friend of Jesus had a home at Bethany where he, his sister Martha and his sister Mary often enter tained the Lord Jesus. After Lazarus was raised from the dead, we read that a supper was prepared for him, and Lazarus sat at the table with them (John 12:2). This was un mistakable evidence that he was real ly alive! THE DESTINY OF THE DEPARTED Q. Am I right in understanding that when a Christian dies, his spirit goes immediately into the presence of the Lord and that the unsaved in hades await the great white throne judg ment? A. Yes, I believe that is what the Word of God teaches. Paul says plainly in Phil. 1:23 and II Cor. 5:6, 8: “ For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart and to be knowing that, whilst we are at home “ Therefore we are always confident, with Christ, which is far better” ? in the body, we are absent from the Lord. . . . We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” At the return of Christ for His children, the body will be res urrected and spirit and body re united. Our bodies will resemble the resurrection body of our Lord Jesus Christ. Those who are alive at the time of Christ’s coming will not undergo death, but will be trans lated as was Elijah (I Thess. 4:13- 18). We shall then be forever with the Lord. As you have indicated, the destiny of the unsaved is quite dif ferent. At death they go to a kind of prison awaiting the final judgment described in Revelation 20:10-15. It is a solemn thing to contemplate. But God has prepared the way of escape from that awful place through the redemptive work of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. None need perish, but all may have everlasting life through faith in Him (John 1:12; John 3:16; John 5:24). THE KING'S BUSINESS
children of God who will be living on earth when Christ comes for His own. Elijah did not ascend by his own power either. He too was translated as angelic hosts bore him away “ . . . Behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven . . . and Elisha . . . saw him no more” (II Kings 2:11-12). The next time Eli jah appears is on the Mount of Transfiguration. As he had been taken to heaven, so he was brought down for that occasion to corrobo rate Christ’s claims of His deity. Moses represented the law; Elijah the prophets and all witnessed to the fact that Christ was the Son of God, co-equal and co-eternal with the Fa ther (Luke 24:25-27). BABYLON Q. Is the Babylon in Revelation the old city of Babel rebuilt? A. No, it is not a literal city, but “ Mystery Babylon.” It is also de scribed under the figure o f a “ scar let woman.” This is the last great religio-political system which will be revealed after Christ takes His own true church to be with Him. It will include every false system of reli gion, intermixed with a pagan form of Christianity. Babylon’s destruc tion is described in Revelation, chap ter 18. One of the most solemn state ments in God’s Word is the epitaph of this horrible system: “ And in her was found the blood of the prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth” (Rev. 18:24). WHO WAS LAZARUS? Q. Is the Lazarus mentioned in Luke 16 the same as the one whom Jesus raised from the dead? A. No. The Lazarus of Luke 16 was a beggar. The Lazarus who was a
CHRIST'S ASCENSION Q. With Enoch and Elijah in mind, how am I to understand John 3:13, “ And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven” ? A. The same principle applies to the ascension of Christ as to His death and resurrection. Of His death and resurrection He said, “ Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again” (John 10:17- 18). In other words, these miracles were accomplished by His own pow er; the same is true of His ascen sion. “ He ascended upon on high” Eph. 4 :8 ). “ And when He had spok en these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud re ceived him out of their sight” (Acts 1 :9 ). While doubtless He had an angelic escort, yet this act of ascen sion was performed by His own pow er as He returned to the glory that was His before the world was. So in this sense He was the only One who descended from heaven at will and ascended to heaven at will. Read John 6:62 and John 20:17 in this connection. It was quite a different matter with both Enoch and Elijah. We read of Enoch: “ Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him” (Gen. 5 :24 ); “ By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him; for before his translation he had this testimony that he pleased God” (Heb. 11 :5 ); “ And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his saints” (Jude 14). Enoch was not able to ascend in his own power; God took him and trans lated him. He was not only a preach er of the Second Coming, but was the firstfruits of the rapture of the 38
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