Beautiful Heaven Quotes, Part 5

Beautiful Heaven Quotes, Part 5

Compiled by Grace Gems

All this, and unspeakably more! (John MacDuff)
"Receiving the end of your faith--the salvation of your souls." 1 Peter 1:9 The full and final salvation of our souls, embraces the whole of what God has in reserve for His people through eternity! It includes the enjoyment of those pleasures which no sin can ever pollute, which no sorrow can ever becloud, which no time can ever impair, which no change can ever affect, which no calamity can ever destroy! The full and final salvation of our souls, includes whatever the infinite wisdom of God can devise; whatever the infinite love of God can prepare; whatever the infinite power of God can secure; complete deliverance from the bondage of corruption; entire emancipation from the power of every foe; the body of sin and death forever left behind; every grace, grown to perfect maturity; all the ineffable treasures of eternal glory; all this, and unspeakably more! Welcome shame and sorrow--if such an end shall at length be ours! The ungodly world may despise us; even our nearest friends may forsake us. Yet we can well afford to bear their opposition without a single murmur, if we are only permitted to cherish the hope that our course will eventually terminate in so blissful a consummation! "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined--what God has prepared for those who love Him!" 1 Corinthians 2:9
Let us often think of home! (James Smith, "A Devotional Glimpse at Psalm 23")
"I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever!" Psalm 23:6 Notice, David's expectation for eternity. Not in the sheepfold in the wilderness--but in the house of the Lord! The dwelling-place of God--the family residence of the Father of mercies, and His beloved children. In that house, we shall have all our desires gratified, all our prayers answered, and our highest expectations more than realized! There we shall dwell in peace, united to all the saints, and enjoying the society of all the ransomed brethren! All friendship will be unchangeable, and fellowship perpetual and pure. There we shall dwell and worship--and our worship will be spiritual, pure, and perfect! There we shall dwell and enjoy--and our enjoyments will be dignified, delightful, and eternal. There we shall dwell and obey--and our obedience will be perfect, hearty, and perpetual. There, we shall dwell and rest--and our rest will be sweet, refreshing, and satisfying. There will be no wilderness storms there. There will be no cruel, crafty, malignant foes there. O glorious prospect! O sweet anticipation! In our Father's house are many mansions--and all those mansions will be occupied, for every one beloved and chosen by the Father, every one for whom Jesus became a substitute and sacrifice, every one ever born of the Spirit--will be there! All God's children shall be there--not one of them lost! All God's sheep shall be there--not one hoof left behind! There the Eternal Father will be surrounded by, and enjoy the society of all His happy family. There the glorious Savior will see of the travail of His soul--and be fully and forever satisfied. There the Holy Spirit will fill all His temples, and enjoy His divine workmanship, and the presence of all whom He has prepared for glory. There, Jehovah, at home with His people--will manifest forth His glory, and pour floods of light, love, and blessing upon them forever! Well then may the Psalmist say, "In Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand are eternal pleasures!" Let us often think of home! This vain world is not our rest. Here on earth, we have no continuing city. Home, the home of the believer's heart--is in the skies where Jesus is, where Jesus reigns, where love is perfect, where there is always a full tide of joy, where God displays all his glory, where grace satisfies the utmost desires of every renewed soul.
Fullness of joy! (Meikle)
"In Your presence there is fullness of joy! At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore!" Psalm 16:11 In this present life I may have some tainted pleasures; but in eternity, I shall always have pure delights and holy raptures! In this life I may have at times a measure of health; but in eternity, I shall always have perpetual vigor! In this life I may have some acres of ground; but in eternity, I shall always have an unbounded inheritance in the heavenly Canaan! Here, I may have fine clothing of silk; there I will have robes of righteousness and garments of glory! Here I may have a beautiful house; there I will have a house not made with hands! Here I may have bread to eat and water to drink; there I will have the hidden manna and the river of life! Here I may have a portion of the good things of time; there I will have the glorious treasures of eternity! As to spiritual things, in this life I may have some communications of grace; but in eternity, I shall have eternal glory! Here I have freedom from the reign of sin; there I will have deliverance from the presence of sin! Here I have glances of heaven by faith; there I will have immediate vision of glory! Here I have God in His ordinances; there I will have uninterrupted communion with Him! Here I have some experience of His love; there I will have all the transports of eternal assurance and everlasting bliss! Here I have access to the throne of grace; there I will have continuous attendance at the throne of glory! Here I often sin against God; there I shall never offend His holy heart!
