a unique calling between the Old and New Testament eras. He re sembled the Old Testament proph ets but he was the particular her ald of the Lord Jesus Christ whom he pointed out to his disciples as “ the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Calling him Elijah was like our saying that some political leader "is another Theodore Roosevelt," etc. When the Pharisees came to John the Baptist and asked if he were Elijah, he said, “ No” (John 1:21) and that should settle the matter. Elijah was Seen on the Mt. of Transfiguration, having been rap tured and never having tasted of death; but John the Baptist was murdered by the vile Herod, and his disciples in great sorrow buried him (Matt. 14:1-12). DESTRUCTION OF THE CANAANITES Q. How can I explain the wiping out of the Canaanites by the Lord? A. God tells us that their cup of iniquity was full. It was necessary to destroy them in order to save civilization itself. The people had become so degraded that their off spring undoubtedly were mental and physical defectives. God acted with the same kind of judgment at the time of the flood. We read in Genesis 6:3: “ God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagina- tion of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." The time is not far off when God will once more bring judgment upon this sin ful world, after the rapture of His people. The judgments described in Revelation indicate that in sev erity the destruction of Canaanites,, the flood, etc. cannot compare with \ those to come. Matthew 24:21 states: “ For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” The next verse describes it as a threat to all mankind: “ And except those days should be shortened, there should not flesh be saved.”
Dr.Talbot’s Q U E S T IO N B O X
the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father' (Gen. 3 3 :1 8 -19 ). Since Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were buried at Hebron (Gen. 49:31; 50: 13), Stephen’s reference to ‘our fathers’ buried ‘in Shechem’ must be restricted to Joseph and other members of the family (Josh. 24: 32; Acts 7:15-16).” This seems reasonable to me. THE BOOK OF LIFE Q. Please explain Exodus 32:32 and Revelation 3:5 which seem to imply that one can be blotted out of the book of life. A. The birth of a child is written in God’s book of life just as the Bureau of Vital Statistics registers the birth of a child in this country. Doubtless this is the record which Moses prayed to be removed in Exodus 32:32. No one’s name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life except upon his putting his faith in Christ. A child too young to un derstand the way of salvation would be covered by the grace of God and the blood of Christ and his name would be written therein; no infant will be refused entrance (see the account of David's little son in II Samuel 12:23 of whom David said, "He cannot come to me but I shall go to him” ). Revelation 3:5 is only a reassurance that if one is saved, his name never will be removed from the Book of Life. Neither the prayer of Moses (Ex. 32:30-34) nor of Paul (Rom. 9:3) were answered by God. Only One was worthy to make an atoning sacrifice for the souls of men, God’s sinless Son, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Moses made an offer of his own life which God answered by stating that men would suffer for their own sins, not for the sins of others. JOHN THE BAPTIST AND ELIJAH Q. Was John the Baptist really an incarnation of Elijah as some cul- tists teach? A. No, he was not. He came in the power and spirit of Elijah and had
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WAS STEPHEN MISTAKEN? Q. I recently heard a critic of the Bible point out the apparent con tradiction between Acts 7:15-16 and Genesis 23:17-20, 33:19-20 and 50:13. Did Stephen make a mistake? A. No. I like very much the explana tion for what you have correctly described as an “ apparent contra diction," in the New Scofield Bible, page 1171, Note 2: "A solution of the problem has been suggested in several ways: (1) A scribal error in naming Abraham in Acts 7:16 (but only one manuscript omits the name); (2) A telescoping of the accounts in Genesis 22 and 23 (un derstandable in view of Stephen's situation and the need for brevity): and (3) Abraham actually did buy two burial places (Gen. 23:17; Acts 7:15-16). The first, near Hebron, he bought from Ephron, the Hit- tite, in the presence of the children of Heth. The second, near Shec- hem, he bought from the sons of Hamor. Later Jacob must have re purchased the second in ‘the par cel of a field . . . at the hand of
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THE KING'S BUSINESS
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