Unraveling chapter 18 of The Pilgrimage: “The City of the Great Light”

Paul the Apostle wrote in his second letter to the Corinthians about his journey into the third heaven; he called it Paradise.

2 Corinthians 12:2-4
2I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.

3And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;)

4How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. KJV

Rachel, after suffering a physical wound, leaves her earthly body behind and travels to a distant place. She awakens in a lovely garden surrounded by flowers of unusual clarity and beauty. The sky, she believes, sparkles like a precious jewel. Her opening sentiments, along with the title, The City of the Great Light, are taken from the book of Revelation, chapter 21.

The book of Revelation describes the New Jerusalem as a holy city; it is a great city on a high mountain, one whose light is like a precious stone.

Revelation 21:2
2And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. KJV

Revelation 21:10-11
10And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

11Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; KJV

Rachel describes the beauty of her surroundings, including the fact that the highway is paved with gold.

Revelation 21:21
21And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass. KJV

Rachel’s feelings of peace come from another verse in Revelation, which declares that there will be no death, or sorrow or crying or pain in heaven; therefore, we will feel peace.

Revelation 21:4
4And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. KJV

Rachel describes seeing an endless host of striking white clouds appear on the horizon of the garden she inhabits; they are thundering in the distance. What she doesn’t realize until they move closer is that they aren’t clouds at all; they are magnificent white horses, powerful and strong, freely roaming through the open fields.

This idea springs from another verse in Revelation that speaks of the armies of heaven riding upon white horses.

Revelation 19:14
14And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. KJV

Rachel’s journey takes her down the golden highway where she passes a grapevine growing near the road. It is nearly six feet tall, the height of a man, propped up near the remains of an old tree, bearing clusters of red berries.
The tree is an allusion to the cross; the grapevine an allusion to Christ, the red berries the fruit of His sacrificial work, which brings new life.

Deuteronomy 21:22-23
22And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree:

23His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance. KJV

John 15:1-2
1I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

2Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. KJV

When Rachel finally reaches the entrance to the great city, she encounters a wall of tremendous height and beauty. It is stunning; comprised of diamond like gems, and crystal clear.

Revelation 21:12
12And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: KJV

Revelation 21:18
18And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. KJV

Before Rachel is allowed to enter the city of the Great Light she must give her name to the keeper of the gate. He checks his book to see if her name is in it, and after finding it, he allows her entrance. Revelation declares that there are twelve gates in the wall that opens into the holy city and each is made of translucent pearl. No one may enter the city unless their name is found written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Revelation 21:21
21And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass. KJV

Revelation 22:14
14Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. KJV

Revelation 21:27
27And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life. KJV

Rachel, as she enters the city and passes by the gate, touches the lustrous pearly structure and realizes the pearl must have been very costly. This is basically a play on words taken from one of the Kingdom Parables recorded in Matthew 13.

Matthew 13:45-46
45Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:

46Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. KJV

Rachel continues her journey into the city and is delighted to encounter a group of deer, who have no fear of her presence. This concept is taken from a passage in the book of Isaiah.

Isaiah 65:25
25The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord. KJV

Rachel’s journey through the city brings her into contact with many types of flowers, plants, trees and shrubs. The trees in particular have leaves that she found refreshingly aromatic; they emitted an unknown fragrance whose perfume was like a healing balm to her senses.

This concept is also based on a verse in Revelation.

Revelation 22:2
2In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. KJV

The hillside homes Rachel encounters as she enters the city are especially interesting. They have not been built by human hands; they varied in color; they were all attractively robed in garments of splendor. Lamps of prismatic beauty hung in every window; their roof tops were ornamented with gold and bedecked with jewels. The same name was written above the doorway of each home. This description speaks of immortal men in incorruptible bodies. They are robed in the righteousness of Christ; they reflect the light of Christ. They wear golden crowns encrusted with jewels, and each has the name of Christ written on his forehead.

When I wrote this section of The Pilgrimage I thought it would be interesting to create a city, of what appears to be homes, for Rachel to walk through. In reality, the homes are the residents; they have been built by Christ and represent our immortal, incorruptible bodies. In order to facilitate the reader’s comprehension of this section, I explained this concept in chapter 20 titled “An Earthly Tabernacle.” You may want to reread it for further clarification. This concept is built on Paul’s words recorded in his second letter to the Corinthians.

John 14:2
2In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. KJV

2 Corinthians 5:1-8
1For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

2For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:

3If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked.

4For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.

5Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.

6Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:

7(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

8We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. KJV

Revelation 19:14
14And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. KJV

Revelation 19:8
8And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. KJV

Philippians 3:8-9
8Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

9And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: KJV

2 Corinthians 5:21
21For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. KJV

James 1:12
12Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. KJV

Revelation 3:12
12Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. KJV

Revelation 22:4
4And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. KJV

Rachel leaves the city and heads toward the mountain of God, which she sees is surrounded by a magnificent garden. No one knows the actual location of the original garden of Eden; since the flood of Noah's age the topography of the earth has changed. However, we know that Adam and Eve once inhabited it, and that their sin caused God to remove them from it, and the tree of life. Since verses in Revelation describe the tree of life as being in close proximity to the throne of God, I created this garden to be at the base of the mountain that leads to His throne.

Genesis 2:8
8And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. KJV

Genesis 3:23-24
23Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.

24So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. KJV

Rev 22:1-2
1And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.

2In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. KJV

Unraveling chapter 19 of The Pilgrimage: “A Majestic Throne”

This title is also based on Revelation:

Revelation 4:2
2And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. KJV

Rachel continues her journey down the golden trail, which leads to a garden within the city. It is resplendent with flowers unrivaled in splendor anywhere on earth.

