As to the matter of the origin of races, your best information will be gotten from the careful reading of the 9th, 10th, and 11th chapters of Gene sis. Q , "Sometimes the nation of Israel is re ferred to as an olive tree. Is it not re ferred to as a fig tree too?” A. In that case many have taken it as a picture of Israel — for instance, in Matthew’s Gospel the 24th chapter in which he says that when we see the fig tree budding then we may know that these things are nigh. However, many feel that the vine, for instance, in Isaiah 5 and the olive tree in Ro mans 11 are even more often used in relation to Israel. The only reason some interpreters object to using the fig tree as a figure of Israel is that many draw conclu sions and say that Israel, as a nation, is now totally and wholly under Christ’s curse — so you had better leave them alone. Well, of course, that is con trary to Romans 11:25 - 27, where we read that it is only blindness in part that has happened. Q. Bakersfield, California — “I am trou bled by Revelation 21:18 this seems to include all mankind.” A. The verse reads, “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which bumeth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” Certainly all men are involved in this terrible list of sins that are in cluded here, but some individuals, whose sins have been forgiven and cleansed through the blood of Christ, are saved — they do not go into this lake of fire! Now we deserve death, but those of us who have put our trust in the Lord are saved from this second death. This second death has to do with the judgment of The Great White Throne referred to in Revelation 20:11. All Christians will have been raised 20
Questions (continued) Q . Sacramento, California — “What kind of wood was Christ’s cross made of? Is there any Scripture to give evidence to this?” A. There are numbers of types of trees in the Holy Land. I think that one of the most common trees there is the olive tree. However, we do not know what kind of wood that cross was made of —the cross as wood, actually, is noth ing. It is what that cross stands for; the forfeiture of the life that was the spotless, blemishless, untainted One. He died the Just One for us who are the unjust, that He might bring us to God. Q . Dinuba, California — “In Mark 11:13, where it speaks of the Lord cursing the fig tree, we are confused, for if He is all-knowing, why did He expect to see fru it when, according to Scripture, ‘the time of figs was not yet?” A. Well, this whole problem of the fig tree relates to horticulture in Israel, and it is meant, here, to indicate the unpreparedness of Israel when Christ had wrought so much there. Christ could well have looked for early fruit — they could have trusted Him for they had all the Old Testament prophe cies. But a large part of the nation was not prepared in heart, hence was with out the pale of blessing and of promise which God vouchsafed to those who would trust Him and the Messiah, when He came. So, Christ was drawing from the realm of nature into the realm of the spiritual, when He took this particular incident of the fig tree, but He did not do so in an unreasonable manner. Q . Santa Cruz, California — “Were Adam and Eve both created white — if so, where did the different races come from?” A. There is no indication in Scripture that Adam and Eve were white as far as we know. There is the assumption that they were white but it is not based upon Scripture.
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