And so he journeyed on towards his iron gate, pitifully ignorant of the
meaning of the golden dream. Life's ecstasies are warnings,
premonitions, danger-signals. Even in the experience of the Holiest, the
open heavens and the voice from the excellent glory immediately preceded
the grim struggle with the tempter in the wilderness. Paul had his
vision; he saw the Man of Macedonia; and he followed the gleam--to
bonds, stripes, and imprisonment. Bunyan knew what he was doing when he
placed the Palace Beautiful, with all its sweet hospitalities and
delightful ministries, immediately before that dark Valley of
Humiliation in which Christian struggled with Apollyon. When we hear
angels' voices speaking, when we find our fetters falling, when we see
our jail doors opening, be very sure that outside, outside, there is a
dark night and an iron gate!