Ques. 165. What does the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard and which was preached to every creature under heaven, whereof I Paul am made a minister, mean? P. R.
Ans. The Apostle Paul was the minister of the Church and the minister of that gospel which associates those who receive it with Christ in glory. (Eph. 3:2-102If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: 3How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, 4Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) 5Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; 6That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: 7Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. 8Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; 9And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: 10To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, (Ephesians 3:2‑10).)
So he preached to both Jew and Gentile-to every creature under heaven. It does not mean that every creature heard him, but that it was preached to every creature, not to Jews only.
A. P. Ans. 2 Tim. 3:1-51This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. (2 Timothy 3:1‑5) is a description of some professing Christianity in the last days; we shall find it applicable now.
Verse 5. They have the form or outward profession, this may consist in being church members; they take the sacrament, as they call it. They may be teachers of class or Sunday School; attending to the outward forms of religion, and yet are not born of God. Such know not that they are lost by nature, and so have not come to Christ as their Savior. They! think they are all right and have as good a chance of heaven as anyone. They deny the reality or power of true godliness; they think there is nothing more in Christianity than the mere form they have. The word says, "From such turn away." You may speak the gospel to them, and many such have been awakened out of their death sleep through the mercy of God, but it is not for us as true Christians to associate with them in spiritual things, as if they were really the Lord's people. We should warn them of their danger and not help on their delusion.
Ans. All; both saved and unsaved must appear before the judgment-seat of Christ, (or of God. Rom. 14:10-1210But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 11For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. 12So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. (Romans 14:10‑12).) for He is the appointed Judge. (John 5:22, 2722For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: (John 5:22)
27And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. (John 5:27); Acts 17:3131Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. (Acts 17:31); 2 Tim. 4:11I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; (2 Timothy 4:1).)
But all will not appear at the same time, nor for the same purpose. The "resurrection of life," (John 5:2929And 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)) or first resurrection, (Rev. 20:55But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. (Revelation 20:5)) includes all the heavenly saints, who have been raised or changed, and are there in bodies of glory, like Christ's body of glory. (Phil. 3:2121Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. (Philippians 3:21).) These are manifested before the judgment-seat of Christ, to see what grace has done for them; and to receive tokens of Christ's approval or disapproval of their ways.
When the unsaved dead at the resurrection of judgment, (John 5:2929And 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),) shall stand at the judgment-seat, it is called the Great White Throne. There they receive their sentences for their sins and are from thence cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20.)
In Matt. 25:31-4631When 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: 32And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 33And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 41Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 42For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 44Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 45Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 46And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. (Matthew 25:31‑46), we get some of the people of the nations living on the earth, who took part in helping or persecuting the godly Jews in the time of their tribulation. These are brought before the King who has come in His glory. He divides them; those on the left hand are sent into eternal punishment; those on the right go into eternal life in the Kingdom on earth. 2 Tim. 4:11I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; (2 Timothy 4:1), Christ is the Judge all the way through.