Beautiful Heaven Quotes, Part 14

Beautiful Heaven Quotes, Part 14

Compiled by Grace Gems

Millions of millions of millions of millions of years! (Charles Spurgeon)
"In Your presence is fullness of joy! At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore!" Psalm 16:11 A million million--what must that be? The human mind cannot grasp the meaning of such vast numbers--yet, when millions of millions of millions of millions of years have passed over the heads of Christ's saints in glory, this text will not be exhausted! No, more--not one jot or tittle of it will be exhausted--and throughout eternity it will still be, "pleasures forevermore!" Ah, my brethren, this prize is worth winning! Eternal life is worth having! And it shall be the portion of every true believer! "Come, you who are blessed by My Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world!" Matthew 25:34 "And so we will be with the Lord forever!" 1 Thessalonians 4:17
A poor, despised, contemptible thing (Thomas Brooks, "A String of Pearls" 1657)
"In Your presence is abundant joy; in Your right hand are eternal pleasures!" Psalm 16:11 Most professors live as if there were no heaven; or else as if heaven were not worth a seeking, worth a desiring--as if heaven were a poor, despised, contemptible thing. But ah, Christians! be much in desiring and longing to get into that glorious city--where streets, walls, and gates are all gold--yes, where pearl is but as mire and dirt; and where are all pleasures, all treasures, all delights, all comforts, all contentments --and that forever! This word "forever" is a bottomless depth, a conception without end; it is a word which sweetens all the glory above, and which indeed makes heaven to be heaven! "And so we will be with the Lord forever!" 1 Thess. 4:17
The happiness of Heaven (Thomas Sherman, "Divine Breathings; Or, a Pious Soul Thirsting after Christ")
"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 The vessel of our soul is too capacious to be filled with all the pleasures and delights the world put together. But hereafter, our pleasures and delights shall be too great for the most capacious vessel to hold! Our glory shall be so great, that power as well as goodness, shall be given by God Himself, to renew and enlarge these vessels, that they may be capable of receiving and retaining that glory. Strength and love shall go forth together, to prepare and elevate our dispositions, that they may be suitable for such a transcendent and exalted state! At present, we are too weak to bear such a weight of glory; therefore God will immortalize us--that we may be able to sustain it! And because our eternal joys cannot fully enter into us while in this world--we shall fully enter into them in heaven. What fool would place only a few drops of carnal pleasures into so large a vessel as the soul--and neglect the spring, or rather the ocean of unspeakable bliss, and everlasting glory! O my soul, what a glorious day is coming, when the vessels of mercy shall be cast into the ocean of mercy, and be filled to the very brim with divine mercy! Then the soul that is love-sick for Jesus--shall lie in the bosom of divine love, and forever be satisfied with unfathomable love! Then the children of God shall have a full fruition of God, and be forever satisfied with the presence of God! The joy of His glorious presence, the fullness of His joy, the sweetness of this fullness, the eternity of this sweetness--the heart of man can never adequately comprehend. Lord, let the glory which you have prepared for me--turn my soul from the vanities of earth! "You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand!" Psalm 16:11
Weep not! Grieve not! Fear not! Tremble not! (adapted from Octavius Winslow's "Morning Thoughts")
"There remains, then, a rest for the people of God." Hebrews 4:9. 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."
You shall be without fault! (Maria Sandberg, "Glimpses of Heaven!" 1880)
"These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men . . . they are without fault before the throne of God!" Revelation 14:5 To the believer burdened with inward conflict, and struggling against the sin which dwells in him--what a blessed glimpse of Heaven is this! Free from sin--how delightful! What can convey a picture of greater happiness? A joyful multitude without fault before the throne of God! This is the bliss for which he sighs--the end which he purposes through grace to attain. Even now, he is striving after it; striving daily to be without fault. But as he grows in self-knowledge, he sees more and more the many faults and failings into which he falls, and he would sink in despair, and give up the conflict--but for the hope of final victory in Heaven. "They are without fault before the throne of God!" And when you reach that throne, oh, tempted soul, such will be your happy lot! But remember, you must persevere in your way to it. You must hate every sin, and wrestle and strive after perfect holiness. This alone is the way of preparation for the heavenly bliss to which you aspire. Aim at perfect holiness, long after it, pray for it; though you do not attain it fully here on earth. Yes, you will feel that you are on your way to the mansions of holiness! And the thought that when you arrive there, you shall be without fault, will strengthen and nerve you for the battle. The hope of final triumph and success will encourage you. The certainty of victory will cheer your heart. The assurance of your being forever without fault before the throne of God, will be to you a foretaste of eternal happiness! "You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you!" Song of Songs 4:7
"I have a home above,
From sin and sorrow free;
A mansion which eternal love
Designed and formed for me!