O stand amazed at His free grace! (Thomas Sherman, "Divine Breathings; Or, a Pious Soul Thirsting after Christ")
O precious saint! Three questions call for your answer: 1. What were you? 2. What are you? 3. What shall you be? 1. What were you? Dead in your transgressions and sins, a rebel to your God, a prodigal to your Father, a slave to your lust, the devil's captive, on the highway to hell. 2. What are you? Redeemed by Christ, a royal child of God, the spouse of Christ, the temple of the Holy Spirit, the heir of a priceless eternal inheritance! 3. What shall you be? A glorious saint, a companion of angels, a triumphant victor, a crowned king, an attendant on the Lamb, a participant in those soul-ravishing and ineffable excellencies that are in God! You shall behold the King of Glory face to face--and enjoy immediate communion with Jesus Christ! Nay more, you are made one with Him: clothed with His excellencies, enthroned with His glories, crowned with His eternity, and filled with His felicity! "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him!" 1 Corinthians 2:9 O stand amazed at His free grace--and render all the glory to God!
The bliss of heaven (J. R. Miller, "Our New Edens" 1903)
"They will see His face!" Revelation 22:4 John says that in heaven, "we shall be like Christ--for we shall see Him as He is." 1 John 3:2. While we look upon the brightness of our Master's face--its beauty is imprinted upon us! Looking upon Christ--makes us like Him! Paul teaches the same remarkable truth: "We all, with unveiled faces, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory!" 2 Corinthians 3:18. This transformation is not a heavenly matter alone--it will be completed there, when, all veils removed--we shall look directly into the face of Christ; but it is something for our earthly life too. It begins here, and it goes on, the likeness coming out ever more and more fully and clearly--as we know more and more about Christ. Companionship with Him, communion with Him, looking into His face--prints upon us His likeness! Every day, if we live as we should--some new line of His beauty comes out on our faces! One day we shall slip away from these scenes of earth. Our eyes shall be closed on all familiar things. Next moment--O rapture! they will be opened on the unveiled face of Jesus Christ! That is what 'death' will be to you--if you are God's child. You may now dread death--but it is only going to look at your Redeemer's face! The bliss of heaven will be largely--in being with Christ, in seeing His face, in enjoying His companionship. What bliss it will be in heaven--to look into Christ's face of love--and to have His smile! To see the face of Christ is also a token of high honor. Not many people are admitted to the presence of an earthly king. Only his favorites and those high in rank have this privilege. But in heaven, all of Christ's servants shall see His face. That is, they shall be admitted to the closest fellowship and shall have all the privileges of intimate friends! What a blessed moment it will be--when we are ushered into the presence of Christ! No wonder Paul says, "To depart and be with Christ--is very far better!"
The spy-glass of faith! (Theodore Cuyler, "Words of Cheer for Christian Pilgrims")
"This is not your resting place, because it is defiled, it is ruined, beyond all remedy!" Micah 2:10. This world is not our rest. It is only--our temporary lodging-place, our battle-ground to fight sin and Satan, our vineyard in which to labor for our Master until sundown, our training-school for the development of character and growth in grace. In a little while, perhaps within a few days for some of us--the veil which hides the eternal world may drop--and the gates of the Father's house may open before our astonished vision! If heaven is ready for Christ's redeemed people--then surely they should be making ready for heaven. We ought to think more about our everlasting home. If our treasures are there, then our hearts should be there also--in frequent and joyful anticipations. A Christian, to whom Jesus Christ is real, and the glories of the world to come are real, and who has set his affections set on things above--must inevitably have some deep meditations about his eternal home, and his magnificent inheritance. He loves to read about it, and gathers up eagerly the few grand, striking things which his Bible tells him about that glorious City of God. Sometimes, when cares press heavily, or bodily pains wax sharp, or bereavements darken his house--he gets homesick, and he says, "Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest!" Psalm 55:6 Such devout meditations do not prove any Christian to be a dreamy mystic. They are not the pious sentimentalizings of mourners to whom this world has lost all its charm; nor of enthusiasts whose religion evaporates in mere emotion. The hundred-handed Paul constantly reminds his fellow-workers that "Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ!" Philippians 3:20 It is no wonder that some professors do not catch more distinct glimpses of the celestial world--as their vision is obscured. A very small object when held close to the eye--will hide the noonday sun. Just so, a professor may hold a dollar so close to the eye of his soul--as to shut out both Christ and heaven! Fish shut up in a dark cavern for a long time--become blind. In the same way, we will lose the faculty of spiritual sight--if we shut ourselves up in a cavern of carking worldliness! Those whose hearts