applies to Ham and his descen dants through Canaan. Q. Los Angeles, Calif. "Did the people who built the tower of Babel actually expect to reach God or was it only symbolic of their de sire to reach Him l" A. They did not actually expect to reach Cod, nor was it symbolic of their desire for Him. In all actuality, they were not after the Lord at all. They wanted rather to make a name for themselves. They were boastful and proud of their accom plishments. This was the great sin of the tower of Babel. The Almighty had been completely ruled out of their thinking. Q. Gladstone, Ore. "Is the story of the rich young ruler (Mark 10:21) applicable to all of us? Must we sell all of our possessions to obtain eternal life?" A. The only way we can receive eternal life is through faith in Jesus Christ (John 3:16, 5:24, 14:6; Ro mans 10:9, 10; Ephesians 2:8, 9). Salvation cannot be bought at any price. Our Lord was trying to give this young man, who said he had kept every part of the Mosaic law, the inner spiritual meaning of the law. It was not just a case of keep ing the Ten Commandments. One must be sold out completely to Cod's will. For us, it is not just the little details but the commitment of our entire lives to Jesus Christ. In this case it was whether the young man loved most his money or the Lord Jesus Christ.
these giants were natural men, tall er than some of the other people around them. Q. San Diego, Calif. "Do the seven churches in Asia Minor still exist?" A. The list of these seven churches is found in the second and third chapters of Revelation. None of them exist today, which indicates the accuracy of Cod's prophetic judgment. The warnings given to them would be well for us to con sider in our own lives as well as congregations. Q. Nampa, Idaho. "Did the curse of Canaan (Genesis 9:25) apply to him and his immediate descen dants only, or did it apply to all of his continuing descendants?" A. Expositors have grappled with this question for many years. The background relates to Noah be coming drunk. When he went into his tent, Ham (the father of Ca naan) saw the nakedness of his father in this condition and then proceeded to tell his brothers out side. The implication shows the indecency or disrespect on the part of Ham. Perhaps Ham was empha sizing this thing and he may have even made fun of his father. Shem and Japheth, on the other hand, took a garment and covered their father. When Noah became sober he knew what Ham had done. In declaring, "Cursed be Canaan," we are led to believe that the grand son was a part of this disrespectful attitude toward Noah. The state ment "a servant of servants shall he be" cannot be used as a blanket statement indicating that all Ham- itic people would be in servitude the rest of their lives. The context
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