individual does a certain thing, it is indicated that he is bound thereby. If he does something else, he is loosed. This then was the rabbinical use of terms. In a sense we do that today. We can declare, “If you abide in your sin, you will not be saved but rather will suffer eternal punishment.” That person’s sins are absolutely bound to him, because he will not trust Christ, whereas if he receives the Saviour, he is free from the pen alty of sin and death. He is “loosed.” This does not refer to priests in general. Matthew 18:18 indicates that it refers to all Christians. Q. Grants Pass, Ore. — “J have un derstood that a n t i - C h r i s t will emerge from the Roman Empire as the accepted leader o f a ten- nation coalition. I also understand that Antiochus Ephiphanes is an historic type of the fu tu re anti- Christ, yet he came from one of the four divisions of the Greek Empire. Does the Roman Empire embrace the conquered Greek Em pire and can this be pinpointed as the origin of the anti-Christ?” A . The profix anti can be used in one of two ways, “in place of Christ,” and “a g a in s t Christ.” Some would make this evil in dividual a religious leader only since he’s mentioned only in John’s epistles by actual name. Others take the anti-Christ to be only a political leader. This he is as head of the ten-nation coalition. There is a blending of both. Tes timony in four great chapters of the Bible, Daniel 2 and 7, and Revelation 13 and 17 show that he will emerge from the Roman Empire. That empire was in exist ence at the first coming of Christ to the earth and it will be in exist ence at the second coming, too. The various things happening over
in Europe today are nothing less than amazing as we see efforts towards a confederation. There is the aim for a United States of Europe. Antiochus E p ip h an e s came from the second century B.C. That he came from the Greek Empire has nothing to do with the fact that he could be a type of the future anti-Christ who will come from Rome. The Roman Em pire does not embrace the con quered Greek empire in biblical prophecy. Greece is not the coun try of the anti-Christ. Q. Mr. Vernon, Wash. — “Will you please explain the difference be tween man’s soul and spirit. What happens to the soul at death?” A . There are those who believe that man is made up of two ele ments, body and soul, while others, which would be true of Biola, who hold that man is rather body, soul and spirit (I Thess. 5:23). This is known as dichotomy or tricho tomy. The body is the habitation of the soul and spirit, the spirit being that part of man which through salvation, is made to be in harmony with the Lord. At death, the believer’s spirit goes to be with the Lord and remains there throughout all eternity. Q. Long Beach, Calif. — “Am I be ing unrealistic in thinking that there was a general flood on this earth? I f local, why do we find geological evidences o f all contin ents having been under water at one time. Was Mt. Ararat cov ered, too?” A . Yes, there was a general flood on the earth. There are good geo logical evidences of the catastro phe which took place in ages past. It also includes Mt. Ararat, too. Genesis 7:19 would amply answer your question in this realm. 25
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