Question Corner by Editor

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Sep 24, 1912

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 39, No. 37.

Question Corner

By Editor

"IF YE WILL INQUIRE, INQUIRE YE."

This Inquirers' Department is conducted for the purpose of helping those who are studying the Bible. The answers are oftentimes only suggestive. They are never to be considered infallible, only as they agree with the infallible Word. The writer who may answer them does not consider that his opinion is infallible. He will simply give the best that he has, and plead with the inquirer to search the Word. Such questions only will be answered as, to the editors, seem to minister to the good of the readers and to the mission of the paper. We can not answer repeatedly in the same volume questions upon the same scripture. The name and address must accompany question, not for publication, but as an evidence of good faith, and that answer may be made by letter if deemed advisable. No letters are answered which do not contain the name of the writer. It is well always to enclose stamp for reply.

3860 — The Tithe and the Promise

Is Mal. 3:10, 11 to be taken literally? If so, why are not all tithe payers wealthy?

J. H. D.

We know no reason why we should not expect God's blessing upon us in a temporal way, altho the greatest of all blessings are spiritual. But the scripture does not promise wealth. It does promise great blessings, if we will bring "the whole tithe" (A.R.V.) and cease to rob Him in offerings also. The sin which God charges against His people is robbery in tithes and offerings. If they will cease this robbery, and recognize their duty to Him, He will come into their life, enlarge their heart and life, and make it overflow with blessings. If we are good stewards, He will enlarge our stewardship, give enlargement of heart and life, and if for our good, bring temporal blessings. The blessings of God are given with "all wisdom and prudence," and He gives us no more than we can use to His glory and for our good.

3861 — In the Bosom of the Father

Did Jesus mean that He was in the bosom of the Father, also, when He was here on the earth? and shall we understand that Jesus could be in two places at the same time? John 1:18; 3:13.

A. K.

Our Lord simply meant that He was in all things in absolute oneness with His Father, that there was living connection and life-bond between Them, so that while He personally was in the earth, yet He was as truly at one with the purposes and work of the Father as if He had been present in heaven; and in fact He was there represented absolutely by the Father, even as the Father was represented here upon this earth by Him. It is not a difficult thing for a mother to say concerning her child who may be thousands of miles distant, that "he is in my heart continually;" and thus Jesus, by His living connection with the Father, by His doing of the Father's work, and by His absolute oneness, was still in purpose and affection in the bosom of His Father.

3862 — Some Questions from a Catholic

What is the numerical strength of Seventh-day Adventists?
Do you believe that no one will be saved that has not been baptized by immersion?
Do you believe that it is wrong and is sin to eat meat? If so, how do you explain Christ's use of meat, and God's commandment, "All the beasts of the field . . . shall be to you for meat"?
Is it not true that the Seventh-day Baptists and the Seventh-day Adventists are fast dying out, a deceasing?
In what do the two last named denominations differ?
Do you believe that all people who observe Sunday as the sabbath in contradistinction to Saturday will go to hell?
Why are Adventists so bitter against Catholics, calling them harlots, and the church "the beast"?

Remember that the Bible is a fiddle upon which almost any tune can be played, and that every one believes his religion is right, and if so, all the others must be obviously wrong.

C. J. B.

In round numbers, somewhat over 100,000 in the world.
The only water baptism there is is immersion. As to the question of salvation, it depends on light and conscience. If one sins against conscious light, he must be condemned. Our Lord states the true principle: "If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no excuse for their sin." John 15:22. "The eyes of Jehovah run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him." 2 Chron. 16:9. Sometimes the intellect is inferior to the heart. There are times of ignorance when God seems to wink at sin, but it is because the people do not have the light.
No; we do not believe that it is sin to eat meat unless it is eaten not of faith, for "whatsoever is not of faith is sin." Rom. 14:23. There have been times (as immediately after the Deluge), there doubtless will be times, when all that men can get to eat to sustain life is flesh food. And God suffers it. But the animal kingdom is becoming more and more diseased, and it is becoming more and more evident that flesh foods are increasingly unwholesome and disease-breeding. We opine that the vast majority of flesh eaters eat meat because they like it, and not because it is the best food. The true Christian rule is, "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." 1 Cor. 10:31. We can not believe it is to God's glory to eat corrupt flesh foods when we can find food so much better.
About thirty years ago the Seventh-day Adventists numbered about eight thousand; now about one hundred thousand. About fifty years ago an aggregation of a single copy of each one of their publications could be purchased for thirty-five cents; to-day such an aggregation in cheapest binding would cost more than $550. At that time they had one very small printing-office; now they have thirty-seven publishing houses in the world. They now have missions in almost every country of the world. Many illustrations of their growth might be given. Surely simple statistical reports do not look like "a deceasing." To God be all the glory. Seventh-day Baptists have not increased so rapidly.
Chiefly regarding prophetic interpretation, immortality and life through Jesus Christ alone, our Lord's priesthood, and this world's future. This department is too limited to discuss in detail or at length the differences.
No, no more than we believe that honest men who have passed counterfeit bills should go to jail. See answer to question 3. We believe that many Roman Catholics will be saved, not because of their error or because of their church, but in spite of it.
Seventh-day Adventists are not bitter against Catholics. We have naught against men or women of any denomination. We would feed or help a Catholic in need as soon as we would any other person. But we do not believe in the Roman Catholicism, the corrupt ecclesiasticism, of the centuries. We believe that union with the world on the part of the Christian is spiritual fornication, and we do not see why it would not be the same with the church. Any apostate, world-joined church is a harlot, whether it be Catholic or Protestant. But the church is not the "beast" power of prophecy. The beast is a symbol of the union of church and state.

