To Correspondents

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · May 6, 1875

To Correspondents.

BORN OF GOD.

QUES. Will you inform us whether the words “born” and “begotten,” in 1 John chaps. 3 and 5 are in each case properly rendered. How many times, and what are the instances in these chapters where the original should be rendered “born,” and where it should be rendered “begotten.” A. S. H.

ANS. The words “born” and “begotten,” in 1 John are from the same Greek word. The definition of the word indicates how it should be translated in any given case. The word is gennao, and is defined as follows in Greenfield’s Greek Testament: “Spoken of men, to beget, generate; of women, to bring forth, bear, give birth to.” From this definition we see that it cannot be rendered both born and begotten, as applied to the same agent. But 1 John 5:1, shows that when used in reference to God, it must be rendered begotten. Therefore, we reason that in every instance the expression, “born of God” should be rendered, “begotten of God.”

THE GREAT TRIBULATION.

W. E. We think your difficulty on Matt. 24:21, 22, as compared with Dan. 12:1, arises from the fact that you take both passages to refer to the same tribulation; whereas we think that Matt. 24:21, 22, refers to a time of tribulation such as had not been before it, nor should be after it, upon the church, and Dan. 12:1, to a time of trouble, such as never was, upon the world. With this view all is harmonious. The long period of papal supremacy during which the church was hacked and harried by the merciless minions of the pope, furnished a fulfillment of this tribulation upon the church; while the time of trouble yet future, which will culminate in the seven last plagues will fulfill the time of trouble upon the world. That these times of trouble are not the same is evident from the fact that no deliverance is promised from the tribulation in Matt. 24, during its continuance; that is, the church passes through it, and the days are shortened lest none of the elect should be left. But from the time of trouble spoken of in Daniel, every one of the elect, all whose names are found written in the book who are alive when that time comes, are delivered. This time of trouble occurs also in connection with the standing up of Michael, or the commencement of the kingdom of Christ. The conflict which the church is yet to have with anti-christian powers, Rev. 13:16, 17, is not such a time of tribulation as is mentioned in Matt. 24:21, 22; hence does not invalidate that testimony as applied to papal persecutions.

Please tell us, through the REVIEW, what the word “perish” means in Rom. 2:12, and also in 1 Cor. 15:18. I. H. M.

ANS. The word perish in both the passages referred to, is from the same original, apollumi, and we take it to have in both instances its usual meaning, which is, to be destroyed, perish, to be put to death, brought to nought, &c.

“And they besought him.” Luke 8:31, 32. What form of body did they assume to speak to the Saviour as they did? I. H. M.

ANS. We understand that they (the unclean spirits) made this request before they came out of the man, using his organism through which to speak. U. S.