Chapter 12
GLORIOUS EARTH
ALMIGHTY GOD, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, created the earth by his Chief Officer, The Logos, who is Christ Jesus, the King of the THEOCRATIC GOVERNMENT. For his pleasure he created the earth, and in due time the earth and everything therein shall proclaim the praises of the great Creator: "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." — Revelation 4:11.
Some persons, who have not understood the Scriptures, have said that the earth will be destroyed with fire. They have confused with the visible rule what the Scriptures say
about the mundane sphere. That which God created, the literal earth, shall abide forever; and when his purpose concerning the earth is understood, then a keener appreciation can be had of his creation and of his purpose.
God created the earth to be the everlasting home of perfect men and women. The earth was created for righteous men and women, and God's creature Adam and his wife Eve were righteous when God placed them in Eden, the paradise of God on the earth. When man became a rebel, and therefore unrighteous, God put him out of Eden and said to him: "Cursed is the ground for thy sake." That did not mean a curse of the creation of earth. But it did mean that the ground where man must go and raise his living was in such condition that it would operate ultimately for his good. Since that time men have been required to fight thorns, weeds, thistles and suchlike, and their work has been laborious. That labor has been a blessing to man in this: that the Lord thus has provided employment for man's body and mind, and it was God's loving-kindness that provided for that employment.
Today many parents, including some who claim to be entirely devoted to Jehovah and his kingdom, bring up their children in idleness. They proceed upon the theory that the children should play and do no work. Such
is contrary to God's law, and works a great injustice and injury to the children. An idle brain and idle hands lead to disaster. All parents who appreciate the goodness of God, and who love their children, will see to it that each child from the time it is able to walk and talk is assigned to some profitable work. Every day the child should perform its assigned task, and should be taught to love it. The parents should explain to the child why work is good for it. The child should be taught to be clean in mind and clean in body. Filthiness and idleness are abominable in the sight of God. The parents are responsible to teach their children that which the Lord has pointed out that they must do. — Ezekiel 16: 49; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Ecclesiastes 10:18.
All creatures mentioned in the Bible with approval are those who have been workers. God and Christ work, and all of his approved creatures must avoid idleness and busy themselves in profitable matters. The child Jesus said: "I must be about my Father's business." (Luke 2:49) When some criticized him for working, the answer was: "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work." (John 5:17) All of God's approved creatures must work.
Men have asserted their claim of ownership of the earth, and, being selfish and ambitious, they have attempted and continue to attempt to control the earth and every-
thing in it. No man or organization of men owns the earth or any part of it: "The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof." (Psalm 24:1) When men come to appreciate the fact that Almighty God made the earth for perfect men and that he is the owner of it and he provides it for those who love and serve him, then they will rejoice.
The "princes" and the "great multitude" and their children will proceed under the direction of the Lord to beautify the earth. That will be a task of joy, and all who have to do with that work will rejoice. It is the will and purpose of God that such work shall be done, and it will be a great privilege for righteous men and women to be permitted to have a part therein. The Almighty God says: "The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool." (Isaiah 66:1) All things are his.
And then Jehovah adds: "And I will make the place of my feet glorious." (Isaiah 60:13) Everyone who believes the Lord, therefore, may be fully assured that in due time there will be complete harmony between everything in the universe, both heaven and earth, both invisible and visible rule, and that all creation shall together declare the praises of the Most High.
The capital organization of which Christ Jesus is the Head, and which is called "Zion", is the habitation of Jehovah God,
which he has created, builded up and chosen for himself: "For the Lord hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation." (Psalm 132:13) As the people of the earth carry on their work under the direction of the great THEOCRACY all the people will sing the praises of Jehovah and his King. (Psalm 48:1,2) When the earth has been made a place of glory as the place of Jehovah's feet, then everything that hath breath shall praise Jehovah and all inanimate creation will in some manner join in that praise. — Psalm 150:6.
Peace
There shall be no wars amongst the peoples of earth under the Theocratic rule. The
people will dwell together in peace, and all work together to the honor of the Creator. All their tools and instruments will be used to beautify the earth and to produce that which is needed, and the great and righteous King will see to it that all the tools will be employed in peace and to the praise of the Most High: "And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." — Isaiah 2:4.
The great King shall rule in righteousness, and peace shall have no opposition: "Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice, from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this." — Isaiah 9:7.
