The Evangelical Universalist Forum

SNIPPETS FROM MY HARD COPY UR LIBRARY

Evangelical Universalism Arguments for Evangelical Universalism
#1702

ANATHEMA - Gary Amirault
tentmaker.org/Biblematters/condemned.htm

Regarding the word “anathema,” I repeat NO other English translation had the nerve to put “eternally” into these phrases in Galatians. Why? Because there is no word in these two sentences that remotely refers to eternity. The NIV translators simply took the liberty of injecting their own beliefs in eternal damnation into this passage without a shred of support from the Greek.
Does the Aramaic word “anathema” carry behind it the idea of people being endlessly tortured and separated from God? In Acts 23:14 a group of Jews put themselves under a curse; they would eat no food until they killed Paul. Do you really think these men, asked to be eternally tortured and estranged from God forever if they failed to kill Paul? Hardly! When Paul wished that he himself was accursed for the sake of his kinsmen after the flesh, do you really think he would allow himself to burn in a Hell forever if it would save his kinsmen? That’s ridiculous. Paul taught no such thing. The apostle to the nations, never used any of the words some translations translated Hell.
(Since the writing of this article, it has been pointed out to me, the Amplified Bible has also chosen to put “doomed to eternal punishment” in Galatians 1:8. I repeat, in the Greek text behind this verse there is no word that means “eternal” in this verse. It is added by the translators of these two Bible translations.)

THE MYSTERY OF GOD – Gerard Winstanley
“Christ Jesus will deliver all mankind out of bondage. This I see to be a truth by testimony of Scripture, as God is pleased to teach me. But this mystery of God is not to be done all at once, but in several dispensations, some whereof are past, some are in being, and some are yet to come. The whole creation of mankind, which is God’s work, shall be delivered from corruption, bondage, death, and pain. Mankind shall be by Christ reconciled to his Maker and be made one in spirit with Him; i.e. the curse shall be removed, and the power of it killed and consumed.
Truly this is according to the current of the whole Scriptures, that everyone shall be made of one heart and one spirit, i.e. that all shall be brought to obey the Father, walk humbly before Him, and live in peace and love in Him. This is the doctrine of Christ and the gospel. This is glad tidings to hear of. When you are made to enjoy this doctrine as yours, then you shall know what it is to know the Son, and what it is to be set free by the Son.”

THE RESTITUTION OF ALL THINGS – ANDREW JUKES
The word which in Matt. 25:46 we translate punishment, in its primary sense means ‘pruning’ and is always used for corrective discipline which is for the improvement of him who suffers it. Even those who hold the common view of the endlessness of punishment are obliged to confess this; and this of itself proves that their doctrine is untenable; for any punishment, be it for a longer or shorter time would not be corrective discipline, but quite another thing if it left those who were so corrected unimproved and lost forever. But from the fall till now the changeless way of the Lord is to make even the curse a blessing.”

#1703

A Word to the Elect
ANNE BRONTE

You may rejoice to think yourselves secure;
You may be grateful for the gift divine –
That grace unsought, which made your black hearts pure,
And fits your earth-born souls in Heaven to shine.

But, is it sweet to look around, and view
Thousands excluded from that happiness,
Which they deserved, at least, as much as you, –
Their faults not greater, nor their virtues less?

And, wherefore should you love your God the more,
Because to you alone his smiles are given;
Because he chose to pass the many o’er,
And only bring the favoured few to Heaven?

And, wherefore should your hearts more grateful prove,
Because for ALL the Saviour did not die?
Is yours the God of justice and of love
And are your bosoms warm with charity?

Say, does your heart expand to all mankind?
And, would you ever to your neighbour do –
The weak, the strong, the enlightened, and the blind -
As you would have your neighbour do to you?

And, when you, looking on your fellow-men,
Behold them doomed to endless misery,
How can you talk of joy and rapture then? –
May God withhold such cruel joy from me!

That none deserve eternal bliss I know;
Unmerited the grace in mercy given:
But, none shall sink to everlasting woe,
That have not well deserved the wrath of Heaven.

And, Oh! there lives within my heart
A hope, long nursed by me;
(And, should its cheering ray depart,
How dark my soul would be!)

That as in Adam all have died,
In Christ shall all men live;
And ever round his throne abide,
Eternal praise to give.

That even the wicked shall at last
Be fitted for the skies;
And, when their dreadful doom is past,
To life and light arise.

I ask not, how remote the day,
Nor what the sinner’s woe,
Before their dross is purged away;
Enough for me, to know

That when the cup of wrath is drained,
The metal purified,
They’ll cling to what they once disdained,
And live by Him that died.

