I have a question for you; what is the purpose of God? Before you answer, I want you to think very carefully about this. Many think that the answer is a mystery that has not been revealed to man. But this is not true! The mystery has been revealed and is explained in great detail in the new testament. Jesus Christ IS the mystery of God! He is not only the primary purpose of God but also the means by which God does everything. There are many opinions in the world as to who Jesus was, but as far as the Christian faith is concerned its very clear:
In many separate revelations--each of which set forth a portion of the Truth--and in different ways God spoke of old to [our] forefathers in and by the prophets.
[But] in the last of these days He has spoken to us in [the person of a] Son, Whom He appointed Heir and lawful Owner of all things, also by and through Whom He created the worlds and the reaches of space and the ages of time--[that is,] He made, produced, built, operated and arranged them in order.
He is the sole expression of the glory of God--the Light-being, the out-raying of the divine--and He is the perfect imprint and very image of [God's] nature, upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling the universe by His mighty word of power. When He had by offering Himself accomplished our cleansing of sins and riddance of guilt, He sat down at the right hand of the divine Majesty on high...(Heb 1:1-3 Amplified)
Many religions in the world, particularly the eastern ones, claim that God is unknowable, that mankind, being finite and limited, can never know an infinite God. In a sense, this is true! Mankind exists in a fallen state of separation from God and therefore can never come to the know the infinite perfection of the Divine. That's the answer to the question of whether man can attain the knowledge of God. But let's ask a different question; can God reveal Himself to man? If God is truly all-powerful, and all-knowing then the answer must be yes! The Infinite could certainly choose to reveal Himself to His finite creation. And this is the claim of Christianity! God chose to reveal Himself to us in the person of Jesus Christ:
Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us."
Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time?...(John 14: 8,9 NIV)
But God did not simply reveal Himself to man! As it says in Hebrews, Jesus 'accomplished our cleansing of sins and riddance of guilt' by offering Himself for our sins. It is sin that caused the separation of man from God in the first place. So God sent Jesus both to reveal Himself to mankind AND to bring mankind back to God!
It is at this point that I start to get controversial, so if you are the type of Christian that is easily angered I suggest you stop reading right now. I believe in the authority of the Word of God over and above the authority of any institutional religion! When there is something that a denomination within Christianity says that contradicts the Word, it is wrong, and should be rejected! It doesn't matter how many people believe a particular lie, it cannot turn that lie into truth. It should come as no surprise to anyone that the majority can be wrong. Every truth of God that has been restored to the Church in these last days started with a small group of people that dared to stand up against the established beliefs of the day. And yes, every single one experienced persecution and were labeled heretics and were accused of causing division. It is no different than it was when the Church first began. Jesus and many of His disciples were also accused of and ultimately executed for perceived heresy. It will continue to be this way until the end.
Having said that I want you to refer again to the question I asked at the beginning of this teaching; what is the purpose of God? I have already said that it is Jesus, but why did God send Jesus and what EXACTLY did God hope to accomplish? To find out, take a look at these verses:
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29 NIV)
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost. (Luke 19:10 NIV)
And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. (1John 4:14 NIV)
Having made known unto us (that is, Christians) the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; [even] in him: (Eph 1:9,10 KJV)
There are many more verses that I could quote here but I think you get the picture. Most people are aware of the fact that the majority of Christians teach that if a person dies without accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior that person will go to hell for eternity. Well I have a question for you; Will the Savior of the world FAIL to save the world? Is it reasonable to believe in a doctrine, no matter how popular and time-honored, that teaches that Jesus will fail to do the very thing He was sent to do? Some may say that it is not Jesus that failed but man himself. In other words, Jesus offered salvation to all but most rejected His offer. I understand this line of reasoning, but it is philosophy, not Scripture! The Word declares that salvation itself is an act of God, not of man. When Jesus told the disciples that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven, they were all astonished:
..."Who then can be saved?"
Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." (Matt 19:25,26 NIV)
God himself took the responsibility to save mankind and it is a sovereign act of God from first to last. As it is written:
The LORD looked and was displeased that there was no justice. He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm worked salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him. (Isa 59:16 NIV)
Not only did Jesus open the way back to God, through His own death, but God Himself personally enabled people walk through that way:
And he went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him." (John 6:65 NIV)
So you see, its not that non-Christians have rejected Christ, its that they have not been given the ability to receive Christ! It is just as the Lord said:
The disciples came to him and asked, "Why do you speak to the people in parables?"
He replied, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them...(Matt 13:11 NIV)
Its as simple as that! You are a believer because God chose you and made you a believer. This is why salvation is described as the new birth. God gave birth to you! How much control does a child have over his own birth? In the same way that you didn't choose your natural Father, you didn't choose your spiritual Father! In another place, salvation is described in the following way:
For God, who said , "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. (2Cor 4:6 NIV)
The first part of this passage is a quote from Genesis, when God originally created the light. Now ask yourself this question; did the darkness choose to become light? God didn't offer the darkness the opportunity to become light to the which the darkness could have replied 'No thanks, I'll just stay dark'. God simply spoke into the darkness 'Light be!' and it was. God is omnipotent and sovereign, there was no choice involved, and neither was there a choice involved in our salvation. Faith came first, then salvation. What I mean is that we made Jesus the Lord of our life as a result of the FAITH we had ALREADY RECEIVED from God about who Jesus was. Faith is a revelation and a gift from God not a choice that we make!
For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Eph 2:8-10 NIV)
This all seems very straightforward and clear according to the Scriptures, and yet it is rejected by many, why? Because of certain philosophical implications to this teaching. Assuming that the doctrine of eternal torment in hell is true, what I have just told you would mean that God chooses some people to go to heaven and others to go to hell. This also means that God does not love all mankind but only the chosen, as it is written:
Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated. (Rom 9:13 NIV)
Jacob in this case representing the chosen people and Esau representing the ones God hardened:
Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden. (Rom 9:18 NIV)
Are you confused yet? Doesn't the Word also teach that God loves everyone? In fact the Bible declares that God is love itself! So here we have a direct contradiction in the Bible, right? WRONG!!!!! There are no contradictions within the Word of God, and whenever you find what seems to be a contradiction, it simply means that there is a deeper meaning to the passages in question. I believe God wrote such passages to show people that they must turn to Him to fully understand the Scriptures. The only person qualified to teach the Word of God is God Himself:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding (Prov 3:5 NIV)
It is only when we lean on our own understanding that the teachings of the Word seem to contradict one another!