Righteousness
The rule of the world by the Lord Jesus Christ, him who is the King of the great THEOCRATIC GOVERNMENT, will be a rule of righteousness, and everything that continues to live must be in complete harmony with and obedient to the King. Where there is perpetual peace righteousness must rule. Says the prophecy of God: "Give the king
thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king's son." — Psalm 72:1.
Christ Jesus is the King, and the "princes" in the earth are the sons of the King. Throughout the reign of the King he will cause blessings to flow down upon the people. That will be a conclusive proof and demonstration that when the righteous rule the people rejoice: "He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass; as showers that water the earth. In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth. He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth." — Psalm 72:6-8.
Righteousness, mercy, peace and truth will prevail throughout the earth and shall all work together in exact unison. Only those who love righteousness and do righteousness will live, and all these will live to the glory of God. The prophet therefore speaks for all such these words: "I will hear what God the Lord will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly. Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land. Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven. Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good; and our land
shall yield her increase. Righteousness shall go before him, and shall set us in the way of his steps." — Psalm 85: 8-13.
Those who will form the "great multitude" cannot wait until after Armageddon to "seek righteousness", but all persons who will form that "great multitude" must begin now and continuously seek righteousness and do that which is right as they learn it. Such is the positive command of Jehovah to those who are of good-will who now have fled to the antitypical city of refuge. (Zephaniah 2:1-3) The Jonadabs cannot content themselves by saying: "I will engage in the work of advertising Jehovah's name and his kingdom and I will go from place to place and do so, and that will be sufficient." In doing that they are only partially right. In neglecting other important things they are wrong. The Jonadabs must 'study to show themselves approved unto God' and learn what is contained in his Word, and therefore what is his will concerning them, and to seek righteousness, that they may know what is right and righteous, and then do that which is right. They must remember that now they are on trial, and they must comply with the rules of the "city of refuge", that is to say, the organization under Christ Jesus. The King is now gathering to himself those who will form the "great multitude", and such will be commissioned to fill the earth, and such persons must learn
righteousness before Armageddon. "For the righteous Lord loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright." — Psalm 11:7.
The eyes of Jehovah now are upon those who have sought refuge in his capital organization, and these must learn righteousness and do righteousness. Because Christ Jesus loves righteousness and hates iniquity God has blessed him and exalted him to the highest place. (Psalm 45:7) It follows that all who are gathered into his fold and become his children must learn righteousness before being made any part of that fold. Complete righteousness comes when the Lord grants life with the right thereto, but before that the creature must do that which is right.
The "great multitude" will be the blessed people of the Lord on the earth, forming a part of his one great fold. (John 10:16) They shall hear and obey the voice or command of the Lord. They must begin to learn obedience and righteousness from the very time that they turn away from religion and flee to the "city of refuge". Learning obedience and righteousness, they have the promise of being made a part of the "great multitude", and then they shall have opportunity to participate in beautifying the earth, to the glory of the Creator.
To hear the "joyful sound" or command of the Lord means to ascertain the will of
God and to obey his commandments. It is such that will receive the blessings of the Lord: "Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance. In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted." — Psalm 89:15,16.
Complete obedience will be required of the children born to those of the "great multitude", and all such will fear and obey the Lord with joyful hearts, if they are granted life everlasting: "But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children; to such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them. The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all." (Psalm 103:17-19) "Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times." (Psalm 106: 3) It is easy to see that such creatures will rejoice in the beautifying of the earth as God brings it up to glory and beauty.
The Lord, foreseeing the blessings he will send to earth, commands all persons of goodwill to walk now in the way of goodness and learn righteousness. "The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever." (Psalm 37: 29) "That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of
the righteous. For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it." — Proverbs 2: 20, 21.
To those who will compose the "great multitude" this admonition is now given, and those who obey that admonition shall be recipients of the promised blessings: "Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us. God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him." (Psalm 67:5-7) The promise that the earth shall yield her increase is proof that work in the earth will be a great joy to those of the "great multitude", and they will greatly rejoice in having some part in beautifying the earth.
Paradise
Eden was a paradise, and in that paradise God placed his perfect man. Manifestly the earth shall become as Eden for the home of righteous and perfect human creatures. That being Jehovah's purpose, which is shown by what he prepared for perfect man in Eden, we may rest assured that his purpose will be carried out and that the habitation of man shall become the paradise of God made for righteous men. The earth was made for the pleasure of the Creator; and seeing that he takes pleasure only in that which is right, righteous and glorious, it follows that the
earth shall be all to his honor and praise. This is "his footstool", and he will make it a place of glory forever. The following prophecy seems also to indicate as much: "And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden." — Ezekiel 36:35.
