THE SOCIETY
"You have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly
Jerusalem, and to thousands of angels in joyful assembly. You have
come to the assembly of God's firstborn children, whose names are
written in heaven. You have come to God himself, who is the judge of
all people. And you have come to the spirits of the redeemed in heaven who
have now been made perfect. You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the
new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which
graciously forgives instead of crying out for vengeance as the blood of Abel
did." Hebrews 12:22-24
The society of Immanuel's land forms a principal part of celestial
happiness. Were a saint to be excluded from the society of the upper
sanctuary, he could not be happy though surrounded by all the glories of the
heavenly Jerusalem. Heaven is a state of sweet, uninterrupted communion.
There the redeemed will meet in blissful harmony, no more to separate.
There, they shall meet with the people of God who have lived in every age of
the world; there they shall converse with those bright angelic beings that
never sinned; and there they shall have the blissful society and glorious
presence of Him whom their souls love above every sublunary object- they
shall be forever with the Lord.
The contemplation of heavenly society should lead every reader to seek the
happy shores of that world where all the inhabitants are united in one sweet
bond of affection and love. We shall briefly notice the PURE AND PERFECT
SOCIETY THAT THE REDEEMED ARE TO ENJOY THROUGH COUNTLESS AGES, in Immanuel's
land.
1. In heaven, the saints shall have the society of their REDEEMED BRETHREN
of every age and nation. There, we shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob, in the kingdom of Immanuel. We shall meet with the excellent of the
earth. We shall be associated with Patriarchs and Prophets- with Apostles
and Martyrs- with all the lovers of the Savior. And what a blessed society
will this be, where every heart is full of love and every tongue flowing
with praise!
Can a doubt be entertained that the saints will know one another in glory?
Surely not. If the disciples knew Moses and Elijah standing on Mount Tabor,
may we not expect to know them too, when standing on the Mount of God? Paul
tells the Thessalonians that they are his hope, and joy, and crown of
rejoicing at the coming of the Lord; and when he would comfort those who
were mourning the loss of pious friends, he sets before them the blessed
hope of meeting them on that great and joyous morning when the dead in
Christ shall burst the fetters of the grave and arise to immortality.
Nothing will be lacking to perfect the happiness of the redeemed in glory.
We may then anticipate the most delightful associations- the most intimate
acquaintances. O how delightful will it be to converse with Moses and
Elijah, with David and Isaiah, with Paul and the twelve Apostles of the
Lamb; to hear from their own lips the tale of their wonderful history! How
joyful will such society be! When we land on the shores of glory we shall
enjoy the society of all those faithful ambassadors of the cross of Jesus,
who proclaimed salvation to a dying world. There we shall be associated with
such men as Luther, Calvin, Baxter, Flavel, Owen, Watts, Doddridge, Edwards,
Payson, Chalmers and McCheyne; men who were so strongly attached to the
cause of Christ, and so entirely devoted to his service. All the ransomed of
the Lord shall dwell together in one happy home!
In the word of God heaven is represented as a social state: "After this I
saw a great multitude, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and
people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb.
They were clothed in white and held palm branches in their hands." We shall
have the most endeared society in the world of glory. We shall meet again,
on the peaceful shore, those dear friends with whom we took sweet council
together, and went to the house of God in company, until death parted us.
How joyful will that meeting be, when we shall mingle again with our
Christian relatives in the Celestial Sanctuary! "All who are victorious will
become pillars in the Temple of my God, and they will never have to leave
it. And I will write my God's name on them, and they will be citizens in the
city of my God—the new Jerusalem that comes down from heaven from my God.
And they will have my new name inscribed upon them."
In Immanuel's land, there is no more parting, and there the word "Farewell"
never breaks the heart. What a consolation does this blessed truth
administer to the bereaved Christian! Perhaps the eyes of such are now
resting on these lines; if so, we say to you, dear reader- "And now,
brothers and sisters, I want you to know what will happen to the Christians
who have died so you will not be full of sorrow like people who have no
hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we
also believe that when Jesus comes, God will bring back with Jesus all the
Christians who have died." Be followers of them who through faith and
patience inherit the promises; and very soon you will reach the peaceful
shores of glory, and meet your godly relatives in blissful harmony ant
adoring praise. "Therefore comfort one another with these words."
2. In the celestial world, the saints shall have the society of holy angels-
AN INNUMERABLE COMPANY OF ANGELS. Those ministering spirits who watched over
our footsteps on earth, will be our companions in glory. With them we shall
unite in the contemplation of redemption, and join in the praises of
Immanuel, singing in a mighty chorus: "The Lamb is worthy—the Lamb who was
killed. He is worthy to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and
honor and glory and blessing."
"And then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth
and in the sea. They also sang: 'Blessing and honor and glory and power
belong to the one sitting on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever.'"
3. But the crowning bliss of heaven is THE ENJOYMENT OF GOD- Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit. In those bright realms, we shall enjoy the society of our
Heavenly FATHER; we shall see his face. "Blessed are the pure in heart, for
they shall see God." "And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in
their foreheads." This blissful sight and enjoyment of God is the perfection
of happiness- all that the soul desires. No heart can conceive how sweet
that communion between a holy God and redeemed saints will be in the
mansions of bliss. There, God will he near his people in a peculiar manner,
to bless them with his glorious presence- to comfort them with the full
assurance of his love, and the eternal smiles of hit countenance. "I heard a
loud shout from the throne, saying, 'Look, the home of God is now among his
people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself
will be with them. He will remove all of their sorrows, and there will be no
more death or sorrow or crying or pain. For the old world and its evils are
gone forever.'"
