The Christadelphian Instructor - page 2

                                                              

  79.—Will the Kingdom of God, in which Christ and the saints will reign, have any relation to the Divine Kingdom of 

    Israel that existed in the past?

   ANSWER: The Kingdom of God, in which Christ and the saints will reign, will be the Kingdom of Israel restored.

   PROOF: "Lord, wilt thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" (Acts 1:6). "And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and

   thy counsellors as at the beginning" (Isaiah 1:26). "In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen,and close up the

   breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old" (Amos 9:11). "And thou, profane wicked

   prince of Israel..remove the diadem, and take off the crown..I will overturn, overturn, overturn it: and it shall be no more, until he

   come whose right it is; and I will give it him" (Ezekiel 21:25-27). "thou shalt call his name JESUS..and the Lord God shall give

   unto him the throne of his father David" (Luke 1:31,32). "..in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his

   glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (Matthew 19:28).

 

   80.—Will the restored Kingdom of Israel occupy the same land that it was established in before?

   ANSWER: Yes, it will be re-established in the very same land where David reigned and where Christ was crucified.

   PROOF: "And the desolate land shall be tilled..and they shall say, this land that was desolate is become like the garden of

   Eden" (Ezekiel 36:34,35). "Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate" (Isaiah

   62:4). "Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy

   of many generations" (Isaiah 60:15). "And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall

   repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations" (Isaiah 61:4). "And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the

   inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplication: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced..in that day 

   shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem" (Zechariah 12:10,11). "But in the last days..the law shall go forth of Zion, and the

   word of the LORD from Jerusalem" (Malachi 4:1,2).

 

   81.—Will the Kingdom be composed of the same nation that it formerly consisted of, namely, the Jews who are now

   scattered?

   ANSWER: Yes, the Jews, the descendants of Abraham now dispersed in all countries of the world, will be gathered to their own

   land, and made there a great and righteous nation.

   PROOF: "And he..shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the

   earth" (Isaiah 11:12). "He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock" (Jeremiah 31:10). "Thus

   sayeth the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country, and I will bring them,

   and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness"

   (Zechariah 8:7,8). "Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on

   every side, and bring them into their own land: and I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one

   king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at

   all" (Ezekiel 37:21,22).

 

  CONCERNING ABRAHAM, ISAAC AND JACOB

 

  82.—Who was Abraham?

  ANSWER: Originally he was a dweller in the land of the Chaldeans, on the eastern side of the river Euphrates, but when he was 75

  years old, he left his friends and removed to Canaan.

  PROOF: "And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood (i.e. the Euphrates), and led him throughout all the land

  of Canaan" (Joshua 24:3). "Thou art the LORD the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the

  Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham" (Nehemiah 9:7). "Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in

  Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell" (Acts 7:4).

 

  83.—Why did Abraham remove to Canaan?

  ANSWER: Because God commanded him to do so.

  PROOF: "The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, and said

  unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee" (Acts 7:2,3). "Now the

  LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will

  shew thee" (Genesis 12:1).

 

  84.—Why did God command Abraham to remove to Canaan?

  ANSWER: Because of the purpose God had formed concerning him and all the earth.

  PROOF: "For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the

  LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him" (Genesis 18:19). "I

  called him (i.e. Abraham) alone, and blessed him, and increased him. For the LORD shall comfort Zion..joy and gladness  shall be

  found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody..the isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust" (Isaiah

  51:2,3,5). "But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend..this people have I formed

  for myself; they shall shew forth my praise" (Isaiah 41:8; 43:21).

 

  85.—What was the purpose God had formed?

  ANSWER: To make of Abraham a great nation for the glory of God and the blessing of all mankind at last.

  PROOF: "And I will make of thee (i.e. Abram, later named Abraham) a great nation..and in thee shall all nations be blessed"

  (Genesis 12:2,3). "But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD" (Numbers 14:21). "I have sworn by

  myself, the word has gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue

  shall swear" (Isaiah 45:23).

 

  86.—Did God make known this purpose to anyone else other than Abraham?

  ANSWER: Yes, to Abraham's son, Isaac, and to Isaac's son, Jacob.

