The earth will be a sphere of blessing in which there shall be set up a

kingdom, over which the Lord shall be King, with Jerusalem the chosen centre,

and Israel a Kingdom of Priests.  This we will call the First Sphere.

We now come to the second sphere; that which is associated with the

heavenly Jerusalem, and it must be recorded as a fact of importance that no

hint of such a sphere is to be found in the whole of the Old Testament.  Yet

when we study the New Testament we learn that its existence was intimately

known by Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  For this information we turn to the

Epistle to the Hebrews.

In Hebrews 11 the apostle illustrates the statement that `faith is the

substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen', by the

examples of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  Coming to the

example of the patriarchs, the writer pauses to add:

`By faith he (Abraham) sojourned in the land of promise, as in a

strange country, dwelling in tabernacles (tents) with Isaac and Jacob,

the heirs with him of the same promise: for he looked for a city which

hath foundations, whose Builder and Maker is God' (Heb. 11:9,10).

After speaking of Sarah's faith, the apostle reverts to the subject of

this city, saying:

`These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having

seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and

confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.  For they

that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country ... that

is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God;

for He hath prepared for them a city' (Heb. 11:13 -16).

After a further and fuller expansion of the theme of Hebrews 11:1 the

apostle returns to the subject of the Heavenly City in chapter 12, but

approaches it from another angle.  We reserve comment upon the significance

of this new angle until we have established the fact of the revelation of all

three spheres, and meantime pass on to verse 22:

`But ye are come unto Mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God,

the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the

general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in

heaven' (Heb. 12:22,23).

Other references to this sphere of blessing are found in The

`Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of My God, and

he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of My God,

and the name of the city of My God, which is new Jerusalem, which

cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him My new

name' (3:12).

The significance of the fact that this is associated with the

overcomer, together with the similar significance of the context of Hebrews

12, will be considered when we come to deal with the subject of the spheres

themselves: at present we confine ourselves to establishing the fact that the

Scriptures speak of such spheres: