Entering That City

1902

"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 children of Israel." Revelation 21:12.

It comes to me like an inspiration that one day I shall enter that city. Can you say it? Your children are going in, your parents are going in, your husband is going it, your wife is going in; are you going in? It is a great joy to know that the things that bring us the representations of heaven are so substantial. Some people tell us that heaven is a state, not a place. What then did Christ mean when He said, "I go to prepare a place for you," and what again when He said, "In My Father's house there are many mansions?" What is the doctrine of the resurrection? Is that only the spirits of men are raised? This is not our teaching. There must be some place for the resurrected body. When Christ went out with His apostles to Bethany and a cloud received Him out of their sight, He arose bodily from their presence. It is certain, absolutely certain, that heaven is a place.

What Is Heaven?

It is a place of overpowering brightness. Everything that ever came from thence tells us so. Chariots so bright that the only thing to which they could be likened was fire. Angels with faces shining so that men must veil their eyes before them. Moses and Elias so surrounded with glory that the three disciples were overcome with the vision on the mount of transfiguration. The walls are like a great jewel, the streets of pure gold and every single gate a pearl. You know the brightness of one little gem as it sparkles on your finger, but O! the wonderful thought that every gate is a pearl, and the day will come when we may go sweeping through the gates if we will. God has done everything that He could do, and our entering in now rests upon ourselves. But the brightness of heaven, aside from the presence of Christ, is not due to the gates, nor to the walls, nor to the streets, but to the presence of those who have been redeemed. — Rev. Dr. J. W. Chapman.