There are basically two schools of thought within Christianity concerning God's love for the world. One says God is omnipotent and can save anyone He wants to, therefore if there are people that are not saved it is because God did not want them saved. They are predestined to go to hell forever. Others say that God is all-loving and wants to save everyone, therefore those that are not saved choose to go to hell forever, and God is powerless to stop them. Now most people don't go to either extreme and say that the truth lies somewhere in the middle. The problem with both these view-points is that they not only contradict each other, they contradict the Word of God! Which means they are BOTH wrong! The truth cannot be found between two lies! The one extreme says that God is all-powerful but definitely not all-loving (since he created and then predestined people to an eternity of torment), the other says that God is all-loving but definitely not all-powerful (since he desires the salvation of all, but cannot carry it out). In the one case He won't save the world, in the other He can't! But the Word declares that God is BOTH all-powerful AND all-loving; powerful enough to save everyone, and loving enough to want to save everyone.
Some people who opt for the free-choice theory, speculate that God chose to limit His own power by giving free-will to mankind, thereby allowing people to choose separation from him. This is certainly true, however, they are not taking into account the fact that everyone chose to be separated from God:
What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin, As it is written:
"There is no one righteous, not even one;
there is no one who understands,
no one who seeks God.
All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one." (Rom 3: 9-12 NIV)
So if the free-choice theory is correct, then according to God everyone would be in hell. God gave every man and woman the choice to follow His way or the devil's way, life or death, and every last one chose death. This was the condition that God sent His Son to correct in the first place! And what was necessary to get us out of this death? God CHOSE to speak into the darkness of our hearts and say 'let there be light!' thereby giving us the faith, the power, and the desire to choose Him. God did not choose us because we chose Him, we chose Him as a direct result of Him choosing us:
We love, because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19 NIV)
So maybe God's love is partial then, He loves only those that He chose. Well this theory has just as many problems as the first one:
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:16,17 NIV)
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. (Rom 5:6 NIV)
As for you, you were dead in you transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. (Eph 2:1-3 NIV)
So God loved the world, and sent Christ to die for the ungodly (another word the world) and those that are saved were by nature exactly the same as the rest; powerless, and enslaved by Satan. But as I've already explained, the ability to believe in the Son of God is as much a gift from God as Jesus Himself. So the question then becomes, if God loves the world why did He only save a few? Why didn't He give everyone faith? As believers, we must realize that we were just like the people of the world. Not just in some ways, but in every way:
At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. (Titus 3:3-5 NIV)
The people of the world are our brothers (and sisters), prodigal brothers to be sure, but brothers nonetheless! So when you pray for the world and you begin to see their chains and feel their pain, and love begins to flow in your heart, where do you think that compassion comes from? Do you think that you are the source? Are you petitioning a cold and distant God? Or do you realize that God IS the compassion that flows in you and that feeling their pain is sharing in the suffering of Jesus!? So what does that accomplish, and what did Jesus accomplish through His suffering?
Can't you see that we have invented a theology in which the devil wins!!?? The serpent started by tempting mankind away from God, will the end of the story be the serpent winning the hearts and souls of most of us? In this scenario God is either cheering him on (after all, this was the perfect plan from the beginning), or God is weeping and mourning with us because the Big Bad Devil stole all His children from Him!! I'm exaggerating to make a point, and I'm sorry if this offends you, but it still remains that both these viewpoints are completely absurd. There is obviously something we're missing here, somehow we're not seeing the whole picture, and as a result there are large holes in our theories. So what!? Maybe we're not supposed to understand everything! Even if that were true (and its not!), in the mean time we're lying to the world, telling them we understand all this, and they better believe it our way or they're going to be tortured for eternity by our kind and loving God! What's wrong with this picture? If this is the truth, that apparently we're not even supposed to question, then why is it that this concept is so diametrically opposed to the character and nature of God, as seen in Jesus?
What should be done then? Well, for one thing we should stop preaching the eternal torment theory. There is not one example in the book of Acts of anyone trying to persuade people to become Christians by threatening them with a fiery hell. If it wasn't necessary for the Apostles, why should we use it? And if people ask what the judgment of God is, say with all honesty; 'I have no idea, but one thing I can guarantee, its not a pleasant thing, and its definitely something you'll want to avoid!' There is no shame in admitting when we don't know something. But there is a great deal of shame in making up myths and stories to fill in the gaps of our knowledge! Do you think we'll escape God's judgment if by the very words meant to draw people to God we actually drive them further from Him? What else can we do? One word; PRAY!! Pray for the world we've condemned to hell, the world God loves, and seek the Lord for an answer to this mystery.
Of course the answer is found in the Word of God itself. I'm not advocating seeking extra-biblical knowledge! There is a whole series of verses in the Bible that never enter the debates, and that apparently most Christians have never even heard of. One in particular (to be discussed later) usually gets the following reaction from people; 1) "That's not in the Bible, you're making it up!" then (after I show them the verses) 2) "what version are you using?" and finally 3) "you're taking that out of context!" Then begins the famous theology dance in which they try to twist the Scripture to fit their understanding. Beware of using the 'you're taking it out of context' cop-out! If you've never heard of the verse and you don't know the context then you can't possibly know whether or not it's being taken out of context.
GOOD NEWS FOR ALL
I'll never forget the story about a tribe (somewhere in New Guinea) that was being evangelized by a group of missionaries. This is what they had to say about the 'gospel' message they had been taught:
"They said that we were worshipping a demon and not God and that we should stop worshipping it, otherwise we will be taken to hell where all our ancestors are. We think we'll stick to our god"
THIS is the good news!?!?! Why should any group of people listen to that?!! No love, no hope, no power, no point!! Just a childish 'we're right, you're wrong philosophy.' Empty words, nothing more! Why not just tell people 'my God can beat up your God!' If some people who claim to be witnesses of Jesus could see the damage that they do by spreading their confusion, they would shut their mouths and never open them again, rather than cause one more person to stumble!
I want to show you that even if the eternal torment theory is correct, we have a right to be far more optimistic about salvation than we ever dreamed possible. The following verses are taken from the Book of Acts when Paul was preaching to the Athenians:
Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man.
Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent...(Acts 17:29,30 NAS)
Two things I want you to notice about this passage. Remember that this was the first time that the Athenians had heard the message of Christ. They may have heard rumors, but this was the first time that God had sent someone to them to tell them the gospel. Also notice that this was many years after the crucifixion of our Lord! My point is this; Paul said that God had overlooked the times of ignorance!!! Now that IS good news! Those in the past, before Jesus, aren't in hell after all! God overlooked their ignorance! Hallelujah!! Ah, but it gets even better! When Paul said that God is 'NOW' declaring that people should repent, it was years AFTER the crucifixion! In other words, 'now' did not refer to a particular point in time, it referred to the time that the message was received! Paul could have said exactly the same thing to the next group of people he met. And we can say that to people that are being evangelized for the first time, even today!!! Don't you see what a stumbling block it is for people to accept Christianity, when it means that all their ancestors, everyone they've ever respected or looked up to, and their entire culture, are in hell for eternity! Since people will quite often die to defend their own family, is it any wonder that this message is often rejected?
