A point has arisen in discussion with certain Christians, relating to the state of the heathen with reference to the Gospel. I venture to solicit your assistance in coming to a clear understanding on this point.
These people hold that the heathen are one and all raised again during, a thousand years' millennium, and then have the Gospel preached to them, under conditions which render it easy for all to hear and accept it. They advance in proof of this, the following considerations:
1. The Gospel according to John states that the Word was "the true Light, which lights every man that comes into the world." This, according to their view, is manifestly not now being done, since [again their figures] 75% of the heathen die without ever hearing the Gospel.
2. Salvation is offered to all mankind on condition of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and in no other way. How then does this offer include the heathen who have not yet heard His name, and have perished in their ignorance?
3. Finally, this preaching to the heathen, and the consequent salvation of many of them, must necessarily take place in the future, and if so, when but during the thousand year's reign of righteousness spoken of [?] in the Scriptures?
The point I ask your assistance on is not in connection with the doctrines which go under the name of the "Temporal Millennium," for it is evident to me that no such doctrine is taught anywhere in the Scriptures; but I wish you to point out if there be any definite scriptures indicating the Lord's dealings with the heathen who have not heard the name of Christ, and also how such texts as John 1:9; John 3:16 [where it gives the condition of not perishing]; John 12:32, etc., apply in the heathen world.
If you have the Present Truth of August 29 (See article 59, "Christ's Coming and the Millenium."), you will find in it a brief statement of the Scripture teaching concerning the Millennium, by which you can see the fallacy of the views you refer to.
The preaching of the Gospel will be finished before the beginning of the thousand years' reign of the saints with Christ, and there will be no people on earth during that period, to whom the Gospel could be preached; the saints will be reigning with Christ in heaven.
This has been treated of so lately in this "Corner" that it need not be discussed at length now, and we will devote all our time to the case of the heathen in this present age.
It is very strange that people professing to believe the Bible will read a Scripture statement, and at once say that it is not so. Instead of allowing the Bible to enlarge their understanding, they make their lack of understanding the measure of its meaning. The Bible says that the true Light lights every man that comes into the world; your friends say that 75% of the heathen have never heard the Gospel, and therefore it cannot be true now; whereas they ought to say that John 1:9 is sufficient proof that none die without having had the light of the Gospel.
Let us read John 1:9 carefully. "That was the true Light, which lights every man that comes into the world." (John 1:9)
The Revision has it, "which lights every man, coming into the world," (John 1:9) and in the margin is the rendering still more literally given: "That was the true Light, which lights every man as he comes into the world." (John 1:9)
The Word of life "was from the beginning," (1 John 1:1) and its light shines into and upon every soul that is born into the world. By that Word we live, and its life is the light of men. The Gospel is life, and every living soul of mankind is an involuntary witness to its truth.
Many hundred years ago a heathen poet, who had never heard the name of Christ, seeing the truth that in God we live, and move, and have our being, said, "we are also His offspring." (Acts 17:28)
Every person with reason can see that we do not give ourselves life; our very existence is proof of the existence of a being who "gives to all life and breath and all things." (Acts 17:25)
But this is the whole of the Gospel--life from God. So we know that no heathen dies, nay, no heathen comes into the world, without seeing the Gospel. "For the Life was manifested, [even] ... that eternal Life ... which was from the beginning." (1 John 1:2,1)
The life by which all men exist is the eternal life of Jesus, which is abundantly able to save everyone and all who accept it as coming from God, and who in consequence acknowledge that they are not their own.
Without Excuse
In Romans 1:16-20, the case of the heathen is set forth so clearly that we have only to read, in order to understand: "I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes: to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, The just shall live by faith. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them;for God has shown it unto them. For the invisible things of Him from [since] the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse." (Romans 1:16-20)
If, in the face of this, anybody says that the heathen have no chance to know the Gospel, he thereby declares himself an unbeliever. The text plainly says that the everlasting power and Divinity of God, even all that may be known of Him, are clearly seen in the things that He has made, including man himself. The true Light lights every man; the most of them cover it up, and do their best to extinguish it, and walk in the light like blind men; but that light whether acknowledged or not, leaves all "without excuse."
All are "without excuse," although the natural tendency of man is to excuse himself. Thus we read: "When the Gentiles [heathen], which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the meanwhile accusing or also excusing one another." (Romans 2:14-15)
Every soul has had sufficient light either to save or condemn him, according as he followed or neglected it. Whoever walks in the light that he has, will have more; but one who refuses to follow the light that he has, no matter how small it may be, would not profit by more if he had it. Whoever does not accept the Gospel in this life, would not accept it if a thousand millenniums were given him in which to hear it.
Take another text: "The Scripture says, Whosoever believes on Him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek; for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How the shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe on Him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach except they be sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the Gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! But they have not all obeyed Gospel. For Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed our report? So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. But I say, Have they not heard? Yes, verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world." (Romans 10:11-18)
Here it is plainly stated that, although all have not believed the Gospel, all have heard it; for the heavens themselves have proclaimed it. God's wondrous works declare His name, for, like the Master Workman that He is, whose works are perfect, and not to be ashamed of, He has stamped His name upon everyone of them. In the darkest heathen times, "He left not himself without witness, in that He did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness." (Acts 14:17)
This name which God's works declare, is the very name that Christ himself declares.
The Name of Jesus
The name of Jesus is not merely the five letters composing it; it is not the mere sound of a word: it is what He is himself; it is His life. His name is called Jesus,--Saviour,--because He saves. Wherever saving power is manifested, there is the name and person of Jesus. That power is everywhere, even in our own bodies, working to repair and to restore and to build up. The presence of the power that regenerates the soul, is shown by the restoration of the body after disease, or the renewal of strength day by day.
Whoever trusts the everlasting power that he sees working everywhere, in himself, yet not of himself, will be saved, even though he has not heard the sound of the name. Abraham, the father of all them that believe, is an instance of one brought out of heathen darkness into the marvelous light of God, by listening to and heeding the voice of God within him. That voice led him out of self into God. From knowing nothing of the name of God the Saviour, he came to be the intimate friend of God, a sharer of His secrets, all by heeding and following the light that all heathen have; and Abraham's case is placed on record, that we may know the possibilities before every heathen.
Christ has been lifted up, and He is drawing all, both in earth and heaven, unto himself. He is drawing by "the power that works in us," (Ephesians 2:9) and in all creation. The power of the cross is the selfsame power that upholds the universe; its power is felt in every man; and if all would only believe the simple truths which their daily life, yea, every breath, brings to them, they would be saved.
Why Preach to the Heathen?
Someone will say, "If the heathen have the Gospel, why need we make such efforts to carry it to them?"
When presenting this truth, I have heard some say, "If I believed that, I should never do anything more to help missions;" and yet those same people continued going to church, although they had heard the Gospel preached all their lives. Why continue preaching the Gospel in this country year after year for generations? Why continue preaching to a congregation of Christians? In order that they may "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 3:18)
I do not mean to be understood as saying that the heathen by any means appreciate the light that they have. Neither do all professed Christians. The abominable practices of the heathen have blinded their minds so that they have little sense of spiritual things, and they need to be taught. The people of our own land have the same need also, although to a lesser degree. We cannot be blameless, if we possess good things, and are not willing to share with those who have less.
And this brings us to the grand lesson that we need to learn, namely, that: God does not need either man's work or His own gifts.
He has committed the preaching of the Gospel to us, not because He needs our help, but because we need the discipline. He is not dependent upon man for the revelation of himself. Far from it. It is He himself who does all the work, even when we are the most active in His service. He uses men only as His instruments. If we have light which we refuse to share with others, our loss will be greater than theirs.
But while God is not dependent upon man for the revelation of himself, it is also true that the highest and most complete revelation of himself must be made through man. In all the things that He has made His everlasting power and Divinity are seen; but it is in man, whom He made to be lord of the earth, that it must be revealed in fullest measure.
When Christ comes there must be a people on earth, in whom the life of Christ is perfectly represented. This will be the fullness of the Gospel. Now among this number must be some out of the very lowest and most depraved tribes of mankind, in order that it may be most clearly manifest to all that all the lost are without excuse, and that God may judge the world. It is necessary also, in order that God's marvelous power and love may be seen.
So while we will not relax, but rather redouble, our efforts to preach the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ to the heathen, we may be sure that God is just, and that when the coming of Christ which we thereby hasten, ends the preaching of the Gospel, everything will have been done for all mankind that possibly could have been done.--Present Truth, October 3, 1901.