Category: Uncategorized

Hope in Death (Listen or Read)

Hope Beyond Death

Is one’s state after death absolutely final as we have been led to think? Tradition maintains that God’s judgment has no remedial purpose—it is an eternal death. Yet the phrase, “eternal death,” is nowhere to be found in Scripture!

What mysteriously happens at death making it impossible for God to bring someone to repentance? Has He been stripped of His power? Where does Scripture declare His impotence in the face of death? Many quote Hebrews 9:27 thinking it bars all hope. “It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” (He. 9:27). How does this passage address the issue? The point in question is not the fact of judgment, but whether or not it is infinite. This reference does not offer us any information.

Does judgment have a remedial or restorative element to it, or is it solely retributive? What is the evidence? A number of passages have led me to conclude it cannot be solely retributive. We will see these later under “Examples of Purpose-Driven Judgment.” However, I would first like to demonstrate Scriptural support for my conviction that death in and of itself is not a hopeless condition for anyone.

Texts that Testify

¨      I kill and make alive; I wound and heal (De. 32:39).

¨      The Lord kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave [Sheol] and brings up (1Sa. 2:6). Sheol is translated “hell” thirty – one times in the KJV! He brings down to Sheol and brings up. How can one be brought up from what is supposed to be an irremediable state?

¨      We must die. But God does not take away life; instead, He devises ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from Him (2 Sa 14:14 NIV). Nothing stops God!

¨      God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol (Ps. 49:15 NAS). (See also: Ps. 30:2-3; 86:13; 116:3-8; Hos. 13:14). One is not left in Sheol forever.

¨      All who go down to the dust shall bow before Him… (Ps. 22:29b). “All” who die will bow. Can what is annihilated bow? Bowing stems from a genuine and not a “forced” worship as discussed in Chapter 6.

¨      He will swallow up death forever and will wipe away tears from all faces (Is. 25:8). Death is swallowed up with tears wiped from all faces. Note the word “all.”

¨      For men are not cast off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love (Lam 3:31-32 NIV). “For men” refers to all people. Death is no barrier to a God whose love cannot fail.

¨      When I bring back their captives, the captives of Sodom and her daughters, and the captives of Samaria and her daughters, then I will also bring back the captives of your captivity among them (Ez. 16:53; read entire chapter). God restores the destroyed of Sodom and Samaria. (See also Jer. 49:6, 37-39; 2Pe. 2:6).

¨      I will ransom them from the power of the grave [Sheol]; I will redeem them from death. O Death, I will be your plagues! O Grave [Sheol], I will be your destruction (Hos. 13:14)! God ransoms from the power of hell, redeems from death, and is death’s destruction! Only if we do not believe God is all-powerful, impartial, and all-loving can we remain hopeless.

¨      God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones (Mt. 3:9). If God can do this, can He not raise the lost from death? Is this too hard for Him (Jer. 32:27)?

¨      You will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny (Mt. 5:26).

¨      His master delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all. So My Father also will do to you (Mt. 18:34-5). Does “till” and “until” support the concept of an unending hell?

¨      Every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not.…either in this age or in the age to come (Mt. 12:31-32; Mk. 3:29-30). This is saying that every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven in the age to come except this sin. If not, what is the point of singling out one sin in particular as an exception? This is powerful testimony from the lips of Christ Himself for hope after death! Because a particular sin will not be forgiven at a given time does not require that the penalty be infinite. Also, God’s justice in judgment does not change! (Mal. 3:6). All judgment is measured and with a purpose. Either a just penalty will be exacted (He. 2:2), or its forgiveness must await a subsequent age. (Scripture alludes to “ages to come”- Ep. 2:7). We can rest assured that the Father’s chastising penalty for this sin will be just, and righteous, and in character with His loving heart for all. See #11 Appendix V and “Mystery to Ponder” (chapter 4).

References: See Bibliography page.

Just Judgment (Listen or Read)

CHAPTER THREE: PURPOSE DRIVEN JUDGMENT

We went through fire…but You brought us out to rich fulfillment. (Ps. 66:12)

Is there any positive purpose to God’s Gehenna judgment? What

purpose does it serve? According to the prevalent theology, its only purpose is to inflict pain. This view refuses to acknowledge that God’s judgment has any remedial effect and instead presents it as a perpetual prison from which its victims can never escape. I intend to show in this chapter that: First, this view is simply unjust and Scripture does not support unjust punishment of any kind; Second, Scripture affirms death as no obstacle to God in accomplishing His purposes in anyone; Third, God is just, and His justice satisfies even our human understanding of justice; Fourth, the Bible provides clear examples that all of His judgments are driven by a positive purpose.

Justice vs. Infinite Penalty

Many say sinners must suffer infinitely because a Holy God cannot allow sin in His presence. To believe this is to deny the DEITY of Christ. He kept company with sinners and took the world’s sin upon Himself (Lu. 7:34; Jn. 1:29; 2Co. 5:21)! Is Christ not Holy? God’s holiness does not reject sinners outright, but eternally seeks to cleanse and save them! (Ps. 136). But they say, “finite sins merit infinite penalty because they are committed against a Holy and infinite God.” If this were so, why does Scripture not state it? Is this not of greatest importance? Why no explanation? There is none because Scripture does not teach such a doctrine. It teaches the Mosaic code of justice (Ex. 21:23-5). Read the code! See how God works in judgment. But this horrific philosophy of injustice does not come from the heart of a loving God, but from the corrupted minds of men!

