[594]But will the earth produce sufficiently to feed this multitude? The Scriptures answer: "The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing; the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon: they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God.... And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water." (Isaiah 35:1,2,7) "The desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by. And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited." (Ezekiel 36:34,35) When the whole earth's surface is brought up to a condition of high cultivation like unto the garden of Eden, then indeed the earth will be a fit habitation for man. The reclamation of desert land such as the Imperial Valley of California has now begun. Only a few years ago that valley was a desolate wilderness in which no animal or human being could live; and now it produces abundant crops because it has been watered. When all the vast deserts of Sahara, Arabia, and America are fully irrigated and blossom as the rose, they will produce abundantly for man's needs.
[595]The reign of Christ will result in the destruction of all man's enemies. The weeds, the thistles, the thorns, the pests that destroy crops, shall all be destroyed. Everything that produces sickness shall be destroyed. The Apostle plainly says; "He [Christ] must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death."—1 Corinthians 15:25,26.
[596]We can well imagine great multitudes of people assembling in different parts of the earth to celebrate their deliverance from Satan and his wicked organizations; and as the people witness the passing away of ignorance, crime, superstition; and see knowledge, goodness, loving kindness taking their place, they will fill the earth with joyful song. The Prophet describes some of the effects of these restitution blessings thus: "In this mountain [kingdom] shall the Lord of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations [taking away ignorance, etc,]. He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away all tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off the earth; for the Lord hath spoken it."—Isaiah 25:6-8.
[597]St. John on the Isle of Patmos had a vision of the great Messianic kingdom and described it in symbolic phrase. The word "heaven" symbolically means the invisible ruling power; while the "earth" means organized society. The old heaven has been wicked, because Satan, the wicked one, has been ruling. The old earth has been wicked, because the organizations of men have been under the dominion of Satan. St. John, observing the Messianic kingdom and the blessings that would follow, wrote: "I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea". Thus he shows the new heaven (the Messianic kingdom) and the new earth (society organized on a righteous basis in the earth). Sea is symbolic of restless humanity, thus picturing the fact that there will be no more strikes, lock-outs, revolutions, or anarchy. Continuing, he describes the kingdom as a holy city, the new Jerusalem, in this beautiful phrase: "And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God"—picturing here the dwelling place of the Lord. The place of meeting between Jehovah and mankind is through the Christ. The results will be the destruction of the enemy death, and the full restoration of the obedient ones; and thus he describes it: "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful."—Revelation 21:1-5.
[598]Let the reasonable person ask himself these questions:
[599]Why would God outline such a marvelous plan as this?
[600]Why would he establish a new heaven and a new earth?
[601]Why would he awaken the dead out of their graves unless he intended to give them an opportunity to be restored to the perfection enjoyed by Adam before he sinned?
[602]God has invited us to use our reasoning faculties (Isaiah 1:18); and if we believe these great truths taught in the Bible, we can reach no other reasonable conclusion than that restitution is the great objective of God's plan relative to the human race, and that restitution blessings are near because the kingdom of heaven is at hand, even at the door. Let those who are cast down look up now; let the sorrowful be glad; let the sad hearts be comforted, and the broken hearts be bound up. Lift up your heads and rejoice in the fact that the day of deliverance for mankind is at the door!
[603]Call to mind for a moment the great amount of suffering in the densely populated cities. Old men and old women, young men and young women, children, infants in arms, all crowded into foul tenements, with not sufficient food, impure air, and improper clothing; and everything tending to degrade their morals. Call to mind the countries devastated by the war, the homes destroyed, families broken up, the crippled, blind, deaf, dumb, and insane. Imagine for a moment the intense suffering of the millions of people throughout the earth; and then know that this dark vail of suffering and death will shortly be lifted and the sunlight of God's love will shine in upon all. Like the sun, the great Messianic kingdom, shining forth with healing beams, shall dispel the darkness, drive away the sickness, clean up the bodies and clean up the minds and morals, point the people to proper food—what to eat and how to eat it, what to think upon and how to conduct themselves; and above all, to give them a full knowledge of the loving kindness of our great God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, the dearest Friend of all. And know, then, that these blessings will bring eternal happiness in the earth. Men and women will not only grow strong, but they will reach that state in which they will not even fear, think, or expect, to be sick.