Miscellaneous

Questions or points in this section...

Was Gabriel actually Jesus?

Is the ability to sin a gift from God?

How can you say if God does not allow us to sin He does not love us?

If we are not able to sin is there any virtue in following God?

If religious freedom only exists in the face of temptation God is not free

Could Christ or the elect angels sin?

Can you explain why men are called "gods" in Psalm 82:6?

What type of clothing is good for Christians?

In what way was man created in God's image?

Will the earth abide forever?

Who should partake of the Lord's Supper?

Will the saints examine why God allows righteous people to enter heaven?

What is the oil of gladness?

Who is Satan?

Why are there only 12 hours in a Jewish day?

Did Jesus come to judge or not?

What do these texts mean?

Question: Was Gabriel actually Jesus?

“Was Gabriel actually Jesus? What other Scriptures support such a concept?”

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Answer:

No, Gabriel was not Jesus, for Gabriel was the one who announced to Mary that Jesus would be born of her. There are not any verses in the Bible that support such an idea.

Here are all the verses that mention Gabriel:

Daniel 8:16 “And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said,

Daniel 9:21 “Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man

Luke 1:19 “And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.”

Luke 1:26 “And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth.”

This question and its answer were printed in the January 2001 issue of Present Truth.

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Question: Is the ability to sin a gift from God?

“About the article typed out from Alonzo T. Jones’ book [Individuality in Religion in the March, April, and May 2001 Present Truth]… How did our inherent God-created duty and nature to serve and love God somehow become tainted with the idea that sinning, not choosing God and his commands, is a ‘religious liberty’? How is it that this ‘sinning’ is called ‘freedom’ and that it is somehow that God made this ‘freedom’ in us? Is the ability to sin a ‘gift from God’? Where is the liberty in sinning?”

(The above question is a small portion of a long letter. I am going to address the main points here. The next five questions from Maryland come from this and a subsequent letter. The following answers are slightly edited versions of letters I have written and sent, in response to these letters.    Editor)

Answer:

You brought up some good questions. First of all let me make it clear that Jones never said that “sinning… is a religious liberty.” Sinning is not a religious liberty. The ability to choose to serve God or not, that is a religious liberty, a freedom, and perhaps the greatest freedom of all. Yes, the ability to choose, even to sin, is a gift from God. Please allow me to explain.

Let us suppose for a moment that when God created man He did not give him the freedom to choose whether to serve God or not. What would man be then? Man would be very similar to a robot that had been programmed to act a certain way, and no matter whether he wanted to or not, he could not act any differently. Look at it from God’s point of view for a moment. If you created these beings who could not choose to act differently from what you commanded, would you gain any pleasure in the service of those beings? I mean, there would be no way to say, “I really appreciate the way you are acting, worshipping and praising me,” because they had no choice to do otherwise.

Suppose you have a son who is like a remote control child. You push the buttons and the child does exactly what you say, whether he wants to or not. He has no possibility to choose to serve you because he wants to, or to choose not to serve you because he doesn’t want to. That type of service could never be pleasing to a parent or to God. I know I would get very tired of that kind of service being rendered to me. It would be the difference between having a child that does good because he enjoys it and having a robot that does good because he has no choice to do otherwise.

Think about it for a moment. The Bible tells us of some beings who “rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.” (Revelation 4:8) If these beings were created in such a way that they could not possibly choose to do otherwise, then it would be similar to me programming my computer to say over and over, “I love you, I love you, you are the best, I love you.” If I did that, could I gain any pleasure from it? If so, I would be a very demented, egotistical individual. I would find no pleasure in such empty words coming from my computer. Now, however, if my wife loved me so much that she, very often, would say similar words, I would gain satisfaction from that. I would appreciate it, because I would know that I had not forced her to do it, but that she chose to, of her own free will, because she truly loves me.

Let’s examine this further. Lucifer (the previous name of the angel who is now called Satan) was created perfect. (Ezekiel 28:15) He was a perfect individual who loved God perfectly and enjoyed serving Him. However, it is evident that Lucifer was given the freedom to choose to serve God or not. We know the story. Lucifer desired to be exalted above what God intended for him. He began to have distorted ideas about God’s love for him, which led to a desire to try his own path, do his own thing, and reject God’s counsels. Lucifer rebelled against God and sinned, by choosing his own way.