Justice does not come solely from punishment, but from punishment with a view toward restitution. If someone steals your wallet, justice is served when your wallet is returned and the thief is punished. Justice for sin against a Holy God requires repentance and reconciliation. We as parents know the hurt we feel when slighted by a child. God, in the ultimate sense, is Father of all. “All souls are Mine” (Ez. 18:4). Infinite punishment would inflict infinite pain on a God who “IS” Love (1 Jn. 4:8, 16; Mt. 23:37; Lu. 15:20). That would be the highest conceivable injustice!

Also, is it just that Satan keeps forever what He robs from God? It would be especially unjust to Christ who “appeared for the very purpose of undoing the devil’s work”(1Jn. 3:8 NEB).

How can justice require infinite penalty from creatures born in sin through no fault of their own, prone to sin by an inherited weakness (Adam’s curse), created with imperfect knowledge, surrounded by demons tempting on every side, and all in light of Christ’s propitiation for the sins of the whole world (1Jn. 2:2; Jn. 1:29)?

¨      What Scripture teaches such a travesty?

¨      Whose conscience is not violated at the thought?

¨      Would not a single sentence of infinite penalty outweigh the guilt of the whole race?

¨      What constructive purpose could it possibly serve?

Infinite penalty cannot satisfy justice by definition. For at the point at which it satisfies justice, the penalty must end. Because what is infinite cannot end and Scripture affirms just penalty (Col. 3:25; He. 2:2), “just infinite penalty” is an oxymoron – like a square circle, an utter impossibility. If justice requires infinite penalty, then these verses are senseless:

¨      Speak comfort to Jerusalem… for she has received from the LORD double for all her sins (Is. 40:2) (See also Jer. 16:18). How can what is infinite be doubled? Whatever led God to double this penalty, one thing is clear: the penalty is measurable and limited.

¨      His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning (Ps. 30:5). What possible comfort could “a moment” and “a night” offer anyone tormented by the threat of infinite penalty? It would be a mere mockery. This further suggests that just penalty is for a limited time.

¨      Renders to each according to his work (Ex. 21:24; De. 25:3; Ps. 62:12; Mt. 7:1-2; Ro. 2:5, 6). Penalty “according to his work” is something measurable and unquestionably just. How does infinite penalty accommodate varying levels of guilt? “It shall be more tolerable for Sodom than for you” (Mt. 11:24; Lu. 10:14). Such wording implies the penalty referred to is measurable.

¨      You laid affliction on our backs.…We went through fire…but You brought us to rich fulfillment (Ps. 66:10-12). This penalty was given to bring the sufferer to rich fulfillment; that is, it had a positive purpose. What positive purpose is served by infinite punishment? In addition, would God, the epitome of all justice and impartiality, inflict purposeful penalty for some and only purposeless for others?

¨      The Lord will not cast off forever. Though He causes grief, yet He will show compassion according to the multitude of His mercies. For He does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men (La. 3:31-33). Though He causes grief, “yet” there is purpose. What happens to “yet,” when you contemplate infinite penalty? It becomes a meaningless word. “Yet” assures us the penalty is not infinite.

References: See Bibliography page.

God’s Will (Listen or Read)

God’s Will

Most people believe God wills the best for every person on earth, but unfortunately, like us, He cannot get what He wants. We have brought God down to our level. Because we cannot always get our will, it must be the same with God. We make His will out to be something merely hoped for or desired. In this section, we will consider what Scripture declares is His will for all humanity, and what it says relative to His power to accomplish it.

He purposed…that in…fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ….who works all things according to the counsel of His will (Ep. 1:9-11).

This is a very deep and revealing passage. It shows God purposing His will to be done, and not merely hoping it is so. “No purpose of His will be thwarted” (Job 42:2 RSV). What is His purpose? To gather together in one all people in Christ. Paul also expressed it this way: “that God may be all in all” (1Co. 15:28).

In order for God to be “all in all,” all must first be subjected to the Lordship of Jesus Christ (1Co. 15:28a). This cannot happen without Christ being formed in each person (Ga. 4:19; 1Jn. 3:2; 2Pe. 1:4). Thankfully, He has not left us on our own. He is committed to its realization and intimately involved in the process (Ep. 2:10; Ph. 1:6; 2:13). “He is able even to subdue all things to Himself” (Ph. 3:20-1). It will all take place in the context of the ages—the “fullness of the times” (Ac. 3:21; 1Ti. 2:6). See also page 42 on this theme.

Christ’s Purpose

The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which
was lost. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that
He might destroy the works of the devil.

(Lu. 19:10; Mt. 18:11; 1Jn. 3:8)

Christ came to save “that which was lost.” “That” includes all the lost. God sent Him “to save the world” (Jn. 3:17 NIV). The world is not a few only. The few whom our Lord refers to in Mt. 7:14 are His elect first-fruits who labor with Him now and in the coming ages to bring in the whole harvest. (See “Purpose of Election”  chap. 5). The Father sent His Son as the Savior of the whole world, and not merely some out of it (1Jn. 2:2; 4:14). He, whose very name means Savior, came to save, not merely to “offer” salvation. He is the Good Shepherd who seeks those who are lost until He finds them (Lu. 15:4, 7, 20).

