[597]St. John on the Isle of Patmos had a vision of the great Messianic kingdom and described it in symbolic phrase. The word "heaven" symbolically means the invisible ruling power; while the "earth" means organized society. The old heaven has been wicked, because Satan, the wicked one, has been ruling. The old earth has been wicked, because the organizations of men have been under the dominion of Satan. St. John, observing the Messianic kingdom and the blessings that would follow, wrote: "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". Thus he shows the new heaven (the Messianic kingdom) and the new earth (society organized on a righteous basis in the earth). _Sea_ is symbolic of restless humanity, thus picturing the fact that there will be no more strikes, lock-outs, revolutions, or anarchy. Continuing, he describes the kingdom as a holy city, the new Jerusalem, in this beautiful phrase: "And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God"--picturing here the dwelling place of the Lord. The place of meeting between Jehovah and mankind is through the Christ. The results will be the destruction of the enemy death, and the full restoration of the obedient ones; and thus he describes it: "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. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful."--Revelation 21:1-5. [598]Let the reasonable person ask himself these questions: [599]Why would God outline such a marvelous plan as this? [600]Why would he establish a new heaven and a new earth? [601]Why would he awaken the dead out of their graves unless he intended to give them an opportunity to be restored to the perfection enjoyed by Adam before he sinned? [602]God has invited us to use our reasoning faculties (Isaiah 1:18); and if we believe these great truths taught in the Bible, we can reach no other reasonable conclusion than that restitution is the great objective of God's plan relative to the human race, and that restitution blessings are near because the kingdom of heaven is at hand, even at the door. Let those who are cast down look up now; let the sorrowful be glad; let the sad hearts be comforted, and the broken hearts be bound up. Lift up your heads and rejoice in the fact that the day of deliverance for mankind is at the door!