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All questions regarding the Bible and spiritual matters can be directed to the editor. We will do our best to answer them. However, we will not respond to fruitless questions.
Question: How should we explain the Trinity? Is there one God, or are there three Gods? (Rue, Hangchow)
Answer: God is triune. Although the word triune is not found in the Bible, this is definitely a major teaching in the Bible. The Bible testifies everywhere that the Father is God (2 Tim. 1:2, etc.). The Bible also attests that the Son is God. Hebrews 1:8 says, "Of the Son, `Your throne, O God, is forever and ever....'" This shows us clearly that the Son is God. John 1:1 says clearly that "the Word was God." The Lord Jesus Himself also said, "I and the Father are one" (John 10:30). We can see from the Holy Spirit's source and work that He is also God. Moreover, the Bible says explicitly that the Holy Spirit is God. Acts 5:3-4 says, "But Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to deceive the Holy Spirit...? You have not lied to men but to God." From the above verses we can see that the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is also God. Then why do we say that He is the Triune God? First Timothy 2:5 says, "For there is one God." There is one God. Yet the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are all God. Since there are not three gods, there must be a Triune God. This conclusion does not contradict the biblical teaching of one God, nor does it annul the divinity of the Son and the Holy Spirit. It is the most scriptural expression. However, the doctrine of the Trinity is most mysterious, and we can only know about it without understanding it. We should remain quietly before Him and meditate on His greatness, rather than trying in vain to understand what God has not revealed to us (Deut. 29:29). (Note: It is better to say the Triune God than to say the Trinity.)
Question: Daniel 9:24 mentions the seventy weeks. Verse 25 of chapter nine mentions the seven weeks and the sixty-two weeks. Does the "middle of the week" in 9:27 refer to the tribulation, or does it refer to the Savior's time on earth? (Rue, Hangchow)
Answer: The seventy weeks in Daniel 9:24 cover a span of 490 years. These seventy weeks are divided into three periods. (1) The seven weeks, which is 49 years. This refers to the time of the rebuilding of Jerusalem. (2) The next 62 weeks, which together with the first seven weeks is 483 years. This means that from the time of the decree for the rebuilding of the city until the death of Christ is 483 years. (This has fully been fulfilled. The decree for the rebuilding of the city [Ezra 1:1-2] was in 454 B.C., while the Lord's death was in A.D. 29. The two added together equal exactly 483 years.) (3) The last week, which is seven years. Originally, this week was immediately after the 483 years. But there is an insertion of the age of grace. Hence, the fulfillment of this week will take place when the tribulation comes at the end of this age. In order to determine if the "middle of the week" refers to the tribulation or to the time of our Savior on earth, we have to see who the "he" refers to in 9:27. If it refers to Antichrist, then the "middle of the week" has to refer to the tribulation. If the "he" refers to Christ, then the "middle of the week" has to refer to the time of our Savior on earth. In verse 26 we see two persons: Christ as the Messiah and Antichrist as the prince. Who does the "he" in verse 27 refer to? The "prince" is mentioned after the "Messiah," and since the "he" comes after the "prince," this "he" must refer to Antichrist. Hence, the "middle of the week" has to refer to the tribulation.
Question: Where did Satan come from?
Answer: Satan was an angel. Through his pride, he wanted to become equal with God. As a result, he was rejected by God. Please read Ezekiel 28:11-19 and Isaiah 14:12-14. Both the king of Tyre and Lucifer refer to Satan. Pride has destroyed Satan, and it is still destroying many other people. What a pity!
Question: After Adam was driven out of the garden, his spirit had lost its function and was no longer able to have intimate fellowship with God. But he had not forgotten the Lord, for in Genesis 4:1 it says, "I have gotten a man from the Lord." Was that a mere inspiration? (Lee, Kiangsu)
Answer: Yes. Although the spirit of Adam had lost its function and could no longer fellowship with God, his soul was still active and could remember the Lord. (Remembering is a function of the mind, and the mind is a part of the soul.) Not only is this true with Adam, but it is true with the few generations after Adam also. The endings "-el" and "-ah" in Mehujael and Methuselah both mean God in the original language. The same thing is true with modern man; the spirit of many backsliding believers has long ceased functioning. Their sins have stopped them from having any fellowship with God. Yet in their mouth and in their mind, they still remember the Lord. Of course, the memory of the Lord in our soul will not help us to have fellowship with God.