Tree of Life
In Eden God caused "to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden". (Genesis 2:9) Every tree in that garden, with but one exception, was for perfect and righteous man. Man had permission from God to eat of the fruit, but with one exception, "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." That being the only exception, it clearly appears that if Adam had remained true and obedient to God, and thereby proved his integrity to God, in Jehovah's due time Adam would have been permitted to partake of the tree of life and live forever. — Genesis 2:16,17.
It appears that the "tree of life" stands as a guarantee of life everlasting to all those who maintain their integrity toward God, and, when tried and approved by the Lord, such will be granted life everlasting. To those called to "the heavenly calling", and who maintain their integrity and receive the Lord's approval, the promise is that they shall partake of the tree of life. "To him
that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God." (Revelation 2:7) "Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." — Revelation 22:14.
Since the "great multitude" will be a part of the one fold or flock of which Christ Jesus is the good Shepherd, and since the members thereof must be righteous and shall be granted life everlasting on the earth, it must be that each one will, by the grace of the Lord, be permitted to eat or partake of the tree of life and live forever. That being God's express purpose for his perfect man in Eden, it must be for his perfect human creatures whom he will use to carry out his mandate to "fill the earth". Partaking or eating of the "tree of life" clearly means that such righteous human creatures will "live forever" on the earth in peace and joy to the vindication and honor of Jehovah's name. (Genesis 3:22; Revelation 22:14) "The tree of life," therefore, appears to stand as a symbol or guarantee of life everlasting to those who receive the final approval of Jehovah and to whom Christ Jesus administers life everlasting.
General Resurrection
The Scriptures use the words in the divine mandate, "multiply and fill the earth."
The original word which is translated "fill" is also translated "replenish" and may be applied either way. It does not appear that the "great multitude" will carry out that mandate to fill every nook and corner of the earth, but that they will, under the direction of the Lord, produce a population that will reasonably populate the earth. The people on the earth today are numbered by the millions, but there is room for many more. When all the earth is made glorious many more persons can well be on the earth than now are known to be there or ever have been. There appears to be no Scriptural authority for saying that the wicked will ever be resurrected. Hence the wicked, cleared out at Armageddon, will not come back, and that will be true with reference to the wicked in all times past. God knows who will be obedient to him, and he has in memory those who have a tendency for righteousness, and these shall be awakened out of death in his own due time.
All of the human race have been born unjust or unrighteous (Romans 5:12) ; and only those who while alive have proved their integrity to God have been counted by him as justified. Concerning the resurrection it is written: "There shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust." (Acts 24:15) "The unjust" here mentioned clearly means those persons who have lived and died but who have had no opportunity of
learning of the ransom sacrifice, and therefore no opportunity of accepting the same. God knows the heart condition of each and every one, and those that are thus awakened out of death will come forth unjust or imperfect. Millions of such have died and are in the memory of God. They were not wicked, but manifestly persons of good-will. They could have no part in forming the "great multitude", because the Lord did not begin to gather his "other sheep", who will form the "great multitude", until after his coming to the temple in 1918.
God's Word announces that he has "appointed a day" in which the dead will be awakened out of death and given a full opportunity or trial for life. (Acts 17:31; John 5: 29) Such is the general resurrection of the dead. None of those thus awakened out of death can have part in carrying out the divine mandate, because they will be unjust at the time of being awakened out of death, and the mandate can be carried out only by those who are righteous and possess the right to life. Those who are awakened in the general resurrection must learn of the ransom sacrifice, believe and accept the Lord Jesus Christ as the Redeemer, and then enter upon trial, and must prove their integrity and successfully pass the test which the Lord will impose, before receiving the right to live. At that time they will be justified, because being justified by the Lord
means receiving the right to life. By the time that those of the general resurrection are justified the "great multitude" will have carried out the divine mandate concerning the filling or replenishing of the earth.
Concerning those that shall have part in the general resurrection of the dead and thus be given an opportunity for trial and receipt of life from the Lord, these words were uttered by him: "And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage: but they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage; neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection." — Luke 20:34-36.
In verse 35 above quoted, in the phrase "to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead", the word "world" manifestly means the "world without end" (Ephesians 3:21), which world without end will be the paradise of God that shall result to the whole earth during the thousand-year reign of Christ. (Revelation 20:4,6) At that time there will be no further need to marry and bring forth children, because that work will have been accomplished. (For a more complete consideration see Salvation, page 354.)
