Part 7
This good woman had heard how the king would kill Peter to-morrow; so she and her friends were praying for Peter, and while they were praying they heard a knock: it was a strange thing to hear a knock in the night; but they never guessed who it was.
A maid named Rhoda went to the door, but she was afraid to open it, lest it should be some of the wicked people come to kill the poor woman and her friends; so she stopped at the door without opening it, to hear who it was: but when she heard Peter speak, how much pleased she was! she knew his voice. She did not say, Are you Peter? She was sure it was Peter. She was so much surprised that she forgot to open the door; but ran back to her mistress and the rest of the disciples, and said, Peter is standing before the gate; but they said, No, it cannot be Peter; he is shut up in prison.
The maid said, It is Peter; I am sure it is. While they were talking, Peter was standing outside, and he went on knocking, because nobody opened the door. Soon his friends ran and opened the door, and when they saw Peter they were quite surprised.
How did you get out of prison? they said.
Then Peter made a sign with his hand to make them all quiet, that he might tell them how he got out of prison.
God sent an angel, said Peter, who brought me out of the prison. Go and tell all my friends what has happened, for I must go away. So Peter went and hid himself in a place where the wicked king could not find him.
What do you think the soldiers said when they could not find Peter in the morning?
They were much frightened: they saw his chains, but not Peter. They found the gates locked; they could not think how Peter got out of prison.
So the king sent for Peter. This was the day when Peter was to be killed. All the wicked people in Jerusalem were expecting to see him. The king’s servants said, Where is Peter? Bring him out.
The soldiers answered, We cannot tell where Peter is: he is gone.
The servants went and told the king that Peter was not in prison. The king was very angry; he said, Bring the soldiers to me. They must have fallen asleep.
When the soldiers came, they could not tell the king how Peter had got away. For God had made them sleep when the angel fetched Peter. The king was in a great rage, and said, The soldiers must be killed.
What a wicked king this was! He loved to do wickedness. He was very proud, and hated God and God’s people. He fell into passions, and only cared to please himself. At last God sent an angel to kill him, and worms ate up his flesh until he died.
God sends angels to punish the wicked, and to help people who love him as Peter did.
“Awake,” the angel cries; and from the hands Of wondering Peter fall the iron bands; The gates fly open of their own accord, And Peter is to liberty restor’d.
His guide he follows through the gloom of night (Where angels are there needs no other light); The angel’s gone, and Peter, left alone, Sees and admires the love his God has shown.
At yonder gate he knocks; thence prayer ascends, On this sad night, from Peter’s sorrowing friends: With glad surprise the maiden hears his voice; All round him flock and with one heart rejoice.
CHILD.
So, when my body dies, shall angels guide My happy soul to my dear Father’s side: To meet me at the gate shall angels throng, With joy shall tune their harps and raise their song.
LESSON LI.
JOHN.
REV. i. 9-19; iv. 1-5; xxii.
ALMOST all the twelve disciples were killed by wicked men at last. When Peter was old, some wicked men crucified him, because he loved Jesus. Now he is in heaven with Jesus, clothed in a white robe, and all his tears wiped away. His dear Lord Jesus is always near him, and this makes him happy.
John lived till he was very, very old, indeed. A wicked king caught him, and put him into a country far away from his friends: there was water all round, so that he could not get away.
Was John unhappy there?
No; God was with him, and John loved to think of the Father, and of his Son Jesus.
It was Sunday, and John was thinking of God, when he heard a voice behind him, like the noise of a trumpet, very loud indeed. He turned round to see who it was; and whom do you think he saw?
The Lord Jesus come down from heaven, all glorious and shining! When John saw him, he could not speak or stand; he was afraid, and he fell down on the ground, as if he were dead. But Jesus touched him with his hand and said, Fear not; I am he that liveth and was dead, and behold, I am alive for evermore. Then Jesus took John up into heaven, and an angel showed him most beautiful things.
John saw a throne on which God sat. There was a rainbow round the throne. There were a great many seats, and men sitting on them, clothed in white, with crowns of gold on their heads. The men took off their crowns, and threw them down before the throne and praised Jesus, the Lamb of God.
John saw a great many angels, more than he could count, standing round the throne, singing praises to the Lamb.
But of all the things John saw in heaven, there was nothing so glorious as God himself.
In heaven there is no sun, nor moon, nor candle, nor lamp. Yet it is always light, because God shines more brightly than the sun. The music of harps and sweet singing are always to be heard; for all the angels can sing the praises of God.
John wondered at the things he saw and heard; and he fell down at the feet of the angel who had shown them to him.
But the angel said, You must not worship me; I am only a servant of God: you must worship God.
Then the angel went on speaking and said, Jesus will soon come down from heaven to judge the world. He will open the gates of heaven to let those people in who mind God’s word; but those who tell lies, and do wicked things, shall be shut out.
All people who love Jesus wish him to come again in the clouds.
