Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-10-27

l
for today is another temperance les.
son; but since we had temperance
| lesson just last month, We will not
repeat here and now the principles
which were then laid down as those
! which should govern us in dealing
| with that question. Instead we are
going TO take up a brief study Of
| the Scripture teaching about heaven
what heaven is; why heaven was
| created who are in heaven; and
where heaven is--a subject about
which we rarely ever hear these
days.
A Place or a COnaitiOn?
! Is heaven a place or a condition?
There are those who would have US
| believe that the latter is true, that
| heaven is simply that attitude of
mind which may come to those who
are at ease, who have no unrest, who
are completely satisfied. This may
| be very desirable state of mind, or
! it may be most disastrous. The ig-
norant negro is in such a state Oh
mind, but no intelligent person, ever
of his own race, considers that con-
dition at all desirable.
The very first verse in the Bible
! answers the question. In the be-
ginning God created the heavens and
! the earth" If the earth is a state
| of mind, then heaven is. But since
| the earth is a place, so also Is heav-
en- for both are spoken of iE the
same way. But an interesting fact is
that the Hebrew word used here is
a plural root. There is more than
one heaven-and subsequent revela.
! lions in the Scriptures tell lis what
| these are, and where. In Gen. is
we learn that the armament which
| God created to separate the waters
| below from the waters above was
called heaven by Him; and in the
! 18th verse we are told that He puN
| the sun, moon, stars in the firma
ment. In Matt. 1882, the atmosphere
about the earth, or air, is spoken of,
and the same Greek word trans.
| lated air there is translated "heav-
en-" in other places. SO that we
have here two heavens-the first the
atmosphere about the earth; the sec
ond, the celestial sphere.
But there is a heaven above this
second heaven. Psa. 6S: SO speaks
of the heaven of heavens; and Pisa.
so: 4 says God shall call to the heav-
ems from above. Paul spoke in =
|
the third heaven. So that we are
able to know that above the stars
there is a place where God is most
manifest, and that distance is in
conceivable when we realize that one
of the stars is SO far away that it
has taken $50 years for it's light to
reach us travelling at the rate Of
$4,000 miles a second!
! The Why of 1t
| Everything God has created has
been created with a purpose; and
this is none the less true with re-
gard to the heavens. In Gen. lila
Is, the purpose for which God Gre
ated. the heavens is given us-that
they may be "for signs and for sea-
sons, and for days, and for years;
and let them be for lights, ETC."
We have long recognized that
| the heavens We're for seasons, and
days and years; and for lights; but
! we have not appreciated their sig
| nificance as signs. In Pisa. 8 VIC
! are told that THE heavens declare
the glory of God, and the armament
showeth His handiWork." Read the
whole passage); but do we realize
no definitely and distinctly God
| has declared Himself through them?
Seth and their immediate descend
ants were allowed to live such long
| lives in order that they might
| complete the record of their obser
walton of the stars. We know that
| more than 5, 900 years before Christ
there was an Egyptian temple
| which had at it's top complete
| record of the Zodiac. And we are
thrilled as we study it closely to
| know that the names of the stars
! in the twelv& signs Of the Zodiac
| and in the thirty-six consultations
which form parts of them are
names that have a common mean
| ing in almost every ancient Ian
/ guage. But more thrilling still is
the fact that these names of the
stars, which were probably given
by Adam and Seth, give a complete
story of the birth, sufferings.
death, resurrection and return of
| Christ-so that it is literally true
that God hath not left Himself
without witness, so that every one
is without excuse. Rom. 1920. Some
time when space will permit we
mGy give a further study Of these
St.: names, and the truth to which
they bear witness.
| Its lnnaDltdnlS
Since heaven is a place, or rath.
err the heavens are places, do we
know who the inhabitants are? Yes
the Bible reveals this to us. The
| first and second heavens are PEG
! pied with angels, both good and
evil You will recall that when
Elisha was shut up in a certain
city by the king, his servant BET
came afraid. and in answer to
his prayer God opened his eyes
that he mighe see the angelic
host hovering over them ready to
help them, and by whom they were
| eventually delivered. The air, the
first heaven is full of angels who
are sent forth to be ministering
spirits to those who have given
their hearts to God Q1eb 1:14.
But there are also in these
heavens about US evil spirits who
under the leadership Of the prince
of the power of the air are ever on
the alert to entrap US and bring
us under the power of the devil:
how important therefore for us to
cease trying to be good ourselves
but to trust absolutely in utter de
i,endence upon the captain of our
salvation, for we Wrestle not against
flesh and blood, but against prin.
cipalities, against powers, against
r1,1prc nP This world ia rl<