In Memory of Jim Ober
Evangelical Universalist Discussion Board
Gregory MacDonald's Blog
Gift Shop (Bibles, Books, Gifts, CD's, DVD's, and Bible Software)
Family Merchandise
Faith Home (A Christian Alcohol and Drug Rehabilitation Facility in Greenwood, SC that is remarkable in it's presentation of Christ to the addicted.)
American Anglican Council
The United Methodist Committee on Relief
Samaritan's Purse
International Fellowship of Christians and Jews
Shepherd's Gate
Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed
Writings:
Three Miracles (by Darrol Evans.)
Strawman Arguments used against Universal Salvation/Universal Reconciliation (by Mike Burke.)
The Problem of Evil Revisited (by Ed Smith.)
Bible verses supporting Universal Salvation (compiled by Ed Smith.)
Olam, Aion, Aetas, and their Cognates (by Mike Burke)
Origen, Church Fathers, Creeds, and Councils (by Mike Burke.)
Selected Quotes from St. Gregory of Nyssa (Who clearly taught Universal Salvation, and was declared one of the highest authorities of the Church by the 5th and 7th ecumenical councils.)
Forgotten Teachings of the post Apostolic Church (by Mike Burke.)
The Rapture and Premillennialism (by Jim Ober.)
Where is God (by Carolyn Evans.)
Historically Fulfilled Bible Prophecy (by Mike Burke.)
A Reality Check for Preterists and Pantelists (by Mike Burke.)
Relevant Quotes From Martin Luther
Jesus Who? (by Ed Smith.)
The Timelessness of God, and the Deity of Christ (by Mike Burke.)
The Personality of The Holy Spirit (by Mike Burke.)
A Scriptural Defense of The Holy Trinity (by Joel Herndon.)
Trinitarian Universalism
Turning to God (by Ed Smith.)
The Consuming Fire of God's Love (by Ed Smith.)
The Psychic Prison of the Concordant Movement (by Mike Burke.)
Geology and Genesis (by Mike Burke)
Saved From Hell, or Sin? (by Ed Smith.)
Born of Water and Spirit (by Ed Smith.)
Man's Insanity and God's Cure (by Jim Ober.)
What About The Unpardonable Sin? (by Mike Burke.)
What is the Sin Unto Death? (by Mike Burke.)
What About Judas? (by Mike Burke.)
What About The Devil? (by Mike Burke.)
What About The Raphaim? (by Mike Burke.)
The Origin and Fate of Satan (by Mike Burke.)
What About Animals? (by Ed Smith.)
What About Ecclesiastes 3:21? (by Mike Burke.)
In Memory of Tico (by Eystein Evensen.)
Why was the Serpent Cursed? (by Mike Burke.)
Knowing Our Limitations (by Ed Smith.)
An Intermediate State? (by Mike Burke.)
Divine Glory (by Charles Chauncy.)
Excepts from Prophecies that Remain to be Fulfilled (a series of lectures given between 1788-1790, by Elhanan Winchester.)
Elhanan Winchester's Eulogy to John Wesley
Links of Interest:
The Restoration of All Things (by Jeremiah White, Chaplain to Oliver Cromwell.)
Universalism Asserted (by Rev Thomas Allin, Church of England.)
Studies subsidiary to the Works of Bishop Butler (by William Ewart Gladstone.)
Conflict Over Hell (by Anglican Catholic Fr. Matthew Kirby.)
Mercy and Judgment (by Canon F. W. Farrar, of The Church of England.)
The Wider Hope (an Anthology.)
A Hope in Hell (by Rev John LeFroy, Church of England.)
The Spirits in Prison (by Rev E. H. Plumtree, Church of England.)
The Word "Eternal" and the Punishment of the Wicked (by Rev. Frederick Denison Maurice, Church of England.)
Theological Essays (by Fredirick Denison Maurice)
Christian Universalism
The Eastern Orthodox Position on Universal Salvation
St. Isaac the Syrian (on the subject of Universal Reconciliation.)
Sword to the Heart (Jason Pratt's Blog)
Does The United Methodist Church Believe in Universal Salvation?
Methodist Episcopacy
Congregationalism
A Lutheran Universalist's Blog
Ed's Blog
The General Deliverance ( by John Wesley. )
The Remmitance of Sin, The Keys of the Kingdom, and the Power of Binding and Loosing.
A Word to the Calvinists (by Ann Bronte.)
Last Lines (by Ann Bronte.)
Animals and the Kingdom of Heaven
Animals in After Life
The Geologic Column
Genesis, Genes, and Geology
Geology and Mineralogy with Reference to Natural Theology (by William Buckland.)
Salvation (by Brad Hooper.)
Motives (by Brad Hooper.)
Jesus Cares for His Mother
Universal Restoration (by Elhanan Winchester--an 18th century Trinitarian, Premillennialist believer in universal reconciliation.)
Universalism in Christianity
Ted Montgomery's Web Site
A Thursday Crucifixion?
Jesus Wept
Repentance And The Pauline Gospel
Eventually
Studies in Reconciliation
Through the Cross and the Blood
The Filioque Controversy
Lip Kee's Web Site
The Biblical Universalist
What Do Inclusive Christian Universalists Believe?
Universal Reconciliation
Apokatastasis
Universalism
Systematic Reconciliation (**New site.)
