Morning, January 17
Go To Evening Reading
“And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion.”
Revelation 14:1
The apostle John was privileged to look within the gates of heaven,
and in describing what he saw, he begins by saying, “I looked, and, lo, a Lamb!” This teaches us that the chief object of contemplation in the heavenly
state is “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world.” Nothing else attracted the apostle’s attention so much as the person of that Divine Being, who hath redeemed
us by his blood. He is the theme of the songs of all glorified spirits
and holy angels. Christian, here is joy for thee; thou hast looked,
and thou hast seen the Lamb. Through thy tears thine eyes have seen
the Lamb of God taking away thy sins. Rejoice, then. In a little while,
when thine eyes shall have been wiped from tears, thou wilt see the
same Lamb exalted on his throne . It is the joy of thy heart to hold daily fellowship with Jesus;
thou shalt have the same joy to a higher degree in heaven; thou shalt
enjoy the constant vision of his presence; thou shalt dwell with him
forever. “I looked, and, lo, a Lamb!” Why, that Lamb is heaven itself; for as good Rutherford says, “Heaven and Christ are the same thing;” to be with Christ is to be in heaven, and to be in heaven is to be
with Christ. That prisoner of the Lord very sweetly writes in one
of his glowing letters—“O my Lord Jesus Christ, if I could be in heaven without thee, it would
be a hell; and if I could be in hell, and have thee still, it would
be a heaven to me, for thou art all the heaven I want.” It is true, is it not, Christian? Does not thy soul say so?
“Not all the harps above
Can make a heavenly place,
If God his residence remove,
Or but conceal his face.”
All thou needest to make thee blessed, supremely blessed, is “to be with Christ.”