`And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out

of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband' (Rev. 21:2).

`He carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and

shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven

from God' (Rev. 21:10).

The testimony of Hebrews 11:16 alone is sufficient proof that this

heavenly city is a separate sphere of blessing from that of the earth, and

while much must yet be studied if we would appreciate its true significance,

we can, without hesitation, affirm that there is full Scriptural testimony to

the existence of this second sphere of blessing.

Granting that these two spheres of blessing are actual Scriptural

facts, the question that now awaits an answer is: do they exhaust the

teaching of Scripture on the subject?  In other words, is there a third

sphere of blessing distinct from both the earth and the heavenly city?  We

believe there is, and proceed at once to state the evidence for this belief.

The epistle to the Ephesians was written by Paul as `the prisoner of

Jesus Christ' (Eph. 3:1).  Israel, as a nation, had been set aside by the

quoting of Isaiah 6:10, as recorded in Acts 28, and with that setting aside

had of necessity gone the hope and the blessings of which they were the

appointed channel.  While Israel remained as a nation before God, the Gentile

believer could be `blessed with faithful Abraham' (Gal. 3:9); could be

associated with Israel under the New Covenant (2 Cor. 3:6); could entertain

the hope of Israel (Rom. 15:12,13) and `partake of the root and fatness of

the olive tree' (Rom. 11:17); but, with Israel set aside, there arose the

necessity of a further revelation from God, if all was not to be plunged into

confusion and end in despair.  This revelation is claimed by Paul in the

epistle to the Ephesians:

`If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is

given me to you -ward (Gentiles): how that by revelation He made known

unto me the Mystery' (Eph. 3:2,3).

This Mystery has particular reference to the new position assigned to

the Gentiles:

`That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and

partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel: whereof I was made a

minister' (Eph. 3:6,7).

Here we have a `dispensation' which was particularly concerned with the

Gentiles; a `revelation' that makes known that which was a `mystery', and

that, hitherto, this mystery had been `hid in God' (Eph. 3:9).  And not only

was it `hid in God', but `from the ages and from generations', but now is

`made manifest to His saints' (Col. 1:26).

In order that no statement shall be accepted as true that is not proved

from the Scriptures, we pause to justify the remark that `the dispensation of

the Mystery was revealed after the setting aside of Israel'.  Usually it is

enough to produce the missing link in a chain, but, if the play of words may

be pardoned, we have a complete chain of evidence, and that none other than

the one which fettered the apostle Paul in his Roman prison.