There has always been antagonism between the "spirit of light" and the "spirit of darkness." The first gives "light, life, and liberty." The second, darkness, death, and bondage. The word and revelations of God teach this fact, while the experience and heart admonitions of all confirm it. Even the ungodly condemn wickedness, and yet, strange to say, continue on in sin. There has, from the beginning, been spiritual antagonism between the good and the bad, and a consciousness upon the part of the wicked of their own wrong-doing. This has been the case ever since wicked Cain slew his brother Abel; God then pronounced His curse upon the perpetrator of that wicked deed, and His curse has stood against all wicked doers from that time to the present, and will through all time to come. Bible history is replete with evidences of His judgments against them, and plainly tells us that there are two separate places, one wherein the righteous shall enjoy happiness and eternal life; the other wherein the wicked shall be punished, and endure a living death that never dies, showing us plainly that,
"It is not all of life to live; nor yet of death to die."
Now, the location of that place of torment will claim a few moments of our attention. Of this we think we are not left to conjecture alone. We believe our hypothesis of the location of heaven is correct, and that we have one equally certain of the location of Hell, and that each hypothesis strongly corroborates the other.
First, let us take direct testimony; that given by the Son of God himself, who is to be the judge of all—even the "quick" and the "dead." The first are those quickened into life by the spirit, the last are "those who are dead in trespasses and in sin."
You will find this evidence in the 16th chapter of the "Gospel according to Saint Luke." Christ, the Son God, said,
"There was a certain rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, who laid at they rich man's gate, full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table; moreover, the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom; The rich man also died, and was buried, and in hell he lifted up his eyes. Being in torments, and seeing Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom, he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy upon me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my parched tongue, for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus his evil things, but now he is comforted and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulph fixed; so that they who would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us that would come from thence."
"Then he said, I pray thee, therefore, father, that thou wouldst send him to my father's house, for I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham said unto him, they have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, nay, father Abraham; but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. Abraham answered and said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead."
Thus, we see plainly that there are two separate places; one for the righteous, who are saved through obedience and faith, and the other for the wicked who are lost through disobedience and unbelief. Nothing could be more plain, pointed, or conclusive.
Now let us recall to your mind that which we have related in preceding pages; wherein we have told you that most Astronomers have agreed upon the fact, or hypothesis, of two atmospheres around the vast globe we have denominated heaven. The one next to it appears to be non-luminous; while the outer one—around this—is luminous, which they denominate photosphere, to which we have added ethereal, or "spirit-fire." This is what we see in looking at the Sun, and is the vast volume of fire, or ethereal flame, that sends out heat and light to this and other surrounding worlds. This light and heat extend over a region of the illimitable space, not less than six thousand millions of miles in extent. We have endeavored to approximate to the mind the intense heat of the Sun at its source, but it far exceeds finite comprehension.
We have also given you the views and suppositions of able investigators that the extent of that photosphere, or volume of flame, is vast indeed. It is said that 'flame-like masses—some computed to be one hundred and fifty thousand miles in length—are piled upon and overlap each other, and sweep onward in constant agitation like mountain billows of living fire.' This, as we have told you, is the source of all fire, or heat known to us on this Earth, and to all the other planets of our solar system.