{"id":196,"date":"2014-10-28T06:22:22","date_gmt":"2014-10-28T10:22:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kenpulsmusic.com\/blog\/?p=196"},"modified":"2015-12-29T09:38:20","modified_gmt":"2015-12-29T14:38:20","slug":"a-view-of-immanuels-land","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kenpulsmusic.com\/blog\/2014\/10\/a-view-of-immanuels-land\/","title":{"rendered":"A View of Immanuel’s Land"},"content":{"rendered":"

Then I saw in my dream, that on the morrow he got up to go forward; but they desired him to stay till the next day also; and then, said they, we will, if the day be clear, show you the Delectable Mountains, which, they said, would yet further add to his comfort, because they were nearer the desired haven than the place where at present he was; so he consented and stayed.<\/p>\n

When the morning was up, they had him to the top of the house, and bid him look south; so he did: and behold, at a great distance, he saw a most pleasant mountainous country, beautified with woods, vineyards, fruits of all sorts, flowers also, with springs and fountains, very delectable to behold. Then he asked the name of the country. They said it was Immanuel’s Land; and it is as common, said they, as this hill is, to and for all the pilgrims. And when you come there from here, they said, you may see to the gate of the Celestial City, as the shepherds that live there will make appear.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

When Christian awakes the next morning at Palace Beautiful, he prepares to continue on his journey. He had found refuge as night was approaching<\/a>; had engaged in gospel conversations with Discretion<\/a>, Piety<\/a>, Prudence<\/a> and Charity<\/a>; had enjoyed a refreshing meal<\/a>, peaceful rest<\/a>, and needed instruction<\/a>; and he had seen the provisions of the King for battle in the armory<\/a>. Now, as he is ready to depart, he is once again encouraged to stay. There is yet more to see and more benefits to receive.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>Christian wisely consents and stays. The next day he is taken up to an observation point on the roof of the palace. There, as the day is clear, he sees at a great distance \u201ca most pleasant mountainous country, beautified with woods, vineyards, fruits of all sorts, flowers also, with springs and fountains, very delectable to behold.\u201d So what are these mountains that Bunyan vividly describes and how can they add to Christian\u2019s comfort? As noted earlier, Palace Beautiful, Christian\u2019s present location, represents the church from the vantage point of new believer who has not yet matured in faith. The Delectable Mountains that Christian sees in the distance (he will arrive at these mountains later in his journey), represent the church from the vantage point of a more mature believer.<\/p>\n

The mountains are a fruitful and beautiful place. They are in Immanuel\u2019s Land<\/strong>, meaning they belong to Christ, whose name is Immanuel, \u201cGod with Us\u201d (Isaiah 7:17; Matthew 1:23). Later the shepherds will tell Christian that the Mountains are within sight of His city. It is in Immanuel\u2019s Land where our hearts are filled with joy and delight in our King. We long to know Him and see Him and be with Him. Bunyan draws his imagery from Isaiah:<\/p>\n

He will dwell on high;
\nHis place of defense will be the fortress of rocks;
\nBread will be given him,
\nHis water will be sure.
\nYour eyes will see the King in His beauty;
\nThey will see the land that is very far off.
\n(Isaiah 33:16-17)<\/p>\n

The hymn The Sands of Time Are Sinking<\/a> by Anne Ross Cousin based on the letters of Samuel Rutherford, offers a glorious depiction of this land. Here are but a few of the 19 verses of the hymn:<\/p>\n

4. The King there in His beauty,
\nWith-out a veil is seen:
\nIt were a well-spent journey,
\nThough seven deaths lay between:
\nThe Lamb, with His fair army,
\nDoth on Mount Zion stand;
\nAnd glory\u2014glory dwelleth
\nIn Immanuel’s land.<\/p>\n

5. Oh! Christ He is the fountain,
\nThe deep sweet well of Love!
\nThe streams on earth I\u2019ve tasted,
\nMore deep I\u2019ll drink above:
\nThere, to an ocean fullness,
\nHis mercy doth expand,
\nAnd glory\u2014glory dwelleth
\nIn Immanuel\u2019s land.<\/p>\n

17. The bride eyes not her garment,
\nBut her dear Bridegroom\u2019s face;
\nI will not gaze at glory,
\nBut on my King of Grace\u2014
\nNot at the crown He giveth,
\nBut on His pierced hand:
\nThe Lamb is all the glory
\nOf Immanuel\u2019s land.<\/p>\n

At Palace Beautiful Christian sees the beauty and lushness of the mountains, though he himself is still a great distance away. He is yet young in the faith, but can see the promise and hope of fruit ahead. One of the great advantages a new believer has in belonging to a healthy church is interaction with and encouragement from more mature believers. It is comforting to see the testimony of those who are walking with the Lord and have done so for many years. It is a blessing to see their fruitful lives and love for God.<\/p>\n

There are some important lessons here for us as we enjoy the benefits of belonging to a local church.<\/p>\n

1) When in the fellowship of God\u2019s people, we should, as Christian did, consent and stay longer. We are too often eager to be on our way when it would be more profitable for us to linger awhile. Much of the ministry of the church takes place in personal encounters and conversations: words of encouragement, words of admonishment, praying together, sharing needs, meeting needs, taking time to invest in each others\u2019 lives. We miss this when we pass by those around us and fail to connect with others.<\/p>\n

2) We must learn to value and seek out those in the church who are older and more mature in the faith. They have much to offer. They are closer to their journey\u2019s end. Their faith has been tested over time and has borne fruit. Their testimony can strengthen us. Their wisdom, counsel and prayers can help us. Their love for Christ can stir our own. We need older brothers and sisters in the faith who can disciple us and encourage us to continue on. They are an important part of God\u2019 provision for us in the church as we progress in our pilgrimage.<\/p>\n

Christian will soon learn the value of the vantage point he now has at Palace Beautiful. In a short time he will be languishing through valleys and dark places where the view is not pleasant or clear. He will need to remember the heights that lie before him and keep the glory of his King in view to encourage him to press on and not lose heart.<\/p>\n

A Guide to John Bunyan’s\u00a0The Pilgrim’s Progress<\/em>
\nSee TOC<\/a>\u00a0for more posts from this commentary<\/p>\n

The text for\u00a0The Pilgrim’s Progress\u00a0<\/em>and images used are public domain
\nNotes and Commentary \u00a92014 Ken Puls
\nUnless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from\u00a0the New King James Version (NKJV) \u00a91982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Then I saw in my dream, that on the morrow he got up to go forward; but they desired him to stay till the next day also; and then, said they, we will, if the day be clear, show you the Delectable Mountains, which, they said, would yet further add to his comfort, because they […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5,10],"tags":[47,98,68,12,11],"class_list":["post-196","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary","category-the-pilgrims-progress","tag-church","tag-hymn","tag-immanuel","tag-john-bunyan","tag-pilgrims-progress"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4lLgO-3a","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kenpulsmusic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/196","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kenpulsmusic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kenpulsmusic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kenpulsmusic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kenpulsmusic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=196"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/kenpulsmusic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/196\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":406,"href":"https:\/\/kenpulsmusic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/196\/revisions\/406"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kenpulsmusic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=196"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kenpulsmusic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=196"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kenpulsmusic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=196"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}