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T H E K IN G ’S B U S IN E S S
heaven, b u t in hell. T h e re is n o t th e slightest in d icatio n in th e passage th a t an y one rep en ted , e ith e r angels o r m en, o r h ad a n y o p p o rtu n ity to rep en t. T h e sp irits in p riso n did h e a r of th e trium p h of C h rist a n d th e tim e is com ing w hen every knee in hell a s well as in heaven, a n d on e arth , w ill bow a n d every tongue shall confess th a t Jesus C h rist is L ord to th e glory of God th e F a th e r (Phil. 2:10, 1 1 ). W e have o u r choice betw een doing this w illingly now a n d b ein g saved o r do ing it by com pulsion h e rea fte r. “ But,** som e one will ask, “ does it n ot say in 1 P e te r 4 :6 th a t th e Gospel w as p re ac h ed also to th em th a t a re d e a d ? It does, b u t it does n o t say th a t it w as p re ac h ed a fte r th ey w ere dead. T h e con tex t show s th a t P e te r w as talk in g a b o u t th e p revious p re a c h in g of th e Gospel to those w ho w ere dead w hen he w rote, b u t w ho w ere n o t dead w hen th e G ospel w as p re ac h ed to them . T h e w hole co n tex t show s th a t th e p re ac h in g w as befo re th e ir death. T h e re is n o t a single line of S crip tu re th a t suggests th a t th e re w ill be a n y fu tu re o p p o rtu n ity of re p en tan c e fo r those w ho die im p enitent. T h e Bible does n ot hold o u t one ra y of h o p e to a n y m an w ho dies o u t of C hrist, a n d an y one w ho dares to do so d ares to do w h a t th e Bible has n o t done a n d tak es u p o n him self a fe a r ful responsibility. F u rth e rm o re , ex p eri ence show s th a t th e m o re closely m en w alk w ith God a n d th e m o re devoted they becom e to H is service, th e m o re likely th ey a re to believe th e d o ctrin e of th e conscious, e te rn al to rm e n t of . all those w ho re je c t in th is p re sen t life th e red em p tio n offered to th em in C hrist. * For I testify unto every m an that h eareth th e w ords or the prophecy of this book. If any m an shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him th e plagues th at are w rit ten in this book: and if any m an shall take aw ay from the w ords of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his p a rt out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and fr o m th e things which are w ritten in this book.**—Rev. 22:18, 19»
p ect th a t th ey w ill go - a s tr a y on som e o th e r doctrine, an d y o u do well to w atch them closely. T h e position of th e te a c h e r q u o ted in th e question, th a t a new d ispensation b e gins a t th e closing verses of th e 2 8 th c h ap te r of th e A cts of th e A postles, a n d th a t th ere fo re none of th e E pistles n o r o th e r p o rtio n s of th e S c rip tu re s w ritte n before this tim e p ro p e rly b elong to th e C hurch, a n d th a t only th e p riso n E pistles a re fo r us, a n d th a t con seq u en tly w a te r baptism am o n g o th e r things is n o t to be p ra c ticed b y believers to d ay is w holly w ith o u t Bible w a rra n t an d is a th o ro u g h ly p e r nicious doctrine. Q . “W h at is th e m eaning of 1 P e ter 3 :1 8 , 19, ‘F o r C h rist also h a th once s u f - . fered fo r sins, th e ju st fo r th e u n ju st, th a t H e m ight b rin g us to God, b ein g p u t to d eath in th e flesh, b u t qu ick en ed b y th e S p irit: By w hich also H e w e n t a n d p re ac h ed u n to th e sp irits in p rison, etc.*? D oes this tea ch th a t m en have a n o th e r o p p o rtu n ity a fte r d e ath to re p en t a n d be saved?** A . It teach es n o th in g of th e kind. T his is clear if w e n otice tw o things. F irst, w ho th e spirits in p riso n w e re ; second, w h at C h rist p re ac h ed to th e sp irits in prison. F irst, w ho w ere th e spirits in p riso n ? T h e w ord “spirits** is n e v er used in this w ay of m en, o r th e disem bodied spirits of m en. It is used of an gelic beings, an d p re sum ably th e spirits h e re m en tioned a re th e angels w ho sinned in th e days of N oah (G en. 6:2 cf., Ju d e 6, 7 R - V .) . So it tells us n o th in g w h a tev e r a b o u t m en having a n o th e r o p p o rtu n ity . Second, w h a t does th e w o rd “preach** m ean? T h e re a re two G reek w ords comm only tran sla ted “ preach** in th e New T estam ent. O ne of th em m eans to p re a c h th e Gospel a n d th e o th e r m eans to h erald . T h e w o rd used h e re is th e second w ord, so w e a re n o t told th a t o u r L ord Jesus p re ac h ed th e G ospel to th e spirits in prison. H e sim ply h e rald ed th e kingdom . In o th e r w ords, th e trium p h of C h rist’s kingdom h as been h e rald ed n o t only u p o n e a rth a n d in
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