  PROOF: "And the LORD appeared unto him (i.e. Isaac), and said..in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed" (Genesis

  26:2,4). "..and in thee (i.e. Jacob) and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed" (Genesis 28:14). "He hath

  remembered his covenant for ever..which covenant he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac; and confirmed the same unto

  Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant: saying, unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your

  inheritance" (Psalm 105:8-11). "By faith Abraham..sojourned in the land of promise..dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob,

  the heirs with him of the same promise" (Hebrews 11:8,9).

 

  87.—How did God lay the foundation of His work with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?

  ANSWER: He made a covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, wherein they were strangers, for an everlasting

  possession.

  PROOF: "For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever" (Genesis 13:15). "In the same day the

  LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the

  river Euphrates" (Genesis 15:18). "Which covenant he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac; and confirmed the same unto

  Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant: Saying, unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your

  inheritance" (Psalm 105:8-11). "..for unto thee (i.e. Isaac), and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries" (Genesis 26:3). "..the

  land whereon thou (i.e. Jacob) liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed" (Genesis 28:13).

 

  88.—Did Abraham, Isaac and Jacob receive possession of the land of Canaan thus promised to them?

  ANSWER: No; they were strangers in the land of promise during their lifetime and died (and were all three buried at Hebron)

  without receiving it.

  PROOF: "By faith he (i.e. Abraham) sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac

  and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise" (Hebrews 11:9). "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but

  having seen them afar off, and were persuaded them, and  embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on

  the earth..and these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better

  thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect" (Hebrews 11:13,39,40). "And he (i.e. God) gave him (i.e. Abraham)

  none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his

  seed after him" (Acts 7:5).

 

  89.—Will God fulfil His promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob by giving them the land of Canaan forever, wherein they

  dwelt as strangers  during their mortal days?

  ANSWER: God will certainly fulfil His promise. He will raise Abraham, Isaac and Jacob from the dead, and give them possession

  of the land, when the Kingdom of God having been established there, it will have become a heavenly country.

  PROOF: "Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of

  old" (Micah7:20). "And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto

  him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but the God of

  the living: ye therefore do greatly err" (Mark 12:26,27). "..ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the

  kingdom of God" (Luke 13:28). "And I say unto you, that many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with

  Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 8:11).

 

  CONCERNING ISRAEL'S DELIVERANCE FROM EGYPT

 

  90.—After having established the covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, what next did God do in preparation for the

  carrying out of His purpose?

  ANSWER: He sent Jacob's family down into Egypt, where in process of time they grew numerous, and were enslaved by Pharaoh,

  who used them as makers of brick for the building of cities.

  PROOF: Genesis 35 to 50; Exodus 1 and 2.

 

  91.—How long were they in Egypt?

  ANSWER: Some hundreds of years.

  PROOF: Genesis 15:13-16; Exodus 12:40,41; Acts 7:6,7; Galatians 3:17.

 

  92.—How did they get away from Egypt?

  ANSWER: God sent Moses to Pharaoh to demand their release, and when Pharaoh refused to let them go, God sent plagues into the

  land, one after the other, to the number of ten, and at the last, Pharaoh was glad to let them go.

  PROOF: Exodus 3 to 12.

 

  93.—Did they go straight to the land of promise?

  ANSWER: No; God led them to the west side of the Red Sea, where they were brought into great danger. Pharaoh had changed his

  mind about letting them go. And hearing that they were in a place where they could not get away, he came out with a great army to

  catch them, and to take them back again into Egypt.

  PROOF: Exodus 12 to 14.

 

  94.—What did God do to release His people from the strait they were in?

  ANSWER: He opened a way in the sea for Israel to pass through. Israel got safely to the other side, and when the Egyptians

  followed them, God brought the sea upon the Egyptians and drowned them all.

  PROOF: Exodus 14.

 

  95.—For what purpose did God perform all these wonderful works?

  ANSWER: That He might make His existence and power known to Israel and to all the earth.

  PROOF: "Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation..according to all that the LORD your

  God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the LORD he is God; there is

  none else beside him" (Deuteronomy 4:34,35). "Nevertheless he saved them for his name's sake, that he might make his mighty

  power to be known" (Psalm 106:8). "In the day that I lifted up mine hand unto them, to bring them forth of the land of Egypt into a

  land that I had espied for them..I wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, among whom they

  were, in whose sight I made myself known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt" (Ezekiel 20:6,9). "And the

  LORD said unto Moses, go in unto Pharaoh: for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I might shew these my

  signs before him..that ye may know how that I am the LORD" (Exodus 10:1,2). "And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee

  (i.e. Pharaoh) up, for to shew in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth" (Exodus 9:16). "..to

  the end thou mayest know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth" (Exodus 8:22).

