Q. Lapeer, Mich. — “In Amos 2:1, why was it so terribly wrong that he did bum the bones of the king of Edom in lime?” A. It would be helpful to study the context, beginning with 1 :3 and fol lowing. Amos is pointing out all the vicious damage which the people had done. They had come to what we might refer to as “the last straw.” The burning the bones just showed added contempt and scorn. God is the final judge and vengeance be longs to the Lord. The cup of Moab’s iniquity had been filled. God is pa tient, but there comes a time when His patience is exhausted. This is what is meant by “three transgres sions and for four, I will not turn away the punishment.” Q. San Francisco, Calif. — “When does a baby become a soul?” A. This question is frequently asked. There is no definite answer although people have discussed it endlessly through the years. Many believe that the soul comes into being at the time of conception. Others say that it takes place when life is first felt in the womb. Still more feel that the baby doesn’t become a living soul until the actual time of birth. Let’s understand what soul means. In the ological circles there are those (di- chotomists) who believe that man is made up of body and soul. Others (trichotomists) believe that he has body, soul, and spirit. It is man’s spirit that marks him as different from the lower forms of animal life. There is nothing in Scripture giving a categorical answer to the question of when the soul comes into exist ence. Q. Mountain View, Calif. — "How does Abraham in his 80’s compare with men of that same age today? What about Noah who reached the age of 600 before he had grandchildren? 22
How old were his sons and daugh ters-in-laws?”
A. These years were not something less than our regular calendars sug gest. When God created Adam, the first man had a vital force to go on. It’s no wonder that he lived for 930 years. The same is true with Methu selah who died at 969 years. The only reason Abraham waited until 90 to have his son is because God was do ing something special in his life. The Lord wanted His servant to wait until his body was actually dead as far as reproduction was concerned. It was to show the miraculous pow er in answer to prayer and faith. Abraham actually lived 175 years. While that is comparatively less than Adam’s age, it does show that the seeds of sin, death, weakness, and infirmities were working in the hu man family even then. Man was be coming more and more a victim of the inroads of sin. Right after the flood, men’s ages were drastically re duced. From all Scriptural indica tions, as well as natural sciences, there’s much room to believe that there were certain atmospheric con ditions prevailing before the great flood which made for a different type of climactic situation. The average life span takes a definite trend down ward after the fllood. The covering over the earth was removed after the flood. The raw rays of the sun were then picked up. As another example, fermentation didn’t take place near ly as rapidly as it did before the flood. This is the reason why Noah could squeeze grapes and enjoy the juice for months and months. After the flood the fruit fermented much more rapidly. Noah discovered this all too soon to his own shame. Q. San Francisco, Calif. — “Does Acts 2:88, 39 promise that all of a born- again person’s children and grand children will be saved?”
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