The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1941-09-25

GOLDEN TEXT-He that overcometh
shan inherit all things; and l will be his
God. and he shall be my son.-Revela-
ton 2l:7
A happy ending may not suit the
fancy of modern writer's of fiction,
but it does suit God. He ''who work
eth all things after the counsel of his
own will' (Eph. LID will see to it
that redeemed man shall 'be to the
praise of his glory (Eph. 1:12).
The eternal, omnipotent God will
bring the history of His dealings
with mankind to a glorious ending
The last book of the Bible comes to
it's last pages where, after dealing
with the final struggle of man with
his enemy Satan (Which has gone
on since the entrance of sin into the
world in the Garden of Eden, we
find the glorious, God-given revela-
ton of the divine, final restoration
of the universe, a picture of the
home where we who love the Lord
Jesus will forever dwell"
l. "The Tabernacle of God Is with
Men" wv. ID.
Our God is always with His peo-
pie, but there is a promise of the
time when He shall pitch His tent"
(for thus we might translate the
word "tabernacle') in their very
midst and "be with them" in full
and unhindered fellowship. This He
once did for a time when 1.-THE Word
was made flesh and dwelt among
u.s. John 1:14), or literally "tab-
ernacled among US" In the day of
which our lesson speaks He will
come to live permanently with His
people.
The blessings of His divine pres
ence are beautifully described in
verses 4 to 6. There will be no
more tears, because every occasion
for them is gone There will be no
death, pain or sorrow, for the one
who sits upon the throne will have
made everything new.
Christianity does not evade the
question of sorrow and suffering,
but it does point to a glorious day
when they will be done forever.
What precious promisel
III. "The Holy City . Having the
Glory of God" wv. 10-12).
The description of the holy city
is differently interpreted, but per-
haps the best one is that it will be
in the form of a pyramid on a
square base 800 miles in width
and length Q2,OO0 furlongs-v 16),
rising in terraces, and 1900 miles
high at the top.
The description of the city is glo-
rious beyond words (read 21:1
through 22:D, but the GROWING fact
of all is that it has "the glory of
God" His presence n cans more than
all the glories of precious stones and
of pure gold, like unto clear glass"
He is more than His gifts, and His
presence is more glorious than all
His mighty works.
III. God the Almighty and the
Lamb Are the Temple wv. 22).
AS long as we live under the pres
ent conditions of life, we cannot do
without a place to meet to worship
God and to receive spiritual help
and strength-a temple. But when
the redeemed are gathered in the
Holy City they will have no need
for temple. The place of meeting
with God (which now has to be de-
limited from the world, and set
apart for God-yes, and held with
determination and force of will
against invading hosts-has there
expanded to cover the whole area
of human experience and activity.
Gods presence has no longer to be
sought; it is known; it is felt, uni
versal and all-pervading as the
light of day" &C. Anderson Scott.
~. No Need of the Sun-the Glory
of God Did Light 1t wv %, 24).
The great need of man in this
world is light. He rejoices in the
sun as it sheds its lifegiving rays
upon the earth. He does his work
and finds his healthful recreation in
the day. When darkness comes, he
must have illumination, that he may
read, study, work, or fellowship with
others. From the Pickering pine
knot man went on to the candle, to
the lamp; and now in most places
he floods his city and its homes
with the light of electricity. But
even so there is too much darkness
in the world, and the men who love
darkness rather than light (see John
3:19) are able to practice their evil
deeds.
In the New Jerusalem all will be
light, for the One who is light q
John 1:5) and the source of all light,
permits His glory to shine forth
and Tighten it." Jesus, the Lamb,
who is the light of the world John
8:12), is the never failing lamp of
the city.
In such light not only the nations
of the earth, but their kings as well,
will want to walk, doing honor with
all their glory to the One who is
al-glorious. The verses which fol-
low our lesson tell US that the gates
of the city shall never be closed,
but only that which is good and
honorable shall enter in. Nothing
sinful, vile, or false shall come with
in its blessed portals.