67 The Revelation of Jesus Christ face as he lifted his voice and sang with almost his last breath: "Yes, we shall gather at the river, The beautiful, the beautiful river, The next day I caned on the family. The old man had gone to be with the Lord. When I came out of the house, I walked down the street. Passing a little cottage, I saw seated on the veranda a young man, about twenty-six years of age. Every bone of his body was shaking. He seemed to have no control over his members at all, as there he sat, puffing away on a cigarette. I passed by, but the Spirit of God seemed to impress upon me that I should go back and speak to that young man. When I reached the gate, he spoke to me, saying, "I can not get up to open the gate: but if you can get over it, I should like to talk with you." I went in and sat by his side. "What are you doing?" I asked. "I am waiting for the old man with a long beard and a scythe in his hand," was his reply. "I can give you something far more blessed for which to wait than that, my friend," I said to him. So I began to tell him about the death of Jesus and how one day He was going to return for those who put their faith in Him. I told him of those who were not waiting for the "old man with a long beard and a scythe in his hand," but were waiting for the Lord. If Christ comes in our day, we, like John on the Isle of Patmos, shall see "a door ... opened in heaven." We, too, shall hear a voice "as it were of a trumpet," saying. "Come up hither." We shall be caught up into the presence of our Lord without seeing death. Gather with the saints at the river That flows by the throne of God." THE LORD UPON THE THRONE The Arst thing John beholds, after being translated from earth to heaven, is a throne, and One sitting upon the throne. He tries to describe for us that One. He writes: "And Immediately I was In the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. And he that sat was to look upon like a Jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, In sight like unto an emerald" (Rev. 4:2-3).
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