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reign forever and ever. And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces and worshipped God, saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth."

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In view of the fact that the heirs of the promises are Abraham's children by faith, and not by natural descent, read the following Scriptures: Isa. xxxiii. 15 -17, 20—22 : "He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil; he shall dwell on high; his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks bread shall be given him; his waters shall be Thine eyes shall see the King in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off. Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities: thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken. But there the glorious Lord will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams; wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby. For the Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our King; he will save us." 99 Isa. xxxv. 3—6, 9, 10: “ "Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, be strong, fear not behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then

shall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing; for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the d' sert. No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon: it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there; and the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." Isaiah lv. 12, 13: "For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace; the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir-tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle-tree; and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off." Isaiah lx. 18—22: "Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls salvation, and thy gates praise. The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee; but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. Thy son shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself; for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended. Thy people also shall be all righteous; they shall inherit the land forever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified. A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation—I the Lord will hasten it in his time."

See also Ezekiel xxxiv. 23—28: "And I will set up one Shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. And I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them: I the Lord have spoken it. And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land—and they shall dwell safely in

the wilderness, and sleep in the woods. And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his seasons—there shall be showers of blessing. And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I am the Lord, when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those that served themselves of them. And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beasts of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid."

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Thus we have "given unto us exceeding great and precious promises." But take those promises and give them to carnal Jews, and you "take the children's bread and cast it unto dogs." Such is the work, I think, those are doing who apply such promises to any but Abraham's children by faith: to them "the promises are made," and to them alone. The true Israel shall all be gathered when Christ appears in the clouds of heaven—then "He shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet; and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heaven to the other." Wherever they have been scattered, they shall now all be gathered; yea, into "their own land," and shall be "HEIRS OF THE WORLD;" then will "the saints" have taken "the kingdom," and they shall " possess the kingdom forever, even for EVER and EVER."

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That glorious day is now nigh, even at the doors." Let the children of God "lift up "their"heads, for" their "redemption" is at hand; now ready to be revealed. Let us wait, watch, and keep ready for that day.

In conclusion, I wish my readers to look at the following texts. 2 Cor. i. 19, 20: "For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me, and Sylvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea. For all the promises

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of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us." Compare this with 1 John v. 12: "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God, hath not life."

Can it be plainer, that ALL the promises of God are in Christ? and therefore they are not to any soul out of him; whether carnal Jews or any other class of wicked men. May the Lord give us understanding in all things, and guide us unto his eternal kingdom.

Exposition of Isaiah LXV. 17—25.

by george storrs.

There are many who think this portion of Scripture relates to some regeneration in this world prior to the end, or a second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; or else that it is to be understood as figurative. I apprehend it is neither the one nor the other, but that it is a plain literal description of the final abode of the saints. The apostle Peter, after showing that the heavens and the earth which are now are to be dissolved, or melted, adds—" Nevertheless, we, according to HIS PROMISE, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness."

Where did Peter find that promise? Let us now proceed to an examination of Isa. lxv.

Verse 17. "For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind;" or, as the margin has it,

come upon the heart," or be desired. Such will be the glory of the new earth that there will be no desire for the old which has passed away."

Verse 18. "Be ye glad and rejoice forever in that which I create for behold I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy." What Jerusalem? See Rev. xxi. 1, 2: "And 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. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband."

Here is a perfect parallel, and when compared together, give us a clear idea of the language of God by Isaiah, in the verses under consideration. The Lord adds, 19th verse: "And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people; and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying." This exactly corresponds with Rev. xxi. 4: "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.

But some will say, the 20th verse of the 65th chapter of Isaiah shows that it cannot be speaking of the immortal state. Let us see. "There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die a hundred years old; but the sinner being a hundred years old shall be accursed."

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Now, what is the instruction intended to be communicated in this verse? Not that there is dying in that state, or in the new earth spoken of; for such an interpretation would contradict the 19th verse, which expressly says, "The voice of weeping shall no more be heard in her, nor the voice of crying." Now, this cannot be true if there is death there. What then does the 20th verse mean? Let us examine it. is to be new heavens and a new earth. The inhabitants are to correspond with such a regeneration; then there must be no more helplessness, for, this would produce both sorrow and crying, which are not to exist in that state. But, will not the helpless infants enter that world, who leave this in all their helplessness? Yes. But when they enter there they shall be as perfectly free from helplessness as though they had died a "hundred years old." "The child shall die a

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