After the immature believers are cut asunder, cut off from their organic union with the Lord, they will be cast out into the outer darkness, which is the darkness outside the bright glory in the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens, where they will weep and gnash their teeth. Weeping indicates regret, and gnashing the teeth indicates self blame. To be cast out into the outer darkness is not to be cast into the lake of fire after the millennium to perish eternally (Rev. 20:15); it is to be dealt with dispensationally. In the coming kingdom age the overcoming believers will be with Christ in the bright glory of the kingdom (Col. 3:4), whereas the defeated believers will suffer discipline in outer darkness (Matt. 8:12). They will be disqualified from participating in the enjoyment of the kingdom during the millennium, for not having lived an overcoming life by Christ. Because these believers have no part in the wedding feast, they cannot enter into the joy of their Master, and there will be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth due to the loss of the higher commission (22:13; 25:21, 23, 30.) This will be a sign of their suffering the dispensational and governmental discipline of the Lord.
In 1 Corinthians 3:15 Paul says, “If anyone’s work is consumed, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” He will suffer loss indicates loss of reward, not of salvation. The believers whose Christian works are not approved by the judging Lord are still saved yet so as through fire. Through fire does not refer to purgatory, which is heretically taught by Catholicism in its superstitious misinterpretation of this verse; rather, it indicates a dispensational punishment to perfect the believers in the millennium.
In the age of grace today the Lord is always upholding the believers and supplying them with rich grace so that they would enjoy this grace, be edified, transformed, and perfected. If the believers are faithful, they will become overcomers to enter into the Lord’s joy in the coming age. But if they are defeated, they will be disciplined by Him in the coming age so that they may be perfected. Those who overcome in the age of grace will receive the Lord’s reward in the coming age, be in His presence in glory, and even reign with Him. But for those who are not perfected in the age of grace, the millennium will be the time for their discipline. In order to be suitable to enter into the New Jerusalem in the new heaven and the new earth, the believers who are not mature need to be disciplined in the coming age in order to be perfected. This truth is truly a solemn warning to all Christians.
The salvation that the believers receive in Christ is a free gift. It is eternal and unchangeable in nature. Nevertheless, among saved believers there is still the difference between being defeated and overcoming. Throughout the ages the principle of God’s work among His people is to first gain a few people so that His intention may be worked into many people. This is the principle of the overcomers. As an incentive, the overcoming believers will receive a reward from the Lord in the kingdom age. Defeated believers will not lose their eternal salvation, but they will suffer the loss of the dispensational reward and will be disciplined and perfected in the kingdom age. The Lord disciplines those whom He loves. Since the age of the millennium is still part of the old heaven and old earth, the Father still deals with His children in the kingdom age by means of dispensational and governmental discipline to perfect them.
In the kingdom age the defeated believers will depart from the Lord because of the Lord’s disapproval; they will not participate in the glory of the kingdom. This means that they will be excluded from the manifestation of the kingdom in the coming age and will not receive the kingdom reward. If they have not gained a profit by using their gift in the church age, even the gift that they have will be taken away from them in the coming kingdom age. They will also be cut off from the glory of the kingdom and from their enjoyment of the organic union with the Lord. They will be cast into the outer darkness. Because these believers will have no part in the wedding feast, they cannot enter into the joy of their Master, and there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth due to the loss of the higher commission. They will also suffer loss as through fire.
If the believers are faithful in the age of grace today, they will become overcomers to enter into the joy of the Lord. However, if they are defeated, they will be disciplined by the Lord in the coming age so that they may be perfected. In order to be suitable to enter into the New Jerusalem in the new heaven and the new earth, the believers who are not mature need to be disciplined in the coming age to be perfected. This truth is truly a solemn warning to all Christians.