My Father's gracious hand
Has built this sweet abode;
From everlasting it was planned,
My dwelling-place with God!
My Savior's precious blood
Has made my title sure;
He passed through death's dark raging flood,
To make my rest secure!
The Comforter has come,
The earnest has been given;
He leads me onward to the home
Reserved for me in Heaven.
Your love, O precious Lord,
My joy and strength shall be;
Til You shall speak the gladdening word
That bids me rise to Thee!
And then through endless days,
Where all Your glories shine;
In happier, holier strains, I'll praise
The grace that made me Thine!"
One everlasting memorial of anguish and suffering (John MacDuff, 1818--1895)
"Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang--Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!" Revelation 5:11-12 What an anthem is this! No harp is unstrung, no voice silent. One strain thrills on every tongue--"Worthy is the Lamb who was slain!" What an attestation to God's immaculate holiness, His burning purity, His unimpeachable rectitude, His boundless mercy! In Heaven, there shall still be one everlasting memorial of anguish and suffering--in a place where pain never enters and suffering is unknown! Accordingly, when the Redeemer puts the coronation anthem into the lips of His worshipers, He reveals Himself, not in the glories of Godhead--but as a slain Lamb, wearing the marks of humiliation. He tells them to make Calvary still their meditation, and His Cross and Passion the great center of eternity. The print of the nails in His hands, and the spear-mark in His side, are not the mementos of shame but of victory--remembrancers of a love whose depths the ages cannot fathom! The vision of the text thus becomes the mightiest of preachers, replete to the multitudes above, with the story of grace. There is a tongue in every wound of the glorified Sufferer--silently but expressively proclaiming the great love that He had for us! As the slain Lamb, Jesus proclaims that the same heart which throbbed in anguish on the Cross--still beats on the Throne; that He is still the Almighty Friend. Precious assurance! Jesus unchanged and unchangeable! This same Jesus, who mingled His tears with the widow at the gate of Nain; who wept over the memory of a cherished friendship, and was melted in a flood of tenderest compassion over an apostate land; this same Jesus, who breathed balm-words of comfort on the very eve of His own agony, and in the midst of it welcomed a dying felon to Paradise--is now, with a heart of unaltered love and sympathy--wielding the scepter of universal empire!
I would fly away, and be at rest! (Arthur Pink, "The Rest of Christ")
"Come unto Me all you who labor and are heavy laden--and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28 There is also a FUTURE rest beyond any that can be experienced here, though our best conceptions are most inadequate of the glory awaiting the people of God. In Heaven, there shall be a perfect resting from all of our sins--for nothing shall ever enter there, which could either defile or disturb our peace. The Christian yearns to be done with sin forever--that there may never again be anything in his heart or life dishonoring unto the One who has redeemed him at such infinite cost. He pants for perfect conformity to the image of Christ, and for unbroken fellowship with Him. What it will mean to be delivered from indwelling corruptions--no mortal tongue can tell. The plague of their hearts is a constant occasion of grief to the saints--as long as they are left in this wilderness of sin. It is a burden under which they groan, and from which they long to be delivered. The closer a believer's walk with the Lord, and the more intimate his communion with Him--the more bitterly he bewails that sin within him, which is ever fighting against his endeavors after holiness. Therefore it was, that the Apostle cried out, "O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from this body of death!" (Romans 7:24) But blessed be God, we shall not carry this burden beyond the grave--the hour of death will free us from all indwelling evil. In Heaven, there will be perpetual rest from all our afflictions. Though afflictions are needful for us in this present scene, and when sanctified to us are also profitable; nevertheless they are grievous to bear. But a day is coming when such tribulations will no longer be necessary, for all the dross shall have been purged from the gold. The storms of life will all be behind, and an unbroken calm shall be the believer's portion forever and ever! Where there shall be no more sin--there shall be no more sorrow! "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 old world and its evils are gone forever!" Revelation 21:4 "Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then I would fly away, and be at rest!" Psalm 55:6
Sheep or goat? (Thomas Boston, "Human Nature in its Fourfold State")
"When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on His left. Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed by My Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.'" Matthew 25:31-34 "Then He will say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.' Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." Matthew 25:41, 46 The general judgment is plainly and solemnly described in this portion of Scripture. We shall take notice of the following particulars: 1. The coming of the Judge. "When the Son of Man comes in His glory," etc. The Judge is Jesus Christ, by whose almighty power, the dead will be raised. He is also called the King, verse 34, the judging of the world being an act of the royal Mediator’s kingly office. He will come in glory; glorious in His own person, and having a glorious retinue, even all the holy angels with Him, to minister unto Him at this great solemnity. 2. The mounting the tribunal. He is a King, and therefore it is a throne, a glorious throne, "He will sit on His throne in heavenly glory," verse 31. 3. The appearance of the parties. These are--all nations; all and every one, small and great, of whatever nation, who ever were, are, or shall be on the face of the earth. All shall be gathered before Him, summoned before His tribunal. 4. The separating of them. He shall separate the elect sheep and reprobate goats, setting each group by themselves. The godly He will set on His right hand, as the most honorable place; the wicked on the left, verse 33. 5. The sentencing of the parties, and that according to their works; the righteous being absolved, and the wicked condemned, verse 34-41. 6. The execution of both sentences, in the driving away of the wicked into hell, and carrying the godly to heaven, verse 46.
