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LOVE NEVER FAILS
Ps 66:1-5 (Submit - surrender, be obedient)
Lk 13:27-30: "But He will say, 'I tell you I do not know you, where you are
from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.' There will be weeping
and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the
prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out. They will come
from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the
kingdom of God. And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are
first who will be last."
Is 55:7-11: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his
thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and
to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. For My thoughts are not your
thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord. For as the heavens
are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My
thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain comes down, and the snow
from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it
bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the
eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not
return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and
it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it."
Ps 110:1,2: ....rule in the midst of Your enemies.
Rev 19:15: Now out of his mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should
strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He
Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
Rev 2:26,27: "And he that overcomes and keeps My works until the end, to him
will I give authority over the nations. And he shall rule them with a rod of
iron, as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to pieces, even as I
received from My Father."
Ps 2:6-9: "Yet I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion. I will declare the
decree: Yahweh has said to Me, 'You are my Son, today I have begotten You.
Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for your inheritance. You shall break
them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel.'"
Ps 22:27-29: All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to Yahweh, and
all the families of the nations shall worship before You. For the kingdom is
Yahweh's, and He rules over the nations. All the prosperous of the earth shall
eat and worship; all those who go down to the dust shall bow before Him,
even he who cannot keep himself alive.
Dan 2:44: And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a
kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left
to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and
it shall stand forever.
1Cor 15:25: For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet.
Ps 47:2,3 To trample or tread people means to bring them into subjection. Lk
10:17-20. Subjection is being under the power of another/ owing or yielding
obedience to sovereign authority. Heb 2:8; 12:9; Is 14:25-27; Ps 8:6; Ro 16:20.
Ps 86:9: All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You,
O Lord....
Ro 15:11,12: .... "Praise Yahweh, all you Gentiles! Laud Him, all you peoples!"
And again, Isaiah says: There shall be a root of Jesse; and He who shall rise to
reign over the Gentiles, in Him the Gentiles shall hope."
Ps 72:11: Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him; All nations shall serve Him.
Ps 72:17: ....All nations shall call Him blessed.
Rev 15:4: ....For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship
before You....
Is 2:2-4: Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of
Yahweh's house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be
exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it. Many people shall
come and say, "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of Yahweh, to the house
of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.
For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people; they shall beat
their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall
not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.
2Cor 10:4-6: For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God
for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that
exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into
captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all
disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.
Eph 6:10-18: ...Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be
able to stand against the wiles of the devil....
Phil 3:21: ....He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.
To thresh - separate the kernel of grain from the husk and straw, usually
done in the East by treading under the feet of oxen. Hos 10:11. In
prophecy, threshing represents bringing someone into submission as well as
their being purified from sin (husk and straw). Is 27:12 (any modern
translation); Is 41:15-18; Hab 3:12; 1Cor 9:9,10; Mic 4:13 (Compare Micah
4:10-13 with Rev 20:7-15.) To thresh is to labor in the word and doctrine.
1Tim 5:17,18.
*Represent repentance: Job 42:6: "....I abhor myself, and repent in dust and
ashes."Matt 11:21: "....they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and
ashes."
*Represent purification from sin: Numbers 19; note especially verses 1-3, 9, 17.
Please study Mal 4:1-3.
*LOVE - Ro 12:20,21
*JEALOUSY - Song 8:6
*PURIFICATION - Num 31:23; Is 1:25; Mal 3:2,3; Eze 22:14-22; 24:11;
Zech 13:8,9; 1Cor 3:12-15; 2Pt 3:12,13
*GOSPEL - Jn 5:35; Is 6:6,7
*TRUTH - Jer 23:29; 5:14; 20:9; Lk 24:31,32; Ps 119:105
*HOLY SPIRIT - Rev 4:5; 5:6/2:18; Acts 2:3
*HATRED - Is 9:18,19; Ps 21:8,9
*DIVISION - Lk 12:49-53
*WRATH - Eze 21:31; 22:31; 38:19; Rev 14:10; Ps 21:9; 89:46;
Is 66:15; Jer 4:4; 15:14; 17:4; Lam 2:4; Nah 1:6; Deut 32:22
Please note that Satan brings fire down from heaven, although God is often held
responsible. Rev 13:13; Job 1:16; Lk 9:54-56.
God's wrath is when He is pushed out of someone's life by rebellion. He leaves
them at the mercy of Satan and his demons as well as their own heart.
