The land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed.” Gen. 28:13.
We have set before the reader the repeated promise of the land, made to Abraham and to his seed. And now we inquire, Does this promise receive its entire accomplishment in Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their seed according to the flesh? Or, does it have its complete and ultimate fulfillment through Christ in the future immortal state in the eternal inheritance of all the redeemed? The reader will please accept the plainest declarations of the New Testament in answer to these important questions.
The testimony of the holy martyr Stephen is to the point. In his defense before his accusers he states that Abraham did not inherit the land of promise. That portion of his appeal which relates to the promise of the land, reads thus: “Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken. The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, and said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall show thee. Then came he out of the land of the Chaldeans, and dwelt in Charran; and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell. And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on, yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him.” Acts 7:2–5.
And as further proof that the promise of the land was not fulfilled to Abraham and to his seed according to the flesh, we quote from Paul to the Hebrews: “By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance obeyed, and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” Heb. 11:8–10. Please notice these points:—
1. The apostle here speaks of the place, or the land, which Abraham should after receive for an inheritance. He did not receive it during his mortal life.
2. He sojourned in the land of promise as in a strange country with Isaac and Jacob, who were not inheritors, but simply heirs with him of the same promise.
3. In looking forward to the period when the promised land would be inherited, Abraham saw a city which had foundations, whose builder and maker is God. He did not enjoy such a city as this at any time during the period of his long life of one hundred and seventy-five years. Men have builded cities on the earth in past ages, and they have crumbled to decay. But no city has existed on earth of which it could be said that its builder and maker is God. This is evidently the new earth city which will appear when the curse shall be removed, and the dominion of the earth shall be restored to all the redeemed. “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.” Rev. 21:1–3.
The golden city of God will be the grand metropolis of the immortal kingdom when all its component parts shall be brought forth, and the entire family of Heaven shall be gathered. Then, obedient to the call of the Redeemer—“Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you,”—the redeemed of all ages will come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of God.
The reader will not tire over the description which John gives of the eternal city of God with its garnished foundations and towering wall, its gates of pearl and broad street of purest gold, though we quote to considerable length. The prophet states that the city “had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.”
“And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth; and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. And he measured the wall thereof, a hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel. And the building of the wall of it was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.”
“And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third a chalcedony, the fourth an emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth a topaz, the tenth a chrysoprasus, the eleventh a jacinth, the twelfth an amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl; and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.” Rev. 21:12–21.
Happy Abraham! When the promise of the land shall be fulfilled to him in the immortal state he will recognize the precious stones in the foundations of this very city for which he looked.
The gospel of the Son of God as proclaimed to Abraham in the promise of the land to him and his seed, is really a promise of Christ, as argued by the apostle in Gal. 3:16. “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.” The promise to Abraham that in him all the families of the earth should be blessed, embraces Jesus Christ as the only hope of salvation of men from all the nations, as stated by the apostle in verse 14: “That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ.” The faith of Abraham embraces Christ as its glorious object. This is seen in Christ’s reply to the Jews, who boasted in Abraham as their father. “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day; and he saw it, and was glad.” John 8:56.
The promise of the land, as explained by Paul, was made to Abraham and Christ. But Abraham, though he should be heir of the world through the righteousness of faith, Rom. 4:13, was a sojourner in Canaan as in a strange country. He, with all the other examples of faith mentioned in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews, “having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise,God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.” Verses 39, 40.
But when Christ, and all the heirs of promise shall take the kingdom upon the New Earth, then will Abraham and his seed inherit the promised land. “If ye be Christ’s,” says Paul, “then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Gal. 3:29. Abraham, the father of the faithful, will be there, and Christ, and all his, will be there. Then the promise to Abraham will have reached its ultimate and complete fulfillment, not only of the land, but of his seed, like the stars of heaven and the sand upon the seashore, innumerable. J. W.