has fulfilled the first four. The last three are yet prophetic. This means that although God is silent now, after the Church has been called Home, the Lord will again deal with Israel. Q. Walla Walla, Wash. — “Will you please explain I Corinthians 15:29 concerning baptism for the dead? How could those in Old Testament times, living by the law, be saved?” A. The first question is one which has been asked very frequently. It is a difficult passage, and according to some Bible students there are no less than forty different views of the portion. One interpretation is that the Corinthians had a pagan prac tice of this type to which Paul was referring. This hardly seems possi ble. The Scripture doesn’t use such heathen rituals to explain Biblical doctrines. One large and growing cult holds that living persons can be baptized on behalf of a friend or relative who may have died un baptized. This erroneous view is not supported in any way by the Scrip tures. Salvation is by faith alone while the individual is still living. After death there is no second chance. Most Bible scholars hold to the view that when a person is bap tized publically, confessing Christ as his Lord and Saviour, he is thus tak ing the place in the army of the Lord, filling in those ranks left va cant by the home-going of the saints. As to the second question, Paul makes it very clear (Gal. 3) that if righteousness could have come by the law and thus given life, right eousness would be accomplished thereby. In actuality, however, the law killed people. The law was never meant to justify but rather to show how sinful we are in order that we might turn to Christ. The law is like a mirror which will show up the need for cleansing. I t was never meant to make us pure. Only the efficacious blood of Christ can re move the stain of sin. 26
God upon individuals. There are oth er significant numbers found in the Word of God. One can see the com pleteness of seven in many areas such as the days of the week, the musical scale, and even the tiny snowflake. The reason is that seven is made up of four and three. The latter speaks of God while the for mer is the number of the earth. It is not because there are “four cor ners” ; that is just a symbol. But there are four directions: north, south, east, and west. Do not base all your Bible interpretation on nu merology, however, for you are like ly to get that disease known as “nu- meritis,” which can lead you astray. Q. Glendale, Calif. — “What is the Jewish remnant, spoken of in Ro mans 11:15, ‘Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace’ ”? A. There has been some confusion on this passage. Note that this refers to merely a remnant. God is greatly interested in the “little flock.” We are not to think of a Jewish remnant during this age of grace as some thing specially ordained and cate gorized by God. This is the Church age. Romans 11 reveals how from a small group God is going to fulfill His national promises to Israel in a coming day. Today Jews and Gen tiles alike are made one through Christ’s redeeming grace. Q. Portland, Ore. — “Christ has ful filled all the feasts of Jehovah, ex cept the last one, on time. Why not the last? We are not told the day or hour but are warned not to be ig norant of the time in which we live.” A. This question claims something that is not in the Bible. You will want to re-read Leviticus 23. There are the feasts of the Passover, Un leavened Bread, First Fruits, Pente cost, Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles. Our Lord Jesus Christ
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