Season 6 Podcast 18 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 54 Chapter XI A, “Beulah Land.”

Season 6 Podcast 18 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 54 Chapter XI A, “Beulah Land.” 

In last week’s podcast Christian, while traveling through The Enchanted Land, continues to try to teach Ignorance, but he is unsuccessful. Ignorance is not teachable. Also, we learn of several new characters, Temporary and Turnback; as well as new places, Graceless and Honesty. 

In this, the last chapter of Book I, we enter Beaulah Land where we confront the first of two obstacles—The River—which is difficult for Christian to cross. It is only because of Hopeful that Christian survives The River. We also meet The Two Shining Men as we come to Mount Zion, and finally to the gates of the Celestial City.

“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, whose air was very sweet and pleasant: the way lying directly through it, they enjoyed themselves there for a season. Yea, here they heard continually the singing of birds and saw every day the flowers appear on the earth, and heard the voice of the turtle in the land. In this country the sun shineth night and day; wherefore this was beyond the Valley of the Shadow of Death, and also out of the reach of Giant Despair; neither could they from this place so much as see Doubting Castle. Here they were within sight of the City they were going to; also here met them some of the inhabitants thereof; for in this land the Shining Ones commonly walked, because it was upon the borders of heaven. Here they had no want of corn and wine; for in this place they met with abundance of what they had sought for in all their pilgrimage. Here they heard voices from out of the City, loud voices, saying, "Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh! Behold, His reward is with Him!" Here all the inhabitants of the country called them "The holy people, and redeemed of the Lord, sought out," etc.”

Beaulah Land is Paradise for it is beyond the by-ways of destruction. Let us not forget the many obstacles that were placed in the Path of Christian on his journey prior to Beaulah Land.

1.     The City of Destruction

2.     The wilderness of this world

3.     The Slough of Despond

4.     The Town of Morality

5.     The Hill of Difficulty

6.     Danger and Destruction

7.     The Delectable Mountains

8.     The Valley of Humiliation (where he meets Apollyon)

9.     The Valley of the Shadow of Death (or the mouth of hell)

10.  Vanity Fair (Chapter Six)

11.  Town of Fair-speech, 

Everything Christian endured prepared him to enter Beulah Land. For example, had he not overcome all of the following detractors he would not have completed the journey.

 1.     Obstinate

2.     Pliable

3.     Worldly Wiseman

4.     Mr. Legality

5.     Civility

6.     Beelzebub 

7.     Man of despair locked in a cage

8.     Simple, Sloth, Presumption

9.     Formalist and Hypocrisy

10.  Timorous and Mistrust

11.  Apollyon, the Destroyer

12.  The Great Satan

13.  Abaddon, destruction or doom

14.  Pope, A Giant

15.  Pagan, a Giant1