GOD'S THRONE SHALL ENDURE FOREVER; SO ALSO SHALL THE SUN. CONCLUSIVE SCRIPTURAL EVIDENCE FOR ALL THAT WE CLAIM.

God hath sworn by His Holiness, that the seed of David (the Messiah), should "endure forever, and his throne as the Sun before him."

The Psalmist, referring to the Messiah says, "His name shall endure forever. His name shall be continued as long as the Sun, and all nations shall call him blessed." Here we have the assurance of the eternal duration of the Sun; even as the Throne of God which is to "endure forever and ever." The promise is, that

"His seed also will I make to endure forever, and his throne as the days of heaven. Thy throne O God is forever and ever."

Thus, we see that the Sun and the heaven are to endure as long as the throne of God, and his throne is to endure "forever and ever."

Now to us, to all, while dwelling in mortality, the Sun dispenses its blessings alike. "He maketh the Sun to shine on the evil and on the good, and sendeth the rain on the just, and on the unjust."

Thus, we see that the Sun is the active agency for the dispensing of His blessings to man and all animation on this Earth. Its rays of light and heat penetrate the bosoms of oceans and seas, and draw up from "the fountains of the deep" the "liquid element" in ascending vapor, and condensing it into clouds, scatter and return it in rains, and gentle showers, to water and replenish the Earth and make it bring forth for sustenance of man and beast, and renew the verdure of nature.

Now do we not see in all this, as in all things else, that the Sun—its heat and light—are God's agencies in sustaining all things? We have told you that we could comprehend that it was an agency pervading and controlling all things. But you have doubtless noticed the fact that as we have followed up and grasped the revelations made by Philosophers and Astronomers, that the ablest of them have failed to comprehend the nature of the eternal source of fire. All agree in the one fact, however, that it is derived from the Sun. No finite mind ever has comprehended, nor, it may be, ever will be able to fully comprehend it. We know that it exists. We apply to it properties and principles, or components which form the element. Beyond this we cannot go, only we know that God himself is its author; that it is an element intimately connected with Himself—nay more, that He has even revealed to us that His Spirit is fire! And when we contemplate the fact that it is the only completely destructive, or annihilating element, and yet one that can never be destroyed; one that is to purify the righteous, and yet punish the wicked, we are led to the inevitable conclusion that it is an attribute of the Great Jehovah. We believe it an element of creative agency, one that has existed—possibly—from all eternity, and will continue through all eternity to come. We are told that God, by His Spirit, is manifest in all His works. Now, what else than light, and heat, is thus manifest to us? It is positively the source of all light, and St. Paul tells us that "All things are made manifest by light;" while the Psalmist declares "His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and His circuit unto the ends of it, and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof."

Now we see that this declaration establishes our hypothesis of the location of heaven. His going forth from the end of the heaven—from the sun—and nothing is hid from the heat thereof—the Sun being the source of heat—is conclusive evidence that the Sun is near—even at the ends of the heaven.

In the further contemplation of the hypothesis, that the Spirit of God is as fire, you will remember that we have stated that some of the constituent elements of fire pervades all things, and also that God—by His Spirit—is everywhere, and in all His works. Hear the Psalmist, on this subject:

"Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there thy hand shall lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

"If I say, surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee: but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee."

Mark well this testimony, that while the Spirit of God is everywhere, so, also, is that Spirit light, and there is no darkness, save to those vailed in humanity. When spirit is free from mortality; is accepted of God, and clothed upon with immortality; as spirit, it partakes of His own nature, and will, henceforth, dwell forever in eternal light.

Now what the Sun is to this earth and its inhabitants, so also we believe it to be to the inhabitants of all the other planets belonging to its system; all of which worlds it controls, even as it does this. And here the mind goes out in the contemplation of the hypothesis, that all those other suns, standing far out in sidereal regions—each governing and controlling its own system of planets, or worlds—are also heavens for created intelligences inhabiting such planets. God is Infinite, as well as Omnipresent. Infinite in wisdom, and in His creative power.

Therefore Suns, and consequently heavens, may be numbered by millions, and their surrounding worlds by billions; yet all created, governed, and controlled by the infinite wisdom and power of the great Architect of the Universe. Such hypothesis is wonderful for finite minds to contemplate, yet not more so than the fact of the existence of our own solar system.