God knew that Lucifer would rebel, yet He created him anyway. He could have created Lucifer in such a way that there was no possibility for him to choose to do wrong. But it is obvious that God did not want to do it that way. God had a choice. He could have created all beings in such a way that they had no choice to disobey Him. If He had done this, then nobody ever would have rebelled, sin would not exist, but God would be left with a universe full of robots, and I am certain God would not have been satisfied with such programmed service.

There was only one other alternative for God in order for Him to enjoy true fellowship with other beings, and that was to create beings who had the freedom to choose to do good or to do evil. Then if His creatures chose to do good and serve Him of their own free will, He could be satisfied with such service and have genuine fellowship with His creatures.

God knew from the beginning what would result if He chose to create beings with the freedom of choice. He knew the pain and suffering that would result when Lucifer chose to do wrong, yet God created him anyway. From the very first creature God created with the freedom to choose for themselves there was always a possibility for someone to rebel. If it would not have been Lucifer, it could have been someone else. The possibility existed for His creatures to have a curiosity to know if God’s ways are right or if there might be a better way.

Yet God had a marvelous plan in mind. He knew sin would arise, He also knew how to ensure that it would never rise the second time. God said, “What do ye imagine against the LORD? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.” (Nahum 1:9)

God knew affliction would arise, but He had a plan to keep it from happening a second time. He knew that if the entire universe could see where rebellion leads, and also see how far God would go to save the rebellious ones, then they would never, ever choose to rebel again. God will not take away our freedom of choice when we get to heaven; what will be clarified is the question of where choosing wrong will lead. The entire universe will be certain that, even though they have the choice, they would not dare go down the same road Lucifer went down, and rebel against God.

God knows this, and will end up with His desired goal of having other intelligent, free beings to fellowship with who will never rebel against Him even though they have the freedom of choice to do it.

The stories of Lucifer and Adam and Eve prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that God made both man and angels with the inherent ability to choose to do good or not. I praise God that I am not a robot. Sometimes I wish that God would force me to do right so that I will be obedient continually, but I know that it would not be right that way. I know that God doesn’t work that way, and I am thankful for it.

Yes! And a thousand times yes! The ability to choose to obey or not to obey God is a religious freedom, and the greatest of all freedoms. I am very thankful that God has made me in such a way that I can choose to serve Him or not to serve Him. Joshua said, “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15) God would not ask us to choose who to serve if He did not give us the freedom to choose to serve Him or not. Yes, freedom to choose to do good or bad is a gift from God.

Let me put it in another way. Suppose I would take away your freedom to serve God in the way you choose. Suppose I forced you to worship God the Father and His only begotten Son, excluding the trinity completely, on the true Sabbath day, Saturday. Do you suppose you would enjoy that type of worship? If it is contrary to your beliefs, you would not enjoy it at all, and you know what, God would not enjoy it either, because you would be doing good, not because you wish to, but because you were forced to.

God, all of heaven, and myself, are steadfastly opposed to force in matters of religion. And all those who are forced in matters of religion are opposed to it as well. For this reason, many people refused to yield their freedom of conscience when persecuted by pagan Rome during the first three centuries, and by papal Rome during the Dark Ages. I stand in good company when I stand for, and adamantly support, religious liberty and the freedom of conscience, for millions of sleeping saints stood for the same principle, and God Himself is on my side.

I stand with A. T. Jones when he wrote, “Any service as to God that is not freely chosen by him who renders it is not service to God. There can be no virtue in it; there can be none of God in it. Any service rendered as to God that is not freely chosen on the part of him who renders it cannot be of God, because “God is love;” and love and compulsion, love and force, love and oppression, never can go together. Therefore any duty, any obligation, anything, offered or rendered as to God that is not of the individual’s own freely chosen choice, can neither be of God nor to God. Accordingly when the Lord created whatever creature—angel or man—in order that that creature should be happy in the service of God, and in order that there should be virtue in rendering service or worship to God, He created him free to choose to do so.” (Individuality in Religion, pages 8, 9)

Certainly you can see the truth in this statement, for it is an eternal principle that has been alive since the beginning, since God created the first angel, and will be alive throughout eternal ages in the world made new. I am glad that this principle is a part of me.

