Beautiful Heaven Quotes, Part 6

Beautiful Heaven Quotes, Part 6

Compiled by Grace Gems

Happy beyond conception!
("Solitude Sweetened" by James Meikle, 1730-1799)
To escape my present sorrow, and triumph in the midst of my present grief--let me suppose eternity is at hand, which may very soon, but must before long, be the case. May I not, then, with the eye of all-triumphant faith, think I see myself walking in white with my well-beloved, along the fields of glory, and my whole soul going out to Him in a manner it never could here below! While floods of glory from His reconciled face overflow me, and the smile of His lovely countenance entrances my soul forever! While I join the eternal hallelujahs, and begin the song which none can learn but the chosen number--the sealed ones! With what transport do I mingle with the heavenly multitudes, and, to my extreme comfort, realize that there is not one sinner in the heavenly company! Where all the heavenly multitudes, transforming in His beams, kindling in His flames, and drinking at His ecstatic rivers --are happy beyond conception! The near prospect of that eternal triumph should blunt my present grief, scatter my troubles, and spread serenity in my bosom!
How His eyes will sparkle with delight! (James Smith, "The Good Soldier's Prospect!" 1864)
"Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus!" 2 Timothy 2:3 "There is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award me on that day!" 2 Timothy 4:8 Christian soldier, for encouragement in every conflict--look up to your Captain for supplies--and look forward to the glory that awaits you! The war will soon be over. Your discharge will soon be signed and sent to you. Home is even now in view! The promised land will be far above our greatest expectations! The glory to be revealed will far exceed our most enlarged desires! The weight of glory will transcend our most comprehensive thoughts! A crown is reserved for you! Not a corruptible crown of laurel or myrtle--but a diadem. A diadem of glory! More durable than gold, more costly than any earthy monarch's crown. Gold, pearls, and precious stones--are not to be compared to it! Its gems will sparkle brighter that the stars on a winter's evening! As a whole, it will shine brighter than the sun on a summer's noon! It is a crown of glory--a most glorious crown. Not merited by your labors or sufferings in the Lord's service--but graciously promised, and gratuitously bestowed. Promised by your glorious Leader, preserved most carefully in the palace of the Most High God--to be awarded to every faithful soldier at the final and grand review. Yes, it will be placed on your brow by His hands, who won you to His service, led you to the battlefield, made you victorious, and will rejoice in your honor and happiness forever! It will be worn before God's own throne, before the angelic hosts, among God's saints forever. What thrilling joy, what ecstatic pleasure, what inconceivable delight--will you realize, when you first feel it rest on your brow! What a look will your Savior give you--when you lift up your head that He may place it on you, and your eye meets His! Grace, free grace will shine most gloriously on that day! The songs of the enraptured company will be divinely sweet. O how our blessed Savior's heart will dance for joy! How His eyes will sparkle with delight! His mighty spirit will realize full satisfaction--to see the whole of His redeemed people collected, arranged, and glorified before Him! Not one missing! All whom the Father gave Him--there! All for whom He offered up Himself as a sacrifice--there! All to whom He sent the Comforter--there! All who enlisted under His banner and were sworn into His army--there! Those who were once wounded, weeping, and lagging behind the regiment--there! O glorious salvation--in which every poor, maimed, weather-beaten, discouraged soldier of the cross shall share! What a prospect is this! How bright, how glowing, how enchanting! Then, O with what rapture we will sing, "Unto Him who loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests unto God and His Father--to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever! Amen." Surely, surely we ought to be fired with love, filled with zeal, and prepared for every conflict, however arduous--by such a glorious prospect!
Oh, this is heaven, the heaven of heaven! (Octavius Winslow)
"I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far!" Philippians 1:23 Fellowship with Jesus is the highest, purest, sweetest mercy, a saint of God can have on earth! Yes, it is the highest, purest, sweetest bliss, the saints of God can have in heaven! What is the enjoyment of heaven? Not merely exemption from trial, freedom from sorrow, rest from toil, release from conflict. Oh no! it is the presence--the full unclouded presence of Christ! To be with Christ, to behold His glory, to gaze upon His face, to hear His voice, to feel the throbbings of His bosom, to bask in the effulgence of His presence, Oh, this is heaven, the heaven of heaven!
