TO CORRESPONDENTS

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · May 9, 1878

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

Please explain John 3:18. M. S. A.

Ans. “And no man hath ascended up to Heaven [for the purpose of coming back to instruct us in regard to Heavenly things, which is the subject of discourse, verse 12], but he that came down from Heaven, even the Son of man who is [so far as his knowledge of Heavenly things is concerned, the same as if it were] in Heaven.”

Do S. D. Adventists believe it is right to go to war? D. G. W.

Ans. No. Our position is that of non-combatants, and was so acknowledged by the Government in the late civil war.

What out-door games are allowable for our children? Are such games as ball, croquet, &c., if not played to excess, harmful? I. A. L., and others.

Ans. We would divide the answer to this question into two parts, in reference to the two classes upon whom it has a bearing.

1. Those who have no interest in religious things. How far should Sabbath-keeping parents indulge children, in this condition, in games such as are above mentioned? Any answer to this would be an answer at random, unless something could be known, (1.) of the temperaments of the children, (2.) how far they were disposed to let these things engross their minds, (3.) what results were being produced, and (4.) the views and feelings of observers. All these considerations would have some bearing upon the question, and would serve to indicate in a great measure the proper course to be pursued.

2. Professed believers in the third message. We have no hesitation in saying that we do not see how any who believe that we are having the last message of mercy, that the time of trouble, the Judgment, and the coming of Christ are right before us, while so much remains to be done for a world lying in darkness and sinking to ruin,—we do not see how any of this class, old or young, can feel that they have any time of the few remaining moments of probation to squander in such useless ways as indulging in games of any kind.

What principle did our Lord design to illustrate in Matt. 9:16, 17, when he spoke about putting new cloth into an old garment, and new wine into old bottles? H. O.

Ans. The utter inconsistency of trying to unite the system which he came to introduce with that observed by the Pharisees. The very question which called out the illustration was a question of difference between the practice of his disciples and that of the Pharisees. Why do the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not? Verse 14. The two systems of worship were incompatible with each other. Theirs had degenerated into lifeless formality; his was a new and life-giving principle which could not be confined within such bounds. It would take out from the old garment and make the rent worse, or it would burst the old bottles with its new expansive force.

Should the seat of the papacy be removed to the United States, would it not invalidate the claim that our government is represented by the two horned beast of Rev. 13?

Ans. If the beast can be said to be wherever his seat is, we should have, in case of the removal of the popedom to this country, two beasts occupying the same territory. The seat of the beast, at the time when that power appears in Rev. 13, was the “seat” which the dragon gave him, which was the city of Rome. And we find no intimation of any change of seat between this and Rev. 16:10, where the “seat of the beast” is again brought to view, but this time under the fifth plague just before the coming of Christ. Hence we think the seat of the beast will never be moved from the city of Rome.

What is described in the first chapter of Ezekiel? D. T.

Ans. The throne of God. This chapter and chapter 10 of the same book give a most impressive description of that throne, showing it to be a living moving throne of awful life and majesty. See work on the Sanctuary, pp. 230-236.

ANSWERED BY LETTER: S. R. Twist. E. J. Hammer, G. H. Murphy, L. H. Priest, J. G. Cheal, D. H. Mason, H. W. Quin, C. C. Ramsey, H. W. Decker, D. M. Canright, S. Sharp.