March 7 - The Glorious Gathering in Heaven

"Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. … He is the King of glory." – Psalm 24:7, 8, and 10 (KJV)

Christ came to Earth in the disguise of humanity. He ascended to Heaven as the King of saints. His ascension was worthy of His exalted character. Like a mighty warrior in battle, victorious and triumphant, He led captivity captive. Surrounded by the heavenly host, He was received amidst shouts of praise and heavenly songs. The entire Heaven united in His welcome.

The most precious truth to the disciples in the ascension of Jesus was that He left them in the tangible form of their divine Master. The last memory they were to have of their Lord was as the compassionate Friend, the glorified Redeemer. The brightness of the heavenly procession and the opening of the glorious gates of Heaven to receive Him were beyond the reach of mortal eyes.

Had the disciples witnessed Christ's ascent to Heaven in all its incomprehensible glory, they would not have been able to bear it. Had they seen the thousands of angels and heard the triumphant acclamations of the heavenly walls while the eternal gates were lifted, the contrast between that glory and their own life in a world of trials would have been so vast that they would hardly have been able to lift the burden of their earthly lives, ready to carry out with courage and faithfulness the commission given to them by the Savior.

Their senses should not be so filled with the glories of Heaven that they lost sight of the character of Christ on Earth, which they were to imitate. They were to keep distinctly before them the beauty and majesty of His life, the perfect harmony of all His attributes, and the mysterious union of the divine and human in His nature. It was better that the disciples' earthly relationship with their Savior ended in the solemn, calm, and sublime manner in which it did. His visible ascension from the world was in harmony with the meekness and quietude of His life.

This beautiful moment reminds us that the same glory awaits us, but we must also carry His character in our lives here on Earth.