In that region of unsullied happiness (Thomas Reade, "Christian Experience")
The Good Shepherd guides His flock in safety to the fold above. He alone can strengthen us for the trials of the way. He alone can support us under the last conflict with sin and death. The stream through which we shall have to pass may be tempestuous, but its waves shall not be allowed to overwhelm us. Jesus will carry us in His bosom, and, through His faithfulness and love, will safely land us on the heavenly shore. And oh! what bliss will await us there! No eye has seen, nor ear has heard, no heart has conceived, the glory which shall be revealed in us, as the ransomed of the Lord. We shall be heirs of God! We shall posses Him as our portion, who is the possessor of heaven and earth! We shall be joint heirs with Christ! Though now compassed about with infirmities, we shall then be like the sun in his strength! Though now allied to the dust, we shall then be made kings and priests unto God! We shall sit with Christ upon His throne, and forever drink the living waters of purity and joy! Our toils will there be exchanged for rest. In that region of unsullied happiness Satan cannot reach us; wicked men cannot harm us; grief cannot distress us; sin cannot defile us. The day will forever shed its brightness over us, for the Lamb will be our everlasting light, and our God our glory. We shall then be made like unto Jesus, and shall follow Him, as the trophies of His victory, wherever He goes. O! transporting thought, to be made like unto Jesus! This will form the most blessed ingredient in the happiness of heaven. The glorious image of Christ will never be defaced, but the beautiful lines of the new creature will forever shine in the perfection of beauty, to the praise of redeeming love. Here on earth, we are struggling with imperfection, infirmity, and sin. But there, the happy spirit, disengaged from every weight, will ascend, with lightsome wing, to the bosom of its God and Savior! When we come into that happy world above, to be clothed in the white attire of innocence, it will be impossible for one evil thought to slide into our minds. In that region of perfection there will be... perfect light in our understandings; perfect rectitude in our wills; perfect purity in our affections. In heaven, we shall enjoy eternal communion with God. He will reveal Himself in all the splendor of His glory, in all the fullness of His love. There, with fullness of grace in our hearts, with diadems of glory on our heads, and with the high praises of God upon our tongues, we shall surround His throne, and shall reign with Him forever and ever! Thus our bliss will be perpetual; it will be an Eternal Joy! "Salvation to our God, who sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb!"
Their follies, their burdens, their griefs, their woes! (Charles Spurgeon)
Soon, very soon, the saints of the earth--shall be saints in heaven! Their hairs of 'snowy old age'--shall be crowned with perpetual joy and everlasting youth! Their eyes bathed with tears--shall be made as bright as stars, never to be clouded again by sorrow! Their hearts that now tremble--are to be made joyous and strong, and set forever like pillars in the temple of God. Their follies, their burdens, their griefs, their woes--are soon to be over! Sin is to be forever slain, corruption is to be forever removed--and a heaven of spotless purity and of unmingled peace is to be theirs forever! "For God has reserved a priceless inheritance for His children. It is kept in heaven for you--pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay!" 1 Peter 1:4
What a wretched place would heaven be! (Jonathan Edwards, "The Way of Holiness")
"Nothing impure will ever enter it." Revelation 21:27 Everyone hopes for heaven--and if everyone who hoped for heaven actually went there--heaven would be full of murderers, adulterers, swearers, drunkards, and thieves! It would be full of all manner of wickedness and wicked men--those who are no better than wild beasts, howling wolves, and poisonous serpents. Yes, heaven would be full of incarnate devils! What a wretched place would heaven be--if it were so! That pure, undefiled, glorious place--would be turned into a hell. There would be no happiness there for those who are holy--if they were all mixed up together with wicked men and devils! How would one unsanctified person interrupt their happiness--and fill those regions with the loathsome stench of his sin and filthiness! It is impossible that a God of infinite holiness, who is perfect and hates sin with perfect hatred, who is infinitely lovely and excellent--could embrace in His arms--a filthy, abominable creature, a hideous, detestable monster, more hateful than a toad and more poisonous than a viper! So hateful, base, and abominable--is every unsanctified man! What a pitiable, miserable condition are they in--to step out of this world into an uncertain eternity, with an expectation of finding themselves exceedingly happy and blessed in heaven--and all at once find themselves undeceived--and sinking in the bottomless pit!