Our Lord’s sacrifice on the cross was His supreme act in destroying the devil’s work, but not His only act. In addition, He works in men’s hearts and intercedes for them throughout all ages (He. 7:25) to draw them to Himself and conform them into His likeness.

Jesus’ purpose on earth included modeling before a sinful world a holy and righteous life. At the very outset of His ministry, in His very first public address, He laid down exactly what a model Christian life must be. In so doing, Christ revealed His heart of compassion for suffering humanity. Hear His wonderful words as He quotes from Is. 61:1-2a:

The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD… (Lu. 4:18-22; Is. 61:1-2a).

Jesus finished his quote in the middle of verse two. But look at what the passage goes on to say:

“…to comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified” (Is. 61:2b-3).

This is a glimpse into the heart of our God and Savior. We see His deep concern for the anguish all people experience. He desires to deliver us from sorrow, heaviness of spirit, blindness, captivity, and oppression. But one thing seems to be lacking. Do you see it? He seems more concerned about the momentary afflictions of this life, than with eternal sufferings just a heartbeat away! Consider another text further revealing His heart.

When He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, [“distressed and dispirited”—NAS] like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples….“pray the Lord… to send out laborers into His harvest” (Mt. 9:36-38).

Why are we asked to pray for laborers for the harvest? Why are they needed? Does not the text say it is because people are weary, scattered, distressed, and dispirited? But what has our tradition led us to believe? Answer: To pray because all people are on their way to hell! Is there not an inconsistency here?

What are earthly pains compared to eternal woe? Yet, it was the temporal pains that weighed most on our Lord’s heart, not those of the life beyond. How can we explain this? Along with the Gehenna study in chapter one, these passages confirm that our Lord did not teach everlasting punishment. We need to look closely at our Lord’s words to see how clear this is.

Consider another key piece of evidence. Note where Christ ended His quote of Isaiah 61:1-2a: “proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.” Now look at what immediately follows that He did not quote: “And the day of vengeance of our God” (Is. 61:2b). Why did He leave that part out? Could it be that the “day” of vengeance is just that, a day? For if it were days without end of vengeance, how can we explain His silence here? Should He not have at least finished the sentence? Yes, and much more! He should have warned them in the strongest possible way to snatch them all out of everlasting fire! If there was ever an appropriate time to lay the foundation of eternal torment, this was it. He was sitting on a proof text. Did He not care some in His audience might die that night and go straight to hell? What kind of precedent would this set for His followers who would thereafter follow His example?

One final point regarding His first public address: did you notice the response of the people? “All marveled at the gracious words that proceeded out of His mouth” (Lu. 4:22). Gracious words—the people marveled!

¨¨¨¨¨

What is God really like? Is the destiny of the human race tragic? I hope that in this chapter you have come to see God’s nature more clearly—that all is not lost for humanity.

Does God really love every single person impartially? YES.

Can He really do what His heart would like to do? YES.

The God of all the earth is truly GOD, not god. He has all the power of the universe at His disposal, and His very essence is love—pure, unadulterated, impartial love for all His creation. Knowing Him in truth will fill our hearts with peace and hope. We can face whatever lies before us. Our only hope is His very nature. Can we trust Him with our eternal destiny and that of our loved ones? Yes we can! Let us sing aloud of His power and of His mercy (Ps. 59:16)!

References: See Bibliography page.

God’s Love C (Listen or Read)

God Is Love with NO “Buts”

When we say, “God is love, but He is also just and must punish sinners forever,” we demean God’s greatest expression of love: His Son’s sacrificial death for all mankind. Talk about injustice! How unjust this is to Him who propitiated the sins of the whole world by giving His life as a ransom for all (1Jn. 2:2; 1Ti. 2:6)! To recognize God’s righteous and remedial purpose in judgment in no way contradicts His holiness, justice, or the sacrificial nature of Christ’s death. To the contrary, it magnifies them. How dare we qualify or limit a Love “that never fails” (or “ends” as the RSV puts it–1Co. 13:8)!

Scripture straightly declares God to “be” love (1Jn. 4:8, 16), but never to “be” vengeance. God is one; He is not divided within Himself. Augustinian theologians have pitted His love against His attributes of holiness and justice, not realizing that His very essence is Love. He “is” Love. When referring to God as love, they immediately qualify it with “but,” as though His love was not compatible with holiness and justice. To justify this, they claim that His ways are not ours ways, quoting Is. 55:8-9. In so doing, they deny His unfailing love in order to maintain their flawed idea of judgment. However, they overlook what Isaiah was really saying in chapter 55: He was referring solely to God’s abundant mercy (Is. 55:7). Elaborating on God’s essence of love, Thomas Allin wrote:

God is not anger though He can be angry, God is not vengeance though He does avenge. These are attributes, love is essence. Therefore, God is unchangeably love. In judgment He is love, in wrath He is love, in vengeance He is love—“love first, and last, and without end.” Love is simply the strongest thing in the universe, the most awful, the most inexorable, while the most tender.⁴

God’s righteous judgments, like His acts of mercy, are a manifestation of His love—a love with no “buts.” Both His mercy and His judgments serve His one holy and loving purpose to draw (drag) all men to Himself. Scripture abounds with passages of God’s great love and mercy. Here are just a few to ponder:

¨      The Lord is merciful and gracious; slow to anger, and abounding in mercy… (Ps. 103:8).

¨      He is good! For His mercy endures forever (Ps. 136:1). (Repeated 26 times).

