1. Who is the one around whom all the people are to be gathered?
“The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.” Gen. 49:10.
2. What earnest petition did Jesus make the night of his betrayal?
“Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me; for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.” John 17:24.
3. What does Isaiah say of our comprehension of the character of our reward?
“For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, besides thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for Him.” Isa. 64:4.
4. What does Jesus say will take place at the end of the world?
“And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.” Luke 13:29.
5. How is the gathering to take place?
“The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.” Matt. 13:41–43.
6. When is this to be done?
“When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory; and before him shall be gathered all nations; and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats; and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Matt. 25:31–34.
7. For what did Jesus say he was going away?
“In my Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” John 14:2.
8. What does he say he will do when the place is prepared?
“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” Verse 3.
9. In view of this how does he tell the people to feel?
“But be ye glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.” Isa. 65:18.
10. How does he say he will feel?
“And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people; and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.” Verse 19.
11. What does he say shall never be heard again?
—Ibid., last clause.
12. What does Jeremiah say the Lord will do?
“Hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock. For the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he.” Jer. 31:10, 11.
13. What is said of the enjoyment of the people?
“Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the Lord, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd; and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all.” Verse 12.
14. With what does he say he will satisfy his people?
“And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith the Lord.” Verse 14.
15. When does David say he will be satisfied?
“As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.” Ps. 17:15.
16. When God’s people are gathered home, what is said of the condition of the earth?
“For the Lord shall comfort Zion; he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.” Isa. 51:3. See also 35:2.
17. How will this transformation affect the animal creation?
“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” Isa. 11:6–9. See also 65:25.
18. What does John say he saw?
“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.
19. What did he say God would do?
“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.” Verse 4.
20. How large was this city, and what was its name? See Rev. 21:10–21.
Ans.—The name of the city is the New Jerusalem, the Bride, the Lamb’s wife, the capital city of the new earth. The size of the city is, according to the ancient mode of measurement, 12,000 furlongs, or 1,500 miles around it, or 375 miles square. This would make its area 140,625 square miles, or nearly three times as large as the state of New York. A most worthy city indeed! The height of the wall is 144 cubits, or about 250 feet high, proportional to its exceeding breadth and marvelous beauty of every hue and brilliance of the most precious stones. Worthy capital of a worthy kingdom and King!
21. What did he see in the city?
“And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.” Rev. 22:1.
22. What did he see on either side of the river?
“In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” Verse 2.
“The leaves of the tree were for the healing [service] of the nations.” Rev. 22:2.
26. And what shall be said of God’s people then?
“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. 35:10.
“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. 21:4.