Jer 17:9,10; Ro 1:18, 24, 26, 28; Hos 11:8; Ps 78:49 -
Remember, God is often presented in the Bible as doing that which He does not
prevent. Num 12:9; Ps 5:10; 7:14-16; 9:15,16; 10:1,2; 35:8; 37:14,15; 89:46;
94:23; Ezra 5:12; Eze 16:38,39; 21:31; Ps 75:8; Matt 26:37-39; 27:46 (Ps 22).
Jesus suffered the wrath of God not because of any sin of His own but on behalf
of sinners.
Nothing can ever happen which He didn't plan for from eternity. God's hand is
in everything that ever happens. Nothing can happen in spite of Him, unknown
to Him, or independent of Him. He keeps our attention focused on Him by
accepting responsibility for sin and it's results. Is 45:7; Ro 8:19-23; 11:32
-36. This includes Satan's sins: Compare 1Chr 21:1 and 2Sam 24:1.
Read Job 1 & 2, noting especially 2:3. Rev 12:4; Jude 6; Lk 10:18; Eze 28:16.
This includes human sin: 1Chr 10:4,5,13,14; Lk 12:49-53; 1Sam 8:5-7; Hos 13:11;
Acts 2:23; 3:14,15; 4:27,28
The above in no way suggests that man will not be held accountable for his
thoughts, words and deeds. Ps 10:11-14; Matt 5:25,26; 12:36; Gal 6:7,8; 1Cor
3:11-15
Throughout the Bible and throughout our lives, there are two lords - the Lord
God and the lord Satan. Of course, Satan does everything he can to make people
believe he is the true God. And oftentimes, God claims responsibility for
Satan's actions, so as to keep people from worshipping the devil. This is
especially true in the Old Testament, when most people's level of moral
development was such that they understood little concerning God's character.
Satan isn't even mentioned in the first five books of the Bible, so apt were
the liberated Israeli slaves to worship "the god of evil". Nothing ever
surprises God. He created Lucifer with full knowledge that he would sin.
Matt 5:38-48; Col 2:11-17; 1:25-29; 1Cor 7:19; 2:16; 3:1-3; Heb 10:5-9;
5:11-14; Mk 10:5; Eph 4:13-32; 1Jn 4:17-19; Prov 4:18; 2Pt 1:19-21; Jn 1:14.
Those who have saving faith in Jesus Christ during this age will not be hurt
by the second death. Rev 2:11; 20:6. They will experience "eonian life"
during the coming age or ages. The Greek words "eon" and "eonian", often
translated "forever", "everlasting", "world" or "age" in our New Testaments,
refer to a segment or segments of time, having a beginning point as well as
an end.
Examples: Gal 1:4; 2Tim 4:10; 2Cor 4:4; Philemon 15; Matt 13:39,40.
Those whose names are not in the Book of Life will be "cast" into the lake
of fire, which is the second death. Each will suffer in proportion to their
hardness of heart. This includes those who blaspheme against the Holy Spirit.
Matt 12:31,32; Lk 12:8-10. They will not be let off but will pay the eonian
penalty of the second death. "yet whoever should be blaspheming against the
Holy Spirit is having no pardon for the eon, but is liable to the eonian
penalty for the sin" - Mk 3:29. Lk 12:47-49; Ro 2:5,6; Rev. 20:12-15; 21:8;
Jer 23:19,20; 29:11; Is 55:8,9; Mic 4:12,13.
"Lake" may represent the multitude of people who surround the New Jerusalem
to attack it. Rev 17:15; 20:9. (Concerning the word "devoured", see Jn 2:17,
where the same original word appears.) "Fire" may represent God's wrath,
truth, love and the gospel, as well as the hatred and jealousy of those who
are outside the City wanting in. Ro 12:20,21; Zech 14:13; Eze 38:21; 28:6-10;
Jer 25:30-33; Lk 9:54-56; Num 31:23. The word "brimstone" in Rev 14:10;
19:20; 20:10 and 21:8 is theion, meaning "sulfur", a substance used anciently
to purify, cleanse and consecrate to diety. The word is probably the neuter
of the adjective theios, meaning "godlike" or "divine". Thus, to any Greek,
"lake of fire and brimstone" meant "lake of divine purification".
Christ used the phrases "WEEPING AND GNASHING OF TEETH" & "OUTER
DARKNESS" to describe the experience of the lake of fire.
Matt 8:12; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30; 26:37,38; 27:45,46; Lk 13:28; 22:42-44;
Mk 14:34-36; Ro 2:8,9; Is 53; Heb 5:7,8.
