Please explain Matthew 12:13-15: “ When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it he also unto this wicked generation.’’ All kinds of interpretations and ap plications have been made o f this pre diction. It is very clear, however, that there is but one explanation, and that is in respect to the unbelieving gen eration. Note how verse 45 closes, “ Even so shall it be unto this wicked generation.” The word generation is certainly to be understood in the sense of race. (Compare the footnote in the Scofield Reference Bible on Matt. 24:34 for the meaning of the Greek word used here.) The unclean spirit in Israel in Old Testament times was idolatry. In the time of Christ, it had left the nation; for the captivities had brought God’s people to see the folly and sin of idol atry. Even now Judaism is swept clean of that evil spirit, and boasts of re form. But it will not be so forever. The unclean spirit will return and bring seven others with him. It will take possession of the house again, and the last state will be worse than the first. Because Israel, as a nation, has re jected her Messiah, the Lord Jesus, she is still in spiritual blindness. And when she makes a covenant with the Antichrist, during the seventieth week of Daniel’s prophecy, then she will be allowing the return of the demon, with seven other spirits, as it were. The Antichrist will try to force all the world to worship his image. That will be idolatry in its last, bold form. Is rael will see that the Antichrist is a false Messiah; will break her covenant with him; and will, consequently, have to go through the great tribulation. Only the return of the Lord in glory will save His chosen people, Israel, from annihilation from the earth. The Antichrist and his forces will seek the utter destruction of God’s people, but the Lord will come and save them. In John 3 :2 9 ,1 read, “He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which stand- eth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.” This was spoken by John the Baptist. Please explain. Page Six
To a man who ha's taken Christ as his Saviour, we bring God’s message and declare sins forgiven. To the man who spurns Christ, we bring God’s message that his sins are retained, and that he is “ in the gall of bitter ness, and in the bond of iniquitv” (Acts 8:23). Both Peter and Paul forbade any one to worship them, even to fall down before them in reverence. There is not the slightest intimation in any Scripture that either Peter or Paul or any apostle permitted sinner or saint to confess sins to them as is done according to the so-called doc trine of “ priestly absolution.” Every believer, in his dealings with men, declares sins forgiven or unfor given according to what the inquirer does with Christ. The text has no other meaning. Why did God let sin enter the world? If I could answer that question, I should be God; it is one of the things we have to leave with Him, knowing that the Judge of all the earth will always do what is just and right. (See Gen. 18:25.) However, even with our finite minds, we can understand how God seeketh such to worship him as do it voluntar ily, rather than because they cannot do otherwise. (See John 4 :23, 24). We ourselves want the love of those who, of their own accord, love us; we spurn favors from those who are self-seek ing and selfish in their motives for acts of kindness or a show of affec tion. Therefore, it seems very clear to me that God permitted us, as free moral agents, to choose His love, rather than make us automatons who could do only as He commanded. For true love to express itself, there must be a choice. God allowed the temptation, in or der that man might become righteous; and righteousness is innocence tested. When God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, He placed them in a state of perfect innocence; but innocence is not righteousness. Right eousness is what God wants, as set forth on every page of the Bible. And innocence cannot become right eousness until it is tested. T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
Dr. Louis T. Talbot In this statement we have the dif ference between the relationship of the Old and the New Testament saints to Christ. John the Baptist, who rep resents the Old Testament saints, said that he was glad to know the Bride groom. John was not a part of the bride, which is the church. He died before the Day of Pentecost, when the church had its beginning. How ever, John said, in substance, “ I am glad just to know the Bridegroom.” As for the bride, she has the Bride groom. In this John showed his great humility, even as he also said, “ He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). Do these passages teach “priestly absolution" as held by the Roman Catholic Church: Matthew 16:19; 18:18; John 20:23? What did Christ mean when He said, “ Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye re tain, they are retained” ? There is no such thing in Chris tianity as priestly absolution. There was priestly absolution in Judaism, as in Leviticus; but this does not belong to the Christian Church or to Chris tianity. In this age of grace, all of God’s children are priests—women as well as men. (See 1 Pet. 2 :9 ; Rev. 1:6.) And no other priesthood exists in Christianity. To remit sins is to declare sin for given on the basis of faith in the Lord Jesus. We find Peter declaring remission of sins in the household of Cornelius: “ To him [Jesus] give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins” (Acts 10:43).
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