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Father and the Son in man’s behalf. The hour has come when Christ
occupies his rightful position, and is glorified above principalities
and powers and every name that is named.
It was for the joy that was set before him,—that he might bring
many sons unto glory,—that he endured the cross and despised the
shame. And inconceivably great as was the sorrow and the shame, so
great is the joy and the glory. He looks upon the redeemed, renewed
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in his own image, every face reflecting the likeness of their King.
In their perfect purity and surpassing joy he beholds the result of
the travail of his soul, and he is satisfied. Then, in a voice that
reaches the assembled multitudes of the righteous and the wicked,
he declares, “Behold the purchase of my blood! For these I suffered;
for these I died; that they might dwell in my presence throughout
eternal ages.” And the song of praise ascends from the white-robed
ones about the throne, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive
power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory,
and blessing.”
Notwithstanding Satan has been constrained to acknowledge
God’s justice, and to bow to the supremacy of Christ, his character
remains unchanged. The spirit of rebellion, like a mighty torrent,
again bursts forth. Filled with frenzy, he determines not to yield the
great controversy. The time has come for a last desperate struggle
against the King of Heaven. He rushes into the midst of his subjects,
and endeavors to inspire them with his own fury, and arouse them to
instant battle. But of all the countless millions whom he has allured
into rebellion, there are none now to acknowledge his supremacy.
His power is at an end. The wicked are filled with the same hatred of
God that inspires Satan; but they see that their case is hopeless, that
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Satan and those who have been his agents in deception. With the
fury of demons they turn upon them, and there follows a scene of
universal strife.
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Then are fulfilled the words of the prophet: “The indignation of
the Lord is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies: he
hath utterly destroyed them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter.”
Controversy Ended
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[Isaiah 34:2.] “Upon the wicked he shall rain quick burning coals, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion
of their cup.” [Psalm 11:6. MARGIN.] Fire comes down from God out of heaven. The earth is broken up. The weapons concealed in its
depths are drawn forth. Devouring flames burst from every yawning
chasm. The very rocks are on fire. The day has come that shall burn
as an oven. [Malachi 4:1.] The elements melt with fervent heat, the earth also, and the works that are therein are burned up. [2 Peter
3:10.] The fire of Tophet is “prepared for the king,” the chief of rebellion; the pile thereof is deep and large, and “the breath of the
Lord, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it.” [Isaiah 30:33.] The earth’s surface seems one molten mass,—a vast, seething lake of fire.
It is the time of the judgment and perdition of ungodly men,—“the
day of the Lord’s vengeance, and the year of recompenses for the
controversy of Zion.” [Isaiah 34:8.]
The wicked receive their recompense in the earth. They “shall
be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the
Lord of hosts.” Some are destroyed as in a moment, while others
suffer many days. All are punished according to their deeds. The
sins of the righteous have been transferred to Satan, the originator of
evil, who must bear their penalty. Thus he is made to suffer not only
for his own rebellion, but for all the sins which he has caused God’s
people to commit. His punishment is to be far greater than that of
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those whom he has deceived. After all have perished who fell by his
deceptions, he is still to live and suffer on. In the cleansing flames
the wicked are at last destroyed, root and branch,—Satan the root,
his followers the branches. The justice of God is satisfied, and the
saints and all the angelic host say with a loud voice, Amen.
While the earth is wrapped in the fire of God’s vengeance, the
righteous abide safely in the holy city. Upon those that had part in
the first resurrection, the second death has no power. [Revelation
20:6.] While God is to the wicked a consuming fire, he is to his people both a sun and a shield. [Psalm 84:11.]
“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven
and the first earth were passed away.” [Revelation 21:1.] The fire that consumes the wicked purifies the earth. Every trace of the curse is
swept away. No eternally burning hell will keep before the ransomed
the fearful consequences of sin. One reminder alone remains: our
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Redeemer will ever bear the marks of his crucifixion. Upon his
wounded head, his hands and feet, are the only traces of the cruel
work that sin has wrought.
“O Tower of the flock, the stronghold of the daughter of Zion,
to thee shall it come, even the first dominion.” [Micah 4:8.] The kingdom forfeited by sin, Christ has regained, and the redeemed are
to possess it with him. “The righteous shall inherit the land, and
dwell therein forever.” [Psalm 37:29.] A fear of making the saints’
inheritance seem too material has led many to spiritualize away the
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very truths which lead us to look upon the new earth as our home.
Christ assured his disciples that he went to prepare mansions for
them. Those who accept the teachings of God’s word will not be
wholly ignorant concerning the heavenly abode. And yet the apostle
Paul declares: “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.” [1 Corinthians 2:9.] 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.
[Hebrews 11:14-16.] There the great 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 everflowing 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 is the New Jerusalem, “having the glory of God,” her