that he belonged to the 144,000 of Reve lation. He said that he had already re ceived his resurrection body. I took one look at him, and lost interest immedi ately! Some are “ ever learning.” Romans 8:23 makes it very clear that our bodies are not yet redeemed: “We ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” If we may have the re demption of our bodies now, why wait for it? My friend, not until the Lord'returns for His church will “ this corruptible . . . put on incorruption, and this mortal . . . put on immortality” (1 Cor. 15:53). “ Our citizenship is in heaven; whence also we wait for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who ¿hall fashion anew [change] the body of our humiliation, that it may be conformed [fashioned] like unto his glorious body” (Phil. 3:20, 21 R.V.). Many other passages o f Scrip ture bear out this truth. Without a doubt, divine healing is meant for this age, but only in so far as it may please God to grant it. Some times He heals; sometimes He does not. What of the millions of His dear saints who have died? Did they lack faith? What of God’s abundant blessing upon the ministry of Christian missionary doctors and nurses, to say nothing of those in so-called Christian lands? What of the very evident blessing of God upon medical science in the world today? Do you not see where this false teaching leads one? It is both unscriptural and unreasonable in its argument. Assuredly we need to pray for the sick; but then we must leave the issue with God, using the means He has given us to heal the sick. ______ I have heard it said that men will be judged only for their works. Will you please give Scripture to prove that they will be judged for their sins? Surely they will be judged according to their works, but their sins are in cluded in their works. If sins are not works—bad works—what are they? In Revelation 20:11-15 we read of the judg ment of the wicked before the great white throne. There they will be judged “ according to their works.” Some will be held more responsible than others, be cause they will have rejected more light than others. Some “ shall be beaten with many stripes,” while others “ shall be beaten with few stripes” (Luke 12:47, 48). But read on to the last verse of the twentieth chapter of Revelation; there the statement is clear and definite: “ And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” How does one get his name written in the Lamb’s book of life? By believing on Him, the “ Lamb slain from the foundation of the world,” by accept ing His atoning work on the cross for cleansing from sin. Every Scripture passage that sets forth the Lord Jesus as the only Way to God—and there* are many such pas sages—every one of these leaves man without excuse before our just and holy God. Page Thirteen
Dr. L. T. Talbot
speaks of the grave; “hades” in this in stance, of the abode of the wicked dead while waiting for the great white throne judgment. (We have seen that paradise was taken out of hades when Christ ascended on high, and led “ a multitude of captives captive.” ) Now it is also very clear that the rich man of Luke 16 was “ in torment,” in conscious suffering. The reference to the “ flame” indicates how terrible are the consequences of sin. When the Lord Jesus Christ calls the wicked dead from their graves; when their spirits are de livered up from hades, bodies and souls reunited forever, will be cast into the lake of fire, from which no one ever returns. In the Greek this is called Gehenna. What is your opinion of the Passion Play, and other pageants in which Christ is portrayed by actors? To my mind it is nothing short of blasphemy for any sinful being to im personate our sinless Lord. The moving picture industry, in presenting Bible stories, is not furthering the gospel of our crucified and risen Lord. It is a money-making scheme for entertainment and is usually presented by unbelievers. God has given us a beautiful portrait of Himself in His infallible Word. To me it is sacrilege for those who do not know Him to even attempt to portray Him and His truth. I f we have faith enough, why can we not claim divine healing for our bodies now? I have been taught that at conver sion the body belongs to Christ, and we have no more to say about it; that we are dead, and it is Christ who now lives in us; that sickness is a sin; and that we are not to go to doctors, or use medi cine, but rather, that we are to pray and have faith. I am so confused. Please explain. No wonder you are confused! We need not be confused, however, on this sub ject, for the Bible speaks plainly. Those who teach such doctrine as you have out lined claim that there is physical heal ing in the atonement for this present hour. Some even go so far as to declare that they have already received their resurrection bodies. A man came into my office some time ago, and claimed
Matthew 5:82 tells us that the Lord Jesus said, “ Whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.” (Compare Matthew 19:9.) Before I was converted, I married one who had been divorced for other than scriptural rea sons. I did not know or care what the Scripture said. Now that I have been born again by the blood of Christ, I do want to do His will. What is the right thing to do—to leave the one to whom I am now married, or try to win that one to Christ? We are happy together, but I am perplexed as to what the Lord, would have me do. There is no definite statement in the Bible to answer your particular question, unless you take the one you quoted, Matthew 5:32, literally in this respect. I realize that some sane, devout, scrip tural Bible teachers hold that the thing for you to do would be to separate from your present companion. Yet I cannot see it that way. After careful, prayerful consideration of the whole subject, I have been convinced that this is but one of all your sins that have been put un der the blood of Christ. It was done before you were born again, and to break up another home, would be but to add sorrow to trouble. It seems to me that, having confessed this sin, together with other sins, covered by the shed blood of the Lord Jesus, you should go on seeking to lead your present com panion to Christ. (However, this would not apply in the case of a Christian who deliberately marries a divorced per son, knowing that he is going contrary to God’s express command. That is, it does not give him license to go deliber ately against the known will of God in this matter.) I f the wicked dead do not go immedi ately to the lake of fire, why did the rich man of Luke 16:24 say “I am tor mented in this flame” ? In Revelation 20:13, 14 we read that at the great white throne, where the wicked will be judged, “ death and hell [hades] delivered up the dead which were in them . . . And death and hell [hades] were east into the lake of fire.” This part of the vision which John saw is yet future, as the text plainly states. As we have tried to set forth in answer to preceding questions, “ death” here O C T O B E R , 1 9 4 8
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