Our true, abiding home! (David Harsha, "The Savior's Ascension")
Heaven is now our true, abiding home. While on earth we are strangers and pilgrims, far from our final rest. And while such is our condition here, should we not often think of our heavenly home? Should not Heaven attract us more and more as we journey through life? Shall we still cleave to earth, since Christ has obtained eternal salvation for us, and passed into the heavens to prepare a way for our entrance into those unending joys in the presence of God? Oh, let our best affections be placed on those spiritual and divine things above. Let the noblest aspirations of our minds be after a more intimate knowledge of Jesus. Let us look beyond this valley of tears and keep our eyes fixed on that better country where the Savior ever reigns in glorious majesty; where the fountains of bliss ever flow; where the tree of life ever spreads its delightful shade, and yields its immortal fruits; where all is unending joy, and love, and peace and felicity! Let our hearts be more and more disentangled from the cares and temptations of the present life. Let us live in the world as those who are not of it; as those whose treasure is in Heaven, and whose hearts are there also. The nearer a Christian comes to Heaven, the less he loves or esteems this present world. May our affections rise heavenward, endeavoring to bring the realities of future, eternal things more vividly before our minds, and to realize our interest in them. O my soul, rise above these earthly scenes; and, on the wings of faith, soar to the realms of the blessed, where Jesus is enthroned in unspeakable glory--reigning as my life, my hope, and my treasure! "Blessed Jesus, we beseech You to show us Your glory, and to raise our hearts, our hopes, and our desires, to that blessed world to which You have ascended. O may our souls be daily rising, in holy thought, towards our home where the ransomed of the Lord shall forever obtain joy and gladness. May our thoughts become heavenly, and our hearts be attuned to those songs with which the arches of Heaven shall resound to all eternity! O my Savior, wean my heart from earth, and enable me to place my affection on things above!"
He will wipe every tear from their eyes! ("Every Day!" Author unknown, 1872)
"He will wipe every tear from their eyes--and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever!" Revelation 21:4 This is but a glimpse of the glorious state upon which all the people of God will hereafter enter! There will not only be the absence of all evil--there will be the eternal enjoyment of all good. There will be perpetual vigor, perfect purity, happy service, joyous praise, eternal friendship, holy communion, and unmingled and everlasting bliss! Suffering Christian, a few more pangs--and your last moment of anguish will be past! Bereaved one, in Heaven you will never wear the garments of sadness--you will never lose a friend! Sorrowing one, you will soon heave your last sigh, and have all tears wiped from your eyes! Weary one, your journey is almost ended. Soon you will cross the threshold of your Father's house, find yourself at home, and enter upon the enjoyment of your everlasting rest!
"A few more storms shall beat
On this wild rocky shore,
Then we shall be where tempests cease,
And surges swell no more.
"A few more struggles here,
A few more partings o'er,
A few more toils, a few more tears,
And we shall weep no more!"
The bitterest ingredient in the 'cup of divine displeasure' (Samuel Davies, "Unseen Things to Be Preferred to Seen Things")
"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen--but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary--but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:18 VISIBLE things are perishable--and may soon leave us. When we think that they are ours--they often fly from our embrace! Riches may vanish into smoke and ashes--by an accidental fire! We may be thrown down from the pinnacle of honor--and sink into utter disgrace! Sensual pleasures often end in excess and disgust--or in sickness and death! Our friends are torn from our bleeding hearts by the inexorable hand of death! Our liberty and property may be wrested from us by the hand of tyranny, oppression, or fraud! In a word, there is nothing which we now enjoy--but we may quickly lose! On the other hand, our miseries here on earth are temporary. The heart receives many a wound--but it heals again. Poverty may end in riches. A blemished character may be cleared up; and from disgrace--we may rise to honor. We may recover from sickness. And if we lose one comfort--we may obtain another. But in ETERNITY--everything is everlasting and unchangeable! Happiness and misery are both without end--and the subjects of both well know that this is the case. It is this eternality and perpetuity, which completes the happiness of the inhabitants of heaven; the least suspicion of an end--would intermingle itself with all their enjoyments, and embitter them; for the greater the happiness, the greater the anxiety at the expectation of losing it. But oh, how transporting for the saints on high, to look forward through the succession of eternal ages, with an assurance that they shall be happy through them all, and that they shall feel no change--but from glory unto glory! On the other hand, this is the bitterest ingredient in the 'cup of divine displeasure' in the future state--that the misery is eternal! Oh, with what horror does that despairing cry, "Forever! Forever! Forever!" echo through the vaults of hell! And now, need I offer anything further to convince you of the superior importance of invisible and eternal things--to visible and temporary things? Can you need any arguments to convince you that an eternity of the most perfect happiness--is rather to be chosen than a few years of sordid, unsatisfying sinful pleasures?