Question: What does the church in Matthew 18:17 refer to? (Lee, Kiangsu)
Answer: In the four Gospels, only Matthew mentions the church. The Gospel of Matthew mentions the church twice, both of which are words spoken by our blessed Lord. One is in 16:18, and the other in 18:17. There are two biblical meanings for the word church: (1) The church that is composed of all those redeemed by the precious blood of the Lord. The Bible calls this the Body of Christ. (2) The believers in every place being gathered together to become the church in that place; for example, there is the church in Corinth, and there are the churches in Galatia. The first meaning refers to the universal church, whereas the second refers the local church as part of the universal church. (The present denominational churches are not scriptural churches. No doubt they are not the universal church, nor are they local churches, because the biblical local churches are called the churches in certain localities and do not have the names of different denominations or man-made administrations.)
The two mentions of the church in Matthew bear these two meanings. Verse 18 of chapter sixteen refers to the universal church, whereas 18:17 refers to the local church.
Question: Is the rapture of the church before or after the seven trumpets and the seven bowls? In 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 there is the mentioning of the rapture of the church. In Revelation 8, 9, and 11:15 there is the mentioning of the seven trumpets, and in Revelation 15 and 16 there is the mentioning of the seven bowls. What is the order of these events? Which one comes first, and which one next? I would like you to help me concerning this. In discussing this issue, some people have placed the seven trumpets and the seven bowls after 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17! But according to the diagram that you have put out, you have clearly put the seven trumpets and seven bowls in Revelation 8 and 9 and 11:15 with chapters sixteen and seventeen before 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17. I am really confused and would like you to help me. (Chow, Meng Tse)
Answer: To discuss this problem in detail is beyond the scope of this paper. Here you must forgive me for only mentioning it in brief. The expression "the rapture of the church" is not scriptural. The Bible never uses this term. A wrong term will lead to a wrong teaching. (The word church used here only refers to the real church, composed of those who are genuinely saved.) The Bible never says that the whole church (the real one) will be raptured. If that were the Lord's intention, He would surely mention "the rapture of the church" at least once in the Bible. But there is no such mentioning, which shows that there is no such thing as the whole "church" being "raptured."
In my diagram, what I wanted to show was that there will be two raptures of the saints. Those saints who are saved and overcoming will be raptured to the air before the tribulation. Those saints who are only saved but not overcoming will be tried in the tribulation, and they will be raptured to the air only after they have matured. One rapture takes place at the beginning of the tribulation, and the other takes place at the end of the tribulation. That diagram only covers the rapture in 1 Thessalonians and how it is related to the seven trumpets; it does not cover the seven bowls. For the sake of clarity, perhaps I will explain it nevertheless. First let us consider the seven trumpets and the seven bowls. The first six trumpets have nothing to do with the seven bowls. Let us look at the seventh trumpet: "And the seventh angel trumpeted; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ" (Rev. 11:15). The kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ is the millennium. Hence, it is clear that as soon as the seventh trumpet is sounded, the millennium will be here. But what about the seven bowls? If the millennium comes as soon as the seventh trumpet is sounded, surely the seven bowls cannot come after the seventh trumpet. Hence, the seven bowls must not follow sequentially after the seventh trumpet. The wrath of the seven bowls is merely an addition to the previous judgments; they do not occupy much place in the history of Revelation. One cannot say definitely when the seven bowls will occur; they are there mainly as a supplement to the other tribulations.
Next, let us consider the rapture. We have already mentioned that there are two raptures for the church, one taking place at the beginning of the tribulation, and the other at the end of the tribulation. All prophecy scholars agree that 1 Thessalonians 4:16 will occur at the same time as 1 Corinthians 15:52. First Corinthians 15 clearly mentions "the last trumpet." If 1 Thessalonians 4 and 1 Corinthians 15 will occur before the seventh trumpet, how can there be another blowing of the seventh trumpet after "the last trumpet" ? Hence, at least we have to identify "the last trumpet" as the seventh trumpet. In this way, the rapture in 1 Thessalonians and 1 Corinthians must occur at the time of the sounding of the seventh trumpet, that is, toward the end of the tribulation. My answer therefore is that the timing of the seven bowls is not fixed. (Nevertheless, they will occur around the time of the seventh trumpet.) The rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4 occurs at the sounding of the seventh trumpet, which is at the end of the tribulation. The rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4 is the second rapture of the believers. The first rapture will take place before the tribulation.
