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3. They will not only be raised out of their low condition, but they will be set up on high; as Joseph, not only brought out of prison, but made ruler over the land of Egypt. And they will be lifted up,

(1.) Into a high place, Luke 16:22.—“The beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom.”—Now they are at best in a low place, but upon this earth; there they will be seated in the highest heavens, Philip. 1:23. with Eph. 6:10. 

Often, in their humbling circumstances, they are obliged now to embrace dunghills; then they will be set with Christ on his throne, Rev. 3:21. “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me on my throne.”—Though their belly now cleaves to the earth, and men say, Bow down that we may pass over you, they will then be settled in the heavenly mansions, above sun, moon, and stars.

What trial do you face?

How low has it made you?

No think of this trial:

Will it last past the time you die?

Can those who afflict you chase you into the grave?

If they are believers (and sadly this may happen, Phil. 4:1-3) will they be changed?

Who will be there, when you have been rescued and exalted?

Why do you think that our salvation is also called a rescue? (2 Cor. 1:10)

Psalm 18:17:

            17         He rescued me from my strong enemy 

Psalm 18:48 

            48         who rescued me from my enemies; 

Psalm 22:5 

            5           To you they cried and were rescued; 

Psalm 22:8 

                        You have rescued me from the horns of gthe wild oxen! 

Psalm 31:2 

rescue me speedily! 

Psalm 31:15 

rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors! 

Psalm 35:17 

Rescue me from their destruction, 

Psalm 71:2 

            2           In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; 

Psalm 71:4 

            4           Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, 

Psalm 82:4 

            4           wRescue the weak and the needy; 

Psalm 136:24 

            24         and rescued us from our foes, 

Psalm 144:7 

rescue me and deliver me from the many waters, 

Psalm 144:10 

who rescues David his servant from the cruel sword. 

Psalm 144:11 

            11         Rescue me and deliver me 

Consider the passages quoted above. Go to each of the Psalms and read the rescue in context.

We have two ways in which “rescue” is presented. First, it is a prayer for rescue.

            17         How long, O Lord, will you look on? 

Rescue me from their destruction, 

my precious life from the lions! 

Psalm 35:17 (ESV) 

Second we have a praise for rescue:

            23         It is he who remembered us in our low estate, 

for his steadfast love endures forever; 

            24         and rescued us from our foes, 

for his steadfast love endures forever; 

            25         he who gives food to all flesh, 

for his steadfast love endures forever. 

            26         Give thanks to the God of heaven, 

for his steadfast love endures forever. 

Psalm 136:23–26 (ESV) 

Write a prayer for rescue. Write then a prayer of praise for hope of rescue.

This will pass, and you will be exalted.

(2.) Into a high state and condition, a state of perfection. Out of all their troubles and uneasinesses, they will be set into a state of rest; from their mean and inglorious condition, they will be advanced into a state of glory; their weighted and sorrowful life will be succeeded with a fulness of joy; and, for their humbling circumstances, they will be clothed with eternal glory and honour.

Consider this, your affliction coupled with your faith is working salvation and glory:

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 

1 Peter 1:3–7 (ESV) 

Boston here explains that should we find rest and relief from trials “in time,” we will be tempted to think, “I am free from all trials and worries.” But that is not so. A relief from trials is like the sun coming through the clouds on a rainy day. It is a moment, and the clouds will soon return.

But in eternity, we truly will be freed from all trials.

4. It will be a final lifting up, after which there will be no more casting down for ever, Rev. 7:16. When we get a lifting up in time, we are apt to imagine fondly we are at the end of our trials; but we soon find we are too hasty in our conclusions, and the cloud returns, Psal. 30:6, 7.—“In my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved.—Thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled.” But then indeed the trial is quite over, the fight is at an end: and then is the time of the retribution and triumph.

He asks the question, Will we remember our trials on earth when we are in heaven? Yes, yes we will. But they will no longer be trials for us. We will not remember them with pain. They will be like the memory of an illness when we are now well. They will be like a threat of rain that turns to sun (he calls this “waters that fail”). The trials we have now will not succeed. And our rest in heaven will only be sweeter by the troubles we suffer now.

Man may trouble and distress me,
’Twill but drive me to Thy breast;
  Life with trials hard may press me,
Christ will bring me sweeter rest.
  O ’tis not in grief to harm me,
While Thy love is left to me;
  O ’twere not in joy to charm me,
Were that joy unmixed with Thee.

Lastly, There will not be the least remaining uneasiness from the humbling circumstances, but, on the contrary, they will have a glorious and desirable effect. I make no question but the saints will have the remembrance of their humbling circumstances they were under here below. Did the rich man in hell remember his having five brethren on the earth, how sumptuously he fared, how Lazarus sat at his gate; and can we doubt but the saints will remember perfectly their heavy trials? Rev. 6:10. But then they will remember them as waters that fail, as the man recovered to health remembers his tossings on the sick bed; and that is a way of remembering that sweetens the present state of health beyond what otherwise it would be. Certainly the shore of the Red sea was the place that, of all places, was the fittest to help the Israelites to sing in the highest key, Rev. 15:3. And the humbling circumstances of saints on earth, will be of the same use to them in heaven.

g See Num. 23:22

w Job 29:12