¨      The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy (Ps. 145:8).

¨      The Lord upholds all who fall, and raises up all who are bowed down (Ps. 145:14).

¨      You open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing (Ps. 145:16).

¨      Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness (La. 3:22-23).

¨      I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness, One who relents from doing harm (Jon. 4:2).

¨      He delights in mercy….will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities (Mic. 7:18-19).

¨      He is kind to the unthankful and evil. Be merciful, as your Father (Lu. 6:35-36).

¨      Love suffers long and is kind…endures all….never fails (1Co. 13:4-8).

¨      Blessed be the Father of mercies and God of all comfort (2Co. 1:3-4).

¨      The Lord is very compassionate and merciful (Ja. 5:11).

¨      God…only does wondrous things (Ps. 72:18; 86:10)!

God truly loves all humanity unconditionally, and if we should doubt this, even for a moment, we need only look at His Son, the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature
(He. 1:3). Erasmus Manford, 19th century minister, publisher, and author wrote:

Jesus appeared on earth in the character of a Savior, not of a destroyer.…When persecuted, He retaliated not; when reviled, He reviled not; when reproached and scoffed at, He did not curse His foes. His whole life was one continued exhibition of love, benevolence, and compassion. It is emphatically and truly said of Him, “He went about doing good.”…He gave health to the sick, feet to the lame, ears to the deaf, speech to the dumb, sanity to the lunatic, bread to the hungry, forgiveness to the sinful, salvation to the lost, and life to the dead.…He wept at the grave of Lazarus, His friend, and also over the approaching woes of Jerusalem, where resided His bitterest foes; and even for His bloody and cruel murderers He prayed on the cross, and in the agonies of death at their unfeeling hands, besought His Father for their forgiveness.…The character, then, of Christ is the character of God; the tenderness and compassion that Jesus possessed for all men, the good, the evil, is that which God possesses for all humanity.⁵

To sum up the theme of God’s love, I encourage you to read Lu. 15:11-32. Please note carefully verse 20: “When he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.” Jesus gave us this story so we would get a glimpse of the Father heart of God for all His wayward children. What a Father! The Psalmist also writes, “His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life” (Ps. 30:5a). Why is it that on earth God’s anger lasts but a moment and His favor is for life, but (tradition says) after death, His favor is not even a moment, and His anger is forever? How can God’s love change so drastically at the beat of a heart?

References: See Bibliography page.

God’s Love B (Listen or Read)

God Loves All People

The love of God is evident in the Scriptural references of God as “Father of all,” and in countless other passages. In fact, the evidence of God’s love for all is so abundant in Scripture, it is beyond my comprehension that a whole system of Christian theology has been built around the denial of that Fatherhood. Consider just these few:

¨      He is good to all. His tender mercies are over all
(Ps. 145:9).

¨      Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth!
(Is. 45:22).

¨      God so loved the world (Jn. 3:16).

¨      I came…to save the world (Jn. 12:47).

¨      God gives to all life.…He has made from one blood every nation of men (Ac. 17:25-27).

¨      I was sought by those who did not ask for Me; I was found by those who did not seek Me. I said, “Here I am, here I am,” to a nation that was not called by My name (Is. 65:1).

His will is for all people to find Him, even those who are not presently seeking Him. A time will come when they will, for God can orchestrate whatever circumstances are needed to change their hearts; for love never fails (1Co. 13:8).

¨      His goodness and longsuffering…leads to repentance (Ro. 2:4).

¨      God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us (Ro. 5:8). “Us” here includes all people. (See Jn 1:29; 6:51).

¨      God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself (2Co. 5:19).

¨      God our Savior…will have all men to be saved (1Ti. 2:4 KJV).

¨      The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men (Tit. 2:11 NAS).

¨      And this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins (1Jn. 4:10).

¨      He…is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world (1Jn. 2:2).

¨      The Lord is…longsuffering…not willing that any perish (2Pe. 3:9).

¨      The longsuffering of our Lord is salvation (2Pe. 3:15).

The longsuffering of our Lord “is” salvation. What a thought! When does the longsuffering of our heavenly Father for His children ever end? Does it end sooner than yours toward your children? The love of God expressed in His longsuffering will do what His brute power could never do—win the hearts of His enemies (Ps. 66: 3-4) and make them His friends (Jer. 31:34; Jn. 15:15; Ro. 5:10).

His Love Is Not Partial

Some people receive many chances to get saved, others receive a few, but billions have never received one! If the opportunity to receive Christ were given in this life only, then God could be accused of being partial. The only way He would not be partial is if He lacked the power to give all the opportunity. But God is neither weak nor partial. All have the same access to salvation, for God’s will, power, and love guarantee it. And furthermore, Jesus paid the price for all. If all did not have equal access, it would especially be unfair to Him. Scriptural support abounds for God’s impartiality. God loves all men equally. For example:

¨      He is good to all (Ps. 145:9).

¨      In truth…God shows no partiality (Ac. 10:34).

¨      There is no partiality with God (Ro. 2:11).

¨      There is no distinction between Jew and Greek (Ro. 10:12).

¨      God shows personal favoritism to no man (Ga. 2:6).

¨      There is no partiality with Him (Ep. 6:9; Col. 3:25).

¨      God…wills [KJV] all men to be saved (1Ti. 2:3-4).

