Out of Underland
Prince Rillian had seen the night sky bursting with stars. He’d seen the morning sun rise in brilliant light and warmth. He’d been there, felt the wind of that place on his skin, felt the ground beneath his feet… but that was ten years before — ten years before he’d fallen down into the darkness of Underland, fallen where few return to the sunlit lands.
“There is no overworld,” the queen whispered the lie.
“There is no overworld,” prince Rillian had said in reply.
“There never was an overworld,” the queen whispered deception. “Yes, there never was an overworld,” the prince echoed and complied.
Too often, we, like C.S. Lewis’ Prince Rillian, fall prey to the lie that the only world which exists is the one we currently experience. We, like he, fail to remember there is a far better world than our own — though for now, we do not see it.
Unlike Prince Rillian, we are not without testimony to this better world. Yes, we live in a land of deep darkness, yes we are waiting for the light to shine, but no, God has not left us without witness to the world we all know, deep down, our hearts are longing for. God, in his grace, has given us his word to daily remind our weary souls that yes, there is a better world, one that is far more real, far more lasting, far more definite and substantial than anything we could begin to imagine. Revelation 21 into 22, specifically, gives us what I think is greatest glimpse into eternity that human language is capable of.
A world where there will be, “No temple, for the temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. (A world where) there’s no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there…”
A world where, “The river of the water of life (flows) bright as crystal, from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree will be for the healing of the nations.
A world Where, “We will see his face, his name will be on our foreheads. And night will be no more. We will need no light of lamp, or sun, for the Lord God will be our light, and we will reign forever and ever.”
What a world. What a reality. And my exhortation to you is that you linger long in thoughts about it. Thoughts of heaven, thoughts of our great eternal inheritance — life forever with God almighty.
Advent is a season where we wait for this eternal reality. And we will wait well in this season when we immerse ourselves in the truths of what’s to come, found here.
Prayer: Father, we are called to know (not forget, but know) what is the hope to which you have called us, what are the riches of your glorious inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:17-18). We are to remember that “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Cor. 2:9). We are called to set our minds on these things that are above, where Christ is, seated at your right hand. We are called to hold dear the promise that you will come again and you will take us to yourself, that where you are, we may also be” (John 14:1-3). And yet, we are so prone to let such glorious promises fade away from our focus. And at the end of this word, it’s final two chapters, Revelation 21 into 22, God has placed what I believe to be the greatest glimpse into eternity that human language is capable of. My exhortation to you is to live your life lingering of the words you find here.
Cities church, will we remember that we are bound for better country? Will we linger long over the promises of our great inheritance — eternal life with the light of the world!
“There is no heaven,” the world softly spoken to Cities church
“Yes, there is,” the church dissented
“There never was a heaven,” the queen had whispered
“There forever will be a heaven, and we are bound for it.” the church shouted in bold proclamation.
The words of this book are trustworthy and true, and blessed is the one keeps the words of it. Let whoever
hears them say, “Come.” And the one who is thirsty, come; the one who desires take the water of life without price (may come). But how we, so often, neglect to do so. Jesus says three times in this chapter alone, “I am coming soon, I am coming soon, surely, I am coming soon! But how often we forget this.
Lord, you say your book is trustworthy and true, and blessed is the one keeps the words of it. You say that whoever hears them say, “Come.” And the one who is thirsty, come; the one who desires take the water of life without price (may come). But how we, so often, neglect to do so. You say you are coming soon, you are coming soon, surely, you are coming soon! But how often we forget this. Our great inheritance, our eternal life with the light of the world! life with that but will we forget that this year? I fear we are all in danger of pulling a Prince Rillian — forgetting the better world above, transplanting all our hopes in the one below. Think about it: How often have you talked on and on about how great normal will be again? Where masks are no more, political bickering has ceased, and race-related wounds have been healed. How often have you longed for that, begged for that, set your sights on that. All these hopes are good, but none of them surpass the hope heaven, and which, at this point, has greater hold on your heart and mind?
Brothers and sisters, you and I are children of light! children of light, children of the day. Thess. 5:5). We have an eternal weight of glory in our future. It is unseen, and yet more real than any of this could ever be” (1 Thess. 5:5, 2 Cor. 4:17-18). And we have a calling from God to never, ever forget that.
Have we forgotten that?
Ephesians 1:17-18, Paul prays for the church that the eyes our hearts would be enlightened, and that we may know (not forget, but know) what is the hope to which he has called us, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:17-18).
Colossians 3:1-2, He urges the church to “seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth”
In 1 Corinthians he reminds the church, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him” 1 Cor. 2:9
Jesus, himself, reminds his people: “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:1-3).
How wrong it would be of us to pull a Prince Rillian. Forgetting the reality outside of what we see, abandoning our knowledge of who we really are, and the land we are bound for.
God has given us his book which frequently exhorts us to do so.
Ephesians 1:17-18, Paul prays for the church that the eyes our hearts would be enlightened, and that we may know (not forget, but know) what is the hope to which he has called us, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:17-18).
Colossians 3:1-2, the church is urged to “seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.”
In 1 Corinthians, the church is dazzled with the truth that “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him” 1 Cor. 2:9
Jesus, himself, reminds his people: “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:1-3).