to teach that individuals in the minis try are the only ones who can speak the final word of remission of sins or forgiveness. “Whose soever sins ye remit” 1— Here the Lord Jesus Christ is stating as plain ly as He can that power is being given from Him to declare the conditions on which forgiveness is granted. When we preach we say that if you will trust Christ, all your sins will be forgiven. We are not forgiving the sins. We are indicating to them on the basis of the Word of the living Christ, that if they will meet His conditions, then forgiveness is theirs. That is precisely what is meant here in John 20:23. It is not confined to some kind of an eccle siastical, ministerial or clerical group. Please notice when our Lord spoke these words, there were men in that company other than the Apostles. Q. Gold Beach, Oregon — “Some minis ters refer to a Psalm as chapter so and so — others say they are not chapters but rather numbered Psalms. Which is proper?” A. Well, either is true for we have 150 chapters or 150 Psalms composing ■the longest book in the Bible. If you want to call it Psalms, my dear friend, then call it Psalms, if there are those of your friends who want to call it chapters — then that is all right, too. I do not think there is any harm done in either case. Q . Monmouth, Oregon — “Does Acts 3:19 mean that there are just certain times when a soul can come to Christ?” A. No, there are all manner of times when a soul can come to Christ. Actual ly, if you will put this down it will answer your question. II Cor. 6:2, “. . . behold, now . . .” — anytime of the day or night, for this is still the age of Grace, Thank God! “Behold, now is the accepted time, Behold now is the day of salvation.” * * ¥ "The Devil may wall you round a- bout, but he can never roof you in. Keep looking up!"
Questions and Answers (continued) our Lord looked, we do know that He was probably the most manly man who ever lived — this, because, of course, sin had not affected His body in any way whatsoever. Many of the Jews wore long hair and beards — not only the Nazarites; but, since our Lord was a Nazarite this might explain the reason, in part, for the conception of various artists. Q . Seattle, Washington — “May we ask what is your estimate as to haw long man has been on this earth?” A. An article in one of our national magazines quotes no less an historian than Arnold J. Toynbee as saying, that man’s sojourn on earth couldn’t be much longer than 6 or 7 thousand years. To consider other extremes of mil lions and millions and billions of years would naturally be nullified by the present population of the earth. I believe if we take a figure on the more conservative side, under 10,000 or somewhat over 6,000 — we are in a safe realm. Q . Tillamook, California — “What is go ing to happen to the little children and the unborn when Christ comes to take His Believers w ith Him?’ A. Scripture gives us general move ments and trends. .1 would say right from the beginning that the little chil dren will not be left here to endure the conditions of the Tribulation. There is nothing in the Word of God to indi cate that the little folk are implicated in that judgment from God on a Christ- rejecting world. As to the unborn, I do not know; we leave those details with the Lord! Q . Salem, Oregon — “W ill you please explain John 20:23 which reads, “Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.” A. There is a passage in Matthew 16 which is somewhat like the above and has been taken, erroneously, by some
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