I’m going to disagree but I do appreciate this. I feel better now. I hold that Satan and his angels are tormented forever and ever. In the new creation there is perfect love and perfect justice and they will protect us forever from evil. All humankind will make it though. I’m wore out on this topic now but thanks again.
Grace to you.
Trolls will also be reconciled 
, along with Satan and demons and every creature under heaven…
For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. 28 When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.
Death will be destroyed, including the “second death” and God will be ALL, in ALL. \o/
If death is destroyed, then that means sin is destroyed- because death is the sting of sin. If sin is destroyed, the only alternative is all made righteous through the blood of His cross
19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. Col 1
This is His plan and if it seems to high and wonderful…
For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.
33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord,
or who has been his counselor?”
35 “Or who has given a gift to him
that he might be repaid?”
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
I just found something out about the gates. They were closed for the purposes of protection. The fact that they are opened and remain open forever shows there’s no need for protection. There’s a possibility for satan and his angels.
qaz,
It comes down to this. To be part of all things and all humanity you have to enter the gates of the city. You move from death to life. All in the new creation worship God. Those in heaven and earth and those who have been resurrected under the earth. I’ll grant that the Kings of the earth and those who did battle with Christ during the tribulation were saved out of the lake of fire. But at the end of revelation we read this:
People are being invited into the open gates. But if they are without God’s mercy they have no desire for God. That is, they don’t want God. This corresponds to the wedding banquet parable. Many are called but few are chosen. God saves some out of the lake of fire but not all. God is all in all in the new creation. What do you think?
There is a classic type of universalism (exemplified by the Universalist-Unitarian organization) that holds the view that you suggest here, St. M. But I think that most of the “Evangelical Universalists” on this forum do not subscribe to the idea that God just automatically takes everyone to heaven. Most of us believe that the “rebel evil sinners” must be corrected, and that the purpose of hell is correction and regeneration—that eventually “every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is their Lord.” To so confess cannot be imposed on anyone—such an act must be freely chosen.
Another way to look at it is that hell is “one big purgatory.” Indeed, this may be the very origin of the Catholic concept of purgatory. When the concept of endless torment came into the 4th-century church, it was a way to retain both the historic Christian teaching about post-mortem correction, and also the new everlasting-torment teaching.
Paidion,
All humanity (in heaven and earth and those resurrected under the earth) is referring to those in the new creation.
All humankind doesn’t include those in the lake of fire. You have to enter into the gates to be included in all things and all mankind. Some will for the wedding banquet tells us many are called but few are chosen. The rest don’t want God. It’s in the new creation that God is all in all.
A.E. Knoch wrote:
"Let me assure our brother, beloved by the Lord, that we fully expect to answer to God for all our acts, and will rejoice to see all that is not of God destroyed by the fiery test of that day. But such threats do not alarm us in the least. We know a God of transcendent grace.
The character of the God you worship will determine your ways and your words. We trust it will be so with us also, for we would delight to be like Him. Hence, we do not threaten you with His wrath, but commend you to His grace.
Perhaps no sin can be so great as to distort His words and defame His character. But His grace is superbly sufficient, His love is lavish in its long-suffering. It never lapses, but looks longingly for the reconciliation which is the justification and crown of all His ways with His creatures.
So, as we close with the absolute certainty of a reconciliation between us, we anticipate it on our part and throw all enmity aside. We are conciliated no matter what you do. While your words and ways have seemed to us to be offensively unlike His, this only gives greater ground for grace. This of itself justifies them, for grace must have a foil.
We close, then, with a prayer for such an outpouring of His grace on your own head as will force you to feel the affection which is found in Him for all the creatures of His hand and heart." ( A.E. Knoch
Protection is not the prime directive of God in His creation. No greater evil than the crucifixion of His Son can occur, and by triumphing over it He has conquered all evil by swalloing death up in immortality.
Otherwise the creation could not be called “new” and His triumph would not be over all things, as He asserts, and also His apostles.
“Behold I am making all things new, Write, because these words are faithful and true.” Rev 21:5
For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Rpm 8
For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. Col 1
For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. 27 For “He has put all things under His feet.” But when He says “all things are put under Him,” it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted. 28 Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all. 1 Cor 15
As we can see this is talking about being destroyed. (I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel. Gen. 3:15) Christ puts the wicked under His feet so that He may be all in all in the new creation. During the tribulation in Revelation we read:
The prophecy of the end times in Mal. 4:3 tells us:
The old creation of heaven and earth is destroyed and made new. Christ is “all in all” in the new heavens and earth. In the new creation all humankind will worship God:
As we can see all mankind doesn’t include those in the lake of fire. You have to enter the gates of the city to be a child of God. This is when death is destroyed. You move from death to life:
We know that some will enter the gates for the Bible tells us at the wedding banquet “many are called but few are chosen”. Therefore, not all enter into the new creation of “all things”. To enter in you have to want the water of life. Without God’s mercy you don’t want God. But for those God has mercy on in the lake of fire they become part of “all mankind”. So, God does have mercy on “all mankind”. Christ is all in all in the new creation. The lake of fire isn’t part of the new creation of all things in heaven and earth. You have to enter the gates.
