THE MARRIAGE OF THE LAMB.
By C. L. W.
What thoughts rush upon our minds as we contemplate the joys of that glad day, when all the redeemed shall gather around the King's table in the heavenly Jerusalem. Patriarchs and prophets, apostles and martyrs, with the faithful of all ages, shall assemble there; and Jesus shall himself come forth and bid them welcome to the feast. What a joyous company shall fill the golden city on that blessed day! For them there is no more separation, no more tears. Sorrow is banished from the midst of that happy throng. The hand of God himself shall wipe away tears from off all faces. “They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters.” Death shall snatch none of their number away; for, “There shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away.” These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. They have stood as witnesses for Jesus in the face of death, and many of them have sealed their testimony with their blood. They have had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover, of bonds and imprisonment. They were stoned, sawn asunder, slain with the edge of the sword; they wandered about in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth, being destitute, afflicted, and tormented. On earth their portion was persecution, reproach, distress, and tears. But the toil-worn, weary pilgrims shall find rest. Their Saviour’s arms enfold them now, and they shall live forever in the light of his countenance. Their feet shall tread the streets of the golden city—that city which has no need of the sun, neither of the moon to shine in it; for the glory of God doth lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. As we muse on the bliss of those who shall finally be gathered within the walls of the New Jerusalem, shall we not ask ourselves the question, Shall we, too, be there? For the joys that are set before us, can we not endure, in this brief life, reproach and scorn? Can we not turn a deaf ear to the call of pleasure, and, foregoing all worldly enjoyments, “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus?” Let us with renewed courage and zeal go forward in the Master’s service, bearing in mind that only those who persevere unto the end can join in the song of the redeemed, and share the glories of the marriage feast.—C. L. W.—in The Christian.