The Glory of Heaven
The excellency, glory and sweetness of heaven, no created understanding can possibly conceive, much less comprehend. The eye of man hath seen admirable things, even all the wonders of the world; the ear hath heard the most exquisite and ravishing melodies; the heart can imagine worlds of comforts and strange delights. But if, as Paul tells us (I Corinthians 2:9), the heavenly wisdom and divine sweetness revealed in the gospel on earth is incomprehensibly sublime and glorious, far surpassing the utmost which the eye, ear or heart of man hath seen, heard or conceived, how transcendently unutterable is their full accomplishment in the highest heavens through all eternity, where we shall enjoy the face and beatifical presence of the most glorious and all-sufficient God, as an object with which all the powers of our souls will be satisfied with everlasting delight? With what a vast disproportion, then, doth the unimaginable excellency of heavenly bliss transcend the most enlarged created capacity? Infinitely, infinitely.
But why is the glory of heaven not fully revealed to us? Our gracious God, in His holy, unsearchable wisdom, doth detain from the eye of our understandings a full comprehension of that most glorious state above, in order to exercise in the meantime our faith, love, obedience and patience. In this vale of tears we must live by faith.
Besides, it is a fruit of our fall in Adam, and the condition of this unglorified mortal state here upon earth, to know but in part (I Corinthians 13:12), from which our knowledge above shall differ, as the knowledge of a child from that of a perfect man. “It is not for us,” saith Bernard, “in these earthly bodies, to mount into the clouds, to pierce this fulness of light, to break into this bottomless depth of glory, or to dwell in that unapproachable brightness. This is reserved to the last day, when Christ Jesus shall present us glorious and pure to His Father without spot or wrinkle.”
Of necessity also, our understandings must be supernaturally irradiated and enlightened with extra-ordinary enlargement and divine-ness, before we can possibly comprehend the glorious brightness of heavenly joys and full sweetness of eternal bliss. It is as impossible in this life for any mortal brain to conceive them as to compass the heavens with a span or contain the oceans in a nutshell!
Yet although we cannot comprehend the whole, we may consider a part. Though we cannot take a full draught of that over-flowing fountain of endless bliss, we may taste a drop. For to this end the Scriptures afford us a glimpse of heaven, by comparing it to the most excellent, precious and desirable things on earth.
First, it is called a kingdom (Matthew 25:34; Luke 12:32). Now a kingly throne is reckoned the crown of all earthly happiness, the highest aim of the most eager and restless aspirations and ambitions of men. It is a confluence of all riches, pleasures, glory and royal pageantry. What stirs and stratagems, murders and mischiefs, mysterious plots and machiavellian depths, have been hatched to catch a crown! But heaven is a kingdom which surpasseth in glory and excellency all earthly kingdoms, as much as heaven transcendeth earth, and inconceivably more! Moreover, it is called the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22), a kingdom of God’s own making, beautifying and blessing, replenished and shining with majesty, beseeming the glorious residence of the King of kings.
Secondly, it is called an inheritance (Acts 20:32) — not a tenement, to be possessed or vacated at the landlord’s pleasure, but an inheritance, settled upon us and sealed unto us by the dearest and highest price that was ever payed, which will be as precious and acceptable after many millions of years as it was on the day it was laid down. Besides, it is called a rich and glorious inheritance (Ephesians 1:18), fit for the majesty and mercy of Almighty God to bestow, the invaluable blood of His Son to purchase, and the dearly-beloved of His soul to enjoy. It is called an “inheritance of the saints in light” (Col. 1:12) — every word sounds a world of sweetness! Add to this, that it is “an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away” (I Peter 1:4), and there can never possibly be the least diminution, much less abolition, of heavenly glory, but all bliss above will be as fresh and full innumerable years hence, and so through all eternity, as at our first entrance.
Thirdly, it is called a crown — “a crown of righteousness” (2 Timothy 4:8), fairly come by, and full dearly bought; “a crown of life” (James 1:12); “a crown of glory” (I Peter 5:4); “glory” itself (Romans 9:23); nay, an “exceeding eternal weight of glory” (2 Corinthians 4:17) — a superlative transcendent phrase, such as is not to be found in all the rhetoric of the heathen, because they never wrote of such a theme, nor with such a Spirit.
Lastly, it is called “fulness of joy”, “everlasting pleasures” (Psalm 16:11); “a swift-flowing river and torrent of pleasures” (Psalm 36:8); the very joy of our Lord and Master (Matthew 25:21).
The Place of Heaven
But now let us consider the place itself, where God and all His blessed ones live eternally.
But how can an infinite God be said to dwell in a created heaven? Before the creation, there was neither “when” nor “where”, but only God, an incomprehensible perfection of indivisible immensity and eternity. Because there was nothing to which He might manifest Himself, He cannot be said to have dwelt anywhere. He was neither out of Himself, nor in anything else, but only in Himself. He was therefore a heaven unto Himself. But when He pleased, He created the world, that in so large and goodly a theatre He might declare and convey His power, goodness and bounty, some way or other, to all His creatures. Especially, He prepared this glorious heaven of which we speak, not that it might enclose or enlarge His happiness, but that He might unspeakably beautify and irradiate it with the inconceivable splendour of His majesty and glory, and so communicate Himself beatifically to all the elect, saints and angels, even for ever and ever. Even now, He is said to be without the heavens, inasmuch as His infinite essence cannot be contained in them, but necessarily contains them (I Kings 8:27). As Bernard saith: “He is nowhere”, because no place, whether real or imaginary, can comprehend or contain Him, and “He is everywhere”, because no body, nor space, nor spiritual substance, can exclude His presence, or avoid the penetration of His essence.