If God wanted people who could not choose to sin, why didn’t He create us that way? The very fact that there are people who sin proves that God gave them the ability to choose to sin. Yes, that is a freedom, because with it also comes the freedom to choose to serve God. You cannot separate the two. If you take away the freedom to choose to sin, then you also take away the freedom to choose to serve God.

This question and its answer were printed in the May 2001 issue of Present Truth.

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Question: How can you say if God does not allow us to sin He does not love us?

“How is it ‘love’ to …create us as creatures that love God and enjoy Him and want to serve Him (the inherent principle) and then to say that if God does not allow us to ‘sin’ He does not love us?”

Answer:

I believe you are misunderstanding A. T. Jones again here. He did not say that if we do not have the choice to sin that God does not love us, but that if He forces us, even to do good, against our will, then He does not love us. If I forced you to disbelieve and dishonor the trinity and keep holy the Sabbath, could you say that I love you? If you think that is love, then you must agree with the policy of the papacy of burning “heretics” and seizing their churches if they do not agree with you. Do you agree with the principle of forcing people to do what you want them to regardless of their personal convictions or desires?

God could have forced Lucifer to keep His commandments, but He didn’t, because He knew Lucifer’s service would then be fake and dry.

Let’s look at the example of Adam and Eve. God purposely put a tree of forbidden fruit in the middle of the Garden of Eden, which proves that Adam had a free choice. If God had cut off every possibility for Adam to choose to do wrong, then Adam’s service to God would not be out of love, but out of compulsion and force. Obviously God does not operate on that principle.

This question and its answer were printed in the May 2001 issue of Present Truth.

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Question: If we are not able to sin is there any virtue in following God?

“Is this man saying that unless we are able to sin, to deny God, to choose the devil, we have no virtue, no righteousness in our following God’s commandments?”

Answer:

Yes, A. T. Jones is saying that if we have no choice to do wrong, then all of our doing right cannot have any virtue, because it is not a choice. For example, if I create a robot that works every day except for the Sabbath, the seventh-day of the week, and on that day the robot rests from his work. Could I praise the robot for doing something virtuous? Could I claim that my robot is doing a good deed when it had no choice to do otherwise?

Take child training for example. I have a young son, and I need to train him to do good and be obedient. Suppose I am trying to train him to be obedient by teaching him to refrain from pulling a glass dish off the table. If I remove the glass dish from the table completely, so there is no possibility that he can reach it, would I praise him for not pulling the dish off the table? Would I think that he had done some virtuous thing by not pulling the dish off the table? Certainly not! I would, however, be very happy if I could train him to listen when I say no, and he chose to restrain himself from pulling the dish off the table. Now I would have something to be happy about. Certainly you can see the truth in this.

Let me clarify something here. God expects us to choose whom we will serve, but we do not have any power in and of ourselves to do good. We can choose to yield our will to God, and He will work in us to do His good pleasure.

This question and its answer were printed in the May 2001 issue of Present Truth.

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Point: If religious freedom only exists in the face of temptation God is not free

“If ‘religious freedom’ is only possible as a result of the presence of sin tempting us away from God, then certainly God is not free since he cannot be tempted by any evil…”

Answer:

Jones never said that religious freedom is only possible as a result of the presence of sin. Religious freedom existed long before sin, and will exist long after sin and sinners are destroyed. Religious freedom is the God-given ability to choose to worship God or not. When everyone in the universe chooses to worship God (Revelation 5:13), it will not mean that the ability to choose has been taken away, but only that every individual in the universe will know where choosing evil would lead.

“Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man.” (James 1:13) Notice the verse says that God cannot be tempted with evil. Why? Because God alone knows the end from the beginning. God knows what the whole universe needs to learn, and that is that evil is definitely the wrong path to go down. There is no chance that God will sin. He knows the end from the beginning. He hates sin and knows perfectly well where sin leads, and therefore will not possibly follow that course.