Now keep in mind that just because someone has heard about Jesus, does not mean that they've heard the gospel! If someone is preaching, and rather than proclaiming the gospel of Christ, as Paul did, they teach the doctrines and traditions of their religion, they are NOT preaching the gospel. They are telling lies about the gospel! This is true even if the person preaching is a genuine believer and sincerely believes what he's saying. People will not be held accountable for rejecting a lie. This should be obvious to anyone who thinks about it. So we can see clearly that the unevangelized of the world are not going to hell, and that God alone can judge as to who has heard and rejected the true Gospel. For instance, do you realize that there are hundreds of thousands of people in the so-called 'Christian' nations that have never heard the gospel? They may have heard a thousand lies about Jesus; from the world, from the various churches or from other religions, but if you gathered a hundred non-Christians at random how many of them could tell you that Christians believe that the way to be saved is to believe that Jesus is Lord of all and that God raised him from the dead? Not many of them would even know this much! As it is written:
.."Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
How then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? (Rom 10:13,14 NIV)
In the beginning of Christianity the devil had to lie about the followers of Christ in order to keep people from obeying the Truth. Unfortunately, this is no longer the case! Consider this saying:
"The leading cause of atheism today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, but walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world, simply finds unbelievable."
So you see the devil doesn't have to lie anymore, all he has to do is tell the truth about Christians (some Christians that is). The strategy of Satan changed from lying to the world about Christians to lying to the Christians themselves. And we've swallowed many of these lies and now preach them to the world! So what does the world see? Christians who have a lifestyle much like theirs, or Christians who are self-righteous and hypocritical (which in God's eyes is MUCH worse than living like the world!) Then these same people, all the while claiming to believe in a just and loving God, preach doctrines which are so obviously unjust and unloving, that even a child can see it. The result of all this is that the world mocks and laughs, not because they persecute us, for persecution comes as a result of righteousness, but because our wickedness and folly is exposed to them. Yet we still claim to be in God's favor! Just like the Jews before us, the name of God is blasphemed among the nations because of us (see Rom 2:24). Now I want to emphasize that not all Christians are like this and we're getting better and stronger all the time. The Lord himself is waking the Body of Christ out of its long sleep. But the fact remains that the damage has been done:
But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them--bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. (2Pet 2:1-3 NIV)
So the question is, what should we do now that the way of truth has been brought into disrepute? (if you doubt that this prophecy has already been fulfilled, read the history of the church, particularly through the dark ages!) Now, more than ever, we must be diligent to seek the Lord with all our hearts, we must understand that Jesus alone is Head of the Church, and that He alone can teach us the truth, just as He promised to. Don't be afraid to question every truth you've ever learned, as long as you lean on Him and the Word of God for final confirmation! And above all, seek to live a holy life and to walk in love:
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God lives in him. (1 John 4:16 NIV)
We must seek to demonstrate the love and power of God to a skeptical world. All the more so now that much of their skepticism is a result of our own mistakes!
But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. (1Pet 3:15 NIV)
So if God is overlooking the ignorance of those that have not heard the gospel, what about those that have heard? Will they go to hell forever? What does the Word say:
What then? What Israel sought so earnestly it did not obtain, but the elect did. The others were hardened, as it is written:
"God gave them a spirit of stupor,
eyes so that they could not see
and ears so that they could not hear,
to this very day." (Rom 11:7,8 NIV)
So if God gave them a spirit of stupor, does that mean that God is sending them to hell? This is explained later on in the same chapter after Paul warns the Gentiles not to be arrogant towards those that God hardened:
I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:
"The deliverer will come from Zion;
he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
And this is my covenant with them
when I take away their sins."
As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies on your account; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable. (Rom 11:25-28 NIV)
So according to the Apostle Paul, God is eventually going to save all Israel, both the chosen and the hardened!
Of course, what I have been telling you has some very serious implications for some of the most commonly held doctrines of Christianity. For one, it means that unbelievers who die physically can still be saved! For we know that there is only one way to the Father and that is through His Son, Jesus. But apparently those who die in their sins, that is, die physically before receiving the knowledge of the truth, can still come to know Jesus! Unless what God meant by overlooking their ignorance is to punish them for eternity! And that is clearly ridiculous!
So how many are going to be saved? Well this may shock you, but according to the Bible, everyone is! What!!?? Now hold on, before you get too upset, shouldn't you at least hear me out? It's not like I'm saying 'throw out the Bible and follow me', I am basing this entirely on the Word of God! Besides, you do want everyone to be saved, don't you? That doesn't necessarily mean that I'm right, but my point is that your attitude going into this should be 'Hey maybe he's right and we've had it wrong all these years! Wouldn't it be great if we could all be in heaven together?' Anyone who actually wants someone to be in hell for eternity is guilty of hating his brother. You would do well to remember that!
I've already shown you some of the philosophical and Scriptural problems with the doctrine of hell. These alone are enough to throw serious question into this doctrine, but what's needed is some direct proof, some verses that directly state that God is going to save everyone. Let's start by finishing the passage in Romans about the hardened Jews:
Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God's mercy to you. For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all. (Rom 11:30-32 NIV)
No matter how you look at these verses, they cannot support the doctrine of hell! The only possibility is to redefine the word 'all' to mean 'some.' Even though there are times in which the context limits the word all, this cannot be the case here, since the definition is provided within the verse itself!
For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.
That's the definition of all in this case; all who were disobedient, and that's everyone! So God's going to have mercy on ALL sinners, praise the Lord! The next passage I want to talk about is one I referred to earlier, the one that no one believes is in the Bible:
This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance (and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe. Command and teach these things. (1Tim 4:9-11 NIV)
I believe the Lord inspired Paul to write this verse because of the inevitable confusion that would come over this issue. You see, some people will misunderstand me and say that I believe that everyone gets the same reward or that God makes no distinction between believers and non-believers. But it says right in the Word that God is the Savior of all, but ESPECIALLY the believers. Not 'only' the believers, but especially. ***first fruits?*** As I've already explained, it is God who both initiates and carries out salvation, so this cannot mean that God is merely the potential Savior of all men. He's the one who draws people to Himself and He's the one who enables people to believe in Him. When He said he's our Savior, He then proved His point by actually saving us! Despite the fact that we were not seeking Him:
And Isaiah boldly says,
"I was found by those who did NOT SEEK me;
I REVEALED myself to those who did not ask for me." (Rom 10:20 NIV)
So when God says He's the Savior of all men, He would be lying if He did not carry through and actually SAVE ALL MEN!!! The offer of salvation was not enough for Christians, God had to actually take hold of us spiritually. Take the life of Saul of Tarsus for instance. Here's a man who decided, with his own free will, to persecute and destroy Christians even after hearing the gospel preached by Stephen, thus fulfilling a prophecy Jesus had made in the gospels:
They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. (John 16: 2,3 NIV)
And yet the Lord revealed Himself to Saul on the road to Damascus. Why did God save Saul? If anyone deserved to go to hell he did! Quite simply, God saved Saul to show us that He could save anyone!
Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. (1Tim 1:15,16 NIV)
The offer of salvation alone is not enough to make God the Savior of all men. By calling Himself the Savior of all, He's signifying that he's both willing and able to save all. Just as it is written:
For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior;
Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. (1Tim 2:3,4 KJV)
The reason I used the King James version for that passage is because I believe that it gives the full meaning and intent of those verses. The NIV puts it this way:
...who wants all men to be saved...
But even if this is the more accurate translation, it means the same thing:
As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. (Isa 55:10,11)
In other words, God gets what God wants!!! If God wants all men saved, all will be saved! If God sent His Word (Jesus) to be the Savior of the world, then His Word will accomplish the salvation of the world! Hallelujah! God just keeps looking better and better!!
So how is God going to accomplish the salvation of the world? A better question would be; how did God accomplish it? You see its already finished, and has been for two thousand years:
Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's (that is, Adam's) sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more...(Rom 5: 16-20 NIV)
Notice that the judgment came as a result of Adam's sin and not as a result of rejecting Christ? In the same way that the one trespass brought condemnation to all, the one righteous act on the cross will bring life to all! No wonder the Lord said 'It is done!' on the cross. His suffering and death accomplished the redemption and salvation of the entire human race:
We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isa 53:6 NIV)
To suggest otherwise is to say that the will of man can diminish the work of the cross! But the work was finished ON the cross! Nothing can ever change or alter it in any way. It's just as he Lord said:
"My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work...(John 4:34 NIV)
In fact the writer of Hebrews even goes further:
...And yet his work has been finished since the creation of the world. For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: "And on the seventh day God rested from all his work." (Heb 4:3,4 NIV)
So from the creation of the world God had everything worked out; BOTH our fall from AND our reconciliation back to Himself through the death of Jesus on the cross! From our perspective, however, the work of redemption will not be complete until all the lost are found and everyone is saved. Take another look at Rom 5:19 to see what I mean:
For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
Some people, when I show them that verse say to me 'Aha! See? It says many, not all.' But look at the context in which the word 'many' is being used:
....through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners...
How many were made sinners? Everybody, right? So in this case 'many' must mean 'all.' All, that is, except Jesus Himself! And in the second part of that same verse:
...through the obedience of the one man THE MANY WILL BE MADE RIGHTEOUS...
The same people that were made sinners, will be made righteous! There is no way of getting around this, no matter how much our traditions may disagree with this conclusion. 'The many' in the first part of the verse must mean the same thing as 'the many' in the second part. This also agrees with what the prophet Isaiah said:
Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. (Isa 1:18 NIV)
This is a promise made to sinners, which is fulfilled in Christ. But sinners are not given a choice here! What is said in the next two verses does not change the final outcome of the promise:
If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land;
but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword... (Isa 1:19,20 NIV)
The Lord is saying; 'You ARE dirty and you WILL be clean, one way or another, for I have spoken and none resist my will!' The fact that only a few (those chosen by God) take the road to life, and most go through destruction, does not alter the fact that 'they shall be white as snow.' That verse in Romans would have to be completely rewritten to agree with the traditional view-point:
For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the Christians will be made righteous.
But that's not what the Word says, and I, for one, am going to believe the Word, even if it means going against the last fifteen hundred years of Church tradition! According to Paul the Apostle, one act of obedience on the part of our Savior Jesus Christ, will completely reverse the fall of man, down to the very last person! Paul is making a direct comparison between Adam and Jesus, saying that in the SAME WAY that Adam's sin released sin and death into the world, Christ's obedience will bring life to the world! So what do are our traditions say, that Adam had more power than Jesus?!! No wonder the Lord said that we:
...nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. (Matt 15:6 NIV)
If Adam's sin brought death to the whole world and Christ's obedience brings life and righteousness to only a few, then Adam is greater than Jesus, and sin is greater than grace!! But what does the word say:
But where sin increased, grace increased all the more..(Rom 5:20 NIV)
Praise God! Now that's something to get excited about! Grace conquered sin! ALL of it, not just some of it. And the Life in Jesus will conquer and destroy the death in man:
For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. (1Cor 15:21,22 NIV)
It's just as the prophet Isaiah said:
On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth. The LORD has spoken. (Isa 25:7,8 NIV)
And again:
...They had not worshipped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to LIFE and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (the rest of the dead did not come to LIFE until the thousand years were ended.) (Rev 20:4,5 NIV)
Ultimately all will come before God and all will worship Him:
All the nations you have made
will come and worship before, O Lord;
they will bring glory to your name. (Psa 86:9 NIV)
...God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. (Phil 2:9-11 NIV)
I'm sure that some of you are still saying to yourselves 'but by then it will be too late for the non-Christians.' Why!? Who says that it will be too late? And with what authority do they say it? Besides, if some of those who bow to Jesus go to hell for eternity, how is this to the glory of God the Father, who wants all men to be saved? Do you want more proof that the death of the body is not the end of the story?
For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. (1Pet 3:18-20 NIV)
So what do you think He preached to those spirits in prison? The same thing He preached to everyone else! He was only anointed and commissioned to preach one thing:
The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. (Luke 4:18,19 NIV)
If Jesus preached any other message in that prison, as some speculate, there's no evidence for it in the Scriptures. And I don't believe we should put our faith in extra-Biblical revelations! Let's just stick with the Word of God!
By the way, this also solves another controversy that is raging in Christianity right now; did Jesus go to hell after he died on the cross? Of course He did, he went into the prison to preach to the spirits! But He didn't go to hell to suffer, for His suffering and His death (both physically and spiritually) was completed on the cross. On the contrary, He went to hell to conquer it!
Therefore it is said, When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive--He led a train of vanquished foes--and He bestowed gifts on men.
[But He ascended?] Now what can this, He ascended, mean but that He had previously descended from the height of heaven into [the depth], the lower parts of the earth?
He Who descended is the [very] same as He Who also has ascended high above all the heavens that He [His presence] might fill all things--the whole universe, from the lowest to the highest. (Eph 4:8-10, the Amplified Bible)
..."Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. (Rev 1:17,18 NIV)
Where was the one place where God couldn't go? I know that in reality God is everywhere, but there was one place that in a sense, at least from our perspective, God was shut out from! The mind and heart of sinful man! Satan has at one time or another deceived us all and the shroud of death covered all. Sin and death are the tyranny and slavery of Satan, and the fear of death has held all of us in bondage. That is, until now:
Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil--and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. (Heb 2:14,15 NIV)
Within Jesus was the Light and Life of God. What happens to darkness when you turn on a light?! Here we have a picture of what happened to death and hell when Jesus died on the cross! The Light of Life entered the darkness of death, and like shadows before the rising Sun, death didn't stand a chance! Praise God!! Of course, we have not yet seen the full effects of the death and resurrection of our Lord. As it is written:
But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool...(Heb 10:12,13 NIV)
And again it says:
"what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?
