QUES. 16.-In John 20:17 the Lord forbids Mary to touch Him because He had not yet ascended to His Father. In Matt. 28 :9 they "held Him by the feet," and He does not forbid them. Had He ascended to His Father between these two events?

Also, was His breathing upon His disciples and saying, " Receive ye the Holy Ghost," the fulfilment of His promise in John 16 :7?

ANS.-There is not a hint in Scripture of the Lord having ascended to His Father before what is related in Acts 1. The Gospels of Mark and Luke speak of His ascension, and in each case the event referred to is the same as in Acts.

But all difficulty vanishes when it is seen that lack of knowledge in Mary leads her to think she is going to have the Lord back again as in the days before the cross. The Lord makes her realize she cannot have Him so now :He was going back to His Father, as He had said to them in John 14; and Mary, like the church of which the Lord makes her a type in this verse (17), must now know Him according to this heavenly relationship. The other women who are permitted to take Him by the feet (Matt. 28:9) are samples of those on Jewish ground.

The Church is altogether heavenly, being united by the Holy Spirit to Christ in heaven, and waiting to be taken by Him there. Notice the same thing taught in Gen. 24, when Abram pledges his servant to bring a wife to his son Isaac ; but bids him not to take his son there-the bride must go to him where he is. The Church's relation with Christ is a heavenly one. Not so with Israel. Christ must return to earth to fulfil His relation with them.

His breathing upon His disciples has the same typical character. We know from Acts 2 that it was not the fulfilment of John 16 :7, for that was not until after His ascension from the mount of Olives in the sight of His disciples. His breathing upon them is anticipative of, or points to that-not bestowing the Spirit at that moment. The Lord is^taking formally His place as declared in 1 Cor. 15:45. As Adam was the progenitor of the old-creation family, so is Christ of the new, of which He is now the risen Head.

All is divinely simple and instructive, and needs no introducing of events for which we have no scripture warrant.

QUES. 17.-Will all living infants at the Rapture be taken to glory ?

ANS.-We know of no scripture bearing directly upon this subject. "Thou shalt be saved, and thy house " (Acts 16 :31) settles the matter, we judge, as to all infants of believers-taken with the parents. God's general ways with man would indicate that the children of unbelievers would be left on earth with them. Multitudes of infants who may perish during the upheavals of those times would, like infants in all other times, be taken to heaven. The others will remain for millennial days. It must be borne in mind that of all those left upon earth after the rapture of the Church those alone have their doom sealed who during this present day of grace have known and refused the truth. To these only will God, in judgment, send a strong delusion, that they should believe a lie :" that they all might be judged who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness " (2 Thess. 2 :8-12). The Lord's servants should press this now upon the souls of men.

QUES. 18.-I have met some who hold that the camp of the saints in Rev. 20:9 is composed partly of saints who have never died, and partly of those who have suffered martyrdom in the great tribulation, and have been resurrected. Are not all those who have part in the first resurrection among the heavenly company ?

ANS.-Surely they are. The heavenly saints, however, may have much to do with the earth during the millennial reign in various ministry and rule. We see the heavenly saints in Revelation, 19th chapter, accompanying the Lord in His return to the earth, when the enemies are put under His feet and His kingdom is established in Jerusalem over all the earth.

"The camp of the saints" might be the temporary place provided round about the city for those who will come there to seek the Lord from all parts of the earth (Zech. 8 :22, 23), or those who will attend the yearly feast of tabernacles to worship the King (Zech. 14 :16-20). Great multitudes will doubtless attend from all parts of the earth.