Heavenly Glory!

Heavenly Glory! by Don Fortner Those who trust the Lord Jesus Christ are "heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ." GLORY awaits us! I do not pretend to know much about it; but I do know this - In that blessed state called GLORY, every chosen, blood bought, saved sinner shall be WITH Christ and LIKE Christ forever! IN HEAVEN'S GLORY, the purpose of God in sovereign, eternal election and predestination will be fulfilled (Rom. 8:29; Eph. 1:4-6). One great object of our heavenly Father in choosing us unto salvation in Christ was that we might be made perfect, holy, unblameable, and unreproveable before him- not just as a matter of judicial record, but in actuality! And God shall have his purpose fulfilled. IN HEAVENLY GLORY, our great Savior "Shall See of the Travail of His Soul, and Shall Be Satisfied." The cross of our Lord Jesus Christ shall not be discovered a miscarriage. Every blood-bought sinner will be presented by him, before the presence of the glory of the triune God, washed in his blood, robed in his righteousness, in the perfection of absolute holiness (Jude 24-25). So thorough and complete is that righteousness which he makes to be ours that when God himself searches for our iniquities, transgressions, and sins, he shall find none! (Jer. 50:20) IN HEAVENLY GLORY, all the truest, deepest desires and longings of every saved sinner shall at last be perfectly fulfilled! What is it that you truly want, my brother, my sister? In the depths of your soul, what do you truly desire? Does your heart long to be free from all sin and pant for perfect holiness? Do you crave perfect, uninterrupted communion and fellowship with Christ? Does your soul beg for grace to live in absolute, perfect consecration to God? All this shall be yours in that state of glory awaiting us. All this, and more, is included in this promise- "We Shall Be LIKE Him, for We Shall See Him as He Is!"

THE END!

(Anonymous)

Have you, my dear reader, thought seriously of the end? The end of this day — the end of this month — the end of this year — the end of this life? Indeed, the end of all earthly things?

The end is surely coming! It may be near!

The end will soon come! This life is short and uncertain at the best. A few more rising and setting suns — and we shall be gone numbered with the dead.

The end may come when you are not looking for it! You hope for long life, many days yet. You may be saying, "Tomorrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant." But God may say to you, as he did to the rich man of old, "You fool! You will die this very night! Then who will get everything you worked for?"

The end may come suddenly, like the flash of the lightning, or stealthily as a thief in the night. "For in such an hour as you think not — the Son of man will come."

The end may come when you are not prepared for it — not prepared at all, or poorly prepared for it. Are you prepared for it now? What assurance have you that you would be in the future? "Procrastination is the thief of time."

O, what shall the end of all earthly things be to you? Would sudden death — be sudden glory? "And if the righteous are scarcely saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?" "But sin, when it is finished, brings forth death." "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Weep not for me!

Weep not for me!
(The following was written by Matthew Henry, and was found after his death.)

Would you know where I am? I am at home in my Father's house — in the mansion Jesus prepared for me there. I am where I want to be — where I have long and often desired to be. I am no longer on a stormy sea — but in a safe and quiet harbor. My working time is done — I am resting! My sowing time is done — I am reaping! My joy is as the joy of harvest!

Would you know how it is with me? I am perfect in holiness; grace is swallowed up in glory! 

Would you know what I am doing? I see God; I see Him as He is; not as through a glass darkly, but face to face. The sight is transforming, it makes me like Him! I am in the sweet enjoyment of my blessed Redeemer, whom my soul loved, and for whose sake I was willing to part with all. I am here bathing myself at the spring-head of heavenly pleasures and unutterable joys; and, therefore, weep not for me. I am here singing hallelujahs incessantly to Him who sits upon the throne, and rest not day or night from praising Him! 

Would you know what company I have? Blessed company — better than the best on earth; here are holy angels, and the spirits of just men made perfect. I am here with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of God; with blessed Paul, and Peter, and James, and John, and all the saints. And here I meet with many old acquaintances that I fasted and prayed with, who came here before me. 

And, lastly, would you consider how long this is to continue? It is a garland that never withers; a crown of glory that never fades away; after millions of millions of ages, it will be as fresh as it is now; and, therefore, weep not for me!

That unutterable glory!

