Q u e s t io n
law. Read Galatians 3:11-12. In fact, read the entire book of Galatians for a complete understanding of law and grace. M A N AN D THE MOON Q. Is there any spiritual significance to man’s accomplishment of hitting the moon with a projectile? Would moon probes or probes of any planets be related to Luke 21:25: “ And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars ; and upon earth distress of nations, with perplex ity” etc.? A. Of course, when the Lord is speak ing in that chapter, as well as in Matthew, chapter 24, He has in mind that brief period which will run its course after the church has been translated, during which evidently there will be disturbances in the hea venly bodies as well as great distress here upon this earth. Just what those signs will be in the sun, and moon, and stars, we do not know. We can thank God that we as members of the church of Christ will not be here on earth at that time, for the translation will have taken place. We do know, however, that the 70th week of Dan iel, which will run its course between the translation of the church and the return of the Lord in glory, will be a time of world-shaking events such as the world has never known. This will culminate in the battle of Armaged don and Christ’s appearance as King of kings and Lord of lords. The world shaking evehts of today are without doubt coming events casting their shadows before and they should be an incentive for every child of God to put in his best “ licks” for Christ. I think of that little verse: “ Only one life, ’twill soon be past Only what’s done for Christ will last.” • THE SECOND DEATH Q. What is the meaning of the Sec ond Death? A. Well, let me tell you first what it doesn’t mean. Death in the Word
of God never means annihilation or cessation of existence. That is not the meaning of death in the Bible. When the prodigal returned to his father, he said: “This my son was dead, and is alive again.” Now the father certain ly did ijot mean that that son had ceased to exist. He meant that he was separated from his father and separa tion is always the meaning of death in the Bible. Physical death is the sep aration of the spirit from the body. The second death is separation of both spirit and body from God and that will be eternal. GOD FORSAKING CHR IST Q. Please explain the significance of Matthew 27:46: “M y God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” A. In answering this question, I would like to call your attention to the significant fact that in the first word the Lord uttered on the cross, He addressed God as “ Father.” He said, “ Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” In the last word He uttered, He addressed God again as “ Father” as He said, “ Father, into Thy hands I commend my spir it.” But here when He was enveloped in darkness, He does not address God as Father but as God, the sovereign ruler of this universe, and He says, “My God, My God.” This was when He was in darkness and, my friend, it was at that time He was doing His atoning work. It was at that time the sins of the world were laid upon Him and God was dealing with Him as a sovereign ruler who must punish sin. I believe it was during those three hours that Christ’s atonement was ac complished and He, who knew no sin, was at that time made sin for us. Sin always brings separation. Jt is a solemn thing, my friend, that when your sin and mine were laid •upon the Lord Jesus, it separated Him from God, and if sin — not His own — but others’ sins — separated Him from God, it is a sure thing that sin will separate you from God.
OFFERING OF CA IN Q. How could Cain know what kind of an offering to bring if God did not tell him? ( See Gen. 4:4, 5.) A. God did tell him. Abel, his broth er, knew the kind of offering to bring, and he brought it. Cain also knew, but he refused to brirffj it. “ By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sac rifice than Cain” (Heb. 11:4); and faith is taking God at His Word. Cain is the type of the natural man, who refuses to believe in the vicarious suffering of Christ. Adam and Eve surely related to their sons the story of the fall, and told them how God had made clear that sin carried with it a penalty to be atoned for only by the shedding of blood, and that the only approach to God was by faith in the promised Redeemer (Gen. 3:15). But God also told Cain to bring the animal sacrifice. Read Gen. 4:5-7: “But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth and his countenance fell. And the Lord said unto Cain, “Why art thou wroth? and why is thy counten ance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door.” In the Hebrew the same word is used for “ sin” and “ sin-offering.” Thus Cain’s sin is here identified with the sin-offering — the animal sacrifice — that crouched at his “tent door.” UNDER THE LAW Q. I have been told that 1 John 2:4 refers to the Ten Commandments, and that therefore we are under the law of Moses. Is this true? A. It is not true. This verse does not have anything to do with the Ten Commandments. You need to read farther in First John. See 3:23 for a definition of the commandment the Lord was referring to: “And this is His commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as he gave commandment.” We are saved by faith, apart from the works of the
THE KING'S BUSINESS
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