The Narrow Path Ministries

I noticed something recently in the words of Jesus and Paul that I had not noticed before. The Apostle Paul informs us three times that certain people will have no inheritance in the kingdom:

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (NKJV)
9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will (not) inherit the kingdom of God.

Galatians 5:21 (NKJV)
21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

And in the scriptures we find the kingdom of heaven (aka kingdom of God) in Jesus' teaching to be virtually synonymous with eternal life, being saved, and our inheritance. Some examples:

In Matthew 19 a rich young ruler inquired of Jesus about how he might obtain eternal life:

Matthew 19:16-30 (NKJV)
16 Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?”
17 So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
18 He said to Him, “Which ones?”
Jesus said, “ ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ 19 ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”
20 The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?”
21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. 23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
25 When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?”
26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
27 Then Peter answered and said to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?”
28 So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

This story begins with a question about obtaining eternal life, and is bookended by Jesus reference to a future inheritance: eternal life. In between, the narrative reads as though eternal life, treasure in heaven, being in the kingdom, and being saved are all aspects of the same future state, that is, the inheritance we all hope to attain.

And in Luke we find being saved and "in the kingdom" linked:

Luke 13:23-30 (NKJV)
23 Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?”
And He said to them, 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from,’ 26 then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’ 27 But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’ 28 There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out. 29 They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God. 30 And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last.”

And Jesus' words to Paul when Paul was on the road to Damascus:

Acts 6:15-18 (NKJV)
15 So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 16 But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. 17 I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, 18 to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’

In this passage we find Jesus linking together forgiveness of sins, an inheritance, and sanctification by faith.

And in Matthew 25 we find that "the sheep" inherit the kingdom while the goats have no inheritance:

Matthew 25:34 (NKJV)
34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

F.F. Bruce commented that in John 3, in Jesus words to Nicodemus "The Kingdom of God in this sense is interchangeable with eternal life".

If eternal life is our inheritance, and it is found only in the kingdom, then Paul appears to rule out universalism, in particular because all three "will not inherit" statements by Paul in 1 Corinthians and Galatians are future indicatives in the Greek. Paul is saying that in the future certain persons will never inherit the kingdom. We all recognize that sinners can repent and be saved, but there appears to be a point when it is too late: "after death, the judgement". Otherwise Paul's statements appear to be false if there is an unlimited opportunity post-death to repent and be saved.

Hi Homer,

In recent years, I have come to wonder whether there is a difference between the meanings of the phrases "enter the kingdom" and "inherit the kingdom."

I need to study this out more, but it seems like entering the kingdom speaks about participating at this present time in God's advancing and expanding kingdom, during its non-universal stage (like David's kingdom, after he had been anointed king by Samuel, but while Saul was still chasing him around). We must enter the kingdom through rebirth, and we thus receive eternal life. This happens now, in this lifetime.

But inheriting a kingdom is what a crown prince eventually does. It is what David did after the death of Saul. He came into power. This seems to speak of the future, when every enemy has been put down and we sit with Christ on His throne, receiving crowns and ruling eternally with Him.

I think we all have observed that some passages in scripture clearly speak of the kingdom in the present tense, and others speak of it in the future tense. I suspect that the different verbs "enter" and "inherit" apply to those two tenses, respectively. We enter the kingdom now as subjects; we inherit the kingdom of our Father later as co-rulers. This thought has seemed compelling to me in recent years, and I would be indebted to anyone here who might find a flaw in the theory.

If this is the case, then there might be many who, even if permitted to repent postmortem, and were granted a place in the new creation, would nonetheless have forfeited their opportunity to inherit the kingdom (that is, to reign with Christ), because they never suffered for Him in this life. "If we endure, we shall reign with Him." One advantage of this suggestion is that it would answer a longstanding question that I have never been able otherwise to answer: Over whom do the saints reign for eternity?

Even if postmortem repentance were an option, however, there might still be people who would choose to go into oblivion (and be permitted to be annihilated) rather than to submit to God's rule...however, I don't think there would be as many as most Calvinists think there will be. I do not say that this scenario is the correct one, but if it is, it would do justice to the arguments for conditional immortality without making death the final cut-off point for a decision, and there would still be many who might receive eternal life, but who would not "inherit" (that is, rule in) the kingdom.

Hi Steve,

You pose an interesting question re inheriting vs entering. I think Jesus answered the question in any event. In Matthew 7:21 "shall enter" is also future indicative in the Greek. Not everyone will, in the future, enter the kingdom. So Paul echoes Jesus regarding not inheriting the Kingdom.

Matthew 7:19-21 (New King James Version)
19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

Also since all in Christ are God's children it would seem all of them who will ever be in Him have an inheritance.

God bless, Homer

P.S. what is the subject at McMinnville? Don't know yet if I can make it up there.

Also since all in Christ are God's children it would seem all of them who will ever be in Him have an inheritance.







In the parable of the Prodical Son , he lost his inheritence but still was welcomed back by his Father (saved), but the older son still had his inheritence, "everything i have is yours."

Hello Steve, (to Homer) you wrote:Hi Homer,

In recent years, I have come to wonder whether there is a difference between the meanings of the phrases "enter the kingdom" and "inherit the kingdom."

I need to study this out more, but it seems like entering the kingdom speaks about participating at this present time in God's advancing and expanding kingdom, during its non-universal stage (like David's kingdom, after he had been anointed king by Samuel, but while Saul was still chasing him around). We must enter the kingdom through rebirth, and we thus receive eternal life. This happens now, in this lifetime.

But inheriting a kingdom is what a crown prince eventually does. It is what David did after the death of Saul. He came into power. This seems to speak of the future, when every enemy has been put down and we sit with Christ on His throne, receiving crowns and ruling eternally with Him.

I think we all have observed that some passages in scripture clearly speak of the kingdom in the present tense, and others speak of it in the future tense. I suspect that the different verbs "enter" and "inherit" apply to those two tenses, respectively. We enter the kingdom now as subjects; we inherit the kingdom of our Father later as co-rulers. This thought has seemed compelling to me in recent years, and I would be indebted to anyone here who might find a flaw in the theory.

(Leaving aside the possibility of post-mortem repentance) -

What has been called "Already/Not Yet Eschatology" is what I think the Bible teaches. Proponents of this view see the Kingdom as having been inaugurated by Jesus at His first coming. However, the Kingdom as presented by Jesus, was not in accordance with [His] current Jewish expectations, which anticipated the Davidic Messiah to come and overthrow Roman oppressors to establish an earthly reign over all nations forever.

This inaugurated Kingdom has continued from that time on and will be consummated at the second coming. Thus, the Kingdom exists in "this age" and in "the age to come" simultaneously. Before the consummation, there is an "overalapping of the ages" wherein we can be said to both have entered the Kingdom and have the guarantee of finally inheriting it fully.

A strict division or contrast between "entering" and "inheriting" the Kingdom would be applicable and pertinent in terms of "Will all who enter the Kingdom now fully and finally inherit it?" All who believe are currently in the Kingdom, but endurance to the end is required to inherit the Kingdom in its fullness, which will occur at its consummation at the last day.

Thus, in the present one may forfeit Kingdom membership, which in "this age" is in the inaugurated-and-expansion phase. One may "enter the Kingdom now" - and yet leave it before its consummation.

To try to sum up my thoughts on this -
- Jesus announced the Kingdom's presence, though its nature was not what his contemporaries expected.
- The remnant of Israel were part of it when Jesus arrived.
- Since then, the Kingdom has expanded and is expanding among all nations.
- One may enter the Kingdom and anticipate the full inheritance of it now.
- Entering it does not guarantee perseverance.

I end this post with some quotes from Sam Storms (a Calvinist, Continuationist, and Premillennialist). He quotes from George Ladd and N.T. Wright. His Calvinism and Premillennialism are something of an "aside" (for our purposes here).
================================================================

From this link - The Kingdom of God: Already but Not Yet - part one

This was surely what John the Baptist expected; thus his bewilderment concerning Jesus: Matthew 11:2-6.

N.B. - In his response to John's disciples, Jesus was claiming that the fulfillment of the OT hope with its attendant blessings was in fact present in his person and ministry. The fulfillment, however, was not taking place along expected lines, hence John’s perplexity. The unexpected element was that fulfillment was taking place in Jesus, but without the eschatological consummation. The OT prophetic hope of the coming Messianic kingdom of God as promised to Israel is being fulfilled in the person and ministry of Jesus, but not consummated. The Jews of our Lord’s day, in keeping with what they saw in the OT, expected the consummation of the kingdom, the complete and final overthrow of Israel’s political enemies and the ushering in of the age of blessed peace and prosperity in the land. Our Lord, however, came with the message that before the kingdom would come in its eschatological consummation it has come in his own person and work in spirit and power. The kingdom, therefore, is both the present spiritual reign of God and the future realm over which He will rule in power and glory . . . . .

The Kingdom of God involves two great moments: fulfillment within history, and consummation at the end of history (G.E. Ladd, The Presence of The Future, p. 218).

(End quote)
=====================================================

I've been contemplating starting a new "Already/Not Yet" thread.
But that's all I have for now....Thanks!

Hi Rick,

Good to see you active on the forum again, brother! You were certainly missed. You post some interesting stuff and your subtle humor and attitude are appreciated!

You wrote:

What has been called "Already/Not Yet Eschatology" is what I think the Bible teaches.

I think so too.