You made him a little lower than the angels;
you crowned him with glory and honor
and put everything under his feet."
In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. (Heb 2:6-9 NIV)
The final fulfillment of this must wait:
"..until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. (Acts 3:21 NIV)
And then everything will be put under Him! Including those people who did not come to know Jesus during their life on earth!
Its so hard to know when to stop when teaching on this subject, since it goes so radically against what most of us have been taught all our lives. I could go on with the many other verses in the Word that testify to this, but it would probably be counterproductive. There are Christians and non-Christians alike who have had such a difficult time accepting the traditional doctrine of hell, that I probably had them convinced long ago. Others will resist right to the end, convinced that I'm taking all the verses out of context. That's fine!! Get into the Word and prove me wrong then! Just remember; you'll have to do more than just show me a few verses and quote the traditional interpretation of them to convince me! You'll have to EXPLAIN the contradictions! Many times people have told me; 'That verse can't mean what you're saying it does, because that would contradict Scriptures!' Well can't I say the same thing!!? I can quote any one of the verses I've showed you (and many others!) and say; 'the doctrine of Hell must be wrong because it contradicts the clear testimony of Scripture.' I found out the hard way that it is not enough to merely compare verse with verse, because people will always claim that it only contradicts my interpretation of a verse. Two other things are necessary; first I have to show through the Word that this doctrine is Biblically impossible, that is, it contradicts other doctrines accepted by all Christians, including the most fundamental qualities of God Himself. I have already done that! Second, I have to explain the apparent contradictions themselves by explaining what the verses that seem to suggest eternal torment mean in light of this revelation (that God is the Savior of all men, not just the Christians). I will get to this shortly.
By the way, If you are going to attempt to prove me wrong, I must remind you once again that only God himself can reveal the true meaning of Scriptures. You must go into this willing to be corrected and to change your mind on this issue! If you are not willing to believe either way and let the Truth itself prevail, don't even bother trying. People can make the Bible say whatever they want it to. History is proof of that. There are thousands of cults and sects that claim to base their beliefs on the Bible. The only reason the denominational Churches appear to have more authority, is simply because they are larger and more established. We should remember that every denomination within Christianity was (and in many cases still is) considered a cult by other denominations! The claim that 'we alone have the truth' doesn't wash anymore, simply because there are too many people claiming the same thing. The definition of heresy has to be more than 'anyone who disagrees with us!'
The Word of God itself is the only truth that is accepted by the majority of those who claim to be Christian. However, the Bible was being misunderstood even when it was being written:
His (that is, Paul's) letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. (2Pet 3:16 NIV)
So the Bible itself is not enough to guarantee truth, we need an authority who can teach us exactly what the Scriptures mean. Does such a person exist? Of course!! We do serve a resurrected Savior after all! Jesus Himself is the Head of the Church and the only person who has the authority to give revelation about the Word of God. Not only that, but we have His personal promise to teach us all things by the Holy Spirit:
"I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. (John 16:12,13 NIV)
And John also testifies to this:
As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit--just as it has taught you, remain in him. (1John 2:27 NIV)
If you are not willing to put your faith in these promises, and wait patiently for the Lord to teach you, rather than relying on another person or an organization, you will never know the truth. Even if you are taught the truth, until you get it by revelation you will still only be guessing!
Now obviously I wouldn't be telling you all this unless I claimed to have a revelation from God. I've avoided mentioning that until now because people automatically mistrust it, so I thought I would allow my argument to speak for itself. Ironically, to claim revelation from God is considered arrogant today, whereas someone who claims authority on the basis of an education is considered humble. From God's point of view, the opposite is true! How much education did the Pharisees have? How much revelation did the Apostles have? Do you see my point? I'm not saying education is necessarily a bad thing, all I'm saying is that it's no guarantee of truth. It may even be a hindrance:
Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. (1 Cor 8:1 NIV)
Because I claim revelation, does that mean that I'm not correctable? Not at all! I understand, that one can be blind to certain truths, so I'm obligated to listen to all sides. In fact, I enjoy debate on this subject!
It's easy enough to tell when someone is arguing without any revelation on the subject. The person's bias always reveals itself through anger, impatience, sometimes even threats and insults. I used to argue that way myself. You see, I was raised with the belief that Christians played a special part in God's plan. A perfect plan which was ultimately to save the whole world. However, I did not understand what other Christians believed and had never even heard of eternal torment in hell. I cannot describe the shock and outrage I experienced when I was first taught this belief at a Christian summer camp. Here were Christian people, who apparently served and loved God, all the while accusing Him of being a psychopath! It was too much for me to handle. Not only did they not believe God was going to save the world, they thought God was going to torture His own children for eternity! This was beyond blasphemy. This was accusing God, my Father and best friend, of an unimaginable evil! I took it VERY personally!! This is the God of love!!? This is the God who instructs us to love and forgive our enemies? I'm sorry if this comes off a bit strong, but I have to be honest about my reaction. I could not understand how people could accept such an obvious absurdity. I still don't, though I've come to accept it because I realize that I only know what I know because of God's grace.
Once I realized just how many people believed this way, I began to question my own beliefs; could so many people be wrong? And yet, how could they possibly be right? I must admit, I was extremely biased for many years about this issue. I told myself that If it turned out that the majority was right, and the Bible did teach eternal torment, I would leave Christianity! It was not until I got to the point where I was willing to serve God even if they were right, that the Lord began to give me fresh revelation on the subject. I told the Lord one day "OK, my life is yours either way, what's the point of running from the truth!? But PLEASE explain this to me! Confirm the truth to me in your Word one way or the other." It was then that the Lord began to open the Scriptures up to me in ways I could never imagine. He showed me that what I had been taught from childhood was true. And it was everywhere in the Word!!! From Genesis to Revelation, everywhere I looked God showed me verse after verse testifying to His plan to bless all the nations of the earth. It was then that I fully realized how important it was to rely on the Holy Spirit to understand the Scriptures. Even though I was biased towards universal salvation I still missed the meaning of dozens of verses that I had read many times over. But once the Lord revealed these verses, the full meaning of this teaching was shown to me with an indescribable clarity and power. And this, above all else, is why I don't worry about people who say to me; 'If what you say is true, then why haven't others seen it in the Word?' For one, there are many others, I'm not the only one. But more than that, people can only see what the Lord shows them! All things ultimately serve His purpose, and people will see only what He allows.
