i void to be filled by Satan himself. The devil is blinding men and wo men of every age, seemingly as never before. Scripture describes them with the words, "professing themselves to be wise, they be come fools." There is only one safe guard and that is to cleave to the | Word of God. One who does this \ will not be an easy prey for any I devilish devices. Q. Fresno, Calif. "The place and the passage, 'Verily I say unto thee, today thou shalt be with me in par adise' bothers me. Should it not I read, 'Verily I say unto thee today, shalt thou be with me in paradise?' My further reasoning for this is that Jesus did not return to the Father that day." A. You are obviously confused as to where paradise actually is. It is referred to as the abode of the righteous dead. Jesus did not as cend to the Father the day He was crucified. He went to Paradise, or Abraham's bosom. It was the por tion of hades which contained the souls of the righteous. This should not be confused at that time with heaven. When Christ went to the right hand of the Father He took the souls of the righteous with Him, and literally emptied that part of hades known as Paradise (Ephesi ans 4:8). Christ's statement to the believing thief was an exclamation of promise and assurance. Do not make a question out of it at all. To day when a believer dies his soul goes to be with Christ in heaven ("absent from the body, present with the Lord." Q. Salina, Kans. "How do you in terpret Isaiah 2:2-4? Do you be lieve the conditions described in
these verses will take place before the coming of Christ? If not, when will they transpire?" A. This is often quoted, even by those who do not hold to prophet ic teaching. Isaiah is writing in the eight century B.C. under the inspir ation of the Holy Spirit. He reminds Israel of their sins and that the city someday will become right eous with the truth of Cod. The Lord's spokesman denounces their iniquity and looks on to a time when all of earth's ills will be righted. This will be experienced in the kingdom age when Christ rules during what is known as the Millennium. That follows the seven year period of the earth's Great Tribulation. "The last days" here refer to Israel. Keep in mind that the last days for Israel are separate from the last days of the Church which many properly consider these times to be. In that glorious period all nations shall be blessed. Righteousness shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. Men will "beat their swords into plow shares and their spears into prun- inghooks." They will not only cease to battle each other, they will also not even know how to practice war. Such things could not possibly take place before the Rapture or the Tribulation. Only when this globe has the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ bodily and visibly can such conditions be brought about. Q. Oroville, Calif. "Do you believe that it is against Cod's will for one to be cremated?" A. There is nothing given specifi cally in the Bible, however, because of the value Scripture places on the body, it certainly does not seem to be the norm. From all indications Page 23
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