Life in a Thousand Worlds Part 24

There are also various orders or degrees of glory among the seven types of intelligences of which Heaven's mult.i.tudes are composed. Some of these may be suggested to your mind when you read more of this sevenfold life.

[Ill.u.s.tration: A Glimpse of Blissful Life in Heaven.]

SEVEN TYPES OF INTELLIGENCES.

1. The first cla.s.s of beings is composed of those whom we comprehend as the Trinity, whose highest glory is expressed in the Mediatorial personage who can be seen at will by any of Heaven's hosts from any world.

2. The cherubim and seraphim, or the highest order of spirits, who have always been pure and holy. They const.i.tute the next rank of the celestial host.

3. The third cla.s.s is composed of the general host of angels who also have been holy from eternity, and who serve as amba.s.sadors to various points of the limitless creation.

4. The spirits of those who have risen from sinful worlds by virtue of a G.o.d-approved and G.o.d-appointed Mediator. To join the ranks of this cla.s.s we, who serve G.o.d, are hastening. This is no low order or caste in Heaven, but they who belong to it vie with higher angels, and taste sweetness beyond the capacity of those who, in other respects, are our peers. The angels desire to look into the deep mystery of salvation's plan.

5. The matured and maturing spirits of those who left sinful worlds before G.o.d held them accountable for their deeds. To this cla.s.s belong our children who precede us into the final abode.

6. The spirits of those who have risen from sinless worlds to take their infinitely higher degrees in this Heaven life.

7. The matured and maturing spirits of those who left the sinless worlds before sense perception was duly developed. They form a distinct cla.s.s of spirits and have their distinctive marks.

UNITY OF HEAVEN.

Redemption's plan for each sinful world is somewhat similar to ours, so that there is a oneness in the whole family of the redeemed. This is one main factor that makes the bond of unity perfect and renders the fellows.h.i.+p of the celestial hosts absolutely without a flaw.

True enough, each of the seven cla.s.ses of intelligences is a mystery and a glory to the others. But there is no friction, no jar. Each one is perfect in himself and happy in spirit.

Although each one of the vast companies carries the distinctive impress and the spiritual peculiarities of his own planet, yet they are all now fas.h.i.+oned after the symmetry of the Heaven life, and no one bears a single repellant feature, but rather each spiritual body is beautiful to the eyes of all the others, and each one breathes the same atmosphere of purity and converses in the self-same language of love.

A HOME-LIKE PLACE.

No feature of Heaven is more beautiful than its home-like atmosphere.

The soul is not chilled by the two-thousand-mile-cube cities, or by the long, long stretches of Divine masonry. G.o.d is as a real father, and all his subjects are as our blood-relations. We feel it, and the inspiration of these truths takes a deep hold of Heaven's vast populace.

EMPLOYMENT.

Now and then large excursion parties visit various points of our own universe and frequently span the incredible distances in order to study the works and life of other universes.

Each soul is occupied in gratifying its own master pa.s.sion, and lives in the delightsome fellows.h.i.+p of the saints.

TRANSPORTATION.

There are no vehicles or cars of any kind. Actual wings are unknown except as used by certain birds of Heaven. Spirits travel as rapidly as desired by a mere submissive connection with the universal system of power filaments, all of which center in G.o.d. More refined power than electricity is transmitted over these substantial filaments to any point of any world. The fleshly body is not sensitive to this spiritual power, but the pure soul, when free from the body, is at once sensitive to these chords of power and is carried swifter than a current of electricity to Abraham's bosom, where it is ent.i.tled forever to a free use of this perfect power without being subject to any kind of taxation.

s.e.xUAL AFFINITIES OF HEAVEN.

Contrary to some of my former ideas I saw that the inhabitants of Heaven are not all of one s.e.x. The male and female are clearly distinguishable, and they bear relations one to another still more refined than was manifest in the Millennial World.

The most holy affinity exists between the several types of intelligences. Here the glorious fires of love burn never to reach a climax. Lovers have been drinking from perennial fountains for a million years, and their ecstacies are rising still. Pure love is as endless and infinite as time and s.p.a.ce, and its mystery is deep to these s.h.i.+ning throngs of Heaven who look into one another's faces with untrammeled emotions. Think of falling in love with the inhabitants of other worlds and of having the capacity and right to foster a thousand or more types of affinity, each one differing from the others!

These relations are so highly refined and so gloriously developed that one must not think of reducing them by comparison to the level of the flesh life.

STRUCTURAL ASPECTS OF HEAVEN.

I would not attempt to describe the structural glory of Heaven, for I know not where nor how to begin. Seemingly all things are transparent even to the center of vast orbs. Magnificent cities apparently lie suspended far under the indefinite surface of the orbs composing Heaven, and free pa.s.sage ways of phantastical design ramify throughout all the glorious under-surface regions.

Architectural greatness here finds its unmatched examples. Seven-mile diamond arches are common-places, and towers of two thousand miles in height and one thousand miles in diameter, as the corner stone of a city, are nothing unusual, although many cities are built on a smaller plan. Nothing needs repairing, and nothing is mortgaged. The wealth of unnumbered trillions is easily represented in one orb of Heaven's empire.

I now saw a thousand-fold more clearly than ever before the absolute folly of fixing our affections on the peris.h.i.+ng things of the mortal life in our dark and dusty world.

While my eyes were still feasting on the sublime picture before me I began to realize that my privilege would be of short duration, as the vision was fast waning. I looked intently until the last curtain fell, and reluctantly I continued my journey toward my own little world. I now felt that, if the whole Earth were my own property, I would gladly push it all aside if I could be a mere door keeper in one of the heavenly cities of my G.o.d.

And very often since that time I have cast my longing eyes skyward, hoping to catch another glimpse of that fair scene.

How I long for that restful picture, A vision of Heaven, once more; With its trillion orbs of beauty, And its wealth of endless store.

There are saints from unnumbered planets, Where they lived in a million ways.

Now they mingle in perfect glory, Through the length of eternal days.

There the poor are wealthy forever, For the beggar sits down with the King.

The man who never knew music Will vie with angels to sing.

Here the hopeful student, progressing, After failing does often grieve; But in Heaven each lesson is perfect, No theory to blind or deceive.

Here the runner, in breathless struggle, Sees the other in touch of the goal; But Heaven gives each one the laurel, To be crowned while the ages roll.

There they have no light of a candle, For there are no shadows of night.

There the flash of unnumbered opals Sparkles on in their wealth of light.

In that home-like palace of Heaven, Where these myriad trillions are, There the Lord is the self-same Master, And Love is the self-same star.