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Question:Apostles and pastors are both gifts. But can I say that the word "apostle" can be used as a title also, because the apostles are "ordained"? (Lee, Kiangsu)
Answer:Yes. The fact that among all the gifts in the church, the apostles are the only ones who are "ordained" makes the apostleship a gift as well as an office. The pastors, however, are different.
Question:Why was Barnabas also called an apostle in Acts 14:14? (Lee, Kiangsu)
Answer:The word apostle in the original language means a sent one. Paul and Barnabas were both sent by the Holy Spirit to preach the word (13:2). As such, they were apostles (14:14), that is, they were sent ones. The place held by the twelve apostles was not something absolute; Judas could lose his place, and Matthias could take Judas's place. Paul was not one of the twelve. In spite of this, the apostles are the most important kind of people. There are no more apostles now. Only their teachings are left in the Bible.
Question:According to Acts 15, it seems that churches in other places were keeping the decrees established by the church in Jerusalem. It seems that there is some kind of control here. (Lee)
Answer:The Bible does not have such a thing as a federated great church. At the time of the apostles, there was no such thing as the local churches in all the places being joined together to conform to the ordinances of one headquarters church. The Holy Spirit has guarded against this; He does not want any head church. As a result, in the apostles' work, the center was in Antioch, and not in Jerusalem. Paul and Timothy did not commit to the disciples the decree of "the church in Jerusalem." Rather, they committed to them the decree established by "the apostles and elders in Jerusalem." Actually, the decree was established by "the Holy Spirit and...us [the apostles and elders]" (15:28). This is why all the churches have the common responsibility to keep it.
Question: Does the commandment in Matthew 5:19 refer to the words in Matthew 5:1-12? (Lee)
Answer: Yes. One thing is certain: The commandment here does not refer to the Ten Commandments. The law in verse 17 is related to the prophets. Hence, it does not refer to the Ten Commandments. The law and the prophets constitute the whole Old Testament. Those brothers who honor the law so much think that the law mentioned in verse 18 refers to the Ten Commandments. But when the Lord went on to expound what He was saying previously, we see that verses 21 and 27 are both in the Ten Commandments, whereas verses 31, 32, 38, and 43 do not come from the laws in the Ten Commandments, but from the books of the law. Hence, the law in verse 18, like the law in verse 17, refers to the books of the law. Since the law in verse 18 does not refer to the law of the Ten Commandments, the law following that in verse 19 should not be the laws of the Ten Commandments either. What the Lord Jesus is saying in verses 17 and 18 is that the prophecies in the Old Testament will not fail, that they will all be fulfilled. The significance of verse 20 is related to the law. To keep the law is to receive the righteousness that grants one an entrance into the kingdom of the heavens; it is to keep the words of verses 1 to 12 and the words of chapters five, six, and seven. Hence, the law here refers to the teachings on the Mount.
Question: Will the work in Matthew 13:40-43 be performed at the time when the Lord descends to earth with His saints? (Lee)
Answer: Not completely. The sowing is the Lord's first coming. The harvest is the rapture of the saints. Verses 41 to 43 concern something that takes place when the Lord comes back to earth with His saints.
Question: Who are the torturers in Matthew 18:34? (Lee)
Answer: I believe it is Satan. This passage and 1 Corinthians 5:5 mean the same thing.
Question: What is the significance of the angel contending for the body of Moses in Jude 9? (Lee)
Answer: This happened after the death and burial of Moses (6, Deut. 34:8). Deuteronomy 34:6 seems to indicate that Moses was not in his sepulcher for long. No other passage can be linked to this place. I myself believe that only the transfiguration on the Mount in Matthew 17 is related to this. Actually, this is the only incident recorded after Moses' death. Satan wanted to stop Moses from putting on his body to appear on the Mount of Transfiguration. Hence, Michael contended with him, according to the nature of his work, which Daniel 12:1-2 shows has to do with resurrection.
Question: Do the living creatures in Revelation 4:6 represent all living creatures? Who do the twenty-four elders represent? Why is the number twenty-four? (Lee)
Answer: Yes, the four living creatures represent all living creatures. The twenty-four elders are the kings and priests among the angels. Their sitting on the throne and their crowns show that they are kings. Their ministering by the incense altar in white garments shows that they are priests. Twenty-four is the number for the divisions of the priesthood (1 Chron. 24).
Question: You have said that the rapture is the transformation and the taking up of the living persons. But the two preachers are raptured after they are resurrected. Does that not mean that there will be a resurrection before the blowing of the seventh trumpet (Rev. 11:12)?
