Do you ever dream of traveling—I mean, REAL long distance traveling?How about star to star?
This isn’t just dreaming. It is already “real” for quadrillions of angels and it will soon be real for earthborn angels.
Angels visited here—think of all the people in Scripture who SAW angels and TALKED with angels. Isn’t it just as realistic that WE can go visit THEIR homes?
It is part of God’s promise. When Earth is annexed to heaven, when our planet is one of heaven’s suburbs, Earth will BELONG to heaven. One city. One community. One FAMILY. This was how the apostle Paul pictured it.
Ephesians 3:14–15 14For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
Our founder was continually bringing the reward of immortality into clear, near focus. Whenever he addressed his people he thrilled anew at the wonder of it . He thought about it, spoke of it, dreamed of it; and doing all this, was constantly impelled to WORK for it.
Occasionally he prepared a bit of verse to capture the vision. As we read a little of his rhyme, let’s join him in his flight of fantasy—and realize that someday it can be OUR experience!
First, we have a clip from the Hubble Institute to give us a feel for the vastness of “God’s country.” The video is an artist’s creation, but it was made by combining photos taken by Hubble’s camera. The video is only about 3 minutes, but it shows the vastness of the universe in a unique way.
On the screen you will see circle after circle, each opening into more and more circles, faster and faster as it takes you traveling through space. This is by no means scientific, but intended only to help us to appreciate the size of the observable universe. You start on the earth, and every added circle multiplies your speed and distance by 10, so it becomes exponential (in other words each circle is 10 times faster than the preceeding circle)—all the way out to what they consider the edge of the “observable universe.” Then it turns and heads home to the earth, and goes even to the sublevel, of our cells and their nuclei.
Oh what great joy and peace divine
Can all be yours, can all be mine
If we’ll but walk in narrow way
With Christ our Lord each day by day!
Oh what a happy blissful lay
Can grace our lips in that glad day
If we will now forsake the world
And hold aloft God’s truth unfurled!
Oh what a power our God will give
To all who now will godly live
And do His bidding, great or small,
As did our dear, beloved Paul!
Oh what a mansion bright and fair
We each one then will have and share,
If we’ll but to all sin now die
And keep our mind on things on high .
Oh my! what grand beatitudes!
We’ll surely love the interludes
If we will crucify the flesh
And ne’er be caught in sin’s dark mesh.
Oh what a joyful, happy band
We’ll join within God’s summerland;
We’ll bask with them for evermore
In joys each day increasing more!
Oh what great joy we then will take
In passing through the pearly gate
With all the joyous, happy band
Who’ll enter that glad Summerland!
Oh what a joy to then behold
This happy band all pure as gold,
All sparkling with God’s love divine
Because they stayed in Christ the vine.
Oh wondrous summerland of joy
Without a thing that can annoy!
Among the ones that reach this land
Oh may we be, this little band!
Oh how we long to meet you there,
And in these glories gladly share,
Where all the tugs and toils of life
Will all be gone, with every strife.
Oh what pure joy we all will take
In hearing Daniel, Paul relate
The trials they in life passed through
While they were being made o’er new.
Great Gabriel will be there in white
Who long ago passed weary night;
He has been learning, living more,
He’ll have great things for us in store!
Oh what a pleasure, lasting, grand,
To have him ‘mongst our little band!
We’ll listen to his stories great
Which he to us will then relate.
‘Twill make our hearts with joy expand
As Gabriel tells of his dear band,
Of all the wondrous things they’ve done
Throughout ten thousand ages long.
O what a privilege greater still–
‘Twill give our hearts the grandest thrill–
When he invites our little band
To go and see his blessed land.
May you be there to shout “Amen!
So let it be, Amen! Amen!”
We’ll gladly visit your own band
Within your own dear summerland!”
O what a visit that will be
To go and Gabriel’s brethren see.
We’ll pass ten thousand worlds so bright
With all their inmates filled with light.
And we’ll hear music, oh! so grand
That sounds afar from Gabriel’s band;
They’ve spied dear Gabriel coming near,
As he approaches without fear.
And then the welcomes! oh, how sweet
As they come forth to Gabriel greet!
Yes, what grand joy as loves entwine,
Surpassing loves of humankind.
So upright, good and grand and bright
Are all his brethren dressed in white;
All clean and spotless, pure within,
All cleansed from every form of sin.
This trip alone will pay us great
To bear our cross and evil hate;
To do with all our mind and might
The things our God has said are right.
Long time we’ll stay at Gabriel’s home
And with his happy, loved ones roam .
Our minds will grow, each day expand
As stay we do with Gabriel’s band.
The time will pass so quickly, fast,
Ten thousand years will soon be past,
And then we’ll hear a trumpet sound
In accents sweet, “Be homeward bound.”
We bid Adieu to Gabriel’s band,
And swiftly fly to our own land,
Where our own brethren, loving, dear,
Are anxious to our story hear.
Ten billion visits we’ll repeat;
Each time ‘twill be a greater treat;
Time ne’er will wane nor shorter grow
As to ten billion worlds we go.
Our minds they will expand and grow
As with the noble ones we go .
How happy will the dwellers be,
Enjoying all they hear and see.
O praise the Lord! can it be true,
These wonders are for me and you?
Yes, yes! they are for each one here
Who will perform what they do hear.
O brethren, will you each one go
Where there will come no kind of woe,
Where all is joy supremely great
Within the Golden City gate?
Yes, we can join that faithful band
Who’ll enter God’s fair Summerland,
Those who will clothe in garments white
By doing what they know is right.
You can say, What a dream! Put it in the light of the assurance of what God CAN do:
Ephesians 3:2020Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think…
Is this sort of traveling a product of our imagination? It IS! But what lies BEYOND what we can imagine? That is God’s promise. Remember,
1 Corinthians 2:9 9… “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
Shall we go traveling? Absolutely. The vastness of God’s “home” is far, far BEYOND our imagination. But NOT beyond REALITY in HIS world!
What can be MORE important than getting ready to TRAVEL!
We hope you enjoyed the visit this morning.
Yes, it was an unimaginably fast trip! It is beyond our imagination to grasp the size of our observable universe.
Isaiah knew the Creator of it all:
Isaiah 40:26 26Lift up your eyes on high, And see who has created these things, Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, By the greatness of His might And the strength of His power; Not one is missing.
Is it any wonder Paul cried out,
Romans 11:33 33Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!
And David exclaimed,
Psalm 8:3 3When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
Psalm 8:9 9O Lord, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth!
Don’t you want to be part of His wonderful family living on those innumerable worlds on high? I know I do!