The rest of the universe, however, does not know perfectly where sin leads. It is true now that many beings have a good idea where sin leads, but when sin is ended, the entire universe will know where it leads, and they will know the goodness and justice of God, and never again will they be tempted with evil. Why? Is it because they no longer have the freedom of choice to choose to do evil? Certainly not! It is because they will know clearly that sin is the wrong choice, and no amount of temptation could ever get them to sin. This is the condition God is in right now, and the condition in which He is longing for the entire universe to be.

I do not believe that the desire to sin will be present in the earth made new. We will all have glorified bodies. Satan will have been destroyed. There will not be anyone around to tempt us, and the idea that Lucifer cherished, that brought sin into his life, will forever be shown to be faulty, so we will no longer have any desire to do otherwise than what God commands. However, this is not achieved by God removing our freedom of choice. The ideas that Lucifer cherished that brought sin into his life were his desires to be exalted above what God intended for him. He began to have distorted ideas about God’s love for him, which led to a desire to try his own path, do his own thing, and reject God’s counsels. This will not be existent in the earth made new because everyone will know where Lucifer’s path leads, they will know God’s great love for them, and they will not even think of taking the same path Lucifer took.

God does not have lusts to do evil, and we will not either in the earth made new. Remember this also, Lucifer did not have lusts to do evil when he was created either, so there is more than lust involved. There is the question of whether God is right or not in all that He does. This question will be forever answered in the earth made new.

This question and its answer were printed in the May 2001 issue of Present Truth.

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Question: Could Christ or the elect angels sin?

“Could Christ sin and fall from heaven the way Satan did? Could any of the elect angels? Could any of us in the final glory of heaven sin and fall from heaven?

Answer:

You asked an excellent question, and one which was answered in detail in the January 2001 issue of Present Truth. Please refer to it for a thorough answer to this question.

God will not have anyone in heaven who is doing what is right because they have no choice to do wrong. The choice will always be there, but carrying through with that choice will never happen because all will know what the outcome would be. Nobody will ever question God’s government again. It was laid on the line once, but never again. Of Christ, Isaiah wrote, “the government shall be upon his shoulder.” It was upon His shoulders once, but never again. God’s government will be forever vindicated, and nobody will question it again.

Yes, Christ could have sinned. Christ was free to choose to do other than what His Father had commanded. He said, “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” (Luke 22:42) Christ obviously had an independent will, and in this case it was different from His Father’s will. He freely chose to submit His will to His Father. Christ evidently had that choice.

Christ became a man, a man like you and me. He was “in the likeness of sinful flesh.” (Romans 8:3) “As the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.” (Hebrews 2:14) “For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.” (Hebrews 2:18) “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15)

Christ took upon Himself the same flesh and blood that you and I have now. He was tempted, which indicates that He had lusts and He had the ability to sin. To say otherwise is to claim that Christ was merely acting, and that He is null and void as our example. Let me clarify something here. Although Christ had lusts that come to the human family by nature, He never once committed sin, and therefore He never had the cultivated evil habits that you and I must overcome. For example, some people may be enticed by a cigarette, while others are repulsed by it. Those who are most enticed are those who have developed the filthy habit of cigarette smoking, while those who are repulsed are those who either have never had the habit, or have overcome it.

Yes, all the elect angels could have sinned, and still could, along with all the righteous who will be in heaven, but God carried out His plan so thoroughly that He has insured heaven against the possibility of sin arising the second time. It will not rise again, not because the choice is gone, but because the question regarding God’s government is gone—gone for good. That is why God will only bring those to heaven whom He can be sure will never rebel against Him in the future. Thank God for that.

I pray this helps answer some of your questions on this issue.

This question and its answer were printed in the May 2001 issue of Present Truth.

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Question: Can you explain why men are called "gods" in Psalm 82:6?

“My Jewish friend has stumped me with a Scripture that I don’t understand. It’s in one of the Psalms, and says that they/we ‘are all gods.’  This verse is also quoted by Jesus, which I have never understood. Can you help me? Thanks!”

