their beloved Lord as He broke bread with them. The loved traits of human nature are not destroyed by the grave. Richard Baxter, in his fine hymn expresses the true Christian point of view: “My knowledge of that life is small, The eye of faith is dim; But ’tis enough that Christ knows all, And I shall he with Him.” _________ Heaven is a place of universal and perfect knowledge. How little even the wisest of men know here on earth! Sir Isaac Newton, when an old man, said to one who praised his wisdom, “ I am as a child on the seashore picking up a pebble here and a shell there, but the great ocean of truth still lies before me.” In Heaven the most uneducated souls (so far as human standards go) will fathom the great ocean of truth. In Heaven, we shall understand the mysteries o f God and why He led us along the way that seemed strange to us. We shall understand then why the financial reverses, the tears, the heart aches, the sleepless nights have entered into our experience. We shall realize then how fully true is the statement in Romans 8:28: “ And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Never try to find out reasons for the providences of God. If you do so, your soul will grow dark and cold. Just trust God, and you will learn some day that all the tears and heartaches were essential as God views human needs. When you stand on the glory side and look at the path way along which you have come, you will thank God for the loving heart that planned and for the pierced hand that led you all the way. In joy or sorrow, in sickness or health, in riches or in poverty, in life or in death, our testimony is to the assurance o f God’s unfailing purpose: “ And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” “We know” only in part here, but there we shall know fully. Finally, Heaven is to be an eternal place. There we shall not have to gauge our time by clocks and calendars. We shall have all the eternal ages in which to worship, praise, and serve our wonderful Lord. In Hebrews 13:14, the Apostle refers to a “ continuing city,” in contrast to the perishing abodes of this earth. Earth’s greatest metropolises soon crumble into dust. Where are Nineveh and Babylon with their pomp and dazzling glory? They are gone and the ruins lie buried beneath the ac cumulated debris of the ages. Only a few mourn ful bits remain of the ancient city of Rome, once called “ the eternal city.” But the New Jerusalem has God as its Builder and Maker, and it never shall pass away. The city and the joys as well are to be endless. Their glories will never be marred. Qe] 27
Kingsley’s faith and such is ours! There will be glad reunions in heaven. We have Christ’s own words o f assurance for that in Mat thew 8:11: “And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, in the king dom of heaven.” That verse assures us of preserved ;personalities. What a blessed thought! In connection with the prospect of reunions in Heaven, one may ask a question in regard to chil dren. Speaking o f little ones, the Lord uttered these precious words: “ In heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 18:10). Could you wish for a more delight ful occupation for the darling of your heart and home? It is sometimes asked, “ Do children grow after their spirits have passed from earth?” Some writ ers suggest that those who pass away in childhood have their purpose in Heaven—as children—that without them much would be missed in Heaven by all motherly and fatherly hearts. This view is based on the premise that apart from human life on earth, human growth, increase, and development cannot be ; and that, whether child, youth, or patriarch at the time of death, to whatever status the individ ual has attained, so he or she abides. Accordingly, while others might have grown sons or daughters there, a mother would have her child in Heaven as a child forever. Hence it is pointed out that when Christ comes to raise our bodies, He will raise them just as when they were first put into the ground, without their having aged in any way. Thus chil dren of one year would still be, in size and appear ance, children of one year, and children o f ten years would still look like children of ten. This view, while it has an element of comfort and possibility, nevertheless presents some difficul ties. For example: If a mother goes to be with Christ at the age of thirty-five, and her child, who is then ten years old, is permitted to live to a ripe old age, would it seem strange to the mother to find this older person as the little daughter she had known and loved? Other writers affirm that as progress is char acteristic of all God’s working, the place of His eternal habitation will be the scene for advance along all lines. Following this reasoning, children would not remain juvenile. But the mother who crosses the threshold of the life beyond would in stantly realize that her child had grown and would receive him as her own nevertheless, with the same individual traits that had endeared him to her. Both of these views are suggestive, but no one can dogmatize as to which one is correct. This we know, that no matter what change may be wrought upon their forms, our loved ones still will be ours. Mary recognized the risen Lord Jesus by the sweet intonation o f His voice when He called her name. The Emmaus disciples recognized the hands of APRIL, 1969
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