I would like to claim that after these revelations I never again questioned this teaching, but that's not entirely true. I never questioned it on the basis of what I saw in the Word itself. However, it grieved me deeply to be at such odds with the rest of the Body of Christ over this issue. It got to the point where I wanted to believe like the rest, just to fit in. I begged the Lord repeatedly to correct me or to show me where I was wrong just in case I was being deceived. But the more I searched the Scriptures, the more convinced I became that Jesus intends to save everyone. I listened intently to people's arguments on the issue to see if there was at least a rational argument to justify the traditional viewpoint. But each time I heard an argument, its weaknesses were so obvious that it seemed as if people were reading only half the Word! I almost expected to see large sections of their Bibles blacked out! One day, when I was questioning the Lord again about this issue, He spoke to me in my spirit in a way I hope He never has to again; He said, 'You either believe Me, or you believe men, you can't do both!' Now that should have settled it, but I still wavered, only I felt guilty about doubting because I was trying to please men rather than God. The thing that settled it forever was when the Lord showed me that instead of trying to defend my views, I should be attacking the traditional view! Now that sounds harsh, but all it means is that I should be showing that the traditional doctrine is not possible in light of the Scriptures. I need not even mention what I believe about the fate of mankind, I need only say that whatever the truth may be, it cannot be eternal torment in hell! Let me give you an example of this. In the Book of Revelation there are letters written to the Body of Christ, symbolized by the seven Churches in Asia. Within these letters are seven promises made by our Lord to the overcomers:
To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. (Rev 2:7 NIV)
He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death. (Rev 2:11 NIV)
To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it. (Rev 2:17 NIV)
To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations--
He will rule them with an iron scepter;
he will dash them to pieces like pottery'--
just as I have received authority from my Father. I will also give him the morning star. (Rev 2:26-28 NIV)
He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. (Rev 3:5 NIV)
Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; I will also write on him my new name. (Rev 3:12 NIV)
To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. (Rev 3:21 NIV)
These are God's promises to the overcoming Christians (and just in case some of you are thinking to yourselves, 'if everyone is saved what's the point of being a Christian'; these promises are the point! Not to mention the fellowship with God and the benefits of God in this age (see Psalm 103 for details)) These promises only apply to Christians, which explains what God means when He says He's ESPECIALLY the Savior of the believers! Now I want to focus on the second and fourth promise. The second says that we will escape the second death, which we know from later in Revelation is the lake of fire (traditionally the place of eternal torment). If the traditional view is right, this means that anyone that does not overcome will go to hell for eternity. But take a look at the fourth promise! He who overcomes will rule over the nations!!! The nations must therefore be going to hell for eternity, since they obviously didn't overcome or they would be ruling rather than being ruled over. Now we have a problem don't we? And it doesn't matter whether you believe in the pre-tribulation rapture or pre-millenialism either. In the end there are only two groups of people, those who overcome and those who don't. If the traditional view is right, then Christians who overcome rule and reign for a thousand years over a doomed and spiritually dead world destined to go to hell for eternity! Now wait a minute, that doesn't sound right, does it? Yet it must be for:
Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years. (Rev 20:6 NIV)
And just before this it says:
The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. (Rev 20.5 NIV)
So obviously anyone who does not take part in the first resurrection cannot be saved, since the second death will still have power over them. Some teach that the first resurrection is the rapture of the church. If this is true then everyone who is not raptured goes through the lake of fire! So much for the tribulation saints! So let's assume that the first resurrection is salvation itself. So when do the rest of the dead come to life? In the final judgment we see the dead being judged:
And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. (Rev 20:12 NIV)
But these are the dead and we read that the dead will come to life. It's just as the Apostle said:
As in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. (1Cor 15:22 NIV)
We know that the overcomers come to life to reign with Christ in the thousand years, what about the rest of the dead? They will come to life some time after the thousand years! But the last we see of them they are still dead, as they are cast into the lake of fire! So then being cast into the lake of fire must be how they come to life again! Most of Christianity has enthroned death and sin in the lake of fire for eternity by claiming that the second death is eternal death. But the Word declares that death itself will be destroyed:
The last enemy to be destroyed is death. (1Cor 15:26 NIV)
Death is, in the end, thrown into the lake of fire:
Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. (Rev 20:14 NIV)
And then we read:
There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. (Rev 21:4 NIV)
So then the second death is the death OF death, and when the dead are cast into it, their death is destroyed and they come to life! The same principal can be seen in our salvation:
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2Cor 5:17 NIV)
I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God... (Gal 2:20 NIV)
The person that we were, before we knew the Lord, is gone! Destroyed with an everlasting destruction, never to be seen again and never to be mourned. On the road to Damascus Saul of Tarsus, the Pharisee, the blasphemer, the persecutor died and Paul the Apostle was born at that same moment.
Some will concede and say 'yes all the dead come to life, yet it will be a life of eternal torment and pain in the lake of fire!' But the Word says that there will be no more death, and that applies to everyone, for 'the rest of the dead will come to life.' But the same Word says there will be no more mourning or crying or pain! Doesn't this also apply to everyone? As it is written:
"Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is you sting?"
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. (1Cor 15:55,56 NIV)
So if there will be no more death, there will be no more sin, which is the sting of death! Death, mourning, crying and pain are virtually synonymous terms, if you destroy one you destroy all the others as well. As we all know, the Word of God declares that the wages of sin is death, not that the wages of sin is life in eternal torment. But if death, being the enemy of God, is destroyed, and all the dead come to life, then the wages of sin must also be destroyed! The fact that the dead come to life is simply a fulfillment of the Word spoken in Romans 5:19
...the many will be made righteous.
And once made righteous, what is left of their punishment? Besides all this the Lord Himself declares:
...I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6 NIV)
And again He says:
...I am the resurrection and the life. (John 11:25 NIV)
The Lord did not say that He is only the resurrection and life of the righteous, but rather He is ALL resurrection and ALL life. Jesus is the essence of everything That God calls life, so if you say that the wicked will be raised to a LIFE of eternal torment, you are also consigning our Lord to an eternity of torment! But as we know, the Lord only suffered once. We also know that all will come to Jesus and to the Father, for there is abundant testimony of this in the Scriptures:
All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD,
And all the families of the nations will worship before thee.
For the kingdom is the LORD'S
And He rules over the nations.
All the prosperous of the earth will eat and worship,
All those who go down to the dust will bow before Him,
Even he who cannot keep his soul alive.(Psa 22:27-29 NAS)
Turn to me and be saved,
all you ends of the earth;
for I am God, and there is no other.
By myself I have sworn,
my mouth has uttered in all integrity
a word that will not be revoked:
Before me every knee will bow;
by me every tongue will swear.
They will say of me, 'In the LORD alone
are righteousness and strength.'
All who have raged against him
will come to him and be put to shame. (Isa 45:22-24 NIV)
And again:
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. (Phil 2:10,11 NIV)
Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing:
"To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!" (Rev 5:13 NIV)
So it is apparent from this that eventually everyone will fulfill the requirements of salvation:
That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Rom 10:9 NIV)
But not everyone will have the privilege and the honor and the glory of knowing the Lord in this life, which is what the Lord meant by eternal (Gk. literally age-lasting) life.