#1704

ANNIHILATON

When it comes to the final destination of the wicked, or unrighteous, Christians over the past two millenniums have divided themselves into three beliefs: 1. Eternal Torment, 2. Eternal Death (Conditional Immortality, Annihilation). 3. The salvation of everyone.
A writing by Gary Amirault specifically refuting the arguments that seemingly support the idea that the Bible teaches annihilation and showing that the Bible teaches universal salvation instead.

One Step Out of Hell; One Step Short of Glory
ETERNAL DEATH ANNIHILATION?
tentmaker.org/books/EternalDeath.html
INTRODUCTION: 1. Eternal Torment, 2. Eternal Death (Annihilationism), and 3. Salvation of the whole world through Jesus Christ. Each of these views can be supported with Scriptures. Having been in all three groups, I know that there are sincere Bible centered believers in all of them. Obviously, all three cannot be true. Two of them have to be false.

#1705

A snippet from

SOONER OR LATER GOD ALL IN ALL - Anthony J. Borrello

“As hostile and objectionable our dear brethren may be, there are answers and explanations for every argument and/or insinuation presented against the undeniable fact, That God indeed is a God ‘Who will have all men to be saved, and come into a knowledge of the truth (1Tim. 2:4). As greatly as man and their religious attempt to fight this utterly dynamic evangel (good news), God shall eventually be All in all (1Cor. 15:28)."

“But God is in no hurry. He has specific eons, and administrations within the eons, to fulfill His universal purpose and intention of universal reconciliation. All came out of Christ, including Adam. Consequently all shall be restored by and through Christ, ‘yet each in his own class’ (1Cor. 15:23).”

When clouds of confusion gather regarding God’s plan for mankind, and despair come showering down upon our studies, turn to God’s word originally rendered, then, like a searchlight in the darkness of night, His love, and His light of understanding will surely beam forth. God will not allow any to be eternally lost. He is a loving Creator, working out His purpose for the universe, Who will get love from all in return, so that He can and will be ‘ALL in all,’ to all, ‘later.’”

#1706

ARGUMENTS

I believe that a literally (not interpretively) translated Bible teaches that sooner or later God is going to save everyone from everything from which they need to be saved, including their stubborn will.

Everyone will choose to believe whatever they are convinced is the truth about what the Bible teaches.

I’m just so glad that I learned about the following information because it enabled me to recover from a twelve year nervous breakdown (1966-78).
I’m 78 years old now.

People who can love an “eternal torment” or “annihilationist” god will not be interested in the following information
Will Jesus Torture Billions Forever?
godfire.net/eby/circularity.html

But people who cannot love an “eternal torment” or “annihilationist” god will discover that all of the arguments against the Bible teaching universal salvation have been refuted in the following links.

THE SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD
godfire.net/eby/saviour_of_the_world.html

ABSOLUTE ASSURANCE IN JESUS CHRIST
sigler.org/slagle/absolute.htm

BIBLE THREATENINGS EXPLAINED
tentmaker.org/books/BibleThr … ained.html

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
tentmaker.org/FAQ/index.html

INFORMATION ON HELL AND UNIVERSAL SALVATION
tentmaker.org/bloglinks.htm

UNIVERSAL SALVATION UNIVERSITY
richardwaynegarganta.com/universalsalvation.htm

AN ANALYTICAL STUDY OF WORDS
tentmaker.org/books/asw/index.html

THE EONS OF THE BIBLE WITH CONCORDANCE
saviourofall.org/Tracts/Eons2.html

THE SCHOLARS CORNER THE CENTER FOR BIBLE STUDIES IN CHRISTIAN UNIVERSALISM
tentmaker.org/ScholarsCorner.html

Also Google up TENTMAKER, and at the top of the front page type a key word or phrase from any argument or scripture passage into the search engine. Ten articles will come up refuting the claim that the Bible teaches eternal torment or annihilation. Then click to the next page and ten more articles will come up, and so on and so on for many pages.
The link to TENTMAKER is
tentmaker.org/

#1707

ARMINIAN BELIEF VERSUS CALVINIST BELIEF VERSUS UNIVERSAL SALVATION BELIEF

ARMINIAN BELIEF - It’s as if God says
“Unless you are lucky enough to find out about my Son during this lifetime, and even if you are that lucky, if you don’t have the good sense to cooperate with my Son properly before you die, then I am going to raise you from the dead and I will either annihilate you, or sustain you alive in an inescapable state of eternal torment.”

Christ’s apparent mission: To save from annihilation or eternal torment only those who are lucky enough to hear about Jesus before they die, and also have enough good sense to properly cooperate with Him before they die.

CALVINIST BELIEF - It’s as if God says
“Since there is nothing you can do about it because you are totally depraved and you are not one of the elect, it is obvious that I created most of you for the purpose of either annihilating you or letting you suffer eternal torment. However, I am going to unconditionally choose a few of you to go to heaven where you will be happy forever.”

Christ’s apparent mission: To let everyone be annihilated, or suffer eternal torment except the unconditionally elected few that He rescues by His irresistible grace.

UNIVERSAL RECONCILIATION BELIEF (mine) – God says
“Sooner or later, because of what Christ accomplished by His death and resurrection, I am going to save all of you from everything from which you need to be saved, including your stubborn will.”

Christ’s scriptural mission: ‘And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world’ (1John 4:14).

I worship a Jesus Who will be completely successful in accomplishing the reason why His Father sent Him.

Christ was prophesied to take away the sin of the world (Jn. 1:29), so how then can a sinless world suffer everlasting punishment?! How absurd! Christ is the Saviour of the world (Jn. 4:42; 1Jn. 4:14), and He will save it!"

THE AGES COLLECTIVELY COME TO AN END WITH EVERYONE SAVED

GOD’S PLAN FOR THE AGES OF TIME
“During the present wicked eon (Gal.1:4), Sin reigns, Satan who is said to be “the god of this eon” (2 Cor.4:4) blinds and deceives mankind, and death swallows up the race (1 Cor.15:22). But notwithstanding, God is over all and is in supreme control. He is the eonian God. In due time He will deliver the entire creation and bring good out of all the suffering mankind is called upon to endure (Rom.8;18-23).”

GOD’S PLAN FOR THE AGES OF TIME
THE EONS OF THE BIBLE WITH CONCORDANCE
saviourofall.org/Tracts/Eons2.html

#1708

Augustine and Matthew 25:46
Augustine gave a couple of reasons why he believed it was in vain that some, indeed very many, in his day, believed there was no eternal punishment:

“It is quite in vain, then, that some–indeed very many–yield to merely human feelings and deplore the notion of the eternal punishment of the damned and their interminable and perpetual misery. They do not believe that such things will be. Not that they would go counter to divine Scripture–but, yielding to their own human feelings, they soften what seems harsh and give a milder emphasis to statements they believe are meant more to terrify than to express the literal truth. “ ‘God will not forget,’ ” they say, “ ‘to show mercy, nor in his anger will he shut up his mercy.’ ” This is, in fact, the text of a holy psalm. But there is no doubt that it is to be interpreted to refer to those who are called “vessels of mercy,” those who are freed from misery not by their own merits but through God's mercy. Even so, if they suppose that the text applies to all men, there is no ground for them further to suppose that there can be an end for those of whom it is said, “ ‘Thus these shall go into everlasting punishment.’ ” Otherwise, it can as well be thought that there will also be an end to the happiness of those of whom the antithesis was said: “ ‘But the righteous into life eternal.’ ”

(end quote)
It may be that many of the early believers in Augustine’s day did “deplore the notion of eternal punishment” by yielding to “human feelings” and reliance upon God’s mercy. But, was Augustine correct to quote Matthew 25:46 to support the notion of “eternal punishment of the damned and their interminable and perpetual misery’’? I say No, he was not.
He is saying that if punishment is temporary then it logically follows that the life for the righteous is temporary as well. But is Matthew 25:31-46 really saying this is about the fate of “damned” vs. the righteous for all eternity? No! This judgment takes place when Christ comes back and sets up His 1000 year kingdom (see also Revelation 20). When Christ comes back (Matt.25:31) He will call the nations to this judgment. They will be judged as to how Christ’s brethren were treated. Having faith in Christ or lack thereof is not what they are being judged for. Christ never calls the sheep nations His brothers but He does tell them that they treated His brethren correctly.
Secondly, the “kolasin aionion” or “chastening eonian” which the goat nations must endure is equal in length to the life (zoe aionion/life eonian) in the kingdom which the sheep nations enjoy. When the 1000 year eon ends, both the chastening of the goat nations and the life of the sheep nations end. Then all must appear before the great white throne. The earth is destroyed and I’m sure that some from both groups of the goat and sheep nations will enter into the lake of fire.
But this is not their “eternal” lot, for, one day, death, (the second death) which the lake of fire is called, will be abolished, all will be made alive (be vivified or given immortality), subjected to Christ and God will be All in all, not All in some (see 1 Cor.15:22-28).
Augustine, for all his brilliance, was not given to see certain truths in the Scriptures. While he may have been correct to state that the given psalm was meant to pertain to the vessels of mercy, It is too bad that he did not see the truth of Romans 11:32 how that God should be merciful in the future to those who are enemies to the evangel and stubborn now.
Tony Nungesser
saviourofall.org/2003Newslet … stine.html

#1709

AUGUSTINE

Dr. Edwin Abbott, headmaster of the City of London School, wrote in his Cambridge Sermons -

QUOTE: "An argument was introduced by Augustine, and since his day incessantly repeated, that if aionios kolasis does not mean “endless punishment,” then there is no security for the believer that aionios zoe means “endless life,” and that he will enjoy the promise of endless happiness. But Matt. 25:46 shows the “eonian chastisement” and “eonian life” are of the same duration-lasting during the eons, and when the eons end, as Scripture states they will (1 Cor. 10:11; Heb. 9:26), the time called “eonian” is past and the life called “eonian” is finished, but life continues beyond the eons, as Paul teaches at 1 Cor. 15:26: “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death (which must refer to the lake of fire which is the second death, for the first death cannot be the last enemy). That is, the last, the final one in order. How will it be destroyed? First Corinthians 15:22 gives the answer: “For as IN ADAM ALL are dying, even so IN CHRIST ALL shall be made alive.” Death is destroyed when ALL have been made alive, IN CHRIST.” – Dr. Edwin Abbott

Note God’s wording
“In Christ all shall be made alive”
not
All who are in Christ

GOD’S PLAN FOR THE AGES OF TIME
THE EONS OF THE BIBLE WITH CONCORDANCE
saviourofall.org/Tracts/Eons2.html

#1710

From the hard copy UNIVERSAL RECONCILIATION library of Rodger Tutt

BOOKS WITH SPINES (NO STAPLES)

  1. REDEMPTION ALL IN ALL – RAY PRINZING
  2. ALL IN ALL - A.E. KNOCH
  3. THE PROBLEM OF EVIL AND THE JUDGMENTS OF GOD – A.E. KNOCH
  4. THE INESCAPABLE LOVE OF GOD – THOMAS TALBOTT
  5. A TREATISE ON ATONEMENT – HOSEA BALLOU
  6. SALVATOR MUNDI: OR, IS CHRIST THE SAVIOUR OF ALL MEN? – SAMUEL COX
  7. GOD’S RULES FOR SCRIPTURAL INTERPRETATION AND MAN’S PLACE IN GOD’S PURPOSE – CHARLES J. PEART
  8. THE PURPOSE OF GOD’S WILL – GUY MARKS
  9. A CLOUD OF WITNESSES – J.W. HANSON
  10. TRUTH AS I SEE IT – W.F. SALTER
  11. A SHORT HELP AND INCENTIVE TO AN UNBIASED INQUIRY INTO THE SCRIPTURE TRUTH OF UNIVERSALISM OR THE FINAL RESTORATION OF ALL THINGS – R. ROE
  12. THE FIVE SMOOTH STONES OF THE KINGDOM – IRENE LINDSAY
  13. TIME AND ETERNITY- G.T. STEVENSON
  14. THE DIVINE DESTINY – K. ROSS MCKAY
  15. IS HELL ETERNAL? – MIKKEL DAHL AND JON R. WELKER
  16. THE DOCTRINE OF ETERNAL TORMENTS OVERTHROWN – THOMAS WHITTEMORE
  17. THE GREEK WORD AION – AIONIOS TRANSLATED EVERLASTING – ETERNAL IN THE HOLY BIBLE SHOWN TO DENOTE LIMITED DURATION – JOHN WESLEY HANSON
  18. A LETTER OF THE CELEBRATED JOHN FOSTER TO A YOUNG MINISTER ON THE DURATION OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT AND AN EARNEST APPEAL TO THE AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY IN REGARDS TO THE CHARACTER OF ITS PUBLICATIONS – JOHN FOSTER
  19. IS HELL ETERNAL OR WILL GOD’S PLAN FAIL - CHARLES H. PRIDGEON
  20. THE GOSPEL FROM OUTER SPACE – ROBERT SHORT
  21. THE GREAT REVELATION OR GOD’S LOVE, PURPOSE AND PLAN – JOHN H. PATON
  22. AN ANALYTICAL STUDY OF WORDS – LOUIS ABBOTT
  23. DARE WE HOPE THAT ALL MEN BE SAVED – HANS URS VON BALTHASAR
  24. GOD’S ULTIMATE – A.E. SAXBY
  25. A SPIRITUAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY – WILLIAM BARCLAY
  26. THE GOSPEL OF OUR SALVATION – ADLAI LOUDY
  27. CHRIST TRIUMPHANT – THOMAS ALLIN
  28. THE ANCIENT HISTORY OF UNIVERSALISM – HOSEA BALLOU
  29. THE MODERN HISTORY OF UNIVERSALISM – THOMAS WHITTEMORE
  30. RESTITUTION OF ALL THINGS – ANDREW JUKES
  31. YOU SAID IT LORD – ALINE TALSMA
  32. THOUGHTS ON THE DIVINE GOODNESS RELATIVE TO THE GOVERNMENT OF MORAL AGENTS PARTICULARLY DISPLAYED IN FUTURE REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS – FERDINAND OLIVER PETITPIERRE
  33. HOPE BEYOND HELL – GERRY BEAUCHEMIN
  34. AT THE END OF THE AGES THE ABOLITION OF HELL – BOB EVELY
  35. THE RESTORATION OF ALL THINGS OR A VINDICATION OF THE GRACE OF GOD TO BE MANIFESTED AT LAST IN THE RECOVERY OF HIS WHOLE CREATION OUT OF THEIR FALL – JEREMIAH WHITE
  36. THE GREAT DELVERANCE – GUY MARKS
  37. UNION – JAMES RELLY
  38. THE UNIVERSAL RESTORATION – ELHANAN WINCHESTER
  39. THE JUST JUDGMENT OF GOD – JAMES CORAM
  40. GRACIOUS GOSPEL BOOK FOUR – SHERWOOD MICHAEL
  41. HOW TO KEEP 0N LIVING – DUSEAN BERKICH
  42. THE EVERLASTING GOSPEL – PAUL SIEGVOLCK