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Answer:

Let’s read the verses in question. “I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.” (Psalms 82:6) Jesus quoted this verse in John 10:34. “Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?” (John 10:34-36)

The Hebrew word Myhla (elohiym) was translated “gods” in Psalm 82:6. This word was used 2606 times in the Old Testament. Most of the time (2347) it refers to the true God of heaven. However that leaves 259 times where it refers to men or false gods. When it refers to men they are usually great men, or judges. Moses is called elohiym in Exodus 7:1. This does not mean that Moses or other men are the true God of heaven any more than gods of wood or stone are the true God of heaven. When this term applies to men it signifies authority, but has no reference to the nature and divine attributes of the true God.

Notice that Jesus didn’t even claim to be God, but only the Son of God. He used this verse to show that the Bible even refers to men as gods so when He referred to Himself as the Son of God, the Jews should not take offence.

Neither Jesus, nor the Psalmist, were trying to teach that we are on the same level as the God of heaven as far as our physical makeup (nature) or powers. Whenever the term elohiym applies to men it must be understood in a very limited sense. David wrote, “What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels [elohiym], and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet.” (Psalms 8:4-6)

Not only does the Bible say “ye are elohiym,” it also says men were made “a little lower than elohiym.” To man has been given “dominion over the works of [God’s] hands; [God] hast put all things under [man’s] feet.” In a sense, man is a god or ruler over his own life and affairs, and even over the things in this world, but he is not the true God, or even on an equality with Him; man was made lower than God.

This question and its answer were printed in the June 2001 issue of Present Truth.

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Question: What type of clothing is good for Christians?

“Which types of dresses are good for Christians to wear?”

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Answer:

The Bible says, “that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array.” (1 Timothy 2:9) It also says, “The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God.” (Deuteronomy 22:5) Cross dressing and immodest clothing are forbidden. God has given each of us a conscience that will aid us in determining what is immodest and what is not. Many men and women have fallen into sin because of the immodest clothing of others. There are many Christian women who are guilty of wearing immodest clothing. Men are not immune from immodest dress either, though it is more prevalent and dangerous among women, due to the increased visual stimulation among men.

I cannot be conscience for anyone regarding what clothing is immodest. To me, some very obvious immodest types of clothing are miniskirts, shorts, low-cut tops, high slits in dresses or skirts, tight or form-fitting clothes of any kind, etc. I don’t believe any of these could fit the Biblical requirements of “modest apparel.” I hope this helps to answer your question.

This question and its answer were printed in the August 2001 issue of Present Truth.

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Question: In what way was man created in God's image?

“Does God create human beings in His own image? If so, what shows that we are created so? How do we resemble God and in which ways?”

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Answer:

“God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” (Genesis 1:27) Yes we are created in the image of God. We resemble God in form and features. Of course He is much more glorious, “dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto.” (1 Timothy 6:16) We know that God can sit on a throne, He can stand, He wears a garment, He has hands, feet, a head, hair, a mouth, eyes, ears, a mind, a spirit, a soul, and a heart. The following texts demonstrate these facts quite clearly: Revelation 5:1; Daniel 7:9; 1 Peter 3:12; Genesis 28:13; Exodus 24:10; Psalms 89:34; Genesis 8:21; Genesis 6:3; Jeremiah 5:9; Romans 11:34. Originally, in the Garden of Eden, mankind also resembled God in character. God is seeking to restore this resemblance in us.

God has always been much higher and more exalted than man. God said, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9)

This question and its answer were printed in the August 2001 issue of Present Truth.

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Question: Will the earth abide forever?

“What is the clear meaning or explanation for the following verses: Ecclesiastes 1:4; Psalm 100:1; Isaiah 60:1; and Isaiah 45:18.”

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Answer:

“One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.” (Ecclesiastes 1:4) The earth abides forever, or as long as it exists. The term for ever in the Bible does not always mean that it has no end. For example, the Bible says that “Hannah went not up [unto the house of the LORD in Shiloh—verse 24]; for she said unto her husband, I will not go up until the child be weaned, and then I will bring him, that he may appear before the LORD, and there abide for ever.” (1 Samuel 1:22) Did Hannah mean that Samuel would remain in the house of the Lord in Shiloh for all eternity? Certainly not! She explains herself in verse 28. She said, “Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD. And he worshipped the LORD there.” (1 Samuel 1:28) So here the biblical term “for ever” really means “as long as he liveth.”