Do we consider the wrath of God a primitive and obscene concept? Is the very notion of hell an insult to us? If so, it is clear the God we worship is not a holy God. Indeed He is not God at all. If we despise the justice of God we are not Christians. If we hate the wrath of God it is because we hate God Himself ~~ R.C. Sproul
To finish up,
As we can see “all mankind” includes only those in the new creation. Those in the lake of fire aren’t included in “all mankind”. So God does indeed have mercy on “all mankind”. He’s the savior of the world. To be part of the world you have to enter the gates. Without redeeming mercy those in the lake of fire have no desire for God. That is they don’t want God. If they don’t want to enter the gates they don’t have to. Many are called but few are chosen.
Those in hell don’t want God (having their hearts separated from all mercy). Moreover, God is love and according to scripture love always protects. Love is also eternal. It follows that hell is eternal.
Well first it says God so loved the world, not only his followers and love is eternal and love wants the best, so how does that reconcile with ECT?
It follows that hell is eternal because love is eternal? The connection escapes me since God is love, love is eternal, why must hell be eternal? Is hell an attribute of God? Does hell grant immortality?
Lastly many people don’t believe in God not because they don’t want God, but because there is not enough evidence for them to believe.
I’ve already dealt with your first point Steve.
I’m referring to those in hell. Their hearts are separated from all mercy. As a result it hardens. They therefore don’t want God.
And it is written in Revelation, the city’s gates will always be open. Open to whom? To those outside the city, among whom are those who will be in the Lake of Fire.
I agree Paidion. As I’ve already stated many times, God saves some out of the Lake Of Fire:
The wedding banquet parable tells us that “many are called but few are chosen”. So, some are saved out of the fire not all.
Paidion,
The best translation of this phrase is this:
“Long Lasting” is a relative term. It can mean eternity because eternity is long lasting. But it doesn’t have to. Many periods of time are long lasting. When we take the Bible as a whole (Including the passages I gave above) we see that it’s not the same for everybody. Many are called but few are chosen. You have to enter the gates to be a child of God. The rest don’t want God. Moreover, it’s the nature of perfect love and perfect justice to protect. In the new world (heavens and earth) we see perfect love and perfect justice as everything reaches it’s consummation. God protects Himself and His children from evil. If there’s no evil there’s nothing to punish and protect from. The three persons of the trinity make up the One True God of agape.
Perfect love and perfect justice are eternal
It’s the nature of perfect love and justice to protect
If there’s no evil there’s nothing to protect from
Evil must last forever in hell.
God is all in all in the new creation. The lake of fire isn’t part of the new heaven and earth.
The way God hardens a heart is simply by withholding His redeeming grace. With the restraints of all mercy removed from the hearts of the reprobate their hearts harden. Therefore, the longer in hell the more evil they become. Their hearts grow harder the longer in hell. Thus, they don’t want God or the new creation. If they don’t want to love God above all else then they don’t have to. But God is never obligated to give an evil God hater who doesn’t want to have anything to do with Him the gift of grace. Grace is unmerited favor and never owed. It’s a gift freely given.
Greetings St. Michael, it would be better to omit the “long” and simply translate “αἰωνιος” as “lasting.”
Josephus in “The Wars of the Jews” book 6, states that Jonathan was condemned to “αἰωνιος” imprisonment. Yet that prison sentence lasted only three years. Well… doubtless that seemed a long time to Jonathan.
In the Septuagint, the word was used in connection with Jonah’s time in the belly of the fish. That was only three days! However, perhaps to Jonah, even that seemed “long lasting.”
Hey Paidion,
I don’t have a problem with Jonah. I think to be in the belly of a fish for 3 days and 3 nights is a long time for anybody. 
Actually, it sounds quite fishy to me (probably smells that way also). 
or
BLOOD RED MOON UP IN THE SKY!!!
Here’s a better translation of Rev. 22
As we can see, the lake of fire isn’t included in the new world (all things made new). It’s only those in heaven and earth and those saints who have been resurrected under the earth that come to worship God. They are children of God. "All mankind"
Again, “all mankind” includes only those in the new creation. Those in the lake of fire aren’t included in “all mankind”. So God does indeed have mercy on “all mankind”. He’s the savior of the world. To be part of the world you have to enter the gates. Without redeeming mercy those in the lake of fire have no desire for God. That is they don’t want God. If they don’t want to enter the gates they don’t have to. Many are called but few are chosen.