That the Sun shall endure forever, no rational mind can doubt. God's own word assures this, and that His throne shall endure as long as the Sun. Should He quench the fires of the Sun, and yet make no other provision for light and heat, all would be blackness, darkness, and desolation, and no animated life could exist on this earth, or surrounding worlds.

Having assumed the hypothesis that that which we denominate the Sun is a volume of photospheric-ethereal, or SPIRIT-FIRE; that it is the source of all that we can comprehend of light and heat; we have also stated our belief that it is an attribute of the Eternal One—possibly an agency of creative power—we believe we shall be able to make this plain to every reflecting mind, in our further contemplations of the revelations which God has made of himself, as we find them recorded in the Bible. These revelations are plain, and we believe the time in the history of our world has come, when we should more fully comprehend them—even the nature of His manifestations, and thus comprehend more our own relations to Him, and by this means be enabled to "come to a knowledge of His truth," and more fully realize His prescience, day by day. That this has not been more fully comprehended heretofore, must seem a mystery to every reflecting mind.

Now what are these revelations? Let us examine.

We learn from Bible History, that "God created man in His own image, and after His own likeness." "In the image of God created He him; male and female, created He them." Thus, in creation, man is spoken of in the plural. "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." Now "the first Adam was made a living soul, and the second Adam a quickening spirit." The terms soul and spirit are held as synonymous; both having reference to our immortal nature, and, as this immortal nature emanated from God our Creator, and is of His own eternal attribute, it can never die; hence, it must exist through all eternity.

Job asks, "To whom hast Thou uttered words? whose spirit came from Thee?" and in Ecclesiastes it is declared, "The spirit shall return to God who gave it." St. John, the revelator, tells us that "God is a spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth." While St. Paul says, "His spirit beareth witness with our spirits, that we are the children of God."

Now you will remember that St. John, the revelator, has told us that it was revealed to him that "the seven lamps of fire, were the seven spirits of God," while Job says, "A flame goeth out of His mouth, and God by his spirit garnished the heavens."

We wish you to bear this evidence in mind. For Job not only speaks of a plurality of heavens, but explains by what agency they were garnished—even by the Spirit of God. Now we know that garnishment is transcendent brightness, and brilliancy; to adorn and polish surface. Is it not therefore, probable that Job had reference to that bright ethereal spirit flame, whose brilliancy blinds us if we attempt a lingering gaze at the Sun's bright disk? 'Tis said that heaven within is lighted with the "glory of God."

In our previous arguments, we have showed, conclusively, that the Sun is the source of fire, heat, and light. Let us now further examine the offices of this element thus derived from the Sun, and note in this investigation whether it is not, in some way, intimately connected with heaven.

First. Under the Mosaic dispensation, God commanded His Prophets, and Priests, to build unto Him an Altar, and to offer sacrifices thereon; and such sacrifices would be accepted by Him, as should be evidenced by his sending down fire from heaven to consume the offerings. He also commanded, through Moses, that the fires should ever be burning upon the altar, and that the Priests should continue to renew sacrifices and burnt offerings upon it. These sacrifices were as memorials before the Lord, and typical of the coming of Christ, who should be the "great sacrifice," to ransom fallen man.

Now it will be remembered that when such offerings were made, fire came down from heaven and consumed the offerings, and thus made manifest that the sacrifices were accepted of God. (Let it be remembered that we have shown, as far as finite mind can comprehend, that the Sun is the only direct source of fire, and then remember that fire came down from heaven.)

In the book of Job we read,

The Psalmist tells us that

"God is a Sun and a shield, who maketh His angels spirits, and His ministers a flaming fire."

Now we know that angels are God's ministers, and how oft do we find recorded in the Bible, how—under the earlier dispensation—they appeared on earth in forms of fire, and with the brightness of the Sun.

The Psalmist tells us again that:

"Our God shall come, a fire shall devour before Him. A fire goeth before Him and burneth up His enemies."

The prophet Jeremiah proclaims:

"Wherefore, thus saith the Lord God of hosts, Behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire."

The Psalmist answers:

"While I was musing the fire burned."

Thus, how plain the revelations that God's Spirit is fire. Not necessarily manifested at all times, by the burning and consuming our mortal bodies—this only in His wrath—but by the purifying of our natures; "burning up the dross, and base desires," and thus fitting us for the enjoyment of heaven and happiness, for

"He shall be as a refiner's fire, and the righteous are saved as by fire."

