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every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” If so, the interpreta tion of the text is wrong, for the cloud of witnesses are the believers mentioned in the preceding 11th chapter of Hebrews, that long list of the heroes of faith. There is nothing in the Bible that teaches that our departed loved ones look down over the battlements of heav en upon us. They may, but the Word is silent in regard to it. There are many things we would like to know about the dead in Christ but they are not revealed. We do know this, that they are with the Lord, that they rest from their labors, and that they see His face, worship and adore Him in His beauty and glory. Many people think of hell as a place where Satan shall rule but he will not rule there. He will himself be a prisoner and this incarceration will be a further testimony that the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, has conquered. The Last Trump Q. In 1 Corinthians 15:52 Paul mentions the r a p t u r e as taking place at the “ last trump.” In Reve lation 11:15 reference is made to the seventh or last trumpet. Are they the same? I have always thought the rapture took place in the time period described in Reve lation between the third and fourth chapters. A. It is my conviction that what you state about the rapture’s taking place between the third and fourth chapters of Revelation is true. To my mind the opening verse of chap ter 4 portrays the fulfillment of 1 Thessalonians 4. John hears a voice
which says, “ Come up hither,” and immediately he is caught up into heaven. So will we one day hear a voice calling us home and we shall be caught up. There need be no confusion of mind in regard to these trumpets. According to 1 Thessalo nians 4:16, the trumpet that shall sound at the first resurrection will not be a trumpet of angels at all but the “ trump of God” which is a dif ferent matter. I suppose it is called the “ last trump” because it signal izes the last great event in the earthly career of the Church when she will be delivered out of the earth and brought into the presence of the Lord forever. Urim and Thummim Q. What is the meaning of “Urim and Thummim” as found in the Bible? A. The words mean “ lights and perfections.” What they were and what became of them we do not know exactly. That they were ob jects connected with the ephod of the high priest put into the breast plate of judgment and worn by the high priest when he entered the presence of the Lord is evident from Exodus 28:30 and Leviticus 8:8. In some way, by their use, the will of the Lord was made known. Christ's Prayer Answered Q. How is it that God has allowed 19 centuries to pass without an swering the prayer of Christ in John 17:21 that all His people may be one? A. This is not an un a n swe r e d prayer. It was answered on the day of Pentecost. That day all believers were baptized into one body. See 1 Corinthians 12:13, 14. THE KING'S BUSINESS
The Two Resurrections Q. When Jesus rose from the dead, was that the first resurrection, or is the first when Jesus comes in clouds for His own? Please tell me when the second resurrection will take place. A. I believe that the first resurrec tion proper includes the resurrec tion of our Lord over 1900 years ago, the resurrection of the saved at the rapture, and the resurrection of the tribulation saints at the second coming of Christ to the earth. We read in 1 Corinthians 15:23: “ . . . Christ the firstfruits; a f t e rwa r d they that are Christ’s at his com ing.” The second resurrection is de scribed in the next verse: “ Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father.” The first resur rection is identical with the resur rection of the just. The second res urrection takes place after the mil lennial reign of Christ at which time the bodies of the Christless dead will be raised, reunited with their spirits, to stand for final judg ment at the great white throne (Rev. 20:11-15). Having rejected Christ as their Saviour, they will be judged according to God’s right eous standards in the light of the record of their works, which is a far cry from God’s righteous stand ards, after which they will be cast into darkness, out of the presence of the Lord. The Dead in Christ Q. Are departed Christians able to look down on us from the glory? A. Doubtless you refer to Hebrews 12:1: “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside 34
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