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Bible Question: What may we understand the Lord's words to signify where He says—"I know thy works, that thou art neither cold or hot. So then because thou art neither cold nor hot; I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth."—Rev. 3:15,16.

Answer:—The seven churches in Asia represent the seven stages of development, or epochs in the history of the one true Church of Christ. The message to the church in Laodicea relates, therefore, to the last or present period of the Church's existence. It is during this final stage of the history of the Christian Church that we may expect the repudiation or spewing out of relationship with the Lord as his mouthpiece, and of recognition as members of His true Church, of all those who are "lukewarm" and indifferent in the service of the Lord—Christians in name only and not heart-devoted followers of the Lord. It is daily becoming more manifest to all careful observers that there is a wide distinction between real Christianity, and the great mass of professing churchianity. Perhaps the most reprehensible class of people on the earth is that which is formed of those who are half-hearted and indifferent to the great and important affairs of life.

Bible Question: What is the Church's message to the world at this time? This is a day of transition; new lines of thought and new conditions are rapidly superseding the old, and does not this apply to ecclesiastical affairs as well?

Answer:—This is one of the fundamental questions of the times. Ministers everywhere are asking themselves and each other as to the proper course to pursue in their efforts to keep abreast of the times. Many are making the mistake of ignoring the foundation teachings of the Scriptures, and are devoting themselves to setting forth the theories of "Evolution" and "Higher Criticism," which are nothing more or less than insidious forms of skepticism and infidelity. Any clergyman who proclaims these theories from the pulpit, has no right to the title of "Minister of the Gospel." He is either a knave or a hypocrite if he continues to pose as a Christian minister, while undermining the faith of his hearers, in proclaiming that which is in direct opposition to the teachings of the Bible. It is no cause for surprise that so few people attend church services now-a-days, when we reflect that many clergymen are preaching anything but the Gospel. The duty of all true Christians is to make known the wonderful tidings of salvation through Christ and His coming Kingdom which, when established in the earth, will result in the blessing of all the race of mankind. The message of the Church to the world now is— "THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AT HAND"; that kingdom for which all earnest Christians have prayed. "Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth even as it is done in heaven."

Bible Question: I am the financial secretary of a church and, as such, I have the responsibility of raising funds for the various expenses of our regular church work. I must confess that I am strained past the compass of my wits to know how to get any more money out of our members than we are doing at the present time. The difficulty with us is that our expenses are increasing every month. We have some high-priced singers in or choir and must continue to raise their salaries, or else they will leave us. We must have a new organ and keep up with the other churches all around us or lose our membership. Kindly suggest some up-to-date methods of getting money. We have tried suppers, and sociables, and fairs, and grab-bags, etc., and our congregation seems to be a little tired of these methods; so please give us some new ideas?

Answer:—There are two methods by which the modern church may be made a success. One of these is to popularize the church membership by transforming the church into a "social club." Have elaborate musical programs with very brief sermons for the regular services, and at other times, theatricals, smokers, balls, and entertainments. The other method is to adopt the one used by the Lord Jesus and His Apostles.

Bible Question: Which is the oldest church?

Answer:—There is but one Church, from the Scriptural standpoint. In the language of the Apostle, it is "The Church of the First-Born which are written in heaven;" or the "Church of the living God;" or again, "The Church of Christ."—Heb. 12:23; 1 Tim. 3:15; Rom. 16:16. It was this Church which our Lord established and He gave it no party name. It was merely the Church of Christ. Since then good people, more or less confused by the errors of the Dark Ages, have separated themselves into various bands and churches of human organization and bound themselves together by human creeds. These are known by various names. None of these Churches of men are authorized by the Bible nor mentioned in it. However, the one "Church of the Living God" is composed of the saintly people of God in all of these denominations, or outside of all of them, as the case may be. Hence, the oldest Church is the Church of Christ; and it is the only Church, in the Divine estimation. Each saint must desire and strive for membership in this Church as his greatest privilege. Consecrated believers join this Church in a probationary sense now, but an entrance into full membership in that Church, which is the Body of Christ, will be granted only to the "overcomers," after they shall have finished their course and have become participants in the First Resurrection.

