I noticed that you often refer to "the new earth" as the future dwelling-place of the saints; yet it seems to be the commonly-accepted idea among Christians that heaven will be the home of the redeemed. Will you kindly give in the "Editor's Private Corner," to which I always look forward with interest, the Scriptural ground for your belief on this subject?
All the Scripture evidence could not be presented in one or even two entire numbers of Present Truth; yet a single short paragraph will suffice to set forth positive and convincing proof that this earth is to be made new for the eternal abode of mankind. Thus: "In the beginning God created the heaven and earth," (Genesis 1:1) "the sea, and all that in them is;" (Exodus 20:11) "And God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good." (Genesis 1:31)
Now, "I know that whatsoever God does, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it: and God does it, that man should fear before Him." (Ecclesiastes 3:14) "The thing that has been, it is that which shall be." (Ecclesiastes 1:9)
There you have the groundwork of the case. When the earth was created, when it was new, God gave it to man. (Genesis 1:26-28) He made man king, crowned him with glory and honor, and set him over the works of His hands, putting all things in subjection under his feet. (Psalm 8:5-8) "For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him." (Hebrews 2:8)
God has never withdrawn His gift of the earth to man; He has never changed His plan; therefore if that plan should not be carried out, God would be defeated; and that is impossible.
The case is not helped by saying that God saves man, giving him an eternal inheritance in heaven; defeat can be avoided only by establishing man as king to all eternity, over the earth in as good condition as when God made it. God cannot afford to have it said that He began a thing which He could not carry through.
You will doubtless ask, "Isn't God really defeated anyhow, since man does not have the earth, and all things on the earth, and in the sea, in complete subjection to him, and the earth is not now as it was in the beginning?"
The reply is, No; for though it is true, as the Scripture says when telling us about man's rightful dominion, that "Now we see not yet all things put under him," (Hebrews 2:8) that does not prove that we shall never see it. An enemy has come in and usurped man's dominion, and challenged God's authority, and the controversy over the matter is now going on; but surely as God is stronger than Satan, so surely will God's original grant stand unchanged. "The first dominion [will surely] come to the daughter of Zion." (Micah 4:8)
If two parties of equal power were contending over the possession of the earth, or if we did not know which was the stronger, the issue would be doubtful; but there is no doubt, because Satan has no power whatever against God.
But you will ask, "Even allowing that man will finally be in full possession of the earth made new, does not the fact that he fell, and lost the dominion, contradict or disprove the statement that whatsoever God does shall be for ever?"
Not in the least. It is true that we see not now all things put under man; "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man." (Hebrews 2:9)
Jesus Christ, "the Man Christ Jesus," (1 Timothy 2:5) the link between heaven and earth, between God and man, has "spoiled principalities and powers," (Colossians 2:15) and, "crowned with glory and honor," as man was in the beginning, has the right to Adam's original dominion; and He is even now as man, the second Adam, exalted to a higher position than the first Adam occupied. Risen from the dead a glorious Conqueror, He is only waiting in the heavens "until the times of the restoration of all things, whereof God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, which has been since the world began." (Acts 3:21)
When men receive Christ by faith they become new creatures, receive the right, and the power, to become the sons of God; and when a complete race shall have thus been made new, the earth will be given them to rule over. You can see that since the earth is corrupt because man is corrupt, (Genesis 6:12) and "is defiled under the inhabitants thereof, because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant," (Isaiah 24:5) it would be useless to make it new until man has been made new; for in that case it would immediately be defiled again. But as soon as man is ready for it, it will be made ready for him.
God has never forsaken man. Looking at the spot where man fell, and lost the dominion, we see Jesus in his place, bearing the curse, thus demonstrating man's lordship in spite of it (Genesis 3:21; Hebrews 2:9); and thus it is that the dominion has really continued unbroken, and what God did at first is and will be for ever. So, "We, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwells righteousness." (2 Peter 3:13)
When Christ comes, "The kingdom, and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High." (Daniel 6:27)
They will sit with Christ on thrones of judgment, judging the ungodly for a thousand years, (Revelation 20:4; 1 Corinthians 6:2-3) and "execute upon them the judgment written." (Psalm 149:9) "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth." (Revelation 21:1)
Then will the voice from heaven say, "Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, ... and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain;" (Revelation 21:3-4) for all things will be made new. (Revelation 21:5) Then will Abraham, to whom it was promised that he, together with his seed, "should be the heir of the world," (Romans 4:13) have found the "better country" (Hebrews 11:16) for which he sought. "For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be; yea, you shall diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace." (Psalm 37:10-11)
And that will be the fullness of the "peace on earth," (Luke 2:14) which the angels sang at the birth of Jesus. Thus will His mission to earth be crowned, and the ways of God to men will be justified.--Present Truth, December 25, 1902.