Got a question people.

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Somewhere in the Bible it says "go and preach to every creature", maybe someone didn't do it?

Paul could be imitating the prophets, who would speak of things that were sure to happen in the future in the present or past tense.  Look at Isaiah 53, this is a prophecy about Jesus, but it is written in the past tense hundreds of years before it happened!

With the technology available today, the gospel is available to every person on earth in some form or another. There are languages that it hasn't been fully translated into, but with English being a near-universal language, and with the internet, satellite communications, Christian radio transmissions practically world-wide, the gospel is probably available to everyone now.

I am afraid that I must respectfully disagree.  Whilst the Gospel is available to a great many people, praise God , there are still very many people to whom it is not.  The most populous country in the world, China, is 4th on the Open Doors persecution index.  Operation World estimates that there are less than 50 million Bibles in this country of 1.2 billion.  Or North Korea, where "The majority have never heard the name of Jesus" (OW).  There are many unreached in muslim countries, especially Saudi Arabia where no Christian workers are permited and Christian 'propaganda' is banned.

We must thank God for the unprecedented availability of His word today, but there is still much work to be done.

I will try to answer your original question.  Most Christian preachers concentrate on preaching the cross and eternal salvation.  Here is an almost identical verse to the one you posted in your question;

Matthew 24:14 - And <B>this gospel of the kingdom</B> shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

What will be preached is the message of the KINGDOM.&nbsp; It is a message concerning who will rule and reign with Christ for 1000 years.&nbsp; Salvation is the foundation of the faith and the free gift of God.&nbsp; Ruling and reigning with Christ is a reward for works done while in the body.

Paul says the following in Philipians 3:10;

That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; <SUP>11</SUP> If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

If salvation is a free gift, to what is Paul trying to attain?&nbsp; I might also note that, in the greek text, the phrase "resurrection of the dead" is interpreted the "ek resurrection of the dead" or, in plain English, "the "OUT" resurrection of the dead".&nbsp; This "ek resurrection" is something to be attained through being made conformable unto Christ's death, not a free gift, but a reward.

Our faith begins with being born again.&nbsp; Babes should mature into full grown men, although some may fail to do so.&nbsp; Paul says this to the Corinthians;

1 Corinthians 3:1 - And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto <B>babes</B> in Christ.

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What I am trying to say, can be summed up by Romans 8.

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Being born again makes one an heir, but being an heir doesn't translate into being one who rules and reigns, as Paul says to the Galatians in chapter 4;

<SUP>1</SUP> Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; <SUP>2</SUP> But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.

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Ah! so you are a Jehovah's Witness then dmac5?

Nay, far from it, I am not a JW.&nbsp; The JW believe in things like satan being cast down in 1914AD, that Jesus is not God, and rewrote the New Testament to suit their liking etc.&nbsp; They believe that the Kingdom will be earthly.&nbsp; I believe that the Kingdom of God is within you, but will be manifested both in heaven(for the 144,000, and the great multitude, and on earth for both the Jews and sheep nations who are judged by Jesus for their works.&nbsp; Jesus will rule the world, from Jerusalem for 1000 years, at the end of which, satan will be loosed from the pit and will go forth to deceive the nations, bringing them to fight against the Lord.&nbsp; The earth will be destroyed by fire(most likely the way that the earth was destroyed by water in Noah's day).&nbsp; The great white throne judgement will occur, and the&nbsp;earth will again be inhabited in what I would call eternity future.&nbsp;

I believe that there are four basic types of Christians, and I would divide them as

1. the 144000 that follow the lamb wherever He goes

these could also be called "first fruits", "the man child in Rev 12", the one that is "taken" from the phrase "one is taken and another left", these are they that attain to the EK resurrection from the dead that Paul hopes to attain in Philipians 3:11 below;

If by any means I might <B>attain</B> unto the resurrection of the dead.


The word "resurrection" in the greek is a rare occurance of a term EK resurrection, which means "out, or out from", indicating a resurrection that is different than the general resurrection of believers, and not only different, but something to be prized and attained as supported by the remainder of the verse and surrounding text.&nbsp;

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2. The next group of believers are the wedding guests, also known as the great multitude.&nbsp; These are the virgins that have oil in their lamps and their vessels, they are those in 1 Corinthians and Thesalonians that are gathered into the clouds after the tribulation, at the 7th trumpet, prior to the 7 vials being poured out.&nbsp; They will be guests at the wedding feast in heaven during the 1000 year kingdom on earth.

3. The third group of believers are the foolish virgins, represented by the man who went to the wedding, was found to be without a wedding garment, and was cast into "outer darkness".&nbsp; This darkness is not on earth, not in hell, and not in the wedding feast.&nbsp; These are outside of the feast and are knocking on the door, wanting into the feast.&nbsp; There are a couple interesting verses in John that you might want to investigate on this matter;

John 3:<SUP>3</SUP>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
<SUP>5</SUP>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jesus 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.


Hence, it is possible for one to be born again, yet unable to enter into the kingdom.

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4. The fourth group of believers are what I would term "gleanings".&nbsp; These are the bottom of the barrel believers that, if they are alive at the time of the tribulation, will go through the wrath of God, aka the 7 vials, the battle of Armageddon, etc.&nbsp; The fate of these is to spend the 1000 years in the lake of fire.&nbsp; They will be found written in the book of life at the great white throne.

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I will leave you with the following passage, written by Paul to the church in Corinth;

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1Cor3:<SUP>1</SUP>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
<SUP>2</SUP>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
<SUP>3</SUP>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
<SUP>4</SUP>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?
<SUP>5</SUP>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?
<SUP>6</SUP>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
<SUP>7</SUP>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
<SUP>8</SUP>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
<SUP>9</SUP>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
<SUP>10</SUP>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
<SUP>11</SUP>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
<SUP>12</SUP>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
<SUP>13</SUP>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
<SUP>14</SUP>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
<SUP>15</SUP>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

and;

2Cor5:<SUP>10</SUP>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

The judgement seat of Christ is the "bema seat judgment", not to be confused&nbsp;with the great white throne.&nbsp; It occurs in heaven, after the tribulation and prior to the 1000 yr millenial reign and kingdom.

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I will be happy to discuss one thing at a time, at length, with anyone, and with scripture to support my claim.&nbsp; And, if the dissenting opinion is at least equally strong in backing by the scriptures, might be persuaded to alter what I think, as we all see through a glass darkly.

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Also, if anyone knows how to get rid of the &lt;sup&gt; stuff that keeps appearing in my cut and pastes, I would love a tip.

IV... your answer lies in the wording. Paul writes that the gospel has been preached to every creature. Jesus speaks of every nation (actually ethnos... people groups).

So while the human creature has been preached too... not every national division within the human race has been reached yet.

Make sense?

Have a great day!

2000 years ago the Australian aborigine had never recieved nor had the gospel preached to them , so paul is obviously talking about the known world at that time and christianities first beginings.

I will be happy to discuss one thing at a time, at length, with anyone, and with scripture to support my claim.

Click to expand...

Ok,
What scriptures support this?:

The fate of these [Christians] is to spend the 1000 years in the lake of fire.

Click to expand...

Thanks.