Thank God for incoming Sabbath! What a long week.
Let's prep for Shabbat! Happy Prep Day Triumph In Truth family.
Question 120: If Paul had not expected a resurrection, would he have lived a self-indulged life?
Answer:
No, he was not that kind of man. In the passage in 1 Corinthians 15:32 he is considering the attitude of an opponent and is stating such an argument as might be made by one who believed there was no life beyond the grave. In effect he says: "A man who does not believe in immortality might naturally say, in considering such a life as mine, that it is folly. Instead of fighting with beasts as I did at Ephesus and enduring all kinds of hardship and persecution, it would be better for me if I simply enjoyed the good things of life. Such a man could never be persuaded to become a believer, if there was no prospect of a future life.
Question 119: Are there any historical record of the deaths of the Apostles?
Answer:
The records of their end are found in traditions preserved by the early Church. Matthew, was martyred in Ethiopia; Mark was martyred in Alexandria, Egypt; Luke was hanged on an olive tree in Greece; John, after many perils, died a natural death in Ephesus; Peter was crucified in Rome, head downwards; James the Great beheaded at Jerusalem; James the Lesser beaten to death with a fuller's club in the temple grounds; Philip hanged at Hieropolis; Bartholomew flayed alive; Thomas slain with a lance at Coromandel; Jude killed with arrows; Simeon crucified in Persia; Andrew crucified; Matthias stoned and beheaded; Barnabas stoned to death by Jews at Salamis; Paul beheaded at Rome under Nero.
Question 118: Why were twelve the number of Apostles?
Answer:
All of the twelve disciples were Jews. Their number was doubtless fixed upon after the analogy of the twelve tribes. They were mostly Galileans, taken from the common people and some at least had been disciples of John the Baptist. (See Matthew 12:25; John 1:35; Matthew 19:28.)
Question 117: John the Baptist’s place in prophecy?
Answer:
"Who was the last prophet of the old dispensation?" John the Baptist came as the forerunner of Moshiach and so may be considered the last prophet of the old dispensation. Moshiach said: "All the prophets and the Law prophesied until John" (Matthew 11:13). Otherwise, if you regard him as belonging to an intermediate dispensation, the last would be the prophet called Malachi, the writer of the last book in the Old Testament. It is not certain that Malachi was his name, as the word may be translated, "My messenger."
Frequently asked questions and answers:
Question 116: Was John the Baptist Elijah?
Answer:
The statement in the affirmative is made a number of times in the New Testament (See Matthew 11:14, 17:10-12; Mark 9:12, 13. See also Matthew 4:5.) But some of the ablest commentators hold that we must interpret the connection figuratively and that there is no reason for believing that this means any more than that he was the new Elijah of his time, a rugged prophet, like Elijah in temperament, habits and speech, unafraid even of kings. He himself said distinctly that he was not Elijah (John 1:21). The sense in which the expression was used is made clear in Luke 1: 17: "He shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah." In the narrative of Elijah's appearance at the transfiguration there is no suggestion that he was John the Baptist, whom all the men present had known and seen and who had only recently died. One of the things that distinguish the philosophy of the Bible from that of uninspired teachings is that it never confuses or obscures personal identity. Each soul has a distinct personality, which can never be merged or changed into another.
Question 115: When did John the Baptist die?
Answer:
The date is somewhat difficult to determine with any degree of reliability. The first Passover of Yeshua' ministry is believed to have occurred in A. D. 27. His baptism at John's hands took place immediately before that time. John's imprisonment in the tower of Machaerus in all probability began in A. D. 27 and in the first half of that year, but Herod's unwillingness to put him to death may have delayed the climax until the beginning of A. D. 28. Tradition says he was buried in Samaria.
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