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From: emery@tc.fluke.COM (John Emery)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian
Subject: Heavenly account (Part 4)
Message-ID: <Mar.18.11.45.31.1991.8130@athos.rutgers.edu>
Date: 18 Mar 91 16:45:35 GMT
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By this time everything was ready and we were off.  Twelve legions of souls
from various places had gathered in a very short time beside the river and
all had come by the way of the cross.  It did not matter what language we
had known on earth, we could fully understand each other there, and all
were speaking, as we passed along, of the precious salvation through Jesus.

{As they made their way to the city, they beheld chariots of God coming
 from the throne ...}

At this we fairly shouted, and could hear very lovely music in the distance,
and looking in the direction from whence it came, we saw a great retinue of
angels with flaming chariots of light coming toward us.  I cried out,
together with many other voices, as we caught the first glimpse of them.

"Oh, father Abraham, is this our Lord Jesus for whom we have been anxiously
looking so long?"

Abraham lovingly replied: "These are the chariots of God under the conduct
of angels.  They will soon be among you, bringing many ancient loved ones
to greet you with a welcome ere they carry you to the city and the throne
itself."

[...]

No sooner were the chariots standing among us than we saw they were filled
with happy, shining ones.  They soon sprang out and were among us.  They
had come to meet and welcome us to these realms of everlasting light and
day.  But who were they but acquaintances, friends and relatives whome we 
had known so well on earth, and who knew of our coming.  We used to have
reunions on earth, but they could in no wise compare to the joy of this
meeting.  Some of these had been there for many years.  In a few moments
more, many were embraced in each other's arms.  Oh, such joy I never knew
before, and such welcome! "Oh, blessed rewards!" I cried.

Among these was my own dear mother.  She had died many years ago.  How
she knew me I cannot tell, nor how I knew her I do not know; but she 
rushed toward me and I knew her so well and said, "Oh, mother, is this
you?"  She was beautiful and lovely.  She embraced me in her arms and
said, "I knew you were coming."  The memories of childhood and all her
wonted smiles and kindness which a mother's love suggests, came back to
me.  There were many others like myself.  Mothers and sons, fathers and
children, old friends meeting again.  The glory and joy of the occasion 
excelled anything I had yet known.  The charioteers now kindly invited us 
all to take passage with them.

[...]

The light toward the city which I had seen on my first arrival, grew more 
and more glorious as we neared the city.  We could at length see the shining
of the jasper walls.  Although we were rolling along at such great rapidity
the wheels were noiseless and the chariots without a jar.  The appearance
of the landscape on either side seemed at a distance like a sea of glass
mingled with fire; but on a closer examination it seemed that it was
immortal.  Flowers of unfading glory, and with an endless variety of colors,
many of which I never saw anything before to which I could compare them
and their indescribable loveliness attracted universal attention.  We saw
thousands of angels and happy spirits passing in all directions; but all I
saw seemed very joyous and happy in their work.  I thought of the world of
the Lord: "He maketh his angels spirits and His ministers a flaming fire."

I said to my mother: "Can you tell me why we were not brought directly to the
throne at once when we departed from our earthly home?"  "Oh," said she,
"you could not have endured this glory, but would have been dazzled into
utter confusion and unconsciousness.  Even now your expanding powers cannot
take in all the glory and grandeur of the city until you are further prepared
for it."

[...]

We were nearing the great gateway.  Every one of the new arrivals was filled
with wonder and anxiety.  We had heard so much about the Holy City while we
lived in the world, of its many mansions, its streets of gold, its gates of
pearl, its transparent light without sun or moon, so that we all felt an
intense yearning to enter in.  But the greatest attraction of all was to
see Him whom our souls loved and by whom we had been redeemed and by whose
blood we had been washed from our sins.

[concluded in posting 5]


John Emery
emery@tc.fluke.COM