The lake of fire is prepared for Satan, his angels and those who follow
their lead. Matt 25:41 (literally, "into the fire eonian") Jesus
suffered death for the sake of everyone (Heb 2:9). This was the "penalty"
for sin, the second death. The first death is the result of Adam and
Eve's sin. As a general rule, Christians experience the first death,
justas do the lost. Since the lake of fire is prepared for the devil and
his angels, we can conclude that Christ's sacrifice was for their benefit
as well. Matt 25:41; Acts 4:12; 1Jn 2:2. "Propitiation" refers to
reconciliation by means of Christ's death and His presenting the merits
of His sacrifice on our behalf as our High Priest. "World" can
mean the sum total of the material universe. God's purifying "fire"
will cleanse from sin. The lake of fire brings all to ashes (repentance),
according to God's eternal plan. Eph 1:10; 2Sam 14:14; Col 1:20.
(Please note Col 1:15-20; every appearance of the word "all" in Colossians
is from the same Greek root, pas.) Jesus said, "And I, if I be lifted up
from the earth, will draw all (men*) unto Me." (*Supplied word)
Jn 12:32. Satan himself will be brought to ashes. Eze 28:18. Ezekiel 28
speaks of the ancient king of Tyre, who is allegorized as the devil (vs 14).
Satan, the adversary, will be destroyed (vs 19). Lucifer will live again,
not as a fallen angel, but as a redeemed one. This is God's hidden wisdom
(1Cor 2:6-9). If Satan had known this, he would not have had Jesus crucified.
Jude 9; 1Pt 3:9; 2:23; 1Cor 4:12; Heb 7:26; Matt 10:16; Phil 2:14,15; Ro
10:12,13; 13:10; Matt 11:29,30. As Augustine pointed out, from God's eternal
perspective, everything is good. Gen 50:20; Ro 8:20,28-30. The existence of
sin will work for the good of Creation in the end. God and His children
will be nearer and dearer to each other because of the present distress.
And God is so ordaining events that sin will never appear again after it is
exterminated by His love. Acts 2:23,24; Nah 1:9; Heb 2; Ps 76:10. The use
of force is contrary to the principles of God's government. He grants to
all, at all times, liberty to accept His love and lordship, or to reject it.
Forced obedience can never please God nor open the doors of salvation to the
soul. Satan is the destroyer. Rev 9:11; Jn 10:10; 8:44. Because God is
infinite, perfect, all-powerful and eternal, He destroys His enemies by
making them His friends. Ecc 3:14; Ps 147:5. This study will only scratch
the surface. For further study, you may wish to contact:
God's Last Call, P O Box 777, Newburg, OR 97132 glc@ei-c.com
http://www.ei-c.com/777/glc.html
If you enjoy studying prophecy, contact: Wake Up America Seminars, P O Box
273, Bellbrook, OH 45305 wakeup@infinet.com http://www.wake-up.org
Although they don't understand universal reconciliation yet, they offer lots
of materials on Revelation and Daniel.
For a one year subscription to the bimonthly magazine, UR, send $1.00 to:
Concordant Publishing Concern, 15570 Knochaven Rd, Santa Clarita, CA 91350
email@concordant.org http://www.concordant.org They also offer many
publications and lend cassette tapes by mail.
Please remember Jesus' words: "He that has seen Me has seen the Father." Jn
14:9; Matt 5:9,38-48. And God never changes. Mal 3:6; Heb 13:8; 7:25,26;
Hos 6:6,7; Jas 1:13-17. God knows the end from the beginning. Is 46:9,10.
Did He create one third of the angels and most humans to be annihilated or
tortured for eternity? Few deny that He wants all to be reconciled. Few
deny thatHis goodness is sufficient to bring all to repentance. Is 6:3;
Rev 4:8-11; Ro 2:4.
Many are misled into believing that sin can prove more powerful
than God. This is false. God doesn't make mistakes, nor does He fail.
Mk 14:36; Ro 5:20; 11:32; Job 5:17,18; Is 25:8,9; 46:10; Matt 12:20,21;
1Chr 29:11-14; Gen 18:14; Jer 32:17,27; Lk 19:10. The success of God's
plan of salvation will be as complete as are His foreknowledge and love.
After Christ's Second Coming, the saints will be His priests. Rev 20:6.
A priest is a mediator between God and His worshippers. The saints will
direct the lost to their High Priest, Who alone can forgive their sins.
