The pilgrims enter the country of Beulah, whose air was very sweet and pleasant. Here they heard the continual singing of birds, saw flowers appear on the earth, and heard the voice of the turtledove in the land. In this country the sun shone night and day. They were within sight of the City to which they were going. They also met some of the inhabitants of the country, for in this land the Shining Ones commonly walked because it was upon the borders of Heaven. In this land also the contract between the bride and the Bridegroom was renewed: “As the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so did their God rejoice over them.”
In this land there was no lack of bread or wine, for there was an abundance of what they had sought during all their pilgrimage. They rejoiced more than they had in any other part of the journey. As they neared the celestial City, the natural glory of the city and the sunbeams’ reflection on it made Christian feel sick with desire, Hopeful, as well. They rested and were refreshed in the King’s lovely vineyards and gardens before continuing. They met two men whose raiment shone like gold and whose faces shone as the light.
The men asked them where they came from, and they told them. They also asked where they had lodged, what difficulties and dangers, what comforts and pleasures they had met on the way. After listening to their answers, the men said, “You have only two more difficulties to overcome, and then you are in the City.”
Then Christian and Hopeful asked the men to go along with them, so they told them they would. “But”, they said, “you must enter the City by your own faith.” And they went on together until they came within sight of the gate. Between them and the gate was a river, with no bridge, and the river was very deep. At the sight of this river, the pilgrims were stunned.
The men who went with them said, “You must go through the river or you cannot enter into the City at the gate.” (There had been two, Enoch and Elijah, permitted to tread a different path, but no one else will be permitted to go that way until the last trumpet shall sound.)
Christian began to despair. They asked the men if the waters were deep everywhere all the time but were told that although the water was shallow sometimes, they could not guide them in that matter since the waters were deep or shallow depending upon their faith in the King of the place.
Then they waded into the water; and upon entering, Christian began to sink. Then Hopeful said, “Be of good cheer, my brother. I feel the bottom, and it is good.” It was everything that Hopeful could do to keep his brother’s head above water. Hopeful reminds him, “these troubles and distresses that you are going through in these waters are not a sign that God has forsaken you but are sent to try you, to see if you will call to mind all the goodness that you have received from Him. You are being tested to see if you will rely on Him in your distress.” He then encouraged Christian to “Be of good cheer,” reminding him that Jesus Christ would make him whole.
With that Christian should out with a loud voice, “Oh, I see Him again, and He tells me, ‘When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you.’”
Christian soon found solid ground to stand on and the rest of the river was shallow. When they arrived at the other side, they saw the two shining men again waiting for them. The men saluted the pilgrims, “We are ministering spirits, sent here to minister to those who shall be heirs of salvation.” “You are going now to the Paradise of God, wherein you shall see the tree of life and eat of its never-fading fruits. When you come there, you shall have white robes given to you, and you shall walk and talk every day with the King, even all the days of eternity… You will not see sorrow, sickness, affliction, and death, ‘for the former things are passed away.’”
Christian and Hopeful asked: What must we do in the holy place?
The Shining Ones answered: You must receive the comforts of all your toil and have joy for all your sorrow; you must reap what you have sown, even the fruit of all your prayers, tears, and sufferings in your journey for the King. In that place you must wear crowns of gold and enjoy the perpetual sign and vision of the Holy One, for ‘there you shall see Him as He is… there your eyes shall be delighted with seeing and your ears with hearing the pleasant voice of the Mighty One. There you shall enjoy your friends again, those who have gone before you, and there you shall with joy receive all those who follow you to this holy place.
While they were drawing toward the gate, a company of the heavenly host came out to meet them, to which the Shining Ones who attended Christian and Hopeful said, “These are the men who have loved our Lord when they were in the world and who have left all for His holy name. He has sent us to fetch them, and we have brought them to the very place they have desired to be, that they may go in and look their Redeemer in the face with joy.