Bible Question: What do we understand by the 144,000 mentioned in the seventh and fourteenth chapters of Revelation?

Answer:—For more than sixteen centuries the Lord dealt exclusively with the Jewish nation. They were His specially chosen people and favored above every other nation in the earth. The Lord told them on one occasion that He recognized them only of all the families of the earth (Amos 3:2). The Israelites were informed that if faithful to the Lord, and obedient to His commands, they would be a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, and that His favor would never depart from them. But they became disobedient to the Lord's instructions and consequently, the time came when they were cast aside and no longer recognized as His people. The Divine favor was then turned to the Gentiles and these were granted the opportunity to become members of the Royal Priesthood. This Priesthood would have been completely made up from the twelve tribes of Israel—twelve thousand from each tribe—had there been a sufficient number of faithful obedient ones to make up the predestinated number of 144,000. As only a remnant of that nation of the Jews accepted Christ, as their Savior when He presented Himself to them, the invitation went to the Gentiles, and all throughout this Gospel Age the selection has been going on amongst the nations of the earth aside from the Jews. When "the fullness (the full number) of the Gentiles be come in," then favor will once more return to the Jews and all Israel shall be saved (Rom. 11:25-27). The elect 144,000 will be kings and priests unto God and shall reign with Christ during the thousand years mentioned in Rev. 20:1-6.

Bible Question: How do I celebrate Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Eastertide, Pentecost, and Advent? I am fairly new at being a Christian and I was told that I am supposed to or can celebrate these, but I do not know how to. Can you help me?

Answer: We are glad that you are trying to understand your Christian responsibilities in serving and pleasing God. God has instructed us in his word how we are to worship and serve him. Jesus instructed us to observe only two sacraments: 1. Baptism - We are to follow in Jesus footsteps by being baptized as an outward expression of the covenant we have made with God. After we have dedicated ourselves through the blood of Christ to do God's will, we then present ourselves to be immersed in water as a symbol of being buried into Christ's death. 2. Memorializing the death of Jesus, by partaking of the bread and the cup. Jesus instructed his followers to remember him Luke 22:19, 20 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them , saying, This is my body which given for you this do in remembrance of me. Like wise also the cup. Jesus followers are to remember his death on the anniversary of his death.
We are not under a set of laws as the Jews were before Christ. The Christian does not have to observe feast days and fast days as the Apostle Paul points out that in Colossians 2:14-16, Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
2:15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days:
Jesus death did away with the law to the Jew who, by faith, became a Christian. They were transferred into the liberty in Christ. The Christian is to live everyday as a follower of Christ. Various denominations have established holy days to be observed by their congregants, but these were not established by the Bible. The various celebrations that you have listed are not found in the Scriptures. Look at a Bible concordance and you will see that these are not in the Bible.
If we examine Lent for an example, we will see that with most Christians it is a mere formality to be observed for a short period of time leading up to the Easter. The spirit of self denial is to be a daily effort for the true Christian. Luke 9:23, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. . The true Christian has entered the narrow way of sacrifice, this is the only acceptable attitude to Heavenly Father.
God has instructed us to worship him in spirit and in truth John 4:23, not with outward forms and ceremonies. He is looking at the intentions of our heart in our service to Him and his cause.
Look at the following link Whyareyouachristian_01.cfm
We are interested in your further thoughts or questions as you begin the Christian way.

Bible Question: Communion — what does the lord mean when he says do this in remembrance of me?

Answer: Yearly the Israelites would participate in Passover to take away their sins. Jesus presented himself as the "Passover Lamb" who was able to "take away the sins of the world," thus no longer requiring the original Passover anymore. Jesus requested his followers to partake of His memorial as a remembrance of how and why Jesus gave his life for the world. As the Passover was partaken of once a year, we believe the "anti-typical" Passover (Jesus' Memorial) should also be partaken of once a year.
Please read the following excerpt from our article that can be read in entirety at :
htdbv5/r4703.htm#x14799
"In Jesus' day the time had come for the fulfillment of the antitype of the Passover. Jesus himself was to be the Passover Lamb. By faith the merit of his sacrifice, his blood, was to be sprinkled upon the door-posts of his people's hearts, and his flesh, the merit of his earthly perfection, was to be eaten or appropriated by them in their minds. With it they were to eat the unleavened bread of the Divine promises and the bitter herbs of trials and adversities, and withal they were to drink wine, the blood of the grape, symbolically implying their participation with the Lamb in his ignominy and sufferings.
The Lamb of God, Jesus, the antitypical Passover Lamb, was slain nearly nineteen centuries ago on the exact anniversary of the killing of the typical lambs. The sacrifice of Jesus needs not to be repeated, for by faith we all sprinkle this same blood today, and in our hearts feed upon the merit of the same earthly sacrifice, and have plenty of bitter herbs of persecution and drink of the blood—share the Master's spirit and its reward of suffering for righteousness' sake. ...
Jesus, about to begin the fulfillment of this type by dying as the antitypical Passover Lamb (Christ our Passover is slain for us—I Cor. 5:7), instituted for his followers an annual remembrancer which, in their minds, would take the place of the type and continually remind them of the great Antitype. Instead of the literal flesh of the lamb, the Master used bread, and instead of the blood, the fruit of the vine, and instead of a further commemoration of the type, he directed that this be done in remembrance of the antitype—"the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world," and the passover coming to the Church of the first-born, as precedent to the great blessings to result for Israel and all the families of the earth.
Our Lord as a Jew was obligated to keep the typical passover, eating of the literal lamb, etc., first; but subsequently, after that passover supper, he instituted with the bread and the fruit of the vine his substitutionary memorial of himself, saying, "Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them; and they all drank of it. And he said, ...Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new in the Kingdom of God"—until his second coming in power and great glory to receive the Church as his elect Bride and Joint-Heir in his Kingdom and to shower blessings richly upon Israel and through Israel upon the whole world of mankind.

Bible Question: Is it right or wrong to eat pig meat and what does the bible say about this?

Answer: The Law to the Jew had many rules, mostly for health reasons, but are not applicable to Christians. Romans 6:14 "For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law, but under grace."
The Law given to Israel was based on justice. It showed Israel their weaknesses and gave them a moral guide. Romans 3:20, "for by the law is the knowledge of sin." The purpose of the law was to demonstrate to Israel that they could not be justified by the law because they could not keep the law perfectly. This should have taught them to look elsewhere for their justificaiton. This is what Apostle Paul meant when he said in Galatians 3:24, "Wherefore, the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith."
Anyone who could perfectly keep the whole law was promised eternal life. Romans 10:5, "For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, that the man which doeth those things shall live by them." Not a single Israelite was ever able to keep the whole law, since all men are born sinners. And any infraction of the law meant the law was not kept, as James 2:10 states.
Jesus was the only one member of the Jewish nation who perfectly kept the whole law. He, therefore, received the promises of the Law Covenant, and any blessings to come from the Law had to come through him. Romans 10:4, "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth." All who were under the Law Covenant were in "bondage" to keep it. But any who become Christ's disciple, accepting of his ransom merit provided through his death, are under a different law — the law of liberty, the law of love. Galatians 5:1, "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage."
Christians who have taken the step of full consecration to follow Christ's footsteps will sacrifice many of the pleasures of this earth in order to serve God and God's people. This is what they promise to do when they give up their earthly wills to do the will of God. But God has put these Christians under a law of liberty because they are his children. They are not told exactly what to do and how to do it. Christians have liberty in Christ to determine how they should fulfill their vows to serve God.
In Galatians 5:13 Apostle Paul tells us, "For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty: only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another." And in 1 Cor. 1:23, Paul said, "All things are lawful, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful, but all things edify not." This is what James meant when he said we should speak and work according to the law of liberty. Although we have liberty, we should do all things according to the law of love.
If someone wishes to keep the Laws concerning the things proper to eat, then they need to follow allnone its rules in Leviticus chapter 11.

