Bible Readings for the Home Circle Part 223

"For _as the days of a tree_ are the days of My people, and Mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands." Isa. 65:22.

10. When will immortality be conferred upon the saints?

"We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." 1 Cor. 15:51-53.

NOTE.-In accepting Christ the believer receives "that eternal life, which was with the Father," and this eternal life he retains as long as Christ dwells in the heart by faith. This wondrous gift may be lost by failure to maintain the faith which holds Christ fast. At the resurrection, immortality is conferred upon those who have fallen asleep in Christ, and thus the possession of eternal life becomes a permanent experience.

Toil on a little longer here, For thy reward awaits above, Nor droop in sadness or in fear Beneath the rod that's sent in love; The deeper wound our spirits feel, The sweeter heaven's balm to heal.

Faith lifts the veil before our eyes, And bids us view a happier clime, Where verdant fields in beauty rise, Beyond the withering blasts of time; And brings the blissful moment near, When we in glory shall appear.

Then let us hope; 'tis not in vain; Though moistened by our grief the soil, The harvest brings us joy for pain, The rest repays the weary toil; For they shall reap, who sow in tears, Rich gladness through eternal years.

ANNIE R. SMITH.

The Home Of The Saved

[Ill.u.s.tration.]

The New Earth. "The saints ... shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever." Dan. 7:18.

1. For what purpose was the earth created?

"For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; G.o.d Himself that formed the earth and made it; He hath established it, He created it not in vain, _He formed it to be inhabited_." Isa. 45:18.

2. To whom has G.o.d given the earth?

"The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord's: but _the earth hath He given to the children of men_." Ps. 115:16.

3. For what purpose was man made?

"Thou madest him _to have dominion over the works of Thy hands_; Thou hast put all things under his feet." Ps. 8:6. See Gen. 1:26; Heb. 2:8.

4. How did man lose his dominion?

Through sin. Rom. 5:12; 6:23.

5. When man lost his dominion, to whom did he yield it?

"For of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage." 2 Peter 2:19.

NOTE.-Man was overcome by Satan in the garden of Eden, and there yielded himself and his possessions into the hands of his captor.

6. In tempting Christ, what owners.h.i.+p did Satan claim?

"And the devil, taking Him up into an high mountain, showed unto Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto Him, All this power will I give Thee, and the glory of them: _for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it_." Luke 4:5, 6.

7. Through whom is this first dominion to be restored?

"And Thou, _O tower of the flock_, the stronghold of the daughter of Zion, _unto Thee shall it come, even the first dominion_; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem." Micah 4:8.

NOTE.-The "tower of the flock" is Christ.

8. Why did Christ say the meek are blessed?

"Blessed are the meek: _for they shall inherit the earth_." Matt. 5:5.

NOTE.-This inheritance cannot be realized in this life; for here the truly meek generally have little of earth's good things.

9. Who does David say have most now?

"For I was envious at _the foolish_, when I saw the prosperity of _the wicked_.... Their eyes stand out with fatness: _they have more than heart could wish_." Ps. 73:3-7.

10. Where are the righteous to be recompensed?

"Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed _in the earth_: much more the wicked and the sinner." Prov. 11:31.

11. What will be the difference between the portion of the righteous and the wicked?

"Wait on the Lord, and keep His way, and _He shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it_." Ps. 37:34.

12. What promise was made to Abraham concerning the land?

"And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: for _all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy_ SEED _forever_." Gen. 13:14, 15.

13. How much did this promise comprehend?

"_For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world_, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith." Rom. 4:13.

14. How much of the land of Canaan did Abraham own in his lifetime?

"_And He gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on_: yet He promised that He would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child." Acts 7:5. See Heb. 11:13.

15. How much of the promised possession did Abraham expect during his lifetime?