Therefore, although we are saved, we must still be watchful and prepared, and we should not be entangled with the anxieties of this life. Otherwise, we will pass through the tribulation and will suffer, contrary to the Lord's desire. A farmer will not reap an unripe harvest, and Christ will not rapture the unsanctified believers. (The Lord willing, we will have a detailed study on the question of the rapture in the future. Here we are only giving the conclusion; this is not a detailed analysis.)
Question: According to James 1:17, the heavenly Father never gives any gift of imperfection. But in reality, He has granted many believing brothers some imperfections, which benefit the weaker believers. Is this not also a great gift from the heavenly Father? (Chung, Shanghai)
Answer: James 1:17 says that the gifts from the heavenly Father are perfect in themselves. Although God has given many servants to His church (Eph. 4:11), I do not consider it a great gift of God to the church that some brothers become a "benefit" to other believers. Such brothers are merely used by God to bring benefit to others. They may become a means for God to bestow gifts to others, but they themselves are not the gifts of God.
Question: Does 1 John 1:8 refer both to the believers and to the apostle John as well? (Chung, Shanghai)
Answer: Yes. "Sin" refers to the sinful nature. Although believers have been regenerated and have the divine nature (2 Pet. 1:4), they still possess a sinful nature. John said that he who says that he does not have a sinful nature any longer is deceiving himself. At present, there is a kind of holiness teaching that tells people that the sinful nature can be eradicated. This is most dangerous.
Question: Does 1 John 3:9 say that a regenerated believer cannot sin? (Chung, Shanghai)
Answer: A regenerated believer can sin, but he does not have to sin, and he should not sin. It is the experience of all the believers that they do sin. There are two phrases that we should pay attention to: "does not practice sin" in the first half of the verse, and "cannot sin" in the second half of the verse. In the original language, "does not sin" means that one does not continue in sin, or that one does not consider it his occupation to sin. Hence, the first half of this verse means that a regenerated believer does not continue unceasingly in sin, or that a regenerated believer does not make it his occupation to sin. In the same way, the second half of the verse should be read, "does not continue in sin." Therefore, John is not saying that it is impossible for a regenerated person to sin. Rather, he is saying that a regenerated person does not continue in sin. When he falls accidentally, he goes immediately to God to confess his sins and trusts in the Lord as his Mediator. Otherwise, what could John have meant when he said, "If anyone sins, we have an Advocate [not a Savior, for a Savior is in relation to sinners] with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous" (2:1)?
Question: What does Matthew 5:41 mean? (Chung, Shanghai)
Answer: The context of this portion of the Word clearly shows that the Lord Jesus was teaching us not to oppose others — "not to resist him who is evil." Verses 36 to 42 are merely giving us a few examples. A saint living in this world should not oppose others for any reason (except when he is being forced to sin). When describing the unreasonableness of men, the Lord Jesus said that if others compel you to go a mile, you should go with them two. The present-day rickshaw drivers can be a real test to the believers. Unfortunately, many people have forgotten about the second mile in their daily lives!
Question: Can it be that the wine that was changed in John 2:3-9 was a kind of harmless wine? Please explain this sign. (Chung, Shanghai)
Answer: Perhaps it was grape wine. But if it were consumed in great quantity, it would also be harmful. However, since it was a wine recently changed and it was new, it should not have been harmful. The Lord never forbids the drinking of wine. But at the same time, He was never drunk. This sign is significant in many ways. We will enumerate them briefly. In type, wine signifies joy (Psa. 104:15; Judg. 9:13). To be without wine is to be in the failure of the dispensation of the law; there is no joy of salvation, and there is no joy to God. The Lord's mother represents the nation of Israel, who wanted Him to manifest His outward glory. The Lord rejected her and gave the new wine (the gospel) to others. In prophecy, this sign describes the condition of the Lord Jesus in the millennium. In John 1, there are three "next days"; hence, there were four days already. Verse one of this chapter says "the third day," which means that this sign was done on the seventh day. The seventh day at the time of creation was a type of the coming millennium (Heb. 4). By that time, God will marry the Israelites. Although they have failed, God will be gracious to them. And Christ will manifest His glory. In teaching, we see how Mary was rebuked for not waiting on the Lord's timing, how the servants were completely obedient, how the Lord changes those whose hearts are as hard as stone and fills them with blessing, how the world first rejoices and then suffers, but how the believers first suffer and then rejoice. All these are beautiful lessons.
