8 By faith Abraham, when he
was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an
inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. 9 By faith he sojourned in the
land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac
and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: 10 For he looked for a city which
hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. 11 Through faith also Sara herself
received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was
past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore sprang there even of
one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and
as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable. 13 These all died in faith, not
having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded
of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims
on the earth. 14 For they that say such things
declare plainly that they seek a country. 15 And truly, if they had been
mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had
opportunity to have returned. 16 But now they desire a better
country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their
God: for he hath prepared for them a city. (Heb 11:8-16)
Our ancient father Adam enjoyed the bliss and blessings of a paradise beyond
our understanding. He was placed in the midst of the Garden at Eden with an
immortal soul which was not forfeited by disobedience; however, he forfeited
his eternity in the Garden and opened his physical body, and those of every
other creature, up for a physical death that would free their souls to an
eternity elsewhere – either Heaven or Hell.
All Christian yearn in for that home on high which was forfeited by Adam – a
place where beauty and love rules supreme, even among the wild beasts of the
field. They yearn for a justice that is only elusive on earth, but will be
tempered by Grace in Heaven. The obscure memory of Eden lurks in the misty
corridors of our conscious mind, but we know that it yet exists in Heaven. All
that was lost in Eden was found in Heaven: He
that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him
that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst
of the paradise of God. (Rev
2:7)
So we remember the Tree of Life was removed along with Eden,
but to what place? We are clearly told in Revelations of St. John! 1 And he shewed me a pure
river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God
and of the Lamb. 2 In the midst of the street of
it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare
twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of
the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 And there shall be no more
curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants
shall serve him: 4 And they shall see his face; and
his name shall be in their foreheads. 5 And there shall be no night
there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God
giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. (Rev
22:1-5)
It is quite normal for the loving and gentle soul to seek a
home that is compatible with his sentiments of love and grace – that place is
Heaven. From conception until death, we are pilgrims bound for that destination
of Paradise just mentioned by John the Revelator.
We reaffirm our cherished desire in the closing lines of the
23rd Psalm: Surely goodness and
mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of
the LORD for ever. (Psalms 23:6) That clinches our desire – to dwell in the
House of the Lord forever.
How does a Christian navigate the pitfalls and quicksand of
the worldly wilderness, and with what hope. In Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan
beautifully illustrates that journey – a journey that he courageously made in
contempt of ungodly churchmen. If we are lost on the Sahara, there may be only
one source of navigation – the light of the Sun or stars (if we can read them).
But we all know that that brilliant orb rises in the east and sets in the west.
So we will need to get our bearings early at first light, just as a Christian
should seek the face of the Lord at first Light – for God is our Light! O God, thou art my God; early will I seek
thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and
thirsty land, where no water is; 2 To see thy power and thy glory,
so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. (Psalm
63:1-2) The Son of
Righteousness is our best, and only, means of navigating to Heaven.
There is an old Twilight Zone feature that is one of my
all-time favorites of an old man and his dog – The Hunt. The old man went coon
hunting with his dog. Both drowned in a river crossing. But that is not
immediately revealed. The two are walking down this dry, dusty road on a very
warm day. They are tired, hungry, and lost. Suddenly, they come to a large,
ornate gate of great magnitude for width. There is a well-dressed, venerable
appearing gentleman at the gate. The old man asked, “Where does this gate
lead?” to which the gate-keeper responds, “Heaven. Welcome, friend.” As the old
man starts through the gate, his dog is fast on his heels, but the gateman
says, “Just a minute, friend. No dogs allowed in Heaven.”
Obviously upset at such a prospect, the old man replies
“Look here, mister. This dog has saved my life more than once. I will not enter
Heaven if no dogs are allowed!” and he continued walking the dusty road with
his trusty friend. Finally, they came to a plain fence gate – far less
attractive and much narrower than the other, at which a gentleman sat who
appeared to be, like the old man, a farmer. “Howdy, mister,” the man at the
gate said. “You look like you could use a drink of cold water - your dog, too!”
“Why, yes, we could,” responded the old man. “Well come on in the gate and have
a seat under that old oak tree there. You may drink all you want from that cool
spring beneath the tree.”
The old man was delighted – his dog, too. The man at the
gate then said, “Supper will be ready soon. You can satisfy your appetite on
the best food on this side of Heaven.” The old man said, “Where is this place,
anyway?” “Why, this is Heaven!” was the answer. “But I thought no dogs were
allowed in Heaven,” responded the old man. “What! How could it be Heaven
without the company of innocent dogs, cats, and all other creatures!” the
gateman replied.
“But we just passed
another place with a beautiful high and wide gate that we were told was
Heaven!” said the old man. “Oh, no,” said the man at the gate. “Many people are
deceived by that wide, ornate gate. That is not Heaven – that place is Hell.”
We are pilgrims in a wilderness world of sin. We are not at
all satisfied with what the world has to offer – so we are looking for a better
place, just like the pilgrims on the Mayflower. And, just like the pilgrims on
the Mayflower, and pilgrims everywhere, we must travel lightly, only with the
minimal essentials for our voyage. A pilgrim travels only with that which he
can carry on his shoulders – much like bearing a cross. The pilgrim of God is
seeking a better place – a City on a Hill not made with hands - one which is
resplendent with light and love. The pilgrim of God will settle for nothing
less. So he is in constant search of that City. He must confront the bandits
and vagabonds of the road, but the Good Samaritan will treat his wounds and
care for his needs.
The pilgrim of God is an illegal alien in the world. He is a
traveler without papers and documentation of the Prince of that place – the
Prince of the Air. So he travels on seeking the City to which he may claim
citizenship. That place is Heaven. We are not of this world, but of our
Father’s home in Heaven.
There are times when our journey is hard and treacherous,
and other times when it is of little hurt. But we must continue to face every
evil specter as it raises its ragged and sinful head. Never weaken, but press
on, and on, and on until, by and by, we come to the narrow gate that leads to
the Kingdom for which we have made our pilgrimage. The Good Samaritan will heal
our every wound and restore our every loss, plus much, much more.
In the meantime, we may find it necessary to serve our
Sovereign as an emissary to the poor souls along our pilgrimage to teach them
the terms of Citizenship to that Kingdom of God. Perchance, the Lord has sent
those very souls to us for that purpose, and we must not let our Lord and
sovereign down. We act with His authority and not our own. Whatsoever even an
emissary or diplomat of the world does must have the seal and approval of the
sovereign power he represents. So must we in the pilgrimage. We speak to the
constitutional terms provided in our letters and orders of appointment – and
those are the terms of the Holy Scriptures with which we have been provided by
our King and Master.
Thusly, we travel; and thusly we arrive at the Fair Havens
beyond Jordan Waters.
