wisdom from on high which only God can give. How they need it in these perilous times of the world’s history. Whether a king is saved or not, the Lord sometimes uses these rulers to carry out the purposes He has in mind for the nation over which they are ruling. Q . Spokane, Washington — “I heard an evangelist say that none w ill be saved after Jesus comes for H is Bride. Was h e correct?” A. Scripture does not indicate any such position at all. The evangelist may have been misunderstood in what he said, however, one has only to read Revelation 7 to see the saved 144,000 and those whom they will evangelize and see redeemed. Verse 14 of this chapter shows the timing of this scene, “These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” These aye not church saints, for they have ajready gone to glory. There will be people saved during this time because the Spirit of God will be present to con vict, just as He was before the church was formed on earth. Abraham was saved as were the others of the Old Testament. Q . Kansas City — “T h e B ible says Eliza beth was filled with the Holy Spirit. How could, this have happened before the day of Pentecost since in John 7:39 it says, ‘T h e Holy Ghost was not yet given', because that Jesus was not yet glorified’? What is the m eaning of this seem ing paradox?” A. In Old Testament times the Holy (continued on next page) 25
Q. Bakersfield, California — “Is there any difference between the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God? If so, is it right to speak of w inning souls to the kingdom?” A. The kingdom of heaven is a char acteristic expression in Matthew’s Gos pel. It stems from the statement of Daniel concerning God’s declaration to the nations that the heavens do rule and are sovereign in the affairs of men. There are places where the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God are alike. In the kingdom of heaven there will be those who have been born into the kingdom of God. There are wheat and tares in the kingdom of heaven. While they are not the same, yet they are not diverse. As for using the phrase “winning souls for the king dom,” no doubt this stems from such passages as John 3:3, “Except a man be bom again, he cannot see the king dom of God.” This is the realm of the redeemed where God is sovereign. It might be better to refer to winning souls to the Lord Jesus Qirist. There are some people who use the idea of “kingdom” in a general connotation of good fellowship and brotherhood in the world. Doctrine in this case is unimportant to them. We do not hold any such unscriptural concept which is contrary to the teaching of the Word of God. Q . Wenatchee, Washington — “T h e B ible tells us in l T im o thy 2:1 and 2 to pray for kings, and for all in authority. Does this mean we are to pray for their salvation?” A. Yes, we should pray for the salva tion of all men. We should also pray that these men might seek that perfect
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