A Study Concerning Universal Salvation in the Bible and in the New Revelation A
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A STUDY CONCERNING UNIVERSAL SALVATION IN THE BIBLE AND IN THE NEW REVELATION (www.the-new-revelation.weebly.com; www.hisnewword.org; www.new-revelation.ro ) A - Biblical arguments in support of the idea of Universal Salvation B - The New Revelation affirming the idea of Universal Salvation and explaining the Scriptures in regards to the character of God, the wrath of God and the fear of God, God’s judgments, the eternal life and the eternal death, God’s love and plan for humanity Note: Due to the very big amount of information in the two sources, it is left to any reader to continue comparing them and decide if they really confirm and support each other, at least on this very important topic. As far as the quoted materials in this study are concerned, we consider that their consistency as also their convergence towards the same conclusion are obvious. *** A - Biblical arguments in support of the idea of Universal salvation Everything in the perceptible or imperceptible creation is the work of God, belongs to Him and is kept in existence by His will. God has established His divine unchangeable order, his fundamental laws of existence, but for the sake of free-will - His own divine attribute that he imparted with His created beings - He gave them the possibility to oppose this order and even to have a certain form of existence in such a condition of opposition. But this existence was called by Him sin or death. And as many of His created beings indulged very much in this condition of existence, there came a moment in the development of creation when only His direct intervention, through the Word as His Son, could still allow His created children to escape from this condition of (spiritual) death and return to His order and thus, to the only true and eternal life in Him. These ideas derived from the Scriptures are generally accepted in mainstream Christian theology and they can be easily discovered in many of the biblical excerpts quoted below, as fundaments for the great idea of universal salvation. We will also deal with many of the verses that seem to fully oppose this suggestion. WHEN GOD SPEAKS ABOUT DEATH, HE MEANS SPIRITUAL DEATH 1 GOD WANTS TO SAVE ALL GOD PROMISES TO SAVE ALL SALVATION IS A GIFT, IS NOT UP TO MAN’S WILL, BUT TO GOD’S THE WAY TO SALVATON –THE LORD TREATED THE SINNERS WITH THE GREATEST LOVE AND MERCY THE UNBELIEVERS WILL ALSO BE SAVED ON THE OTHER SIDE, IF THEIR WORKS ARE GOOD. THEIR WORKS CAN BE GOOD ONLY DUE TO THE EXISTENCE OF GOD’S LAW IN ALL HUMAN HEARTS THE LORD PROMISES HEAVEN FOR GOOD PEOPLE IRRESPECTIVE OF THEIR ACTUAL CONDITION OF FAITH THE ‘UNFORGIVABLE SIN’ IS A MATTER OF LOVE AND NOT FAITH – HOWEVER EVEN THIS ONE WILL ONCE BE FORGIVEN THE ISSUE OF LORD’S JUDGMENT THE ISSUE OF ETERNAL PUNISHMENT (or ECT = ETERNAL CONSCIOUS TORMENT). SIN DOESN’T EQUAL SINNER. PRISON DOESN’T EQUAL PRISONER. GOD’S JUDGMENT IS INTENDED CORRECTION IF THERE ARE HUMAN BEINGS IN HELL, THEY STILL HAVE TO POSSESS FREE WILL AND ALL THE OTHER HUMAN CHARACTERISTICS, OR ELSE THEY WOULD STOP BEING HUMAN BEINGS AFTER HIS DEATH ON THE CROSS THE LORD DESCENDED TO HELL TO PREACH TO THE SPIRITS IN THERE THE FALLEN ANGELS AND THE KINGS OF THE WORLD WILL STILL BE VISITED IN THE PRISON (PIT); THE PRISONERS OF THE PIT ARE ALSO CALLED AND RELEASED BY GOD THE PUNISHMENT OF HELL WILL REACH ITS PURPOSE – SINNERS WILL BE SAVED BY FIRE THE ISSUE OF GOD’S LOVE AND GOD’S JUSTICE (WRATH) ANNEX: MORE VERSES ABOUT SPIRITUAL DEATH ANNEX: MORE VERSES ABOUT GOD’S LOVE, MERCY AND FORGIVENESS 2 WHEN GOD SPEAKS ABOUT DEATH, HE MEANS SPIRITUAL DEATH The following Bible verses clearly show that the real meaning of death is not the lack of the physical body, nor an eternal annihilation, but an existence of sin, outside God's order and infere that although we were all born into this condition, the Lord, God's Word made possible for us all, all- times humanity, to reach eternal life or the real existence in God's order through His sacrifice on the cross. The idea that some of these verses point only to a a specific category of persons (Jews, Christians etc) or to just a specific time in history denies by that the divine and thus universal character of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is addressed to all-times humanity. 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) (Eph 2) (see also Col 2:13) 24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. / 25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when THE DEAD SHALL HEAR THE VOICE OF THE SON OF GOD: and they that hear shall live. (John 5) 11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Rom 6) 6 But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth. (1 Tim 5) Opposite to this condition of spiritual death, is that of (true spiritual) life or eternal life, which is one of love for fellow-man and for God. 14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. (1 John 3) 15Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. (1John 3) 2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. / 3 And THIS IS LIFE ETERNAL, THAT THEY MIGHT KNOW THEE THE ONLY TRUE GOD, AND JESUS CHRIST, WHOM THOU HAST SENT. (John 17) (this 'knowing' of the Lord, obviously is not a simple intellectual one, but includes the heart’s participation and thus, leads to loving Him and by this love, willingly obeying His will and His order) 35"The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand. 36"He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."(John 3) So, a real love for fellowmen, which, in fact is not possible without the love of God, which is also not possible without the knowledge (with both heart and mind) of God, which also naturally leads to the previous ones, makes of any these three equivalent conditions a sufficient requirement needed to be fulfilled in order to pass on from the condition of a life of sin or ‘death’ to the true life. Some may 3 observe that faith is also pointed as the one thing needed to obtain eternal life, according to other scriptural verses, like... {3:22} But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.(Gal) But faith itself is a gift of grace that comes by hearing, thus by knowing the word of God, by receiving it with both mind and heart and then holding fast to that knowledge . {10:17} So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.(Rom) 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (Ephes 2) {11:1} Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Heb) {5:6} For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love. (Gal) Thus, by hearing of the word of God we receive the knowledge of God which, by God’s grace, or by the spiritual awakening or ‘quickening’ of man (Ephes 2:5, 1 Pet 3:18), is fully accepted by him as true with both his mind and his heart and then held fast as a supreme guide of life, which constitutes the faith which, in turn, leads to the love for God and, because of the love and knowledge of God, also to a real and unconditional and active (working) love for the fellow-man. The proof of a true faith obtained by grace lies finally in the issuing love for fellow-man, which is also confirmed in verses such as: 8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. (1 Pet 4) {13:34} A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. {13:35} By this shall all [men] know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. (John) Consecquently, this deep love for fellow-man, which is awakened by faith or the full acceptance of the knowledge of God, is, in fact, the mark of the true spiritual or eternal life, in opposition to the spiritual death, obviously characterized by selfishness and all deriving sins or trespasses of divine order. Finally, we also find in one of David’s psalms the clear idea that even here during the earthly life, the soul can be in a grave and needing salvation.