Let us hear what the prophet Jeremiah saith:

"For behold the Lord will come with fire; and with His chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and His rebukes with flames of fire, and the slain of the Lord shall be many."

Ah, when He comes forth with His Spirit of fire in wrath and indignation, then it is that this element is one of terrible destruction. Comprehending this, the a same prophet inquires:

"Who among us shall dwell with devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell in everlasting burnings?"

Hear the answer of God, given through his prophet to all His obedient and faithful children:

"Though thou walkest through the fires, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flames kindle upon thee."

Again, of His Spirit in a milder form:

"Is not my word like fire, saith the Lord?"

The prophet answers:

"His word was in my heart as a burning fire."

Now remember that:

"By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all the hosts of them by the breath of His mouth."

And here His word is represented as FIRE!

In the first book of the Chronicles it is written:

"Every man's work shall be tried by fire."

And, in the second book of the Chronicles:

"And when the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the Lord upon the House, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground, and worshipped and praised the Lord."

Thus, no one dared gaze on the brightness of that glory, and all bowed "with their faces to the ground."

Turning to the book of Deuteronomy, we find written:

"The Lord thy God is a consuming fire. Understand therefore this day, that the Lord thy God is He that goeth over before thee as a consuming fire. Out of heaven He made thee to hear His voice, that He might instruct thee; and upon earth He showed thee His great fire; and thou heardest His words out of the midst of the fire."

In Leviticus we find written:

"And there went out a fire from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. And there came a fire out from before the Lord, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offerings—which, when the people saw, they shouted and fell on their faces."

Let us contemplate, for a moment, the sacrilege of the attempt at using this element—during the old dispensation—to the consuming of an offering or sacrifice to any other than the one true and living God. Turn to the Book of Numbers, and read,

"When the people offered incense upon the strange altar, there came down fire from the Lord and consumed the two hundred and fifty who offered the incense. And Nahab and Abihu died, when they offered strange fire before the Lord."

Second Kings, vi. 17:

"Elisha said, they that be for us are more than they that are against us; he prayed, and God opened the young man's eyes, and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha."

Thus we see that this element—in its destructive form—is the ready manifestation of God's displeasure.

Turn to Exodus, and read,—

"And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him (Moses), in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush, and he looked, and behold the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed." Again, "The cloud of the Lord was upon the Tabernacle by day, and a fire was upon it by night in sight of all the house of Israel." Again, "And the sight of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire upon the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel."

Now let us consider this element in its offices when controlled by the Great Jehovah.

Judges, xiii. 20:

"For it came to pass when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the altar."

Here there was no delusive manifestation, but the actual flame of fire, ascending upward toward heaven; even to the Sun its original source.

We will now turn to the Book of the Second Kings, and—in our mind's eye—join the prophets "as they walked and talked with Elijah" and witness one of the most sublime scenes the eye of man has ever beheld:

"And it came to pass as they still went on and talked, that behold there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder, and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven."

Was there not a startling, and sublime revelation, that this element controlled, can be suited, even to our enjoyment of happiness when the great change comes; when this mortal shall put on immortality?

In the Book of Malachi—the last of the Old Testament scriptures—we hear the voice of Him who had promised deliverance, speaking to us through His prophet:

"Unto you that fear my name, shall the Sun of righteousness arise."

Thus we see that the promised Messiah was spoken of as a Sun.

Turning to the record of the New Testament, we find the Saviour's advent into this world signaled by a brilliant "Star," emblematical of the Sun, shining in all its splendor, brilliancy, and beauty, and leading the wise men to where lay the "Infant of days"—the veiled "Star," or Sun, of light and immortality.

At a later day, behold Him manifesting His veiled brightness, as he stood "transfigured on the Mount" before Peter, James and John, when "His face did shine as the Sun, and His raiment white as the light."

But we deem it unnecessary to dwell upon all the symbols of fire, heat, and light, so clearly representative, which may be found interspersed throughout the Old, and the New Testament pages. We will catch up a few others as we pass along, before, in mind, taking our stand with John, the revelator, on the Isle of Patmos. St. Paul tells us,—

"The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." And that the "Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming."

St. John, says:

"I indeed baptize you with water, but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and WITH FIRE."

Thus we see that spirit is denominated fire in the ordinance of Spiritual Baptism.

And St. Paul says:

"By one spirit are we all baptized into one body."

