Q. 102. Is not the present aspect of the kingdom of heaven here lost sight of? The special character of the kingdom of heaven as now existing on earth, professedly owning its absent King, which began as soon as the Lord of it had taken His place above. It is the reign from heaven, and so is not the kingdom of heaven whilst the King is on earth. Later it divides into the Millennial kingdom (the kingdom of the Son) set up in power on Christ’s return to the world; and into the kingdom of the Father, when the heavenly saints shine forth in glory. D.T.C.
Q. 142. The force and application of the passage in Isaiah 43:33For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. (Isaiah 43:3), is consequent upon the circumstances which led up to its quotation in Matthew 12 In the Chapter we see Jesus ‘exercising sovereign power in deepest lowliness. Knowing that the Pharisees had conspired against Him He withdrew Himself, and great multitudes following Him He healed them all, charging them “that they should not make it known: that it might be fulfilled.” That which follows reveals His character, as the rejected One, put in proverbial form. It is doubtless true that this character is displayed towards those who are as feeble as bruised reeds, or whose love may be but as smoking flax; but this is not the truth brought out in the passage, as the 16th and 17th verses prove conclusively. For notice, He “charged them that they should not make it known: that it might be fulfilled,” &c.; here it is the character of the one acting which is brought into prominence and not (so much) the action. Of course this is His character only “till he send forth judgment unto victory.” C. F.
Q. 153, p. 122. —We regret to find that some of our readers have gathered from the remarks made under the answer to this query that we intended to bring forward heathen mythology in support of Scripture. Such, however, was in no wise our intention. We are fully persuaded of the all-sufficiency and divine inspiration of the Scriptures, and that they need no support from external evidence. What we intended to convey was, that Scripture gives the true account of the facts upon which heathen mythology has based its fables.