A strange sight for Heaven, men equipped for battle, uniforms and weapons!
When shall I be, my God, with Thee and see Thy face?
See; He is passing by. All souls turn towards Him. Without words, His look speaks. Streams of blessing flow from his upraised hands. John is with Him, the first who quite understood Him when he wrote—
In the beginning, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
It is a work of Love, which the Saviour is come to perform. His ways and those on which He sends His messengers are simply ways of love. They have brought up from the earth the soul of a youth, an idiot from his birth. The angels do not depart from him, they stand around him and their eyes seek the Saviour. The youth looks like one dreaming; a smile such as he never had on earth passes over his poor imbecile face. And have the angels brought him to heaven, him who did not believe? Yes; him whom Jesus loved, nay; whom He especially loved and was expecting. They bring him to the Lord, as on earth men brought the deaf-mute to Him; He lays His hands upon his head. Then the slumbering soul awakes; streams of life thrill through his body and his eyes see clearly.
It is like a new creation; thus may it have been when the first man became a living soul.
The Saviour delivers him again to the angels who go with him. The man who has been healed as yet says nothing, he only listens, but he takes in all he is told.
Then an aged man presses through the hosts of the blessed and hastens to the restored one. He presses him to his heart, he caresses him—My son, my son, he cries, in supplicating tone. But the healed man looks at him cheerfully, but like a stranger. He knows him no more than all else that he meets. Then a mark of inexpressible pain such as one is not accustomed to behold in heaven passes over the countenance of the aged man. He rushes to the Lord's feet, Saviour, he cries, alas that unhappy hour of guilt—the poor child! He said nothing more, but the Saviour lifted him up, and said—
I atoned for heavier guilt on the cross, go in peace, thy faith hath saved thee.
We were silently remembering the words about the sins of the fathers being visited upon the children.
It is folly to say that on earth you know nothing of heaven. You know enough of it to rejoice by anticipation.
© Underwater Earth / XL Catlin Seaview Survey / Christophe Bailhache (http://catlinseaviewsurvey.zenfolio.com/p264097181/h4298669e#h4298669e) | CC BY-SA 3.0
I am today thinking of the words, He that goeth on his way weeping and beareth precious seed shall doubtless come again with joy and bring his sheaves with him. Truly, this is not the first sheaf my God has allowed me to bring with joy.
What a pure atmosphere you breathe in heaven. How utterly free it is from the miasmas of falsehood, which poison the intercourse of the dwellers on earth!
Khunkay/Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 3.0
He who is wise is good.
One is our Master and we are all brethren.
The works of God are always before your eyes and reflected in your soul in its pure form.
Impression of the Caribbean Sea | Martin Falbisoner | CC BY-SA 4.0
Tragedy laments;
Comedy laughs at sin—
You have overcome it.
You no longer need to weep, for you have departed from the vale of tears; not to laugh, for you live in constant rejoicing of spirit.
Reflection of trees in a pond, The Groynes, Christchurch, New Zealand | Michal Klajban | CC BY-SA 4.0
The dwellers in heaven rejoice when you, who dwell below, feel happy in the school of life, willingly perform your limited duties, keep your little festivals in your respective circles, and find your world in the schoolroom of earth, but life has to succeed in school-time and childish things have to be put away.
You are made for life and that need not be declared from heaven.
Sunrise at TaniJubbar Lake | Eatcha/Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 4.0
He who created masses out of atoms, destined to a constant circulation, raised you above this circulation by bestowing on you the breath of life.
Your soul has no share in the play of atoms or else how would this be so clearly reflected in the soul if the soul itself participated in the motion?
Oregon's Mt Hood Territory
If you could take a view of the full enjoyment of an ever equal harmony of life, conscious indeed of deficiency and imperfection, but seeing happy and unobstructed growth, you would believe—no; you would see and that you are not to do.
Look at all that is good or great or beautiful; it stands complete before you when its birthday has dawned, but you did not see it originate and grow.
Jökulsárlón, a glacial lake in Iceland. To the right, the mouth of the glacier Vatnajökull | Kenneth Muir | CC BY 2.0
God is love. This is a mystery to the earthly spirit although it can already bless the earthly heart. And with the knowledge of love, the power to love increases, for to love is to be like God. For the soul made in God's image is destined to love and thirst after love; its nature is perfect when it loves.
Let us love one another is a saying of great significance for heaven as well as the earth.
Where you begin to set aside self for the sake of others, where sacrifices are made and good is done, for its own sake, you gladly see an image of the love of God.
Compassion is a divine help in learning to love.
And I too watch and pray. But I will wait for you at the gate of Paradise at that hour, hand in hand with your dear loving father. His eye sparkles, he has words of affection ready for you. You are coming! Not to the left, but to us, in the name of Jesus, I stretch out my arms—blessed be God! Until then, under the protection of the All-merciful—farewell. And when the time comes, in the Saviour's name, farewell!
Jökulsárlón lagoon in southeastern Iceland | Molechaser/Wikimedia Commons | Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic
