the earth with His church and will set up His kingdom, destroying, of course, the power of Satan and all of those who are his evil emissaries. Q . Seattle, Wash. — “In one of the pub lications you said Saul wouldn’t be in heaven. How about 1st Samuel 28: 19? Samuel surely was in Paradise and he said to Saul that he and his sons would be with him on the mor row. Is this wrong?” A. No one really knows whether or not Saul was saved. Bible teachers are not united on that proposition. In the passage to which you refer Saul was much disturbed. He knew dis obedience had been the cause of his failure. He endeavored to find the will of God. The Lord didn’t answer him so he went to the witch of Endor. But the spiritist didn’t bring up Samuel. The old prophet didn’t say Saul would be in Paradise. He told thé leader that he, with his sons, would be physically dead. The verse mentioned does not refer to Saul’s ultimate destination. It means simply that he will die. As a result of the sin of David and Bath- sheba their child was born smitten by the Lord. David prayed that God might spare the infant who later died. Explaining why he ate bread after the death, David declared, “Wherefore shall I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him but he will not return to me.” Here again, the reference is to physical death and not to the final distination of soul and spirit. Coeur d'Alene, Idaho — “Will you please explain Philippians 2:1. I do not un derstand why we should not be content to look at our own things.” A. In the context we have a strong exhortation to humility and selfless ness. The Lord Jesus Christ is to be our perfect example. We are told to count others better than ourselves. We are not to be so tied up in our own desires and things that we have no room to consider the feelings, prop erties and needs pertaining to our neighbors. This is true with material,
physical and spiritual necessities of others. Q . Lodi, Calif. — “Why was unleavened bread used?” A. Leaven, that which was the equiv alent to yeast, symbolized the evil in man. (Bread with yeast in it today is .made to rise and become more tasty.) The Spirit of God uses the ef fect of fermenting to represent that which permeates the world through the demonic power of Satan. Look at such references as Matthew 13:33. Q . Santa Cruz, Calif. — “The Bible de clares, ‘This generation shall not pass away before the end comes.’ Just how long is a generation?” A. It is usually considered about 33 to 35 years. There are several points of view on this passage of Scripture. The first is that those living at the time of Christ’s speaking would live to see their fulfillment. Another view is that the generation living at the time when the Lord returns again, will see the fulfillment of all these things. We believe, in accord with the primary definition of the Greek word “generation,” meaning a race, kind, the family, stock, or breed, that our Lord was referring to the Jews. He declared that the nation. of Israel would not pass away until the Lord returned to set up His millennial reign. After the 1,000 years of course, there will be neither Jew nor Gen tile but all will be one in Christ throughout eternity. Q . San Diego, Calif. — “I am puzzled by Mark 18:18. To whom does this re fer? What time does this take place and who are the elect spoken of in this chapter?” A. Mark 13 is a parallel passage on the Olivet Discourse. This message deals primarily with the time after the church has been raptured. This is what is known as the 70th week of Daniel. During this time those who stand for the Lord and righteousness 26
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