CHAPTER 4
UNIVERSAL RECONCILIATION SCRIPTURES
THE RICHES OF CHRIST
All scripture quotations in this book are from the New King James Version (NKJV) unless otherwise indicated.
The Bible says that all treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ. Apostle Paul preached the unsearchable riches of Christ to the Gentiles. (Colossians 2:3, Ephesians 3:8-9)
The riches of Christ is the truth of Universal Reconciliation, which has been kept a mystery from the beginning of the ages and only revealed to God’s Apostles and Saints, His Elect, as we explain in detail in the next chapter, Chapter 5. The riches of Christ have remained a mystery to traditional Christianity because of its belief in the false doctrine of hell.
There are literally dozens and dozens of scriptures, which clearly speak of the universal reconciliation and salvation of all. We shall cover many of these treasures of Scripture in this chapter, starting with Colossians 1:15-20. We give a detailed commentary on this key scripture because it states the truth of the Universal Reconciliation of ALL things, precisely, clearly and powerfully.
Colossians 1:15-20
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.
17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the pre-eminence.
19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and by Him to reconcile (apokatallasso) all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.
How marvellous and how wonderful this scripture is! This is unquestionably and without any doubt the full Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There is no bad news here. Think about it! God will do what? God will reconcile ALL things on earth and ALL things in heaven through Jesus Christ having made PEACE through the blood of His cross.
Please note that the verses above are constructed in such a way that they leave absolutely no room for any doubt whatsoever that the word ALL can only mean ALL without any exception. Apostle Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, repeats the word all seven times before coming to the key verse, verse 20, where it says that God will reconcile all things to Himself through Jesus Christ.
If you believe verse 16, that Jesus Christ created all things in heaven and on earth, then you have no option but to also believe verse 20, which says that Jesus Christ will reconcile to God the Father, the same all things that He created, thus making peace with all of His creation. How could the existence of a place of eternal torment called hell represent God’s peace with all of His creation?
Traditional Christianity, because of its long established and entrenched belief in the doctrine of eternal torture in hell, is unable to accept at face value, the glorious truth contained in verse 20. This is why it has failed to understand God’s Plan of Universal Reconciliation, which God is working out in ages through Jesus Christ.
If you believe in the doctrine of endless torment in hell or annihilism, then you do not believe in Colossians 1:15-20, and in your mind you have added to or taken away from the truth contained in this scripture. Jesus Christ warns us not to add to or take away from His Word. (Revelation 22:18-19) The Bible is the Word of God and it never contradicts itself. All contradictions in the Bible are totally due to either man’s mistranslation or misinterpretation of the original relevant Hebrew and Greek words. We explain these mistranslations and misinterpretations in Chapters 15-19. The doctrine of hell and the truth of universal reconciliation through Jesus Christ can not both be true at the same time.
We challenge anyone, including theologians and Bible scholars, who believe in the doctrine of eternal torture in hell, to show us how their belief can be reconciled with the scripture Colossians 1:15-20, without adding to or taking away from its clear inspired meaning.
In this book, we will show you that the Bible from Genesis to Revelation upholds the truth of universal reconciliation and that it is the doctrine of hell, which is false and completely unbiblical. We will show you that there is not a single verse in the Bible, including those verses spoken by Jesus, which in any way contradicts the truth of universal reconciliation as stated in Colossians 1:15-20.
You may find it shocking to accept the full truth of Colossians 1:15-20, which clearly states that God will not only reconcile all men unto Himself, but He will also reconcile all fallen angels. ‘Thrones or dominions or principalities or powers’, as given in verse 16, definitely includes Satan and the fallen angels. The truth that God will even reconcile Satan and the fallen angels exalts God’s power, wisdom, love, mercy, forgiveness and His justice to the full. God nature is to overcome evil with good and He asks us to do the same. (Romans 12:21) God will ultimately overcome all evil with good, so that the purpose of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for universal reconciliation is fully accomplished.
Don’t misunderstand, God is not soft on sin, and He never condones sin. God’s power, love and His judgement will break all rebellion whether it is from men or angels. In God’s time and in His order, which extends beyond this present age, all fallen men and all fallen angels will repent and willingly come to accept, by God given faith, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. The Eternal Kingdom of God of the New Heaven and the New Earth will not be established until God has reconciled all things in heaven and all things on earth through the blood of the cross.
The Greek word for reconcile used in Colossians 1:20 is apokatallasso. There are only three places in the whole of the New Testament where apokatallasso occurs. These are in Colossians 1:20, 21 and Ephesians 2:16. The context of these verses shows that reconciliation to God is only possible because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:2)
Universal Reconciliation is also known by other terms such as Universal Salvation, Christian Universalism and Biblical Universalism.
Universal Reconciliation appeals to many non-Christian groups such as Humanists and ‘New Agers’, but we reject all beliefs and teachings, which are not supported by the Bible. Unfortunately, there are also some liberal Christian groups who claim to believe in Universal Salvation through Jesus Christ, yet they reject the authority of the Bible as the Word of God because they pick and choose which parts of the Bible to believe in. We reject any and all liberal interpretation of Universal Reconciliation that is not totally in line with the Word of God, the Bible.
We know that our book will create a great deal of controversy and debate in the Christian world because Universalism is considered a heresy by mainstream Christianity. However, God has powerfully revealed to us that He is the Saviour of the World (John 4:42) so we are now compelled to communicate the full good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as widely as possible and by all means available to us.
We know that there are some standard objections to Universal Salvation, such as, ‘If God is going to save everyone, then why bother evangelising and why should unbelievers repent now?’ or ‘Surely you don’t mean that even Hitler and Satan will be accepted into the Kingdom of God?’ Furthermore, ‘Doesn’t this teaching take away our God given freewill to accept or reject Jesus Christ?’ In our book, we will show you, from the Bible, that all such objections are unfounded.
The Bible means ALL when it says ALL
We need to first expose the fallacy, which says that the Bible rarely means all when it says all, before we give many glorious scriptures that uphold the truth of Universal Salvation through Jesus Christ.
Charles H Spurgeon, a very influential preacher in the nineteenth century, did a great disservice to the Word of God when he preached that the word all in the Bible very rarely means all, but that it usually means some of all sorts. Here is a quote from one of Spurgeon’s sermons.
The words ‘world’ and ‘all’ are used in some seven or eight senses in Scripture; and it is very rarely that ‘all’ means all persons, taken individually. The words are generally used to signify that Christ has redeemed ‘some of all sorts’ some Jews, some Gentiles, some rich, some poor, and has not restricted his redemption to either Jew or Gentile. (Spurgeon, Particular Redemption, A Sermon, 28 February 1858)
One can easily prove how wrong Spurgeon was by examining the biblical verses in their context, where the word ‘all’ is used. The Greek word for all is pas, which is used 1243 times in the New Testament. We have examined each and every verse where pas has been used, and we could not find even one single verse where pas means ‘some of all sorts’ as preached by Spurgeon.
In the overwhelming majority of cases, the context immediately makes clear to whom or to what all or every refers. There are only very few verses in the New Testament where the context of the verses does not immediately make clear what or to whom pas is referring. Spurgeon and all those who believe in hell have seized upon such verses to explain away all verses, which uphold the truth of universal salvation. We give below a couple of examples of the very few verses where the context of pas is not so immediately obvious.
Philippians 4:13
I can do all things (pas) through Christ who strengthens me.
The argument goes that in this verse pas can only mean some of all things as obviously Apostle Paul did not mean that he could do all things. This is fallacious reasoning and misunderstanding of the scripture. The correct understanding of the verse is that Apostle Paul could do all things in line with the will of God through Jesus Christ who strengthened him.
Matthew 3:5-6 (KJV)
5 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, 6 and were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.
This scripture speaks of the ministry of John the Baptist. The argument goes that all in this scripture can only mean some of all, since obviously the whole population of Jerusalem and Judea and the region around the Jordan did not go out to John the Baptist and they were not all baptised by Him. At face value, this argument appears to be reasonable. However, once again, this is fallacious reasoning and misunderstanding of the scripture because these verses have been badly translated in the KJV. The correct way to understand Matthew 3:5-6 is as translated by the NIV.
Matthew 3:5-6 (NIV)
5 People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. 6 Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
Please note that people went out from Jerusalem, all parts of Judea and all the region around the Jordan to John the Baptist and were baptised by him. This scripture does not say that all people, i.e. the whole population, went out from these places and all were baptised in the Jordan River. Exactly how many people went out to John the Baptist and how many of them were actually baptised is not stated.