God will dry your tears! (Octavius Winslow, "Day Breaking")
"God will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain." Revelation 21:4 What a cluster of sweet hopes is here! What a collection of bright beams throwing, in focal power, their splendor over that cloudless day. Child of solitude and sorrow! sick ones dear to Christ! bereaved mourners! hear these precious words--and let music break from your lips! You know how the mother comforts her sorrowing babe. See how God will comfort His. God will dry your tears! Will God Himself wipe my tears away? Yes, child of grief, there will be no more weeping then, for, O ecstatic thought! "God will wipe every tear from their eyes!" O kind and condescending Father! No more frustrated plans, no more bitter disappointments, no more withered hopes, no more corroding cares, will mingle with the deep sea of bliss, now pouring its tide of joyousness over the soul. "God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." Revelation 7:17
Swim in an ocean of unmixed delight (Thomas Boston, "Human Nature in its Fourfold State")
Heaven is a paradise of pleasure and delight. The glorified saints are advanced to this heavenly paradise. There they shall not only see, but "eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God," Rev. 2:7. They shall behold the Mediator's glory, and be satisfied with His goodness. They shall "drink from Your rivers of delight," Psalm 36:8, the sweetest and purest pleasures which Immanuel's land affords, and shall swim in an ocean of unmixed delight forevermore! They shall lack nothing that may contribute to their full satisfaction. They may go forever through Immanuel's land, and behold the glory and riches thereof, with the satisfying thought that all they see is eternally their own! "He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be My son!" Revelation 21:7
A world without night! A heaven without a sun! (John MacDuff, "The Faithful Promiser")
"And the city has no need of sun or moon--for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light!" Revelation 21:23 "There shall be no night there!" Revelation 21:25 My soul! is it night with you here? Are you wearied with these midnight tossings on life's tumultuous sea? Be still! The day is breaking! Soon shall your Lord appear! That glorious appearing shall disperse every cloud, and usher in an eternal noontide which knows no twilight. "The Lord will be your everlasting light--and your God will be your glory! Your days of sorrow will come to an end!" Everlasting light! Wondrous secret of a nightless world--the glories of a present God! Strange realities! A world without night! A heaven without a sun! And, greater wonder still, yourself in this world--a joyful citizen of this nightless, sinless, sorrowless, tearless Heaven--basking underneath the Fountain of uncreated light! No exhaustion of glorified body and spirit to require repose; no lassitude or weariness to suspend the ever-deepening song, "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain--to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!"
The cream of heaven! Spurgeon, "The Heaven of Heaven" No. 824.
