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9 9 T a l t j o t ’ s d i g e s t i o n .
in other passages of Scripture, to “ The washing of water by the word” of God. The Lord Jesus said to His disciples, “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you” (John 15 :3 ); and again He prayed, saying, “ Sanctify t h e m through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17). Paul, writing to the Ephesians, said that “ Christ . . . loved the church and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word” (Eph. 5:25, 26). And to Titus he said plainly: “ Not by works of right eousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Titus 3 :5 ). Peter likewise wrote, saying that we are “bom again, not of cor ruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word o f God which liveth and abideth forever” (I Pet. 1:23). This is the meaning of John 3:5, as many other Scriptures prove. The sinner is bom again through the quicken ing, cleansing power of the Holy Spirit as He applies the living Word of God to the unregenerate heart. These are God’s only two agencies in regenerating the sinful soul: the Spirit of God and the Word of God. Then the ordinance of baptism fol lows in obedience to our Lord’s com mand, and as a testimony to the world of new life in Christ Jesus. Moreover, Acts 10:43, 44, 47 state that Cornelius and his household re ceived the Holy Spirit before they were baptized. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is a mark of sonship: “And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father” (Gal. 4 :6 ). Christ and His apostles plainly taught that baptism with water is an ordinance to be obeyed as an out ward testimony of an inward change of heart, but they did not teach that one must be baptized in order to be saved. It is not a saving ordinance.
on the north, bounded by the hills of Galilee; about eighteen or twenty miles to the east, bounded by the hills below Nazareth; a n d about twenty miles on the southwest, bounded by the highlands of Sama ria. Here is a vast plain, in a hilly country, very suitable for the maneu vering of large armies. Many a battle has been fought upon this plain. It is called in the Old Testament the valley of Megiddo, the plain of Jez- reel, and the plain of Esdraelon. While many battles already have been fought there, in Revelation we read of the greatest battle of all, yet in the future. It will end with the most decisive victory of all history. The Antichrist, the king of the north (Russia), and the sunrising kings will meet on this battlefield. In Revelation 19:19, we have Ar mageddon described: “And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.” The battle will be over in a moment, for the Lord will slay His enemies by the “ sharp sword: which shall proceed out of His mouth” (Rev. 19:15). The victory will accomplish the deliverance of God’s earthly peo ple, the believing remnant of the Jews. BAPTISM Q. I am convinced that baptism is for saved people according to Ephe sians 2:8, 9, yet I am frequently con fronted with the question of baptism as described in Mark 16:16. Does John 3:5 refer to the natural birth or to the physical birth? A . Mark 16:16 does not say, “ He that is not bap tized shall be damned” ; but only “ He that believ- eth not.” John 3:5, says: “ Except a man be bom of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the king dom of God.” This verse has no ref erence to baptism. It does refer, as
AFRAID OF ANGELS? Q. We often read in the Bible that people were “ troubled” at the ap pearance of angels. Was this because the angels were holy and in their presence man was conscious of his sinfulness ? A . Undoubtedly. The very fact that the appearances were supernatural also greatly troubled those to whom the holy angels appeared. However, when we get to Heaven, the sight of all the myriads of angels and of the archangels will not trouble us, for Heaven will be “home.” Home is the place where there is no embar rassment and no strangeness. One of the most beautiful .descriptions of Heaven is found in the word “ home.” We shall not be troubled there. We shall rejoice to look upon the sinless Son of God, unafraid in His presence, because we are washed in His pre cious blood. IS CHRIST STILL MAN? Q, Is Jesus as truly man today as when He was here upon the earth? A . Yes, in the incarnation He did not assume a temporary condition. In Him deity and humanity were united forever. Of course, He is now in His resurrection body, an incor ruptible body, as described in I Cor inthians 15 and in His many appear ances a ft e r His resurrection. He looks as He did upon earth (save for His glory). He was recognized by Mary in the Garden and by the disciples who exclaimed: “ It is the Lord!” ARMAGEDDON Q. Wh e r e will Armageddon be fought, and what armies will be the contestants ? A. Armageddon is a large plain of triangular shape a few miles from Jerusalem. It is about fourteen miles
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THE KING'S BUSINESS
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