are in heaven, and who keep it constantly before their view, have abundant sources of spiritual joy. They renew their strength as they push upward and heavenward. What is it to them-- that the road is long; that the hills of difficulty are steep; that there are often lions in the way; that there are crosses to be carried; and that not far ahead--is that river of death over which there is no bridge! None of these things disturb them! Heaven lies at the end of the way--clothed in its glorious light! From the hilltops they can, with the spy-glass of faith, bring heaven so near--that they can see its gates, and its streets of shining gold, and the Lamb on His throne! These views of our imperishable inheritance of glory, ought to quicken our zeal greatly. The time is short--and shortening every day! It is certain, that he who doesn't love Christ--doesn't love heaven; and he who doesn't love heaven--will never see heaven. A godly life is just a tarrying and a toiling in this earthly tent for Christ--until we go into the heavenly mansions with Christ! Brethren! the miles to heaven are few and short; let us be found busy in heart and hand when the summons sounds, "Come up here!" And they rose to heaven! Revelation 11:12
Some day I shall be like that! (J.R. Miller)
"For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son!" Romans 8:29 No sooner do we begin to behold the beauteous face which looks out at us from the gospel chapters, than a great hope springs up in our hearts--we can become like Jesus! Indeed, if we are God's children, we shall become like Him. We are predestined to be conformed to His image! It matters not how faintly the Divine beauty glimmers now in our soiled and imperfect lives--some day we shall be like Him! As we struggle here with imperfections and infirmities, with scarcely a trace of Christlikeness yet apparent in our life, we still may say, when we catch glimpses of the glorious loveliness of Christ, "Some day I shall be like that!" "We know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is!" 1 John 3:2
The glory of heaven! (Thomas Watson, "The Christian Soldier" 1669)
If the mountains were gold; if every sand in the sea were a diamond; if the whole globe were a shining gem--it would all still be infinitely beneath the glory of heaven! 1. In heaven, there shall be freedom from sin. Here on earth, sin keeps house with us; it is as natural for us to sin--as to breathe. The soul that is most purified, and cleansed by grace, is not without some dregs of corruption. But a sinful thought shall not creep into heaven! There is beauty--which is not stained with lust; and honor--which is not swelled with pride. "Nothing impure will ever enter it!" Revelation 21:27 2. In heaven, there shall be freedom from the assaults of the red dragon. It is sad to have Satan daily soliciting us by his temptations--and laboring to trick us into sin. But the old serpent is forever cast out of the heavenly Paradise! 3. In heaven, there shall be freedom from all afflictions. Our lives now are intertwined with troubles. "My life is consumed by anguish, and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak." Psalm 31:10. There are many things to occasion trouble--sometimes poverty afflicts; sometimes sickness tortures; sometimes the unkindness of friends breaks the heart. Our lives, like the seas, are full of tempests. But in the kingdom of Heaven, there is nothing to give grief. There, all is serene and calm; there is nothing within to trouble us--or without to molest us. 4. The delights of the heavenly kingdom are unmixed. The comforts here below, are checkered. Honor may be stained with disgrace; joy interwoven with sorrow. Our suns are mixed with clouds. But the delicacies of heaven are pure as well as pleasant. There is honey--which has not one drop of gall. The crystal spring of joy, has no settlings of sorrow at the bottom. The rose in that paradise--is without prickles; the sun in that horizon--is without eclipse. This glorious kingdom, will make amends for all our labor and pains!
It is not the glory of the place--it is the beauty of the person! (Archibald Brown, "With Christ!")
"My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better!" Philippians 1:23 Paul does not say, "I have a desire to depart, and to be in Heaven." Oh no! It is far better than that. Nor is it, "I have a desire to depart and to be free of troubles." No, it is, "My desire is to depart and be with Christ!" "With Christ! With Christ!" This honey in the mouth, and the more often you turn it over, the sweeter it becomes! Heaven is not merely a place of golden streets, and pinnacles glittering with the jewels. No! That is not enough for the believer. It is, "With Christ!" All the pearly gates, and all the seraphic praises--fail to make the Heaven of our desire. Our Heaven is to "be with Christ!" It is not the glory of the place--it is the beauty of the person! "With Christ!" Oh, how shall I illustrate it? It is the magnet that makes the soul tremble, and will not let it rest until it points true towards it. "With Christ!" Yes, that is the distant haven on which the mariner gazes as the ship rocks and reels, as the timbers creak, and as the storm blast whistles through the rigging. "With Christ!" These words are the trumpet note that awakens all the heroism in a Christian's soul, and makes him willing to dash into the thickest part of the fray. He says, "I can fight my way through ten thousand foes, for on the other side it is with Christ!"
