RECOGNIZING LOVED ONES IN HEAVEN
came of the body of our Lord Jesus Christ. We know that He rose from the dead, clothed with immortality, and was completely recognizable to the disciples after His resurrection. In Luke 24:30 we read that Christ “ as He sat at meat (with the two disciples on the way to Emmaus) he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.” And again in verses 38-39: “ And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? “ Behold my hands and my feet that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see me have.” They saw Him. They handled Him. He ate in their presence 1— after His resurrection. No body was ever more real than His. In Acts 1 we read that He “ showed Himself alive after His passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days” and the last view the disciples had of that precious, real, living, resurrec tion body — with the nailprints in hands and feet — was at His ascen sion. “ And while He had spoken these things, while they beheld, He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight.” Of course we know where His body is — in Heaven; and we know also that from Heaven He will return in that body. . . . “ This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). HEAD OR HEART? Q . P lea se exp la in th e rela tion o f th e “ h e a d t o th e “ h ea rt” in salvation . A. This is a very interesting ques tion. The theologians of old stated that salvation was composed of three things: First, the acknowledgment of the head; second, the assent of the heart; and third, the affiance of the life. Believing with the head is a part of saving faith, but that kind of belief .alone cannot save. You remem ber that even the demons believed and trembled (Jas. 2:19). There are
thousands of unregenerate men and women who believe intellectually in Christ, but they have no personal, saving faith in Him. To believe with the heart involves the affections and that is where love for the Saviour comes in. The Holy Spirit, through Paul, said, “ For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness” (Rom. 10:10). The rather obsolete expres sion, a ffia n ce o f life , means a liv ing, pulsating, acting, expressive af fair — a matter of the will. Paul and James agreed on this. “ Faith without works is dead” (Jas. 2:20) and a living faith which produ ces works is the only kind that Paul preached. The Hebrew word for faith is really tru st and because the word fa ith has been so misused, tru st ex presses the dependence upon the Lord that is really meant by faith. CAN WE EAT PORK? Q . S om e frien d s o f m in e h a ve p oin ted ou t a ll th e in stru ction s ab ou t ea tin g m eat in L eviticu s, i i t h ch ap ter, and sa y tha t C h ristian s shou ld fo llow th ose law s, n ot ea t p ork, etc. Is th is righ t? A. No, it is not right. Read I Timothy 4:1-5 and notice that the Lord defines those who commanded Christians to “ abstain from meats” as those who had departed from the faith. It is plainly stated in this passage that such meats “ God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving; For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.” This is an attempt to bring you under the law, which was but a shadow of spiritual realities. Now that the substance, Christ, has come, we are no longer under the law, but under grace. These regulations were given to Israel, never to the church. Read Colossians 2 and 3 and the en tire book of Galatians for a clear understanding of law and grace.
Q . I am v ery troubled, becau se / heard a m in ister on th e radio sta te that it was “ n on sen se” to b eliev e that w e shou ld know and reco gn ize ea ch o th er in H eaven . Can y o u h elp m e? A. What he said was nonsense. In I Cor. 13:12 we read that now we look as if through a mirror “ but then face to face” ; that now we know only partially, “but then shall I know even as also I am known.” Our intelligence will be no less in heaven than it is now. Our consciousness will not be diminished. In I Thess. 4:13- 18 we read that when Christ comes for us that we if then alive shall be “ caught up tog eth er with them (the believers who have died) in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air.” What advantage would there be in being tog eth er if we did not recog nize each other? On the Mt. of Trans figuration Moses and Elijah were identified by name and by sight. If we could not recognize each other in Heaven, that would mean the com plete destruction of our personalities which is not true. REFUTING "RUSSELLITES" Q . A Jehovah’s W itn ess tells m e that “ P astor” R u ssell tau gh t that n obod y know s w hat becam e o f th e b od y o f th e L ord. D o th ey rea lly tea ch tha t and w hat verse can / g iv e th is frien d to refu te th is aw fu l sta tem en t? A. Yes, 'Russell did teach that. His exact words were: “ Our Lord’s human body was, however, supematurally re moved from the tomb; because had it remained there, it would have been an insurmountable obstacle to the faith of the disciples. . . . We know nothing about what became of i t . . . . Whether it was dissolved into gases or whether it is still preserved some where as the grand memorial of God’s love . . . no one knows” (p. 129, Series II, S tud ies in th e S crip tu res). This is but one of the lies that this false system teaches. We know with out any question whatsoever what be
THE KING 'S BUSINESS
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