NE PLUS
ULTRA
In
Valladolid, Spain, where Christopher Columbus died in 1506, stands a monument
commemorating the great discoverer.
Perhaps the
most interesting feature of the memorial is a statue of a lion destroying one
of the Latin words that had been part of Spain’s motto for centuries.
Before
Columbus made his voyages, the Spaniards thought they had reached the outer
limits of earth. Thus their motto was
“Ne Plus Ultra,” which means “No More Beyond.” The word being torn away by the lion is “ne” or “no,” making it read “Plus Ultra”. Columbus had proven that there was indeed “more beyond”.
I love that! The fact is, beyond this life there is more! In fact, that was Paul's purpose in writing what he did in I Corinthians chapter 15. Beginning in verse 16 Paul says, "For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished..."
Then Paul pens one of my favorites sentences in all of the Bible: "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable" (I Corinthians 15:19). And he continues, saying, "But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept."
Now, skipping down to the end of the chapter, Paul tells his readers: "Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 15:51-58 ).
I like what John had to say about us who are counted in the number of those resurrected or raptured. In I John 3:2 John says, "It has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, WE SHALL BE LIKE HIM."
While there
are those who would say at the conclusion of life, Ne Plus Ultra, thank God
there are those who understand that, indeed, there is more...so much more...beyond!
It has been
called Glory Land, That Holy White City, Beulah Land, Paradise, The Promise
Land and Heaven. The Celestial shores beckon us each and every day. We can only
imagine its beauty and its splendor.
It has been
described as a country a place. Never has there ever been a place that has
captivated the minds of people for generations.
One cannot
compare the earthly splendor of some of our great cities like New York, which
bustles with the sounds of traffic, cultural diversity, and the most fashion
driven people in the world with their designer handbags and lattes in hand. You
cannot compare the earthly splendor of Paris, France the enchanting city that
entices all of its visitors with its famed romance and renowned architecture
and historical landmarks to the celestial city that’s called Heaven.
I read of an
American who visited the 19th Century Polish Rabbi, Hofetz Chaim:
Astonished
to see the rabbi’s
home was only a simple room filled with books, with only a table and a bench,
the tourist asked, “Rabbi,
where is your furniture?” The rabbi asked in return, “Where is yours?” The puzzled American tourist replied, “Mine? But I’m a visitor here – I’m only passing through.” “So am I,” said Hofetz Chaim.
I love the
words Albert E. Brumley penned back in about 1946, when the world was still in
the throes of World War II:
This world is not my home, I’m just a passing through, My treasures
are laid up somewhere beyond the blue; The angels beckon me from Heaven’s open
door, and I can’t feel at home in this world any more!
What I am
conveying to you is that Heaven is the MARK…
The closing
weeks of 2013 are a time that we prepare to go Home! It is a time that we
prepare others to go Home! It is a time that we get ready to meet our loved
ones! Today marks the time that we talk about Heaven’s Gates and how we are all going to get there!
Perhaps the
reason we are not as successful at outreach as we once were is because we are
not enamored with the thought of Heaven as we once were. Perhaps the anticipation we once had is no
longer there because we have it too good here on earth.
It’s time that we turn our hearts toward
Heaven and take on the responsibility of helping others get there! If you serve the church in any capacity, you ought to be trying to get
someone to heaven! If
you are a board member, Sunday School teacher, Department Head, Usher or
Hostess, you ought to be doing everything you possibly can to win a soul to God
and get that person to heaven! The
job of the whole Church is to get others ready for Heaven!
We
need a renewed desire to go there. If
you read church history at all, you will find the Christians that did the most
for the world were those who thought the most of Heaven!
Maybe
we have become ineffective because we have ceased to long for heaven. We are too satisfied with what we
have here below! We need
a renewed passion for a place called HEAVEN!
