p. 4 | THE HOME OF THE SAVED by C. H. Bates

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Oct 16, 1901

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 27, No. 42.

THE HOME OF THE SAVED.

By C. H. Bates

THE Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10. God in the beginning made this earth to be inhabited. Isa. 45:18. He then gave man dominion over it. Gen. 1:26. When man was overcome by Satan in the garden of Eden, he lost this dominion. Heb. 2:8; Luke 4:4-6. Man in the beginning was made perfect. Eccl. 7:29. After his fall, he lost this perfection of character, and Adam and Eve hid themselves among the trees when God came into the garden. Man also by his fall became subject to death; for “the wages of sin is death.” Rom. 6:23. Christ came to restore to man all that he had lost in the fall, namely, his home, his character, and his life; for as the text reads, “The Son ‘of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Now let us cover this subject in another way. In Gen. 13:14-17, the Lord made a promise to Abraham that he and his seed should inherit all the land that he could see northward and southward and eastward and westward. Paul, in speaking of the same promise (Rom. 4:13), said that it embraced the whole world. In Acts 7:5 it is further said that Abraham died without having received enough land to set his foot on. These statements would seem to be contradictory; but the apparent contradiction is explained by the apostle Paul in his letter to the Hebrews. Heb. 11:8-15. Here the statement is made that Abraham looked forward by faith to a heavenly country—the New Jerusalem—whose Builder and Maker is God. In Gal. 3:29 we learn that all Christians are the seed of Abraham.

If Abraham died without receiving the inheritance, he must be resurrected before he can receive it; and this is made plain by the account of the valley of dry bones (Eze. 37:1-14), where it is stated that those who are brought from the grave are placed back in their own land. But before this is done, the earth must be made new, as recorded in 2 Peter 3:9, 13, where it is plainly stated, “We, accord-‘ing to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein ‘dwelleth righteousness.”

In Isa. 35:1 there is a beautiful description of the earth as it will be after this work is done, where it is made plain that the redeemed will walk on the new earth. In Isa. 65:17-23 is shown what will be done on the earth after it is made new. As every country has its capital, so the new earth will have its capital city, which will be the New Jerusalem: “I saw a new heaven and a new earth. . . . And I ‘John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven, ‘prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” Rev. 21:1, 2. The following verses in the same chapter give us a description of this beautiful city. It is said to be 12,000 furlongs, or 1,500 miles, in circumference, having twelve foundations, walls of jasper, streets of pure transparent gold, and gates of pearl. We believe this to be a literal city, because verse 24 says that the nations of the saved walk in it, and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it.

The tree of life will be there, bearing all manner of fruit, and yielding her fruit every month, and the leaves of the tree will be for the service of the nations.

Isa. 66:22, 23 states that from one month to another and from one Sabbath to another shall all flesh come to worship before the Lord. They will come up every month to partake of the fruit of the tree of life, and on the Sabbath to worship God.

“And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick.” “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.” “And the Spirit and the bride ‘say, Come; and let him that heareth say, Come, and let him that is ‘athirst come, and whosoever will, let him take the water of life ‘freely.” Thus the Saviour invites all to come. He is not satisfied to prepare the feast and then send out word that all may come who will, but He sends out an earnest invitation. He insists that they shall come.

I would say to you, Come, if you would inherit mansions where sickness, sorrow, pain, and death can not enter; if you would have right to the tree of life, and eat and live; if you would drink of the river of life, clear as crystal. Come, if you would walk those streets of transparent gold; if you would behold those beautiful foundation stones; if you would see the King in His beauty, seated on His azure throne.

C. H. BATES.