Please explain John 3: 16. Will the heathen that have died, never having heard of Christ, be lost? And according to Rom. 2: 14-16, what is the use of foreign missions?
First, God's love is infinite. That is what John 3: 16 expresses. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." The acceptance of the great offering of the Son of God embraces more than a mere theoretical knowledge of Christ. Many who have never heard of the person of Jesus will be saved in the kingdom of God. They have accepted the great essentials of the gospel by yielding themselves wholly to God and casting themselves wholly upon His mercy.
It is not difficult to conceive, in the light of the passage in Romans referred to, and also the first chapter of Romans, that there are those right in heathenism itself who, though they have never heard the name of the great Jehovah or of His Son Jesus Christ, have accepted the essentials of the gospel. "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth His handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge." Read the nineteenth psalm, verses 1-6, where the primary teachings of the gospel are set forth. Compare with Rom. 10: 16-18. There are souls all over the world who have seen the essential of Christianity in the great power and wisdom of God manifest in creation; and as it was in time past, so it ever shall be, "The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him." 2 Chron. 16: 9. The scripture does not say, whose mind is perfect toward Him, or, whose knowledge is perfect toward Him, or, whose understanding is perfect toward God; but, whose heart — whose affection — is placed upon God — in other words, those who love God, who respond to His love. In the light of that, every intelligent soul upon the face of the earth has had opportunity to be saved; for Christ, through His works, and through the abundant mercy of God manifest in so many ways, is "the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world." And if a man will follow the one feeble ray of light that may come to him in the darkness of heathendom, and let that ray of light dominate his life and character, there is salvation in it.
On the other hand, it is also true that he who may live in a land of the fullest light and knowledge concerning the theory of the gospel, may reject light, and be lost.
As to the use of foreign missions, the words of Jesus ought to be sufficient: "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." God not only wants souls saved, but He wants intelligent souls, those who comprehend more of the love of God, who see more of the light of God, who, thus comprehending and seeing, will tell to others more of the light and the love of God. We might as well say that if one can get at food enough barely to sustain him in a starving condition, he needs no more. While we may be sure that the Lord will never let one honest, sincere seeker for light and truth and sinlessness be lost, yet at the same time, He has made it incumbent upon all those who know His gospel to give it to others. Other than this is selfishness.
Will you please explain Rev. 20: 5 through the SIGNS? It seems to me that the last part of the verse doesn't belong there. It doesn't look clear to me.
The meaning of the scripture is very clear, taken with the context. Those who have part in the first resurrection are indicated in verse 4. The first part of verse 5 declares that the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished.
When Jesus comes, the righteous dead are raised, and the living righteous are changed to immortality. Those who do not have Christ within are destroyed by the glory of His coming, and they, with all the wicked dead, do not live again until the thousand years are finished. Those who do live have part in the first resurrection, as stated in the last part of verse 5. The rest of the dead come up at the end of the thousand years. The context shows that the first part of verse 5 is thrown in, and that the last part belongs to verse 4.
We do not know why our querist should say that the last part of the verse does not belong there. There is no reason to believe that it is spurious in any way. Sometimes it is said that the first part does not belong there; but there is no ground whatever for that, except the arbitrary statement of some one who finds the text in the way of a theory that he cannot maintain.
165 — THE DAYS OF THE SON OF MAN
"As it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man." When did the days of the Son of man commence, and when will they end? It is true we are living in the last days, but when will they end?
The "days of Noe" were the days in which Noah was giving his message of the Flood, and those days ended with the Deluge. The "days of the Son of man" are the days in which God's children give to the world the message of His second coming, the gospel of the kingdom (Matt. 24: 14), the great threefold message of Revelation 14, the message that Jesus is coming again. That message will close with the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The last days end with the days which precede His coming.