 

  96.—When Israel had crossed the Red Sea, what did God next do with them?

  ANSWER: He led them to the wilderness of Sinai among great and barren mountains, and shewed His presence in a visible manner

  before them by descending to the top of Sinai in the midst of dense cloud, smoke, and earthquake; and speaking to them with a loud

  voice which they all heard.

  PROOF: Exodus 19:16-20; Deuteronomy 4:10-12; 5:4.

 

  97.—Why did He do that?

  ANSWER: That the people might fear God, and believe in Moses as His prophet, and be prepared to obey the law which  God

  purposed to give them through him.

  PROOF: "And the LORD said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee,

  and believe thee for ever" (Exodus 19:9). "..the LORD said unto me (i.e. Moses), gather me the people together, and I will make

  them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their

  children" (Deuteronomy 4:10).

 

  98.—What did God say in the hearing of the children of Israel?

  ANSWER: He recited the ten commandments.

  PROOF: "And the LORD spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only

  ye heard a voice. And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he

  wrote them upon two tables of stone" (Deuteronomy 4:12,13).

 

  99.—Did He deliver a law to them besides the ten commandments?

  ANSWER: Yes, He spoke to Moses many other things which Moses spoke to the people.

  PROOF: "And the LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that ye might do them in the land

  whither ye go over to possess it" (Deuteronomy 4:14).

 

  100.—Did God make a covenant with the people about these things?

  ANSWER: Yes; God offered to bless them with many blessings if they would obey the law that he would give them, and the people

  promised to do all that the Lord would command. Then the Lord gave the law, and Moses wrote it in a book, and read it to the

  people. He then sprinkled the book and the people with the blood of sacrifices, and thus a covenant was established between God

  and the people.

  PROOF: "And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with

  one voice, and said, all the words which the LORD hath said will we do. And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD..and he took

  the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be

  obedient. And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD

  hath made with you concerning all these words" (Exodus 24:3,4,7,8) and see Hebrews 9:19-21.

 

  101.—What is this covenant called in the Scriptures?

  ANSWER: It is called the first, or the old covenant.

  PROOF: "For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second..he saith, Behold, the

  days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant..In that he saith, a new covenant, he hath made the first old" (Hebrews

  8: 7,8,13).

 

  102.—Why is it called the first or the old covenant, seeing there was a covenant before it, namely, the covenant made with

  Abraham, spoken of in Question 86?

  ANSWER: Because, although the covenant of the law of Moses was the last to be given, it was the first to come into force. It was

  the law of Israel's national life for many hundreds of years before the confirmation of the covenant made with Abraham by the

  shedding of the blood of Christ.

  PROOF: Galatians 3:17-19; Romans 15:8; Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:24-26.

 

  CONCERNING ISRAEL IN THE WILDERNESS

 

  103.—What happened after the giving of the law to Israel, and the establishment in their midst of all things pertaining to it?

  ANSWER: God commanded Israel to march and to enter the land of Canaan and to subdue the nations that were there.

  PROOF: Numbers 13:1-20; Deuteronomy 1:19-21.

 

  104.—Did they do as they were commanded?

  ANSWER: They meant to do it, but when they discovered that the nations of Canaan were strong, they were afraid, and made up

  their minds not to obey. They threatened to kill Moses, and to set up another captain over them, and to return back into Egypt.

  PROOF: Numbers 13:21-33; 14:1-10; Deuteronomy 1:22-33.

 

  105.—What did God do to them for this disobedience?

  ANSWER: Having showed His glory visibly in the camp, He ordered the whole congregation to go back into the wilderness, and

  there to remain for 40 years until the disobedient adults were all dead.

  PROOF: Numbers 14:10-39; Deuteronomy 1:34-40.

 

  106.—What happened at the end of the forty years?

  ANSWER: At the end of the forty years, the Israelites came to Canaan from the east side of the river Jordan. When the nations on

  that side had been conquered, Moses died according to the word of the Lord. Joshua had been appointed by God to lead His people,

  and he led them across the Jordan, and conquered the nations on the west side of the river. Some time later Joshua died.

  PROOF: Deuteronomy 2,3,34; Joshua 1-24.

 

  107.—Was it wicked for Israel to make war upon the Canaanitish nations?

  ANSWER: No. The Canaanitish nations were sunk in wickedness, and God had commanded Israel to execute judgment upon them.

  It would have been wickedness if they had not done it. Israel was commanded not to adopt the evil ways and gods of these nations.

  PROOF: Leviticus 18:24-30; Deuteronomy 9:1-5; 12:1-3;28-32.

 

  CONCERNING RIGHT AND WRONG

 

  108.—What is wickedness? What is righteousness?

  ANSWER: That is wicked which God forbids; and that is righteous which God commands.

  PROOF: "What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it" (Deuteronomy

  12:32). "And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD?

  Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of lambs" (1 Samuel 15:22). "..sin is the transgression of the law"

  (1 John 3:4). "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners,so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous"

  (Romans 5:19).

 

  109.—Since God has said "Thou shalt not kill", was it not wicked to kill the Canaanites?

  ANSWER: No, because God commanded Israel to kill the Canaanites. There is a time to kill, and a time to keep alive. God knows

  the one thing and the other, and when He commands, man has nothing to do but obey. God can do as He pleases, and none can call

  Him in question. But He is always righteous. The Canaanites were very evil. 

  PROOF: The passages quoted in answer 107, also the following: "..thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make

  no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them..thou shalt save nothing alive that breatheth" (Deuteronomy 7:2; 20:16). "To

  every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven..a time to kill, and a time to heal" (Ecclesiastes 3:1,3).

  "..and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood"(when the Lord commands, see 1 Samuel 15:1-3,7-33) Jeremiah 48:10.

  "And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the

  inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?" Daniel 4:35. "Whatsoever the LORD

  pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places" (Psalm 135:6).

 

  CONCERNING ISRAEL UNDER THE JUDGES

 

  110.—When Israel, under Joshua, had destroyed the seven nations of Canaan, what did they do with their land?

  ANSWER: They divided it amongst themselves by lot, and settled down in it according to the laws God had given them by Moses.

  PROOF: Joshua 18:1-10; Psalm 105: 43-45.

 

  111.—Did they continue obedient to these laws?

  ANSWER: Yes, so long as Joshua was alive and the old men who outlived him. After that, they turned away from the law of

  Moses, and began to do as the Canaanites did who still lived near them. They forsook the worship of God and worshipped idols. 

  PROOF: Judges 2:6-13; Psalm 106:34-39.

 

  112.—What was the consequence of their turning away from the law of Moses?

  ANSWER: God brought them into great trouble by allowing the neighbouring nations to get the upper hand of them, and drive them

  out of their houses, and take possession of their goods and lands.

  PROOF: Judges 2:14,15; Psalm 106:40-43.

 

  113.—Did these troubles destroy Israel?

  ANSWER: No. When they got into trouble, they repented of their disobedience, and cried to God; and time after time, during a

  period of 450 years, God raised them up judges who delivered them.

  PROOF: Judges 2:16-23; Acts 13:19,20.

 

  114.—Can you name the judges He so raised up?

  ANSWER: Othniel, Ehud, Deborah, Gideon, Abimelech, Tola, Jair, Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, Abdon, Samson, Eli, and Samuel. These

  judges, though coming one after the other, did not all succeed each other in an unbroken line. There were intervals during which

  Israel was oppressed by neighbouring kings.

  PROOF: The book of Judges and 1 Samuel 1 to 3.

 

  CONCERNING ISRAEL BECOMING A KINGDOM

 

  115.—What change took place in the days of the last of these judges?

  ANSWER: Israel desired a king that they might be like the other nations. They came to Samuel and asked him to appoint them a

  king.

  PROOF: 1 Samuel 8:1-5.

 

  116.—Did Samuel comply with their wishes?

  ANSWER: God told Samuel to do as they wished; and Samuel anointed Saul, son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, to be their king.

  PROOF: 1 Samuel 8:6-9; 9 and 10.

 

  117.—Did Saul prove to be a good king?

  ANSWER: No, he several times disobeyed God in important matters that he had been commanded to do.

  PROOF: 1 Samuel 13:13, 15:19; 1 Chronicles 10:13.

 

  118.—What was the consequence of Saul's disobedience?

  ANSWER: God rejected him from being king, and appointed David, the son of Jesse, of the tribe of Judah, in his place.

