Who And Who Will Not Enter Into God's Rest?

For unto us was the gospel

preached, as well as unto them;

but the word preached did not

profit them; but the word not being

mixed with faith in them that

heard it. For we which have 

believed do enter into rest,

as He said, As I have sworn

in my wrath, if they shall

enter into my rest: although

the works were finished from

the foundation of the world.

Hebrews 4:2-3

     There is no excuse, no reason, no possibility to save oneself from the wrath of God because the Gospel is known, has been spread throughout the earth, to all people, so there is nothing to be said because the Gospel has and is being preached. Some may object and say: "There are people who never heard the gospel," and they would be right but not completely right. Why? Christianity was well known from the earliest of times by the preaching and missionary efforts of the apostles, and by those who traveled into those far away lands to bring the Gospel to the people. Trade, and traders traveling into the Grecian and Roman empires would come to know about this religion, Christianity, and take this knowledge back to their homelands. Philip was the first to bring the Gospel to Gentiles when he taught the Ethiopian who took the Gospel back to Ethiopia. Egypt became a Christian center, India was reached by early Christians and recorded are missionaries that predate the Second Council of Nicaea (787 A.D.). We often hear of Taylor Hudson, William Carey, David Livingston, and many others even some not so well known as is true of David of Basra who undertook missionary work in India 300 A.D. and many more who went into Kashmir, Australia, Japan, Burma, all over the world the Gospel has been and is now being preached: there is no excuse to say that the Gospel has not been presented to the world, even Thomas the apostle is reported to have gone to India. 

     So why is there so little knowledge among some people about Christianity? Great question! The influence of false religious worship, idols, many gods who the people believed to have influence over their lives, trades such as the opium trade, did not allow them to become believers in Jesus Christ, they lacked faith. The word of God was preached to them but it did not profit them. From the foundation of the world when Adam sinned God's wrath was set forth against all who will not believe. When God caused the Great Flood and Noah and his sons and their wives lived through that holocaust still there were those who would not believe, i.e., Nimrod, and when Moses led the people out of Egypt, there were those who lost faith in God and would no longer believe, after the Israelites were captured still they would not believe going so far as to not accept the Messiah Jesus Christ as the promised Messiah. God has always held out Himself as the true God, the One who would save those who would believe, but many did not and they will never enter into God's rest. 

     Today, even in those countries, Germany, England, France, Spain, and the United States were the Gospel has been preached from the earliest of times, some will not believe. The world with all its pretty and acceptable offerings lead a person to follow the world and not hear or accept the Gospel. They will not enter into God's rest.

     Authentic Christians will have ceased from following the world, from their own acceptance of sinfulness in their lives, from relying on their own works to bring them into the rest of God, from believing that their own works of righteousness will save them, from resting on the works of the law, such as do the Seventh Day Adventist who hold on to the burdens of the law, this is not to say this is true of the Law, the Ten Commandments, but the works of the law that passed away with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Authentic Christians ceased from all these things as God and Jesus Christ ceased from their works of creation and redemption. What this means is: creation is finished, and redemption is finished by the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. There is no new way to redemption, it is finished. 

     Will you enter into the rest of God and conjoin faith into the Gospel that is being preached to you? Only you can answer that question. I pray that you will hear the true Gospel and respond with faith, a faith that cannot be shaken. 

If thou sayest, Behold, we knew

    it not: doth not He that pondereth

the heart consider it? and He that

    keepeth thy soul, doth He not know it?

 And shall not He render to every man

    according to his works?

                Proverbs 24:12

Enter now into God's rest

Richard L. Crumb