Joseph Bates

“ These texts alone teach us that we yet know but little of the power and wisdom of the Sovereign of the universe, whose spirit fills unlimited space; which space is undoubtedly coeval and coextensive with eternity; studded with millions on millions of worlds, each moving in its appropriate Sphere, like our own Planet. But a still greater wonder is the thousands and millions of blazing Comets, even in the Solar System, (Dick, vol. viii: p. 339,) seemingly sailing with a roving commission, sweeping their burning trails all over the perceptible universe of God, each moving in its proper Orbit! ”

“ Astronomers place three stars close together in the Sword of Orion; and when I viewed the middle-most with a Telescope, in the year 1656, there appeared in the place of that one, twelve other stars; among these three that almost touch each other, and four more besides appeared twinkling as through a cloud, so that the space about them seemed much brighter than the rest of the heaven, which appearing wholly blackish, by reason of the fair weather, was seen as through a curtain opening, through which one had a free view into another region which was more enlightened. ”

“ Nothing could be more deceptive to the mariner; the flying clouds at one moment light up the firmament by the thinness of its vapor, (encouraging the mariner to believe that he shall now see the light house) the next moment it grows darker, and so it continues to deceive them, until of a sudden the breakers are roaring all around them—the ship is dashed upon the rocks—one general cry goes aloft for mercy! ”

“ How could the Saviour have been more explicit and plain. "Him that overcometh." Who? Why, the Saint; not the City, the new Jerusalem. Again: "Blessed are they that do his commandments that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." If the city is the Saints, what is this that enters into and have right to the tree of life? Can the City go into the City? If so, then we acknowledge the City is the Saints. But it reads, the Saints go in there. ”

“ So then was Paul, or I have not quoted him right.
And Daniel, the prophet, teaches the same doctrine. "I saw in the night visions: and behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, (described in the ninth verse) and they brought him near before him; and there was given him dominion and glory, and a kingdom, never to be destroyed." Dan. vii: 13, 14. Now we all admit this personage was Jesus Christ; for no being on earth or in heaven, has ever had the promise of an everlasting kingdom but him. ”

“ If we have not already offered sufficient evidence, in answer to these two most important questions to the true believer in Christ, we will try a little further; for if we cannot understand, nor in any way comprehend, the teachings of the divine word, in respect to the second coming and kingdom of Jesus Christ, the location of the heavenly Sanctuary, the new Jerusalem, God's dwelling place, other than is figuratively discerned, then, I say, we that truly believe in God, "are of all men the most miserable;" ”

“ Other views of the glory of God and Christ do not destroy this. Saint John has connected in one, the "Holy City, New Jerusalem, Tabernacle of God, Bride the Lambs Wife, coming down from God, out of Heaven to dwell with his people." Proof—"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain." "And he that sit upon the throne said, behold I make all things new, and he said unto me write, for these words are true and faithful." ”

“ A western view, with an inverting eye piece, gives it the appearance of a stormy dark cloud, with a full moon just shut in behind it, and three bright stars looking through the cloud. This dark looking cloud is called the gap in the sky. This constellation measures about one thousand miles from North to South, and five hundred from East to West, and is visible to all the inhabitants of the earth. ”

“ Surely, it is a most remarkable place. Hear Moses's description of it:—"Therefore the Lord God sent him (Adam) forth from the garden of Eden to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man: and placed at the East of the garden of Eden, Cherubims and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the tree of life." Gen. iii: 23, 24. Now we have no account that these Cherubims and flaming sword has ever been seen within the orbit of this planet (which is allowed to be 162 millions of miles in diameter) since the fall of man, but has been far removed out of their sight. ”

“ This will be better understood by looking at the motion of our Planet. It is said by Astronomers that this Earth in its annual motion, is booming round the sun at the rate of nineteen miles per second; at the same time her diurnal motion from East to West is at the rate of ten miles per minute: consequently all the objects we see in the heavens, comes from the East, and among the rest this glorious constellation of Orion, all just as natural as it is for us to see the Sun rise in the East ”

“ But I wish to present further evidence of the real (not spiritual) coming of this heavenly sanctuary. Ezekiel says in his 37th chapter, where God has promised his spirit and life to the whole house of Israel, "Moreover, I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them, and I will place them and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them forevermore; my tabernacle also shall be with them: aye, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. ”

“ Why not as well require a rule to get money? Then if we are destitute of the true light from the word of God in this enlightened place, where in the name of the Lord, in any other village or city, can it be found? ”

“ Paul says, "there therefore remaineth a keeping of the Sabbath to the people of God." Isaiah shows us that in the New Heavens and Earth all flesh shall keep the "Sabbath." Does any bible reader believe that this will be on any other day than what God has ordained. Let us look at the patterns and shadows of the true. Heb. viii: 5; ix. and x: 1. Is not the true in the eternal state? Think you that God will ever change the true to answer the pattern of Popery, that has been foremost in desolating the world? Every candid mind says no! ”

“ Let it be distinctly understood, with what has already been stated by the Astronomers, that this "constellation is one of the most brilliant and noted in the Heavens," that its nebula, (according to the celebrated Sir William Herschel) far exceeds any other object, and its magnitude utterly inconceivable, two trillions times larger than the Sun; while the Sun is allowed to be thirteen hundred thousand times larger than our globe. ”

