King's Business - 1918-06

The word translated "devils” in Luke 8:2 and Mark 3:15 should be translated “demons” The word translated “Devil” in Rev. 12:9 is an entirely different word, with no relation whatever to the word translated “demons” in the passages given above. There is but one Devil, Satan! There are many demons. The “evil spirits” of Luke 8 :2 were “demons.” This is evident from what is said later in the same verse where these evil spirits are called “demons,” (in , our Authorized Version, “devils”)-. The “unclean spirits” in Mark. 3:11 were demons; just the same kind of beings as those called “evil spirits” and “demons” elsewhere. The beings, spoken of in Rev. 12:7, 9 as “his angels,” i. e., the Dragon’s angels, or the Devil’s angels, are not a t all the same as “demons,” they are the angelic persons who fell into sin and who are now headed up under Satan. How do you explain Rom., 5 : 19 ? The first “the many” it is said means all : then what does the second “the many" mean? The. second “the many” also means all, all those referred to in the connection (see verse 17), all “who receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness in Jesus Christ.” Further than this, all men, every child of Adam, is potentially justified in Jesus Christ. In the death of Jesus Christ a ''ground is provided upon which God passes over the sins of men and deals with them in mercy (cf. 1 John 2:1). All men receive resurrection from the dead in Christ (1 Cor. 15 :22). Whether that resur­ rection from the dead shall be a resurrec­ tion of blessedness unto life, or a resurrec­ tion unto judgment depends upon what they do with Christ, from whom they receive it.

In John 9 : 1-3 was the man born blind as a pari of God’s plan,' or did Jesus ignore the Question? Jesus,certainly did not ignore the ques­ tion. We are told in verse 2, “Jesus. answered” the question. Jesus did not say that the man had not sinned, nor that ,his parents had not sinned, as our Authorized Version makes Him say. Hé said, as is correctly translated in the Revised Version, “Neither did this man sin, nor his parents : but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.” That is to say, Jesus said that hiß sinning was not the cause of his! blindness, neither was the sinning of his parents; but that the purpose of his blindness was in order that the works of God through the healing power of Jesus should be made manifest in him. As far as that is concerned, everything is a part ,o'f God’s plan, for God takes up the wicked schemes of wicked men, and even the work of the Devil, into His comprehensive plan. There were people in that day, just as there are in this day, who taught that all sick­ ness was a direct punishment of sin, either of the one that was sick or their parents. Jesus says that this is not so. This is not to say that a great deal of sickness does not come from our own sin ; indeed a very large share of our sickness does come from our own sin, and a large share of what does not come from our own sins does come from the .sins of our ancestors, but sickness often has another origin and pur­ pose that God mav' be glorified in our healing. Are thé words, “evil spirits,” “demons,” “devils,” “his angels,” etc., the same in meaning as found in Rev. ,12:7, 9! Luke 8 : 2 f Mark 3 : 15 ; Mark 3 : 11 ?

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