Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1893-02-01
The Location of Heaven.

The people of Hackensack have been
talking Il good deal for the past two
weeks about their new Baptist minister,
Rev. D. d. Read. Mr.. Read is deliver
ing course of lectures on Heaven;
It's Locality, Inhabitants, Occupations,
and Life He believes in material
heaven, built on the plan of an earthly
city, and he locates it in the star AL
cyone. When asked for brief explain
alton of his ideas on the subject of
heaven. Mr.. Read said:
The soul is an entity and must have
dwelling place somewhere. There Is
no reason why it should not have ma
terial dwelling place, since we know
that there are material bodies in heav-
en-, as, for instance, Christ, Enoch,.
Elijah and Moses. The teaching OF
Christ is explicit that heayeni is q place,
and in the verse which l took for my
text, Hebrews XII, 16, it is written ;
For lie has prepared for them city,
st is settled in my mind that heaven
is place, but where is it? Some say
it is in the sky, others that it will be the
earth purified by fire but we know that
heaven is already in existence, since
Christ and the angels came from hea-
ven.
"Both the Scriptures and astronomy
offer lis light on the location OF heaven.
There is no conflict here between SCI
ence and religion on the contrary, to
my mind they harmonic. We know
that the earth not only moves around
the sun, but that the whole solar sys-
TEN is travelling through space at an in
credible rate of speed. Some astrono-
mer has figured it out that we are NOV
ing in the direction of the star Pi, III the
constellation Hercules, ut a rate OF
81, $50, 900 miles year. There are 9TH
or solar systems in space moving like
wise. Maedler has shown that the mo-
ton of all stars is around Alcyone, and
that this fixed star is therefore the CEN
ire of the material heavens. The earth
moves about it in an orbit of $1,000, 600
of years. Alcyone shines with light
equal to $1,000 of our own suns and Is
the brightest star known TO us. 1t takes
light 700 years to travel thence TO the
earth. What if there, at the centre OF
gravity. should be the place where the
King eternal. immortal and invisible,
the only wise God, reigns? Why should
it not be so?
SIN Fourth Ephesians, Xii, 10. it is
written "Christ assembled far above all
the heavens" and Paul says he was
caught up Unto the third heaven"
The Hebrews believed in three heav-
ems. The first was that where the
birds and clouds fly through the air ;
the second was the stellar heaven,
and the third : ~ beyond our
SOL :. seems to me that it is
i- t us point that scientific and religi-
Gus teachings converge.
"All these theories of astronomy
may be true, and, if they are, Alcyone
is most fitting place for the eternal
city but remember, am not speaking
dogmatically. l am feeling for the
truth. | believe III a material heaven,
where we shall enjoy eternal life and
recognize our friends whom We loved
on earth"
"Do you believe in maternal hell p
'Well, l don't know. l don't say
that / do, but have material enough
collected to warrant me in delivering
series of sermons on the subject, and
| may do that when | have finished
with heaven"
Mr.. Read went on to say that, hay
ing demonstrated to his satisfaction
that heaven might be in the star AL
cyone, he would in his next sermon de.
scribe the life and occupations of the
the heavenly inhabitants.