Eternal Home of the Saved
By Laura Patterson
Conditions of the Future—Existence in the Kingdom of Peace ALL about us we see events taking place which to the student of prophecy indicate that the end of earthly governments is at hand, and that erelong Christ will come and set up His everlasting kingdom. Just what this will mean to the Christian is of interest to every follower of Christ. Jesus said that at His return to this world, He would gather His elect from all parts of the earth, and receive them to Himself, that they might ever be with Him. Some of the questions which naturally come to our minds are: Where will the home with Christ be? What will it be like? What will be the nature of our existence in it? In 1 Thess. 4: 16, 17, we read that as the Lord approaches this earth the second time, the dead in Christ hear His voice, and come forth from their graves, and together with the living righteous, are taken to heaven to be with their Lord. That, however, is not to be their permanent home; for they are to inherit the promise made to Abraham that the whole earth should belong to him and to his seed. From scenes shown to the revelator, we learn that for one thousand years the saints remain in heaven, and at the end of that time they descend to the earth in the holy city, the New Jerusalem. As fire comes down from God out of heaven and destroys the wicked, this earth is melted and purified. Then the saved will behold the power of God as He makes all things new. The same voice which in the beginning spoke and it was, commanded and it stood fast, will from the ruins of this earth create a new earth, which will have all the beauty and loveliness of the Garden of Eden. WILL ENJOY THEIR OWN HOUSES
The prophet Isaiah, in describing the new earth, says that the desert shall blossom as the rose, and in the dry places shall be springs of water. There will be no more wide stretches of waste and unproductive land. The whole earth will be fertile, and will yield abundantly of its fruits. Isaiah further says: “They shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of My people, and Mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.” How different is this picture from the conditions of this present life! Here many have built and planted, hoping for joy and happiness as a reward for their labors, only to find that the pleasure which they had expected, was wanting. Or perhaps they have died just as they seemed about to realize their desires, and others have enjoyed the results of their efforts. Not so will it be there; for there we shall find the satisfaction of being able to realize our highest ideals. Then, too, we shall enjoy that perfection of character for which we have striven here; and with sin forever destroyed, we shall delight in the companionship of those who have shared with us this desire for a nobler and purer atmosphere than that of this world. The best and noblest of people have desired to see an end of war, with all its terrible results. Still the awful slaughter of human life continues. This desire of Christians for universal peace is to be granted only when the earth is made new; for there “they shall not hurt nor destroy.” Death, the last enemy of man, will have been destroyed; and instead of weeping, the ransomed of the Lord shall be crowned with everlasting joy. Besides their country home, of which Isaiah wrote, the redeemed will have a home in the New Jerusalem, the capital of the new earth. This city, as it was shown to the apostle John, will surpass in glory and splendor any earthly city. Here will be the throne of God; and from week to week, and from month to month, all the inhabitants of the earth will come to worship before the Lord. The waters of the river of life will flow from the throne, and on either bank will be found the tree of life, which will yield twelve kinds of fruit every year. Those who eat of this fruit, and drink of the water of life, will never become weary nor old, but will always have the vigor of youth. As the years pass by, and their capacity for enjoyment increases with their knowledge of God and the wonders of redeeming love, their happiness will continue to increase. Every heart and voice will unite in singing, “Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever.”