from a spiritual or moral point of view. Now, there are certain things that happen to people who sin and they do reap the result physically. Such an example would be the drunkard who may become in volved in a car accident and lose a leg. He reaps the result of his sinful life in that particular in stance. But even he can be forgiven of the sin of drunkenness. He does not have to reap the eternal pun ishment of that particular sin or any sin if he accepts Jesus Christ as Saviour. This woman was for given because of her faith. This is the wonderful part of the Christian life. When we accept Jesus Christ as Saviour our sins are forgiven. We do not have to pay the penalty for our sins. We do not have to reap the results of the sinful life. All is taken care of in the blood of Jesus Christ as it was shed on Cal vary's cross. As a result, we can go in peace! Q. Altadena, Calif. "Will the events of Ezekiel 38 and 39 take place be fore or after the Rapture of the Church?" A. There are five views as to when these events will be fulfilled. They are said to fall into either the time before the Rapture; the early part of the tribulation; the middle of the tribulation or at the end of the tribulation. Yet a fifth view com pares Gog and Magog of these two chapters with Gog and Magog of Revelation 20, saying that these events will take place at the end of the millenium, just before the time of the new heaven and the new earth. The last view goes on the basis merely of the names and fails to recognize that names are used fig
uratively or symbolically in Revela tion. This view must be discarded, then, as it judges on outward ap pearances, on a superficial level. Read carefully Ezekiel 38:8 (note the phrase "in the latter years") and verse 16 of the same chapter ("in the latter days"). The expres sion "in the latter days" in the Old Testament refers to the times of the Messiah, the messianic era for Israel, the time of consummation of their national history on earth. ("Latter days" in the New Testa ment, however, refers to the Church, her time before the Rap ture.) Therefore, we believe that these events in Ezekiel 38 and 39 must take place after the Rapture, placing them around the end of the tribulation time, coinciding with the Armageddon battle. The pic ture here is so vast and compre hensive that only at this time would such a confederation be gathered. This then definitely takes place af ter the Rapture. Q. Visalia, Calif. "What is the sig nificance of Mark 14:51-52 where a young man wearing a linen cloth was following Jesus after He was arrested?" A. This young man was fleeing from the military men who came to take Jesus as prisoner. The significance is that this young man was just as cowardly as all the rest of the dis ciples of our Lord who fled. There are indications, in view of the point that this is the only Gospel to mention the incident, that this young man was none other than Mark himself. So, it is an interesting and thoughtful personal glimpse that perhaps Mark put in as a sort of confession, ashamed of it after ward, but fleeing at the moment of danger.
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