Question Corner by Editor

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Dec 17, 1912

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 39, No. 49.

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 The name and address must accompany question, not for publication, but as an evidence of good faith, and that answer may be made by letter if deemed advisable.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.

3938 — The Tithe

Is the tithe for any special purpose, and that alone?

The tithe of the people anciently was used for the Levites, and the tithe of the Levites was used for the priests. In our own work we have used the tithe alone for evangelical work, the work of the ministry, the work of giving to the world the great truth of the gospel. There are those who believe in the tithing system, in various churches, and outside of churches, who use that tithe for everything in benevolent and religious lines; but it has seemed to us that the tithe is sacred for the one thing of giving the gospel to the world, and that these other funds fall into the class of offerings of various sorts. So the Lord teaches in Malachi 3, a prophecy evidently which refers to the last days, to the Christian dispensation, that His children have robbed Him in tithes and in offerings, and then asks that the whole tithe be brought into the storehouse, that there may be meat in His house. That is, the offerings men can give as they desire, can control them as they desire, can give them to any purpose they desire; but the tithe is to be brought into God's house, and God's ministers are to be supported from what is in His house. Such would seem to be the obligation that would naturally rest upon church-members. If one is not a church-member, he would be free to use his tithe outside of regular lines; but it would seem to us that one should not only use his tithe aright, but he should also unite with the Lord's children.

3939 — Reasons for Keeping Saturday

What are your strongest reasons for keeping Saturday, or what we call Saturday, for the Sabbath? Where is all of your scripture for doing so? Does your Sabbath begin at twelve o'clock at noon on what we call Saturday, and end at twelve o'clock noon on what we call Sunday? Do you make a distinction between the names "Sunday" and "Sabbath"?

1. We do not keep Saturday, that is, truly converted, Sabbath-keeping Christians do not. Saturday is a civil day, beginning at twelve midnight, and ending at twelve midnight. But the Sabbath begins at sunset on what is called Friday evening, and ends at sunset on what is called Saturday evening; consequently the days are not synchronous, or identical.

2. Our reasons for keeping the Sabbath are: First, the commandment of God: "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man servant, nor thy maid servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it." Secondly, the example of our Lord Jesus Christ, who kept His Father's commandments, who did no sin, who left us an example, that we should follow in His steps. John 15:10; 1 Peter 2:21, 22. He therefore observed the Sabbath (Luke 4:16, and elsewhere). Surely there can be no stronger reasons than the eternal law of God, sanctioned and confirmed by prophet, apostle, and Jesus Christ, and the example of our Lord Himself.

3. "Where is all your scripture for doing so?" It is all through the Bible. All there is said in the Bible at all regarding a weekly Sabbath applies wholly and exclusively to the seventh day. Take, for instance, the institution of the Sabbath in Gen. 2:2, 3, and connect with it Mark 2:27, 28, — "The Sabbath was made for man," and for man in the beginning, before there was a division of races, or nations, or tribes. See Ex. 20:8-11; also the whole of Exodus 16, showing how God marked it out during the falling of the manna; Isaiah 58:13; 66:22, 23; Luke 23:56. Then regarding the whole law of God, of which the Sabbath is a part, see Matt. 5:17-20; Ps. 111:7, 8. The last generation of men who will welcome the Lord Jesus Christ keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Rev. 14:12. These are only a small portion of the scriptures there are to confirm the great Sabbath truth.

4. "Does your Sabbath begin at twelve o'clock?" No; as before stated, it begins at sunset. "From even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath." Lev. 23:32. See also Neh. 13:15-22, which clearly shows that the Sabbath began at sunset, when the heavy shadows began to creep in; and this also is intimated in Matt. 8:16; Mark 1:32; Luke 4:40. If the context is read, it will be seen that this day was the Sabbath. The Jews would not bring their sick to be healed on the Sabbath day, on account of their superstition; but as soon as the sun set, they came with all their sick; showing that the Sabbath closed at sunset. This is also in harmony with the making of the days in Genesis 1, — "The evening and the morning were the first day," "the second day," "the third day," and so on, giving man, wherever he may be on the earth, a sure knowledge of the beginning and the closing of the day, and also the blessed privilege of welcoming the Sabbath when it comes, and bidding farewell to it as it goes, — something which the Sunday keeper knows nothing of.