Replacement Theology
True Grace Ministries
Questions on Universalism and The New Heaven and Earth (Answered by Rev. Ken Allen.)
The Essential Role of Free Will in Universal Reconciliation (by Prof. Tom Talbott.)
Universalism and the Bible (by Prof. Keith DeRose of Yale University.)
Bible Study Net
Living in The Last Days
The Olivet Discourse Transition
Five Minutes To Midnight (interesting, but by no means intended as an endorsment of everything written by the Christadelphians.)
George MacDonald (a Famous 19th century universalist.)
The Critics Came Tumblin' Down
Ezekiel's Temple
The Deity of God The Son
Still "a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God"
Some Trinity Help (by C. S. Lewis.)
Divorce and Remarriage
Palestinian Culture of Death (by Darroll Evans.)
Born of Water
Time Dilation
Archeological Evidence of God's plagues on Egypt, The Exodus, and Conquest of Caanan
More Evidence
The Cohen Chromosome
Mommy, who made God?
Jewish Genetics
The Hope of the Gospel/The Hope of the Universe (by George MacDonald)
It Shall Not Be Forgiven (by George MacDonald)
Noah's Flood
Kingdom Resources
The Doorway Papers (by Arthur Custance)
Does God Exist?
Feathered Dinosaurs
The Noachide Laws
A Scriptural Critique of Full
Preterism
Have you considered the possibility that God is saving some men and women now, and will reconcile all others later? The Bible says that the living God is "the savior of all men, especially of those who believe" (1Tim. 4:10.)
Martin Luther, the father of the Protestant Reformation, once wrote:
“God forbid that I should limit the time for acquiring faith to the present life. In the depths of the divine mercy there may be opportunity to win it in the future state.” – Letter to Hansen von Rechenberg, 1523. (Luther's Briefe, ii. 454.)
Bishop Timothy Ware (of the Greek Orthodox Church) wrote:
Hell exists as a final possibility, but several of the Fathers have none the less believed that in the end all will be reconciled to God....we must not despair of anyone's salvation, but must long and pray for the reconciliation of all without exception. No one must be excluded from our loving intercession. "What is a merciful heart?" asked Isaac the Syrian. "It is a heart that burns with love for the whole of creation, for humans, for birds, for the beasts, for the demons, for all creatures." Gregory of Nyssa said that Christians may legitimately hope even for the redemption of the devil. (The Orthodox Church, New Edition., p. 262)
And according to Prof. Keith DeRose (of Yale University):
The Greek adjective (and its cognates) that our English Bibles translate as "eternal" or "everlasting" (and their cognates), literally means "age-enduring" or "pertaining to an age", and can be used in such a way that it does not imply endless duration.
http://pantheon.yale.edu/~kd47/univ.html
More importantly--The Bible tells us that Jesus "gave Himself as a ransom for all, to be testified in due season" (1Tim. 2:6), and that although all are now dying in Adam, "so in Christ will all be made alive--but each in his own order" (1Cor. 15:22-28.)
We're told in scripture that we have "come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect" (Heb. 12:22-23), and "firstborn' is plural in the Greek text (implying that there will be latter born sons and daughters.)
I believe the "firstborn" are those who are chosen by God now (and who will escape His corrective Judgements because of the living faith He is giving them now.)
We're especially blessed because we're being saved from our sins (Matt. 1:21) now, and I believe this salvation is wholly the work of God through Christ. It cannot come through any other savior, and it cannot be earned by performing good works (however commendable they may be.)
As Paul says, we're saved by Grace thru faith, and that not of ourselves (Eph. 2:8-9), but the faith that God gives is a living thing (John 15:5; Eph. 2:10; James 2:14-20.)
It follows that those who have this God-given faith are believing that sin is sin, that they are sinners, and that Jesus is the Messiah (who died and rose again for their sakes), and that this living faith is having some effect on their lives.
"Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, even as He is pure" (1John 3:3.)
They're grateful for what Jesus (Yehoshua) did in the past, and look foreward to His return as King.
I believe the Bible has much to say about this, His earthly Kingdom, and God's wise and balanced judgement at the great white throne.
It should be noted that when used of that which has no begining or end (such as God, His Spirit, His Son, etc.), the plural of "aion" (with it's cognates, and phrases containing these words) speak of all ages--but such words can also be used to speak of two or more ages (such as the millennium, and the Great White Throne Judgement spoken of in the 20th chapter of Revelation), and the adjective can even be used of one age.
This means that when the King James Version speaks of everlasting punishment, the Greek text could mean "age-abiding (or age-enduring) punishment" (as it's rendered in Young's Literal Translation, and Rotherham's Emphasized Bible.) Furthermore, the phrases translated "for ever and ever" might be better translated "for ages and ages," or "unto the age of ages."
One good translation I'd recommend is Dr. Young's, and you can look up any verse online at studylight.org.
(You can also order it by visiting the book deparment of my online gift shop--where you'll find Bibles, study aids, the writings of George MacDonald, and the finest Christian Universalist scholarsip available.)
God bless.
P.S. While my own links are somewhat selective, I am not responsible for the views expressed on other websites (and particularly not for those in directories and webrings that I do not personally own.). For a brief doctrinal statement I do agree with, click here, here, or here.
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