where present upon earth, even as He is now, but the place of His living and awful presence was in the veiled Holy of Holies. As the Temple was to the land of Israel in this respect, so the Heaven of heavens is now to the whole of God's universe. He is everywhere, but He is in a peculiar sense THERE. That place of His presence is where He has set His eternal throne, where the awful Shechinahlight burns unceasingly, where Jesus sits at the Father's right hand in glory, where the songs of gladsome angels never cease. There-but where? A question full of sweetness, full of solemnity, for those whose Home is Heaven. But no living man can answer it. Some have supposed that the central Heaven of Heavens, where the eternal Throne is set, may be the one fixed centre of the vast revolving universe. The thought is a grand one, and if followed out, it proves not unworthy of the theme. Countless rushing suns and sun-systems, stars and star-streams, worlds and attendant satellites, all journeying in swift and measured whirl around one far-distant spot of absolute repose, where the King Eternal sits upon His glorious throne, to command and guide His whole creation-it is a beautiful conjecture, yet only conjecture. We know nothing about the matter. How if any part of the Heavens of space should be identical with, or included in, the Heaven of Divine and angelic manifestation? Conjecture again. We may guess and imagine, but guesses and imaginations will not satisfy the heart. Our Father has given us better food wherewith to meet His children's cravings. He has told us enough for peace and joyous expectation. The rest we may well be content to leave in His hands for future revelation. 'Surely yon Heaven, where angels see God's Face From this low earth? 'Tis but a little space- From the bright dwelling of the glorified, BONAR. References.-1 -1 Gen. i. 6-8. 2 Dan. iv. 15. 32 Pet. iii. 10, 12. 4 Rev. xx. II; xxi. I. 5 Eph. vi. 12; marg. 6 John xiv. 30. 7 Ps. cii. 25, 26. 8 Gen. i. I. 9 Ps. xxxiii. 6. 10 Isa. xl. 26. II Job xxii. 12. 12 Jer. xxxiii. 22. 13 Deut. i. 10. 7, 8. 15 Gen. i. 14-17. 16 Ps. xxxiii. 14. 18 1 Kings xxii. 19. 19 1 Chron. xvi. 26, 21 Ps. xi. 4. 22 Isa. vi. I. 23 Matt. vi. 9. 14 Gen. i. 17 1 Kings viii. 27. 20 Ps. xxiv. 3, 7. 24 Jer. xxiii. 24. 27. CHAPTER IV. HADES. OLLOWING the classification of meanings already suggested, we have now to subdivide the third class, to look upon Heaven in that last and grandest sense of the word under varying aspects. We have to think of Heaven, not only as the place of Jehovah's peculiar presence, but as the place of promised reward to His redeemed ones, as the place whither the souls of those sleeping in Jesus are now gone, as the place of future habitation for the whole Church of Christ after the Resurrection Day. Immediately the question arises-are these different views or senses of Heaven identical, or are they not? In a manner we may perhaps say, Yes-in a manner, No. It is possible to speak of our world as a whole, yet there is a wide difference between China and England, between Australia and France, between the Europe of the past and the Europe of the present. It is possible to speak of the Jewish Temple as a whole, yet the Holy of Holies was a sealed place to the crowds who frequented the outer courts. It is possible also to speak of Heaven as a whole, and the Bible does often so speak, yet Heaven surely is wide and vast, and may possess its Holy Place and its outer courts of beauty and joy, as well as its unutterably glorious Holy of Holies. We come here to difficult ground and must tread cautiously. In the Bible we are distinctly told that Jesus, the Son of God, left His heavenly home to come to earth. His work on earth completed, He returned thither. "I came down from Heaven, not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me." |