2:4, Acts 3:25, Ephesians 3:15, and denotes a clan all descended from a

common stock.

`2.  To apply this: -- God has many families in heaven and earth, both in

this age and in that which is to come.  But with selfish disregard of

this fact we see only one family, and that of course must be the

"church", for that is the family to which we belong.  Thus we claim

everything for ourselves, especially if blessing, mercy or glory is

attached, and so we completely ignore the fact that many of these

families of God are named in Scripture.  In Ephesians 1:21 we have

"principality", "power", "might", "dominion"; the first two being again

mentioned in 3:10, the principalities and powers in the heavenlies to

whom God is even now manifesting His manifold wisdom by means of the

church (His body) as an object lesson.  Others are mentioned in

Colossians 1:16, 1 Peter 3:22.  What these heavenly families may be we do

not know.  The Greek words reveal to us no more than the English do,

because they pertain to the unseen world of which we know nothing.

`To limit this verse to the "church" as many do, and to interpret it in

wholly un -Scriptural terms of the "church militant" and the "church

triumphant", and in hymn -book diction to sing

"One family we dwell in Him,

One church, above, beneath;

Though now divided by the stream,

The narrow stream of death",

is not only to lose the revelation of a great truth of God, but to put

error in its place.  Rightly divided, the families of God named in the New

Testament are: in heaven, principalities, powers, might, dominion, thrones,

angels and archangels.  Among the families on earth are Israel, the Israel of

God (Gal. 6:16) and the church of God (1 Cor. 10:32)'.

Far Above All.  For a full discussion of the position of the Ascended Christ

and His relationship with the Church, the reader is directed to the article

entitled Three Spheres5.  Here we deal with the words `far above all' without

reference to the wider context.

Huperano occurs but three times in the New Testament:

Eph. 1:21

Far above all principality and power.

Eph. 4:10

That ascended up far above all heavens.

Heb. 9:5

And over it the cherubim of glory.

The first reference relates the Ascension of the Saviour above the

principalities and powers in heavenly places.  He is said to be `far above all'

such.  In Ephesians 4:10, His Ascension is related to the heavens themselves.

He is there said to have ascended up far above all heavens.  Here, the

Scripture does not simply say `He ascended into heaven', which would have been

true, it particularizes, and speaks in terms that can only be fully appreciated

when we have learned from the Scriptures, that for the period and purpose of

the ages, a temporary heaven, called in Genesis the firmament, has been spread

over the earth, which `heaven' is to depart as a scroll in the last day.  The

Saviour is shown in Hebrews as being `made higher than the heavens' (Heb. 7:26)

and as having `passed through' (dierchomai) the heavens (Heb. 4:14 R.V.), which

but confirms the statement of Ephesians 4, that He ascended up far above all