Let us now glance at the account of John's spiritual vision while on the Isle of Patmos, as recorded in the Book of Revelation:

"I heard behind me a great voice as the voice of a trumpet, saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. And I turned to see the voice that spake with me, and I saw seven golden candlesticks, and One in the midst of the candlesticks like unto the Son of Man. His head and his hair were white as the snow, and his eyes were as flames of fire, and his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace, and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars; and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword; and his countenance was as the Sun shining in his strength."

John saw the door of heaven opened and a voice as of a trumpet said unto him, "Come up hither, and I will shew thee the things which must be hereafter." He continues. "And immediately I was in the spirit, and, behold a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne, who, to look upon was like jasper, and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald, and around the throne sat four and twenty elders in raiment of white, and out of the throne proceeded lightnings, and thunderings, and voices, and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God. And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament, and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings. And there appeared a great wonder in heaven, a woman clothed with the Sun. And I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven clothed with a cloud, and a rainbow was upon his head and his face was, as it were the Sun, and his feet as pillars of fire."

"And the city had no need of the Sun, for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof." "And there shall be no night there, for the Lord God giveth them light, and they shall reign forever and ever. The Lord God shall be unto them an everlasting light, and the days of their mourning shall be ended."

"Then shall the righteous shine forth as the Sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear let him hear." (Matt. xiii. 43.)

We have quoted the foregoing Scriptural passages—to which we might add scores of others of similar import—to show the connection of the element of fire, heat and light—with God himself, and that while it proves the agency; at least in dispensing His blessings to all animated life, and can be so controlled by Him that—even in its intensity—it cannot harm the righteous, either in body or spirit, when He interposes; yet it is the certain agency of destruction, and the torment of the wicked at His will; or without this interposition. Certain it is, that it is the agency by which He has made Himself manifest to man, and this agency still continues in the dispensing of all the manifold blessings we enjoy, day by day, and should cause every heart to turn to Him with reverence and grateful emotions. The mind of the Christian world should acknowledge the omnipresence of the Infinite One; that He pervades all space, and is manifest in all things; while each individual should feel as Elihu did when he uttered the words, "The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life;" and exclaim with the Psalmist:

"I will bless the Lord at all times, His praise shall continually be in my mouth. The eyes of the Lord are ever upon the righteous, and His ears are open unto their cry. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." "Lord, thou hast been our dwelling-place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God."

Now we have seen that God—by His Spirit, or influence—is everywhere; that he pervades the universe of His Creation; that his nature is eternal and indestructible, while all else—save man's immortal nature derived from God—is destructible. We are plainly told in the Bible that the Spirit of God is fire; that His Word is fire; that He is like a refiner's fire—even as a purifier of silver. That every man's work shall be tried by fire; the righteous saved as by fire; that, to his people, He will be as a wall of fire; and though they pass through the fire they shall not be burned; neither shall the flames kindle upon them. And yet our God is a consuming fire, before whom the wicked shall not stand. That the fire of His anger, and His wrath, shall be kindled against them, when all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly shall be cast into the fire that will never be quenched; whose flames shall ascend up forever and ever. Oh, how plain the revelations of God as to the immortality of the soul, and a future state of existence! The righteous to enter into, and enjoy eternal life; the wicked—who are dead in trespasses and in sins—to enter into eternal death, even the "death that never dies."

How startling the fact of these plain revelations! God is now made manifest to our daily and hourly comprehension. How dare we trifle with Him, and our own soul's immortal interest? We are daily and hourly rushing on to our own eternal destiny. Ere another year, a month, a week or day is past, we may realize that "it is not all of life to live, nor yet of death to die." No one can escape the eternal fiat of Jehovah, "dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return." As death leaves the body so judgment finds the soul. "The righteous shall inherit eternal life;" "the wicked shall be driven away from the presence of God, and from the glory of His power," and take up their abode with tormenting devils "in everlasting burnings."

Stop, poor wandering child of sin; yield obedience to the requirements of God's law; "acknowledge Him in all thy ways, and He shall direct thy paths."

The Psalmist tells us that "the Lord God is a Sun." Saint John tells us that, while in the Spirit, it was revealed to him that the "burning lamps of fire were spirits of God." Now remember that we have told you that the vast volume of flame of ethereal fire outside and around the heavenly world, is all that we can see or comprehend as the Sun; that flame is the source of all light, heat, and animation: hence, considered in connexion with its offices, may we not safely conclude that it is an attribute of Jehovah?

