Correspondence

• 3 min. read • grade level: 7

1. “C. Η.,” Broadbridge Heath.—The persons who shall not inherit the kingdom of God, described in 1 Cor. 6:9, 10⁹Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, ¹⁰Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9‑10), are evidently such as continue unrepentant rejecters of the gospel. “And such were some of you,” &c. Now the man in chapter 5 did not remain unrepentant. He evidently had judged his sin. (2 Cor. 2) And he ought therefore no longer to be delivered unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh. “So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him,” &c. Such is the heart of our Father towards a fallen saint.

The “kingdom of heaven,” as used in Matthew, refers chiefly to the kingdom whilst the King is in heaven. “Kingdom of God” is the more universal aspect of all being brought into subjection to God. “Defiling the temple of God,” as is said in 1 Cor. 3:16, 17¹⁶Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? ¹⁷If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. (1 Corinthians 3:16‑17), is a deceiver or heretic seeking to destroy the church, the temple of God, by false doctrine. He himself will be destroyed. Pro. 5:22, 23²²His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins. ²³He shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray. (Proverbs 5:22‑23) describes the terrible end of an impenitent sinner.

“If a man turn from his wickedness and do that which is lawful and right, he shall live thereby.” This is still true in the moral government of God. The opposite also is true. (See 1 John 5:16, 17¹⁶If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. ¹⁷All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death. (1 John 5:16‑17).) This is the death of the body. (1 Cor. 11:30³⁰For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. (1 Corinthians 11:30).) Your questions present serious matters for reflection. “Hold thou me up and I shall be safe.”

2. “A. T.,” Larkhall—The information you require as to Jewish and Roman time, you will find in a small book, “Dates and Chronology of Scripture”—(G. Morrish, London.)

Will you read 1 John 3:20²⁰For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. (1 John 3:20)? Is it not evident if your heart condemn you, as to this worldly, wasteful habit of smoking, that you should lay it aside, looking off to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of faith? (Heb. 12:1, 2¹Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, ²Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1‑2).)

3. “W. C,” Leamside. The day of the Lord may be said to commence, in its terrible character, when the abomination of desolation is set up in the holy place. Then shall be the great tribulation. (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).) This will culminate in the personal coming of Christ (2 Thess. 1:7-10; 2:1-12⁷And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, ⁸In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: ⁹Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; ¹⁰When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day. (2 Thessalonians 1:7‑10)
¹Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, ²That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. ³Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; ⁴Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. ⁵Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? ⁶And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. ⁷For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. ⁸And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: ⁹Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, ¹⁰And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. ¹¹And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: ¹²That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thessalonians 2:1‑12)), and go on through the whole reign of Christ in the millennium.

The mystery in Col. 1:26²⁶Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: (Colossians 1:26) is the mystery of the church, the body of Christ, which had been kept hid from ages. The mystery of Col. 2:2²That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; (Colossians 2:2) is not the same, but the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ—the mystery of the glorious Godhead revealed. The mystery of God, in Rev. 10:7⁷But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets. (Revelation 10:7), is the mystery of the times of the Gentiles, or the parenthesis of the present unmeasured period in which we are now found. Prophetic time shall be no longer delayed.

The gospel preached by the apostles (Mark 16:15¹⁵And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. (Mark 16:15)) was the glad tidings of salvation to every creature during this period, though their commission did not go so far as Paul’s—the gospel of the glory. The gospel of the kingdom is the glad tidings of the coining reign of Christ on earth.

“We see not yet all things put under him.” (Heb. 2:8⁸Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. (Hebrews 2:8).) At present He is cut off, and has nothing as Messiah. He does not take the book of judgments and inheritance until the redeemed are with Him. (Rev. 5) All who compose the full complement of the first resurrection live and reign with Christ a thousand years. May our hearts be kept patiently waiting for Him. (Rev. 20:4, 5⁴And 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. (Revelation 20:4‑5))

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• Correspondence