And you wrote:

A strict division or contrast between "entering" and "inheriting" the Kingdom would be applicable and pertinent in terms of "Will all who enter the Kingdom now fully and finally inherit it?" All who believe are currently in the Kingdom, but endurance to the end is required to inherit the Kingdom in its fullness, which will occur at its consummation at the last day.

Which I also agree with. All who enter now inherit the kingdom if they remain "faithful until death". Interestingly it appears that those who make a distinction between the ones who merely enter the kingdom and those who inherit the kingdom are the eternal security folks. They argue that the "carnal christians", who live a sinful life, merely enter the kingdom, and then heaven, along with the faithful followers of Jesus who enter and also inherit the kingdom. I just read part of a long article arguing against this position. Hadn't heard of it before.

Just said a prayer for you and your jobless situation.

God bless, Homer

Hello Homer

Thank you for your prayer for my job search!
I know God will provide!

Btw, I sent you a private message a week or so ago. Also, I've been posting on the forum more as I'm taking a break from some "social networking" type stuff (like Facebook, which I just joined to talk with Stanley Horton, one of my college professors, and now all these people & relatives want to "add" me. Plus, I was on some Christian dating and other (related) sites up till recently).

To The Topic -

The "Already/Not Yet" theme runs through the whole New Testament, it seems to me. I've considered myself partial-preterist and, I suppose, still do. But I seem to be more "Already" than most partial-preterists on certain texts. This isn't to say I'm "leaning" toward full-preterism.

What Steve was asking about is interesting. In 1 Cor, for example, Paul talks about a future inheritance of the Kingdom (6:9) while he sees the Kingdom as "already manifesting" -
1 Corinthians 4:20 -
For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power.
(Kingdom Now - Kingdom Future).

I'm planning to look further into this. For now, I think you and I probably see things about the same across the board. That is to say that "inheriting the Kingdom" seems to be virtually synonymous with "inheriting eternal life" (Already/Not Yet).

I'm being redundant and need to get on the job search!
Take care, Homer!

Homer wrote:Hi Steve,

You pose an interesting question re inheriting vs entering. I think Jesus answered the question in any event. In Matthew 7:21 "shall enter" is also future indicative in the Greek. Not everyone will, in the future, enter the kingdom. So Paul echoes Jesus regarding not inheriting the Kingdom.

Matthew 7:19-21 (New King James Version)
19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

Also since all in Christ are God's children it would seem all of them who will ever be in Him have an inheritance.

God bless, Homer

Hi Homer,

Hope you are doing well. As usual, when we engage each other it seems to be on the topic of UR. Now I still find myself undecided on this topic, but leaning in a different direction than you

Regarding the verses you quoted, I think most who hold to UR would agree that Jesus indicates that not everyone will enter the kingdom in the future -- at the time indicated by Jesus. He specifies He is referring to a specific day or time. Continuing the verses you quoted, and adding a couple more:

Mat 7:19 "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Mat 7:20 "So then, you will know them by their fruits.
Mat 7:21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
Mat 7:22 "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?'
Mat 7:23 "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'

These verses may be understood to be referring to a specific day or time when we are judged whether or not we have done the will of the Father. Only those whose righteousness has exceeded that of the Pharisees are allowed to enter on that day. The question remains, is that the "Final Answer"

I have hope that God will continue to show compassion, even in His judgments on the wicked, after that Day.

Blessings!
Mike

This has already been brought up, but there are two ways to look at this to me, and neither one rules out Universalism. The inheritance, which is spoken of in these verses, can either be something that is received in this life, or in the resurrection (or both).

The first way is to view the Kingdom as something experienced in this life. To "be saved" in this life is to be delivered from a life filled with guilt, condemnation and corruption. One who is saved in this manner has an inheritance through aligning himself with the leading of the Holy Spirit and receiving the fruits thereof; love, joy, peace, patience, etc. These spiritual benefits are the inheritance. Those who do not follow the Spirit's lead (the un-saved) do not have this inheritance, but instead experience the guilt, shame, and corruption that follows carnal-mindedness. Viewing this way does not deal with what happens in the resurrection.

The second way is to view the Kingdom as the "Everlasting Kingdom" that will be in the resurrection. As I see it, one can be a participant in the Everlasting Kingdom without necessarily having an inheritance in it; just as one family member is still part of the family even though his recently deceased grandfather left him no inheritance.

Todd

You've made some strong points, Homer.

I've also thought this ruled out the possibility of universalism as well:


Through this passage we can deduce:

1) The lost will lose their lives (v. 25) [This would be hard to spiritualize since they are already "lost"]
2) This is synonymous with losing the soul. (v. 26)
3) This is in the context of the Final Judgment (v. 27)

If someone loses their soul, it doesn't sound like there is a possibility of them regaining it.


I'm still considering the possibility of post-mortem repentance, but I do not see how universal reconciliation is possible scripturally.