  PROOF: 1 Samuel 13:13,14; 15:26-29; 28:16-18.

 

  119.—Was David a good king?

  ANSWER: Yes, he was a man after God's own heart. All his life he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, except in one notable

  instance, but he repented for this sin, and God forgave him.

  PROOF: 1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22; Psalm 51; 1 Kings 15:5.

 

  120.—How many kings came after him in succession, sitting upon his throne? and what were their names?

  ANSWER: There were twenty kings after David, all lineally descended from him, and all sitting on his throne. the names were:

  Solomon, Rehoboam, Abijah, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Joram, Ahaziah, Joash, Amaziah, Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, 

  Amon, Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin and Zedekiah.

  PROOF: The books of the Kings and Chronicles.

 

  CONCERNING THE DIVISION OF THE KINGDOM INTO TWO PARTS

 

  121.—Did the kings, whom we have just enumerated, reign over the twelve tribes of Israel, as David did?

  ANSWER: Solomon did so; but after his death, as a punishment for his sins, ten tribes revolted from the government of David's

  house, and set up a king of their own. He was Jereboam, the son of Nebat, who established a separate kingdom in the northern part

  of Palestine, consisting of the ten tribes. This was ordained by God.

  PROOF: 1 Kings 4:1; 11:1-13; 26-43;12:1-17.

 

  122.—Of what tribes did the northern kingdom consist?

  ANSWER: Of the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, Zebulun, Naphtali, Asher, Dan, Gad, Simeon and Reuben.

  PROOF: 1 Kings 11:29-35 and various references.

 

  123.—What was the northern kingdom called?

  ANSWER: The kingdom of Israel. It was also frequently spoken of  by the prophets as "Ephraim" (from the leading tribe).

  PROOF: The books of the Kings and the prophet Hosea etc.

 

  124.—Was the kingdom of Israel ruled by the law of Moses as when David and Solomon reigned over all of the nation?

  ANSWER: No. Jeroboam abandoned the law of Moses and led the ten tribes into idolatry, from which they never departed.

  PROOF: 1 Kings 12:25-30.

 

  125.—How many kings reigned over the kingdom of Israel after Jeroboam, and what were their names?

  ANSWER: The number was 18. They were Nadab, Baasha, Elah, Zimri, Omri, Ahab, Ahaziah, Joram, Jehu, Jehoahaz, Joash,

  Jeroboam, Zechariah, Shallum, Menahem, Pekahiah, Pekah, Hoshea.

  PROOF: The book of Kings.

 

  126.—Of what tribes did the southern kingdom of David consist after the revolt of the ten tribes?

  ANSWER: Of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin

  PROOF: 1 Kings 12:21; 2 Chronicles 11:12.

 

  127.—By what name was the kingdom of David's successors known, and how long did it last?

  ANSWER: The kingdom of David was known as the kingdom of Judah. It lasted 393 years after the revolt of the ten tribes, which

  was also 135 years longer than the kingdom of Israel. Whereas Israel was overthrown by the Assyrians, Judah was overthrown by

  Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. He took many of the people away into Babylon, where they remained in captivity for seventy

  years. There was then a restoration under Ezra and Nehemiah, in consequence of a decree of Cyrus, king of Persia, who had

  overthrown the kingdom of Babylon. But the kingdom of David was never restored. In about 540 years after the return from

  Babylon Jesus Christ was born. In seventy years after that, the Jewish state was broken up by the Romans, and afterwards it was

  "trodden down of the Gentiles".

  PROOF: The books of Kings, Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Matthew, and Luke.

 

  CONCERNING THE COVENANT MADE WITH DAVID

 

  128.—Did God make a covenant with David concerning the everlasting continuance of his kingdom?

  ANSWER: Yes, He promised to give him a son who would sit on the throne for ever, and to set up a Kingdom in Israel that should

  have no end; and that David should see it with his own eyes, and have an everlasting place therein.

  PROOF: "..I will set up thy seed after thee..and I will establish his kingdom..and thine house and thy kingdom shall be established

  for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever" (2 Samuel 7:12,16). "Although my house be not so with God; yet he

  hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although

  he make it not to grow" (2 Samuel 23:5). "The LORD hath sworn in truth unto David; he will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy

  body will I set upon thy throne" (Psalm 132:11). "I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant,

  Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah (i.e. pause and consider)" (Psalm 89:3,4 & also

  see verses 34 to 37).

