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TWO RESURRECTIONS Q. I have always understood there would be one great resurrection day which would be what we call the day of judgment. Lately I am hearing about two resurrections and I am at a loss to harmonize these two state ments. A. There will be two resurrections according to the teaching o f the Scriptures. Between the first and second resurrections there will be a period o f a thousand years. During this time our Lord will be reigning upon the earth. But before we con sider these separately let us remem ber the f o ll o w in g fu n d am en ta l truths: The sins o f the believer on Christ Jesus have been judged at Calvary’s cross, therefore, according to John 5:24, he “ shall not come into judg ment, but is passed from death unto life.” The believer’s works mil be judged at “ the judgment seat o f Christ” when the church is translated, (Read Rom. 14:10; II Cor. 5 :10 ; I Cor. 3:11-15). This judgment will be to determine the rewards to be given to the redeemed in that day, and has nothing to do with salvation from sin. The Lord Jesus accomplished a finished work on the cross for all who will accept the free gift o f His redemption. The wicked dead — all who have rejected Christ — will stand before “ the great white throne,” where the books will be opened, and it will be shown to them that their names are not written in “ the Lamb’s book of life.” (See Rev. 20:11-15.) There they will be judged, and punishment will be meted out to them, also “ ac cording to their works.” In other words there will be degrees of re ward in heaven and degrees o f pun ishment in hell according to the light and opportunity we have had. The nations will be judged at the return o f Christ in glory: Some to enter into His millennial kingdom; others will go into everlasting pun
cut off the wicked who refuse to obey Him, in order to protect His people. Missionaries today tell us o f these Satan-possessed witch doctors o f pagan lands. They are unspeakably cruel, vile, and horrible in their evil practices. Nor do we have to go to heathen lands, so-called, to find de monism or spiritualism in its most subtle form. The Christian should avoid all contact with spiritualists, fortunetellers, and necromancers, ex cept as he may be used o f God to lead such as these out o f spiritualism into the light o f God’s truth. Either they are fakes — and who wants to be the dupe o f a deceiver? Or they are demon-possessed — and what child o f God would dare play into the hands o f satan, with his eyes open to his deed? HEAVEN Q. You have given good and•suffi cient reason for believing that we shall know one another in Heaven. 1 would like to ask if we w ill miss our loved ones who are unsaved, and who w ill not be there. If a saved per son leaves this earth as a bdbe or a little child, w ill that individual have the body of an adult in the resurrec tion? A . .These questions are not answered in the Bible, yet we do know that “ sorrow and sighing will flee away . . . and God shall wipe away all tears.” Where the Bible is silent, we must be silent also, but we like to think that God has need for little children in Heaven, and that we shall see them there in their glori fied bodies. Yet we would not sub stitute our personal wishes, guesses, or ideas for the Word o f God. We may rest assured that since it will add to our bliss to recognize our dear ones in Heaven, most certainly our Heavenly Father will permit us to do so.
ishment. These are the “ sheep” and the “ goats” referred to in Matthew 25:21-46. But you will notice in the careful reading o f this selection that in the presence o f the returning King, the Lord Jesus, will be gath ered all nations (v. 3 2 ); that the reward to the blessed will be that they will inherit the kingdom (v. 3 4 ); and that the reward will be given to those who have been kind to Christ’s brethren (v. 40). It seems very clear that this judgment, immediately following the g r e a t tribulation which is “ the time of Jacob’s trouble,” will be to deter mine how the nations shall have treated God’s chosen people, Israel. The first resurrection is also called “ the resurrection o f lif e ,” and “ the resurrection o f the just” (Luke 14:14; John 5 :29 ). In this last ref erence the second resurrection is called “ the resurrection of condem nation” (R .V .). In Revelation 20:4- 15 the two resurrections are con trasted in no uncertain terms, and there we -read that between the two there will be a period one thousand years, when Christ shall reign on the earth. EXECUTION OF WITCHES Q . What is the explanation of Exo dus 22:18, “ Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live"? A. We shall have no difficulty in un derstanding this command, repeated and enlarged upon in Leviticus 19: 31; 20:6, 27; Deuteronomy 18:9-14, if we have clearly in mind the char acter o f witches in the days o f Moses and Joshua. They were the greatest enemies o f God’s truth, even as the witch doctors o f Africa are today. Their hands were steeped in blood; they were the exponents o f immoral ity. Therefore, God commanded that they should be cut off, in the inter est o f His people. The heathen nations, among which Israel dwelt, had turned their backs upon God. Sometimes God has to
THE KING'S BUSINESS
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