John 12:32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
That verse brings up one very important question.
“Do you believe it?”
Oddly, the vast majority of Christians emphatically deny the truth of that verse, and in doing so deny the words of Christ Jesus.
Most Christians agree that Christ was “lifted up from the earth” in His crucifixion. However, they deny that He will draw all men to Himself. Instead, they say and teach that only a remnant will come to Him.
Notice that he does not say that all will come as a result of their collective free will. Instead, Christ said “I will draw.” By His will and His power, Christ will draw all to Himself. You will also notice that in the paragraph above, I italicized the word “men.” The word is missing from all manuscripts. It has been added by the translators. What Christ said was that if He was lifted up, and He was, He would draw “all” to Himself.
At this time, all creation (due to the fall of man) is living under the curse of death. At His crucifixion and resurrection, Christ Jesus began to restore all to perfection. That includes all plants, animals, fish, birds, reptiles, and men!
This “drawing” does not depend on what men do. It is entirely dependent on what Christ did.
Some, in their spiritual ignorance, have postulated that all will be drawn to Christ without proclaiming Him to be Lord. That is a great mistake!
The Bible says explicitly that every Knee SHALL bow and every tongue SHALL confess. Any denial of that fact is also a denial of God, Christ Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the Bible.
Some in their spiritual ignorance protest that in this life many will never hear the name of Jesus and therefore cannot proclaim Him to be Lord. Death is a great barrier to humans but it is not a barrier to God!
God works all things---including the timing of all things according to His infinite and sovereign will, and not according to man’s finite, limited will.
Eph 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
In 1 Corinthians, the New Testament speaks of three resurrections.
1 Cor 15:23-24
23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
Those three resurrections are: Christ, His immediate followers, and the end, or the last group to be resurrected. In Verse 24, the word “cometh” is also added and does not appear in any manuscripts.
Most teach that the final resurrection consists of those who face the Great White Throne judgment, and will be cast into the lake of Fire, but think about that.
Why resurrect somebody just to commit them to death---again?
Does that make any type of sense? Absolutely not!
Of course, there is a Great White Throne judgment! And of course, some will be cast into the lake of Fire. Those things are obvious.
But, consider this: Why would God resurrect millions of sinners just to tell them that they are sinners and to condemn them to death when they are already dead, and already know they are sinners?
That is totally illogical!
A thief does not need to stand at the Great White Throne to know he is a thief. He knows he is a thief.
All resurrections are resurrections from death to life! The teaching of a resurrection from death to death is slightly dim-witted.
Nothing in the Scriptures says that judgment in the lake of Fire is eternal!
Most of Christianity has been truly taught that Christ Jesus took upon Himself the sins of the world and was resurrected from death on the cross to life on the throne at the right hand of God the Father. That is correct!
They are taught that those who are His followers shall be resurrected from death to life serving God and Christ forevermore. That too is correct!
However, the Christian majority has been taught and has blindly accepted that the last group will be resurrected so that God can tell them something they already know just to be condemned to a state in which they already reside, a burning Lake of Fire or as many call it, “hell.”
That is totally illogical!
The Bible tells us explicitly that God will make all things new (Rev 21:5), and yet the vast majority of Christians live in absolute denial of God’s word in believing that most shall be committed to an eternal punishment even though Christ paid the full and complete price for all our sins for all time.
Some believe that the lake of Fire is for punishment. I believe it is for the purpose of purification.
The Bible speaks of various forms of purification. Christ’s word purified those who heard them.
John 15:3 Now ye are clean (Gr. katharoi-kaqaroi) through the word which I have spoken unto you.
That Greek word translated “clean” in John 15:3 speaks of purification from guilt, sometimes by fire.
John the Baptist told many, “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire” (Matt 3:11).
Christ Jesus said, “For every one (Gr. pas-paV-all) shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.” (Mark 9:49)
The words of Christ were fire to the spirit burning out the sins that contaminated His chosen. It was remedial, not punitive.
When God said, “I make all things new,” He meant all things and He meant new.
The Bible calls Jesus, “the Savior of the world (1 John 4:14),” and yet the Christian majority rises up and shouts the Bible down, screaming “No!” Instead, they claim that He must commit the majority of people to the Lake of Fire to pay a price for sin, for which Christ has already paid.
All who deny the power of Christ Jesus are spiritually deceived!
Do you actually believe the Bible, or do you qualify or limit the words to fit a man-made philosophy rather than trusting what is said to be true?
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