Eden to Be Restored. --The Garden of Eden remained upon the earth long after
man had become an outcast from its pleasant paths. The fallen race were long
permitted to gaze upon the home of innocence, their entrance barred only by the
watching angels. At the cherubim-guarded gate of Paradise the divine glory was
revealed. Hither came Adam and his sons to worship God. Here they renewed their
vows of obedience to that law the transgression of which had banished them from
Eden. When the tide of iniquity overspread the world, and the wickedness of men
determined their destruction by a flood of waters, the hand that had planted
Eden withdrew it from the earth. But in the final restitution, when there shall
be "a new heaven and a new earth," it is to be restored more
gloriously adorned than at the beginning.
Then they that have kept God's commandments shall breathe in immortal vigour
beneath the tree of life; and through unending ages the inhabitants of sinless
worlds shall behold, in that garden of delight, a sample of the perfect work of
God's creation, untouched by the curse of sin--a sample of what the whole earth
would have become had man but fulfilled the Creator's glorious plan.
The great plan of redemption results in fully bringing back the world into
God's favour. All that was lost by sin is restored. Not only man but the earth
is redeemed, to be the eternal abode of the obedient. For six thousand years
Satan has struggled to maintain possession of the earth. Now God's original
purpose in its creation is accomplished. "The saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom, and
possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever."
"The Redemption of the Purchased Possession." -- God's original
purpose in the creation of the earth is fulfilled as it is made the eternal
abode of the redeemed. "The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell
therein for ever." The time has come to which holy men have looked with
longing since the flaming sword barred the first pair from Eden--the time for
"the redemption of the purchased possession." The earth originally
given to man as his kingdom, betrayed by him into the hands of Satan, and so
long held by the mighty foe, has been brought back by the great plan of
redemption.
All that was lost by the first Adam will be restored by the second. The
prophet says, "O Tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of
Zion, unto Thee shall it come, even the first dominion." And Paul points
forward to the "redemption of the purchased possession."
God created the earth to be the abode of holy, happy beings. That purpose
will be fulfilled when, renewed by the power of God and freed from sin and
sorrow, it shall become the eternal home of the redeemed.
Adam Restored to His Eden Home. --After his expulsion from Eden Adam's life
on earth was filled with sorrow. Every dying leaf, every victim of sacrifice,
every blight upon the fair face of nature, every stain upon man's purity, were
fresh reminders of his sin. Terrible was the agony of remorse as he beheld
iniquity abounding and, in answer to his warnings, met the reproaches cast upon
himself as the cause of sin. With patient humility he bore for nearly a thousand
years the penalty of transgression.
Faithfully did he repent of his sin and trust in the merits of the promised
Saviour, and he died in the hope of a resurrection. The Son of God redeemed
man's failure and fall; and now, through the work of the atonement, Adam is
reinstated in his first dominion.
Transported with joy, he beholds the trees that were once his delight--the
very trees whose fruit he himself had gathered in the days of his innocence and
joy. He sees the vines that his own hands have trained, the very flowers that he
once loved to care for. His mind grasps the reality of the scene; he comprehends
that this is indeed Eden restored, more lovely now than when he was banished
from it. The Saviour leads him to the tree of life and plucks the glorious fruit
and bids him eat. He looks about him and beholds a multitude of his family
redeemed, standing in the Paradise of God. Then he casts his glittering crown at
the feet of Jesus and, falling upon His breast, embraces the Redeemer. He
touches the golden harp, and the vaults of heaven echo the triumphant song,
"Worthy, worthy, worthy is the Lamb that was slain, and lives again!"
The family of Adam take up the strain and cast their crowns at the Saviour's
feet as they bow before Him in adoration.
This reunion is witnessed by the angels who wept at the fall of Adam and
rejoiced when Jesus, after His resurrection, ascended to heaven, having opened
the grave for all who should believe on His name. Now they behold the work of
redemption accomplished, and they unite their voices in the song of praise.
Mansions Prepared for Earth's Pilgrims. --A fear of making the future
inheritance seem too material has led many to spiritualise away the very truths
which lead us to look upon it as our home. Christ assured His disciples that He went to prepare mansions for them in the Father's house. Those who
accept the teachings of God's word will not be wholly ignorant concerning the
heavenly abode. . . . Human language is inadequate to describe the reward of the
righteous. It will be known only to those who behold it. No finite mind can
comprehend the glory of the Paradise of God.