Heb 10:10-14; Ro 10:9-15; Ob 21; Rev 2:26,27; 22:2,17.
When every knee bows before God and every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ
is Lord, to the glory of God, is that a forced or faked confession? Jn 6:37;
12:32; 17:2; 13:3; Ps 65:1,2. After the lost sheep or the lost coin is found,
how many remain lost? Lk 15. Is eternal life denied to those who had no
opportunity in this life to hear the gospel? God will not condemn souls
because of circumstances beyond their control. Nor is the eternal salvation
of souls dependent on the degree of faithfulness of others in the work of
evangelism. God created every soul with a destiny in mind. Since He is love,
what must that destiny be?
The teaching of everlasting torment for the lost originated not in Jesus
Christ but in false philosophy. Not even Hitler or Mao were guilty of
such atrocities. Ps 89:14; 98:9; Job 8:3; 34:10-12; Rev 15:3,4; 16:7.
The Bible infers three major resurrections of life in 1Cor 15:20-28. #1 -
Christ, and those who rose with Him. Matt 27:52,53. #2 - Those who believe
during the ages preceding Christ's Second Coming and are raised at that
coming. 1Thes 4:15-18. #3 - Those raised at the end, at which point
death is destroyed.(1Cor 15:24-26)
How could death be destroyed if millions were to forever
remain dead? God's "purpose of the ages" is to bring all to a place of
surrender (worship). At that point, God will be "all in all". All His
created intelligences will share God's immortality, holiness, peace and
joy during post-eonian times. The author makes no claim to infallibility.
Nor does he claim to grasp the relationship between God's sovereignty and
human will. Nevertheless, consider this logic: Salvation depends not on
the will of man but of God. It isn't the lost coin or the lost sheep that
finds its owner. Ro 3:11; 9:15,16; 11:5,6,26,36; 12:3; Jn 1:12,13; 3:27;
6:44; Mk 13:19,20; 1Cor 1:26-31; 4:7; 2Thes 2:13,14; Jas 2:5; Phil 1:29;
2:13; 2Tim 1:9,10; 2:25; Prov 21:1; Acts 3:16; 5:31; 11:18; 13:48; Gal
1:15,16; 2:20; 5:22; Matt 16:15-17; Eph 2:8-10; 1:3-6. God will have all
to be saved. 2Pt 3:9: 1Tim 2:3,4. Nothing is too hard for Him. Jer 32:17,
27; Is 46:10; Matt 19:25,26.
Therefore, God will soorder events and will so dispense His chastisements
that all willeventually be brought to repentance. Ps 86:9; Col 1:19,20;
Zeph 2:11; Ps 85:10; Job 34:31,32; Heb 12:5-11. Prayers for the dead were
featured in the oldest Christian liturgies and inscriptions. Matthew 12:32
was one text that influenced early believers in that direction. Not a single
creed expresses any idea contrary to universalism during the first five
centuries of the Christian era, if ever. In spite of opposing concepts then
prevalent among non-Christians, and the fact that believers were often
persecuted and martyred, the belief in the eventual redemption of all was
common, if not predominant, in early Christianity.
The notion that God is, in the Bible, detailing the story of His own defeat,
of how sin proved too strong for Him, is absurd. Beyond any doubt, God's
only Son triumphed over sin and will entirely vanquish it.
Christ would have us bear testimony to the fact that He cannot be satisfied
until the human race are reclaimed and reinstated in their holy privileges
as His sons and daughters. Then, "The great controversy is ended Sin and
sinners are no more. The entire universe is clean. One pulse of harmony
and gladness beats through the vast creation. From Him who created all,
flow life and light and gladness, throughout the realms of illimitable
space. From the minutest atom to the greatest world, all things, animate
and inanimate, in theirunshadowed beauty and perfect joy, declare that God
is Love." - Universe in Conflict, pg 576. $3.00 postpaid from Inspiration
Books, P O Box 8249,
Phoenix, AZ 85066. Good book, although the author didn't understand
universal reconciliation.
On this point, please keep in mind that most if not all the Bible writers
didn't understand all the basic components of the plan of salvation. Some
related visions they themselves didn't comprehend. Dan 8:27. God revealed
different aspects of His plan to different prophets in different eras as
He saw best. Because God often revealed more to later prophets than He
had to earlier ones, some critics were quick to point out "inconsistencies"
and "errors" in their messages. This often led to their being murdered.
Matt 23:34.
