Chapter 2
HEAVEN IS A PLACE OF PERFECTION
"He showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God, and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river was there the. tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse -- perfect
government; "and His servants shall serve Him" -- perfect service; "and they shall see His face" -- perfect union; "and His name shall be in their foreheads" -- perfect possession; "and there shall be no night there" -- perfect day; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light" -- perfect glory; "and they shall reign for ever and ever" -- perfect blessedness; "they shall hunger no more" -- perfect supply; "the Lamb shall lead them" -- perfect guidance; "they shall go no more out" -- perfect safety. Hallelujah!
There is perfect emancipation in heaven. What a wonderful thing is deliverance! What did it mean to the four million colored folk when Abraham Lincoln declared their emancipation? It is recorded that in Richmond, Virginia, "they had secured three of the most eloquent speakers of their race. At the appointed time, one of them arose, and said: "Fathers and mothers, you have stood on the auction block for the last time." He could go no farther. They cried, laughed, and shouted. The second speaker arose and said: "Young men and young women, you have heard the crack of the slave driver's whip for the last time." He could say no more. The assembly came to their feet. They walked, wept, shouted, laughed, and danced for joy. Finally the third speaker arose, and said: "Boys and girls, and babies, you have been sold from your homes and torn from the fond embrace of your parents and taken to distant states to be nursed by a strange mammy for the last time." That was all he could say. The congregation wept, danced and shouted, till there was no time left for anything else.
You will recall, perhaps, in British history, how that the British Parliament announced that slavery in the West Indies would end at a certain time in a given year. Many, many of the old slaves wished to see that moment, but died without the sight. Nearing the long looked-for moment, great preparations were made for the celebration. A sentinel was to stand on the mountain top and watch for the first ray of light that would break in the East that morning; a little farther down the mountain-side stood another, and on down till the valley would be reached. There thousands were gathered waiting for that precious moment. Finally, the man on the mountain peak saw the [first] ray of light, and shouted, "Liberty"; the next below shouted it on; the next did the same, till presently the whole valley and mountain reverberated with joyful shouts of liberty.
The glorious emancipation that heaven will bring includes freedom from everything that would mar eternal happiness. There will be no weariness there, but perfect rest.
What a sweet word is the word, "Rest!" How much it means to the weary; that weary body; that weary mind; that weary soul! Rest, sweet rest! Heaven is the eternal Sabbath of rest. Jesus said, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Here is rest from the burden of guilt. "Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, and ye shall find rest unto your soul." Here is rest obtained by learning of Him, going with Him.
"Breathe, O breathe thy loving Spirit Into every troubled breast; Let us all in thee inherit; Let us find the second rest. Take away our bent to sinning; Alpha and Omega be; End of faith, as its beginning,
Set our hearts at liberty."
But this is not the end. It is rather a good beginning. That eternal Sabbath of rest awaits God's people.
Heaven -- its beautifully adorned hills, gold-paved streets, diamond walls, sublime rivers, immortal atmosphere; these are the accomplishment of the Almighty God. Heaven is forever fadeless. Decay never comes, beauty is never marred, flowers never fade, sorrow never enters, light never goes out, tears are gone forever. Wonderful! Ponder the thought with us; a place free from sorrow -- no tears, "God shall wipe away all tears from your eyes. When God wipes away the tears, they are gone for ever. No enemy there; no sin; no sickness; no thirst; no hunger; no temptation; no aching head; no troublesome cough; no weary sleepless nights; no children's diseases; no burning fever; no tuberculosis; no cancer (these dread diseases); no funerals in heaven;
"No graves on the hill-side of glory."
Rest from sorrow! A few days ago, I visited a home of mourning. There lay in a little white casket the precious form of a child of only five years, the only child of the home, a little darling girl, loved by all who saw and knew her. There she lay as if sleeping; no expression of sorrow on her sweet face. She lay as if she slept. Indeed, she did sleep. Asleep in the arms of Jesus.
While looking on that tender form, the form of the little darling, this thought came into my mind; "How cruel is death!" Immediately another thought followed; "Yes, it is cruel; for it has taken away from kind and loving parents a sweet and precious little girl. It has taken a little lamb from the fold. But after all, this cruel death is but a medium through which this darling child reaches the better world."
"O death, where is thy sting? O grave where is thy victory?" "No more death!"
"There is no death. An angel form walked o'er the earth, And took our best loved one away, And then we call her dead."
"There is no death. The stars go down, to shine upon some fairer shore, And bright in heaven's jeweled crown, They shine for ever more."
It is said of Columbus that "the instinct of an unknown continent burned in him." This is true of the child of God with respect to heaven. There is a longing for home.