Another example of this is found in Deuteronomy chapter 15. Here it says concerning servants, “And it shall be, if he [your servant] say unto thee, I will not go away from thee; because he loveth thee and thine house, because he is well with thee; Then thou shalt take an aul, and thrust it through his ear unto the door, and he shall be thy servant for ever. And also unto thy maidservant thou shalt do likewise.” (Deuteronomy 15:16, 17) Now it is obvious that this servant will not be a servant to his earthly master for all eternity, but only “as long as he liveth.”

So when the Bible says, “One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever,” (Ecclesiastes 1:4) it does not indicate that this earth will exist for all eternity, but merely until it ceases to exist. The message of the verse really is that the earth outlasts the inhabitants of it. The Bible says that God will destroy this earth with fire and create a new one. (2 Peter 3:10-13)

The next verse you mentioned is, “Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.” (Psalms 100:1) This is a general call for all people to worship the Lord in song.

The next verse you mentioned is, “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.” (Isaiah 60:1) This statement applies to all those who reflect the glory or character of God in their lives, especially to those who will live in the last days, of whom it is said that God the Father’s name, or character, is written in their foreheads. (Revelation 14:1)

The next verse you mentioned is, “For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.” (Isaiah 45:18) God created this world to be inhabited. We who inhabit this world have defiled it by our sins, so God will make a new heaven and a new earth, which will also be made to be inhabited by perfect and holy people.

I pray that this helps to answer your questions. I am thankful that God has given us His Word to be a guiding light, and has not left us in the hands of erring mortals.

This question and its answer were printed in the September 2001 issue of Present Truth.

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Question: Who should partake of the Lord's Supper?

“What is the right way of taking the Lord’s Supper? There are some people who call themselves Christians but they don’t [take part], are they sinners? At the Lord’s Supper, for instance, they would pass the wine and the bread without anyone [taking] it, then we’re told by the elders that we’re finished eating. Those who are going to heaven, are they the only people who are supposed to eat the Lord’s Supper?”

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Answer:

Paul gave some very good instruction regarding this. He wrote, “Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another. And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation.” (1 Corinthians 11:27-34)

As you can see here, it is a very serious thing to take part in the Lord’s Supper (or Communion). We must examine ourselves to see if we have our lives right with God before we take part in Communion. If, after you examine yourself, you realize that you are not right with God, then you must make the necessary preparations so that your life is right with God, or you must choose not to take part in Communion until you have made the necessary preparations in your life. If you have not given your life to God, then you should not take part in Communion.

This question and its answer were printed in the September 2001 issue of Present Truth.

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Question: Will the saints examine why God allows righteous people to enter heaven?

“I just finished reading, ‘The Big Picture,’ in the July 2001 issue of Present Truth, and I found it very well explained except for one point which I have to disagree on or either I misunderstand. That is: I believe the saints will also have to be allowed and given the time, to question why God allowed, all the righteous people to enter heaven, even though they would not be part of the ‘investigative judgement for the righteous that takes place before the second coming of Christ.’
    “I believe we would question how someone was converted that we have known in our lives as a murderer, stealer, etc. I believe this would also be very important to ensure that everyone can see that God is just and righteous in all He does. Could you please explain this somewhere in Present Truth so that other readers can also gain a better understanding of this issue.”

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Answer:

You brought up a good point here. For those readers who have not read the article entitled, “The Big Picture,” in the July 2001 issue of Present Truth, I encourage you to read it. If you do not have a copy, please contact us and we will send you one. If you have not read this article, this answer may not make much sense to you.

