the new
heavens to man's new dwelling-place, the new earth. It presents a
wondrous, joyous appearance as of a bride adorned for her husband.

Then a great voice out of the throne speaks of this ideal in the heart
of God for Himself and His friend, man. "Look! God has pitched His tent
down amongst men, and they shall be His peoples, and He will be their
God." He will live with them as a Father-mother-God, personally caring
for each one, Himself wiping away every tear from every eye. A single
tear and a single pair of eyes will be enough to claim His personal
attention at once.

His presence insures the absence forever of death, and mourning, and
pain, and crying. The dirge music has sung its last song. The minor
chords are gone. All the old things of a sorrowful sort are quite gone.
And as John looks He that sitteth on the throne makes the glad
announcement, "_Behold, I make all things new._" And John is bidden to
write all this, for "_these words are faithful and true_."

And again the One on the throne seems to look eagerly forward to His
ideal as already actually accomplished: "They are come to pass." And to
let John feel the certainty of it all He says, "I am the Alpha and the
Omega, the beginning and the end." The power that has done all from
creation's morn will complete all clear to the end.

And then the tenderness of that highest love which finds expression in
the personal touch comes out in the next words: "I will give unto him
that is athirst of the fountain of life freely." The smallest need of
any one will have His personal thought and attention, and they shall
have the best there is, and have it in abundance.

And the old pleading that runs like a strain of music throughout these
pages comes again: "He that _overcometh_ shall inherit these things. I
will be His God, and he shall be my son," and so entitled to the
inheritance.

Then plainly, clearly, with all the honesty of love, comes the warning
of the terrible outcome for those who refuse His tender love. It is most
significant that this most winsome picture at the end of the book
contains the dark, black shadows, which remain in the picture at the
end.

All this is spoken directly to John by God Himself. It is not sent by an
angel, or by a redeemed human messenger. It comes to John direct with
all the force and tenderness of a word spoken to him out of the very
heart of God.

And now an angel carries John off to let him see this that is called