Answer: That is right. The two preachers are special and have nothing to do with the Christians.
Question: You have said that after the seventh trumpet, there will still be a minority of believers on earth. Once they are ready, they will be raptured also. What is the proof of this?
Answer: The proof of this is in Revelation 11:18, which tells us that by that time there will still be Christians talking about the Lord's coming. In typology, there are the firstfruits, the harvest, and also the gleanings (Lev. 23).
Question: Some have said that the scroll mentioned in Revelation 5 signifies the grant deed of a redeemed inheritance. This sounds plausible. What do you think? (Lee)
Answer: Yes. However, we cannot say this so directly. We will know what the scroll says when it is opened in the future. This scroll is the book of the God who pre-ordained history and who executes what He has ordained according to His wisdom and power. It is not only a prophecy, but the fulfillment of prophecies. The judgment of the world, the redemption of the world, and the ruling of Christ are all contained in this book.
Question: Are the things that will come out of the abyss in Revelation 9:1-11 what you have described in The Christian, Issue No. 1? (Lee)
Answer: Yes, because ordinary locusts do not have kings (Prov. 30:27). However, the locusts in verse 11 have kings.
Question: What does Revelation 9:14 refer to? (Lee)
Answer: Nothing. The river Euphrates is the boundary of the ancient Roman Empire. It has to do with the revival of the Roman Empire.
Question: Is the little scroll in Revelation 10 the same as the scroll in Revelation 5? (Lee)
Answer: No. The scroll in chapter five is sealed, whereas the scroll in chapter ten is open. Moreover, the scroll in chapter ten is "little," whereas the scroll in chapter five is new. Hence, one can know it only when he unrolls it (i.e., when he has the revelation). The scroll in chapter ten is open already (i.e., God has revealed it already). All that it takes is to eat it and digest it. The scroll in chapter ten is the prophecies in the Old Testament.
Question: Does the woman in Revelation 12:1 refer to the Jewish nation? Should the man-child in 12:5 then refer to the Jews who turn back to the Lord during the tribulation? If we interpret it this way, how should we interpret 12:6? (Revelation 12:13 and 16 should be a detailed explanation of 12:4-6.)
Answer: The woman is the city of Jerusalem, because all the women in this book are cities. Of course, it also refers to the Jewish nation. The man-child is the overcoming believers, because verse 5 matches 2:27. Jerusalem is the birthplace of the church. Verse 5 of chapter twelve is on the rapture of the overcomers. Verses 13-16 are a detailed explanation of verses 4-6, 17. The rest of the seed are the saints who are not raptured. Their having "the testimony of Jesus" proves that they are Christians.
Question: The reaping with the sickle in Revelation 14:14-16 appears to be a stern treatment. Why is it mentioned in relationship to the rapture? (Lee)
Answer: The sickle is the unique tool for reaping. It does not denote any sternness. The sickle denotes the angels (Matt. 13:39). This passage must be considered in conjunction with the parable of the wheat and the tares in Matthew 13. The harvest here is the wheat in Matthew 13, and the grapes are the tares in Matthew 13. The harvest is gathered into the "barn." For the disciples, their barn is heaven, because a farmer's barn is not built in the field (the world). Hence, to be gathered into the barn is to be raptured to heaven.
Question: How should we interpret Revelation 17:9-11? Some have said that it refers to the few nations after Egypt. (Lee)
Answer: This has nothing to do with Egypt. This is talking about Rome. The seven heads here are the seven heads of the beast. This beast is the first beast in chapter thirteen. It refers to the last Roman emperor, who is Antichrist, and to his Roman Empire. The seven heads have to do with Rome. There are two interpretations of the seven heads: (1) they refer to a place, and (2) they refer to kings. If they should refer to a place, the seven heads are the "seven mountains," which is the city of Rome, because Rome was built on seven hills and was called "the city of seven hills." If they should refer to kings, the seven heads are the "seven kings." When John wrote Revelation, five of the seven kings (Julius Caesar, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero) had died unnatural deaths (that is, "fallen"). One still remained, who was Domitian, and another had not yet come, who is the emperor of the revived Roman Empire. The eighth one is Antichrist himself (v. 11).
Question: According to Issue No. 1 and No. 3 of The Christian, the fallen creatures in the first world became bodiless spirits and have descended into the depths of the sea (the abyss). They have no hope of ever being saved. However, the spirits of the angels who were destroyed by the deluge because of their sins descended into Tartarus (the depths of the earth) and could repent through hearing the gospel. Is this right? (Lee)
Answer: Yes, that is right.
