“But concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the burning bush passage, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’ ? He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living.”
Mark 12:26-7
“And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 8:11
O the deep, deep love of Jesus, love of every love the best!
’Tis an ocean full of blessing, ’tis a haven giving rest!
O the deep, deep love of Jesus, ’tis a heaven of heavens to me;
And it lifts me up to glory, for it lifts me up to Thee!
O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus
The reunion of the saints will not be limited to the little circle that makes the family here. We belong to a bigger family than the one we live with in the flesh, like elder children born and out in the world before the younger children appear, the poets, prophets, painters, and martyrs preceded us. We never saw them in the flesh. Never heard their voices, but they will be with us in the great family reunion in the Father’s house.
Like every family reunion, there shall be One, however, whose personality shall be dominant. What would the gathering of all the saints amount to if He would not be there who sent to prepare the place? It would be a palace without a hearth. It would be a tree without foliage. It would be a sky without sun.
We all want to see the loved ones with whom we walked dusty miles. We all want to see the immortals who went on before us. But far above and beyond all cravings is the desire to see our Lord and Master.
We have seen Him in the sacred page. We have seen Him on the artist’s canvas. We have seen Him in the light of faith. But we want to see Him as He is.
We have often heard Him in the multitude. But we want to know Him as the family of Bethany knew Him. We want to hear Him as the group at Emmaus heard Him. Free from all the restraints of mortality and time, we want to grasp the nail pierced hand, hear the love-filled voice of our Savior in His Heavenly Home.
The joy of fellowship with our Savior will not obliterate the joy of fellowship with each other, but it will subordinate it as the enjoyment of a soul-stirring sermon or chorus subordinates minor relations. Through eternity we shall be together in our Father’s house, each real enough to each other, yet entranced by our Lord.
Whirlwinds of God