“ Paul says to the Hebrews, "We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the majesty, in the heavens; a minister of the sanctuary and of the true Tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man." Heb. viii: 1, 2. "For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made." ”

“ One at a certain time said, "Canst thou by searching find out God? Canst thou find out the Almighty to perfection?" The wise man answers, "No man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end." ”

“ Furgerson, the celebrated astronomer of the last century, in describing some of the many wonders in the Heavens, says "that the two bright clouds in the heavens at the south pole, called by mariners the clouds of Magelen, are by astronomers called cloudy stars, but the most remarkable of all the cloudy stars is that in the middle of Orion's Sword, where seven stars (of which three are very close together) seem to shine through a cloud, very lucid in the middle, but faint and ill defined about the edges. ”

“ O, he says, it is evident, that it is the saints. Is it possible that the Saints have been coming down from Heaven this eighteen months! Why, there is not the least particle of proof that the righteous dead have yet been caught up? Thes. iv: 16, 17. I can readily believe that both of these brethren have been fearless advocates for the truth, and I do not doubt their sincerity. They have clearly proved that they are not seeking the applause of the world. ”

“ Then, I think, the wise will understand, and get their blessing, as in Dan. xii: 12; then will they return and discern between the righteous and the wicked; then will they be found with the world, in the time of Daniel's trouble; they will then have passed through the "fiery trial" and the Sealing Angel have done his last work. This, as it looks to me will be the time when God will roar out of Zion and utter his voice from Jerusalem—and the heavens and the earth will shake; then shall Jerusalem be holy. ”

“ The main business of the Devil is now to make God's people change their course, and it is matter of no moment to him on which side of the "highway" they fall. In either case he will make sure of his prey. God help us to be on our watch. ”

“ And the poison has operated to such an alarming extent that it has baffled the skill of all the Doctors of Divinity in the universe, and in spite of all their preaching, fasting and praying, with the assistance of the principals of the flock, the famine prophecied of by Amos the Prophet, has come upon them. How awfully be describes it: "Wandering from sea to sea, and from the north to the east, running to and fro to seek the word of the Lord and shall not find it." God never called his people out from any other place than the churches ”

“ When the Lord answered Job out of the whirl wind, and demanded of him to answer to the wonderful questions which he was now about to put to him, he says "Canst thou bind the sweet influences of the Pleiades or loose the bands of Orion." When Amos, the Prophet exhorted his Israel to repentance, he endeavored to impress their minds with the power of God by adverting to the wonderful phenomena in the Heavens, by saying, "Seek him that maketh the Seven Stars and Orion," &c. ”

“ Thus, I think, the angel has described the treading down the host, and it appears to me that all this severe discipline is to prepare them to enter the holy city, for an angel crying with a mighty voice has shown them that they have been in company with devils, foul spirits, and every unclean and hateful bird ”

“ If so, why continue to say that "men's hearts fail them for fear and for looking after the things that are coming on the earth." Jesus does not say that they will be looking for him, but then they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven, when they have seen the preceding signs. ”

“ Just so with his stubborn brethren, who called him to an account for going in to the Gentiles, but after he had rehearsed the whole matter to them, "then they believed and glorified God, for granting repentance to the Gentiles." But what was the miracle? Peter says he "saw heaven opened and a certain vessel descending unto him as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth. ”

“ When John was describing the City in xxi. Rev. he said he saw no temple there "for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the Temple of it." Now Peter and Paul distinctly describe the Saints (not the city) coming to this Mount Zion, and Temple, which makes it perfect and complete. Peter says of his "spiritual house," "Ye also as lively stones, [be ye built—margin.] up a spiritual house." 1 Pet. ii: 5. To whom coming as unto a living stone. 4 v. For, says sixth verse, behold I lay in Zion a chief corner stone. (Jesus.) Peter says of this Temple, be ye built. Paul says it is growing. ”

“ Now in answer to this prayer, God immediately despatched the angel Gabriel from the court of heaven, to give Daniel "skill and understanding"—22d v. In the 26th verse he informs him that Messiah shall be cut off, (crucify the Saviour) and the people of the prince that shall come, shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. ”

“ Read how admirably he describes it to the Ephesians. "Fellow citizens with the Saints, and of the household of God. And are built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets," (see John's twelve gates representing the twelve tribes in Rev. xxi: 12; and the twelve Apostles of the Lamb representing the twelve foundations of the wall, 14th verse, which encloses the whole,) Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone, In whom all the building fitly framed GROWETH INTO an holy Temple in the Lord; In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God. ”

“ Does not this prove a shape, features, and voice, ascribed to God, the same as to man. "And God said let us make man in our own image, after our likeness; so God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him: male and female created he them." ”

“ Admit that there was nine hundred millions at the commencement of creation, and this number had passed away every thirty years for two hundred generations, their whole number would only amount to 180,000,000,000—one hundred and eighty thousand millions, a little more than one-third of the mansions in this building; four hundred and eighty-four to every human being now on the earth. ”

“ Joseph Bates.
[The copy right is secured with Him that sits upon the Throne in the coming Heavenly Sanctuary. The grant to use it is unlimited. Those only are punished that abuse the right.]
THE OPENING HEAVENS. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, hereafter ye shall see Heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the son of man."—John i: 51. ”