Bible Question: I want to know what the bible says about blood transfusions. JWs say it is a violation because it is like eating blood.

Answer: We know of no Bible verse that forbids blood transfusions. That which is not specifically addressed in the Bible is best left to the individual consecrated Christian to consider using the general principles and guidelines that are in the Bible and applying them as he sees best after prayer and study for "wisdom from above".
One of the clear principles to consider is this: Christians are not under regulations of "thou shalt" and thou shalt not", but are free from the bondage of the Old Law as given to Israel in the Old Testament. "But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, ... not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, ... shall be blessed ..." James 1:25 Galatians chapter five addresses our law of liberty too. "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another." Christians have been given liberty so that we might better manifest our love and gratitude for salvation and to allow us the freedom to serve God; free-will offerings.
The Bible has wonderful guidance about the new "law" Jesus left for us. Please begin a study of the subject at: htdbv5/htdb0145.htm This is study 7 (The Law of the New Creation) from a comprehensive and practical Bible Study book entitled "The New Creation". Many Christians have gained deeper understanding about the Christian lifestyle through this Bible aide.

Bible Question: Please give me the references for SHADOWS and PARABLES regarding Little Flock and Great Multitude, and give me strong reference for the ' great multitude belongs to heavenly salvation not earthly salvation' .

Answer: The best evidence that the Great Company is a spiritual class is found in Revelation 7:9 After this beheld and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands:
John saw a great company, out of all nations and kindreds and peoples and tongues—not an elect number, not a fixed number, but one which no man could compute, being a number which no man knoweth. In the treatment that they must undergo, it is shown that these must wash their robes in the blood of the Lamb, and they will stand before the Throne, instead of sitting in the Throne. They will have everlasting life, but not immortality. Only the Little Flock, the Bride class, will have immortality.
The Bride class will be counted worthy to escape the trouble coming on the world. They will keep their garments unspotted from the world. If there comes a spot or wrinkle, they go immediately to the Throne of Heavenly Grace, and find mercy and help and cleansing in time of need.
We see that there will be two classes—the Little Flock and the Great Company. All of these were typified in the first-borns of Israel, who were spared, or passed over, in the night when Israel left Egypt. So all these will be of the Church of the First-borns. But a part of these will attain the Divine nature as the Bride of Christ, and a part will attain everlasting life, similar to the everlasting life that the angels possess.
There are several pictures of the Great Company throughout the scriptures. The first is found in Gen. 24, when Isaac selects a bride. Isaac represents Jesus, Rebekkah reprensents the Little Flock, and the damsels her companions that accompany her are the Great Company. Gen. 24:61 And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, ad they rode upon the camels, and followed the man: and the servant took Rebekah, and went his way. Rebekah journeys to meet her bridegroom accompanied by her damsels, or maids. This pictures the two classes of those during their earthly experie nce as theyjourney to their heavenly bridegroom.
Psalm 45, also shows this picture of the bride (Little Flock) and her virgin companions(The great company.) Psa. 45:14 She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework: the virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee.
Matt. 25:1,2, Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meeet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise and five were foolish. All ten are virgins indicating that they are justified by Jesus sacrifice. The ten wise represent the faithful little flock, the five foolish represent the great company the careless class.
Another type of the Great company are Lev. 16:8-10, And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one for the Lord and the other lot for the scapegoat.The Lord's goat pictures the little flock which is willingly sacrificed for a sin offering. The scapegoat pictures the great company which is forced to die in the wilderness.