5. "Do you make a distinction between the names 'Sunday' and 'Sabbath'?" Certainly we do. "Sunday" is the purely heathen name of the day, so called in honor of the sun, to whom it was dedicated. Sabbath is the divine name, which comes from God's rest upon that day.

If our correspondent wishes to enter into the Sabbath question in a broader study, we commend to him "The Lord's Day the Test of the Ages," a little pamphlet costing 10c, which covers the Sabbath in all dispensations.

3940 — Melchizedek

Who was Melchizedek? Was he from another world?

The Bible calls him "the priest of the most high God." See Hebrews 7; Genesis 14. He is also said to be "the king of peace," and "the king of righteousness," which is also "the king of Salem," for "Salem" means peace. It has been strongly advanced that Melchizedek was a visitor from another world, and the head of another world, even as Adam was designed to be the head of this world, and that in God's plan for a time he visited this world, and Abraham paid him homage. Great as Abraham was in God's sight, he paid homage to the Melchizedek whom he met. We have not space here to trace the evidences which would seem to indicate that it is quite probable that Melchizedek was such a being as this. It certainly is worthy of great study.

3941 — Putting Away and Marrying

Will you please explain Matt. 5:32; 19:9?

Both scriptures are in perfect harmony, and teach practically the same thing. "Whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery." And the 9th verse of the 19th chapter reads, "Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery." It seems that the exception is very clearly and definitely marked, that if there is fornication, the wife or the husband could be put away, or divorce secured; and the innocent party would be free to marry again under that exception. The other one, by turning from the lawful husband or wife and committing fornication, had become dead to the former partner. But it does not give the guilty party the right to marry again on a Scriptural basis, and whoever marries the guilty party partakes with that guilty party in the sin. This, it seems to us, is the teaching of the text. We know there are those who believe that divorced persons should never marry again, from whatever cause; but in both of these cases the Lord has given us a very clear exception, and the other texts should be understood in harmony with it. Sometimes there are those who have thus separated, and the guilty party has married in harmony with the laws of the world, not knowing, or realizing, or appreciating, and perhaps not caring, for what is said in the Scripture regarding it. Their course, so far as the law of the land is concerned, has been perfectly legal. Children have been born to such marriages, and afterward those souls have embraced the gospel message of truth. What should they do? We would say that they had better remain married just as they are. When they came to Christ, He accepted them just as they were, and did not design by that to break home ties, or marriage ties, or take away from the father or the mother the responsibility of caring for their offspring. What our Lord is saying here He is saying to His own children. The only way to do is to let the marriage bed be undefiled; but if one proves false, there is no reason why the other should go on forever crippled. To the sinning one God offers free and full pardon. Let him or her go on in humble obedience to God the rest of his life.

3942 — What Kind of Stars?

Kindly explain Gen. 1:16. What kind of stars are here meant? and how does the creation of sun and moon at that time agree with astronomy?

Gen. 1:16 seems to be simply the statement of a fact. The language may be the language of appearance. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth," and the sun and the moon may have been created at that time, but they had not appeared, and would not have been seen if some one had been dwelling on the earth previous to the fourth day; but at the time of the fourth day, the great cloud-envelope which enswathed the earth was removed, and the sun and the moon appeared, and, of course, in the night the stars also. All that is expressed in Gen. 1:16 is that God "made the stars also." It says nothing about as to when they were made. The thought given in the Revised Version, if we omit "He made" (italicized words which are not in the original), is that God gave the greater light to rule the day, the lesser to rule the night, "the stars also" to rule the night; that is, the inhabitants of the world would have these at night. We know nothing in this that is against true astronomy.

3943 — The Different Races

Can it be proved from the Bible that all the different races of people sprang from Adam?

Yes, if we believe the Bible. We have a line of Adam's descendants down to Noah. The earth was then depopulated, with the exception of Noah and his family. According to the same Word, from the three sons of Noah, and doubtless from Noah himself, sprang the inhabitants of this world, and the distribution into families, or tribes, as indicated by Genesis 10. From the cradle of the race, the descendants of these sons spread out into the different parts of the earth; and from them sprang the various races of earth. Some have thought that the Chinese (yellow men) sprang from Noah himself. From Shem sprang the Semitic families, such as the Assyrians, Israelites, etc.; from Ham the colored races, and from Japheth the white races. See "The Origin of Nations," by G. Rawlinson.