Instructor Pt 4

BIBLE TRUTH Q&A
Part 4

CONCERNING ISRAEL UNDER THE JUDGES

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

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

Joshua 18:1-10; Psa. 105:43-45

Did they continue obedient to these laws? (111)

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 lived near them. They forsook the worship of God and worshipped idols.

Judges 2:6-13; Psa. 106:34-39

What was the consequence of their turning away from the law of Moses? (112)

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.

Judges 2:14-15; Psa. 106:40-43

Did these troubles destroy Israel? (113)

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.

Judges 2:16-23; Acts 13:19-20

Can you name the judges He so raised up? (114)

After Joshua, Othniel, Ehud, Deborah and Barak, 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.

The Book of Judges; 1 Sam. 1-3

CONCERNING ISRAEL BECOMING A KINGDOM

What change took place in the days of the last of these judges? (115)

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

1 Sam. 8:1-5

Did Samuel comply with their wishes? (116)

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

1 Sam. 8:6-9 and 10

Did Saul prove a good king? (117)

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

1 Sam. 13:13; 15:19; 1 Chron. 10:13

What was the consequence of Saul’s disobedience? (118)

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

1 Sam. 13:13-14; 15:26-29; 28:16-18

Was David a good king? (119)

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 or two things in which he erred, but God forgave him.

1 Sam. 13:14; Acts 13:22; 1 Kings 15:5

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

There were twenty kings after David, all lineally descended from him, and 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.

The books of the Kings and Chronicles

CONCERNING THE DIVISION OF THE KINGDOM INTO TWO PARTS

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

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, - one Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who established a separate Kingdom in the northern part of Palestine, consisting of ten tribes.

1 Kings 4:1; 11:11-13; 12:1-9

Of what ten tribes did the new kingdom consist? (122)

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

1 Kings 11:29-35; and various scattered allusions.

What was the new kingdom called? (123)

The Kingdom of Israel. It was also frequently spoken of by the prophets as "Ephraim" from the leading tribe.

The books of the Kings and the prophet Hosea, etc.

Was the new kingdom ruled by the law of Moses as when David and Solomon reigned? (124)

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

1 Kings 12:26-30

How many kings reigned over the kingdom of the ten tribes, and what were their names? (125)

The kings who reigned after Jeroboam were 18 in number: Nadab, Baasha, Elah, Zimri, Omri, Ahab, Ahaziah, Joram, Jehu, Jehoahaz, Joash, Jeroboam, Zechariah, Shallum, Menahem, Pekahiah, Pekah, Hoshea.

The Book of the Kings

Of what tribes did the kingdom of David consist after the revolt of the ten tribes? (126)

Of Benjamin and Judah.

2 Chron. 11:12

By what name was the kingdom of David’s successors known, and how long did it last? (127)

The Kingdom of David was known as the Kingdom of Judah. It lasted 393 years after the revolt of the ten tribes. It was then overthrown by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, who took 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, Christ was born. In seventy years after that, the Jewish state was broken up by the Romans, and since then, it has been "trodden down of the Gentiles".

The books of the Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Matthew and Luke

CONCERNING THE COVENANT MADE WITH DAVID

Did God make a covenant with David concerning the everlasting continuance of His kingdom? (128)

Yes; He promised to give him a son who should sit on the throne for ever, and set up a Kingdom in Israel that should have no end; and that David should see it with his eyes, and have a place therein.

"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 (in my llifetime)" (2 Sam. 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" (Psa 132:11).
"I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant, Thy seed will I establish for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established" (Psa 89:3, 4, 34, 37).
"My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips" (Psa 89:34).
"Thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever" (2 Sam 7:16).

Has the covenant made with David been fulfilled? (129)

It was fulfilled typically in Solomon; but its real fulfillment is to be in Christ, who was born in David's line and declared to be, not only the Son of God, but the Son of David and heir to David's throne.

"And the Lord hath performed his word that he spake, and I (Solomon) am risen up in the room of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the Lord promised, and have built an house for the name of the Lord God of Israel" (1 Kings 8:20).
"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).
"Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham" (Matt 1:1).
"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).

