THE APOSTLE OF THE RECONCILIATION 27

`And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon His head, and a reed in His right hand: and they

bowed the knee before Him, and mocked Him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!' (Matt. 27:29).

The accusation set over the Lord's head on the cross, was:

`THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS' (Matt. 27:37)

The chief priests mocked Him with taunting words:

`... If He be the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him' (Matt. 27:42).

The dying malefactor said unto Jesus:

`Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy KINGDOM' (Luke 23:42).

The kingdom is severally called:

The kingdom of the heavens, and

The kingdom of God.

The Lord is spoken of as:

King of Israel, and

King of the Jews;

and as the destined occupant of the:

Throne of His father David, and the

Throne of His glory.

Whatever that kingdom and throne may be, it is evident that the Lord Jesus maintained His right to the title, and

looked forward beyond the cross and the tomb to the establishing of that claim. We must therefore either understand

the term king as is ordinarily meant by that term, and the kingdom and throne of David to be literally intended; or

we must understand `king' to indicate spiritual headship over the church, and `the throne of David' to be a figure

setting forth the spiritual truth of the Lord's headship. We might ask what kind of kingdom the apostles would

understand it to be wherein they were going to sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel? Would the

idea of the church ever have crossed their minds? Or when the mother of Zebedee's children desired the right and

left-hand places in the kingdom, did she conjure up the vision of her children as bishops of the church? Or when the

dying malefactor asked for remembrance by the Lord when he came into His kingdom, did not that dying man mean

the future kingdom? If he meant by `kingdom' the present church, how could the Lord remember him then?

We have already drawn attention to the fact that the question of the apostles recorded in Acts 1:6 was the

outcome of the Lord's own teaching, which He had given them over a period of forty days:

`... being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God ... When they

therefore were come together, they asked of Him, saying, Lord, wilt Thou at this time restore again the kingdom

to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in

His own power' (Acts 1:3-7).

What is the meaning of the Lord's answer? Is it not as much as to say, (1) You are right in anticipating the

restoration of the kingdom to Israel (meaning the literal kingdom as originally governed by David, and to be ruled

over by David's greater Son); (2) yet the part of your question which cannot he answered is that which asks too

definitely concerning the time. The kingdom will be restored certainly, but whether immediately, or after other

unrevealed events, must await God's own wise over-ruling.

By referring back to Luke 24 we find that during that forty days of marvellous instruction, the Lord opened up

the whole of the Old Testament (Moses, Prophets, and Psalms), concerning Himself, and the purpose of God, which

(commencing with Jerusalem) was to spread in an ever-widening circle to all nations (Luke 24:26,27,44-48). While

this fact provides us with a means of answering our question as to whether the kingdom means kingdom or church,

and whether David's throne means David's throne or the heart of a believer, and whether Israel means the