THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
192
OR. TALBOT'S QUESTION BOX
QUE.: “ When shall these things be?” How can it be that a retired minister, who claims to have studied the Bible for fifty years, says that, as he sees it, not enough prophecy has been fulfilled for the Lord to come during our lifetime? Possibly your friend has in mind the revelation of Christ before the world as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. If so, he is correct. Certain things must take place before that event, such as the translation of the church, the revelation of the man of sin and his brief reign on the earth, the great Tribulation, and the Battle of Armageddon. There are no prophecies, however, to be fulfilled before the translation of the church as described in 1 Thess. 4:13-18. QUE.: Will you please explain Matt. 10:23, where Christ said to His disciples, “ Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come” ? In this chapter our Lord was not only giving the disciples instructions for their immediate work of wit nessing; but He was also, as in the twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth chap ters of Matthew, looking on down the future, even to the time of His return to the earth in glory. The verse about which you ask was spoken concern ing this future event, and refers to the unfinished testimony to the nation of Israel, when the 144,000 witnesses of Revelation will proclaim once again the message, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” QUE. : Will the unsaved living on earth know it when Christ trans lates the church? There is nothing in the Scriptures to indicate that t h e y will know what has t a k e n place. Certainly they will miss loved ones and friends. To the godless world, the translation of the church will, doubtless be as a “seven-days’ wonder.” Then the An tichrist will be revealed; and his actions will so occupy the minds of unregenerate men that many will soon forget what shall have transpired in the r a p t u r e of the church—so blinded will they be by Satan. However, let it be remembered that there will be the martyred remnant of believers during the Tribulation period, those who will accept the message of the 144,000 Jews, God’s messengers on earth during this dark time,
QUE.: Please explain Romans 11:13-26. Do these verses have to do with individual salvation? The verses mentioned have to do with Gentile privileges, and do not pertain to individual salvation. In Scripture, the “olive tree” (vs: 17, 24) typifies Israel, and in this particular portion, thp tree is found to be shorn of some of her branches. This truth is explained in the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ came first to the Jews (John 1:11; Rom. 1:16), then, because they rejected Him and salvation through Him, He turned to the Gentiles. Therefore Paul says in verse 15, “the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world.” ' It is to unbelieving Israel that he again refers in v e r s e s 17 and 20: “t h e branches . . . broken off . . . because of unbelief.” The “wild olive tree” (v. 17) refers to the believing Gentiles who, as it were, are branches “grafted in” (v. 19)—the ones to whom these verses are addressed (v. 13). Throughout this brief message of Paul’s is an exhortation to us, Gen- tiles, to appreciate our gift of salva tion, to refrain from being “high- minded,” and from being wise in our own “conceits.” He explains that our place of blessing Will be retained only through our faithfulness to our Lord. The Gentiles are reminded that “ blindness” only “in part is happened to Israel,” and that this blindness will last only “until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in” (V. 25; cf. Lev. 26:44). When the latter has taken’ place, Israel will be restored to the relationship which our Lord meant for her to bear to Him from the time He chose her as the nation through whom He was to reveal His plans and dealings with all other people — the relationship which she temporarily forfeited through her rejection of the Saviour as her Messiah (Isa. 27:6.; Jer. 31:31-34; 32:37-41). This restoration of Israel will not be brought about through some spe cial dispensation of grace or favor shown her by our Lord. To gain a position of fellowship with the Lord is by way of salvation which way is now, and ever will continue to be, individual acceptance of the Lord Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary. In the meeting of this condition, Jew and Gentile are alike (John 14:6; Eph. 2:13-16).
/ QUE.: Is there any Scriptural '' basis for the belief that the mil lennial reign of Christ will begin 7,000 years from the creation of man? .As to the date of Christ’s coming to reign over the earth, that is indefi nite except as it is calculated from the time of the rapture of the saints (1 Thess. 4:15-18). -We are reasonably sure that immediately after Christ comes in the air and catches His body of believers unto Himself, the Tribula tion period will commence. According to Daniel 9:27 this event will last for seven years, and will be closed by the Battle of Armageddon after which Christ will establish His kingdom on the earth and will reign for a thou sand years—the Millennium (Matt. 24:29-31; Rev. 19:11-16). However, inasmuch as our L o r d said, “But of that day and hour know- eth no man . . . Ye know not what hour your Lord doth come” (Matt. 24: 36, 42; cf. vs. 37-41), we cannot set a date for the rapture; we can only watch for that blessed unknown hour, which we believe to be imminent, when we shall gp to be with our Re deemer. The practice of the setting of dates for the taking place of prophesied events leads to a great deal of confu sion and disappointment. Rather let us center our minds, hearts and ener gies on presenting a convincing Chris tian witness to the unsaved people about us, living lives which are consis tent with the anticipation of our Lord’s coming—fulfilling His exhorta tion: “ Occupy till I come” (Lk. 19:13).
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker