神要得着三班人
神要得着三班人:祭司、君王和国民,藉他们祂要得着完整的国。犹太人要在将来的国里作祭司,教导万民事奉神;信徒要作王;而国民乃要从万民中分别出来。少有基督徒看见神照着三件事审判人。照着律法,每个亚当的后裔都被定罪要灭亡。但照着福音,每个在基督里的信徒都得救了。因此,灭亡是照着律法,得救是照着福音。然而,神还要照着第三件事审判人,这就是永远的福音。
永远的福音 vs 恩典的福音
在敌基督的迫害期间,为着顾念留在地上的信徒,将有永远的福音传给万民(启十四6-7),正如马太十三章四十七至五十节撒网的比喻所说明的。然后,主要来审判万民,不是照着摩西的律法或基督的福音,乃是照着这永远的福音。这是神经纶的事。那些听从这福音,且善待受苦信徒的,就要蒙福,并被算为义的(太二五46),以承受那国;但那些不听从的,就要受咒诅(太二五41),并永远灭亡。
恩典的福音(徒二十24)是将永远的生命带到信徒里面(约三15-16),使他们能凭神的生命而活;永远的福音是将“绵羊”带进永远的生命里(太二五46),使他们能活在神生命的范围里。永远的福音将告诉人要敬畏神,并敬拜祂,没有说到悔改或相信。恩典的福音没有说到敬畏或敬拜,乃是看重悔改和相信。此外,恩典福音的中心乃是基督。
根据他们怎样对待信徒
除了律法和恩典的福音,永远的福音是神据以审判人的第三件事。凡要灭亡的人都是照着律法受审判,得救的人是照着恩典的福音受审判,聚集在基督荣耀宝座前的万民乃是照着永远的福音受审判。马太二十五章三十一至四十六节不是论到律法,也不是论到恩典的福音。基督不会照着十诫,或照着他们的悔改和相信来分开万民。祂乃要照着永远的福音,照着他们怎样对待祂最小的弟兄来分开万民(太二五40)。那些善待祂最小弟兄的将是“绵羊”(太二五34-40),但那些不善待他们的将是“山羊”(太二五41-46)。
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The Eternal Gospel (1) – Matt. 25:40
Three Kinds of People
God wants to gain three kinds of people: the priests, the kings and the citizens. the Jews will be the priests during the coming kingdom, with whom God will have a complete kingdom. Jews will be the priests during the millennium to teach all the nations to serve God. The believers will be the kings, and the citizens will be taken from among the nations. Very few Christians have seen that God judges people according to three things. According to the law, every descendant of Adam is condemned to perish. But according to the gospel, every believer in Christ is saved. Thus, perdition is according to the law, and salvation is according to the gospel. However, there is yet a third thing according to which God will judge people. This is the eternal gospel.
The Eternal Gospel vs. The Gospel of Grace
During the persecution under Antichrist, for the care of the believers who will be left on earth, an eternal gospel will be preached to the nations (Rev. 14:6-7), as illustrated by the parable of the net in Matthew 13:47-50. The Lord will then judge the nations, not according to the law of Moses nor according to the gospel of Christ, but according to the eternal gospel. This is a matter of God’s dispensation. Those who listen to that gospel and treat the suffering believers well will be blessed and reckoned as righteous (v. 46) to inherit the kingdom (v. 34), but those who do not will be cursed (v. 41) and perish for eternity.
The gospel of grace (Acts 20:24) brings eternal life into the believers (John 3:15-16) that they may live by God’s life, whereas the eternal gospel brings the sheep into eternal life (v. 46) that they may live in the sphere of God’s life. The eternal gospel will tell people to fear God and to worship him. It will say nothing about repentance or believing. The gospel of grace says nothing about fear or worship; rather, it emphasizes repentance and believing. Furthermore, the center of the gospel of grace is Christ.