All happiness, all satisfaction is comprehended in this! (Maria Sandberg, "Glimpses of Heaven!" 1880)
"They will see His face!" Revelation 22:4 What a promise is this! We shall see the face of God and the Lamb who was slain for us! We shall see the face of God in Christ! We shall see Jesus, whom having not seen, we love! All happiness, all satisfaction is comprehended in this! Long have we believed, though we have not seen; long have we desired the glorious vision of Him whom our souls love--then shall it be realized! We shall see His face! If it has been our great delight here below to hear of His loveliness and beauty, and to have a spiritual sense of His presence--what will it be to see the substance of our hope! Yet this happiness will most assuredly be ours--we shall see His face! While we meditate on this hope, may it exercise its transforming power upon us, and conform us now to the image of Christ! "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord--are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory!" 2 Corinthians 3:18 If we hope hereafter to see His face, we must now be, in some measure, changed into the same image. The same holy character must be formed in us, which was in Christ Jesus. He has set us an example, that we should walk in His steps--in His steps of humility, of self-denial, of devotion, of love to God and men, and of zeal for the glory of God. Are we treading in these steps? Do we bear His image now? In one sense, all, both just and unjust, will see the face of Christ; but if we would see His face with joy, and continue in the everlasting vision of it--we must bear the image of Christ now. Let us come down from the mount of heavenly meditation, retaining this truth in our memories, and resolved henceforth to seek more earnestly the grace and help of the Holy Spirit, by whom we shall be conformed to the likeness of our Savior! "Jesus, my Savior, let me be, More perfectly conformed to Thee. Implant each grace--each sin dethrone, And form my temper like Thy own!"
A never-fading beauty! (Thomas Watson, "The Loveliness of Christ")
Here is comfort to those who are by faith, married to Christ. This is their glorious privilege--Christ's beauty and loveliness shall be put upon them! This is the apex and crown of honor--the saints shall not only behold Christ's glory--but be transformed into it! "We shall be like Him!" 1 John 3:2. That is, we shall be irradiated and enameled with His glory! Moses married a black woman--but he could not make her complexion white. But whoever Christ marries--He alters their complexion! He makes them altogether lovely! Other beauty causes pride--but no such worm breeds in heaven. The saints in glory shall admire their own beauty--but not become proud of it. Other beauty is soon lost. The eye weeps to see its furrowed brows, and the cheeks blush at their own paleness; but this is a never-fading beauty! Age cannot wither it; it retains its luster to all eternity! Think of this, O you saints, who mourn now for your sins and bewail your spiritual deformities! Remember, by virtue of your union with Christ, you shall be glorious creatures! Then shall you be brought unto the King in glorious raiment-- and you shall hear Christ pronounce that blessed word, "You are all beautiful, My love--there is no spot in you!" Song of Solomon 4:7
All this, and unspeakably more! (John MacDuff, "The Christian's Pathway" 1858)
"Receiving the end of your faith--the salvation of your souls." 1 Peter 1:9 The full and final salvation of our souls, embraces the whole of what God has in reserve for His people through all eternity! It includes the enjoyment of those pleasures which no sin can ever pollute, which no sorrow can ever becloud, which no time can ever impair, which no change can ever affect, which no calamity can ever destroy! The full and final salvation of our souls, includes all that the infinite wisdom of God can devise; all that the infinite love of God can prepare; all that the infinite power of God can secure; complete deliverance from the bondage of corruption; entire emancipation from the power of every foe; the body of sin and death forever left behind; every grace, grown to perfect maturity; all the ineffable treasures of eternal glory; all this, and unspeakably more! Welcome shame and sorrow--if such an end shall at length be ours! The ungodly world may despise us; even our nearest friends may forsake us. Yet we can well afford to bear their opposition without a single murmur, if we are only permitted to cherish the hope--that our course will eventually terminate in so blissful a consummation! "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined--what God has prepared for those who love Him!" 1 Corinthians 2:9