The Home of the Saved by F. M. W.

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Tacoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · May 27, 1915

The Home of the Saved

By F. M. W.

For long centuries salvation from sin in an eternity of bliss has been preached to the nations of men as the grand objective of the Christian’s hope. Has this faith a foundation in the Sacred Scriptures? What will constitute the abode of everlasting bliss? Where will the saints of God spend eternity? An answer to these questions will be found in considering the eternal purpose of God in the creation and peopling of this earth.

God’s Eternal Purpose

As this planet came from the hand of its Maker, it was without the mar of sin. The divine record states that “God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.” And the creation upon which this divine approval was pronounced included Adam, the father of the human family. Created in the image of God (Gen. 1:27), made upright in character (Eccl. 7:29), Adam was a worthy representative of his holy Creator. To him as that representative was given dominion over the entire earth. Gen. 1:28; Isa. 45:18. He was commanded to be “fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it.” The beautiful garden of Eden was given him as a home, and as a model in his labor of subduing the earth.

The Entrance of Sin

Adam’s possession of the earth was made contingent upon his obedience to the requirements of his Creator. He was given unrestrained access to the fruit of the garden of Eden, with the exception of one tree. On this was placed the prohibition of the Most High. Adam and Eve were commanded neither to taste nor to touch its fruit. The sad record of their fall marks the entrance of sin into this world. In an evil hour they were beguiled by the tempter. Persuaded that the forbidden fruit would open to them rich avenues of knowledge, Adam transgressed the divine command. In consequence our first parents were driven from Eden, and a flaming sword barred their return to this holy place. Gen. 3:24.

Upon Adam and his descendants and upon the earth there rested the curse of sin. As Adam passed under the dominion of the great adversary, in the same manner this earth in a measure became subject to Satan’s power.

The Promised Deliverer

But God did not leave man without hope. In his defeat and humiliation there was given him a promise of deliverance through the coming Saviour. The Word declares:—

“And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; and it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” Gen. 3:15.

To our first parents and to the powers of darkness it might seem that the purpose of God in peopling this earth with a holy race had been forever thwarted, but not so. That purpose was turned aside for a little time, but it remained unchanged. Later, to Abraham, the father of the faithful, was the same eternal purpose expressed in these words:—

“And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from 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. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.” Gen. 13:14-18.

That this promise was not restricted to the local country in which Abraham dwelt, but embraced the whole earth, is apparent from the words of the apostle Paul. Speaking of the promise made to the patriarch, the apostle says:—

“For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.” Rom. 4:13.

Christ the Seed

The promise to Abraham was to him and to his seed. Who was represented by the seed? Again we are indebted to the Word of the Lord, through the apostle Paul, for answer to this question. He states plainly that the seed is Christ:—

“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.” Gal. 3:16.

Through Christ the seed includes the righteous of every age and of every nationality, for the apostle adds: “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Verse 29. In other words, the promise of God to give to Abraham and to his seed this earth was a promise to give the earth to the righteous nation whom God will gather out from this world, composed of every nationality and every tongue, high and low, rich and poor, free and bond, from every social state and condition, all who accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour.

Abraham a Sojourner

Has this promise been fulfilled? First let us inquire whether or not it was fulfilled to Abraham. It was not. Stephen, the great martyr to the Christian faith, declares this. Recounting the history of

God’s dealing with his people, he declares of Abraham that he was called out of the land of the Chaldeans, and came to dwell in the Land of Promise. Of Abraham’s possession Stephen says:—

“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, when as yet he had no child.” Acts 7:5.

Stephen’s statement was illustrated in the experience of the patriarch when Sarah died. Abraham was not the possessor, so far as the record goes, of any territory on this earth. He found it necessary to appeal to others to sell him ground for a burying place. Making his appeal to the sons of Heth, he said:—

“I am a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a burying place with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.” Gen. 23:4.

His appeal met with a response on the part of his neighbors. There was sold to him the field of Ephron; “and the field, and the cave that is therein, were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a burying place by the sons of Heth.”

Did Christ as the specific seed inherit the earth? Listen to his words when one professed willingness to follow him in the hope of temporal gain: “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.” Luke 9:58. A wayfarer during his earthly ministry, after his crucifixion the Promised Seed was buried in a donated sepulcher.

Abraham Not Disappointed

Did Abraham die a disappointed man? When he came down to the close of his earthly career, did he feel that he had been deceived, and that the promise of God had not been verified to him? Abraham understood too well the nature and import of the divine promise. He never expected its realization during his earthly life. He looked beyond the present to the eternal state for the fulfillment of the word of the Lord.

“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.

And this is the faith that has sustained the believers in every age. Of those who sprang from Abraham, the children of faith, the apostle declares:—

“Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the seashore innumerable. These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for he hath prepared for them a city.” Heb. 11:12-16.

The Promise Holds Good

We are brought, then, to the conclusion that the promise of God, made to the faithful of all ages that they should receive this earth as an everlasting habitation, is yet to be fulfilled. It has been and is the grand objective of the Christian’s hope. Of it prophets have prophesied and bards have sung. David, the sweet singer of Israel, expresses this faith: “The meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.” “Evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.” The Great Teacher himself, in his Sermon on the Mount, pronounces upon the meek a blessing, and the blessing is that they shall inherit the earth. Matt. 5:5. With the eternal God there is no wavering. He has confirmed his promise with an oath, guaranteeing absolute fulfillment. Heb. 6:13-20.

The Redemption of the Earth

The arrow of God will at last reach its mark. It may seem to swerve at times, to be turned aside by the enemy, but it will reach its goal in the end. The eternal purpose of God will be fulfilled. The redemption of the saints of God will be shared by this material earth. Christ not only will lift the curse of sin from the human family, but from his material universe as well. Says the apostle:—

“For the earnest expectation of the creation waiteth for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to vanity, not of its own will, but by reason of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only so, but ourselves . . . groan within ourselves, waiting for our adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” Rom. 8:19-23, A. R. V.

Purified by Fire

Before the earth is restored to Adam and to his righteous seed, the purifying fires of the last day will have accomplished their work. Like a beautiful ball this earth came from the hand of its Creator. In the hands of man it has been marred and mutilated and defiled. God takes it again and places it in his great crucible. From the refining fires it will come forth purified, redeemed, and fitted for the abode of the ransomed of all ages. The dross of sin will forever be removed. Says the apostle Peter:—

“But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. . . . Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” 2 Peter 3:7, 11-13.

Jesus Reigns as King

Then the city for which Abraham looked, whose builder and maker is God, will descend as the capital of that glorious country.

“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. 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. 21:2-4.

The Glories of the New Earth

Of the glories of that eternal state the prophet writes:—

“The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God. . . . Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. . . . And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” Isa. 35:1-10.

Thus will be accomplished God’s eternal purpose in the creation of this earth. Sin has sought the subversion and the defeat of that purpose, but every word of God is sure and standeth fast forever and ever. This reward awaits the faithful in Christ Jesus. May God grant that we shall become so intimately acquainted with the Lord Jesus here, so filled with his holy presence, that we shall be enabled by his grace to spend with him, and with the holy of every age, an eternity of bliss in the earth made new.

F. M. W.