I have been researching UR and am intrigued, to say the least. I could never stomach the thought of an eternal
hell, like most people, even though in secular matters, I am a tough-on-crime, law-and-order guy for the most part.
There is more biblical support than I would have guessed, and I cannot help but notice that most arguments against UR/EU
contain strawmen associating it with the UUs, etc. I do not know why I do not have that mental block that most other
traditional christians have when it comes to even understanding UR. When the gung-ho ECT advocates are not pinning guilt by association on UR/EU, they resort to even weirder strawmen such as UR downplaying the cross…which is like saying
that 100 percent effective antibiotic or other medical treatment is pointless-this is ludicrous. another strawman is when they say UR means God does not punish sin-again, ludicrous. UR as I understand it only means that punishment is proportional to the crimes and are meant to bring to the sinner to repentance in this life or the next. It always did seem(bragging follows) like I was smarter than my church friends when it comes to understanding(without needing to agree with) opposing points of view on various
doctrinal and philosophical issues.
Anyway, both sides can dredge up a lot of scriptural support, while explaining away the support of the other side. Sometimes the takes on opposing passages are plausible, sometimes ridiculously strained.
The biggest problems for the ECT crowd seem to be: Col 1:20 and Phil 2:9-11, Romans 5:18, Cor. 15:28
The biggest problems for UR/EU seem to be: in the book of Revelation, no one is shown getting out of the lake of fire,
and it is never stated that this is a remedial punishment.
Isaiah 66:24 seems to imply annihilationism, and comes right after “all flesh” worshipping God.
So, if anyone can explain these can still jive with EU/UR, I’m in at least tentatively.
I am aware of the issues surrounding translation of Ainios, Gehenna, etc, but the ends of Isaiah and Revelation still seem problematic for Universalism.