As I mentioned in the article, the righteous will not need to be present during the investigative judgment of the righteous that takes place before the second coming of Christ. (See Revelation chapters 4-6 and Daniel 7:9-13.) This is true because their input would not be valuable at this time since they are still living in a sinful human nature, and any input or analysis they could offer would be of no value because their judgment would be impaired by the weaknesses of the flesh. “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” (Isaiah 64:6)

However, these things will not be true of us after the second coming of Christ when we shall have “put on incorruption.” (1 Corinthians 15:53) You may very well be right that during the millennium, while “the saints shall judge the world” (1 Corinthians 6:2), they will also have the opportunity to review God’s decisions regarding who has been permitted entrance into God’s kingdom. This could not include a review of the sins of the righteous, for God has promised that if we confess our sins He will forgive us and not mention them to us again. “None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him.” (Ezekiel 33:16)

I hope this helps to clarify the issue.

This question and its answer were printed in the May 2002 issue of Present Truth.

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Question: What is the oil of gladness?

“I was reading your newsletter Present Truth, April 2002, in the ‘Questions and Answers’ section, about being baptized in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.  I very much appreciate how you explained that verse, my question is, close to the end of your answer you quoted Hebrews 1:9 and I was wondering what is the oil of gladness?”

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Answer:

This question and its answer were printed in the July 2002 issue of Present Truth.

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Question: Who is Satan?

“Who is Satan? Who made him? Where did he come from? What was he before?”

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Answer:

The name Satan means, “adversary.” This name was given to the first rebel in the universe after he had become an adversary to God and to His government. Before this being rebelled against God, he was a highly exalted angel, called Lucifer. We read about him in Isaiah chapter 14. Here it says, 

How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. (Isaiah 14:12-15) 

Here we learn that Lucifer had been in heaven, but because of his sin he was expelled from there. He is also called, “son of the morning.” This could indicate that Lucifer was the first, or one of the first angels that God created. 

In Ezekiel chapter 28 we learn more about this angel. Speaking of Satan under the symbol of the king of Tyrus, God says, 

Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. (Ezekiel 28:12-15) 

Here we learn that Lucifer was created. Obviously, God created him, for nobody else can create life. We also learn that when he was created, he was perfect and beautiful. There was absolutely nothing wrong with him. Beyond this, God exalted him as “the anointed cherub that covereth.” This has reference to one of the two covering cherubim depicted on the ark of the covenant, who “stand by the Lord of the whole earth.” (Zechariah 4:14) Lucifer was the most exalted and honored of God’s creatures, perfect in every way. Yet, we read that iniquity was found in him. The next few verses tell us about how this took place. They say, 

By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more. (Ezekiel 28:12-19) 

Here we learn the final fate of this once-exalted cherub who rebelled against God. He will be destroyed so completely by a fire, that he will be turned into ashes, and never shall he be any more. This has not happened yet, but it will, for God has promised and He cannot lie. 

When Lucifer rebelled against God, one third of God’s angels (Revelation 12:4) joined him in his rebellion, and they were cast out of heaven with Satan. “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” (Revelation 12:9) 

Satan’s rebellion took place before the beginning of this world. Jesus exclaimed to some of the Jewish leaders of His day, “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” (John 8:44) 

Satan is the enemy of God and His people. It was in the best interest of God’s government to allow Satan’s rebellion to continue until the entire universe could see, beyond a shadow of a doubt, where sin leads, and so that God will “be clear” when He judges. (Psalms 51:4) [For a detailed study of why God has continued to allow Satan to live and to perpetuate his rebellion, please request the study entitled, “The Big Picture.”] 

I hope this helps to answer your questions. 

This question and its answer were printed in the February 2003 issue of Present Truth.

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Question: Why are there only 12 hours in a Jewish day?

“Jesus said that there are twelve hours in a day but it is not like that in this our time for we have twenty-four hours and I want to know why it is so.”

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Answer:

This question and its answer were printed in the August 2003 issue of Present Truth.

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Question: Did Jesus come to judge or not?

“John 9:39 says Jesus came to judge, but John 12:47 says He did not come to judge. Can you give me your explanation?”

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Answer:

This question and its answer were printed in the May 2005 issue of Present Truth.

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Question: What do these texts mean?

“Would you be so kind to explain the following texts and what specifically are they relating to: Romans 10:12; Romans 3:9; Acts 26:20-22; Matthew 25: 41, 46; Matthew 18:8; Hebrews 6:2; Jude 6,7.”

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Answer:

This question and its answer were printed in the September 2007 issue of Present Truth.

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