The idea of a plurality of heavens, and their numbers almost infinite, would seem at first thought to startle the mind, and disarrange all our conceptions of the extent and machinery of the universe, and of the employment of God, and all the angels, and other intelligences He has made. Yet its truth only brings home to us the insignificance of our own earth, and still more that of ourselves. We are too prone to think that this earth and its inhabitants are the principal objects of the Creator's care, and that man is of vast importance in the order of His arrangements, and of augmenting His kingdom and glory. While the truth is, our world is insignificant, when compared to His wonderful creations, and each individual as but a single grain of sand among all that may be found upon the shores of oceans and seas. And yet all that He hath made are the objects of His government and care. For "not even a sparrow falleth to the ground" unknown to Him.
That in His omnipotent and infinite power He can, and has created separate systems of planet-worlds, and a central sun and heaven for controlling each, we cannot doubt; neither is there more of incomprehensible mystery in this contemplation than in that of our own system of planets, with its central and controlling Sun and heaven.
Let us turn to revelations made, as recorded in the Bible, and see if there are not declarations which sustain this hypothesis. In the second book of the Kings it is written: "But will God indeed dwell on earth? behold, the heaven, and heaven of heavens cannot contain him;" and in the second book of the Chronicles: "But who is able to build him an house, seeing the heaven, and heaven of heavens cannot contain him." The Psalmist says: "The heavens; even the heavens are the Lord's," and "The heavens declare the glory of God," and that "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all the hosts of them by the breath of his mouth."
Thus we have conclusive evidence of a plurality of heavens, while, possibly, their numbers are millions, their surrounding planet-worlds billions, with a wide expanse of surrounding "firmament of the heavens" bestrewn with "glittering gems," standing out the grand empyrean covering of all.
Says Dr. Nichol:
"Mystery, indeed, heavy, almost oppressive, hangs over all the perceptive; but the shapes strown through that bewildering territory have nothing in common with the fantastic creations of a dream. It is the essence of these nebulæ that they are not formless, but, on the contrary, impressed indelibly by system on the grandest scale; clearly as a leaf they have organism; something has seized on their enormous volumes, and moulded them into a wonderful order." Says Child: "Thus every thing bears the mark of order impressed upon it by the Almighty hand. That noble gift of God to man—the telescope—has magnified Him by driving away every semblance of chance from the firmament, and by exhibiting in its place designs and established law. Up there, as down here, the idea of irregularity or chance is but the suggestion of our ignorance."
Thus, from a knowledge gained through that wonderful, and yet most exact of all sciences—Astronomy—we base our conclusions. That science is the grandest, most perfect, and comprehensive of all sciences known to the human mind. It grasps, analyzes, and comprehends the laws and forces which make up and control the universe, and every other science known is intimately connected with, or based upon it. There is no chance-work in Nature; all things are moulded and formed complete by the great Architect, whose Word created them, and all the grand panorama of suns, moons, planets, worlds, and stars, are perfect and in the exact order of His creative wisdom.
Whatever of incomprehensible mystery our hypothesis of those far-distant suns and heavens may involve, we feel satisfied of the correctness of our theory in regard to our own, and our mind is equally impressed with the probability of all the other planets belonging to the Sun's domain, being inhabited by living intelligences, and that, in the order of their Creator's arrangement, they too find their heaven of eternal existence there. We know there is room for all and to spare, within that heavenly empire, and would be if they and our own earth should remain repeopling and passing thither for cycles of ages to come; for, as we have seen from astronomical measurement, it is computed to be more than one million times the size of this earth.
How enrapturing the thought, that there we may not only meet the prophets and seers of old; the apostles and martyrs; "those who went up through great tribulations," "who washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb;" our counselling ministers, who have assisted us in the way; there the loved ones of our hearts, who have already left us and this world of "sin and sorrow," and are now safely at "home;" there other loved ones who are yet on this earth and are striving with us for a home in that "better land;" but also, perhaps, there we shall meet messengers, and children of God from all the other worlds belonging to the Sun, or that heaven's domain; and with the innumerable company of angels, and all the ransomed hosts, dwell forever with our Saviour in the glory-light of the Spirit of God. O, who will not seek and strive for a home in heaven?