¨      Wisdom…from above…is without partiality and without hypocrisy (Ja. 3:17).

¨      The Father…without partiality judges… (1Pe. 1:17).

But, you may ask, “Why was Esau hated and Jacob loved? (Mal. 1:2), Was not this showing favoritism?” This was a play on words similar to Christ’s command to hate our family (Lu. 14:26). Jesus wants us to love our families, but in our heart of hearts our deepest love should be for God. This is hyperbole—something very common in ancient eastern writings. God’s hate regarding Esau relates to something about Esau that God disliked in a greater way than what God disliked about Jacob the “deceiver.” When God elects someone over another, it does not mean He loves him or her more. Rather, He is delegating to them a greater responsibility in His service.

The same goes for God’s chosen people, the Israelites. He did not choose them because He was impartial to the rest of humanity. On the contrary, He wanted a nation through which He could bless all peoples of the earth! “In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” Ge. 12:3. (See also Ge. 18:18; 22:18; 26:4; 28:14; Ac.3:25, 26; Ga. 3:8).

References: See Bibliography page.

God’s Love A (Listen and Read)

His Love

Does God love all humanity or only some? Many believers do not realize that there exists a whole theological stream in Christianity that actually believes God does not in fact love all people. They believe God has only destined the “elect” to be saved. That means the vast majority of humanity are elected also (by default) to suffer in hell forever. This belief system (also known as “Calvinism” or “Reformed”) is becoming more and more embarrassing for pastors and theologians to outwardly profess. For example, my daughter had to directly ask her college chaplain (a Calvinist) to share frankly what he believed about predestination. You could not tell simply through his Sunday sermons. His sermons led her to think that God’s grace extended to all humanity, when in reality he did not believe it did. Thankfully this is not the majority view of the Christian world. In order to understand God’s love for all humanity, we must first understand that God, as Creator, is the Father of all.

Fatherhood of God

“Adam, the son of God” (Lu. 3:38). The genealogy of Jesus recorded in Luke goes back to Adam, the son of God. Can anyone deny Adam was God’s son? When has God ever disowned Adam, Israel, or the nations? When has He ever ceased to be the Father of all creation?

If God is truly a “Father” as we understand fatherhood, then it further confirms He would only discipline His children for their good, as every loving earthly parent does. To be made in God’s image (Ge. 1:26) is an affirmation we are His children. In the strongest possible sense, He, as “Creator,” is also “Father.” Allin wrote:

We are told God is not the Father of all men; He is only their Creator! What a total misapprehension these words imply. What do we mean by paternity and the obligations it brings? The idea rests essentially on the communication of life to the child by the parent. Paternity is for us largely blind and instinctive; but creation is Love acting freely, divinely; knowing all the consequences, assuming all the
responsibility involved in the very act of creating a reasonable immortal spirit. It seems, then, very strange to seek to escape the consequences of the lesser obligation, by admitting one still greater; to seek, in a word, to evade the results of a divine universal fatherhood, by pleading that God is only the Creator.²

In Adam, we all are children of God. If our sin and rebellion caused our Father to disown us, how could He have said, “Return, you backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings” (Jer. 3:22)? Or what was Jesus saying in His parable of the prodigal son in Lu. 15:11-32? Does the prodigal son not represent all the Father’s wayward children? Though he had fallen into sin in all its degradation, he never ceased being a son. Paul said to fail to provide for one’s own is to be worse than an unbeliever (1Ti. 5:8). What does that say of God who owns us all? “Behold, all souls are mine” (Ez. 18:4). All God has created is His own. It is inconceivable that God would be worse than an unbeliever. Allin stated:

The essence of Christianity perishes in the virtual denial of any true Fatherhood of our race on God’s part. Follow out this thought, for it is of primary importance. We lose sight of the value of the individual soul, when dealing with the countless millions who have peopled this earth and passed away. What is one among so many? [But] each soul IS of infinite value, as if it stood alone in the eyes of God its Father. And more than this, we are altogether apt to forget whose the loss is, if any one soul perishes. It is God’s loss: it is the Father Who loses His child. The straying sheep of the parable is the Great Shepherd’s loss: the missing coin is the Owner’s loss. In this very fact lies the pledge that He will seek on and on till He finds it.³

“Our” Father, is also “a” father to all men. God has never stopped being the Father of His creation. His love and purpose toward all endures forever. However, men have left their Father’s house to serve another. This severance came from the human side, not the divine. So, in one sense, and in one sense only, men have disowned their Father to become the children of another, by doing the deeds of the prince of this world (Jn. 8:41). But it is because of this, Jesus came. He came to restore this broken relationship (Ro. 5:10), and to destroy the works of the devil (1Jn. 3:8). The Father has never disowned His children. The cross is proof of that. Note carefully these texts:

¨      God created man in His own image…. (Ge. 1:27; 9:6).

¨      I said…all of you are children of the Most High (Ps. 82:6).

¨      You are our Father…our potter; and all we are the work of Your hand (Is. 64:8).

¨      Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us? (Mal. 2:10).

¨      Seeing the multitudes…. in this manner pray: our Father… (Mt. 5:1; 6:9; 7:28).

¨      Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples….one is your Father (Mt. 23:1, 9).

¨      Men of Athens….For we also are His children. Being then the children of God… (Ac. 17:22, 28-29 NAS).

¨      I bow to the Father…from whom the whole family in…earth is named (Ep. 3:14-15).

