The Harp of God: Proof Conclusive That Millions Now Living Will Never Die

by J. F. Rutherford

[621]Finally, at the end of the Millennial reign of the Messianic kingdom, all the obedient ones of the human race will have been restored to perfect conditions. The harp of God, the great doctrinal truths, will be magnified in the hearts of all the people. But even now the fully consecrated Christian is pictured as standing above the kingdoms of this world, having the harp of God, and singing the song of Moses and the Lamb, saying: "Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name?" And with the close of the thousand years "all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest". (Revelation 15:3,4) These are looking to the finished work of Christ.

HALLELUJAH CHORUS

[622]By faith looking up through the corridor of the Millennial age now opening, we see standing at the further end thereof a perfect race of human beings. Every vestige of wickedness, selfishness, and wrong has been eliminated. During the thousand-year reign of Christ that old serpent, the devil and Satan, has been restrained, that he might not deceive the nations and peoples during the Messianic reign. (Revelation 20:1-3) Being released for a little season at the end of that period, he has put forth his efforts again to deceive; but now these have ended and Satan is destroyed, because God has decreed it thus. (Revelation 20:7-10; Hebrews 2:14) Abraham, the father of the faithful, and his colleagues of like faithfulness, who have, under the supervision of the Christ, directed the people through their Millennial trial, have finished their earthly career and have been raised to a higher plane as spirit beings. Having during that reign turned many to righteousness, they shine forth as the stars for ever and ever. (Daniel 12:3) The earth has been brought to a condition of Edenic Paradise. In it there are no weeds, thistles, or wicked thorns. It is a fit habitation for perfect man, pleasing to the eye. All men and women have been perfected in organism, mind, and character; and gracious words are upon their lips. Each one, granted a perfect voice, possesses the ability to sing perfectly; and a song of joy is upon all lips. All the creation of earth is now subjected to man; and the chief joy of every one is and will be to contribute to the happiness of his fellow men and to glorify God and Christ.

[623]By faith behold this happy picture for a moment, and then turn your vision to the things heavenly. There angels, who for ages have faithfully performed service as messengers to the Lord, are assembled; line upon line, tier upon tier of these glorious beings. In their respective positions of honor stand forth the cherubim and seraphim; and in the midst of all stands the Christ. Jesus Christ the blessed and faithful one, as the great victor now looks back over his work and 'sees the travail of his soul and is satisfied' with the happy results. Standing by his side is his glorious bride, who for a thousand years has been the recipient of the exceeding riches of the grace of God through her beloved Head, and who will now enjoy these favors to endless ages. Her bridesmaids, 'the virgins her companions who follow' and serve her, are there, performing their divinely assigned functions. Above all stands the great Jehovah God, whose wisdom planned it all and whose loving kindness has been showered upon the multitude of his creatures. Joy fills his blessed heart. His plan, as he foreknew it would be, is a grand success.

[624]It is an entrancing scene! It is the appropriate time for the Hallelujah chorus. The stage is set. The trumpeters with their trumpets take their places, and the psaltery and the harp are brought forth. The timbrel, the stringed instruments, the organ, the cymbals, and every conceivable instrument of praise is in the hands of the heavenly host. There is a breathless silence. Then the trumpeters peal forth their paeans of praise, and all the other players and singers of the heavenly hosts join in. This entrancing music is caught up by the multitudes of earth and wafted back to heaven again (because communication has been established between the perfect men and the perfect heavenly creatures), until every creature which is in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, are praising God, saying: "Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever". (Revelation 5:13) Every knee is bowing and every tongue is confessing that Jesus is the Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Every creature that has breath is now joining in the song. It is the Hallelujah chorus, and this is what they sing:

"Praise ye the Lord!

Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in the firmament of his power.

Praise him for his mighty acts; praise him according to his excellent

greatness.

Praise him with the sound of the trumpet;