The next verse, Matthew 3:7, confirms that not everybody who went out to John the Baptist was baptised by him, as he did not baptise many of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Matthew 3:7
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?”
Spurgeon was a strong believer in the doctrine of hell, and he needed to justify his belief in it by negating many scriptures, which use ‘all’ when referring to universal salvation. Preachers who, like Spurgeon, say that the Bible ‘rarely means all when it says all’ are adding to or taking away from the truth of many clear scriptures such as Colossians 1:15-20 that speak about the Universal Reconciliation of all things through Jesus Christ. Try replacing ‘some of all’ in Colossians 1:15-20 every time this scripture states ‘all’ and prove to yourself that it is a fallacy to say that the Bible usually means some of all when it says all.
We now go on to give many more of the treasures of Scripture, which shine out the biblical truth of Universal Reconciliation. Let us believe the Word of God, taking it at its face value and accepting that in these scriptures all means all and every means every.
Jesus Christ is the Saviour of the World
John 4:42
Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world (kosmos).
1 John 4:14
And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world (kosmos).
Yes, Christ is indeed the Saviour of the world. How can He be the Saviour of the world and yet at the same time not save the whole world?
Please note that the Greek word for ‘world’ is kosmos, which means not only the whole earth but also the whole universe. There is absolutely nothing in the whole universe, which will not be saved or reconciled through the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross.
John 1:29
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
1 John 2:2 (NIV)
He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
Romans 5:6
For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
Jesus died for the ungodly to take away the sins of the whole world. God loves all sinners but not their sins. In God’s time and His order all people will come to believe in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and all will receive the free gift of God’s Righteousness. If there were to be even one person whose sins remained unforgiven for eternity, then the work of the cross would have failed, and these scriptures would become false.
Luke 23:34
Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do”.
This is Jesus’ last prayer and the most important request to Father God just before He died on the cross for the sins of the whole world. Jesus asked God to forgive His very murderers. Do you think that Father God will not grant Jesus’ request to forgive all those who played a part in crucifying Him? If Jesus’ murderers can be forgiven then everybody else, including Hitler, can be forgiven. There is no such thing as an unforgivable sin. The blasphemy against the Holy Spirit remains unforgiven for this age and the next age, but not forever. All unbelievers will be forgiven during the Lake of Fire Judgement Age after they have repented and believed, through the gift of God given faith, in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, as explained in Chapter 12.
1 Timothy 2:3-6 (KJV)
3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 4 Who will have (thelo) all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
This is a powerful scripture as it stands, because God’s sovereign will to save all people and have them come to the knowledge of the truth cannot be frustrated by man or Satan. This scripture becomes even stronger once we understand that the primary meaning of the Greek word thelo is to be resolved or determined as given in Strong’s Concordance - number G2309.
Unfortunately, the NKJV and the NIV use the weaker meaning of thelo, which is to desire. God not only desires that all men will be saved, but He has resolved and determined that all men will be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.
1 Timothy 4:9-11
9 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance. 10 For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe. 11 These things command and teach.
Notice that it is a command from God to teach the truth that God is the Saviour of all men. Once again we ask the question, ‘How can God be the Saviour of All men and yet not save them all?’
Luke 19:9-10
9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; 10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
How many are lost? All people are born lost with a sinful fallen Adamic nature. The Bible says that there is not one righteous, no not even one. Jesus Christ will save all people without exception, as man’s fallen rebellious will cannot frustrate God’s sovereign will to save all of the lost.
Jesus Christ died for All
2 Corinthians 5:14-15
14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and 15 He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.
Romans 6:10
For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.
We had better believe what the Bible says. Jesus Christ has already earned everybody’s salvation because he died for all, and He died to forgive the sins of not only believers but also the sins of the whole world.
Jesus Christ will make All People Righteous
Isaiah 45:25
In the LORD all the descendants of Israel shall be justified, and shall glory.
To be justified means to be made righteous. We can see from this verse that all Israelites will be saved and reconciled to God.
Romans 5:18-19
18 Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. 19 For as by one man’s disobedience many (all) were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many (all) will be made righteous.
Yes, all without exception will be made righteous because of Christ’s obedience. It is clear that ‘many’ in verse 19 refers to ‘all’ in verse 18. This scripture once again confirms the truth that each and every person, without exception, will be made righteous and saved through Jesus Christ.
John 12:32
And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.