Question: What does Psalm 51:4 mean when it says, "Against thee, thee only, have I sinned"? (Chung, Shanghai)
Answer: This psalm is David's confession of his sin of adultery with Bathsheba. Although he had sinned against Uriah, and although he had sinned against Bathsheba, his deep regret before God caused him to consider the way he had grieved God and fallen short of His glory. In such deep self remorse and regret, he considered that he had sinned against God Himself. It is a pity that believers today for the most part are sorry for themselves and do not have such a contrite spirit! If a man does not weep after he sins, he will probably sin again.
Question: Is it scriptural for a woman to cut her hair? (Ho, Foochow)
Answer: No, it is not. First Corinthians 11:2-16 gives two reasons: (1) long hair is the glory of a woman, and (2) it is a sign of submission to authority.
Question: How does one explain Matthew 23:9 and 10? (Chung, Shanghai)
Answer: In order to understand the Bible, we have to read the context. Here, prior to these verses, the Lord was rebuking the scribes and the Pharisees, because they exalted themselves in the seat of Moses, but did not have any good works. Yet they wanted to be the leaders — to be called rabbis. After these verses, He said that we should humble ourselves and should be one another's servants. After reading the context of this passage, we will realize the intention of our beloved Lord. He does not mean that we should not call our physical father "father," or that teachers should not be called "teachers" by their students. This is not what the Lord means. The Lord points out clearly His reason for teaching this: "You are all brothers" (v. 8). "For One is your Father, He who is in the heavens" (v. 9). "Because One is your Instructor, the Christ" (v. 10). All these are spiritual relationships and have nothing to do with their titles according to the flesh. In considering the word brothers, we know that it concerns matters within the church; it does not concern fleshly matters outside the church. The Lord's teaching is twofold: one should not be called, and one should not call others. The Lord does not want us to follow the conduct of the Pharisees, who did many things only for the praise of men. We should not have any motive other than fulfilling our duty. Today the church behaves in just the same way as the Israelites did in the days of old! There is a group of people who stand between the heavenly Father and the brothers, who assume authority upon themselves. Actually, besides the Bible, the church has no authority of its own. It is a pity that God's children not only tolerate this kind of teaching, but promote it as well. In the Lord's eyes, everyone in the church is His child, and there is no distinction of class. It is the poison of Catholicism to separate the "pastors" from the "laity." In reading the New Testament, we see that apostles and shepherds are only gifts of God (Eph. 4:11). A gift has no authority attached to it; its only function is to build up the brothers. Although there were such things as excommunications in the apostolic churches, such matters belonged to the whole Body (1 Cor. 5:13) and were unlike today's hierarchical practices. As to Timothy's receiving of Paul's charges, his rebukes and exhortations, they were all the exercise of personal gifts. We should make a clear distinction between gift and hierarchy. The former is what God is after, whereas the latter is what man has created. When the voice of the church becomes too loud, God's word is seldom consulted. We should realize that before God we are all equal. Hence, all those who desire to uplift themselves are disobeying the command of the Lord and will be humbled (Matt. 23:12). It is a pity that many people have disobeyed the instructions in these two verses because they do not understand the teaching of the Bible! Yet, God's children should realize that not only is God not happy with our receiving titles from others, but He is also not happy that we address others with any title.
Question: How does one explain the second half of 2 Peter 1:19? (Chung, Shanghai)
Answer: This verse is difficult to understand according to the present punctuation. How can the morning star rise in our hearts? If we look at the punctuation and order of phrases in the translations of two great Bible scholars, Tregelles and F. W. Grant, the meaning will be apparent. "And we have the prophetic word made more firm, to which you do well to give heed as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts" (2 Pet. 1:19). The morning star does not rise in the believers' hearts. Instead, the believers should give heed to the prophetic word in their hearts. The prophetic words are like a lamp shining in the present dark world, until the appearance of the Lord Jesus to His saints.