Spurgeon, "Gleanings Among the Sheaves" Is it possible for us to know anything whatever of our heavenly home? Is there power in human intellect to fly into the land of the hereafter, where God's people rest eternally? Our inquiry is met at the outset by what seems a positive denial: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love him." If we paused here, we might give up all idea of beholding that "goodly land and Lebanon"; but we do not pause, for, like the apostle, we go on with the text, and we add, "But God has revealed them unto us by his Spirit." It is possible to look within the veil; God's Spirit can turn it aside for a moment and bid us take a glimpse, though it be a distant one, at that unutterable glory! There are "Pisgahs" even now on the earth, from the top of which the celestial Canaan can be beheld. There are hallowed hours in which the mists and clouds are swept away, and the sun shines in his strength, and our eye, being freed from its natural dimness, beholds something of that land which is very far off, and sees a little of the joy and blessedness which is reserved for the people of God hereafter. By the Holy Spirit there is given to them, even now, in seasons of blissful communion, such experiences, joys, and feelings, as seem to bring heaven down to them, and make them able to realize, in some faint measure, what heaven itself must be.

Weep not! Grieve not! Fear not! Tremble not!

"There remains, then, a rest for the people of God." Hebrews 4:9. (adapted from Octavius Winslow's "Morning Thoughts")  Not yet come to the heavenly rest, we still are approaching it, and, oh ecstatic thought! We shall reach it at last! Are you bereaved? Weep not! Earth has one tie the less, and heaven has one tie more! Are you impoverished of earthly substance? Grieve not! Your imperishable treasure is in heaven! Are you sailing over dark and stormy waters? Fear not! The rising flood but lifts your ark the higher and nearer the mount of perfect safety and endless rest! Are you battling with disease, conscious that life is ebbing and eternity is nearing? Tremble not! There is light and music in your lonely and shaded chamber; the dawn and the chimings of your heavenly home! "I am going home! Transporting thought! True, I leave an earthly one, all so sweet and attractive, but I exchange it for a heavenly one infinitely brighter, more sacred and precious. I am going to Jesus! to the Church Triumphant! to Apostles, Prophets, and Martyrs! to my dear saved ones who line the shore on the other side, prepared to welcome me there. Death, from which I have so often recoiled, is but the triumphal arch through which I pass into 'my Father's house.' Oh, how bright a risen Christ has made it!" "There remains, then, a rest for the people of God."

I AM DEBTOR

I AM DEBTOR When this passing world is done, When has sunk yon glaring sun, When we stand with Christ in glory, Looking over life's finished story, Then Lord, shall I fully know-- Not till then, how much I owe. Chosen not for good in me, Wakened up from wrath to flee, Hidden in the Savior's side, By the Spirit sanctified, Teach me Lord, on earth to show, By my love, how much I owe. Often I walk beneath the cloud, Dark as midnight's gloomy shroud, But when fear is at the height, Jesus comes, and all is light. Blessed Jesus, bid me show, Doubting saints how much I owe. Often the nights of sorrow reign- Weeping, sickness, sighing, pain, But a night Thine anger burns- Morning comes, and joy returns. God of comforts! bid me show, To Thy poor, how much I owe. Even on earth, as through a glass, Darkly, let Thy glory pass, Make forgiveness feel s sweet, Make your Spirit's help so meet, Even on earth Lord, make me know, Something of how much I owe. When I stand before the throne, Dressed in beauty not my own, When I see Thee as Thou art, Love Thee with unsinning heart, Then Lord, shall I fully know, Not till then, how much I owe. When the praise of heaven I hear, Loud as thunder to my ear, Loud as many waters' noise, Sweet as harp's melodious voice, Then Lord, shall I fully know, Not till then, how much I owe. When I hear the wicked call, On the rocks and hills to fall, When I see them start and shrink, On the fiery deluge brink, Then Lord, shall I fully know, Not till then, how much I owe. When this passing world is done, When has sunk yon glaring sun, When we stand with Christ in glory, Looking over life's finished story, Then Lord, shall I fully know-- Not till then, how much I owe. -M'Cheyne

The contracting walls!

The contracting walls!

(J.R. Miller)

"It is appointed for man once to die — and after that comes judgment!" Hebrews 9:27

There was a mediaeval dungeon of singular construction. When the prisoner first entered it — it seemed very bright and pleasant. It had a cheerful appearance. But in three or four days, he saw that the walls, which were of iron, were slowly contracting. On oiled hinges and in silent grooves, the metal plates were ever drawing nearer and nearer to each other.

By and by the prisoner could hardly move. Then the place was too small for him to lie down in. The next day, there was only room for him to stand. Now he put his hands frantically against the iron walls to keep them from crushing him. But all was in vain. The walls silently and remorselessly closed upon him.

In the same way, your years are the walls of just such a prison. They are bright and beautiful to you. But each day the prison is contracting, its walls are narrowing around you. With every pulse-beat, the iron walls draw closer and closer around your soul.

The only refuge from this prison, is Christ. Without Christ, life means nothing but illusion and disappointment, ending in death and eternal damnation! Christ is the only door into liberty, into blessedness, into joy, into Heaven!

"For the wages of sin is death" Romans 6:23

"I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved!" John 10:9