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tion. It is a waiting place. “ Gehenna” is the lake of fire, the “ second death,” the final doom of the lost. MATTHIAS OR PAUL? Q. Which apostle took the place of Judas—Matthias or Paul? A. Matthias. I Cor. 15:5 answers this question definitely. Here Paul says that the risen Lord was seen “ of the twelve.” This certainly included Mat thias, because Judas had already hanged himself; and Paul goes on to state in verse eight of the same chap ter: “ And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one bom out of due time.” Those who say that Paul took the place of Judas do not understand the peculiar character of Paul’s apostle- ship. He was the minister of the Gen tiles in a special sense (Acts 9:15; Rom. 1:5; 11:13; Eph. 3:8), whereas the twelve are connected particularly with the twelve tribes of Israel. Moreover, there is nothing to indi cate that the choice of Matthias (Acts 1:21-26) was contrary to the will of God. MOSES AND JEWS Q. Please explain John 5:45, 46 “ Do not think that 1 w ill accuse you to the Father: there is one that ac- cuseth you, even Moses, in whom y e trust. For had y e believed Moses, y e would have believed me: for he wrote of me.” How could the Jews “ trust” Moses, and y et not “ believe” Moses? A. Thousands of people are doing that very thing today. What does Moses represent? The law. There are thousands today who are trusting the law, but they do not believe what Moses wrote about “ the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should fol low” (I Peter 1:11). When Moses gave the law, because he knew that Israel could not keep the law, he gave them a sacrifice. The sacrifice was a part of the law, and part of the teaching of Moses. Israel presumed to
WORKING OUT SALVATION Q. What is the meaning of Phil 2:12, “ Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” ? A. Mark you, this verse does not say, “Work for your own salvation,” but “ work out your own salvation.” It is your own salvation that you are to work out. The text is best explained when considered in connection with the verse which follows: “ For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” The entire passage means that the Chris tian is to manifest, or show forth to the world, his salvation by a godly and careful walk. This he cannot do in his own strength; he can do it only by the power of God. “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts” (Zech. 4:6). WAS CAIN SAVED? Q. Was Cain ever saved? A. There is nothing in all the Bible to indicate that Cain was ever saved, whereas there is everything to imply that he died a lost soul. In the first place, he tried to offer to God a blood less sacrifice, the works of his own hands and this was in open rebellion against God. In the second place, we read that “ Cain went out from the presence of the Lord” (Gen. 4 :16); and having turned his back upon God, he and his descendants built a godless civiliza tion, which became so corrupt that it had to be wiped out in the flood. HADES AND GEHENNA Q. What is the difference between “Hades” in Luke 16:23 and “Gehen na” in Rev. 20-11-15? A. Hades is the abode of the Christ- less dead, where they await the great white throne judgment. It is not pur gatory, nor is it a place of second chance both of which are merely fic
try to keep the law, but rejected Christ, of whom the sacrifice spoke. They, like many Gentiles today, sought to obtain righteousness by the deed of the flesh, rather than by the free gift of God’s grace. And because the Pharisees in the day of Christ re fused to give up the law and receive Christ absolutely, they were not saved. Then their nation was set aside —not cast away, but set aside— dur ing this church age, when God is “ calling out a people for his name.” GOG AND MAGOG Q. What is meant by the words, “ Gog and Magog,” in Rev. 20:8? A. Ezek. 38:2 answers your question: “ Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal”— these words plainly refer to “ the northern (European) powers, headed up by Russia . . . ‘Gog’ is the prince; ‘Ma gog’ his land. The reference to Meshech and Tubal (Moscow and Tobolsk) is a clear mark of identifica tion” (quoted from the footnote on Ezek. 38:2, the Scofield Reference Bible). These people of Russia evidently will be the leaders of the last rebel lion against God, as the passage in Revelation plainly asserts. THE FORTY YEARS Q. To what period in Egyptian his tory does the desolation of forty years belong, as prophesied in the twenty- ninth chapter of Ezekiel? A . It is difficult to locate historically the forty years of Egypt’s desolation. Some claim that this prophecy refers to a period after the millennium, but to my mind the passage found in Ezekiel 29:13-16 makes it clear that the forty years referred to have al ready passed. For thousands of years Egypt has been “ the basest of king doms” ; and before the rise of the old Roman Empire, she must have known forty years of terrible judgment.
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THE KING'S BUSINESS
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