¨      Be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? (He. 12:9).

The expressions of Fatherhood used in these passages encompass unbelievers: “All of you,” “all we,” “we all,” “multitudes,” “people,” “men of Athens,” “whole family in earth,” and “of spirits.”

“My son, give me your heart…observe my ways” (Pr. 23:26). It seems to me, if this passage also refers to the Lord and not only to Solomon, then God regards us as sons and daughters even before we give Him our hearts.

“If you being evil…give good gifts to your children, how much more your Father…” (Mt. 7:11). Note this passage is in the context of the “multitudes” which include unbelievers (Mt. 5:1; 8:1). To those whom He termed “evil,” He calls God “your Father.” Will God do less for His children than we who “are” evil? Do we disown our kids as a result of rebellion? Do we not patiently and persistently do all we can to help them mature and amend their ways? Are we better parents than God?

The fatherhood of God over all creation is incontestable evidence that His love extends to all humanity. Contrary to what many theologians suggests, to acknowledge that God is a “faithful” Creator who always does what is “right” (1Pe. 4:19 NAS), and then deny His impartial love for all men (by claiming He considers some merely as “creatures” as opposed to “children”) is preposterous. It contradicts all that Christianity and the Bible stand for. Please read my related article on “Adoption” at www.HopeBeyondHell.net/Further-Study.html.

References: See Bibliography page.

God’s Power B (Listen or Read)

God Can Change Anyone

Does God merely do the “best He can for every man” as our tradition implies? Thomas Allin, D.D., historian, author, and clergyman of the English Episcopal Church North London (late 19th and early 20th centuries), wrote in Christ Triumphant:

If the best an Almighty Being can do for countless myriads of His children is to force on them whether they will or not, an existence stained with sin from the womb, knowing that in fact this sin will ripen into endless misery—then such phrases are but dust thrown in our eyes. They are as argument beneath refutation. To force on me the gift of life, is to do for me not the best, but the worst possible.¹

At the heart of my understanding of God’s power is the conviction He can change anyone. This is His best! If He can change you and me, why not all? If God can take Paul, the chief of sinners (1Ti. 1:15), and make him the chief of Apostles and a world changer, is there anyone He cannot transform? Ezekiel 36:23-36 reads:

23 “And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the LORD,” says the Lord GOD, “when I am hallowed in you before their eyes.…

26 “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

27 “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.…

29 “I will deliver you from all your uncleanness.…

31 “Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good; and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight, for your iniquities and your abominations.

32 “Not for your sake do I do this,” says the Lord GOD, “let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel!” For whose sake? The nations in verse 23 and 36.

35 “So they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden; and the wasted, desolate, and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.’

36 “Then the nations which are left all around you shall know that I, the LORD, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted what was desolate. I, the LORD, have spoken it, and I will do it.”

In this passage (vs. 27) God causes unfaithful Israel to walk in His statutes. In verse 26, He will even give Israel a new heart and spirit. Wow, just think of it! Is there anyone on earth in due time God is unable to change? And as 1,000 years is as a single day to God (2Pe. 3:8), I have complete confidence He will accomplish all His purposes for every individual. Time is not a problem. He has the ages in which to operate. If He will do it for Israel, then He will do it for the nations as well, for He is not partial (See “His Love Is Not Partial”  in chapter 2). In fact, in verse 32, He even states it is not for their sakes He will do this. Then for whose? Who else but for the nations on His heart in verses 23 and 36! This shows God blesses Israel in order to be His channel of blessing to the whole world (Ge. 12:3; 18:18; 22:18; 26:4; 28:14; Ac. 3:25; Ga. 3:8).

Is it really possible? Can God change people so they will do His will? Absolutely! But the question should not be, “Can God change people?” but rather, “Why does He?” Why? Love. Love that holds nothing back. Love itself became the propitiation for the sins of the whole world (1Jn. 2:2). Love paid the ultimate price and redeemed the world. These promises to Israel should bring us much hope. God’s plan has always been to reach the nations. It will yet be fulfilled, for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable (Ro. 11:29). Can God fail?

He Will Do It!

¨      I will give them a heart to know Me…for they shall return to Me with their whole heart (Jer. 24:7).

¨      I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts;…they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them (Jer. 31:33-34; He. 8:10).

¨      There is nothing too hard for You (Jer. 32:17).

¨      I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me forever.…I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from me (Jer. 32:39-40).

¨      He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities (Mic. 7:19).

It is most important to realize that God can and will change the hearts of men so they will repent and serve Him. What He does for a few, He does for all! Abraham did not waver at God’s promise through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith. In this he gave
God glory. Abraham was fully convinced that God was able to
do what He promised. Thus Abraham was accounted righteous (Ro. 4:20-22). Will we give Him glory and be accounted righteous too—or are we only partially convinced He is willing and able to do what He promised? Let us repent for not acknowledging God’s power as it is set forth in Scripture (Mt. 22:29).

References: See Bibliography page.

God’s Power A (Listen or Read)

CHAPTER TWO: GOD’S NATURE

I will sing of Your power…
I will sing aloud of Your mercy.

(Ps. 59:16)

What is God really like? Is the ultimate destiny of the majority of

the human race tragic? Our only hope as a race and as individuals lies in the nature of God, and more specifically, in His power and love. In this chapter, we will focus on the Scriptures relating to His nature–His power, love, fatherhood, and will. Does He have all power to do what He wills? Does He truly love all humanity impartially, or does He have favorites? Is He, as the Creator of all, also Father of all? What is the difference? What is His will for humanity? Will His will be accomplished?