BOOKS WITH STAPLES

  1. TIME, ETERNITY AND GOD – REDEMPTION’S GLORY – RAY PRINZING
  2. THE MAGNITUDE OF REDEMPTION – RAY PRINZING
  3. THE INTERPLAY OF GOOD AND EVIL – RAY PRINZING
  4. DIVINE INWORKINGS – ALL IN ALL – RAY PRINZING
  5. THE UNENDING TRIUMPH OF JESUS CHRIST – ED GREGORY
  6. THE TRUE BASIS OF REDEMPTION – A.P. ADAMS
  7. THE SAVIOUR OF ALL MANKIND - JOSEPH KIRK, WILLIAM C. REBMANN, DEAN HOUGH, AND JAMES CORAM
  8. ETERNAL TORMENT OR UNIVERSAL RECONCILIATION – A.E. KNOCH
  9. CREATION, REDMPTION AND THE RESTITUTION OF ALL THINGS – GEORGE R. HAWTIN
  10. EONIAN - EVERLASTING OR AGE-LASTING – GRACE H. TODD
  11. THE PROBLEM OF EVIL – JOHN H. ESSEX
  12. THE PURPOSE OF GOD – JOHN H. ESSEX
  13. THE GREATNESS OF SALVATION – WILLIAM MEALAND
  14. GOD JUSTIFIES, VIVIFIES, SAVES AND RECONCILES ALL – E.G. JONES
  15. TWO STUDIES ON HEAVEN AND HELL – A.E. KNOCH
  16. A RANSOM FOR ALL – E.T. SPRINGETT MOXHAM
  17. THE AGES IN THE SCRIPTURES – VLADIMIR GELESNOFF
  18. “HELL” – VLADIMIR GELESNOFF
  19. “ONE” AND “ALL” – JOHN ESSEX
  20. ON THESE THINGS MEDITATE – WILLIAM MEALAND
  21. “ETERNAL LIFE” – LOYAL F. HURLEY
  22. TORTURING DOUBTS AND EXULTANT FAITH – JAMES CORAM
  23. THE GLORY OF THE HAPPY GOD – ARTHUR CHARLES LAMB
  24. THE CONCEPT OF CIRCULARITY – JACK E. JACOBSEN
  25. GOD’S PERFECT PLAN – AUTHOR UNKNOWN
  26. THE CROSS AND THE AGES TO COME – G. CAMPBELL MORGAN
  27. NOTES FROM ROMANS 5 – W.H. GRIFFITH THOMAS
  28. DEFINITION OF BIBLE TERMS – GEORGE R. HAWTIN
  29. HE LIGHTETH EVERY MAN – VIRGENE ANDREWS
  30. AGES OR ETERNITY AND THE KING JAMES VERSION – JOHN DOKAS
  31. THE PLAN OF REDEMPTION SEEN FROM GOD’S VIEWPOINT – DORA VAN ASSEN
  32. DIVINE JUDGMENT - DORA VAN ASSEN
  33. GOD’S UNFAILING PLAN REVEALED IN THE EONS – DORA VAN ASSEN
  34. THE SPIRIT AND POWER OF ELIJAH – PAUL MUELLER
  35. “ASK OF ME OF THINGS TO COME” – K. ROSS MCKAY
  36. “ MY COUNSEL SHALL STAND” – K. ROSS MCKAY
  37. “ FOR WHO HATH RESISTED HIS WILL – K. ROSS MCKAY
  38. THE GREAT WHITE THRONE – AUTHOR UNKNOWN
  39. PROGRESSIVE REVELATION WITHIN THE BIBLE – EARNEST L. MARTIN
  40. THE PURPOSE OF EVIL – GUY MARKS
  41. THE PLACE OF HUMANITY IN GOD’S PURPOSE – JOHN H. ESSEX
  42. A FEW THOUGHTS ON THE SCRIPTURES – G.J. SALTER
  43. RESTORATION: THROUGH THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES – CHARLES WELLER
  44. THE EONS OF THE BIBLE – JOSEPH E. KIRK
  45. OUR CHURCH FATHERS TESTIFY – JACK JACOBSON
  46. WHO THEN CAN BE SAVED – KENNETH BRIX
  47. BE YE RECONCILED – VIRGENE ANDREWS
  48. MY UNEXPECTED DISCOVERY – HANNAH WHITALL SMITH
  49. WHENCE ETERNITY? – ALEXANDER THOMSON
  50. MUST AION MEAN ETERNAL? – PHILIP SCRANTON
  51. TARDY OF HEART TO BELIEVE ALL – F. NEIL POHORLAK
  52. MARTIN ZENDER GOES TO HELL – MARTIN ZENDER
  53. THE DEPTHS OF GOD WILL RETRIEVE ALL - ANTHONY J. BORRELLO
  54. NONE LOST, NONE DESTROYED – ANTHONY J. BORRELLO
  55. SOONER OR LATER GOD ALL IN ALL - ANTHONY J. BORRELLO
  56. 100 SCRIPTURAL PROOFS THAT JESUS CHRIST IS THE SAVIOR OF ALL MANKIND – THOMAS WHITTEMORE
  57. A TRUE REVELATION AND A SECOND WITNESS – TRAVIS OGLETREE
  58. THE CHRIST OF GLORY – MARVIN W. RICE
  59. JUSTIFICATION – DONALD G. HAYTER
  60. THE “EVIL” FROM THE LORD – MICHAEL KILLIAN
  61. THE FEET MINISTRY – DON BRUCE
  62. HELL – J.W. WILLIAMS
  63. LIFE FOR ALL - CHARLES W. COTTON
  64. UNIVERSAL RECONCILIATION – MINNIE ALBERTSON
  65. 125 NUTS FOR CALVINISTS TO CRACK – C.R. BIERBOWER
  66. ALL AND ALL IN ALL – VINCE HOLLANDER AND HENRY BULLER
  67. THE WAY TO SALVATION IN THE CHRISTIAN GOSPEL – ERNEST L. MARTIN
  68. THE EARLY VIEW OF THE SAVIOR – GARY AMIRAULT
  69. ETERNAL DEATH – ONE STEP OUT OF HELL, ONE STEP SHORT OF GLORY - GARY AMIRAULT
  70. THE GATES OF HELL SHALL NOT PREVAIL – TONY HINKLE
  71. THE SECOND DEATH – A.E. SAXBY
  72. OVERWHELMING GRACE – JOHN H. ESSEX
  73. THE GOSPEL OF GRACE – CHARLES W. WELLER
  74. JUSTIFICATION – DONALD G. HAYTER
  75. THE OUTCOME OF INFINITE GRACE – LOYAL F. HURLEY
  76. THE GOSPEL – BERT BAUMAN
  77. WHAT GOD SAYS CONCERNING HELL – J.F. RODGERS
  78. MAN’S FAILURE OR GOD’S SUCCESS – WHICH WILL STAND? – LEE SALISBURY
  79. ETERNITY EXPLAINED – LEE SALISBURY
  80. JUST WHAT DO YOU MEAN? (SERIES OF13 VOLUMES) J. PRESTON EBY
#1711

That’s a nice collection. How long have you been collecting those volumes?

#1712

Dave, I’ve been collecting them since the nineteen sixties.
I recall that my first one was
IS HELL ETERNAL OR WILL GOD’S PLAN FAIL - CHARLES H. PRIDGEON

#1713

Rodger - impressive! Are there any extant ‘treasures’ out there that you are looking for?

#1714

Dave, not really looking for any more. I’ve been using my time to share what I’ve learned on forums.

BAPTISM

There are thousands of Salvation Army officers in the world.
There are also thousands of lay people who attend Salvation Army meetings.
And there are thousands of people who attend the various Brethren Assemblies.
All of these people disobey Matthew 28:19
None of them believe in baptism.

QUESTION FOR YOU BELIEVERS IN ETERNAL TORMENT
Do you believe that all of these thousands of people will suffer forever?

#1715

GRACE OVERWHELMS

What I perceive to be a basic issue.

People who don’t think salvation is 100% by God, not just 100% “provided” by God like to be in the hands of their own “free” will. That is where they feel most secure.

IMO, that is the most basic difference between ETers and URs.

Just like in the case of Lydia (whose heart the Lord opened, Acts 16:14) and Saul of Tarsus (Acts 9:1-8), our cooperation to be saved is the result, not the cause, of God laying hold on us by His sovereign grace and causing Jesus to be “choice” in our heart.

The timing of the salvation of everyone is under God’s sovereign control.
God arranges everything so each person will be saved according to His perfect timing for each individual.

HIS ACHIEVEMENT ARE WE - James Coram
CHOOSING WHAT IS CHOICE
biblical studies: His Achievement Are We - Part 9 - Choosing What Is Choice
concordant.org/expohtml/HisAchie … nt009.html
“No one to whom Christ is not yet choice can choose Christ.
And Christ cannot be choice to anyone to whom He has not yet been made choice.
When He is made choice He becomes choice and so is choice; or to say the same thing, He is chosen.
This first act of the believer in which Christ is consciously chosen, is merely a consequence of his new mental preference which has been graciously granted to him by God.”

ARMINIAN ET BELIEF - It’s as if God says
“Unless you are lucky enough to find out about my son during this lifetime, and even if you are that lucky, if you don’t have the good sense to use your “free” will and cooperate with my son properly before you die, then I am going to raise you from the dead and I will sustain you alive in an inescapable state of eternal torment forever.”

My advice, don’t put your faith in your faith. Your faith may, and probably will be misplaced from time to time, especially if you are having faith in your self.
Put your faith in Jesus Christ instead, because even if He casts you into the lake of fire which is the second death it will achieve the age-during corrective chastisement that He has promised to everyone who needs it.

#1716

Butch Cassidy

To paraphrase what the Sundance Kid might say to Butch Cassidy during a theological discussion —
“You keep believing that God is going to sustain people alive in an inescapable state of everlasting suffering Butch. That’s what you’re good at.”

But if any reader has any desire to consider another point of view about what the Bible teaches then here is a great place to start.

UNIVERSAL SALVATION UNIVERSITY
richardwaynegarganta.com/universalsalvation.htm

THE GOSPEL FROM OUTER SPACE – ROBERT SHORT
“The gospel of love heard from the churches is at bottom a gospel at gunpoint. This gospel claims to speak of a great love, but only one step behind this “love” is an unspoken, or often very vocal great threat – the threat of eternity in “hell” if we refuse this love. What a travesty of love, even human love, not to mention God’s! For one would think that God’s love ought to be at least as great as what human beings are capable of. It is precisely the implied or expressed threat of eternal perdition that compromises the churches’ ‘gospel of love,’ and gives this ‘gospel’ the lie to ordinary people, and is in fact behind by far, most of atheism.

On the other hand, this is not the quality of mercy I see in God. I get the strong feeling of an infinite, unconditional, no-strings-attached love for all people. At the same time this love is all-powerful and sovereign. It is not so flimsy and pitifully weak that it can be finally frustrated or defeated by mere human whim or by meager man’s arrogant illusion called ‘free will.’ ”

#1717

CHARLES SLAGLE

Just like in the case of Charles Slagle, my sanity quite literally depends on rejecting the ET interpretation of the Bible.

If anyone on this forum feels the same way, the exposition/testimony of Charles will probably be a huge help to them like it was to me. During my 77 years of living I have not found any writing that has been more helpful than this one. Why not check it out?
ABSOLUTE ASSURANCE IN JESUS CHRIST
richardwaynegarganta.com/4Vi … vation.htm

You can Google up Charles Slagle and find many more good writings by him.
Just type in Charles Slagle

In my opinion the greatest of all manifestations of God’s grace in action in this world is
that anyone (Christian or Muslim) can believe that God will let anyone suffer forever and not go insane thinking about it.

If I were to become convinced that the Bible does teach ET, I would live out the rest of my life as an agnostic, trying to treat others the way I would like to be treated by them, and hoping for the best after I die, rather than claim to love a god who would let anyone suffer forever.

The idea that the Bible is the word of God is not important enough to me to try to embrace the idea that it teaches an endless-hell god. No amount of threatenings by ETers could possibly change my mind about that.

After thought:
If conscious eternal torment is true, why did God not repeatedly plaster warnings of it from Genesis to Malachi? A Calvinist would probably say, “Why bother. Their goose is cooked anyway since the non-Israelites were totally depraved and not among the elect. But how would a non-Calvinist (free-willer) answer that question. I wonder?

#1718

I totally agree with you on the 'insanity brought on by ECT". Seriously, I do not know how anyone who thinks it through could EVER believe our God was like that. But for most folks it is just a topic that has NOT been thought through.

#1719

“SECOND CHANCE”

It is true that God doesn’t give anyone a second chance after they die.
But it is also true that God doesn’t even give anyone a first chance while they are still alive. God doesn’t save anyone by chance. But He will eventually save everyone on purpose.

CHOOSING WHAT IS CHOICE

People who don’t think salvation is 100% by God, not just 100% “provided” by God like to be in the hands of their own “free” will. That is where they feel most secure.

IMO, that is the most basic difference between ETers and URs.

Just like in the case of Lydia, and Saul of Tarsus, our cooperation to be saved is the result, not the cause, of God laying hold on us by His sovereign grace and causing Jesus to be “choice” in our heart.

The timing of the salvation of everyone is under God’s sovereign control.
We are saved when God wants us to be, no thanks to ourselves at all.

SELF RIGHTEOUSNESS DEBARRED

HIS ACHIEVEMENT ARE WE - James Coram
CHOOSING WHAT IS CHOICE
concordant.org/expohtml/HisAchie … nt009.html
“No one to whom Christ is not yet choice can choose Christ.
And Christ cannot be choice to anyone to whom He has not yet been made choice.
When He is made choice He becomes choice and so is choice; or to say the same thing, He is chosen.
This first act of the believer in which Christ is consciously chosen, is merely a consequence of his new mental preference which has been graciously granted to him by God.”

Repentance will occur when God lays hold on the sinner by His saving grace.

“Not you choose Me, but I choose you…” John 15:16
“Too often is salvation made a matter of the sinner’s choice. This sadly mars the full and clear apprehension of God’s love which it is intended to reveal. All active effort in redemption is the outflow of divine love, and is entirely on God’s side. All the sinner’s activity is a hindrance, He would choose anyone but God. His part is a passive or a negative one.

We were chosen by God in Christ before the disruption. Sin itself was subsequent to His choice of us. Hence, sin, either past or present, cannot affect God’s purpose for us, or our acceptance of His grace. He chooses, He calls, He glorifies. He does not give man his choice or a chance. He has the wisdom and the power to impel men to fall into line with His purpose no matter what their natural inclination may be.
All human experience confirms the divine declaration that He it is Who is operating in us to will as well as to work for the sake of His delight (Phil. 2:13).
Man can carry out his own will only so far as it accords with the
purpose of God. When men rage against God, He uses their wrath as far
as it is useful to His plans. The remainder of their wrath He
restrains.” -Snippet from the Concordant Commentary
(concordant.org/expohtml/Concorda … 4_John.htm)
“It is not of him who is willing, nor of him who is racing, but of God, the merciful.” –Verse 16. Verse 23 informs us that the vessels of mercy are made ready before for glory. Romans 8:28-30 further describes God’s working in those He chooses to enjoy life during the oncoming eons. Therefore, we read in Acts 13:48, “Now on hearing this, the nations rejoiced and glorified the word of the Lord, and they believe, whoever were set for life eonian.”

You might ask, “By whom were they set for eonian life?” God leaves no doubt in that regard; It is God’s choice in grace. The purpose of God remains as the choice of Him who is calling- Ro. 9:11. See also Ro. 11:5; Eph. 1:4; John 12:37-40.
This separation, or election, which God makes, is concerned with eonian salvation, during the present wicked eon and in the two oncoming, glorious eons. God chooses final and unending salvation for all universally after the eons have run their course. John 12:32; Ro. 11:32; 1 Cor. 15:20-28; Col. 1:15-20; Phil. 2:9-11; 1 Tim. 4:9-11.

#1720

Dean Hough, director of THE SAVIOUR OF ALL FELLOWSHIP wrote “The definition given in THE VOCABULARY OF THE GREEK TESTAMENT (edited by James Hope Moulton and George Milligan) is helpful. Concerning aionios we read, “In general, the word depicts that of which the horizon is not in view . . .” (p.16). If the horizon of the extermination spoken of by Paul in 2 Thessalonians 1:9 is simply not in view, then we can see that what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:22 can truly occur. The same all who are dying in Adam, which includes some who incur eonian extermination, can indeed eventually be vivified in Christ.
The Bible, in fact, does not speak of judgment and condemnation, death and destruction, hades and Gehenna, or any of these serious consequences of sin, as unending. It may refer to them as not having the end in view, but none of these fearful works of God can keep Him from achieving His will (1Tim.2:4); reconciling all through the blood of Christ’s cross (Col.1:20, and becoming All in all (1 Cor.15:28).”
Dean Hough

#1721

THE ENTIRE CONCORDANT LITERAL TRANSLATION ONLINE

studybible.info/version/CLV