Chapter 1
HEAVEN IS A PLACE
Heaven is called a "city," a "country," a "better country," "Father's
house." It is the home of the holy, the place of angels, the Eden
of delight, the country of a cloudless day, the dwelling place of God.
It is a place built by Almighty God on the everlasting hills of glory
for the eternal abode of His people; a place of beauty -- a beauty far
surpassing the beauty of this world of nature and art. What would
this world have been had sin not entered? A world without sin-stain!
The wonders of creation as revealed by astronomy suggest the possibility
of a wonderful and glorious heaven. "They measure vast distances by
the velocity of light; light travels at the rate of one hundred and
eighty-five thousand miles a second, eleven million miles a minute. Some
of the fixed stars are so far away that it would take light three thousand
years to come from one of these stars to the earth. Mars is one hundred
and thirty-one million miles from the Sun. Jupiter is four hundred
and fifty-seven million miles from the Sun. Saturn is eight hundred and
eighty-one million miles from the Sun. The distance between Mars and
Jupiter is three hundred and thirty-nine million miles. Uranus is one
billion, seven hundred and seventy-one million miles from the Sun. Neptune
is two billion, seven hundred and seventy-five million miles from the Sun,"
How great the God who made the world! And can He not make a wonderful
home for His people where they may dwell eternally?
"And He carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain,
and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out
of heaven from God, having the glory of God; and her light was like
unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
and had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates
twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the
twelve tribes of Israel; on the east three gates; on the north three
gates; on the south three gates; on the west three gates. And the wall
of the city had twelve foundations." The sacred writer then gives the
measurement of the city, and then a description of the material. "The
building of the wall of it," he said, "was of jasper; and the city was pure
gold, like unto clear glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city
were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation
was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth,
an emerald; the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, crysolyte;
the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the
eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst. And the twelve gates were
twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl; and the street of the
city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass."