Of all these questions, the most critical to our hope are those relating to His power and love. What is the extent of His power? Can He really do what His heart would like to do? If God is not in truth Almighty, then there is no God in the truest sense, and we are destitute of all hope. Yet, even if we believe Him to be Almighty, what hope does that bring us if we doubt His love for any of His creatures?

His Power

Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God.

(Mt. 22:29 KJV)

Notice the importance of knowing the Scriptures in relation to the power of God. It is a serious error not to respect this relationship. Without a firm belief in God as the “Almighty” (the one who can do all His will), the knowledge of Scripture is of little value. We must be convinced, like Paul was, that what God promises, He is able to accomplish (Ro. 4:21). This is what credited Abraham as righteous (Ro. 4:22). Have you taken to heart what Scripture declares regarding the power of God?

¨      Is anything too hard for the Lord? (Ge. 18:14).

¨      Whatever His soul desires, He does (Job 23:13).

¨      You can do everything…no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You (Job 42:2).

¨      He does whatever He pleases (Ps. 115:3).

¨      Whatever the Lord pleases He does, in heaven, earth, sea, and in all deep places [heart] (Ps. 135:6).

¨      Surely, as I have thought, so it shall come to pass, and as I have purposed, so it shall stand (Is. 14:24).

¨      The Lord has purposed, who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, who will turn it back? (Is. 14:27).

¨      Through Your power Your enemies shall submit to You.… All the earth shall worship You (Ps. 66:3-4).

¨      Is my hand shortened at all that it cannot redeem? Or have I no power to deliver? (Is. 50:2).

¨      My word shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please (Is. 55:11).

¨      You made the heavens and earth by Your great power. There is nothing too hard for You (Jer. 32:17).

¨      Is there anything too hard for Me? (Jer. 32:27).

¨      He does according to His will in heaven and earth; no one can restrain His hand or say to Him, “what have You done?” Who can be saved?…with men it is impossible, but not with God; with God all things are possible (Da. 4:35; Mk. 10:26-27;). (See also: Mt. 19:26; Lu. 1:37; 18:27).

¨      Predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will (Ep. 1:11).

¨      He is able even to subdue all things to Himself (Ph. 3:20-1).

¨      God’s purpose is unchangeable [immutable—NKJV] (He. 6:17 NAS).

¨      He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him (He. 7:25).

¨      I will put my laws into their minds and hearts…for all shall know Me (He. 8:10).

¨      Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith (He. 12:2).

References: See Bibliography page.

Free Will D (Listen or Read)

The Myth of “Eternal” Rejection

We know in part…we see…dimly.

(1Co. 13:9-12)

No one has complete or perfect knowledge of God. So when a person rejects a given concept of God, they are not in truth rejecting the true God, but only their partial or flawed understanding of Him. Only Christ truly knows Him, and he to whom He wills to reveal Him (Mt. 11:27; Lu. 10:22; Jn. 6:46). If Christ has not revealed the Father in truth to someone, can that person be held accountable for rejecting what was not really made known?

Once a full revelation of God is received in the ages to come (Ep. 2:7), all will bow and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, just as Isaiah and Paul prophesied (Is. 45:21-25; Ro. 14:11; Ph. 2:9-11). Who would want to continue in active and persistent rebellion knowing that God wants only what is absolutely best for them? Knowing then, the great goodness and love of God, along with the Holy Spirit working in each heart, all hardened hearts will melt before His glorious being. It is impossible that an omnipotent God can fail in His purposes, and some would forever resist unconditional love opting for everlasting pain. This would be totally irrational. And even if one were that irrational, such resistance would not arise out of a free will, but an enslaved will, a will in bondage to an insane mind.

Martin Luther declared:

I frankly confess that, for myself, even if it could be, I should not want free-will to be given me.…But now that God has taken my salvation out of the control of my own will, and put it under the control of His, and promised to save me, not according to my working or running, but according to His own grace and mercy, I have the comfortable certainty that He is faithful and will not lie to me, and that He is also great and powerful, so that no devils or opposition can break Him or pluck me from Him.²⁷

John Wesley claimed that everyone in the world could be saved without the loss of liberty, according to a sermon entitled, “The General Spread of the Gospel,” which he preached on April 22, 1783. He said a city, nation, or the whole world could become Christian, and it could take place without difficulty if only we were to suppose God acts irresistibly. “Now in the same manner as God has converted so many to Himself without destroying their liberty, He can undoubtedly convert whole nations, or the whole world. And it is as easy to Him to convert a world as one individual soul.”²⁸

Free will? Have you prayed for light and revelation about this teaching? Are His hands tied by your free will? Your belief or disbelief in “free” will must inevitably be determined by your view of God’s sovereign will and power.

The biggest factor overlooked by those who say God will not violate man’s “free” will, is the fact that man does not own himself. “All souls are mine” (Ex. 18:4). God wills all to be saved (1Ti. 2:4). If that does not happen, it is His will that is violated, not man’s.

If you might dare, imagine putting to God this question: “Do you place a higher value on our self-destructive “free will” than you do your own loving will for us, your very own children?” Please think about the audacity of this question! He created us and our wills. We and they are subject to Him.