This verse speaks about Jesus’ resurrection. Ultimately, in God’s time and His order, which extends beyond this age, all people will be drawn to Christ because of the finished work of the cross for the salvation of all.
All will be saved but each in his own order
1 Corinthians 15:22-26
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. 24 Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.
Notice that it is one hundred percent clear what this scripture says. ‘all’ who die in Adam is exactly the same all that shall be made alive in Christ, which means that each and every human being will be made alive in Christ, meaning saved. It does not say that only some of all of the people in Adam shall be made alive in Christ.
It is also important to note that everyone will be made alive in Christ in his own order, which is in God’s time and in accordance with God’s Plan of the Ages for the reconciliation of all things. It is the false doctrines of hell and annihilism that are the stumbling blocks preventing people from believing the obvious and glorious truth contained in this scripture.
1 Timothy 2:6
Who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
Jesus gave Himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time, which is in God’s time and His order for each and every person.
Ephesians 1:9-10
9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, 10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth - in Him.
This scripture reveals that the mystery of God’s will is to gather together in one absolutely all things in Christ. The wonderful and powerful expression ‘in Christ’ means that all will come to believe in Christ and accept Him as their Saviour and Lord. This will happen in the fullness of times, which means at the right time when God has completed His Plan of the Ages for the reconciliation of all at the fullness of the ages.
God chastises us as a loving Father - He is a merciful and does not remain angry forever
Proverbs 3:11-12
11 My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor detest his correction; 12 For whom the Lord loves he corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights.
Revelation 3:19
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.
Hebrews 12:6 (NLT)
For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes those he accepts as his children.
God is Love and He loves the whole world. (1 John 4:16, John 3:16) God’s love demands that everything He has done, He is doing and He will do, flows out of His love. Even God’s anger, wrath and judgements flow out of His love to bring His righteousness.
Jeremiah 3:12
Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say: ‘Return, backsliding Israel,’ says the LORD; “I will not cause My anger to fall on you. For I am merciful,’ says the LORD; ‘I will not remain angry forever’.
Romans 11:32
For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.
Lamentations 3:31-33
31 For the Lord will not cast off forever. 32 Though He causes grief, Yet He will show compassion According to the multitude of His mercies. 33 For He does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men.
The false teaching of everlasting punishment in hell completely contradicts the loving merciful character of God.
God’s Judgements lead to Righteousness
Isaiah 26:9
With my soul I have desired You in the night, Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early; For when Your judgments are in the earth, The inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.
Hebrews 12:12
Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Isaiah 46:12-13
12 Listen to Me, you stubborn-hearted, Who are far from righteousness: 13 I bring My righteousness near, it shall not be far off; My salvation shall not linger. And I will place salvation in Zion, For Israel My glory.
God’s fiery judgement refines and purges unrighteous people to bring them into God’s Righteousness and Salvation.
Malachi 3:2-3
2 But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire And like launderers’ soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, And purge them as gold and silver, That they may offer to the LORD An offering in righteousness.
Jeremiah 9:24
But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the LORD, exercising loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the LORD.
God delights in His loving-kindness, judgement and righteousness. God’s judgements flow out of His love for the purpose of making people righteous and not for throwing them into hell. Ultimately, in God’s time, even the most stubborn hearted person will embrace God’s righteousness.
God will destroy the veil that is spread over All Nations
Isaiah 25:7-8
7 And He will destroy on this mountain The surface of the covering cast over all people, And the veil that is spread over all nations. 8 He will swallow up death forever, And the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces; The rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; For the LORD has spoken.
Notice that God Himself will destroy the veil of unbelief that is spread over all nations, and He will wipe away tears from all faces and destroy death forever. Indeed we have a merciful and loving God.
Psalm 98:1-3
1 Oh, sing to the LORD a new song! For He has done marvelous things; His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory. 2 The LORD has made known His salvation; His righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations. 3 He has remembered His mercy and His faithfulness to the house of Israel; All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
This is a prophetic Psalm. His Right Hand and Holy Arm who gained the victory is referring to the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. All the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God because of the victory of the cross.
Matthew 21:31-32 (KJV)
31 Jesus said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you (Pharisees). 32 For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.