Do you wish to see Jesus, my little children?
Then you may answer, Even so; come, Lord Jesus.
I hope that when you die your spirit will go to Jesus, and that when Jesus comes again, he will bring you with him.
John wrote down in a book the things he had seen in heaven. All that John wrote is in the Bible. At last John died, and his soul went to God. He is with Jesus now in heaven. He is now playing on a golden harp, and singing with the angels. But when Jesus comes again in the clouds, John will come with him.
When John was by the angel led To the bright world on high, He saw what joys await the dead When up to heaven they fly.
He saw them round the Father’s throne, Gazing upon his face, Singing to harps of sweetest tone The praises of his grace.
He saw them clothed in robes of white, Such as the angels wear, Shining like stars of morning bright, And like the angels fair.
He saw the city where they dwelt; (Whose praises can’t be told); The walls of precious stones were built, The streets were purest gold.
He saw the Lamb whose blood was spill’d, To give his people rest: With his bright beams the place was filled, And every heart was blest.
Charm’d with the sight, John bent his knee Before that angel fair, Who said, “Thou must not worship me; To God address thy prayer.”
LESSON LII.
THE JUDGMENT DAY.
I. THESS. iv. 15-17. REV. xx. 11 to end.
YOU know that Jesus will come again in the clouds?
Little children, do you know when he will come? Shall I tell you when Jesus will come? You would like to know; but I cannot tell you when: I do not know. The angels do not know what day it will be. No one knows but God. There will be many wicked people in the world then, and some good people. An angel will blow a great trumpet, and Jesus will say to the people who are dead, Come out of your graves.
The bodies of all the dead people will come out of their graves. Those who love Christ will be like the angels, and will fly up into the air. If you are alive when Jesus comes, he will catch you up in the air to meet him.
As soon as you see Jesus you will be like him, all shining and glorious. Jesus will be king over the whole world, and make all people happy.
At last Jesus will sit upon a white throne, and everybody will stand round his throne. He will open some books, in which he has written down all the naughty things people have done. God has seen all the naughty things you have done. He can see in the dark as well as in the light, and knows all your naughty thoughts. He will read everything out of his books before the angels that stand around. Yet God will forgive some people, because Christ died upon the cross.
Whom will he forgive?
Those who love Jesus with all their hearts. He has written down their names in another book, called The Book of Life. He will forgive their sins, wipe away their tears, and let them live with him forever.
Do you hope that Jesus has written down your name in his book?
Ask him to give you his Holy Spirit. Then you will love Jesus, and hate to do wickedly.
This is what God will do to those who do not love him—God will bind them in chains, and put them in a lake of fire. There they will gnash their teeth, and weep and wail forever.
God will put Satan in the same place, and all the devils. Satan is the father of the wicked, and he and his children shall be tormented forever. They shall not have one drop of water to cool their burning tongues. Many people in hell will say, How I wish I had listened to the words of my teachers! But I would not mind; and now it is too late. I never can come out of this dreadful place. How foolish I have been! Once God would have heard my prayers, but now I weep and wail in vain.
I hope, my dear children, that none of you will ever speak such sad words.
Remember Satan goes about as a cunning serpent, trying to make you disobey God; but Christ will keep you from wickedness, if you pray to him.
One day God will burn up this world we live in. It is dreadful to see a house on fire. Did you ever see one? But how dreadful it will be to see this great world and all the houses and trees burning! The noise will be terrible: the heat will be very great. The wicked will not be able to get away. They will be cast into the lake of fire. The world will not burn forever; God will make another world, much better than this.
If you are God’s child, you will not be frightened when the world is burning, for you will be safe with Jesus, praising him for having loved and saved you.
How oft behind yon hill The sun has hid his face! How oft return’d to fill With joyful light the place! And shall the sun forever thus return? Shall morn succeed to eve, and eve to morn?
Oh no! the day shall come, (And who can tell how soon!) When dark shall be that sun, And red the silver moon: When sun or moon shall never more return, But God on clouds shall come the world to burn.
Oh! say shall I be there, To see the dreadful glare, The dreadful sound to hear, The dreadful heat to bear, Of falling crags and rocks, of roaring seas, Of smoking hills, and flaming earth and skies?
Oh! yes, I shall be there; The graves shall open’d be; _All_ shall the trumpet hear, The Judge’s face shall see: In vain shall some upon the mountains call, To hide their heads from him who judges all.
The books shall then be read, In which our God has wrote All that we ever said, Or ever did or thought; And many cheeks with burning shame shall glow, And many souls be plunged in deepest woe.
And how shall I escape From endless misery? My sins, a mighty heap, Show I deserve to die. And yet to think upon that burning lake Makes my flesh tremble, and my bones to shake.
Lord! by the blood he shed Who hung upon the tree, Before the books are read, May my sins pardon’d be! And then my tears shall all be wiped away, And I shall dwell in everlasting day.
THE END.
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