She is surprised to find the garden surrounded by a tall circular fence covered by berry vines. Upon investigation, she finds that the glistening fence is a wall made of a hard emerald substance.

She tastes the delicious fruit growing on the vines: raspberries, green and yellow gooseberries, blueberries, red-fruited loganberries, and deep purple blackberries and a rare orange colored raspberry.

Rachel eventually journeys up the mountain of God, and upon looking back at the valley below she realizes the tall circular, emerald green wall with the multicolored fruits growing on it is like a rainbow.

In the Bible, the throne of God is described as having a rainbow around it; in Revelation it is like unto an emerald. In Ezekiel the rainbow was described as being akin to the likeness of the glory of the Lord.

Revelation 4:3
3And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. KJV

Ezekiel 1:27-28
27And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about.

28As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake. KJV

Leisurely strolling through the garden, prior to scaling the mountain, she crosses from section to section, realizing the garden is designed like an Elizabethan parterre; an ornamental garden with pathways from one section to another. It encircles the mountain top, and is watered by a stream that flows through it like the spokes on a wheel.

In the book of Daniel the throne of the Ancient of Days is said to be like a fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. In Ezekiel, the four living creatures that carry the throne of God are described as having a wheel within a wheel. Since this section deals more directly with the throne of God, I decided it would be interesting to compare the garden beneath with its pathways to the spokes of giant wheel.

Daniel 7:9
9I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. KJV

Ezekiel 1:15-16
15Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces.

16The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the colour of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel. KJV

Ezekiel 1:26
26And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.

Rachel, strolling through the garden, finds herself in what she determines is the “hub” of Paradise. In this section she finds one Solitary Tree, covered with beautiful ‘Iceberg’ roses, the whitest variety possible. They are perfect, without blemish or thorns. This tree represents the finished work of Christ, whose life was sinless and perfect; those who accept Him as Savior are washed clean of their sins and gain eternal life.

Rachel, hearing a noise in the bushes, turns to see a lamb moving up the mountain, and she follows. She loses sight of the lamb but follows a stream up the hill to a plateau where the water is pooled, and realizing she is thirsty, she stops to take a drink. Her action corresponds to another verse from Revelation.

Revelation 22:17
17And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. KJV

Rachel wades into the water to take a drink and sees her reflection; she is startled by her more youthful and beautiful appearance, and that her clothing has changed and she is wearing of crown of flowers. These are images covered earlier in the white linen robes the righteous will wear and the crowns they may earn while on earth.

Revelation 3:5
5He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. KJV

Revelation 19:14
14And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. KJV

1 Corinthians 9:25
25And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. KJV

1 Thessalonians 2:19
19For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? KJV

2 Timothy 4:8
8Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. KJV

James 1:12
12Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. KJV

1 Peter 5:4
4And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. KJV

Revelation 2:10
10Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. KJV

Rachel hears a voice calling out to her and believes it is her grandfather; later the reader realizes it is the voice of Christopher calling her back to the land of the living.

Traveling up the mountain she encounters numerous rows of colorful trees; apple, orange, pear and others types of fruit growing together. This represents the tree of life, which bares twelve manner of fruits.

Revelation 22:1-2
1And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.

2In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. KJV

Rachel is about to take a bite out of a piece of fruit but stops as a beam of lightning flies past her. Startled, she drops the fruit and it rolls away. The reason she doesn’t eat it is because her time on earth has not yet come to an end.

She then sees a marble stairway that rises high into the sky; at the top of the stairway she sees a Pillar of Smoke centered on a Golden Throne of Fire, which beamed forth the Great Light. These images are taken from the Old Testament description of the Pillar of Fire and Pillar of Cloud that rested on the Tabernacle of God as it traveled in the wilderness.

The Throne radiated like the brilliance of a ruby encrusted with diamonds, and smoke fell around the Throne like the majestic robe of an Eternal King. These images are taken from both the Old and New Testaments.

Exodus 13:21
21And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: KJV

Revelation 4:2-3
2And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.

3And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. KJV

Isaiah 6:1
1In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. KJV

Isaiah 6:4
4And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. KJV

Awestruck, Rachel falls to her knees as occasional peals of thunder and balls of flaming fire continued to streak forth from the Throne. When she chanced to look back at a blazing ball of fire, she thought she could see the image of a man, dressed in a glistening white robe.

This idea is taken from the book of Hebrews where the author describes the angels of God as ministers of fire.

Revelation 4:5
5And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. KJV

Hebrews 1:7
7And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. KJV

Rachel, composed, finally steps upon the marble stairway that leads to the Throne of God; as she does the lamb again appears, this time she sees not only the lamb but a face, gentle and serene, like that of a Man.

John the Apostle in his gospel called Jesus the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The Lamb and the Man are the same, and the bridge represents both. The bridge, Jesus Christ, is the connection men need to find their way to God.

John 1:29
29The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. KJV

John 14:6
6Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. KJV

Revelation 5:6
6And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. KJV

The thunder and lightning increased and as she proceeds up the stairway toward the throne, her senses become more heightened.  The fragrance of incense fills the air, and she hears voices singing and anthem of praise.  Almost to the top she hears a voice calling from below. It is Christopher calling her back to him. She turns to look for him and then awakens.

Revelation 5:7-13
7And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.

8And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.

9And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

10And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

11And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;

12Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

13And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. KJV

Wow, if you read through everything, give yourself a pat on the back.