In the Bible the inheritance of the saved is called a country. There the
heavenly Shepherd leads His flock to fountains of living waters. The tree of
life yields its fruit every month, and the leaves of the tree are for the
service of the nations. There are ever-flowing streams, clear as crystal, and
beside them waving trees cast their shadows upon the paths prepared for the
ransomed of the Lord. There the wide-spreading plains swell into hills of
beauty, and the mountains of God rear their lofty summits. On those peaceful
plains, beside those living streams, God's people, so long pilgrims and
wanderers, shall find a home.
There are homes for the pilgrims of earth. There are robes for the righteous,
with crowns of glory and palms of victory. All that has perplexed us in the
providences of God will in the world to come be made plain. The things hard to
be understood will then find explanation. The mysteries of grace will unfold
before us. Where our finite minds discovered only confusion and broken promises,
we shall see the most perfect and beautiful harmony. We shall know that infinite
love ordered the experiences that seemed most trying. As we realise the tender
care of Him who makes all things work together for our good, we shall rejoice
with joy unspeakable and full of glory. . . .
We are homeward bound. He who loved us so much as to die for us hath builded
for us a city. The New Jerusalem is our place of rest. There will be no sadness in the City of God. No wail of sorrow, no dirge of crushed hopes and buried
affections, will evermore be heard. Soon the garments of heaviness will be
changed for the wedding garment. Soon we shall witness the coronation of our
King. Those whose lives have been hidden with Christ, those who on this earth
have fought the good fight of faith, will shine forth with the Redeemer's glory
in the kingdom of God.
Privileges of the Redeemed. --Heaven is a good place. I long to be there and
behold my lovely Jesus, who gave His life for me, and be changed into His
glorious image. Oh, for language to express the glory of the bright world to
come! I thirst for the living streams that make glad the city of our God.
The Lord has given me a view of other worlds. Wings were given me, and an
angel attended me from the city to a place that was bright and glorious. The
grass of the place was living green, and the birds there warbled a sweet song.
The inhabitants of the place were of all sizes; they were noble, majestic, and
lovely. They bore the express image of Jesus, and their countenances beamed with
holy joy, expressive of the freedom and happiness of the place. I asked one of
them why they were so much more lovely than those on the earth. The reply was,
"We have lived in strict obedience to the commandments of God, and have not
fallen by disobedience, like those on the earth." . . . I begged of my
attending angel to let me remain in that place. I could not bear the thought of
coming back to this dark world again. Then the angel said, "You must go
back, and if you are faithful, you, with the 144,000, shall have the privilege
of visiting all the worlds and viewing the handiwork of God."
The United Family of Heaven and Earth. --There the redeemed shall "know,
even as also they are known." The loves and sympathies which God Himself
has planted in the soul shall there find truest and sweetest exercise. The pure
communion with holy beings, the harmonious social life with the blessed angels
and with the faithful ones of all ages who have washed their robes and made them
white in the blood of the Lamb, the sacred ties that bind together "the
whole family in heaven and earth"-- these help to constitute the happiness
of the redeemed.
The nations of the saved will know no other law than the law of heaven. All
will be a happy, united family, clothed with the garments of praise and
thanksgiving. Over the scene the morning stars will sing together, and the sons
of God will shout for joy, while God and Christ will unite in proclaiming,
"There shall be no more sin, neither shall there be any more death."
From that scene of heavenly joy [the ascension of Christ] there comes back to
us on earth the echo of Christ's own wonderful words, "I ascend unto My
Father, and your Father; and to My God, and your God." The family of heaven
and the family of earth are one. For us our Lord ascended, and for us He lives.
"Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God
by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them."
Though Delayed, the Promise Is Sure. --Long have we waited for our Saviour's
return. But none the less sure is the promise. Soon we shall be in our promised
home. There Jesus will lead us beside the living stream flowing from the throne
of God and will explain to us the dark providences through which on this earth
He brought us in order to perfect our characters. There we shall behold with undimmed vision the beauties of Eden restored. Casting at
the feet of the Redeemer the crowns that He has placed on our heads and touching
our golden harps, we shall fill all heaven with praise to Him that sitteth on
the throne.
Let all that is beautiful in our earthly home remind us of the crystal river
and green fields, the waving trees and the living fountains, the shining city
and the white-robed singers, of our heavenly home--that world of beauty which no
artist can picture, no mortal tongue describe. "Eye hath not seen, nor ear
heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath
prepared for them that love Him."