QUES. 1.-Is the Lord Jesus Christ a man in heaven now, and is He literally to rule over this world as a king rules over his nation ?

ANS.-Yes, surely, though in a glorified state. He is as truly a Man in heaven where He is now as when He was here upon earth in a state of humiliation. After His resurrection, He remained on earth forty days, appearing to His disciples again and again. See in Luke 24 :38-1:5 how the Lord convinces them, even by eating before them and showing them the wounds in His body, that He was the very same Man that suffered on the cross, and with whom they had companied for three years.

When He finally left them, to return to heaven, they saw Him taken up bodily from among them on the Mount of Olives. As their eyes remained fastened heavenward, while He had passed out of their vision, angels were sent them to say, "This same Jesus (His human name) which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven " (Acts 1 :9-ll). Meanwhile He is declared by Scripture, in a special manner in Hebrews 7, to be a Man in heaven', filling there His office as High Priest of His people. When the time of judgment comes, it will be "by that Man whom He (God) hath ordained" (Acts 17:31). When He takes in hand the ruling of the world, it will be as the One of whom it is written, ''Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given," etc. (Isa 9 :6, 7). When the Son of God became a Man it was forever and ever. He will no more cease to be Son of Man than He will cease to be the Son of God. If He did, we would lose Christ, for Christ is both God and Man; and if we could be without Christ in heaven, it would cease to be the heaven promised by our Lord in John 14 :2, 3.

Much of what we have said above answers your second question. You cannot clearly understand the Old Testament apart from Christ, the promised Messiah, being realized as a temporal Euler -the King of the Jews. To us, in the New Testament, He-imparts spiritual blessings which link us with heaven. But in the Old Testament He is promised as the King of Israel, issuing from the royal house of David, heir to David's throne, and as such to subdue all the nations under His authority. When the Church, now in formation, is completed and taken to heaven (1 Thess. 4 :14-17), the dispensation of heavenly things is over ; then the Jewish or earthly dispensation is renewed for the fulfilment of all the promises of God to Israel. It is this which brings about Armageddon about which men now anxiously inquire. The nations of the earth will refuse the temporal reign of Christ as they have refused the spiritual. They will also seek to destroy Israel, with whom is linked the Lord's temporal reign, as they have sought to destroy the Church, with whom is linked His spiritual reign. Satan, the prince of this world, will assemble them against Jerusalem, where they will meet with complete defeat.

Mixing together or confounding the earthly with the heavenly things, causes confusion and darkens the understanding of the word of God. " Rightly dividing the word of truth" is of vital importance.

A LOST QUESTION

We have in mind receiving from some one, not long since, a question concerning the hours mentioned in some parts of Scripture. In some way it has slipped away from us, for we cannot lay our hand upon it. If the writer will kindly put his question again, we will seek to make it secure until answered. Meanwhile we ask his forbearance.