THE next day was the Sabbath, and all who were not needed in the sick
room attended church in the morning. In the afternoon, according
to their old custom, they assembled together as a Bible class, the
captain—as the oldest—being the leader. The subject was the New
Jerusalem, its beauties, its delights, and the character and bliss of
its inhabitants. “They will be very happy there,” said the captain. “In
Isaiah we read, ‘Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart....
Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not
be remembered nor come into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice in that
which I create: for behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing and her
people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people:
and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice
of crying.’ Mother, can you give us a text from the New Testament
teaching that there is no weeping in heaven?”
“Yes,” replied Grandma Elsie; “in the twenty-first chapter and fourth
verse of Revelation we read: ‘And 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 former things
are passed away.’ It was sin,” she said, “that brought sorrow, pain,
sickness and death into the world: there will be none of any of them in
the New Jerusalem.”
“Will some one give us a Bible description of the New Jerusalem?” asked
the captain.
“I will read it, father,” said Grace. “‘And he carried me away in the
spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the
holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory
of God; and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like
a jasper stone, clear as crystal; and had a wall great and high, and
had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written
thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of
Israel: On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south
three gates; and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had
twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the
Lamb. And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city,
and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. And the city lieth four
square, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the
city with the reed twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth
and the height of it are equal. And he measured the wall thereof,
an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a
man, that is, of the angel. And the building of the wall of it was of
jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. And the
foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of
precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire;
the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; the fifth, sardonyx;
the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the
ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the
twelfth, an amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every
several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure
gold, as it were transparent glass. And I saw no temple therein: for
the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city
had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the
glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And
the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and
the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. And
the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no
night there. And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations
into it. And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that
defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but
they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.’”
“What a beautiful, glorious city it will be!” she exclaimed, when she
had finished.
“Yes,” said her father, “God grant we may all be numbered among its
citizens.”
“‘Looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great
God and our Saviour, Jesus Christ,’” quoted Mr. Leland. “We may well
look for it with joyful longing. May the goodness and love of God lead
us all to repentance, make us all His devoted, faithful servants.”
“And He will be the same Jesus who gave His life for us,” said Grandma
Elsie, in a voice tremulous with emotion. “The angels said to those
who were gazing up after Him as He was taken up into heaven and a
cloud received Him out of their sight, ‘Ye men of Galilee, why stand
ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus which is taken up from you
into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into
heaven.’”
“Yes,” said Harold, “and we are told in Thessalonians, the Lord Himself
shall descend from heaven; in Revelation, ‘Behold, He cometh with
clouds; and every eye shall see Him.’ And Matthew tells us, ‘The Son of
Man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him.’”
“And we shall see Him, know Him and be conformed to His image,” said
Mrs. Travilla in joyous tones. “‘It doth not yet appear what we shall
be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for
we shall see Him as He is.’”
“What a delightful thought!” exclaimed her daughter, Mrs. Leland. “Oh,
it is strange that we can ever be so taken up as we are with worldly
matters. Do you think, captain, that His second coming is near?”
“There are many things which make that seem probable,” replied Captain
Raymond. “Don’t you think that we should try to live as if it might be
any day—or indeed at any moment?”
“I certainly do,” she answered; “especially as death may take us into
His presence at any moment.”
“Yes, that is true,” he answered; “and we should all strive to live
as when death comes we shall wish we had. Live near to Him—to His
honor and glory—that whenever He shall come we may be found ready. He
tells us, ‘Watch, therefore, for ye know not what hour your Lord doth
come.... Be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son
of Man cometh.’ That warning word ‘watch’ is repeated again and again.
‘Watch, therefore; for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the
Son of Man cometh.’”
“‘Be ye also ready,’” repeated little Elsie reflectively. “Papa, please
tell us just how to get ready—just what we must do.”
“Give ourselves to the Lord Jesus who says, ‘Him that cometh unto me
I will in no wise cast out.’ ‘God so loved the world that He gave His
only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish,
but have everlasting life.’ ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou
shalt be saved.’”
“Doesn’t everybody believe that it’s all true about Him, papa?” asked
Ned.
“It is not enough to believe simply that Jesus lived in this world
years ago, and died the cruel death of crucifixion; we must believe
also that He was God as well as man; for otherwise He could not save
us; had He been only a man His death would not have atoned for the sins
of the world—or of all in it who have believed or will believe on Him.
But the Bible tells us these things as plainly as words can speak. In
the first chapter of John’s Gospel we are told, ‘In the beginning was
the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was
in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him, and without Him
was not anything made that was made.’ And Jesus Himself said, ‘I and my
father are one.’”
“Yes,” said Mrs. Leland, “it is incomprehensible to me how any one can
profess to believe the Bible to be the Word of God and yet deny the
divinity of Christ—so plainly is that taught in it again and again.”