“Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether.” Song of Solomon 2:17.
The present life is a time of shadows in comparison with that which the people of God will enjoy in eternity. It is true that the Lord is pleased to give His people from time to time in this world glimpses of His glory and of the land that is very far off, as tokens of encouragement on their way to the heavenly country. Yet at best it is but seeing through a glass darkly. The unveiled sight of the splendour of the heavenly Jerusalem — the beatific vision — must await their actual entrance into the eternal world. Who can adequately visualise what an abundant entrance into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ will mean for the redeemed. “And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” Is. 35:10. Then shall that promise be fulfilled to its fullest extent: “Thy sun shall no more go down: neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.” Is. 60:20.
Christ is all the glory of Immanuel’s land, as Samuel Rutherford declared. Heaven would not be heaven to the believing people of God were it not for Christ’s Presence there. He is the Lamb in the midst of the throne who shall feed His people and lead them into living fountains of water. It was the presence of the Lord in glory that made heaven attractive to the Apostle Paul — “having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better.” Phil. 1:23.
The fellowship of the saints in glory will exceed anything they have known here below. How precious is the communion of saints in this world — those occasions when the hearts of believers are knit together and drawn out after Christ — occasions of which they have to say afterwards, like the two disciples on the way to Emmaus, “Did not our hearts burn together while He talked with us by the way?” If such times are so precious on earth, how much more precious will they be in heaven. The entrance of the believer into heaven and his joy in beholding in glory someone with whom he had fellowship on earth is movingly described by Dr Love in his sermon on the death of Dr Balfour. “Blessed Saint! I shall think the more frequently of heaven that thou art there. I shall look more steadily toward the multitude of spirits of the righteous made perfect because thou art one of them. And when, by the blood and righteousness of the Son of God, and by that mercy which is above the heavens and which delivers from the lowest hell, the hour shall arrive of entrance into the high and holy place, amidst the astonishing solemnities and delights of that new situation, I shall look round to recognise thee and to meet the sweetness of thy triumphant embrace.”
Believers are represented in the Word of God as looking and waiting for the coming of the Lord. “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” Titus 2:13. But while they are here below waiting for the fulfilment of Christ’s petition to the Father — “Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory” John 17:24 — their chief desire is for fellowship and communion with the Saviour. They wish to experience more of His Presence than they enjoy at present. They are conscious however that there are mountains of separation which He must cross to come to them. How much there is in their own hearts and lives which would keep Him at a distance. Yet they plead with Him to come over the mountains of separation. “Turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether.”
How tried the gracious soul may be even about his interest in the Saviour and his heirship to everlasting glory. When he loses sight of Christ he loses sight of glory. Conversely, when he loses sight of glory he loses sight of Christ. The Lord, however is gracious in His dealings with His own and will revive their drooping spirits by dropping down into their hearts a little of His love. This is just to drop into their hearts a little of heaven. It is a foretaste of the inheritance which is laid up in store for them. Its effect is to draw them out in their souls after holiness — for without holiness no man shall see the Lord.
As a New Year opens let us put this question to ourselves and let us answer it honestly as before the Lord — Am I an heir of heaven or am I still on the broad way that leadeth to destruction? Let us see to it that we have a well grounded hope for eternity. It is only in Christ that we can have a hope that shall never be put to shame. If indeed we have a good hope through grace then though we should never see the close of the year which has just opened it will prove a year of jubilee to us, the year of our release. The day will have broken upon our souls upon which the sun shall never set and we will be blessed eternally. “Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” Rev. 22:20.