 

  129.—Has the covenant made with David been fulfilled?

  ANSWER: No. It was only fulfilled typically in Solomon; but its real fulfillment is to be in Christ. He was born in David's line and

  declared to be both the Son of God and the son of David who was the heir to David's throne.

  PROOF: "And the LORD hath performed his word that he spake, and I am risen up in the room of David my father, and sit on the

  throne of Israel, as the LORD promised" (1 Kings 8:20). "Jesus Christ, the son of David" (Matthew 1:1). "Concerning his Son Jesus

  Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh" (Romans 1:3). "..and the Lord God shall give unto

  him the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end"

  (Luke 1:32,33). "David..being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins,

  according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; he seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ" (Acts

  2: 29-31).

 

  130.—Will Christ, then, yet occupy the throne of David?

  ANSWER: Yes, He will. At His second coming, He will sit on His throne and reign in Jerusalem as King of the Jews and ruler of

  all mankind.

  PROOF: "When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his

  glory" (Matthew 25:31). "Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his

  kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever" (Isaiah 9:7). "..and he shall

  execute judgment and righteousness in the land. In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely" (Jeremiah

  33:15,16). "..the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously" (Isaiah 24:23). "At

  that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD" (Jeremiah 3:17). "..for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word

  of the LORD from Jerusalem" (Isaiah 2:3). "..one like the Son of man came..and there was given him dominion , and glory, and a

  kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass

  away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed" (Daniel 7:13,14). "He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the

  Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever;

  and of his kingdom there shall be no end" (Luke 1:32,33).

 

  131.—Is Christ coming to the earth a second time?

  ANSWER: Yes; He will return as really as He went away; and when He comes, men will see Him as really as when He was on the

  earth before.

  PROOF: "..this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into

  heaven" (Acts 1:11). "And he (i.e. God) shall send Jesus Christ..whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all

  things, which God hath spoken" (Acts 3:20,21). "..the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming

  fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:..when he shall come to be

  glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe" (2 Thessalonians 1:7,8,10). "..when he shall appear, we shall be

  like him; for we shall see him as he is" (1 John 3:2). "Behold, he cometh..and every eye shall see him" (Revelation 1:7).

 

  CONCERNING THE RESURRECTION, RESPONSIBILITY, AND JUDGMENT

 

  132.—What will Christ do first when He returns?

  ANSWER: Assisted by His angels, He will assemble all those who are responsible to judgment, living or dead. The dead will be

  raised, and together with the living, will appear before His judgment seat. Each one will receive in the body according to what they

  have done in this present life.

  PROOF: "Jesus Christ..shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom" (2 Timothy 4:1). "And many of them

  that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt" (Daniel 12:2).

  "And (they) shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the 

  resurrection  of damnation" (John 5:29). "We shall not all sleep..we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with

  them" (1 Corinthians 15:51; 1 Thessalonians 4:17). "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may

  receive  the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad" (2 Corinthians 5:10). "..for we shall

  all stand before the judgment seat of Christ..every one of us shall give account of himself to God" (Romans 14:10,12).

 

  133.—Who are responsible to judgment?

  ANSWER: All who know the Truth, whether they submit to it or not.

  PROOF: "..preach the gospel to every creature..he that believeth not shall be damned" (Mark 16:15,16). "He that rejecteth me, and

  receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him; the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day" (John

  12:48). "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their

  deeds were evil" (John 3:19). "..the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things..unto them that

  are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that doeth

  evil..in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel" (Romans 2:2,8,9,16). "I will raise

  them up a Prophet from among their brethren..and it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he

  shall speak in my name, I will require it of him" (Deuteronomy 18:18,19).

 

  134.—Are there some who are not responsible?

  ANSWER: Yes, many. It is the light of the Truth that makes people responsible; but spiritual darkness covers the earth, and where

  there is darkness, personal responsibility to a future judgment is not incurred.

  PROOF: "If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth" (John 9:41). "If I had not

  come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin" (John 15:22). "Man that is in honour,

  and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish" (Psalm 49:20). "The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall

  remain in the congregation of the dead" (Proverbs 21:16). "..for sin is the transgression of the law" (1 John 3:4). ".."for where no

  law is, there is no transgression" (Romans 4:15). "but sin is not imputed when there is no law" (Romans 5:13). "For as many as have

  sinned without law shall also perish without law" (Romans 2:12). "the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people"

  (Isaiah 60:2).