It is only justified, righteous men and women that will carry out the divine mandate and have part in beautifying the earth. It seems clearly to appear from the Scriptures that it is the purpose of Jehovah to use the "great multitude" to carry out his mandate to replenish the earth and that this work will be done and completed during the Millennial reign of his King. It also appears that within that time God will make the earth a place of glory and beauty and a fit place for the everlasting dwelling of righteous human creatures, which creatures shall be forever to the glory and honor of the name of the Most High.
"Eunice, these studies together have been a great blessing from the Lord for us. Gratitude to God is in my heart, and my desire is to serve him and his King forever. We cannot stop here, but we must continue our studies of the Bible and thus diligently seek righteousness and meekness. Here are a number of books which have evidently been provided by the Lord to enable persons of good-will, such as we are, to learn where in the Bible we may find his marvelous truths. By his grace, we will avail ourselves of the privilege of learning more of his truth and how to serve him faithfully. And now I should like to walk out over the land and meditate upon some of the things that we have learned. It is a time for medi-
tation, and I am sure you will be glad to join me."
The two walked silently through the fields and stopped again by the great tree on the river bank where they had some time before discussed their future plans. Seated at this vantage point they had a general view of the landscape.
"John dear, look at that beautiful scene beyond the river and up the mountainside. I am reminded that several months have passed since we made our sacred agreement right here. It is now autumn season, the time of harvest, and which the Scriptures speak of as a time of joy. The trees and their foliage bespeak the glory of God. Mark the colors, yellow and brown, of the foliage of the maple and sweet gum, the chestnut and the other trees on that mountainside. This being the harvest time also suggests the ingathering, the time when the Lord is gathering unto himself those who shall be of his 'other sheep' and the 'great multitude'. Mark the evergreen amongst that beautiful foliage which adds color and beauty to the scene, and which evergreen symbolizes life everlasting. Now the Lord has graciously shown us that there is set before us the prospect of life everlasting upon the earth. And what a glorious prospect! The earth is now beautiful, but that beauty is nothing to compare with the glory and beauty
that shall be upon the whole earth during the reign of Christ the King."
"How true are your words, Eunice. We have walked through these broad fields many times, during our childhood days. But today these fields mean much more to us than ever before. They belong to the Lord, and He will beautify them for his children. Armageddon is surely near, and during that time the Lord will clean off the earth everything that offends and is disagreeable. Then, by His grace, we shall begin our life with a greater vision and prolonged joy. Now we see by faith the great THEOCRACY, and we are wholly and unreservedly committed to that righteous government. From now on we shall have our heart devotion fixed on THE THEOCRACY, knowing that soon we shall journey for ever together in the earth. Our hope is that within a few years our marriage may be consummated and, by the Lord's grace, we shall have sweet children that will be an honor to the Lord. We can well defer our marriage until lasting peace comes to the earth. Now we must add nothing to our burdens, but be free and equipped to serve the Lord. When THE THEOCRACY is in full sway it will not be burdensome to have a family. Then we may often walk through these broad fields, amidst the beautiful forests and environments, and will walk with our beloved children by our side and tell them all we have learned from the Lord,
and together we shall all be quick to obey our Leader and our King, Christ Jesus."
"I recall, John dear, that your father will be asking you now for your decision as to the future and what you shall do."
"Eunice, my decision is made. I shall shun politics, religion, and commerce, and I shall avoid the cities and the enticements thereof. We are both committed for ever to THE THEOCRACY. Our present duty is plain. We must now be witnesses to the name of Jehovah and to his kingdom. Our place of residence we can continue with our parents as long as it is God's will to have it so, and we shall engage in the service of the Lord by carrying his message of his name and kingdom to others who are hungering for righteousness. We shall, by God's grace, be forever the children of the great King, and our children shall be forever with us, subjects of the Kingdom. We have found refuge in Christ, and we shall abide here until the blessed time when we may have part in fulfilling the divine mandate. We shall not see each other very often for a time, but we can have like thoughts every day of the glorious prospect that is set before us. I suggest that our first thought on awakening each morning be expressed by repeating these words of the psalmist: 'Bless the Lord, 0 my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O
my soul, and forget not all his benefits.' — Psalm 103:1,2."
To this young man and young woman all the environments now appeared more beautiful. The birds in the trees seemed to be singing the praises of Jehovah and His King. So, hand in hand, they joined their voices with them in song and gave thanks to God for His manifold blessings bestowed upon them.