The prejudices of the translators have affected the text in some respects
- note the meaning applied to "eon" and "eonian", meanings inconsistent
with their usage both in the Bible and other ancient Greek writings.
"Hell", "soul" and "spirit" are other words of which the translation and
common connotations often lead to misunderstandings on the part of the
reader. Ancient Greek concepts influenced Christian thinking on the soul,
and on heaven and hell Hades). In Greco-Roman paganism the soul was
oftenbelieved to survive death, while ultimate universal blessedness was
a virtually unknown concept.
Recommended reading: People of the Lie - M. Scott Peck
Request addition to the mailing list of:
J. Preston Eby, P O Box 371240, El Paso, TX 79937.
The writings of Hannah Whitall Smith (Oftentimes, evidences of her
belief in universal reconciliation have been edited out.)
Please be aware that the author does not endorse, in entirety, the
theology of any of the writers or organizations referred to.
Excerpts from THE GREEK WORD AION - AIONIOS, TRANSLATED
EVERLASTING - ETERNAL, IN THE HOLY BIBLE, SHOWN TO DENOTE
LIMITED DURATION By John Wesley Hanson, 1875:
Origen used the expressions "everlasting fire" and "everlasting
punishment" to express his idea of the duration ofpunishment.
Yet he believed that in all cases sin and suffering would cease and be
followed by salvation. He was the most learned man of his time, and his
example proves that aionion did not mean endless at the time he wrote,
A. D. 200 - 253. Dr Beecher says, "As an introduction to his system of
theology, he states certain great facts as a creed believed by all the
church. In these he states the doctrine of future retribution as aionion
life, and aionion punishment, using the words of Christ. Now, if Origen
understood aionion as meaning strictly eternal, then to pursue such a
course would involve him in gross and palpable self-contradiction. But no
one can hide the facts of the case. After setting forth the creed of the
church as already stated, including aionion punishment, he forthwith
proceeds, with elaborate reasoning, again and again to prove the doctrine
of universal restoration. The conclusion from these facts is obvious:
Origen did not understand aionios as meaning eternal, but rather as meaning
pertaining to the world to come
Two great facts stand out on the page of ecclesiastical history. One
that the first system of Christian theology was composed and issued by
Origen in the year 230 after Christ, of which a fundamental and essential
element was the doctrine of the universal restoration of all fallen beings
to their original holiness and union with God. The second is that after
the lapse of a little more than three centuries, in the year 544, this
doctrine was for the *first time condemned and anathematized as heretical.
This was done, not in the general council, but in a local council called by
the Patriarch Mennos at Constantinople, by the order of Justinian. During
all this long interval, the opinions of Origen and his various writings were
an element of power in the whole Christian world. For a long time he stood
high as the greatest luminary of the Christian world. He gave an impulse to
the leading spirits of subsequent ages and was honored by them as their
greatest benefactor. At last, after all his scholars were dead, in the
remote age of Justinian, he was anathematized as a heretic of the worst kind.
The same also was done with respect to Theodore of Mopsuestia, of the
Antiochian school, who held the doctrine of universal restoration on a
different basis. This, too, was done long after he was dead, in the year 553.
[His teachings on universalism were not mentioned.] From and after this point
the doctrine of future eternal punishment reigned with undisputed sway during
the middle ages that preceded the Reformation. What, then, was the state of
facts as to the leading theological schools of the Christian world in the age
of Origen and some centuries after? It was, in brief, this: There were at
least six theological schools in the church at large. Of these six schools,
one and only one, was decidedly and earnestly in favor of the doctrine of
future eternal punishment. One was in favor of the annihilation of the
wicked. Two were in favor of the doctrine of universal restoration on the
principles of Origen, and two in favor of universal restoration on the
principles of Theodore of Mopsuestia. [see Encyclo. of Religious Knowledge,
1908, Schaff - Herzog, Vol 12, pg 96]
"It is also true that the prominent defenders of the doctrine of
universal restoration were decided believers in the divinity of Christ,
..in the incarnation and atonement, and in the great Christian doctrine
of regeneration; and were, in piety, devotion, Christian activity and
missionary enterprise, as well as in learning and intellectual power and
attainments, inferior to none in the best ages of the church, and were greatly
superior to those by whom, in after ages, they were condemned and anathematized
How could universal salvation have been the prevailing doctrine in
that age of the church unless the word applied to punishment in Matt 25:46
was understood by Christians to mean limited durationThe fact that Origen and
others taught an aionion punishment after death, and salvation beyond it,
DEMONSTRATES that in Origen's time the word had not the meaning of endless,
but did mean at that date, indefinite or limited duration.
