W hile we do not know where heaven is, or how long it is since it was created, or how large it is, there are many things which we do know about heaven. It is, first of all, the place where God dwells in a very special sense. David says in Psalm 11:4: The L ord is in his holy temple, the L ord ’ s throne is in heaven. Isaiah the Prophet tells us in Isaiah 66:1: Thus saith the L ord , The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Of course,' we realize that God is infinite; He is boundless, omnipresent. He cannot be contained in, or confined to any one certain place, for He is omnipresent. Even the heaven is too small for Him. Solomon said at the dedication of the temple in I Kings 8:27: But will God indeed dwell on the earth? be hold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded? And in II Chronicles 2:6 he says again: But who is able to build him an house, seeing the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot con tain Him? who am I then, that I should build him an house, save only to bum sacrifice be fore him? When the Bible speaks, therefore, of heaven as God’s dwelling place, it does not imply that He is con fined to heaven, for He is infinite, filling all things with His omnipresence. It means rather that heaven is the center of His administration, the seat of His authority and the place from which He issues His edicts, com mands and sovereign decrees. Heaven in this sense then is the throne o f God, and He is the central figure in heaven. Around The Throne Around this throne in heaven are the inhabitants of this wonderful place. First we are told, there are the seraphim and the cherubim, special supernatural beings called “ living creatures” whose function it is to give glory, honor and praise to God as they cry: Holy, holy, holyt Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come (Rev. 4 :8 ). The Angelic Hosts These cherubim and seraphim are not to be con fused with the next group of heaven’s inhabitants, the angels. In heaven are an innumerable companies of an gels (Heb. 12:22). They are the messengers of heaven. While the living creatures, the seraphim, seldom or never leave heaven, but remain about the throne, the angels are constantly coming and going from heaven to earth, and from earth to heaven. They are called “ ministering spirits” sent forth to minister for them who shall be the heirs of salvation (Heb. 1:14). Their function seems to be to receive orders and messages from the Throne and bring them down to us; It was an angel that was sent from heaven to encour age Hagar; and angels came to call on Abraham, and warn Lot to flee from Sodom. It was angels who or dained and gave the law to Moses on Mt. Sinai (Gal. 3:19). God’s message was sent by angels to Gideon, to Daniel, and to Elijah. Angels announced the birth of Jesus, and warned Joseph to flee with the Child Jesus to Egypt. It was an angel who delivered Peter from
THE KING'S BUSINESS
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