© Copyright 2013 PJ Stassen
All Rights Reserved
All Rights Reserved
God can stand being told by Professor
Ayer and Marghanita Laski that He doesn’t exist.
-
J.B. Priestly, 1894-1984.
Let
not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
In
my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would
have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
And
if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto
myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
(John 14:1-3 KJV, www.e-sword.net).
Although it is nice to contemplate the gorgeous mansions of Heaven and
the obvious majestic beauty of that august place, Christians nevertheless know full
well that it is virtually impossible to try and envisage what Heaven must look
like. I know of a man who once dreamt
about Heaven (for what it was worth: Most psychologists, psychiatrists and
atheists will probably explain that type of dream away in terms of ‘wishful
thinking’, ‘hallucinating’ or even ‘a bout of indigestion’ etc.).
His reaction to the view, apparently from a lofty hill, was so
breathtaking that, he recalls, “I
literally gasped for breath and almost stumbled head over heels backwards,
completely taken aback by the magnificent panorama presented to me, sprawling
for miles in all directions as far as the eye could see. The strangest thing
about it all was that there was no horizon! And everybody was laughing, chuckling
and giggling and busying themselves boisterously on huge farms, and in grand vineyards
and immense orchards of fruit. There was
not one unhappy, gloomy or depressed person in Heaven.”
People who had
survived after they had been considered ‘clinically dead’ have returned with
the most amazing stories of the extraordinary beauty of Heaven. Many of the
reports and comments have come from dreams about the deceased extolling the
beauty of Heaven, such as, “It’s
exquisite!” to a deceased speaking to a family member in a dream the very
night after the funeral exclaiming, “It’s
all true … tell them it’s all true!”
A friend of mine, who, during an operation
gone wrong apparently had been ‘clinically dead’ for about 12 minutes, recalls that
he was running energetically over a field of stunningly beautiful flowers in
Heaven, and the strangest thing was the fact that the flowers could not be
crushed by the weight of his feet.
The only comfort Christians really have is that the 'landscape' of Heaven
(whatever the concept may mean in Heaven) must be something incomparable to
anything existing anywhere on Earth. The
Bible hints on a city (the New Jerusalem) made of gold and all kinds of
precious and semi-precious stones, adorned with twelve gates of giant pearl … all enhanced by
the glory of a Holy Light emanating from God.
Sometimes, when I slip into a contemplative mood, I also fantasizes about
a quaint little clapboard cottage complete with picket fence and ramblin’ rose, on an exotic, tropical island island of my
own, not unlike Bali ‘hai of South
Pacific fame. But, mind you,
not as if I deserved it, but all thanks to the grace of God operating through
the blood and sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
Obviously Heaven must be a place of great beauty, and what normal human
being does not appreciate the splendour of gold, diamonds, other precious
semi-precious stone, exotic crystal and even glass … how I envy the
glassblower’s challenging but exquisite trade! Even pictures of the granite
outcrops of Africa, the snow-capped peaks of Europe and the magnificent fjords
of Scandinavia tend to take the breath away.
Imagine the Yosemite in spring! In South Africa, Cape Town embraces the
Table Mountain National Park like a rare necklace fit for a queen.
Nevertheless, in spite of all the beauty and wealth of Nature, or the
possible splendour of the Heavenly mansions, may our real wealth in Eternity be
the fact that our sins have been washed away by the precious blood of Jesus
Christ, and that our names have been written in the Lamb’s Book Of Life! May our true riches be Christ’s robe of
Righteousness draped over the shoulders of every believer and even, if it were at all possible, every human
being that had ever lived (let God be the judge in this respect, and not us). May
our real wealth be Justification by faith through the sacrifice of Jesus at
Calvary, and the friendship of a holy, loving and magnanimous Heavenly
Father.
I would rather live in a little plain and nondescript clapboard-cottage
with my sins forgiven and cast into the depths of the sea than live in a
three-story palace of gold but with God as my terrible adversary, a thought
too ghastly to contemplate. This song, a
truly rare gem, extols the virtue of the God of that fountain of blood that may
yet make all the glories, peace and promises of Heaven possible for fallible
little beings like us, not on Earth only, but also ‘one day’ in Eternity. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done … on Earth
as it is in Heaven! Dear Lord, please
wash away each stain.
(Margaret J. Harris, 1865-1919)
When I saw the cleansing fountain,
Open wide for all my sin,
I obeyed the Spirit’s wooing
When He said, “Wilt thou be clean?”
Tho the way seems straight and narrow,
All I claimed was swept away;
My ambitions, plans and wishes
At my feet in ashes lay.
Then God’s fire upon the altar
Of my heart was set aflame;
I shall never cease to praise Him –
Glory, glory to His name!
Blessed be the name of Jesus!
I’m so glad He took me in;
He’s forgiven my transgressions,
He has cleansed my heart from sin.
Glory, glory to the Father!
Glory, glory to the Son!
Glory, glory to the Spirit!
Glory to the Three in One!
CHORUS
I will praise Him! I will praise Him!
Praise the Lamb for sinners slain;
Give Him glory all ye people,
For His blood can wash away each stain.
Piet
Stassen
eLiterature/eLiteratuur:
- Scribd Publishing Site: www.scribd.com/PietStassen (ENGLISH & AFRIKAANS)
- eBook: 'Evolution: The Science That Evolved Into A Fairy Tale' (ENGLISH)
- eBook: 'Bertrand Russell Revisited: Rebuttal Of Bertrand Russell's 'Why I Am Not A Christian''(ENGLISH)
- eBook: 'Meditations & Contemplations: A Reader For Both Atheists And Creationists' (ENGLISH)
- eBook: 'Conservation, Rhino Poaching And Hypocrisy' (ENGLISH)
- eBook: 'Why Darwinism ('Evolution') Does Not Make Sense' (ENGLISH)
- eBook: 'Names And Titles Of Jesus Of Nazareth (ENGLISH)'
- eBoek: 'Darwin Of Christus: Suid-Afrikaners By 'n Kruispad!' [AFRIKAANS].
- eBoek: 'Bevryding Van Die Anti-Evangelie Van Ateisme-Evolusionisme' [AFRIKAANS].
- eBoek: 'Name & Titels Van Jesus Christus' [AFRIKAANS].
- eTracts, Christian (Free, Downloadable): Free, downloadable Christian eTracts for free distribution (ENGLISH)
- eTraktate, Christelik (Gratis, Aflaaibaar): Gratis, aflaaibabre Christelike Traktate vir gratis verspreiding (AFRIKAANS)
Bibliography
1. Andrews,
Allen (1969) Quotations For Speakers And
Writers. Hamlyn Publishing Group Ltd. London.
2. Capsol. 'Table Mountain'. Accessed At <http://www.capsol.co.za/blog/uncategorized/table-mountain-has-officially-got-star-quality/> [online] 2013.
3. Peterson, John V. (1968) Great Hymns Of The Faith. ‘I Will Praise Him’. Zondervan Publishing House. Grand Rapids, Michigan.
3. Peterson, John V. (1968) Great Hymns Of The Faith. ‘I Will Praise Him’. Zondervan Publishing House. Grand Rapids, Michigan.
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