Question Corner by Editor

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, Cal. · Jan 24, 1906

Question Corner

By Editor

1765.—The “Signs of the Times” and Other Works.

One correspondent asks us how we reconcile a statement in the SIGNS with a certain book. A lady asks the same question.

We would like to say to these inquirers and all others that we never attempt to reconcile the SIGNS OF THE TIMES with anything else on the face of the earth, except the Word of God. Sometimes we make mistakes in our attempt to do this or in explaining the Word, but it shall be our one aim and endeavor to teach that Word faithfully under all circumstances and at all times. If we do not agree with other books, this brings us no anxiety whatsoever if we know that we agree with the Eternal Word.

1766.—The Beginning of the Jewish Year.

September 30 last was the Jewish new year and was 5666. How would you harmonize that with Ex. 12:2 which makes the month Abib the first of the year? Abib, I understand, would come in April.

The Jews had two different years, one a sacred year, the other a civil year. Their civil year began in the spring at Abib; their religious year with the autumn. It is the religious year which is now kept. The number of the year does not correspond with other systems of chronology, in fact there are no two systems which correspond with each other. There is no more reason why we should depend on their system than on that of Archbishop Usher.

1767.—Seeing God. Job 19:26.

Please explain Job 19:26.

That passage reads as follows: “And tho after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.” That, with the connection, shows that Job believed in the resurrection at the last day, and that then he would in his resurrected body see the Lord. The marginal reading is a good one, “After I shall awake, tho this body be destroyed, yet out of my flesh shall I see God.” And there is a splendid thought in the next verse, “Whom I shall see for myself and mine eyes shall behold, and not a stranger.” He would know God then, his trusted Friend here.

1768.—The Ark of God.

At what date was the ark of God taken away from the temple, by whom and to what place?

It is supposed to have been taken about the time of the captivity of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. We have no definite history as to who took it away or anything of the kind. One of the Apocryphal books, 2 Mac. 2:4-8 reads as follows:

“And it was contained in the writing, that the prophet [Jeremiah], being warned of God, commanded that the tabernacle and the ark should follow with him, when he went forth into the mountain where Moses went up and beheld the heritage of God. And Jeremiah came and found a chamber in the rock, and there he brought in the tabernacle, and the ark, and the altar of incense; and he made fast the door. And some of those that followed with him came there that they might mark the way, and they could not find it. But when Jeremiah perceived it, he blamed them, saying, “Yea, and the place shall be unknown until God gather the people again together, and mercy come; and then shall the Lord disclose these things, and the glory of the Lord shall be seen, and the cloud.”

But there are few indeed who consider this authentic. Still it may all be true.