"IF YE WILL INQUIRE, INQUIRE YE."
By Editor
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 The name and address must accompany question, not for publication, but as an evidence of good faith, and that answer may be made by letter if deemed advisable.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. What should a Christian Sabbath-keeper do who is summoned to act on a jury in a county court in the State of Washington? Do they adjourn for the seventh day in this State? A READER. First, he should tell the sheriff the circumstances who serves the summons and ask to be excused. If the sheriff refuses, as he generally would acting under the instruction of the court, the man summoned should then state to the court or judge who has jurisdiction candidly, kindly, that it would be impossible for him to serve on the Sabbath day. Nine hundred and ninety-nine judges in a thousand, we believe, would excuse a juror from acting, and the thousandth ought to excuse him. If the judge should insist on service, the true commandment-keeper would have to refuse to attend unless he were compelled so to do by officers of the law. That of course would be practical imprisonment; and like any other prisoner, he should still wisely, kindly, faithfully witness for God, and keep himself in an attitude of true worship. He should not resist by any violence or try to evade the working out of the law through its proper officers. This does not mean, however, that he should break the Sabbath at their direction. Whatever he did in this respect, the responsibility must rest upon them. They might compel him to sit in a jury-box; they could not prevent worship and prayer to God. "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord." Mal. 4:5. Who or what is this Elijah? D. A. E. This Elijah is a twofold type of a work of reformation which in God's plan precedes His first and His second advent. The first phase was fulfilled in John the Baptist and his message, who was Christ's forerunner at His first advent; and its second phase in God's message and people who precede the Lord's second coming. Jesus declared that John fulfilled that type of Elijah in his day. Matt. 11:7-14. But John expressly declared that he was not the personal Elijah. John 1:21. These two scriptures, that John was the Elijah which was to come, and John's statement that he was not the personal Elijah returned, are perfectly harmonized by the language of the angel concerning John in Luke 1:17, "He [John] shall go before Him [Christ] in the spirit and power of Elijah." This scripture is also the key to the fullest understanding of Malachi's prophecy. The great and dreadful day of the Lord did not come at our Lord's first advent, nor does the angel mention it in his prophecy of John in Luke 1:17. That day will come in connection with our Lord's second advent, and then a people will go forth in the spirit and power of Elijah, not to one land but to all the lands of earth, bearing God's warning message, God's great restoring message of reform, to prepare a people for their Lord. That message is found in Rev. 14:9-11. And the people who give that message and who are developed by it are described in verse 12: "Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." That is a message of unity in God through Christ. It is now going to all the world. 3368.—Abraham's Birth, Egyptian Bondage
"Usher's Chronology" gives the birth of Abraham at B.C. 1996, his call at 1921 B.C., when he was 75. Gen. 12:4. From that call to the giving of the law was 430 years and extending to B.C. 1491. See Gal. 3:17. The Egyptian bondage began about 1706 and lasted about 215 years. The 430 years dates from B.C. 1921; the 400 years of Acts 7:6 and Gen. 15:13, from B.C. 1890, when the clear distinction was made between the true seed Isaac and the human seed Ishmael. Ex. 12:40 may be better understood if we read it as in the Samaritan and Septuagint versions: "Now the time of the sojourning of the children of Israel and of their fathers which they had dwelt in the land of Canaan and Egypt was 430 years." (Boothroyd's Translation.) This makes harmony throughout. Is it right for Sabbath-keeping Christians to join various societies, unions, etc.? A READER. We have not named the organizations which our querist named; for we have not space to name all, and we wish to draw no invidious distinctions. There are great principles which ought to guide us in all our relationships with God and with our fellow men.
1. The Christian belongs to God, and has acknowledged God's ownership. He is Christ's bought bond-slave, and the bond which binds him to Christ is love. His life, his service, his all belongs to Christ.
2. The organization which Christ is using in this world to save men is His church, which inspiration calls "His body, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all." Upon that church Christ has bestowed the fulness of every gift necessary for successful work for Him.
3. Why should the Christian seek for extra-church organizations for help spiritual or mental? Of course there may be places where it would be well for the Christian to unite and coöperate with his fellows, as for instance in a school district, in road building, and various ways which do not involve moral principle, and where he would not be a partner in wrong-doing. His guidance in this respect is well set forth in 2 Cor. 6:14-18: "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers." Nothing which would separate from Christ, which would compromise principle, which would make one a party in evil-doing, can be permitted to come into the life of a Christian without great loss to him, and eternal loss if the unchristian things remain in his life.
4. This is not judging the men of the world who form these organizations. They are acting logically. They do not know Christ and they have not acknowledged Him as master. We may and should show them the better way; but we may not judge them, that belongs to God. It is a poor way for us to attempt to reveal to others the better way by joining with them in the wrong way, and many of them know it. 3370.—The State of the Dead
I am bewildered over your teaching concerning the state of the dead, especially in view of Jesus' word to the penitent thief. F. F. Our correspondent will find help in reading the articles by Professor Rine on the subjects of "Man as Created," in the SIGNS of two weeks ago; "Man in Death," in last week's issue; and "The Nature of Man as to Life and Death," in the current issue. Have any of the four kingdoms mentioned in Daniel 7 come to their end as yet? J. Y. Yes; Babylon as a kingdom has long been extinct, but her principles have permeated and molded every subsequent power. A shadow of Medo-Persia exists in the little State of Persia, as does the little Macedonian empire in the State of Greece. Imperial Rome has passed away. That empire exists in its divided state. Does the soul go to heaven when it dies? J. P. See articles in this and last week's issues, by Prof. G. W. Rine. These will make the matter clear.