Dr. Talbot’s Q U E S T IO N B O X
our Lord’s “heel” but Death could not hold Him; and His redemptive work is finished. 4. The Passover lamb was a pic ture of “Christ our passover who is sacrificed for us” (I Cor. 5:7). 5. Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22 clearly picture the Suffering Saviour. BABYLON THE GREAT Q . What is m ea n t by “Mystery, Babylon the Great” of Revelation 17 and 18? A. This is a description of apostate Christendom in the reign of Anti christ during the period of the tribu lation. After the true church is trans lated, professing Christendom will be united in one great body. All the saved will then be with the Lord. But those who are Christian in name only will form a religious confeder acy, called in Rev. 17:5 “The Mother of Harlots,” in contrast with the true Bride of Christ, which is the church. For a time this false system will make a great show of godless, Christless profession and will be in league with Antichrist. Then he will turn against her and devour her as described in these chapters. TWO WITNESSES OF REVELATION Q . Who will the “two witnesses” of Revelation 11:3-12 be? A. The Bible does not tell us definite ly, and there is a difference of opin ion as to who these will be. Some think they will be a group of the redeemed, witnessing in the power of Moses and Elijah. Others think they will probably be Moses and Eli jah themselves. We are inclined to believe the latter, although we can not be dogmatic. Our reasons for believing the two witnesses will be Moses and Elijah are these: 1. Moses died and was buried by God upon Mount Nebo; and no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day (Deut. 34:5, 6). Satan contend ed with Michael over the body of Moses (Jude 9). Elijah went to Heaven without dying. Did God thus preserve the bodies of these two, representing the law and the proph ets, that they might be His wit nesses to Israel, as well as to all the world, during the darkest period of all history? Surely their message would bear weight with Israel in that hour! 2. The miracles which they will do, as foretold in Revelation 11:3-12, are like unto the miracles performed by God through Moses and Elijah when they were on earth. 21
shepherd. Balaam is a type of the founders of many cults and false re ligious systems, who come in the name of Christ, and make money out of leading men and women into darkness. Korah’s sin was that of rebellion against God and intrusion into His presence without divine authority. He was not a priest and in rebelling against Moses and Aaron, he was in fact rebelling against the Redeemer who was to come. These sins go to gether. Those who deny the efficacy of the blood of the atonement also pervert the Word of God and deny the authority of Christ as eternal God, only Saviour, and Great High Priest. What happened to them is but a shadow of the end of all who walk in their footsteps. SALVATION BEFORE CALVARY Q. How were men saved before Christ died for the sins of the world? A. By faith in the coming Redeem er, even Jesus. The Old Testament is full of definite prophecies con cerning His coming into the world to die for sinners. Throughout the entire Old Testament there runs “the scarlet thread of sacrifice” by which God taught men that they could be saved only by faith in the One who was to come. They were saved by putting their faith in the Christ of prophecy; we are saved by trusting in the Christ of history, who fulfilled the prophecies of His coming to die for the sins of the world. It is the blood of Christ which alone cleanses from sin in any age. Following are a few of the many prophecies of His coming to die for sinners, as set forth in the Old Tes tament : 1. Adam and Eve made fig-leaf aprons to fit themselves for God’s presence (they thought) — the work of their hands; but God made them “coats of skins and clothed them” (Gen. 3:21). The innocent animal had to die — a faint type of the innocent Lamb of God who died that we might be clothed in the right eousness of Christ. 2. Cain brought the fruit of the ground; Abel brought a blood sacri fice, by faith (Heb. 11:4). 3. Genesis 3:15 is the first prom ise of the coming Redeemer. The “seed of the woman” is none other than Christ and this is the first prophecy of His virgin birth. He had no human father. Our Lord po tentially bruised S a ta n ’s “head” when He died and rose again; He will seal Satan’s doom forever when He casts him into the lake of fire, or hell (Rev. 20:10). Satan bruised
CAIN, BALAAM AND KORAH Q. Will you please explain what is meant in Jude 11 by the “way of Cain,” the “error of Balaam” and the “gainsaying of Core”? A. Jude is speaking of the apostates of the last days who among many other sins, go in the way of Cain, run greedily after the error of Ba laam for reward, and perish in the gainsaying of Core (or Korah). The way of Cain illustrates a false reli gion; the error of Balaam a false ministry; and Korah’s fate a false worship. All of these are forms of apostasy which characterize our age. Cain’s way represented all false re ligions which deny the efficacy of the shed blood of Christ to cleanse from sin. The animal sacrifice which Abel brought was acceptable to God be cause it was a blood sacrifice, point ing to the Lamb of God, whereas Cain brought the fruit of his own la bors, a type of man’s self-righteous ness, which is in the sight of God as “filthy rags.” The way of Cain is that of the natural man, the unregenerate man, the eternally lost man, who re fuses to go God’s way. Hebrews 11:4 shows that Abel came “by faith.” Cain “went out from the presence of the Lord” (Gen. 4:16). In Numbers 22-25 we read of Ba laam who represents every false min ister who holds his position for per sonal profit, whether that be money, influence or popularity. He is a false FEBRUARY, 1970
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