Elwin Roach, Godfire.net gives an account of how a preacher of many years came to discover Universal Salvation. It reminds me of the passage “Fall on the rock and be broken to pieces or the Rock will fall on you and crush you to powder.” That doesn’t sound like a good ending, but with God all things have a good ending.
Quote:
It was during the mid 1980s that an elderly couple, the late Ray and Hazel Duncan, moved to Alamogordo from Amarillo, Texas. One of their friends told them about us, so we were contacted once they were moved in. There was good fellowship between us the first couple of weeks, and they read some of our Bible studies we had given to them. After reading a couple of the articles, they asked if there was anyone else who had material on the Kingdom of God that we could recommend, which we did; namely, J. Preston Eby and his Kingdom Bible Studies, and we gave them several to read.
It was about a week later they walked into a shoe store where Margit and I were visiting our friends who managed it, Walter and Ella Arvizu. Hazel wasn’t in real good health, and was almost blind; but she did fairly well with her very thick glasses. Even so, she needed assistance to keep from falling when she walked, and Ray helped his almost feeble wife into the store. After an exchange of a few words, I asked how they like Brother Eby’s studies. They both agreed that they were very good; however, Hazel surprised me when she said, “But is sounds like he believes everyone is going to be saved.” I wasn’t aware that she didn’t know it.
Since it was now clear that they still held to the conventional view of the majority of God’s creation burning in hell forever, I knew that our new-found friends may soon be new found ex-friends; for I responded with a firm, “Yes he does believe that all will be saved.” I was hoping she would not ask what I believed, yet I was sure that would be her next question–and it was!
I said that I would tell them what I believed, but I first had them to sit down with Margit and I facing directly across from them, with Walter and Ella standing to our left at the counter. As I opened my mouth to speak, it was like a great thunder storm suddenly appeared with continuous lightning bolts striking in fury, and claps of thunder resounding without end. The word and scriptures came in torrents. The brother looked stunned, while his wife was shaking her head, and this was not in agreement. Just as the final lightning bolt struck its vital target, she cried out, “No! No! No! It’s not that way! I can’t take anymore of this, and I won’t take anymore!”
Although being heavy and frail, she surprisingly bounded with ease from her chair, turned to her husband, grabbed him by the arm, and while pulling him out of his chair, said–“Let’s get out of here!” As they bolted toward the door, I turned to Walter and Ella, and when I saw the look on their faces, my heart sank. I could hear them thinking, “How could you beat such a dear, elderly sister like that?” And then I wondered the same. With that having been said and done, it was time for my next appointment to arrive, so I went back to work across the street from the shoe store.
We didn’t see our new ex-friends for two years, and I beat on myself all that time for being so brutal. The Eby’s were in El Paso for a few days (this was when they lived in Crystal River, Florida), and the brethren set up a meeting for him to speak. We drove the 90 miles south to hear the rich word and see our friends. When we walked into the building my heart sank as it did two years before; but this time it was due to not wanting to face Ray and Hazel, especially Hazel. But of all the people at the meeting, I could never have imagined that they would be there; but there they were on the far side of the large hall. I didn’t feel quite as bold as I did two years earlier, so I cowardly chose chairs to sit out of their line of vision. Hopefully, they hadn’t seen us when we came in. Ha! Fat chance!
They saw us! For as soon as the meeting ended, Hazel was up like a bolt and headed straight for me. The many brothers and sisters was a sea of people; but Moses must have there somewhere; for a channel opened between her and me. I knew there was no stopping her, so I braced myself for the tongue lashing and upbraiding of my life, and I felt it would have been well deserved.
But praise God! It was to the contrary. As she approached, tears were streaming down her aging cheeks. And her first words were:
“Brother Roach, please forgive me for the way I acted up there in Alamogordo two years ago. But I need to explain why I was so overwrought and angered. You see, I had been an Assembly of God minister for over 50 years, and every word you spoke was shaking and destroying the foundation of every sermon I had ever preached along with everything I believed. It so disturbed me that we moved back to Amarillo before the week was over.”
She continued with such genuine sincerity, by saying:
"I was able to get away from you, my tormentor; but I wasn’t able to get away from your word or God. I was in such anguish and overcome by what you had said that I was finally nearing death. I couldn’t get out of bed for three months. I was dying! I was literally on my death bed and in agony every minute. It was then that I cried out, ‘God, please, I know I am dying, but I don’t want to, but I can’t endure this suffering any longer. Therefore, if what I was told by Brother Roach is true, I want to know it, and I want you to reveal it to me. If you show me that it is true, I will embrace it.’ “Instantly,” she said, "the heavens opened in my spirit, and I saw this wonderful, wonderful truth of God’s mercy and grace unveiling to my soul. I knew then that through our Lord Jesus Christ that ALL, EVERYONE would be saved and not suffer eternal torment! And having gone through those three months of hell on earth, in my earth, I was so thrilled!
“Such immeasurable love, joy, and peace flooded my entire being. His Spirit surged through my body with such force in His wings that I was raised up in Life. Praise God! It was like a resurrection. I got out of my death bed healed and rushed into the living room and shared it with Ray. And without any reservations, it was revealed as quickly to him, and he received it with open arms as well.”
And then she ended it with:
“And, Brother, I want to thank you so much for being so bold, so powerful, and so straight forward that day in the shoe store. For you see, that was the only way I could be reached. A soft word would have never shaken those falsehoods that had become such strongholds. If you hadn’t spoken as you did, those walls would still be standing. Thank you, thank you, thank you!” It was then time for more tears, mine too, and hugs.
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