"WHAT SHALL WE HAVE THEREFORE?" MATT. 19:27.
By T. B. Snow
THIS question was asked our Lord by Peter. Before asking it, he had asserted that they had left all to follow him. This being the case, it was quite natural that he should inquire what the result would be. He might have doubted as to the result, since Christ had previously declared that while the "foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests" (Matt. 8:20), the Son of God had not where to lay his head. No wonder, then, that he asked what they were to have for the sacrifice they had made. They had left their boats, nets, and occupation to follow One who had been rich, but for our sakes had become poor. To this question Christ returned a brief yet comprehensive answer. His answer was: "Ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." Matt. 19:28. They were to receive this reward "in the regeneration," or what is the same thing, when "all things are made new." Rev. 21:5. It was to be when Christ should "sit in the throne of his glory."390 The answer to Peter's question was brief, as recorded in Matthew 19, but we can trace the answer through in detail by bringing to our aid other scriptures bearing on the same subject. Going back to the creation of man, we find that he was placed in a beautiful garden which God had planted, and in it had caused to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. Gen. 2:8, 9. In it was also the tree of life, and of knowledge, the latter of which must not be eaten, under penalty of death. Verse 17. In this verse is plainly set forth the idea that as long as man refrained from eating of the forbidden tree, he should live. This garden of God's own planting served for a sample of how the earth was to be subdued, for he had been commanded not only to "subdue" it, but to "multiply and replenish" it, i. e., fill it with inhabitants. From this we see it was God's design that man should live forever on the earth and have dominion (i. e., supreme authority, control) over every living thing. Gen. 1:28. Man sinned, and by sin came death. Rom. 5:12. He lost his life, his dominion, everything, by one act of disobedience. His possessions passed into the hands of one who pretended to be a friend (Gen. 3:1-5; Matt. 4:8, 9), but who was the inveterate enemy of God, Christ, and man. Will God's original purpose be carried out? Will the earth be inhabited by such persons as Adam and Eve would have been had they remained obedient? Will it be wrested from the hands of the usurper and again restored to its Edenic beauty? In Isa. 45:18 we read: "For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited; I am the Lord; and there is none else." The Lord has "established" the earth, that is, he made it "stable and firm."—Webster. He created it for a purpose, "not in vain." What was his purpose?—"He formed it to be inhabited." That was his purpose, and no one can hinder it. Isa. 14:27. He gave the earth to the children of men, but man forfeited his right to it. He has, therefore, no claim upon it; he lost his title to it, and is utterly unable to regain his lost possession, being "wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked," bankrupt. The first intimation that God designs to carry out his original purpose, we find in Gen. 12:1-3. Here Abram was instructed to go into a land that the Lord would show him. Not only this, but he was also promised that he should become a great nation, and that in him all families of the earth should be blessed. After he had departed from his own land and kindred, the Lord informed him that the land to which he had come would be given to his seed. Gen. 12:7. Some time after this the Lord gave him further instruction concerning it. He told him how much land was included in the promise (Gen. 13:14-17), how numerous the inhabitants were to be, and how long they were to possess it (Gen. 17:8). Then, in order that we might have "a strong consolation" (Heb. 6:13-18), the Lord made oath to Abraham that the promise to multiply his seed, and that his seed should possess the gate of his enemies (Gen. 22:16, 17), i. e., possess the land where his enemies lived, should surely be fulfilled to him. To still further impress these promises upon the minds of his people, God repeats the same promise to Isaac, at the same time referring to the oath he had made to Abraham. Gen. 26:3-5. More than seventy years after this God, speaking to Jacob (Gen. 35:10-12), referred to the promise to Abraham and Isaac, and told him he would give this land to him. It is now time to inquire who is referred to by the "seed" in Gen. 13:15. In an inspired comment on this text by the apostle Paul, we learn that the "seed" was Christ. Gal. 3:16. The land which was included in the promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, was to be given to Christ. The next query is, How much land? Was it only the land of Canaan? If this is all that Christ is to have out of the "purchased possession," what is to become of the rest of the earth? Christ came to "seek and to save that which was lost." Luke 19:10. Man's life was lost; he came to save that, to redeem him. Rom. 8:23. Man's possession was lost too; he came to save, to redeem that. Eph. 1:14. It is all bought and paid for with a price, even the blood of Christ. 1 Peter 1:18, 19; 1 Cor. 6:19, 20. Then if Christ has bought us, and paid the price, we belong to him; and if he has redeemed the purchased possession, it also belongs to him. But how much of it is he to have? The promise to Abraham and his seed (Christ) was that he should be heir of the world (Rom. 4:13). These promises were not made to the natural descendants of Abraham to the exclusion of all others, for the blessing promised to Abraham was to come on the Gentiles through Christ (Gal. 3:14); and if we who were Gentiles are Christ's, we become heirs, through him, of the promise which was confirmed by an oath to Abraham (Gal. 3:29). To be the true children of Abraham is to have the faith of Abraham; then he will be our father (Rom. 4:16), and we will be heirs of the promise made to him. But to have the faith of Abraham is to be Christ's, to believe in him, and if we do this, he will give us a place in the inheritance which he has purchased by his own blood. Now, since God's purpose was to have the earth inhabited, and this purpose was manifested in his act of placing man in the Garden of Eden with instruction to subdue the earth and fill it with inhabitants, we can but conclude that when this purpose is consummated, the earth will then be like the sample furnished by the Creator—like the Garden of Eden. In harmony with this thought we will cite a few texts. The tree of life was in the garden (Gen. 2:9), but man, by sinning, forfeited his right to it and was driven from the garden, lest he should partake of the life-giving tree and thus have his life perpetuated, while the right to live was no longer his. Man's right to this tree of life will be restored (Rev. 22:14), but this will be in the earth after it is made new, for the promise is that God will make all things new (Rev. 21:5). The earth is included in "all things," for the Lord says he will create a "new earth." Isa. 65:17. In harmony with this we read (2 Peter 3:5-7, 13), Peter looked for "a new heavens and a new earth according to his promise," in Isa. 65:17, above quoted.