Standing before his throne, and seeing his face in righteousness, we shall
behold the glorious manifestation of his grace and love beaming upon us to
all eternity! When we enter the portals of glory, we shall see the King of
Zion in his beauty, and be perfectly blessed in the full enjoyment of his
endearing society through heaven's eternal day.
"There shall I see your smiling face,
And never, never sin,
There, from the rivers of your grace,
Drink, endless pleasures in."
4. The saints shall have the society of CHRIST IN GLORY. This is the
principal attraction of the heavenly world. In those blessed regions, dwells
tic glorious Savior with his people. "He who sits on the throne will live
among them and shelter them." Oh! to dwell in the presence of him who loved
us and washed us from our sins in his own blood! What heart can conceive the
unutterable joy! The presence of Jesus makes the heaven of the believer. It
is the heartfelt desire of every renewed soul to be with Christ- to enjoy
his society. The saints never feel themselves happy until they are with Him,
who is, in their estimate, the chief among ten thousand, and altogether
lovely.
The presence of Jesus is the very center of heavenly bliss! It is the
felicity- the glory of the saints above. In the presence our Immanuel there
is fullness of joy, and pleasures for evermore. When the Christian meditates
on the glories of the Savior- when he considers that this adorable Savior
died for him- when he reflects that he is soon to dwell with Him in the
courts of Paradise, no wonder that he should soar on the wings of faith,
beyond the visions of a mortal scene, and exclaim with the Psalmist, "Whom
have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. My
health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength
of my heart; he is mine forever!"
The sweet thought of the society of Jesus in glory made Paul long to be
dissolved, that he might be with his Savior. "For to me, living is for
Christ, and dying is even better. Yet if I live, that means fruitful service
for Christ. I really don't know which is better. I'm torn between two
desires: Sometimes I want to live, and sometimes I long to go and be with
Christ. That would be far better for me."
The blessed hope of entering into the immediate presence of a loving Savior,
made the martyrs pass through flames to the portals of bliss; and it will
make every one who knows and is fully assured that his Redeemer lives, meet
death with a smile. When the Christian knows that to die is only to depart
and be with Christ, no wonder that he should exclaim with his departing
breath, in transports of joy, "Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly!"
The redeemed will ever enjoy the glorious presence and blissful society of
the Lord Jesus, in mansions of endless felicity. "So shall we ever be with
the Lord." "Where I am," says Christ, "there shall also my servant be." And
again, "Father, I want these whom you've given me to be with me, so they can
see my glory. You gave me the glory because you loved me even before the
world began!" This is heaven, the glorious habitation of the redeemed.
To enjoy sweet communion with a glorified Savior, is to be in a state of
perfect happiness. This unspeakable blessedness awaits all the friends of
Jesus in a world of glory. O happy thought! When the bright morning of the
resurrection shall dawn upon our enraptured souls, we shall behold, with our
bodily eyes, that Savior who once left the realms of bliss and poured out
his precious blood on Calvary for our redemption! How lovely and attractive
will he then appear as our Redeemer! How will his glory shine in the
celestial sanctuary! And how will our souls burn with seraphic love, and
rise it adoration and praise when we shall behold him as he is, on his
heavenly throne, radiant in glory; when we shall see his hands and feet, and
side and head, which were once wounded for our transgressions, and bruised
for our iniquities; when we shall forever bask in the light of his
life-giving countenance, and taste through eternity the sweetness of his
immortal love! What fountains of joy and rivers of pleasure will emanate
from his blissful presence to exhilarate our happy spirits while eternal
ages roll on!
Dear believer, in a little while your eyes shall behold the King in his
beauty, and the glorious land that is afar off.
"Hail, sovereign love that first began,
The scheme to rescue fallen man;
Hail matchless free eternal grace,
That gave my soul a hiding place.
Against the God who rules the sky,
I fought with hand uplifted high,
Despised the mention of His grace,
Too proud to seek a hiding place.
Enwrapped in thick Egyptian night,
And fond of darkness more than light,
Madly I ran the sinful race,
Secure without a hiding place.
But thus the eternal counsel ran,
'Almighty Love, arrest that man!'
I felt the arrows of distress,
And found I had no hiding place.
Indignant justice stood in view,
To Sinai's fiery mount I flew,
But Justice cried with frowning face,
'This mountain is no hiding place!'
Ere long a heavenly voice I heard,
And Mercy's angel form appeared.
Who led me on with gentle pace,
To Jesus Christ, my hiding place.
On Him Almighty vengeance fell,
That must have sunk a world to hell;
He bore it for a chosen race,
And thus became their hiding place.
Should storms of sevenfold vengeance roll,
And shake this earth from pole to pole;
No flaming bolt could daunt my face,
For Jesus is my hiding place.
A few more rolling suns at most,
Shall land me safe on heaven's coast.
There I shall sing the song of grace,
To Jesus Christ, my hiding place!
A few more rolling suns, at most,
Will land you on fair Canaan's coast.
Then you shall sing the song of grace,
And see your Savior face to face."