DR. TALBOT REAL FLESH AND BLOOD? Q. Do the verses in John 6:53-58 not refer to the Lord’s Supper? And do we not eat His flesh and drink His blood when we take the bread and wine of the communion? A. These words say, in part: “ Ex cept ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” This passage has no reference whatsoever to the Lord’s Supper. Christ explained His own words, leaving no doubt as to their mean ing. In verse 52 of this same chapter it is recorded that the Jews “ strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” And in verse 63 our Lord answers this question: “ It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth noth ing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” Therefore, to “ eat the flesh” and to “ drink the blood” of the Lord Jesus — this figurative language simply means that we are to receive His Word into our hearts by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Word of God is constantly compared to food, as the following examples prove: At the close of the forty days of temptation, the Lord Jesus said to Satan: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that pro- ceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). Jeremiah said: “O Lord . . . Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart” (Jer. 15:16). Job also said, “ I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than
my necessary food” (Job 23:12). Again, David in Psalm 119:103 wrote, saying, “How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” Thus you see, my friend, that you eat the flesh of the Lamb and drink His Blood when you receive the words of Jesus daily into your heart by faith; when you have His wonderful Book with its thousands of promises made real, living, pow erful, energetic in your heart by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is especially true when you medi tate upon those portions of the Word that present Christ as the One who died for your sins — when you receive Him into your heart as Saviour and Lord. John 6:53-58 has no reference at all to the Lord’s Supper. SECOND DEATH Q. What is “ the second death” ? A. There are several references in the book of Revelation to “ the sec ond death.” They tell us that it is “ the lake of fire.” (See Rev. 2:11, 20:6,14.) The term is used in the sense of eternal punishment, separ ation from God, remorse, suffering, and sorrow; not in the sense of physical death, as the whole body of Scripture makes plain. You must bear in mind that death, in the Bible, never means cessation of existence. It means separation. The prodigal son was separated from his father and from his father’s house. Consequently, the father said, “ This my son was dead, and is alive again” (Luke 15:24). The father did not mean that his son had ceased to exist, hut that he was separated from him, and in the far country. Paul has the same thought in
mind in Eph. 2:1, where he says, “ You hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.” Before their conversion these Ephesians were “ dead” because they were alienated from God and afar off. Physical death also means separ ation of the spirit from the body. “ The body without the spirit is dead” (Jas. 2:26). All these things need to be borne in mind because of the teaching of the Russellites and other annihila- tionists, who c l a im that death means absolute non-existence. The “ second death” of Revelation is separation of both body and spirit from God. JEWISH NATION Q. What will become of the Jewish n a t i o n after the millennium? Where will they dwell? A. They will be in the new earth. Read carefully Isa. 66:22, “ For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain.” National distinction among saved Gentile nations will pass, but Israel will remain the memorial nation. FOR ELECT'S SAKE Q. Who are the “ elect” mentioned in Matthew 24:22? A. This verse reads as follows: “And except those days should he shortened, there should no flesh be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.” The days have reference to the tribulation period of seven years which will intervene between the rapture of the church and the re turn of Christ with the church to set up his millennial kingdom. The elect here are the Jewish remnant.
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THE KING'S BUSINESS
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