"They shall see his face." Revelation 22:4. It is the chief blessing of heaven, the cream of heaven, the heaven of heaven, that the saints shall there see Jesus. A sight of Jesus first turned our sorrow into joy. Renewed communion with him lifts us above our present cares, and strengthens us to bear our heavy burdens. What must heavenly communion be? When we have Christ with us we are content with a crust, and satisfied with a cup of water. But if his face be hidden the whole world cannot afford a solace- we are widowed of our Beloved, our sun has set, our moon is eclipsed, our candle is blown out. Christ is all in all to us here, and therefore we pant and long for a heaven in which he shall be all in all to us forever. Heavenly Paradise is intense spiritual fellowship with the Lord Jesus- a place where it is promised to faithful souls that "they shall see his face." Spiritually our mental faculties shall be enlarged, so that we shall be enabled to look into the very heart, and soul, and character of Christ, so as to understand him, his work, his love, his all in all, as we never understood him before. The babe in Christ admitted to heaven discovers more of Christ in a single hour, than is known by all the divines of the assemblies of the church on earth. We only talk about these things now, we do not really understand them. Brethren, in heaven we shall dive into the lowest depths of fellowship with Jesus. "We shall see his face," that is, we shall see clearly and plainly all that has to do with our Lord. This shall be the topmost bliss of heaven. O how delightful it will be then to understand his everlasting love; how without beginning, before the earth was, his thoughts darted forward towards his dear ones, whom he had chosen in the sovereignty of his choice, that we should be his for ever! We will come not to the sea's brink to wade into it up to the ankles, but we will swim in bliss forever. In waves of everlasting rest, in richest, closest fellowship with Jesus, we will bathe in ineffable delight! Forever we shall lie in the bosom of Jesus, in the nearest possible place of communion with him who redeemed us with his blood. Beholding Christ, his likeness is photographed upon us. We become in all respects like him as we gaze upon him world without end.
This is not your resting-place (Thomas Brooks, "A String of Pearls" 1657)
This life is full of trials, full of troubles, and full of changes. Sin within, and Satan and the world without, will keep a Christian from rest, until he comes to rest in the bosom of Christ. The life of a Christian is a race--and what rest have those who are still a-running their race? The life of a Christian is a warfare--and what rest have those who are still engaged in a constant warfare? The life of a Christian is the life of a pilgrim--and what rest has a pilgrim, who is still a-traveling from place to place? The fears, the snares, the cares, the changes, etc., which attend believers in this world, are such that will keep them from taking up their rest here. A Christian hears that word always sounding in his ears, "Arise, for this is not your resting-place, because it is polluted." Micah 2:10. A man may as well expect to find heaven in hell--as expect to find rest in this world! Rest is a jewel very desirable on earth; but we shall not wear it in our bosoms until we come to heaven. Man's sorrows begin when his days begin, and his sorrows are multiplied as his days are multiplied; his whole life is but one continued grief: labor wears him, care tears him, fears toss him, losses vex him, dangers trouble him, crosses disquiet him, nothing pleases him. The rest reserved in heaven for believers is a universal rest-- a rest from all sin; a rest from all sorrow; a rest from all afflictions; a rest from all temptations; a rest from all oppression; a rest from all vexations; a rest from all labor and pains; a rest from all trouble and travail; a rest from all aches, weaknesses, and diseases. "Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, they are blessed indeed, for they will rest from all their toils and trials!" Rev. 14:13
Weep no more!
"The voice of weeping shall be no more heard." Isaiah 65:19 The glorified weep no more, for all outward causes of grief are gone. There are no broken friendships, nor blighted prospects in heaven. Poverty, famine, peril, persecution, and slander, are unknown there. No pain distresses, no thought of death or bereavement saddens. They weep no more, for they are perfectly sanctified. No "evil heart of unbelief" prompts them to depart from the living God; they are without fault before his throne, and are fully conformed to his image. Well may they cease to mourn who have ceased to sin. They weep no more, because all fear of change is past. They know that they are eternally secure. Sin is shut out, and they are shut in! They dwell within a city which shall never be stormed. They bask in a sun which shall never set. They drink of a river which shall never dry. They pluck fruit from a tree which shall never wither. Countless cycles may revolve, but eternity shall not be exhausted, and while eternity endures, their immortality and blessedness shall co-exist with it. They are forever with the Lord! They weep no more, because every desire is fulfilled. They cannot wish for anything which they have not in possession. Eye and ear, heart and hand, judgment, imagination, hope, desire, will- all the faculties are completely satisfied. And imperfect as our present ideas are of the things which God has prepared for those that love him, yet we know enough, by the revelation of the Spirit, that the saints above are supremely blessed. The joy of Christ, which is an infinite fulness of delight, is in them. They bathe themselves in the bottomless, shoreless sea of infinite happiness! That same joyful rest remains for us. It may not be far distant. Before long the weeping-willow shall be exchanged for the palm-branch of victory, and sorrow's dewdrops will be transformed into the pearls of everlasting bliss! "Therefore comfort one another with these words." 1 Thes. 4:18