The Sibylline Oracles - dated variously by different writers from 500 B. C.,
to 150 A. D., teach aionian suffering, and universal salvation beyond,
showing how the word was then understood. The prophetess who professes to
write the Oracles describes the saints as petitioning God for the salvation
of the damned. Thus entreated she says "God will deliver them from the
devouring fire and eternal gnashing of teeth." ....
"Accordingly, besides those alluded to above (Gregory Nyssen, Avitus,
etc.), we appeal to those ancient Universalists, the Basilidians (AD 130),
the Carpocratians (AD 140), Clemens Alexandrinus (AD 190), Gregory
Thaumaturgus (AD 220-50), Ambrose (AD 250), Titus of Bostra (AD 340-70),
Didymus the Blind (AD 550-90), Diodore of Tarsus (AD 370-90), Isidore of
Alexandria (AD 370-400), Jerome (AD 380-410)...and others, not one of whom
could have been a Universalist unless he ascribed to this word (aionion)
the sense of limited duration. To most of them Greek was as familiar as
English is to us." ....Thus the Jews of our Savior's time avoided using the
word aionion to denote endless duration, for applied all through the Bible
to temporary affairs, it
[*The Oxford Dictionary states that Origenism was first condemned by
a council in 400 AD in Alexandria. (His teaching on human destiny was not
then mentioned, however.) There is doubt as to whether the bishops in the
council of 544 condemned Origen's universal reconciliation for men and devils,
although they were strongly urged to do so by the emperor Justinian. The
despot Justinian had eleven years earlier declared the bishop of Rome head of
the church. Gregory Nyssen, an open universalist, was a leader of the council
of 381 and was honored by the council of 553.
**The word "punishment" in Matt 25:46 is "kolasis", which was used in the
Greek writings of that era to convey the notion of correction for the bettering
of the offender (chastisement).]
would not teach it. If Jesus intended to teach the doctrine held by the Jews,
would he not have used the terms they used? Assuredly; but he did
not. He threatened age-lasting, or long-enduring discipline to the
believers in endless punishment. Aionion was his word while theirs was aidion,
adialeipton, or athanaton, -thus rejecting their doctrines by not only not
employing their phraseology, but by using always and only those words
connected with punishment, that denote limited suffering.
And, still further to show that he had no sympathy with those cruel men who
procured his death, Jesus said to his disciples: "Take heed and beware of the
leaven [doctrine] of the Pharisees and the Sadducees" [believers in endless
misery and believers in destruction]. ~ Cruelty is satanic. There is no greater
evidence that we are led by the father of lies than the desire to destroy those
who disagree with us. Jn 8:37-44.
"Aion" and "aionion" have various meanings in English. Often, they indicate an
indefinite or limited length of time. "Aionion" does not, in itself, signify
the idea of eternity. When applied to God, however, the usage modifies the
usual meaning. The adjective is modified and its length determined by the noun
with which it is connected. In general, translating aion/aionion as eternal or
everlasting gives an absurd meaning. Examples: "...the harvest is the end of
the eternity..." Matt 13:39. "...so it will be at the end of this eternity."
Matt 13:40. "that in the eternities to come He might show the exceeding riches
of His grace..." Eph 2:7. "the mystery of which has been hidden from eternities
..." Col 1:26.
The ancient Greek "doctrine of reserve" ("economy" or the "medicinal lie")
was influential in early Christian thought. Here the doctrine of reserve
refers to the camouflage of the truth of universal restoration under the public
proclamation of the terrors of "eternal fire", the purpose being to secure
the obedience of the lower classes through fear. It has also been called
"expedience", and "the leprosy of pious fraud". Of the "Church Fathers",
eight are also honored as "Doctors". Of these, four were definitely
universalists (Jerome, Ambrose, Chrysostom and Basil). Two others may
well have been (Gregory of Nazianzus and Athanasius). Athanasius wrote
of the sin against the Holy Spirit, "If they may obtain pardon, for there
is no sin unpardonable with God to them who truly repent." Of Origen, he
speaks, more than once, with respect and even admiration. Gregory wrote,
"A few drops of blood renew the whole world, and becomefor all men that,
which rennet is for milk, uniting and drawing us into one." "like leaven
for the entire mass, and having made that which was condemned, one with
Himself, frees the whole from condemnation."
