Ques. 94. "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day: and he saw it, and was glad.”
The promise of future blessing is here confirmed in a type of Christ in resurrection. Verses 16-18 bid him look forward to the setting up of Christ's kingdom, the blessed result of the work of Christ. (Psa. 22:22-3122I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee. 23Ye that fear the Lord, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel. 24For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard. 25My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him. 26The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek him: your heart shall live for ever. 27All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. 28For the kingdom is the Lord's: and he is the governor among the nations. 29All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul. 30A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation. 31They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this. (Psalm 22:22‑31): Gal. 3:1616Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. (Galatians 3:16).) Faith rejoices in the abiding Word of God.
Ans. The Jews in the tribulation period will make a covenant with Antichrist to be allowed to go on with their temple worship undisturbed, but the Antichrist makes an image of the beast and commands them all to worship it. The godly need to flee for their lives then: they would rather die than worship a man or his image.
(See Dan. 9:2727And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. (Daniel 9:27); Matt. 24:1515When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) (Matthew 24:15); Mark 13:1414But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judea flee to the mountains: (Mark 13:14); Rev. 13:12-1712And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 13And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, 14And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. 15And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. 16And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 17And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. (Revelation 13:12‑17).)
Ques. 96. What is the use of baptism in water? What is the difference between a baptized person and one unbaptized? I. A.
Ans. John's baptism was for Israel only. In it those baptized owned Israel's ruined condition, and by it they committed themselves to God's mercy as having forfeited all claims to Israel's blessings. With Christ and John it was fulfilling all righteousness.
Christian baptism was instituted by the Lord Jesus after He rose from the dead. It was committed to His servants with the gospel. No one can baptize himself. The servants are therefore the responsible ones. By it the servants receive others into the profession of Christ's name. Every one born into this world is either a Jew or a Gentile, but when baptized unto Christ's name in this symbol of death, has put on Christ as a profession. (Gal. 3:2727For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. (Galatians 3:27).) It is the means whereby the servants receive others coming into the House of God, the professing Church on earth. (1 Tim. 3:1515But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. (1 Timothy 3:15).) It has nothing to do with heavenly claims. It must not be confounded with being born again, that is, a divine operation of the Word and Spirit. (John 1:12, 13; 3:5, 612But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:12‑13)
5Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. (John 3:5‑6); 1 Peter 1:2323Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. (1 Peter 1:23).)