Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1916-12-14
INTERNATIONAL
SUNMSQ1O0L
LESSON
By q. O. SELLERS, Acting Director Of
the Sunday School Course In the Moody
Bible Institute OF Chicago) :
(copyYisht. 1915. Western Newspaper Union.)
LESSON
LESSON FOR DECEMBER II
rHE HOLY CITY.

LESSON TExT-Rev. z1:1-7. z2-27.
GOLDEN TExT-Behold. the taber.
nacle. Of God IL with men, and he shall
dwell with them. and they shall be his
peopla.-Rev. z1:a.
As WI approach the end of the year,
our minds turn from the imperial city,
where last we have any authentic rec
ord Of Paul. to the eternal city In
which he has so long resided. In les
son ten we studied Jesus Christ In his
resurrection glory, the source of all
power, King of Kings and Lord of
Lords for the redemption Of the hui
man ace In Lesson II we studied
the glorified Christ who is actually
working through his churches as the
representatives Of his kingdom upon
earth. The succeeding chapters de-
scribe in symbols and pictures the dis
cipline and training of Gods people
during the long generations that fol-
lowed. In the lesson for today, we
have a vision Of the final triumph Of
Christianity when 1t shall have ac-
complished Its work Of redemption in
this world.
I. The New Heaven and the New Earth
wv. Id. John In vision saw the con-
summation of the work Of Christian
ity, the visible answer to the prayer
which Jesus Christ taught his disciples
to pray, "thy kingdom come, thy will
be done on earth as in heaven"
Heaven, as well as earth, has been in
vaded and polluted by sin, but both
alike are to be made new. Il Peter 8 10,
II, 18). The true Jerusalem, Of which
Solomon's was but a type, is Of heav-
emily and divine origin. 1t comes down
out Of heaven from God. We know
nothing of the inhabitants of the uni
verse Of which we are a part, but here
we have some scriptural indication of
that place where Gods children are to
be with him eternally. The kingdom
of God Is among you, but 1t is even
tually to be with God and Jesus in a
peculiar and beautiful way. Johns
announcement came from out Of heav.
en- and out of thesthrone. ~ 1t
was q tabernacle Or God with men
rather he shall tabernacle with men.
He is to pitch his tent among us (John
liza R. v. marg.) 1t is to be done
eventually and permanently. This
dwelling of God among us lies at the
foundation of the blessedness and glO-
ries which are to follow. (2) They
shall be his people. Israel had been
his people; all nations are to be his
people In the fullest sense. (3) God
himself shall be with them, not only
his tabernacle but he, himself vtsibly.
personally. (4) He shall be their God,
acknowledged in all his infinite claims,
and he to them all that God is Of love,
power, wisdom. holiness and glory.
(5) He shall wipe away every tear
from their eyes. There will not be q
single grief or heartache, upsatisfied
longing or tear, for God shall wipe
them away, and they will stay wiped
away. 10y Death shall be no more
OF all the enemies, death is the last
one which shall be taken from the
earth. 1t is sweet to know that this
last enemy Is to be conquered. ~
There shall be no mourning, crying or
pain any more. Every sorrow, agony,
remorse. gloom, Disappointment gone
forever; death, tears, mourning all
passed away. 1t is hard for US to com-
prehend the majesty and sweep Of this
great and glorious promise. (See I
Cor. 15): But this kingdom of heaven
is to be on the earth. The ideal and
goal Of the material world will pro-
duce this "new. heaven" There was
no more sea separating, turbulent, hos
tile, a means Of separation and de-
struction, Of wrecks and hurricanes
that sometimes shut out the stars,
therefore, as q symbol and a type 1t
has no place in thet renewed earth.
II. The Coming Light and Glory wv.
22-27). The intervening verses are a
wonderful description Of the founda-
ton walls and gates Of the city. There
will be no temple in that city for 1t will
not, be needed. Instead of the temple
which stands for the temple of earth
there Is to be the presence Of God,
himself, but the lamb is also in the
midst Of 1t. Nothing can more force
fully impress upon us the deity and pre-
eminence Of Jesus Christ. the atoning
lamb, slain before the foundation Of
the world. This city Is to be a city Of
light and glory. 1t will not be an II.
Elimination by gus 0 electricity, for
the glory of the Lord shall tighten 1t.
The thing vi great cities need today
to expose their sin Is light, but there
viii be no sins to be exposed when
the light Of Gods eternity shines upon
his blessed holy city. All nations
shall walk in the midst Of that light.
Kings shall bring their glory into It.
Everything that b regal and bright
and wondrous Will be In that city.
The city stands wide open at all times;
no need Of walls Of excluding gates.
There shall be no night there. In God,
the father of light, there Is no va
ration. neither shadow that Is cast
BY turning (James 1:1S).
Summary. What are the lessons for
our day from this vision OF the new
heaven and the new earth? First:
That the golden age OF the Bible has
not yet taken place. There IRE better
times to come than anything the world
has vet seen. Second: We haye here
the positive assurance Of the success
n,,. lanAar and tho vict0rv of chris,