“Blessed are they who are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb,” the heavenly host shouted and they surrounded the small group on every side. Some went before, some behind, some on the right, and some on the left – to anyone looking, it would have appeared that Heaven itself had come down to meet them. They never stopped telling the pilgrims how glad they were to meet them.
When Christian and Hopeful got to the gate, they saw written over it in letters of god, “Blessed are they who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter in through the gates into the City.” They presented their certificates, which were carried to the King, who, when He had read them, said, “Where are these men?”
“They are standing outside the gate,” came the answer.
The King then commanded them to open the gate, “that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in.”
Christian and Hopeful went in through the gate, and as they entered, they were transfigured and clothed with raiment that shone like gold. All the bells in the City were ringing for joy. Christian and Hopeful were told, “Enter ye into the joy of your Lord,” to which they responded by singing, with a loud voice, “Blessing and honor and glory and power be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, forever and ever.
As the narrator is concluding all he has seen in his dream he finishes with: ‘Just as the gates were opened to let Christian and Hopeful in, I looked in myself, and I saw the City shining like the sun. the streets were paved with gold, and on them walked many men with crowns on their heads, palms in their hands, and golden harps to sing praises. There were also among them winged angels, and they shouted to one another continually, proclaiming, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord.” And after that, they shut up the gates. Having seen what was inside the gates, I wished that I could join them. Now while I was looking at all these things, I turned my head to look back and saw Ignorance approaching the river. He crossed without any of the difficulty that Christian and Hopeful had since there was a ferryman named Vain-Hope ready to take him across in his boat.
Once ignorance arrived on the other side of the river, he ascended the hill just like the Christian and Hopeful, except that no one had come to meet him or give him any encouragement as he made his way to the City. When he had come up to the gate, he looked up and read what was written above it. He then began to knock, supposing that he would quickly be invited in. But instead, he was asked by the men who looked over the top of the gate, “Where did you come from? What do you want?”
Ignorance answered,” I have eaten and have drunk in the presence of the King, and He has taught in our streets.” Then they asked him for his certificate, so that they might go in and show it to the King. He fumbled in his pickets but found nothing. Then they asked, “Don’t you have a certificate?” Ignorance made no reply, not a word.
So they told the King, but He would not come down to see him. He commanded the two Shining Ones to go out and take Ignorance away, binding him hand and foot. Then they took him up and carried him through the air to the door that I saw in the side of the hill and in there they put him. Then I saw that there was a way to Hell from the gates of Heaven as well as from the City of Destruction!
Scripture: Isaiah 62:4 Song 2:10-12 Isaiah 62:5 Isaiah 62:8 Isaiah 62:11 Isaiah 62:12 Song 5:8 Deuteronomy 23:24 Revelation 21:18 2 Corinthians 3:18 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 Psalm 69:2 Psalm 18:5 Psalm 73:4-5 Isaiah 43:2 Hebrews 1:14 Hebrews 12:22-24 Revelation 2:7 Revelation 3:4 Revelation 22:5 Revelation 21:4 Isaiah 57:1-2 Isaiah 65:17 1 John 3:2 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 Jude 14 Daniel 7:9-10 1 Corinthians 6:2-3 Revelation 19:9 Revelation 22:14 Isaiah 26:2 Revelation 5:13 Revelation 4:8
Thoughts to Consider: The 21-day fast is over, in 15 minutes. It was harder than I thought to slow down and try to review one chapter a day by focusing on the people and the places and the dialogue.
A lot of thoughts to meditate on still. I think Bunyan wrote The Pilgrim’s Progress to describe the Christian life, but that was more easily understood and well-defined than it is today. This allegory seems to be more appropriate in describing what it means to go ‘All-In’ for Jesus, today. There are still so many versions of beliefs that call themselves ‘Christian’ but don’t require an ‘all-in’ commitment. I fear that many are being led astray, like Ignorance.
All IN…