THE SAINTS SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH.
By William Covert
IF, as has been shown in previous articles, the earth was made to be inhabited by the righteous, and promises assuring the same are embodied in the plan of salvation through Christ, it follows that the earth is yet to be restored from the curse of sin and given to the redeemed saints of God. Entering the subject at this gateway, it will be an easy matter to understand many texts of Scripture which promise glorious things in the future for our earth. One promise reads:— “Evildoers shall be cut off; but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be. . . . But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.” Ps. 37: 9–11. In this psalm the subject is stated quite fully. Again we read:— “The Lord knoweth the days of the upright; and their inheritance shall be forever.” “The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein forever.” Verses 18, 29. The teaching is that the wicked are to be cut off, removed, or destroyed out of the earth, and then the righteous left in full, free, and peaceful possession of it forever. All know that since the fall such a condition as this has never prevailed upon the earth, and that it is impossible for it to prevail while Satan holds sway in the kingdom of this world. As far as earthly goods and prosperity are concerned, the wicked seem to have the most of them in the present life. David said that he was envious at the foolish when he saw the prosperity of the wicked. “They have more than heart could wish.” Ps. 73: 3, 7. “They are not in trouble as other men,” therefore they are proud, boastful, and oppressive. They hold titles to vast areas of the earth, while those of faith are as the patriarchs were, but strangers and pilgrims in the earth. The Saviour in his lesson on the mountain gave the meaning of these promises when he said, “Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth.” Matt. 5: 5. This promise is shown to belong to the reward of the future. It states plainly just what will sometime be given to those who are meek. They shall inherit the earth. This is the word of Christ. The Psalmist says that they shall dwell therein forever, and that their abundance of peace shall continue as long as the sun and moon shall endure. This being true, the dominion given to man in the beginning will be realized:— “And thou, O tower of the flock, the stronghold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughters of Jerusalem.” Micah 4: 8. The removing of sin and the establishment of the righteous in the earth makes provision for the accomplishment of the original purpose of God concerning the earth. If this should not be done, then Satan’s opposition to God’s plans would at least prevent the Lord from doing what he purposed to do with the earth when he made it. But this thought calls up the text again in Ps. 135: 6: “Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places.” No power in the universe can possibly prevent the Almighty from carrying out that which in his infinite wisdom and love he has decided is best to be done. Satan may for a time think he is making headway against God; but himself, with all his train of evil, meets with destruction, while the eternal purpose will prevail above every opposition. Before man yielded to Satan, he was in full possession of the earth, and his dominion over all things upon it was complete. Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19: 10); and in doing this he will bring back the earth from under the curse, that man redeemed may have again all things that he lost in the fall. David testifies that the dominion given was over all the beasts of the field, the fowls of the air, and the fishes of the sea. Ps. 8: 6–8. The New Testament comment upon this shows that the crown first placed upon Adam was now in the hands of Jesus. Christ was to pay the penalty for man’s folly, perform the obedience due from him, and, having done all for him, then gives the reward of it all to him. In the doing of this he destroys Satan, and completely removes from the whole universe every obstacle and every foe to God’s eternal purpose. Heb. 2: 6–18.