Why is it that our tradition only accepts our will as “free” if it leads us to eternal destruction, and not free when it leads us to life in God’s predetermined will (Ph. 2:9-11; Ro. 14:11)? Unlimited freedom of will is an illusion. Such absolute freedom in man would be bondage of the worst kind imaginable.

I leave you with one final thought. If we, through our so called “free” will, can trump God’s will forever, then Christ gave up His “will” in vain. This would unlawfully rob Him of His reward for sacrificing His life for all men. Listen to His heart wrenching prayer after falling on his face in the garden of Gethsemane: “Father…not as I will, but as You will!”(Mt. 26:39). Jesus yielded up His “will” to His Father and accepted a most horrible death to save each one of us. He came to save the world! (Jn. 12:47).Did Christ think for a moment that His Father’s will to save all, and His ransom for all in due time (1Ti. 2:4, 6) would be meaningless? Not for a second! Please pause a moment and reflect on what was just said.

“Jesus…for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross (He. 12:2). What joy? There is only one thing that would give Him true joy; the total success of His mission. The Good Shepherd is not content until He finds each lost sheep. “He shall see the travail of His soul and shall be satisfied” (Is. 53:11 KJV)!He shall be satisfied!

¨¨¨¨¨

The pillars supporting belief in infinite punishment have crumbled. Will you now consider more seriously this critical question, “Is there hope beyond Gehenna?” Might judgment have a positive purpose in God’s unfailing plan for all? The answer, I believe, is found in the very nature of God Himself. Now, unshackled from fallacious arguments, will you look afresh with me at God’s awesome and glorious attributes? What is He really like?

References: See Bibliography page.

Free Will B (Listen or Read)

Please carefully reflect on these passages.

¨      God will circumcise your heart to love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul (De. 30:6).

¨      I know that thou canst do all things, and that no purpose of Thine can be thwarted (Job 42:2 RSV).

¨      Blessed is the man You choose, and cause to approach You (Ps. 65:4).

¨      A man’s heart plans… but the Lord directs… (Pr. 16:9).

¨      The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord (Pr. 16:33).

¨      There are many plans in a man’s heart, nevertheless the Lord’s counsel—that will stand (Pr. 19:21).

¨      A man’s steps are of the Lord; How then can a man understand his own way (Pr. 20:24)?

¨      The king’s heart is a stream…in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He will (Pr. 21:1).

¨      You will establish peace for us, for You have also done all our works in us (Is. 26:12).

¨      I will do all my pleasure,…indeed…I will bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will do it (Is. 46:10-11).

¨      None who seeks for God.…Where is boasting? (Is.53:6; Ro. 3:11, 19b, 27).

¨      The way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps (Jer. 10:23).

¨      I will give them a heart to know Me…for they shall return to Me with their whole heart (Jer. 24:7).

¨      I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me (Jer. 32:40).

¨      I will…cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them…. (Ez. 36:27).

¨      He does according to His will among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand (Da. 4:35).

¨      Those…were born…nor of the will of man, but of God (Jn. 1:12, 13).

¨      No one can come to Me unless the Father…draws [drags] him (Jn. 6:44). See “Every Knee” in chapter six.

¨      Without Me you can do nothing (Jn. 15:5).

¨      You did not choose Me, but I chose you (Jn. 15:16).

¨      Creation [people] was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who…subjected it in hope…. (Ro. 8:20).

¨      It does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs but on God who has mercy (Ro. 9:16 NAS).

¨      You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?” (Ro. 9:19).

¨      God chose the foolish…God chose the weak…He chose the lowly…so that no man may boast… (1Co. 1:27-29 NIV).

¨      Predestined man…to the purpose of Him who works all… according to the counsel of His will (Ep. 1:11).

¨      God works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure (Ph. 2:13).

¨      He is able even to subdue all things to Himself (Ph. 3:21).

¨      God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind (Re. 17:17).

Who is in control here? Man or God? Whose will prevails? My friend David Nuckols said, “How ironic that those who believe God will not violate the ‘free’ will of man have no problem believing He will violate His own free will—that all men should be saved!” In “The Work of the Cross,” Ken Eckerty wrote, “How ironic that those who believe God will not violate man’s “free” will have no problem that He forces men—against their will—to confess and bow to Christ.”²³

What are we saying to God in deifying the will of man? “Oh well, Lord, it is a sad thing that…

¨      You cannot have what is yours (Ro. 11:36).

¨      You cannot find what you have lost (Lu. 15:4).

¨      Isaiah was wrong about your hand not being so short it cannot save (Is. 59:1).

¨      The Bible exaggerates in saying nothing is too difficult for you (Jer. 32:17).

¨      Man has robbed the keys of Hades from You (Re. 1:18).

¨      He who is in the world is stronger than You (1Jn. 4:4).

¨      Your propitiation for the whole world is really only for a few (1Jn. 2:2).

¨      Your promises to reconcile all things are just exaggerated hopes (Ac. 3:21).

¨      Your hands are tied. You cannot accomplish all your will (Is. 55:11).

¨      All creatures will not really worship you like you hoped (Re. 5:13; Phil. 2:10-11).

What has happened to GOD? Our tradition has pawned His power off to man in the myth of “free” will. Are we better than the fools Paul referred to in Ro. 1:20-21? Why were they called fools? For failing to glorify God “as GOD.” Do we do the same?

References: See Bibliography page