Men play tunes upon a fiddle by an oscillating and variable bow, and by picking the strings. It is by the manipulation of the bow of traditionalism upon the strings of truth, by the picking of those strings of truth by the fingers of prejudice, love of self, skepticism, Higher Criticism, and apostasy, that the many discordant tunes are produced. The Bible is its own interpreter; and to the heart open to receive and the purpose to do God's will, the Bible tells the one great story, and reveals the same great Master, working harmony throughout God's universe. Eliminate the human creed makers and the human doubters, there will be no trouble over the unity and power of the church. It will take neither anathema nor law to hold it together.

3863 — The Prohibition Platform

What do you think of that plank of the Prohibition platform of "one day's rest in seven?"

W. N. K.

We do not know just what is said in the plank, as we have seen no complete report of it. If it means a definite Sunday law, it certainly is wrong. If it demands the simple right of one day's rest in seven, regardless of the day, that may be a proper thing. We would prefer to see it before comment. As to voting for any particular man, the "Signs of the Times" has no advice to give. "Every one must be responsible for his own mistakes."

3864 — Service in the Heavenly Tabernacle

Was there any service performed in the heavenly tabernacle of which the earthly was a type before Christ's coming to this earth?

There certainly was no such service performed for sin in the heavenly sanctuary, as there was after Christ came to this earth, for Christ ministered His own blood, and His blood was not shed until He came to this earth, and we are expressly told in Heb. 9:15, "And for this cause He [Christ] is the Mediator of the new covenant, that a death having taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first covenant, they that have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance." We may settle these facts: that God is ever merciful, "the same yesterday, and to-day, and forever;" that He had mercy to the one who sought Him, in ancient times, just as He has now; that it was not absolutely necessary that some one should be seated upon a throne, or that some one should be standing before an altar, for the soul to obtain mercy. All those ceremonies had their instructive lessons, and those lessons were ever to bring before the people that sin was sin, and that sin demanded death, but that God was merciful, and would give life for death, righteousness for sin.

3865 — Supremacy of Turkey

What were the circumstances connected with Turkey's losing her supremacy August 11, 1840?

J. C. S.

Turkey was at war with one of her provinces, Egypt; and Mehemet Ali, the pasha of Egypt, was in a fair way to conquer Turkey, when that nation appealed to the powers, Great Britain, Austria, Prussia, and Russia. These powers took the case into their own hands, and Mehemet Ali was ordered to cease hostilities. Turkey had not power to conquer her own vassal, and her suzerainty was practically yielded to the powers in the year 1840. The messenger landed in Egypt August 11, 1840, but he did not place the ultimatum in the hands of Mehemet till August 20.

3866 — Different Names

Can Gen. 26:34; 28:9; and 36:2, 3, be made to harmonize? The names of the persons seem to me to be mixed up a good deal.

A. K.

Gen. 26:34 declares that Esau took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite; 28:9 simply says that Esau took another wife besides these before named, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham's son, the sister of Nebaioth; 36:2, 3 gives other names of the wives of Esau. The "Companion Bible" has this suggestion to offer on these names,—that Judith had a second name, Oholibamah, and Beeri also had another name, Anah; and that the Hivite tribe was a branch of the Hittite tribe, "Hittite" being the general term. Basemath also had a second name, Adah; the name "Basemath" was dropped to avoid confusion with the daughter of Ishmael. In chapter 26 we have general history, but in 36 precise genealogy. Regarding Ishmael's daughter, she seemed to have two names also, Mahalath, and a second name, Basemath. It was not uncommon for them to have more than one name, and that simple fact meets all these. The "Companion Bible" suggests that the additional name of Beeri means "the spring finder."