Q. Seattle, Wash. — “Will you ex plain Revelation 3:5? I read the Lord’s words, 7 will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Fa ther, and before his angels.” A. Revelation 2 and 3 show us the seven historic churches of Asia Mi nor. At the end of each there is a word concerning the overcomer. The verse about which you have written concerns the church at Sardis. The overcomer is one who is redeemed by the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ (I John 5:4). God is going to allow any believer to be clothed in white raiment. His name won’t be blotted out of the Book of Life. There is no suggestion here as to the loss of sal vation. This is one of the strongest passages in the Bible on reassurance concerning the security of the be liever in salvation. Our names, don’t forget, are kept there eternally. Q. Wichita, Kans. — “Is the woman mentioned in Revelation 17 the city of Rome? Also in Revelation 18 is the fallen city actually Rome, too?” A. Martin Luther and other reform ists thought that it was. Actually these chapters refer to every false religion. This is all a religion of works (Eph. 2:8, 9). Christianity alone puts the individual’s hope in the work of Jesus Christ. We accept His work by faith. Other religions in 20
the world can stress only works. They say “do,” while Christianity says “done.” Q. Lapeer, Mich. — “I ’m interested in Bible prophecy and would like your help on a, question. What about all the verses on the subject of the moon (Rev. 6:12, Job 2:31, Luke 21:25)? Is there a re la tion sh ip between them?" A. While some things may appear contradictory on the surface, further research shows the beautiful har mony and blending. In Revelation 6:12 we see that the words “as” and “like” are terms for comparison or parallelism. When the Spirit of God uses such similes, we should pay careful attention. God didn’t say, “The moon became blood.” Blood speaks of carnage and serious conflict. It’s a judgmental passage. In Job 2:31 we see that there will be darkness enveloping the sun. The passage from Luke predicts that Christ will display God’s displeasure against sin. Don’t think it strange when heavenly bodies are indicated in prophetic scriptures. All these Scriptures you have suggested are speaking of the same thing. Q. Nampa, Idaho — "Was Esau a saved man?” A. There are contradictory views expressed on this subject. The fact
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs