OUR GOD HAS A DWELLING PLACE
By H. F. Phelps
In our every-day language, and that is just the kind of language that God uses when He tells us anything, a dwelling is a house built for habitation; an abiding place; a dwelling-place. Now it is a fact that “our Father” in the heavens has a dwelling-place; for we read, “In my Father’s house are many mansions.” John 14:2. And that house, whatever it may be, was built for habitation. “Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high?” Ps. 113:5. That house has “many mansions,” and it is in the heavens; for we read again, “O thou that dwellest in the heavens.” Ps. 123:1. And that “house,” which contains “many mansions,” and is “on high,” “in the heavens,” is within the city of God, the New Jerusalem, the Zion above. This is so; for God dwells in Zion: “Sing praises to the Lord, which dwelleth in Zion.” Ps. 9:11. And again: “But ye are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.” Heb. 12:22. And still we read: “Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.” Gal. 4:26. And so it is that this “Jerusalem,” “the city of the living God,” the “Zion” of the Old Testament, the “Mount Zion” of the New Testament, in which “many of the mansions” are now being prepared by our blessed Lord for His people, “is free,” “is above,” “on high,” even “in the heavens,” and “is the mother of us all.” But where is the wonderful house of our Father in heaven? In which direction shall the mind’s eye look for that wonderful city, our mother? Read the answer in Ps. 48:1, 2: “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of His holiness. Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is Mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.” By no stretch of the imagination can this be made to apply to the “Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.” Gal. 4:25. Instead of being the joy of the whole earth, she is soon to be the bone of contention of all the “kings of the earth and of the whole world,” as they come up to the battle of the great day of God. Then where are “the sides of the north”? They are not on this earth; for, “He stretcheth out the North over the empty place.” Job 26:7. Thus the ultimate North is not at the north pole, but far away out in space, “over the empty place.” He “hangeth the earth upon nothing,” and the world goes on rushing through space, always revolving upon its axis, that imaginary line passing through its center, the northern extremity of which always points to that ultimate North. When Christ was here upon this earth, walking as a man among men, He said: “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” Of course He is drawing all men. But it is more than that. That word “men” is a supplied word. Read it this way: “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all unto me.” In this we have the whole truth. All the heavenly bodies are kept in their places by the power of that Christ who died to save a fallen world. Gravitation, attraction, cohesion, and adhesion are the terms generally used to explain the laws that govern the worlds. But what are these? We are told that they are the laws of nature. But what are the laws of nature? We are told again that they are gravitation, attraction, etc. But this is only reasoning in a circle. This is the answer: It is the power of God in Christ; that same power that is pledged to our salvation, holds the worlds in their places. It is “His Son, . . . by whom also He made the worlds,” who is now “upholding all things by the word of His power.” Heb. 1:2, 3. “And by Him all things consist,” or hold together. Col. 1:17. Therefore we conclude, and with reason, too, judging from what we see of this world, that all the untold millions of worlds revolve in space, with their northern axes pointing to the ultimate North, where may be found the city of the great King, the dwelling-place of God. And this must be so; for the North and the South are not relative, like the East and the West; but are positive. And this is so; for God has created the North and the South. Ps. 89:12. There is more land north than south of the equator. The longest lines running through the land are north and south. The longest mountain ranges are north and south. And we are told that there are more stars north than south of the equator. Thus we see that there is a cause for all the harmony among the heavenly bodies. It is the power of the Christ of Calvary, drawing all unto himself, holding everything in the places assigned them — except sinful man. And He has a place even for sinful men, every one, if only we will let Him hold us there. But this is dependent on our choice. The mind of man is left free, and he must make the choice for himself. Otherwise he will not fill the place designed of the Creator. But when the time comes for God to cleanse the world of sin, that He may have a clean universe, the wicked will be left to go down with their sins into eternal night. Why not make the wise choice of the service of Him who “worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure”?