ing the ranks as the army of the Lord. Certain ones pass away and others must be baptized to take their place in order to make up the full complement and number. We know, however, that an incorrect and ex tremely erroneous view to this verse, for the rest of the Bible is against it, is that it is possible for a living per son to be baptized on behalf of one who has died. “It is appointed unto man once to die, and after this the judgment.” There is nothing the liv ing can do for the dead to change a soul’s eternal destiny. Q . Van Nuys, Calif. — " I f the soul dies, how does it get to heaven or hell? I ’m concerned about Ezekiel 18:1.” A. It may be that the question con cerns the words in this portion read ing, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” We need to realize that the word “death” has several meanings. Physi cal death implies separation of the spirit from the body. Spiritual death is the term referring to those who have never received Christ as Saviour and are still “dead in trespasses and sins.” The final word which we find in Scripture is eternal death which means to be separated from God throughout all the everlasting ages. This is the teaching of the verse to which you have referred. The unre deemed soul will not go to heaven but rather to hell. The unsaved today, the Bible teaches, who have physically died while still being spiritually dead, are in hades or “the abode of the un righteous dead.” They await the final judgment at which time they will ap pear before the Great White Throne of God and then consigned for ever lasting death into the lake of fire, or hell. “Would you please explain Matthew 27:8-10 and Acts 1:16-19.” A. Both passages tell us about Judas Iscariot and how he died. When this evil betrayer was confronted with the magnitude of his terrible deed he went out and hanged himself. This is what Q . Bakersfield, Calif. —
Matthew relates. As we continue in Acts we see that the final moment of his life was brought to a tragic cul mination as he fell headlong and “burst asunder in the midst, and all of his bowels gushed out.” Truth is al ways stranger than fiction. Both ac counts are absolutely correct and there is no discrepancy. Judas did hang him self in an abortive attempt at suicide which did not work. He fell from the limb from which he sought to destroy himself and his death ensued. Recently, in Chicago, an elderly wo man, a grandmother, was killed be cause she had been hit by an auto mobile as she was crossing the street. A later report showed that she had died in a car accident. Both stories were correct. Here is the complete narrative. As she was crossing the street a car knocked her down. Im mediately, another car rushed her to the hospital. On the way it collided with still another car and the woman was thrown out to the pavement where she expired. This is an illustration of how seemingly discrepant accounts are reconciled. Q . Novato, Calif. — “Where was Lazar- rus’ soul during the time when he Dr. John Hunter (left), member of the Torchbearer's Society, England, enjoys a moment of fellowship with Biota President, Dr. Samuel H. Sutherland. Dr. Hunter will be featured at all of the Biola Summer Bible Conferences, both this month on the Campus (June 26 ■July 2), as well as in August at Mount Hermon, Calif. (7-13 ), and the Firs,
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