Neither Christ nor heaven can be hyperbolized! (Brooks, "A Word in Season to Suffering Saints")
What are all the silks of Persia, the spices of Egypt, the gold of Ophir, and the treasures of both Indies-- compared to the glory of heaven? "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him!" 1 Corinthians 2:9 One of the ancients says, "Our conception of heaven, is as a little drop from the sea. For those glorious things of heaven are so many that they exceed number, so great that they exceed measure, so precious that they are above all estimation!" Says another, "Do you ask me what heaven is? When I meet you there, I will tell you!" Says Jerome, "Are you able to put the whole earth, and all the waters of the sea--into a little pot? Can you hold the oceans in your hand? Can you measure the heavens with your fingers--or weight the hills and mountains with a scale? Just so, it is impossible that you can comprehend the least of the joys of heaven! Certainly, the least of the joys of heaven are inconceivable and inexpressible!" Neither Christ nor heaven can be hyperbolized! "You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand!" Psalm 16:11 "They feast on the abundance of Your house; You give them drink from Your river of delights!" Psalm 36:8
Heaven would be a very hell (Thomas Brooks, "The Crown and Glory of Christianity, or, HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness", 1662)
"Yet they say to God--Leave us alone! We have no desire to know Your ways." Job 21:14 Heaven would be a very hell to an unholy heart. If now--the presence of God in His servants, and the presence of God in His ordinances--is such a hell to unholy souls; ah, what a hell would the presence of God in heaven be--to unholy hearts! It is true, an unholy heart may desire heaven--as it is a place of freedom from troubles, afflictions, oppressions, vexations, etc., and as it is a place of peace, rest, ease, safety, etc. But this is the least and lowest part of heaven. To desire heaven as it is a place of purity, a place of grace, a place of holiness, a place of enjoying God, etc. --is above the reach of an unholy heart. The company of heaven are all holy, the employments of heaven are all holy, the enjoyments of heaven are all holy-- therefore heaven would be a most undesirable thing to unholy hearts. An unholy heart is no way desirous nor ambitious of such a heaven as will rid him of his darling sins, as will make him conformable to a holy God, as will everlastingly divorce him from his precious lusts, as will link him forever to those gracious souls whom he has scorned, despised, and persecuted in this world.
All the ravishments of His presence and love! (J. C. Philpot, "Meditations on 1 Peter")
"Receiving the end of your faith, the salvation of your souls." 1 Peter 1:9 What is to be compared with the salvation of the soul? What are riches, honors, health, long life? What are all the pleasures which the world can offer, sin promise, or the flesh enjoy? What is all that men call good or great? What is everything which the outward eye has seen, or natural ear heard, or has entered into the carnal heart of man --put side by side with being saved by Jesus with an everlasting salvation? Consider what we are saved from--as well as what we are saved unto. From a burning hell--to a blissful heaven! From endless wrath--to eternal glory! From the dreadful company of devils and damned spirits, mutually tormenting and tormented--to the blessed companionship of the glorified saints, all perfectly conformed in body and soul to the image of Christ, with thousands and tens of thousands of holy angels! And, above all, to seeing the glorious Son of God as He is, in all the perfection of His beauty, and all the ravishments of His presence and love! To be done forever with all the sorrows, troubles, and afflictions of this life; all the pains and aches of this poor clay tabernacle; all the darkness, bondage, and misery of the body of sin and death--to be perfectly holy in body and soul, being in both without spot, or blemish--and ever to enjoy uninterrupted union and communion with God! O what a heaven lies before the children of God!