The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1916-12-14
INTERNATIONAL
SUNlAYS0[lOOL
LESSON
LESSON FCR DECEMBER "
0Iy r. o. SELLERS. Acting Director OF
The Sunday School Course In the Moody
Bible institute OF Chicago)
Copyright 1915 Western Newspsp per Union.
THE HOLY CITY.

nncle OF God is with men. and he shall
dwell with them. and they shall be hls
people.-Rcv. 2l:3.
AS we 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 m
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 hu.
man race. In Lesson II we studied
the glorilied 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 trimming of Gods people
during the long generations that fol
lowed. In the lesson for today. W.
have vision Of the final triumph OF
Christianity when II shall have ac.
complished its work of redemption In
this world.
The New Heaven and the New Earth
w. I'D. John In vision saw the con.
summation of the work OF Christian.
ity, the visible answer 10 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 10.
ii, 10y. The true Jerusalem, of which
Solomon's was but a type, is OF heav.
enly and divine origin. II comes down
out OF heaven from God. We know
nothing of the inhabitants Of the uni.
verse of which we are 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
peculiar and beautiful way. Johns
announcement came from out of heav-
en- and out of the throne. D 1t
was tabernacle of God with men;
rather he shall tabernacle with men.
He Is to pitch his tent among us (John
liza Il. V. marg) II 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 b. 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 visibly
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 Il
single grief or heartache, unsatisfied
longing or tear, for God shall wipe
them away, and they will stay wiped
away. (G) Death shall be no more.
OF all the enemies, death is the last
one which shall be taken from the
earth. Ii Is sweet to know that this
last enemy Is to be conquered ca
There shall be no mourning. crying or
pain any more. Every sorrow, agony.
remorse, gloom, disappointment gone
forever; death, tears, mourning all
passed away. II is hard for us to COM
prehend the majesty and sweep of this
great and glorious promise. (See
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, means Of separation and de-
structlon, of wrecks and hurricanes
nat sometimes shut out the stars
therefore, as symbol and a type II
has no place in the renewed earth.
u. The Coming Light and Glory wv.
22-27. The intervening verses are n
wonderful description of the founda-
tlon walls and gates of the city. There
will be no temple in that city for II 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 utoning
lamb, slain before the foundation of
the world. This city is to be city of
light and glory. 1t will not be an Il.
by gas nor electricity. for
the glory of the Lord shall tighten IL.
The thing our great cities need today
to expose their sin Is light, but there
will 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 1t.
Everything that is regal and bright
and wondrous will be In that city.
The city stands wide open ut all times
no need of walls or 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 l:lS).
Summary. What are the lessons for
our day from this vision of the new
heaven and the new earth? First:
That the golden uge of the Bible has
lot yet taken place, There are better
lines to come than anything the world
las yet seen. Second: We have here
he positive assurance Of the success
# our leader and the victory of Chris
lanlty in Its conflict with evil. Third;
Che golden ideal of heaven Is the
means by which we cnn test our dail4