The Descent of the Holy City
The judgment work in heaven having been accomplished, the hour has come for the execution of the judgment upon sin and sinners. The holy city comes down out of heaven. The prophet saw its descent in vision:
"I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from G.o.d out of heaven." Rev. 21:2.
The Loosing of Satan
"When the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations." Rev. 20:7, 8.
With all the wicked destroyed by the glory of Christ"s second coming, Satan had been effectually bound; but now, as the city descends, the voice of Christ calls forth the wicked dead, and Satan is thus loosed, and a.s.sumes control again of those who have chosen him as their master.
It is the time of which the Scripture speaks: "The rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished." Verse 5. The prophet saw the hosts of the lost called forth. "The sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and h.e.l.l [the "grave," margin]
delivered up the dead which were in them." Verse 13.
Thus Satan"s subjects come forth to the last judgment. The resurrection of the wicked of all the ages is the loosing of Satan. Here again is his kingdom, and again he plies his deceptions and takes up anew his fight against G.o.d. How very natural that Satan should persuade the wicked that he has raised them to life, that his word in the beginning was true, "Ye shall not surely die"! If they are immortal, why may they not yet prevail against G.o.d? Satan rallies his angels and the hosts of the wicked, in numbers "as the sand of the sea," to make an attack upon the city of G.o.d.
"How vast the concourse! not in number more The waves that break on the resounding sh.o.r.e, The leaves that tremble in the shady grove, The lamps that gild the spangled vaults above; Those overwhelming armies, whose command Said to one empire, Fall; another, Stand; Whose rear lay wrap"t in night, while breaking dawn Rous"d the broad front, and called the battle on; Great Xerxes" world in arms, proud Cannae"s field, Where Carthage taught victorious Rome to yield, Immortal Blenheim, fam"d Ramillia"s host;-- They all are here, and here they all are lost; Their millions swell, to be discerned in vain, Lost as a billow in th" unbounded main."
--_Edward Young"s "Last Day."_
"They went up on the breadth of the earth, and compa.s.sed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city." Verse 9.
The Wicked Before the Bar of G.o.d
But as the hosts of evil compa.s.s the city, they are halted by the glory and majesty of the Redeemer"s presence, enthroned as eternal victor over sin. Just here must apply the prophet"s words:
"I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before G.o.d; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works." Rev. 20:11, 12.
[Ill.u.s.tration: THE HOLY CITY DESCENDS
"Behold, the tabernacle of G.o.d is with men." Rev 21:3.]
During the thousand years the records in heaven have been reviewed, and the degrees of guilt established. Now the judgment is to be p.r.o.nounced and executed. But first the record of the books and the eternal righteousness of G.o.d"s holy law are flashed by divine power upon the consciences of all the lost--"their conscience also bearing witness"
(Rom. 2:15) that they are without excuse.
The Destruction of Sin
Sin is now to be blotted from the universe of G.o.d; and those who have chosen to be identified with sin perish with it. All that Infinite Love can do has been done in the gift of Christ to save men from the transgression of the holy law of G.o.d. That salvation rejected, there is nothing remaining that heaven can offer. There is no further sacrifice that can be made. "There remaineth no more sacrifice for sins." Heb.
10:26.
Then follows the last scene in the conflict with evil:
"They went up on the breadth of the earth, and compa.s.sed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from G.o.d out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire.... And death and h.e.l.l [the grave] were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death." Rev. 20:9-14.
The second death ends sin and the author of sin, and death itself. The controversy is ended. Christ"s death has purged sin from the universe of G.o.d.
The Earth Purified and Made New
The fires that consume the wicked melt the earth and purify it from all trace of the curse. It is the day of which Peter wrote:
"Wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat." But after this cleansing of every element of this sin-cursed earth, the promise of G.o.d will be fulfilled in the earth made new, as the eternal home of the saved. As Peter says, after telling of the day of burning, "Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." 2 Peter 3:12, 13.
"O sweet and blessed country, The home of G.o.d"s elect!
O sweet and blessed country, That eager hearts expect!
Jesus, in mercy bring us To that dear land of rest; Who art, with G.o.d the Father, And Spirit, ever blest."
[Ill.u.s.tration: MOSES VIEWING THE PROMISED LAND
"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth." Matt. 5:5.]
[Ill.u.s.tration: THE SPIES" RETURN
"The land, which we pa.s.sed through to search it, is an exceeding good land." Num. 14:7.]
THE HOME OF THE SAVED
The Land of Peace
The Bible opens with a new heaven and a new earth, perfect from the Creator"s hand; with man sinless and having access to the tree of life in the midst of the Eden paradise, out of which flowed a river that spread its life-giving waters through the earth.
The Bible closes with a new heaven and a new earth; with man upright and sinless, having right to the tree of life growing in the midst of Eden; with the river of life flowing out from the garden of G.o.d, clear as crystal.
Between the two scenes spreads out the panorama of six thousand years of conflict with sin. It is a story of the fall of man, of the loss of his Eden home, of the curse that marred the earth, of sin and sorrow and death overspreading all.
The Restorer
But from the hour when the shadow of sin fell upon the earth, there has been a light shining in the darkness. Amid the ruin that sin had wrought, there appeared the great Restorer.
The inspired record gives a word-picture of Jesus taking man"s place to win back the lost dominion:
"Unto the angels hath He not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak. But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that Thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; Thou crownedst him with glory and honor, and didst set him over the works of Thy hands: Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that He put all in subjection under Him, He left nothing that is not put under Him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. But we see Jesus."
Heb. 2:5-9.
Just where Adam fell and lost his dominion over the earth, we see Jesus, the second Adam, taking man"s place and winning back the lost inheritance. That is why the picture of the new earth and man"s sinless state depicted in the first two chapters of the Bible is repeated in the last two chapters with even greater fulness of glory. G.o.d"s original plan and purpose will be carried out, and this earth, renewed, will be the eternal home of sinless men and women, redeemed by grace.
Sin will be found not to have frustrated, but only to have delayed, the purpose of G.o.d. And what is six thousand years in working out the divine plan? In our brief span we may divide human history into ancient, medieval, and modern; but in heaven"s life a thousand years are but as "a watch in the night;" and these six watches are to heaven but as one night of grief and of loving ministry in rescuing the lost.
It has cost all that heaven had to give. But the infinite Gift was made, and all heaven has wrought at the work. Of the angels it is written, "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?" Heb. 1:14.