Smyrna times. [volume] (Smyrna, Del.) 1854-1987, 1894-01-31
What is Heaven
AND WHERE Is 1T TO BE?

w 10 N0CluSu ny scripture, reason anu
common sense. Heaven is the dwell
ing place of God, where his presence is
made manifest to the consciousness of
mankind. Hence, Christ said: 1.-THE
kingdom of God is within you"
Luke II: 81. mot meat and drink,
but righteousness, and peace, and Joy
in the Holy Ghost" Rom. IA: II.
Where there is no manifestation of the
divine presence there can be no heaven
and as "God is not the God of the dead,
but of the living" they are the ones to
whom He must manifest Himself
John IA :23. 'If man love me-" said
Christ, "he will keep my words: and
my father will love him, and make our
abode with him." Heaven is the fruit
OF love existing between the soul and
its creator, growing out of the know
ledge of the true God, and of Jesus
Christ, whom he hath sent. John II %.
1t will be heaven in all of its fullness
when the soul shall find its dwelling
place in God here on the earth. Ps.
80: l. Lord, thou hast been our
dwelling place in all generations
Mans highness nature is spiritual
therefore its dwelling place must be in
God, in love, in light and life other
wise it will be excluded from heaven
forever.
Man is the one that went away from
God, and went into death and hell, and
he is the one that must return and find
his heaven where it was given him in
the beginning. Gen. l 26, etc. Since
man was expelled from his peaceful
abode in Eden, because of sin, and be-
came fugitive and vagabond in the
earth, where he has been shut up in
darkness for thousands ofyears, dream
ing about heaven in words unknown
he is now called to awake to righteous.
ness, and sin mott" and by obeying
this call he will enter into heaven, and
sit down with Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob-the spirits of just men made
perfect-here on earth. Heb. IL: %.
"a. Heaven is to do where the suffer
ings have been-here on earth. And
as all that has a conscious existing
after the death of the body is spirit,
that is what will take charge of the
living people on the earth, and as the
whole world of mankind is divided in
TO two classes, they will from hence
forth be known as the children of Coo.
and the children of the devil. Matt. 3.
1918; Is: 81 to 40.
The two leading spirits will finish
their work in the soul and BODY of
those who are led by them. The peo
pie that have the indwelling Christ in
them "Shall inherit the land, and dwell
therein forever" Ps. 81 : 20. The other
class. who have been deceived by Satan
and his ministers, shall be cut off from
the earth, never to be raised up again.
Prov. 2: % Rev. 20: IA Is. The
heaven which is to come to man
through the redemption that is in
Christ Jesus, is a reign of righteousness
and peace, of truth and love, in which
all nations will unite in forming one
universal brotherhood to the glory of
God the Father. Psi %: 81, etc.
The old theory about heaven being
a place in the skies, where the dead
man goes to dwell forever with the Lord
is not according to scripture, nor reaso IN
nor common sense. Hence, it will be
forever abandoned by these who find
their heaven and their Christ in them
selves. Yea, it is already abandoned
by them. Man is capable of being
saved from all that is evil, and of be-
ing filled with all the fullness of good.
And when Gods salvation shall be
revealed through His only begotten son,
He will swallow up death in victory :;
and will wipe away tears from off all
faces; and rebuke of his people shall be
taken away from of all the earth for
the Lord hath spoken it," lisa. 25: 8:
Hos. 1S: IA. Heaven, in its ultimate
glory and joy, will be the everlasting
union between God and his people
gathered out of all nations under the
sun. "And the Lord shall be King
over all the earth: In this day shall
there be one Lord, and his name one."
Zeck. IA: 8.
Oh, We believers in Jesus Christi be
of good courage, for the day ofredeshpt-
ion is at hand. Come thou and all
thy house into the ark for thee have
seen righteous before me in this gener-
alton" Gen. Use. Heaven and hell
are opposite conditions into which the
two classes will realize themselves to
be in at the end of the gospel age,
which is now at hand. Amen.
SIMON B. NEEDHAM,