 

  135.—What becomes of those who are not responsible?

  ANSWER: They die, and pass out of memory as if they had never been.

  PROOF: "..man being in honour abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish..he shall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall

  never see light" (Psalm 49:12,19). "..and they shall sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake" (Jeremiah 51:57). "They are dead, they

  shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise: therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to

  perish" (Isaiah 26:14). "Free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, whom thou rememberest no more" (Psalm 88:5).

  "The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead" (Proverbs 21:16).  

 

  136.—What will the righteous among the responsible receive?

  ANSWER: They will receive immortality of nature. Their mortal bodies will be changed in a moment by the spirit of God.

  PROOF: "..the Lord Jesus Christ..shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body" (Philippians

  3:20,21). "..we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump..this mortal must put on immortality"

  (1 Corinthians 15: 51-53). "..earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven..that mortality might be

  swallowed up of life" (2 Corinthians 5:2,4). "he..shall also quicken your mortal bodies" (Romans 8:11). "Who will render..to them

  who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life" (Romans 2:6,7). "..he that soweth

  to the spirit shall of the spirit reap life everlasting" (Galatians 6:8).

 

  137.—What will become of those whom Christ rejects?

  ANSWER: They will depart from His presence with shame and vexation, to suffer as the Judge shall think they deserve, and at last

  to be devoured by the second death.

  PROOF: "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire" (Matthew 25:41). "There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when

  ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out" (Luke

  13:28). "..many..shall awake..some to shame and everlasting contempt" (Daniel 12:2). "And (they) shall come forth..they that have

  done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation" (John 5:29). "The lord of that (evil) servant..will cut him in sunder, and will appoint

  him his portion with the unbelievers" (Luke 12:46). "And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither

  did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be

  beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required" (Luke 12:47,48). "And whosoever

  was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire..which is the second death" (Revelation 20:15; 21:8). "For he

  that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption" (Galatians 6:8). "For the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23).

 

  CONCERNING CHRIST AS THE VANQUISHER OF THE GENTILES AND THE RESTORER OF ISRAEL

 

  138.—When Christ has judged those who appear before Him, what will He do?

  ANSWER: He will make war upon the nations of the earth and subdue them.

  PROOF: "The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed..

  thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel" (Psalm 2:2,9). "I will tread them in

  mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For

  the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is some" (Isaiah 63:3,4). "These shall make war with the Lamb,

  and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen,

  and faithful" (Revelation 17:14). "..in righteousness he doth judge and make war" (Revelation 19:11).

 

  139.—When the nations are overthrown, what will He do next?

  ANSWER: He will gather the Jews from their dispersion among all the nations and re-establish them in their own land.

  PROOF: "..I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the LORD; and  will cause them to return to the land

  that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it..I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and

  Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and none shall make him afraid..in the latter days ye shall consider it" (Jeremiah 30:3,10,24).

  "He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock" (Jeremiah 31:10). "I will take the children of

  Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: and I

  will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all" (Ezekiel 37:21,22).

  "Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel" (Ezekiel 39:25). "For if the casting

  away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be but life from the dead?" (Romans 11:15).

 

  140.—Will all of the Jews be restored to their land?

  ANSWER: They will all be gathered from Gentile lands; but they will not all enter the promised land: the disobedient are to be

  destroyed from the midst of them, as it was when Israel came out of Egypt under Moses.

  PROOF: "And I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered..and I will

  bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face. Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the

  wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord GOD. And  will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will

  bring you into the bond of the covenant: and I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will

  bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel" (Ezekiel 20:34-38).

 

  141.—Will the Jews be a righteous nation in the day of their restoration?

  ANSWER: Yes, a new covenant will be made with them under which all their sins will be forgiven, and the law of God will be

  written in their hearts and minds. All will know and love God, from the least to the greatest.

  PROOF: "Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my

  hands, that I may be glorified" (Isaiah 60:21). "Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the

  house of Israel, and with the house of Judah..I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their

  God, and they shall be my people..they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I 

  will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more" (Jeremiah 31:31,33,34). "For this is my covenant unto them,

  when I shall take away their sins" (Romans 11:27).

 

  142.—Will there be a new temple in their midst in that happy day?

