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."