Song of Songs 4: 8
I had a simple impression, beloved, in relation to the heavenly view, the heavenly vista, that opens up as we move with Christ. On Lord’s day we were looking at Mark’s gospel about the "large upper room", and then "having sung a hymn they went out to the mount of Olives", chap 14: 15, 26. The disciples moved with Christ, and there would be a suggestion of the heavenly view, of what God has in mind for them that would open up to their sight as they moved with Christ, and as they moved in relationship with Him. It is a wonderful thing that God has in mind that we should enjoy here what He has in mind for us eternally, what He has in mind for Christ and the assembly, and what he has in mind in the way of sonship. These would be the things that we would see in the heavenly view - the heavenly vista.
You can go back to the early part of scripture - persons enjoying something of the heavenly view - the heavenly vista. We read of Enoch walking with God - what he would enjoy as walking with God, Gen 5: 24! He would enter into the thoughts of God - what God’s thoughts were right from the very start. We see Noah too; it says of Him that he "walked with God", chap 6: 9. Think of all that he went through; he went through it and he was faithful because he had the heavenly view established in his heart. We see Moses; he went up to the top of Pisgah and he saw the whole land and everything set out, all the tribes, and the families in their place in the land, Deut 34: 1-3. That would suggest the heavenly view given to Moses. He was not allowed to go into the land himself, because of what had happened, but he is given this view - this heavenly view that was especially for Moses. He could see from the highest height what God had in mind. You go through the Scriptures and in Revelation John was in Patmos; it says, "he carried me away in the Spirit, and set me on a great and high mountain, and shewed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of the heaven from God", chap 21: 10. How wonderful the view that John saw there as he was transported on that occasion to see the glory of God’s thoughts: the glory of His thoughts in relation to Christ and the assembly. It is interesting that, in that view, it speaks of all the glories of the city, and it tells us of all the glories of that city. It says, "And the city has no need of the sun nor of the moon, that they should shine for it; for the glory of God has enlightened it, and the lamp thereof is the Lamb", Revelation 21: 23.
The glory of Christ is seen in that heavenly view lightening everything, lightening the city, lightening the soul, beloved. How wonderful just to come into the experience of what the heavenly view is that God would bring you to see. It says in this scripture, "Come with me from Lebanon ... Come, look from the top of Amanah". The Lord would take you up to the highest point, to have the best view of all that He has in mind. The higher you go, the more you move with Christ, and Christ’s movements would always lead upwards. The higher you go the further you can see. If you go up to the top of the hills you can see a long way, a long distance, and it would be so as we move with Christ. I feel the challenge and the exercise to myself; how committed are we, that we may enjoy these things and move with Christ ever upward? The more we go in for the things that are of God and of Christ in this scene, where Christ has been rejected, the more we will enjoy that heavenly view of all that God has in mind for now, that we will enter into eternally with Christ. How wonderful it is just to have an impression of the glory of all that God has in mind in the way of blessing for each one of us. Our brother has reminded us of all we can enter into with Christ. Oh, how blessed to have that glorious view before us now to sustain us in this pathway where we are, in the place where Christ was rejected, but where His glory can be seen and can be enjoyed.
May the Lord bless the word.
Edinburgh
18th May 2010