So we see by these Scriptures that whatever the Lord meant by the lake of fire, and eternal destruction, one thing is certain; He does not mean conscious torment of souls for eternity! Another powerful illustration of this is found in the descriptions of the fate of Sodom:
...Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire. (Jude 7 NIV)
...he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them as an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; (2 Pet 2:6 NIV)
Tradition tells us that the people of Sodom are in hell for eternity, right? Suffering the punishment of eternal fire! An example of what's going to happen to the ungodly! Surely the Apostle meant eternal torment. But wait a minute, what about this Scripture:
Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom; She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned: They did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen.
...However, I will restore the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters and of Samaria and her daughters, and your fortunes along with them, so that you may bear your disgrace and be ashamed of all you have done in giving them comfort. And your sisters, Sodom with her daughters and Samaria with her daughters, will return to what they were before; and you and your daughters will return to what you were before. You would not even mention your sister Sodom in the day of your pride, before your wickedness was uncovered. (Ezek 16: 49,50 and 16:53-57 NIV)
Again it is clear from this that whatever was meant by the punishment of the ungodly in eternal fire, it could not have meant eternal torment since the ungodly (of Samaria, Jerusalem, and Sodom) will be fully restored and forgiven of their ungodliness:
...This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will deal with you as you deserve, because you have despised my oath by breaking the covenant. Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you. Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed when you receive your sisters, both those who are older than you and those who are younger. I will give them to you as daughters, but not on the basis of my covenant with you. So I will establish my covenant with you, and you will know that I am the Lord. Then, when I make atonement for you for all you have done, you will remember and be ashamed and never again open your mouth because of your humiliation, declares the Sovereign LORD. (Ezek 16:59-63 NIV)
In other words, they resisted and rebelled and were devoured by the sword, but in the end they will still be as white as snow, just as the Lord promised! (see Isa 1:18-20) This is what is meant when the Lord speaks of being raised to everlasting shame and contempt:
And many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to shame and everlasting contempt. (Dan 12:2 NAS)
What many teach concerning the fate of the wicked, is merely the result of their ignorance of the Scriptures. Not that they necessarily are unaware of these verses, but rather they have no revelation of what they mean. They try desperately to defend their traditions, yet they are blind to the fact that these verses destroy their traditions. It is just as the Lord said:
You are in error because you do not know the Scripture or the power of God . (Matt 22:29 NIV)
There are many places in Scripture in which the punishment of the wicked is spoken of in terms of eternal destruction, yet there are also many indications that this punishment is temporary and not eternal:
He said to the crowd: "When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, 'It's going to rain,' and it does. And when the south wind blows, you say, 'It's going to be hot.' and it is. Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don't know how to interpret this present time?
Why don't you judge for yourselves what is right? As you are going with your adversary to the magistrate, try hard to be reconciled to him on the way, or he may drag you off to the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny." (Luke 12:54-59 NIV)
The Lord did not say that they would never get out, but that they would not get out UNTIL they paid the last penny! In another place the Lord is speaking of the responsibility of the Christians:
But suppose the servant says to himself, 'My master is taking a long time in coming,' and he then begins to beat the menservants and maidservants and to eat and drink and get drunk. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers. (Luke 12:45,46 NIV)
This is obviously speaking of eternal hell right? If it isn't, then the place of the unbelievers is not a place of eternal torment, and the Church owes the world an apology for teaching lies. Yet look at the next few verses:
That servant who knows his master's will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. (Luke 12:47,48 NIV)
Here the Lord uses two analogies to describe the punishment of the disobedient servant; first, cut into pieces and assigned a place with the unbelievers, and second beaten with many blows. It should be obvious that being 'beaten with many blows' cannot be eternal torment, since that would be beaten with infinite blows! So it is equally apparent that being assigned a place with the unbelievers is not eternal. And by the way, in this parable the unbelievers themselves are symbolized as the 'one who does not know and does things deserving punishment,' and they will only be beaten with few blows! As it is written:
The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. (Matt 13:11 NIV)
In other words the world has more of an excuse in the eyes of God for not doing what is right than do Christians, since they don't know what we know. They will still be punished, for God is a God of infinite justice, and they will be paid back according to what they have done, but the Christians have a much greater responsibility. Of course this also goes against what much of Christianity has taught, since they imply that men will not be judged according to their works, but rather everyone will receive the same punishment, that of eternal separation from God (or worse, eternal torment by God). But will the Christians for their part receive a reward regardless of their actions? Certainly not! For the Word also declares:
According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and [that] the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which [temple] ye are. (1 Cor 3:10-17 KJV)
In the above example, is the one building with wood, hay and stubble on foundation of Christ doing the will of the Father? Obviously not! Do they not know the will of the Father? They must, since Paul says 'take heed how you build,' showing that it is their own responsibility. So they know the Masters will, and yet don't get ready and don't do what the Master wants. In fact they commit grave sin, for that is the symbolism of wood, hay and stubble as opposed to gold, silver and precious stones! And this is described as defiling the temple, for which God will destroy them!! According to Jesus this servant is worthy of being placed with the unbelievers and beaten with many blows. Yet Paul says they will be saved, yet so as by fire! What fire then? The lake of fire, of course!! Don't you remember that only He who overcomes and does the will of God until the end will escape the second death, as explained in Revelation 2? As the Lord says:
Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. (Matt 7:21 NIV)
So when it says that a person will suffer loss, what does it mean? It is interesting to note that the same Greek word is translated 'forfeit' in the following passage:
What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? (Mark 8:36 NIV)
So then does the Christian who builds with wood, hay and stubble lose his soul?!?! How can this be? What is left after you lose your soul? Peter declares that the goal of our faith is the salvation of our soul:
...for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1Pet 1:9 NIV)
However, it is clear that the salvation of the soul is not the only salvation, for when Paul was speaking about one who committed a great sin in the church, he said:
In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. (1 Cor 5:4,5 KJV)
That there is a distinction between the soul and the spirit is clear:
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow...(Heb 4:12 NIV)
And in the reference to Christ preaching in the prison, it is the spirits who he preached to, whereas it was the souls of those in the ark that were saved (1 Pet 3:17-22 see KJV). So Christians are those who have their souls saved, through the indwelling life and presence of God. This is the prize that we seek, to live, and ultimately, to rule with Christ. Having passed from death to life, we have received eternal (or age-during) life, the result of the fellowship we have with God and with Jesus:
Now this is eternal life: That they may know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. (John 17:3 NIV)
And the witness is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. (1 John 5:11,12 NAS)
To abide in Christ IS the salvation of the soul! So it is obvious why someone who does not do the will of the Father cannot attain the salvation of the soul, and therefore does not have eternal life:
I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. (John 15:5,6 NIV)
So if only those that abide in Christ save their souls, what about the rest? You must realize that the soul of a man is not eternal. The soul of someone who does not know God is corrupted with evil desires, and will ultimately be completely destroyed! This is what the Lord meant by eternal destruction. But the spirit of a man is eternal, and all spirits will be saved, for all will come to life, and death itself will be destroyed. I'll tell you another mystery; if you're a Christian, your soul has already been destroyed! Remember this verse:
For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. (Matt 16:25 NIV)
The same Greek word used here for 'life', is translated as 'soul' in the next verse:
What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul. (Matt 16:26 NIV)
Eventually everyone will suffer the loss of their soul, but Christians are those who lose their soul now, in this life! But we also gain our soul in life, our true soul that is, which is eternal, for it is being created in the image of God:
Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. (Col 3:9,10 NIV)
Our old self knew only the flesh, and was a slave to the flesh. But our new self is born in the Spirit, and knows the Spirit!! Jesus was a man, and as a man he had a soul. But Jesus was also God, so Jesus is the revelation of the SOUL OF GOD! This is the only true soul, the eternal soul of the resurrected Man, and it is only in Him that we have life:
I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. (Gal 2:20 NIV)
Do we then lose our individuality?! Not at all! The Lord loves variety and every Saint of God is wonderfully unique. In fact, when we were 'free' in the flesh, we were actually a slave, now we are a slave of God, and only now are we truly free. You will never know yourself until you know yourself in God. Before this you are dead, dead to the truth and reality of God, dead to yourself and trapped in the flesh by sin. But its not as though God hates those that are dead, for it was His compassion for the dead that was revealed in Jesus:
"Wake up, O sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you." (Eph 5:14 NIV)
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: That God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. (2 Cor 5:19 NIV)
And we know that the Lord will eventually succeed in this ministry:
For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. (Col 1:19,20 NIV)
Praise God! Well it looks as though I'm going to have to make a conscious effort to stop writing, otherwise I'll go on forever! There's so much more to talk about, and so many more verses I could show you.
