FLESH AND BLOOD OR CORRUPTION CAN NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD (1 Corinthians 15:50)

By Mario A Olcese (Lima, Perú)

One of the most interesting biblical verses that I love very much can be found in 1 Corinthians 15:50-53, which reads:

«But this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood can not inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall processed. Because it is perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.»

Here it is quite clear that Paul is saying two main things: First, the kingdom of God is something that the faithful believers will inherit or possess in the age to come. Second, that any mortal being can inherit it, but only immortal people, and this requires that these heirs experience a supernatural change to achieve immortality by the resurrection.

It is very interesting to know that the kingdom of God is the inheritance promised by the heavenly Father for all who are his children, ie, for all those men and women who become, by faith in Jesus Christ, part of His divine family (John 1:12). It is not simply a promise to enter the kingdom of God as mere vassals without further rights but involves more, ownership, dominion, and authority within it.

¿But who are the children of God entitled to inherit the kingdom of God with immortal life?

There are millions of people who do not understand what implies inheritance of the kingdom of God , simply because they have been deceived by Satan and his angelic and human agents ( 2 Corinthians 4:4) . Yes, my friends, the devil does not want people to believe in the gospel or good news of the kingdom of God because this is the only saving gospel of Jesus Christ (Romans 1:16,Galatians 1:6-9, Luke 4:43 ; Mark 1:1,14,15 ) .

The important point is that the kingdom of God has human heirs who are going to enjoy the divine nature with Jesus, as Paul said in 2 Peter 1:4,11. These heirs know the Lord and implement the fruits of the Spirit in their lives (2 Peter 1:6-8). Actually, these people are “reborn” or “born again” to see and enter the kingdom as the rightful heirs (John 3:3.5). They are the winners or overcomers, those who have been in the Word and in the way of God to the end of this age.

Furthermore, the Scriptures tell us that the heirs of the kingdom meet three basic characteristics. Let’s see what James says about those who inherit the kingdom of God:

   My beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? (James 2:5).

First: The heirs of the kingdom are poor, not rich or wealthy, but also may be wealthy among them, but these are the minority, because Jesus said that a rich hardly enter into the kingdom of God. He did not say it would be impossible for a rich man to enter the kingdom, but rather, it would be difficult for a rich kingdom to enter to the kingdom of God, and this because the object of his love in their money. They have replaced the true God for a false God that is purely material.

Second: The heirs of the kingdom are rich in faith, and by this we mean that they are very pious and devoted to God and His Son. These put first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and the other things (clothes, food, house, cars, etc) have left them in second place (Matthew 6 verse 33). They have their eyes put on things that are not seen because they know that the things they can see are transient (Colossians 3:2 , 2 Corinthians 4:18).

Third: They deeply love God. That is, in addition to having faith in God, they love Him wholeheartedly. And those who love God above all things, are willing to make any sacrifice to please and honor Him.

In the past, and even today, many Christians meet these conditions worldwide. There are few in number compared with all the population of all the ages. On the other hand, they are a great company of children of God who are the elected, or if you will, the foreknown to inherit the kingdom of God as heirs (Romans 8:29), a real great multitude. This we read in the Epistle to the Hebrews:

«For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things , and through whom are all things , in bringing many sons unto GLORY, perfect through sufferings author of their salvation» ( Hebrews 2:10).

It is true that there are few who are saved when compared with those who are lost. However, we are confident that we are still a great company of redeemed, because through all ages there were many good Christians who expected to reign with Christ as we are now waiting.

¿Who will not inherit the kingdom with immortality? 

Most people walk in the broad way that leads to perdition. Unfortunately, all these unrepentant individuals will go away to eternal punishment, never having the option to be redeemed by the blood of our Lord. The apostle Paul called those who do not inherit the kingdom of God as «unrighteous». Consider what Paul wrote to the Corinthians:

«Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God» (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).

We note that Paul is very clear when he states that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God with immortality. So, only those who act justly, will achieve immortality or incorruptibility of their bodies, and thus, inherit the kingdom of God. The impious will not rise in the first resurrection at the last day, the day of the coming of Christ in glory, and therefore will not participate in the glorious kingdom of Christ and his brothers.

The separation of the sheep and goats

Jesus promised his disciples to return again to select and reward the sheep (obedient) and the goats (disobedient). Notice what Jesus says in Matthew 25:

«When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the holy angels with him, he will sit on his throne of glory, will be gathered before him all nations: and he shall separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world» (verses 31 to 34).

Observe, my friends, that when Christ returns to the world again, he will make the separation of the sheep (believers) from the goats (unbelievers). He will put the goats on his left, and the sheep on his right, and He will say to his sheep: «Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world».

So it will be to ALL his sheep (not just a minority of them) that Jesus will say loudly: “inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world”. This is significant because some still have false hopes about what will the Lord do when he comes back a second time. Here Jesus is not saying anything at all of an inheritance in heaven, but an inheritance in the kingdom of heaven, which is a very different matter.

The main tragedy of the so called Jehovah’s Witnesses and many other churches and Christian organizations in the whole world

The tragedy of most churches is that they do not understand the true nature of the inheritance of the kingdom. Some think that the kingdom is the church of Christ, or the reign of Christ in our hearts. Others believe the kingdom of God is heaven itself where we will live forever in praise with a golden harp or lyre. Jehovah’s Witnesses, however, say that only 144,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses inherit the kingdom with immortality, and the rest of his followers only enters to this kingdom with the hope to obtain the immortality after a thousand years reign of Christ. These are the vasssals or subjects of the kingdom, subject to be tested at the end of millennium to see whether they deserve or not receive immortality and divine filiation. However, the leaders of this classist cult forget that those who do not inherit the kingdom with immortality are unrighteous, and if they say that there are millions of people who enter the kingdom without inheriting it with immortality, that would mean that all these great crowd of JWs are still unrighteous within the kingdom, and this goes against the Bible, which says flatly that only the righteous shall remain in the land, not the unrighteous (Psalm 37:29).

Other synonyms for the inheritance of the kingdom

1 – . Incorruptible inheritance (1 Peter 1:4)

2 – . Inheritance of life (Titus 3:7)

. 3 – Inheritance of salvation (Heb. 1:14)

. 4 – Heirs of the promise (Heb. 6:17; 11:9)

. 5 – Heritage of the earth (Matthew 5:5)

. 6 – Legacy of the world (Romans 4:13)

Conclusion

We are called to enter the kingdom as heirs, through the new birth (John 3:3,5). This entry to the kingdom as heirs involves our immediate physical transformation from mortal to immortal, from corrupt to incorrupt, for Paul is adamant that «flesh and blood can not inherit the kingdom of God, nor does corruption inherit incorruption (1 Corinthians 16:50) .

The heirs of the kingdom of God shall be composed of a large majority of displaced or dispossessed, but they are rich in faith and have a lot of love to God. There are not some sheep that show great faith and love for God, but all the sheep which Christ will put at his right.

The righteous and the meek shall inherit the earth, says Psalms 37:11,29, implying that these are the heirs of the kingdom which will receive immediate immortality in the first resurrection, as Paul states that only the wicked are dispossessed or disinherited of the kingdom.

Here are two kinds of people: the righteous and the unrighteous, the sheep and the goats. The righteous (sheep) inherit the kingdom with immortal life, and the goats or unjust are left outside without any hope but only the so feared eternal damnation.

Are you righteous, dear friend? Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that the great crowd is the class of the righteous. If so, then you, my JW friend, should receive immortality in the first resurrection, to inherit the kingdom of God when Christ returns a second time (Heb. 9:28, Matthew 25:31,34).