The prophet Malachi foretold the coming of the "Sun of righteousness," behold the "star in the east!" Who can doubt this star being a visible manifestation of the Spirit of God? Christ, the Son of God, is called "the Sun of righteousness; the bright morning star." His advent into the world was signalized by this sacred emblem—even by the Spirit of God revealed as the brightness of a star. How appropriate this representation, when the Son of God came to usher in the light of an eternal day to his people. Transfigured during His stay on earth, "His face did shine as the Sun, and His raiment was white as the light." Now remember, we are assured that the heavenly world and city "hath no need of the Sun, for the glory of God doth lighten it, and the Lamb (the Son of God) is the light thereof."

Thus we think we have furnished conclusive Scripture evidence that God's Spirit is manifested by fire. Fire is the source of all light, and is also an element pervading all things throughout the vast universe of God—in air and earth, seas and floods, rocks and mountains, throughout all heights and depths. Hence, hear again the exclamation of the Psalmist: "Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?" Behold, God, by His Spirit, is everywhere, even throughout the vast extended universe of all His wondrous works.

We have but to consider the source of this element—which is God himself—and we shall then easily comprehend how it can, by the same power, be adapted or made congenial to our mortal or immortal natures. We have said, He has created no element incompatible with, or uncongenial to His own nature, nor any that He cannot adapt to the condition of the spirit-life of His children. Fire is an element destructive of all things else save immortality, and that it is not destructive of this, we have evidence in the fact that the wicked shall be cast into the flames of hell, and suffer its torments for ever and ever. And yet, while it is an element destructive of all else, save immortality, it is one, and the only one we can—even partially—comprehend, that can never be destroyed. Mortality shall be destroyed, and naught remain but immortality, purified by fire—the Spirit of God.

Now in order that His children here, might comprehend His infinite power in controlling, or adapting this element to their happiness, He has manifested this power even with mortality on this earth. Our mortal bodies are susceptible of feeling its painful influences, and of being destroyed by it—save when He intervenes, and changes our nature so that it can have no impression upon us, or makes it a congenial element in which we can enjoy happiness. That He can do, and has done this, we have manifest in the miraculous preservation of the three Hebrew children. For their refusal to forsake the Living God, and worship the idol, or golden image set up by King Nebuchadnezzar, the king commanded that the furnace should be heated seven-fold, and they be bound and cast into it. This was done, and while the heat was so intense as to destroy those who bore them to, and plunged them into the fiery furnace, yet when the king looked into it "he saw four men loose and walking in the midst of the flames; praising God, and blessing the name of the Lord, and the fourth was like unto the Son of God." The king called them to come forth, and when the three who were cast in came forth, "not a hair of their heads was singed, nor even the smell of fire passed on their garments."

Thus we see the power of God manifest in the adaptation at His own will, of this,—to our mortal bodies—painful and consuming element, to our condition of happiness. And, on the other hand, when this saving power is withheld, how certain is destruction, as manifested by its destroying those who approached near enough to the furnace to cast them in. O, the measure of happiness those children of the Most High enjoyed in the midst of the burning flames! shouting and praising God. And when they came out of the fiery furnace, they still continued their triumphant shout; calling upon everything—animate, and inanimate—throughout the vast Universe, to "bless, praise and magnify the name of the Lord forever."

That God can, and does make this element suited to the enjoyment of happiness of His people, we have also seen manifested in the case of Elijah taking his seat, at the command of God, in the "chariot of fire," and with "horses of fire" ascending up into heaven. Thus, "changed," as the apostle expresses it, "in the twinkling of an eye," his mortality ceased, and "clothed upon with immortality," by Divine power, he could ride in triumph with his steeds of fire, sitting in his chariot of burning flame.

We scarcely deem it necessary to refer again to the—almost universally conceded—fact of man's immortal nature. By the breath of God, man was made a living soul or spirit. God's spirit is living fire; hence this immortal nature of man is living fire, an attribute of God himself, and one which can never cease to exist; can never be annihilated, but will live on, and on through all eternity. But when this immortal principle of spirit-fire leaves the body, mortality ceases to live, and must decay and moulder into dust. For, speaking of this mortal body, He hath said, "dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return," and "the soul shall return to God who gave it."