It is interesting to note the similarity between Bible truth and the
doctrine of purgatory. While the truth of the lake of fire being a purifying
experience was losing favor, the "substitute" teaching of purgatory was gaining
popularity. The New Catholic Encyclopedia states, "In the final analysis, the
Catholic doctrine on purgatory is based on tradition, not Sacred Scripture."
"The existence of purgatory is clear from the authoritative teaching of the
First and Second Councils of Lyons (Denz 838, 856) and of the Council of
Florence (Denz 1304)..." "The witness of the Fathers to the fact of such
a purification after death, therefore, is beyond doubt." "There can be no
doubt, then, that the widespread belief of the early Church, as shown by
many of the Fathers (see Tertullian, Origen, Cyprian, Ephram, Ambrose,
Augustine, Chrysostom, Caesarius of Arles, and Gregory the Great..)...demanded
the existence of a state after death in which the souls of the just would be fully
purified from any remains of sin before entering heaven." "The scholastic
writers...taught clearly the existence of purgatory and the finite duration of
its punishments..." "Of its very nature, therefore, the punishment is temporary."
"He (Gregory the Great) was the first to teach categorically the possibility
of the immediate entrance of the soul into heaven. For him there was no
intermediate stage..."-[except, presumably, for those entering purgatory
Gregory was pope beginniin 590 AD. Ephrem the Syrian (Ephram): "...like most
of the Christian writers down to *Pope Benedict XII, he saw the souls of the
just awaiting the resurrection in a sort of sleep, not enjoying beatitude
before the body's resurrection." (*died in 1342 AD) Prayers for those in
purgatory was defined by the Catholic Church beginning in
856 AD.
All Souls' Day was instituted in 998 AD for the purpose of praying and
giving alms for souls in purgatory. The day often involves pre-Christian folk
customs, at times related to ancestor worship. "Images of ancestors were
especially significant in ancestor worship." Catholicism often boasts of
"sanctifying" pagan religious practices by uniting them with Christianity.
Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 99, Mithraism: "Mithraism, one of the major
religions of the Roman Empire, the cult of Mithra, the ancient Persian god of
light and wisdom...in the 6th century BC, Mithra became the god of the sun...
Mithraism was similar to Christianity in many respects, for example, the use
of holy water, the adoption of Sundays and of December 25 (Mithra's birthday)
as holy days, and the belief in the immortality of the soul... The similarities
made possible the easy conversion of its followers to Christian doctrine."
(in its amalgamated form - see also Ex 20:4-6) Mithra was also the god of war.
Obelisk: "In ancient Egypt, pairs of these monoliths...often flanked temple
entrances and were associated with sun worship."
The apocryphal books were added to the Bible and tradition declared of equal
authority to the Bible in 1545/46 AD. New Catholic Encyclopedia, Tertullian:
"Tertullian was an extremist." "He almost always wrote like an angry man."
[He disliked infant baptism, wrote against Pope Callistus, and denied the
perpetual virginity of Mary. (Matt 1:24,25)] St Cyprian (concerning the
papacy): "...it is now generally recognized that in the first centuries the
position of the bishop of Rome was not so clear-cut as to constitute a doctrine
explicitly believed by every part of the church..." The controversy between
Cyprian and Pope Stephen I concerning baptism was sharp. Ambrose: "All his
Old Testament exegesis is based essentially on Philo and Origen." Ambrose
wrote of Christ, "Will not He say, What use is there in My blood if I condemn
him whom I have saved?" Quoting Matt 11:29,30 and Phil 2:10,11, Ambrose
wrote that all people will bear Christ's yoke at the consummation, being humble
and gentle.
Quoting again from John Wesley Hanson: "Augustine (A.D. 354-430) was the
first known to argue that aionios signified endless. He at first maintained
that it always meant thus, but at length abandoned that ground, and only
claimed that it had that meaning sometimes. He 'was very imperfectly acquainted
with the Greek language'" which he said he hated. Augustine was the first to
give definite form to the teaching of purgatory and to advocate the persecution
of religious opponents. Much of Mithraism was adopted into the Manichaean
religion. Augustine was a Manichaean for nine years before becoming a
Christian. The Manichaeans denied the resurrection of the body, maintaining
the purely spiritual character of the afterlife. They used the Apocrypha.
Augustine adapted Manichaean error in teaching that the universe would be
divided forever between good and evil. While admitting that "very many"
believed in universalism, his influence (which continues to the present
day) was instrumental in bringing it into disrepute. A cruel theology
bred cruelty of spirit and actions. The torture of "heretics" during the
Dark Ages was justified as being but a dim reflection of God's unending
vengeance. Chrysostom was a close friend of the universalists Theodore
of Mopsuestia and of Diodore of Tarsus.