Where then is heaven? This glorious place, where nothing but light and blessed immortality, joy and tranquillity, doth dwell, even for ever and ever, is seated above the visible heavens or starry firmament (Deut. 10:14; Josh. 2:11; Luke 24:51; Acts 7:49; 2 Cor. 12:2; Eph. 4:10). It is called the third heaven. The first is that whole expanse immediately above the earth, where the birds fly, and whence rain, snow, hail and meteors descend (Gen. 7:11; Deut. 28:12; Psa. 8:8; Matt. 6:26).
The second consists of the visible firmament, in which God hath placed the sun, moon and stars (Gen. 1:14; Deut. 17:3; Psa. 8:3; Psa. 19:1).
The third is where God is said specially to dwell, whither Christ ascended, and where all the blessed ones shall be forever (I Kings 8:30). No natural knowledge can possibly be gained of this heaven; nor can mathematics, astronomy and philosophy help us here, for it is neither observable nor movable. But God’s Book assures us that this heaven of happiness and house of God is above all visible heavens whatever.
The Excellency of Heaven
This most excellent place, replenished with those unknown pleasures which attend everlasting happiness, where God, blessed for ever, is seen face to face, is made admirable and illustrious by its magnitude and its beauty.
Its magnitude
Its magnitude is evident from the description of it, in Rev. 21:10, as “that great city”. And even if the chapter refers to the glory of the Church here on earth (as many learned and holy divines think), when both Jews and Gentiles shall be happily united into one Christian body and brotherhood before Christ’s Second Coming, yet it proves no less that the heaven of heavens is a place most glorious above all comparison and thought. For if there is to be such amplitude, beauty and majesty in the Church militant, how infinitely will this beauty be more beautified, and this glory glorified, with incredible additions in the Church triumphant!
Its vastness is most evident also from the multitude of mansions prepared for many thousand thousands of glorified saints after the last day (John 14:2). “There are in heaven,” saith Rollock, “habitations sufficient to contain infinite worlds,” besides the numberless numbers of blessed angels, the present residents of those heavenly palaces.
The incredible distances between the earth and the remotest stars also hint at its largeness. If I should here tell you the various computations of astronomers, the distances would seem to exceed all credibility. And yet, since heaven encompasses all these, how incomprehensible must its greatness be?
Consider also what a large expanse and immensity it becomes the mighty Lord of heaven and earth to choose for revealing His glory in the highest and most transcendent manner to all His noblest creatures, infinitely endeared to Him by the death of His dearest Son, even the Son of His love, through all eternity. For He doth all things like Himself: if He loves, it is with a free, infinite and eternal love; if He works, it is to make a world; if He be angry, it is to flood the whole earth; if He sets His affections upon a mortal worm, who trembles at His Word and is weary of sin, it is to make him a king, give him a paradise, crown him with eternity; if He builds a house for all His holy ones, it must needs be a None-such, most magnificent, stately and glorious, far above the reach of the thoughts of men.
Lastly, what a spacious and incomparable inheritance, what a rich, supereminent and sumptuous palace was the precious blood of the Son of God by its inestimable price and merit, able to procure at the hands of His Father for His redeemed!
Its beauty
Its beauty. To pass by that notion of the glorious projection and transfusion of ethereal light from the sun and stars upward into heaven, whence ariseth a mass of shining beauty, as a groundless conceit, for “the glory of God doth lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof” (Rev. 21:23), let us take a scantling of the incomparable brightness and splendour of heaven, by that which orthodox divines soberly tell us from Revelation 21 and other places (Psa. 36:9; Col. 1:12; I Tim. 6:16), to wit, that it is wholly light; not like the stary firmament, bespangled here and there with glittering spots, but all as it were one great pellucid sun, from every point pouring out abundantly whole rivers of purest heavenly light. Hence in allusion to the brightest things below, it is said to have walls of jasper, buildings of gold, foundations of precious stones, gates of pearl, being clear as crystal, shining like glass, transparent in brightness as a molten looking-glass. “O how beautiful, how glorious, how admirable a city is this! For if the gates be of pearl and the streets of gold, then what are the inner rooms? what are the dining chambers? and what are the lodging rooms? O how unspeakable is the glory of this city, that kings shall throw down their crowns and sceptres before it, counting all their pomp and glory but as dust in respect of it?” (Dent).
Ancient divines also apprehended this glorious beauty and brightness in the beatific heaven. “If those who are condemned,” saith Basil, “be cast into utter darkness, it is evident that those who walked worthy of God have their rest in supercelestial light.” “The eternal city,” saith Augustine, “is incomparably bright and beautiful, where there is triumph, truth, dignity, sanctity, life, eternity.”
Besides the superexcellency of its native lustre, this blessed heaven is made infinitely more illustrious and resplendent by all the most admirable and amiable shining glory of that dearest ravishing object to a glorified eye, the glorified body of Jesus Christ. In comparison to its beauty and brightness, all sidereal light is but a darksome mote and blackest midnight (Matt. 17:2).
Add to this the incredible and unspeakable splendour of many millions of glorified saints, whose bodies also will outshine the sun (Dan. 12:3; Matt. 13:43; Phil. 3:21; Col. 3:4; I John 3:2), and what a mighty and immeasurable mass of most glorious light will arise from this illustrious concurrence and these mutual shining reflections — of heaven itself, of the Sun of that sacred palace, and of all its blessed inhabitants, all which every glorified eye shall be supernaturally enabled and ennobled to behold and enjoy in a kindly and comfortable manner with ineffable delight and everlastingness!
Consider too, that if the porch be so stately and glorious, garnished and bespangled with so many bright shining lights and beautiful stars, what majesty and incomprehensible excellencies may we expect in the palace of the great King itself, and the heavenly habitations of the saints and angels? How full of beauty and glory are the chief rooms and presence chamber of the great and royal Monarch of heaven and earth!
(to be continued)