  ANSWER: Yes, such a temple as has never been seen upon the earth for size and magnificence. The land will be turned into a

  paradise, and the temple will stand in the centre of the land in a section dedicated wholly to the Lord. To this temple all nations will

  regularly journey, to learn the way of God and to worship before Him.

  PROOF: Ezekiel 40-48; Haggai 2:7,9; Isaiah 56:7 quoted in Matthew 21:13, Mark 11:17, Luke 19:46; Isaiah 60:7, 13; Psalm 51:18,

  19; Zechariah 14:16,20,21; Micah 4:1,2.

 

   CONCERNING OTHER NATIONS DURING THE REIGN OF CHRIST IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD

 

  143.—In what relation will the nations of the earth stand to Israel and their glorious King?

  ANSWER: The nations of the earth will all be subject to Christ, and do honour to the Jews, of whose blessedness they will share.

  PROOF: " And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve

  him" (Daniel 7:14). "For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted"

  Isaiah 60:12). "I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame..I will make you a name and a

  praise among all people of the earth" (Zephaniah 3:19,20). "..ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall

  take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you" (Zechariah 8:23).

 

  144.—How long will the rule of all nations by Christ and the redeemed last?

  ANSWER: It will last for one thousand years.

  PROOF: "..and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years..they..shall reign with him a thousand years" (Revelation

  20:4,6).

 

  145.—Will the nations be mortal or immortal during that time?

  ANSWER: None will be immortal but Christ and His brethren—the saints. There will be death generally among men as now,

  however the nations will learn righteousness, life will be greatly prolonged, and it will be a blessed and happy time. 

  PROOF: "There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days; for the child shall die an

  hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed" (Isaiah 65:20). "He shall judge thy people with

  righteousness, and thy poor with judgment..In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon

  endureth..He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy..all nations shall call him blessed"

  (Psalm 72:2,7,13,17). 

 

  CONCERNING THE END OF THE THOUSAND YEARS

 

  146.—Will the Kingdom come to an end at the close of the thousand years?

  ANSWER: The Kingdom will never end; but it will undergo a change at the close of the millennium.

  PROOF: "..and of his kingdom there shall be no end" (Luke 1:33). "..the kingdom shall stand for ever" (Daniel 2:44). "..his

  dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed" (Daniel 7:14).

  "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth..the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his

  people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God" (Revelation 21:1,3).

 

  147.—What will be the nature of the change that will take place?

  ANSWER: The nature of the change in its detail has not been revealed: but we know that death will then cease upon earth, and only

  those who have been granted immortality will remain. Christ will deliver up the Kingdom to the Father, that God may be all in all.

  PROOF: "..and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things

  are passed away" (Revelation 21:4). "Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father;

  when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The

  last enemy that shall be destroyed is death..And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be

  subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all" (1 Corinthians 15:24-26,28).

 

  148.—How will the cessation of death be brought about at the end of the thousand years?

  ANSWER: There will be a judgment of all those who will have lived during the thousand year reign of Christ. Those who have

  come into harmony with God will be made immortal. All others will be destroyed.

  PROOF: "Behold. I make all things new..I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that

  overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the

  abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in..the second death"

  (Revelation 21:5-8). "And when the thousand years are expired..they were judged every man according to their works..and

  whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire..and there shall be no more death" (Revelation

  20:7,13,15;21:4).

 

  149.—What relation will the ones who become immortal at that time have to those made immortal at the coming of Christ?

  ANSWER: They will be the harvest compared to the first-fruits of the great multitude to be redeemed. The Feast of Tabernacles,

  which will be kept by the nations during the Kingdom Age, will point forward to this great ingathering.

  PROOF: "And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from

  year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles" (Zechariah 14:16)."..on either side of the

  river, was there the tree (i.e. wood) of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of

  the tree (i.e..wood) were for the healing of the nations" (Revelation 22:2). "Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that

  we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures" (James 1: 18). "These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto

  God, and to the Lamb" (Revelation 14:4).

 

  150. When death is abolished, will the earth be destroyed?

  ANSWER: No; the earth will endure for ever, filled with the glory of God and His deathless rejoicing people.

  PROOF: "..the earth abideth for ever" (Ecclesiastes 1:4). "..the earth which he hath established for ever" (Psalm 78:69). "But as

  truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD" (Numbers 14:21). "..and his servants..shall reign for ever and

  ever" (Revelation 22:3,5). And see passages proving answer 146. 

                                                                                

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