Commenting on Colossians 1, concerning those who oppose God, Chrysostom
wrote that it was needful that God should reconcile them "perfectly, so that
they should never again become His enemies:" On Ephesians 1, he says that
"all things", angels and men, are to be brought under one head. Many,
though guilty of the sin against the Holy Spirit, were, he tells us, pardoned
subsequently on their repentance. From the Encyclopedia of Religion and
Ethics: "For many years he (Origen) was occupied in laborious study and
teaching, mainly on the Bible..." He taught that "The world began in unity,
and will end in unity." "The wicked will be subjected to disciplinary
punishment till they are forced to their own guilt. Origen developed
further the notion that all punishment must be disciplinary since 'God
can hate nothi!ng', and it is no part of His nature to render evil for
evil." "...if speculation on Divine truths is permissible or even necessary,
no Christian theologians deserve a higher place than Clement and Origen..."
Clement of Alexandria (c150 - c215 AD) may have been a teacher of Origen.
He clearly underlined the role and necessity of grace and, with Origen,
insisted that free choice is a condition of salvation. Obviously, no ones life or
theology is perfect. Be therefore followersof God, as dear children; And be
kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for
Christ's sake has forgiven you. Eph 5:1; 4:32.
"Did you ever stop to think that God knew how everything would be and how it
would become before He created even a single thing? Did you ever realize that,
because of this fact, God must have certainly had a purpose in view before He
created Adam? ....
Argument: 'Reconciliation can only be accomplished by faith.'
Answer: Paul was saved by sight, the sight of Christ in His glory. (Acts 9:1-6)
The Lord simply overwhelmed his unbelief with faith (1Tim 1:13-15) As Saul of
Tarsus, Paul was the foremost sinner. If he was saved by God's deliberate
choice and convincing proof, then all other sinners can even more readily be
turned to God, in His own time.
1Cor 15:22: "Even as, in Adam, all are dying, thus also, in Christ, shall all
be vivified."
Argument: 'Only those who die "in Christ" will be vivified.'
Answer: This is not what Paul says! Besides if that were the thought, why
bring Adam (who affects the entire race) into the picture?
Argument: 'All being "made alive", merely involves resurrection onto
condemnation, endless death in the lake of fire.'
Answer: Verse 26, 'the last enemy is being abolished: death,' makes it clear
that this passage speaks of final, ultimate vivification, of glorious salvation
for all mankind. ....
Eventually all Israel will be saved. (Ro 11:26; cf Isa 45:25). How? They will
be saved by the sight of their Saviour in His glory, yet still bearing the marks
of their crucifixion of Him (cf Zech 12:10,11; 13:1,6). In the same way, no man
will be able to resist Christ's offer of love when faith is replaced by sight,
when all the sinners of all time see their Saviour on the throne of power, and
yet displaying the marks of deepest humiliation and suffering which He endured
willingly to secure their final reconciliation into the family of God. Grace
can only come through the merit of God's righteous Son. God will show all his
lost creatures that it is only love He is seeking and not forced or fearful
obeisance.
This was His plan even before the eons. Why should we not believe that God
in His great wisdom will work out all according to His greatest glory? God
seeks love, above all else. Glory, yes, but only insofar as it will increase
the love of His creatures. All else is subservient to this, for "God is
love" (1John 4:8,16). God's purpose is not just of wishful longing for
love. His only true glory lies in the ultimate success of His plan to secure
the full and voluntary response of love from His every creature. Then and
then alone- even as the shepherd who sought and found the one lost sheep -
will He rest from His completed work.
What do you think of this Christ who lovingly throws His all into such
a grand plan to gain the love of every man? If you believe on Him now
and His sacrifice for you, you are "justified by faith" (Ro 5:1), and
will share in His glories in the grand eons to come." - William C.
Rebmann, in The Saviour of All Mankind
1Tim 1:17: Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only
wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
Your thoughts on improving this study are welcome. Compiled by your
brother in the larger hope, K.L.
(Permission is hereby granted to distribute and promote this study as
well as the studies, All is Possible and God's Good Pleasure, in their
entirety, by whatever means.) Remember, most users of Juno email have no
internet access, and may therefore be unable to access this information
except by email.
Ken Larsen urloved@usa.net
Rt 1, Box 72
Edcouch, TX 78538
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