Will Christ, then, yet occupy the throne of David? (130)

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.

"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" (Mat 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" (Isa 9:7).
"He shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely" (Jer 33:15-16).
"The Lord of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously" (Isa 24:23).
"At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord" (Jer 3:17).
"Out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem" (Isa 2:3).
"There was given him (the Son of man) 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" (Dan 7:14).

Is Christ coming to the earth a second time? (131)

Yes; he will return as real as he went away; and when he comes, men will see him as really as when he was on the earth before.

"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" (Act 1:11).
"He (God) shall send Jesus Christ... whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken" (Act 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... He shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe" (2 Thess. 1:7-10).
"We shall see him as he is" (1 John 3:2).
"Every eye shall see him" (Rev 1:7).

CONCERNING RESURRECTION, RESPONSIBILITY AND JUDGMENT

What will Christ do first when he returns? (132)

He will assemble all those who are responsible to judgment, living or dead. The dead he will bring from their graves; the living he will gather by his angels. They must all appear before his judgment Seat, that they may receive through the body according to what they have done in this present life.

"Jesus Christ shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing" (2 Tim 4:1).
"Many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake" (Dan 12:2).
"And 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 in the clouds" (1 Cor. 15:51; 1 Thess. 4:17).
"We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things in the body according to that he hath done, whether good or bad" (2 Cor. 5:10).
"We shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ." "Every one of us shall give account of himself to God" (Rom 14:10, 12).

Who are responsible to judgment? (133)

All who know the truth, whether they submit to it or refuse.

"He that believeth not shall be damned" (Mar 16:16).
"To the one (them that perish) we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other (them that are saved) the savour of life unto life" (2 Cor 2:15-16).
"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, (shall be) indignation and wrath, 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" (Rom 2:2, 8, 9, 16).
"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).
"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).

Are there some that are not responsible? (134)

Yes, many. It is the light that makes responsible; but darkness covers the earth; and where there is darkness, sin is not imputed.

"If ye were blind, ye should have no sin" (John 9:41).
"Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish" (Psa 49:20).
"Where no law is, there is no transgression" (Rom 4:15).
"Sin is not imputed when there is no law" (Rom 5:13).
"If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin" (John 15:22).
"The darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people" (Isa 60:2).

What becomes of those who are not responsible? (135)

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

"They shall go to the generation of their fathers; they shall never see light" (Psa 49:19).
"They shall sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake" (Jer 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" (Isa 26:14).
"Free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, whom thou rememberest no more" (Psa 88:5).
"Death hath passed upon all men" (Rom 5:12).
"Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them" (Eph 4:18).

What will the righteous among the responsible receive? (136)

Immortality of nature. Their mortal bodies will be changed in a moment by the power of the Spirit of God.

"He shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body" (Phil. 3:21).
"We shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye... this mortal must put on immortality" (1 Cor 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 Cor. 5:2-4).
"He shall quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you" (Rom 8:11).
"He shall render eternal life to them who, by patient continuance in well doing, seek for glory and honour and immortality" (Rom 2:7).
"He that soweth to the Spirit, shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting" (Gal 6:8).

What will become of those whom he rejects? (137)

They will depart from his presence with shame and vexation, to suffer according as the Judge shall think they deserve, and at last to be devoured by the second death.

"Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matt 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).
"Some to shame and everlasting contempt" (Dan 12:2).
"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).
"Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire... which is the second death" (Rev 20:15; 21:8).
"He that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption" (Gal 6:8).
"The end of those things is death" (Rom 6:21).

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

When Christ has judged those who appear before him, what will he do? (138)

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

"The kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him" (Rev 19:19).
"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" (Rev 17:14).
"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 come" (Isa 63:3-4).
"In righteousness he doth judge and make war" (Rev 19:11).
"Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel" (Psa 2:9).

When the nations are overthrown, what will he do next? (139)

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

"And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them... Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel" (Eze 39:21-25).
"He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock" (Jer 31:10).
"He shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth" (Isa 11:12).
"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" (Eze 37:21-22).

Will all Jews be restored? (140)

They will all be gathered from Gentile lands; but they will not all enter the land: the disobedient are to be destroyed from the midst of them, as it was when they came out of Egypt under Moses.

"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 I 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" (Ezek. 20:34-38; see also Mal. 3:5 and Isa. 1:25-26).

Will the Jews be a righteous nation in the day of their restoration? (141)

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.

"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" (Isa 60:21).
"I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt... I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for 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" (Jer 31:31-34).

Will there be a new Temple in their midst in that happy day? (142)

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 of country dedicated wholly to the Lord. To this, all nations will regularly journey, to learn the way of God and worship before Him.

See Ezek. 40-48;
"The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts" (Hag 2:9).
"I will glorify the house of my glory" (Isa 60:7).
"I will make the place of my feet glorious" (Isa 60:13).
"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. Whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles" (Zec 14:16-19).
"This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden" (Eze 36:35).
"The house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it" (Mic 4:1).
"He shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more" (Mic 4:3).

CONCERNING OTHER NATIONS DURING THE REIGN OF CHRIST

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

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

"All people, nations, and languages, shall serve him" (Dan 7:14).
"The nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted" (Isa 60:12).
"I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the Lord" (Zep 3:20).
"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" (Zec 8:23).

How long will this ruling of all nations by Christ and his people last? (144)

One thousand years.

"They lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years" (Rev 20:4-6).

Will the nations be mortal or immortal during that time? (145)

None will be immortal but Christ and his brethren - the saints. There will be death among men generally as now, only life will be greatly prolonged, and will be a blessed and happy state.

"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" (Isa 65:20).
"Neither shall they (the Levitical servants of the temple in the Age to come) take for their wives a widow... and they shall come at no dead person to defile themselves: but for (dead) father, or for mother, or for son, or for daughter, for brother, or for sister that hath had no husband, they may defile themselves" (Eze 44:22-25).

CONCERNING THE END OF THE THOUSAND YEARS.

Will the Kingdom come to an end at the close of the thousand years? (146)

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

"Of his kingdom there shall be no end" (Luke 1:33).
"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 Cor 15:28).

What will be the nature of the change that will take place then? (147)

The nature of the change in its detail has not been revealed: but we know that death will then cease upon earth, and that Christ will deliver up the Kingdom to the Father, that God may be all in all.

"The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death" (1 Cor 15:26).
"There shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying" (Rev 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" (1 Cor 15:24-25).

How will the cessation of death be brought about at the end of the thousand years? (148)

By all men being made immortal who have come into harmony with God during the reign of Christ. As for those who remain out of harmony with Him, they will be destroyed.

"Behold, I make all things new... I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely... But the fearful, and unbelieving, etc., shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death" (Rev 21:5-8).
"All the wicked will God destroy" (Psa 145:20).
"He putteth away all the wicked of the earth like dross" (Psa 119:119).
"Death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death" (Rev 20:14).

Will it be possible for those who live as mortal men during the reign of Christ to become immortal at the end of the thousand years? (149)

Yes; if they please God, they will enter into life at the end of the thousand years, just as those do who enter into life at the beginning of that period. If they die before that time they will then be raised and glorified. If they are alive, they will be changed. Their number will be much greater than the number of those who become immortal at the beginning of the thousand years. They will be the harvest, while those accepted at the coming of Christ will be but the first-fruits.

"The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death" (1 Cor 15:26).
"The leaves of the (symbolic) tree were for the healing of the nations" (Rev 22:2).
"Another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books" (Rev 20:12).
"They (who enter into life at the coming of Christ) were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb" (Rev 14:4).

When death is thus abolished from the earth, will the earth be destroyed? (150)

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

"There shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him... the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever" (Rev 22:3-5).
"The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea" (Hab 2:14).
"The earth he hath established for ever" (Psa 78:69).
"I shall give thee (Christ) the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession" (Psa 2:8).
"The meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace... their inheritance shall be for ever" (Psa 37:11-18).
"The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever" (Rev 11:15).

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