"Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." —Revelation 14:12
Upon the crystal sea before the throne, that sea of glass, so resplendent with the glory of God, are gathered the company that have "gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name."
With the Lamb upon Mount Zion stand the 144,000, redeemed from among men, and "having the harps of God." And they sing "a new song" before the throne, the song of Moses and the Lamb—a song of deliverance. "These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth." These, having been translated from the earth, from among the living, are counted as "the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb" (Revelation 15:2,3; 14:1-5). They have come "out of great tribulation;" they have passed through the time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation; they have stood through the final outpouring of God’s judgments. But they have been delivered, for they have "washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." "They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters" (Revelation 7:14-17, cf 14:1-5).
In the Bible the inheritance of the saved is called "a country" (Hebrews 11:14-16). There the wide-spreading plains swell into hills of beauty, and the mountains of God rear their lofty summits. On those peaceful plains, beside those living streams, God’s people, so long pilgrims and wanderers, shall find a home.
"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. 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).
Pain cannot exist in the atmosphere of heaven. There will be no more tears, no funeral processions, no badges of mourning. "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" (Revelation 21:4).
As we realize the tender care of Him who makes all things work together for our good, we shall rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.
In the City of God "there shall be no night." None will need or desire repose. There will be no weariness in doing the will of God and offering praise to His name. We shall ever feel the freshness of the morning and shall ever be far from its close. "And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light" (Revelation 22:5).
All the treasures of the universe will be open to the study of God’s children. With unutterable delight we shall enter into the joy and the wisdom of unfallen beings. We shall share the treasures gained through ages upon ages spent in contemplation of God’s handiwork.
Every power will be developed, every capability increased. The grandest enterprises will be carried forward, the loftiest aspirations will be reached, the highest ambitions realized. And still there will arise new heights to surmount, new wonders to admire, new truths to comprehend, fresh objects to call forth the powers of body and mind and soul.
In this life we can only begin to understand the wonderful theme of redemption. But through eternal ages new truth will continually unfold to our wondering and delighted minds. The cross of Christ will be the science and the song of the redeemed through all eternity. Christ glorified illuminates Christ crucified.
The mystery of the cross explains all other mysteries. Mercy, tenderness, and parental love are seen to blend with holiness, justice, and power.
It will be seen that He who is infinite in wisdom could devise no plan for our salvation except the sacrifice of His Son. The compensation for this sacrifice is the joy of peopling the earth with ransomed beings, holy, happy, and immortal. Such is the value of the soul that the Father is satisfied with the price paid; and Christ Himself, beholding the fruits of His great sacrifice, is satisfied.
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