15. W. C, Washington. “Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ (John 3:55Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. (John 3:5).)” You ask what kingdom is it he cannot see, or enter into—the kingdom of God?
If you turn and read carefully Eze. 36; 24-35, you will see the Lord was speaking of the kingdom He will yet set up on this earth, with Palestine as its center, and the Jews its happy subjects. But none will enter or see that kingdom unless they are born from above, with wholly a new nature, as described in Ezekiel. But if that is true of the earthly part of the kingdom of God, how much more so of the heavenly, (that is, the church) of which Jesus says He was not then speaking.
Your next question has been a difficulty with many. In verse 13 Jesus says, “And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven.” You ask did not Enoch and Elijah ascend to heaven; see Gen. 5:2424And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. (Genesis 5:24), 2 Kings 2:1111And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. (2 Kings 2:11). On my knees the Spirit directed me to the word “ascend to heaven,” assuring me the answer to your difficulty was in the word ascend. Jesus did not say no man hath been taken to heaven. Enoch had. “Enoch walked with God; and was not, for God took him.” This was far from his own act in ascending up to heaven.
So of Elijah, though a striking type of Christ, yet how careful the Holy Ghost is to guard against this! He descended from the highest Gilgal to Bethel. Jesus descended from the highest heaven to Bethlehem, and to Israel. Then he descended to Jericho, the place of the curse. Jesus descended still lower, to man under the curse. Elijah must still go lower, to the Jordan. Jesus must needs suffer death, the death of the cross. But mark the contrast, as well as the parallel. The sons of the prophets say, both at Bethel and Jericho, “Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thee today?” And Elijah said also to Elisha, “If thou see me taken away from thee,” &c. Now the disciples did see Jesus as Messiah taken away from them. (Luke 24:5151And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. (Luke 24:51).) Acts 1:99And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. (Acts 1:9), “He was taken up.” So far we have a parallel in all three cases, for He was truly man.
Enoch and Elijah were only men, and had to be taken to heaven. Jesus was Jehovah, human and divine. He could be taken, and He in His own right, title, and power, could ascend. No other man ever came down to be man. No other as man could ascend. He could say, “I ascend.” (John 20:1717Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. (John 20:17).)
In accomplishing our complete redemption, God “raised him from the dead and set him at his own right hand in the heavenlies,” &c. (Eph. 1:20, 2120Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, 21Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: (Ephesians 1:20‑21).) But He had this surpassing preeminence. He is the only one that descended, the only one that ascended. It is only written of Him, “When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.” (Eph. 4:8-108Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. 9(Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? 10He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) (Ephesians 4:8‑10).) This can be said of none other than of Him, who has the pre-eminence. It cannot be said of David. (Acts 2:3434For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, (Acts 2:34)) Enoch and Elijah were taken up. And Paul, as in Christ, whether he was in the body, or out of the body,, he had to be “caught up to the third heaven.” (2 Cor. 12:11It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. (2 Corinthians 12:1).)
Therefore it is absolutely true, and in perfect harmony with all scripture as Jesus said to Nicodemus, “And no man hath ASCENDED up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven; even the Son of man which is in heaven.”
Holy, Holy, Lord, thou alone art worthy of this high preeminence.
Another thought has been suggested. Whilst it is quite true that there is no contradiction in scripture, as to the bodily ascension of the Lord, He alone having that right and title, yet it is also true in another and most important sense. “There was no moral power in man in his natural state to ascend or rise up to heavenly things. Jesus said to Nicodemus, ‘If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe if I tell you of heavenly things? And no man hath ascended up to heaven’&c. In this sense Christ was the only one who came down from heaven and could communicate those heavenly things to others: ‘he that cometh from above.’ &c. (Ver. 31-33.) Man must needs be born from above before he can understand those heavenly things.
“Whether therefore we look at this as to the title of the blessed Person of Christ to ascend to heaven, or spiritually in connection with the instruction given to Nicodemus, all is in perfect harmony. In all things He hath the preeminence. Man in His natural state has no knowledge of heavenly things.”
16. W. F., London. In reading Matt. 13:30, 41, 4930Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn. (Matthew 13:30)
41The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; (Matthew 13:41)
49So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, (Matthew 13:49), it must be borne in mind that the Lord is not speaking concerning the church, or His coming to take it to Himself; but the kingdom—that kingdom promised to Israel—only here the mystery of the kingdom of heaven. That is the mystery of the kingdom whilst the king is away in heaven. We get hints of this, in the prophets: see Mic. 5:2-72But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. 3Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel. 4And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth. 5And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men. 6And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders. 7And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the Lord, as the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men. (Micah 5:2‑7).
We learn, then (ver. 30), that the wicked and the righteous are to grow together until the harvest. The wicked at the end are bound together, ready to be burnt. When we see men being bound together in guilds, and leagues, and all kinds of confederacies, it certainly seems that the end is near, and that they are being gathered together ready for judgment. And the words in this place are quite applicable in either case, whether the wheat means the church which shall be gathered up to glory, or it means the godly remnant of Jews who shall be gathered to Palestine for the earthly kingdom. The whole testimony of scripture shows that there will be judgment on the wicked before God sets up His kingdom on earth. That is the living wicked, as in Matt. 25 That has nothing to say to the church being taken first to glory before the day of the Lord. Nothing can be more certain than this. (See 2 Thess. 2:11Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, (2 Thessalonians 2:1).) Also in 1 Thessalonians we have first the taking up of the saints in chapter iv., and then the “day of the Lord in chapter 5. The saints must be taken to heaven first, as they come with Christ when He comes to execute judgment. (1 Thess. 2:19; 3:13; 4:1419For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? (1 Thessalonians 2:19)
13To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints. (1 Thessalonians 3:13)
14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. (1 Thessalonians 4:14); Jude 14, 1514And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, 15To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. (Jude 14‑15).)
17. “W. P.,” Homerton. “So much the more as ye see the day approaching.” No doubt the Spirit could apply this to the judgments about to be poured at that time on Jerusalem, and the Jews. The day of the Lord as foretold by the prophets is yet future, and thus the warning of this verse (Heb. 10:2525Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. (Hebrews 10:25)) is as applicable to Christendom now, and to Christians in it, as it was to believers then in the midst of the Jews. Many then may have been going back to Judaism, the very thing about to be destroyed, or set aside. It is the exhortation to hold fast the public profession of Christianity—the full eternal efficacy of the one offering of Christ.
Many are going back now to the heathenism and Judaism of the dark ages. Christendom now is pretty much what Judaism was then. It is fast going back to sacrifices and masses that can never take away sins; and having rejected the testimony of the Holy Ghost to the everlasting efficacy of the one sacrifice of Christ, judgment is now at the door. It is about to be destroyed, the day of its judgment and terrible destruction approacheth. Surely then it is high time for believers everywhere to be warned. This is not the question of the Lord’s coming to take His church, but the coming day of judgment on this Christ rejecting world. All who know that they are perfected forever are to gather. “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves-together as the manner of some is.”