BIBLE TRUTH Q&A
Part 3






CONCERNING THE KINGDOM OF GOD

What is the kingdom of God? (73)

It is a kingdom that God will set up on earth which will overthrow and take possession of all others.



Who will be king in the Kingdom of God? (74)

Jesus Christ.



Will Christ reign alone in the Kingdom of God, or will others reign with him? (75)

Others will reign with him.



Who are they that will reign with Christ in the Kingdom of God? (76)

The saints.



Who are the saints? (77)

Those who believe and obey the Gospel.



Did God ever have a kingdom on earth before? (78)

Yes: the Kingdom of Israel was the Kingdom of God.



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? (79).

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



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

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



Will the Kingdom be composed of the same nation that it formerly consisted of, namely, the Jews who are now scattered? (81)

Yes; the Jews, the descendants of Abraham now dispersed in all the countries of the world, will be gathered to their own land, and made there a great and righteous nation.





CONCERNING ABRAHAM, ISAAC AND JACOB

Who was Abraham? (82).

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 moved to Canaan.



Why did Abraham remove to Canaan? (83)

Because God commanded him to do so.



Why did God command Abraham to remove to Canaan? (84)

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



What was the purpose God had formed? (85)

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



Did God make known this purpose to anyone else than Abraham? (86)

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



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

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



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

No; they were strangers in the land of promise during their lifetime and died (and were all three buried at Hebron) without receiving it.



Will God fulfill His promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob by giving them the land of Canaan, wherein they dwelt as strangers during their mortal days? (89)

God will certainly fulfill 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.





CONCERNING ISRAEL'S DELIVERANCE FROM EGYPT

After having established the Covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, what next did God do in preparation for the carrying out of His purpose? (90).

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.



How long were they in Egypt? (91)

Between two and three hundred years.



How did they get away from Egypt? (92)

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 another, to the number of ten, and at the last, Pharaoh was glad to let them go.




Did they go straight to the land of promise? (93)

No; God led them to the west side of the Red Sea, where they were brought into great danger; for Pharaoh, hearing that they were in a place where they could not get away, came out with a great army to catch them, and take them back again into Egypt.



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

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.




For what purpose did God perform all these wonderful works? (95)

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




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

He led them to the wilderness of Sinai among great and barren mountains, and showed 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.



Why did He do that? (97)

That the people might believe in Moses as the prophet of God, and be prepared to obey the law which he purposed to give them through him.




What did God say in the hearing of the children of Israel? (98)

He recited the ten commandments.




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

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





CONCERNING THE FIRST COVENANT

Did God make a covenant with the people about these things? (100)

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.



What is this covenant called in the Scriptures? (101)

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



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)? (102).

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





CONCERNING ISRAEL IN THE WILDERNESS

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

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



Did they do as they were commanded? (104)

They meant to do it, but when they heard that the nations of Canaan were strong, they were afraid, and made up their minds not to go, but to kill Moses, and set up another captain over them who would lead them back into Egypt.



What did God do to them for this disobedience? (105)

Having showed His glory visibly in the camp to protect Moses, He ordered the whole congregation to go back into the wilderness, and there to remain for 40 years till the whole of the men over 20 years of age were dead.



What happened at the end of forty years? (106)

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; and then the children of Israel crossed the Jordan and attacked the nations of Canaan.



Was it wicked for Israel to make war upon the Canaanite nations? (107)

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.





CONCERNING RIGHT AND WRONG

What is wickedness? and what is righteousness? (108)

That is wicked which God forbids: and that is righteous which God commands - whatever it is.



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

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. None can call Him in question.




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