The Evangelical Universalist Forum

Interesting video on EU, the Eons and free will

I think it is as wrong as any flavor of UR trying to explain the mysterious exit from the lake of fire after the final judgment. Its manufactured and very poor exegesis at best. :wink:

In my humble opinion, Zender has a habit of making presumptuous claims about what the Bible “obviously” says. Incidentally, I have watched his video, and I can confidently state that death can be a good thing. Moreover, the death of our inner reprobate is always a good thing. Death can be purgatorial.

5 Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. 6 For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, 7 and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices… — Colossians 3:5-9

12 So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh — 13 for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. — Romans 8:12-13
To put aside the old self is to consider him dead already. As Christians we must be actively doing this. Anything we do not put to death in this life will be fully slain in purgatory. For the putting to death of the deeds of the body is life. And Yahweh must destroy the deeds of the flesh (sin) to defeat its wages (death). Yahweh will start and finish this among the sons of disobedience in the Lake of Fire (“the wrath of God”).

He’s certainly not lacking in confidence.

I really couldn’t care less about the number of aeons, or if believing in free will is a mortal sin, or if Hitler is raised at the Great White Throne or at some other time. I’m more than content to leave such details to God. All I want to know is this: Is God good? If so, I can trust, love, serve and obey him. Nothing else really matters.

It’s funny how powerful man’s free will is in this lifetime - so powerful that it can trump God’s sovreign will (although to those who believe so it’s because God allows it so as not to violate us) - however, the second the impenitent sinner dies then the sinner’s free will to repent is somehow crushed without a thought (in certain theologies) - how does that work?

It would only trump His sovereign will if we (erroneously) believed that He desires to give us His gift with force. I sure hope that those with wives here didn’t force their bride to love them – it’s impossible and I couldn’t imagine that it would be a rewarding or glorifying relationship.

I’ve found Yahweh to be particularly charming. He doesn’t need to spike drinks.

If Yahweh withdrew his prevenient grace from the impenitent at death, then they could never choose salvation again. But Revival seems to believe that man can always choose by virtue of their humanity (some form of pelagianism) so he must therefore argue that either Yahweh ignores any repentance after their death, or that they will be forever resistant. I think Revival believes the former, but I haven’t really heard a concise explanation of what he thinks. I believed a form of the latter, Yahweh will extend prevenient grace for eternity though men will resist for eternity. I can’t see this as trumping His will for all to genuinely accept His salvation.