Before I stop I want to teach on one more subject; the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. This parable bothered me for many years, since it seemed to support the traditional doctrine of hell. It had everything; torment, fire even an uncrossable chasm! (see Luke 16:19-31) This, more than any other scripture was used by people to prove me wrong. At the time I didn't know the Word very well, which is why it gave me so much trouble. Anyone who really knows their Bible knows that this parable gives no support to the eternal torment theory. Nevertheless, there are many Christians who may not have had the time to study the Word as much as I have, who would be willing to listen to this teaching if not for this parable. But they say to me 'I don't understand hell either, but it's iron-clad; the rich man is in hell, he's being tormented by fire, and Abraham himself says there's nothing he can do, even if he wanted too, because of the UNCROSSABLE CHASM, so this is obviously eternal torment and separation from God, and we just have to trust that God is just and righteous in what He does!' That sounds reasonable enough, but there's one problem; the rich man was in Hades, not the lake of fire:
I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. (Rev 1:18 NIV)
...and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. (Rev 20:13,14 NIV)
Jesus Himself crossed the uncrossable chasm, for what is impossible with man is possible with God!!! Far from supporting the concept of eternal torment, the parable of Lazarus and the rich man is one of the strongest supports that the torment the wicked face is temporary. So now I'll say to you, in light of the Scriptures that I've shown you; God promises to be the Savior of all mankind, not just the Christians, and I don't fully understand it either, but we just have to trust that God is just and righteous in what He does and that somehow He's going to save everyone! So now comparing these two beliefs, which is more likely; did God in his infinite wisdom and mercy create mankind and give him free-will with the full knowledge that the majority of his creation would spend eternity in agony? Or did God create mankind and give him free-will and yet still manage to save everyone, to the glory of God the Father and to the astonishment and amazement of all (especially his own Church). In one case God is all-powerful yet angry and evil, or all-loving yet impotent and incompetent. In the second God is all-loving and all-powerful, both infinitely merciful and infinitely just. Which of these sounds like your God? Which gives Him more glory, and inspires more awe?
Its not like I deny the Judgment of God, rather I affirm it! If you speak to people of the fires of Hell, the Church ignores it, and the world laughs at it. If you want to see what the world thinks of it, watch a Bugs-Bunny cartoon sometime; our nightmarish mythology has become the laughingstock of children! No one believes it enough to be deterred by it. Those who do believe it are so in bondage to fear that they reject the very concept of a God of love! But if you speak to people of the Judgment of God; that they will stand before a Holy God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth and be judged for everything they've ever said or done! They will feel the pain that they've caused, and they will bear the consequences of all their sin and they will reap whatever they have sowed, for there is no partiality with God. This also is fear, but it is good fear, that leads to repentance! No I don't deny judgment or hell, I merely deny the traditional definition of judgment and hell. I must believe God rather than men, I must reject that which is unscriptural and that which hinders the Kingdom of God. But you may say 'where's the urgency to spread the gospel?' More than ever!! Our brothers and sisters are in chains of darkness, enslaved by sin! This is family we're talking about, loved by God, not just some doomed sinners who are probably fated to go to hell anyway! And through preaching the Word, and living for Christ we are given the glorious opportunity to participate in their salvation, to be used by God in His plan to bless all people! This is the glory of our salvation, to be conformed to the image of God's Son, and to be made a perfect expression of His Love for all mankind! It's just as the Lord prayed when He was still in the world:
I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. (John 17:20,21 NIV)
What I have told you is a revelation from God, and I can't take any credit for it. It's a revelation of God's love and power. It's a revelation of what Christ accomplished on the cross. And it's a revelation of our responsibility as Christians. Ultimately, it is only God who can reveal this to you. I don't blame anyone for believing the traditions of the Church, but I do ask anyone reading this to spend some serious time in prayer over this issue. If I'm wrong, then I'm deceived and the Lord will correct me and nothing will come of it. But if I'm right, then what are we guilty of?! How many people have been driven away from Christ, how many died in their sins because they heard lies instead of the gospel? If I'm right we have an obligation to expose and destroy this lie.
I leave you with one last thought; if you don't believe that God is going to save everyone, then you can't obey God! For the Lord taught in Mark 11:24 that we should believe that we have received whatever we ask for in prayer! Now if we know that something is God's will, then we have assurance from God that we will get what we pray for. But look at what the Lord asks us to pray for:
I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, [and] giving of thanks, be made for all men;
For kings, and [for] all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
For this [is] good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior;
Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
For [there is] one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. (1 Tim 2:1-6 KJV)
How can you pray that all men will be saved, if you don't believe that God is willing to save all men? How can you pray God will save all, if you don't believe that God is capable of saving all? I urge you, as a brother in the Lord, to pray and seek God for wisdom and revelation concerning this issue. I thank you for your time. May the Grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
God Bless CF