CHAPTER 3 

"But without faith it is impossible to please Him [God]; for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." (Heb.11:6, KJV) 

Have you read the long list of names Paul shared with us in the "Hall of Fame of Faith" in Hebrews 11?  None of them is Christian and of them it is said "the world was not worthy".  Paul says, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  For by it the elders [Jews and non-Christians] obtained a good report.  Through faith we understand that the worlds (yes, worlds - plural!) were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear." (Hebrews 11, KJV) 

 By faith Abel...Enoch...Noah...Abraham...Sarah...Isaac...Jacob...Joseph... 
Moses...Rahab...Gideon...Barak...Samson...Jephthah...David... 
Samuel...and of the prophets:  who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.  Women received their dead to life again:  and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:  And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:  they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword:  they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; of whom the world was not worthy:  they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.  And all these, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:  God having provided some better thing for US [the Gentiles, the heathen], that they without us should not be made perfect"!  HOW GREAT THE LOVE OF GOD TO THE HEATHEN! 

Hebrews 12:1(KJV):  "Wherefore seeing we [Christians] also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us [Christians] lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us [Christians], and let us run with patience the race that is set before us." 

Small wonder that these are held up as examples to the Church.  We [Christians] have "a ways to go".  "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.  For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a better country... 
Wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God:  for he hath prepared for them a city." (Heb.11,KJV). 
 

CHAPTER 4 

There are scripture and insight that confirm the very core of Rev. Rhem's belief system that "God's grace extends beyond the Christian community".  Let's look at OUR scripture and see if that be true.  The surest place to test Rev. Rhem's theory is by looking at the Last Judgment as told by our Lord Himself - for here, at His throne, is where all theories, all disputations, all debate and interpretations of doctrine end and the knowledge of HIS heart is revealed: 

Matthew 25:31-46 (KJV):  "When the Son of Man shall come in all his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory.  And before him shall be gathered ALL NATIONS."  Here is what Strong's Concordance says the meaning of the word "NATIONS" is:  (g1484) ethos; races (as of the same habit), e.g., tribes; spec. foreign [non-Jewish] ones  [usually by impl. "pagans"]:  gentiles, heathen, nations, peoples. 

In the Old Testament, "pagan, gentile, heathen, foreign nations" meant those not worshipping the true God:  all who were NOT Jews although some believe, in Matthew, it is those who are NOT Christians; however, we must look at what scripture says. Some also believe this judgment takes place AFTER what is called "the rapture of the Church".  If that be so, let us pay close attention to the rest of Matthew 25. 

To continue:  "And before him shall be gathered ALL nations ["pagans",  non-Christians] and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats.  And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.  Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, come, YE BLESSED OF MY FATHER, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  "For I was an hungered, and you gave me meat:  I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink:  I was a stranger, and ye took me in:  Naked, and ye clothed me:  I was sick, and ye visited me:  I was in prison, and ye came unto me.  Then shall the righteous [righteous among the heathen?!?] answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?  When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?  Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 

"And the King shall answer and say unto them, verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these 
MY BRETHREN, ye have done it unto me.  Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.  For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat:  I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:  I was a stranger and ye took me not in:  naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 

"Then shall they answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?  Then shall he answer them saying, verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye did it not to one of these, ye did it not to me."  And these shall go away into everlasting punishment:  BUT THE RIGHTEOUS  [the heathen on his right hand] INTO LIFE ETERNAL." 

A footnote in a King James Version translation has this to say about this particular passage by the Lord: 

"The separation of the sheep from the goats is a graphic image for believers to understand that the TRUE sheep are those who do the will of God precisely because it is "easy" as the right thing to do and not because it will bring reward or public acclaim.  The "righteous" (sheep) in this parable seem unaware of when they had done all of the things now being applauded [by THE LORD and not by man!], and the point is that they are deemed righteous because what they did do had become "second-nature" to them.  The glory rests in the anonymity of the righteous deed [and not because they belong to one religion as opposed to another.  HEART attitude]." 

The Son of Man said to some of the heathen, "Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom." 

We should, at this same time, consider the words of Jesus to some of the Kingdom: 
"Not every one that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."  [If we read carefully the things He praised the heathen for, we have a very clear picture of what the will of His Father which is in heaven is].  "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name?  and in thy name have cast out devils?  and in thy name done many wonderful works?  And then I will profess unto them, I never knew you:  depart from me ye that work iniquity."  Matthew 7:22,23 KJV). 
 
CLICK "NEXT" BUTTON FOR  CONTINUATION