Correspondence: Mark 16:15-19; Isa. 65:20; Luke 10:34

From: Correspondence

Narrator: Chris Genthree

From: Young Christian: Volume 1, 1911

• 4 min. read • grade level: 7

Ques. 7. Please give an outline of Mark 16:15-19¹⁵And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. ¹⁶He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. ¹⁷And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; ¹⁸They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. ¹⁹So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. (Mark 16:15‑19). Is this mission, unto which the Lord sends "the eleven," continued beyond their personal testimony? W. H.

Ans. Here our risen Lord victorious over death, and sin, and Satan's power, is speaking "GO YE into all the world, (Lit. the whole creation) and preach the gospel to every creature". This is the good news just as we know it. "Christ died for our sins" and "is risen for our justification". And this was their authority to preach it.

16th Verse is the result of the preaching, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved: but he that believeth not shall be damned." Whosoever believed the gospel, and united with the disciples by baptism, confessing the Lord, would be saved. He who believed not, would be condemned; it is a question of salvation or condemnation.

17th and 18th Verses. In the signs that follow, we see: 1st, Satan's power defeated; 2nd, Grace reaches people of every language; 3rd, The servants are protected till their work is done. 4th, They heal the sick.

19th Verse is Christ's present place at the right hand of God.

20th Verse shows that they went forth and preached everywhere as in 15th verse, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word with the signs of His power following. (See also Heb. 2:3, 4³How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; ⁴God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will? (Hebrews 2:3‑4).)

If there is a doubt on the mind of any believer as to his privilege to preach the gospel because he cannot do the miracles here spoken of, let him meditate and pray over the following scriptures which were written for the whole Church of God. Service is always individual, and each believer, young and old, male and female, needs to find his or her special sphere of service from the Lord and in obedience to the word. Acts 8:4⁴Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word. (Acts 8:4); Rom. 10:14,15¹⁴How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? ¹⁵And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! (Romans 10:14‑15); Rom. 16; 1 Thess. 1:8⁸For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing. (1 Thessalonians 1:8); 2 Tim. 1:8, 4:2, 5; The gospel is good news committed to us who are saved, to tell others how they can be saved. Rom. 1:14-17¹⁴I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. ¹⁵So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. ¹⁶For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. ¹⁷For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. (Romans 1:14‑17).

Paul is not carrying out this commission of Mark 16, but had his own direct from Christ, the glorified Head, in heaven. He preached to every creature under heaven, and unfolded the mystery of the church. Col. 1:23-26²³If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister; ²⁴Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church: ²⁵Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; ²⁶Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: (Colossians 1:23‑26).

Mark gives what is of general application; the rejection of Christ by the Jewish nation seen in Acts 1 to 8, and to "the Jew first" is left out by him.

Ques. 8

Please explain Isa. 65:20²⁰There 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. (Isaiah 65:20), "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." C. E.

Ans. Isa. 65:17¹⁷For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. (Isaiah 65:17) to 25 is a description of some of the blessings coming to Israel during the millennial reign of our Lord Jesus Christ. Heb. 8:8⁸For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: (Hebrews 8:8) to 12, tells us every one of them will know the Lord; Rev. 20:13¹³And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. (Revelation 20:13), rids the earth of Satan during that period; Isa. 25:8⁸He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it. (Isaiah 25:8), with 1 Cor. 15:54⁵⁴So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. (1 Corinthians 15:54) and Rev. 20:4-6⁴And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. ⁵But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. ⁶Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4‑6), let us see that ALL the sleeping saints have been raised, the First resurrection is completed; no more saints can ever die. It is of this period our verse speaks, death cannot touch the infant of days nor the old man leaning on his staff for multitude of days Zech. 8:4, 5⁴Thus saith the Lord of hosts; There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his hand for very age. ⁵And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof. (Zechariah 8:4‑5). One of an hundred years is counted as a child or youth; if he die it is as a sinner, accursed.

Though Satan is bound and the Lord Jesus Christ is reigning; death and sin are present in Millennial days, proving that man's evil nature is unchanged. The new birth is needed in all dispensations before a man can enjoy communion with God. John 3:3-5³Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. ⁴Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? 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. (John 3:3‑5).

Ques. 9

What does the INN, in Luke 10:34³⁴And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. (Luke 10:34) represent? L. G.

Ans. Luke 10:25-37²⁵And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? ²⁶He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? ²⁷And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself. ²⁸And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. ²⁹But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbor? ³⁰And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. ³¹And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. ³²And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. ³³But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, ³⁴And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. ³⁵And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. ³⁶Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves? ³⁷And he said, He that showed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise. (Luke 10:25‑37). This story spoken by our Lord to the lawyer who tempted Him, and who thought he could keep the law; not knowing his own badness nor his helplessness, illustrates the grace of God in our Lord Jesus Christ. It pictures man on the downward road, ruined and helpless, unable to receive the benefit of priest and Levite; who therefore pass by on the other side.

In the Samaritan we see the love and grace of God to His enemies, in our blessed Lord coming down from heaven, taking our place and bearing our sins on the cross, 2 Cor. 8:9⁹For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9), taking us up in His compassionate love, bestowing upon us life everlasting, peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, and the blessed hope of glory with Christ above.

The INN, therefore would suggest to us the safe place the Lord has put us in till He comes for us; for in this parable it is not home (as in Luke 15) in the Father's house. We are seen as strangers here, but under the care of the Holy Spirit, who ministers to us the sufficiency of Christ; the two pence, that is; all that Christ is for us now, including our great High Priest and Advocate.

“When I come again, I will repay thee" and "Go thou and do likewise": might teach us our precious privilege of fellowship with the Lord in this Ministry of Grace to both sinner and saint.

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