We Look for New Heavens and a New Earth

At the cherubim-guarded gate of Paradise the divine glory was revealed. Hither came Adam and his sons to worship God. Here they renewed their vows of obedience to that law the transgression of which had banished them from Eden. When the tide of iniquity overspread the world, and the wickedness of men determined their destruction by a flood of waters, the hand that had planted Eden withdrew it from the earth. But in the final restitution, when there shall be “a new heaven and a new earth,” it is to be restored more gloriously adorned than at the beginning. Then they that have kept God’s commandments shall breathe in immortal vigor beneath the tree of life; and through unending ages the inhabitants of sinless worlds shall behold, in that garden of delight, a sample of the perfect work of God’s creation, untouched by the curse of sin,—a sample of what the whole earth would have become, had man but fulfilled the Creator’s glorious plan.—Patriarchs and Prophets, 62.

There will be music there, and song, such music and song as, save in the visions of God, no mortal ear has heard or mind conceived…. There every power will be developed, every capability increased. The grandest enterprises will be carried forward, the loftiest aspirations will be reached, the highest ambitions realized. And still there will arise new heights to surmount, new wonders to admire, new truths to comprehend, fresh objects to call forth the powers of body and mind and soul. All the treasures of the universe will be open to the study of God’s children.—Education, 307.
With God at Dawn p. 353
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Prayer Requests
—-Please continue to pray for E and children. R
—-Asking for prayer for my daughter Jessica who is dealing with a horrible ex-husband who is not following Jesus and divorced her for coming back to the Adventist church. He has a new live-in girlfriend and is now trying to take their two little boys away from her. She is so stressed out. Please pray for her peace and that Satan’s plans will be thwarted! Shari
—-My daughter Ariana, came down really sick today with a fever and we’re hoping it’s not covid, please pray for her, she’s 19 living with room mates and left the church years ago. David
—-Please pray for Maya’s friend Keegan. He has pneumonia and must be intubated. He’s her age, so around 4. That must be really scary, but Jesus knows our needs before we even ask. Maya’s mom is good friends with Keegan’s mom and is specifically asking for prayers for him. Jennifer
—-Please pray for Marick 14 who has brain damage from an ATV accident. S
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Dear Friends,

After having worked for Gibson’s (a guitar manufacturer based at that time in Kalamazoo) for many years, my mother was laid off from work. This was something that the new owners of the business did to all of the older employees to keep from having to pay more pension to them. First, they studied each worker who had been there for many years and put them on jobs that it was physically impossible for them to do.

They noticed that my mother was not at all muscular. She had worked as an adjuster/inspector for years. It was easy work. When the guitar was finished, she gave it a visual inspection, put the strings on it, tuned it and played it. If it met their specifications, she passed it. If not, she sent it to someone who would repair it. She was very good at what she did, as she had a good ear for music. She liked the job so much that she looked forward to going to work.

That was soon to end. One day, they took her to a large sanding machine and told her that she would be working there from then on. She had to lift wide, heavy boards and place them in the sander, walk around to the other side, flip them over so they could be sanded the other direction. This job was beyond her strength, but she had no choice. She was still too young to retire. Day after day, she worked beyond her strength. She went to the union where she had paid dues for years. They didn’t even try to help. She wondered why she had been paying them. Finally, after months of this treatment, the company said she wasn’t able to do her job and laid her off permanently. This meant that she would not get a good pension when she did retire. It was grossly unfair, but there was nothing that she could do about it.

Since that time, I have heard of other companies using the same tactics against their employees. Well does James exclaim of these modern times, “Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth. Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.” James 5:1-5 Paul adds, “the love of money is the root of all evil.” 1 Tim 6:10

How many times, people defraud one another for their own selfish purpose. How vigorously they trample others underfoot in order to reach the “top.” How often they hoard their treasure rather than use it for the blessing of others. The One Who sees all warns, “Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. And he spake a parable unto them, saying, the ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, what shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:15-21 Indeed, when they see Jesus coming in the clouds they will someday cry “to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” Rev 6:16, 17

May we be careful how we treat those around us for our Saviour is interested in their welfare just as much as He is in ours, for He gave His life for them as well as for ourselves. May we “seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness” for that is much more important than any gain of position or wealth this world has to offer. Matt 6:33 May we daily claim the promise, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Phil 4:19

Rose