‘Now I saw in my dream that by this time the Pilgrims were got over the Enchanted Ground, and entering into the country of Beulah…’

With these words, Bunyan signals that we are entering the last chapter of their Pilgrimage. Within sight of death, they are beyond the reach, and even the remembrance, of many of the trials and temptations they have endured. They are ‘on the borders of heaven’. The country is well-named. Taken from Isaiah 62:4-5, it speaks of the loving Lordship of Christ, and of His great rejoicing over His bride. It’s an amazing image, and one that we should probably think on more often: ‘as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you’. For the Pilgrims to know this must be so encouraging as they draw near to the end. Their death is precious in the eyes of the Lord (Ps.116:15).

Christian and Hopeful are by this stage seasoned believers whose mortal days are drawing to an end. They no longer care about this world, but are homesick for the world to come. Wearied of this life, their focus is turned exclusively to the City, of which ‘they have yet a more perfect view’. Their anticipation of being welcomed by the King overwhelms them, as their longing to be with Him blinds them to all else. This is a season of rest and refreshment, preparing them for the last great battle that lies ahead.

The company the Pilgrims enjoy in this land takes on the dimensions of heaven. No more are they troubled by Turn-backs, Ignorances, Atheists or By-ends, or any others of that ilk. Here their companions are Shining Ones who ‘commonly walk’ in Beulah. Bunyan anticipates that as the veil between this world and the next becomes thin, we encounter such ministering spirits who prepare us for our final passage through the Valley of the Shadow of Death.

And the Gardener who encourages them to eat and to be strengthened, to rest and be refreshed. What Bunyan intends to convey here is disputed. Some understand him to be teaching us that Christ Himself, the Gardener draws near the Pilgrims and ministers to the in some direct way (Gen.2:8-9; Dt.11:8-12). Others - and I would put myself among them - feel that like Watchful, and the Shepherds before him, the Gardener represents the pastoral ministry of the Church, caring for the aged in their midst. Christ ministers by His Spirit through the structures of the Church’s ministry. Teaching about our future hope, the joy we anticipate in seeing Christ, our expectation of our experience of righteousness in His presence, strengthening the soul through Communion, prayer and fellowship... All this and more refreshes the aged saints and prepares them for death.

They are joined by ‘two men in raiment that shone like gold; also their faces shone as the light’. These two in particular have been sent to escort the Pilgrims to the River. Walking by faith is giving way to walking by sight. The profound, hitherto unseen spiritual realities surrounding us are coming into focus. It’s not that such beings haven’t been with the Pilgrims before, but to this point, their support has gone unnoticed (Heb.1:14). But now, as the things of earth grow strangely dim, the things of heaven grow mysteriously brighter. Christian and Hopeful are increasingly impatient to cross the River. They have got to the point that many Christians get to in the autumn of life, where they simply want to be through death, and with Jesus. But in those very waters remain the last two difficulties they must face: the experience of dying, and the temptation to unbelief. All their trials to this point have been but preparation for this final battle with their last great enemy, death itself (I Cor.15:26).

Questions to ponder:

What are you doing now to prepare spiritually for your death, and for the temptations you will face as you approach it?

For those closest to death, how much of Bunyan’s vision for the dying saint resonates with your own experience?