Much of the training given by the Lord to His saints is to make them wise, compassionate rulers. Suffering is an important part of the curriculum. The suffering the saints experience teaches them stern obedience to the Father—the first requirement of a ruler.

Suffering also teaches us patience. Those who govern people must be patient. They must not judge according to their physical eyes or ears but from what they hear from God.

The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain. (II Samuel 23:3,4)

The oppressed of the earth are to lift up their head. Redemption is coming! The righteous King and His righteous princes are at the door! When they come from Heaven the evil governments shall be overthrown—smashed with the rod of iron of the Spirit of God.

Then the poor of the earth will rejoice. The godly will dance for joy and sing in the heights of Zion.

Redemption as the restoration of Paradise to the earth. It is hard to believe such a paradise as the garden in Eden ever actually existed on this earth. But the memory of the garden seems to be present in the subconscious mind of the human race. When we speak of Heaven we often describe it as a garden with the greenest grass, perfect flowers, fruit trees of various kinds, a place of wondrous beauty and undisturbed love, joy, and peace.

Perhaps at one time the spirit realm and the material realm were blended as one environment. Because of the rebellion of the first people, the spirit realm, including the garden that had been in Eden, was withdrawn beyond the clouds. Such a withdrawal would account for the spiritually dead, decaying nature that surrounds us today.

The Scripture states that God, in the hope He would be able to liberate the spiritually dead creation and bring it into the freedom of the glory of the children of God, temporarily subjected the physical world to corruption and worthlessness. When the sons of God are revealed, at the appearing of the Lord, they will go throughout the earth releasing the material world from the bondage of decay and corruption.

For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. (Romans 8:19-21)

The spirit Paradise still exists. The Tree of Life is still in the middle of the garden. But now we cannot see Paradise or the Tree of Life or approach them because they are in a distant, invisible area termed "Heaven."

The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. (Isaiah 11:6-9)

The redemption that is coming will restore Paradise to the earth.

To be continued.