Jesus Christ condemned the self-righteousness of the Pharisees using very strong language. In this scripture, Jesus says that many tax collectors and harlots will repent and believe and enter the Kingdom of God before the self-righteous Pharisees. Please note that, though most Pharisees died as unbelievers, Jesus Christ knew and took it for granted that ultimately all self-righteous Pharisees together with all other sinners will repent and believe in Him and enter the Kingdom of God. This will be in God’s time and His order extending beyond this age, in accordance with God’s Plan for All.
Jesus Christ will Save and Reconcile All His enemies
Romans 5:8, 10
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
Jesus Christ died for His enemies meaning that He died for each and every person. We are all born into this world with an Adamic ungodly sinful nature as enemies of God and as children of Satan. Jesus Christ died for each and every one of us to save and reconcile us all to God.
The amazing thing about God’s Plan and His great power is that all of God’s enemies will submit themselves to Him and worship and praise God.
Psalm 66:3-4
3 Say to God, “How awesome are Your works! Through the greatness of Your power Your enemies shall submit themselves to You. 4 All the earth shall worship You And sing praises to You; They shall sing praises [to] Your name.” Selah.
Such a wonderful scripture! God’s works are awesome indeed. Through the greatness of God’s power all His enemies shall submit themselves to Him. This prophecy speaks about the wonderful time when the whole earth will worship and praise God, when all of God’s enemies have been saved and reconciled to Father God by Jesus Christ through the blood of the cross.
Psalm 110:1
The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”
‘Till I make Your enemies Your footstool’ is repeated six times in the Bible. The purpose of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ was to make sure that all of God’s enemies are made His footstool, which means that all His enemies will bow down in willing submission at His feet in worship and praise to God.
1 Corinthians 15:24-25
24 Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet.
Jesus Christ will return to establish the Kingdom of God on earth. He will rule and reign on earth, and make sure that all His enemies come under His feet, as His footstool.
The old Adamic sinful nature of man is a proud and rebellious enemy of God. God will humble each and every person through the greatness of His power. Ultimately, all will submit themselves and come under God’s feet as His footstool. Yes, in Adam we are all born as enemies of God, but in Christ we shall all become friends of God.
Hebrews 10:12-13
12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, 13 from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool.
Please note that God is waiting for the time when all His enemies are made His footstool. Now let us continue to read the verses, which follow this scripture to understand the glorious biblical truth of how Jesus Christ will bring all His enemies under His submission as His footstool.
Hebrews 10:14-17
14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those (His enemies) who are being sanctified. 15 But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before, 16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them (with His enemies) after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws into their (His enemies) hearts, and in their (His enemies) minds I will write them,” 17 then He adds, “Their (His enemies) sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”
Please study and meditate on this powerful and glorious universal reconciliation scripture, and let the truth of God penetrate deep into your mind and spirit. God Himself will write His laws into the hearts of all His enemies. Here, God is not talking about the Law of Moses, but the Law of Christ, which is the Law of Faith. God will grant all His enemies the gift of saving faith to believe in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins, and save all His enemies without exception. Yes, God indeed overcomes evil with good, He ‘destroys’ His enemies when He makes them His friends.
We are now in a position to clearly understand why Jesus Christ taught His disciples to ‘love your enemies’.
Matthew 5:43-44
43 You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.
These words of Jesus would not make sense if hell was true and if all of unbelieving humanity was destined to be tortured there forever. But hell is a false doctrine, and therefore, we can love our enemies, bless them, do good to them and pray for them, because Jesus Christ will save all of our enemies. Isn’t it wonderful and powerful to know that one day in the future, in God’s time and His order, all of our enemies will become our brothers and sisters in Christ?
Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess Jesus is Lord
Isaiah 45:22-25
22 “Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. 23 I have sworn by Myself; The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, And shall not return, That to Me every knee shall bow, Every tongue shall take an oath. 24 He shall say, ‘Surely in the LORD I have righteousness and strength. To Him men shall come, And all shall be ashamed Who are incensed against Him. 25 In the LORD all the descendants of Israel Shall be justified, and shall glory.’”
This is another beautiful and clear Old Testament scripture upholding the powerful truth of Universal Salvation. Notice that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess because they receive God’s righteousness and strength.
Philippians 2:9-11
9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The Bible is clear, abundantly clear in the Old and the New Testaments that everyone without exception will worship God and give Him all the glory. Those who believe in hell twist these scriptures to interpret that God will force unbelievers to worship Him in hell. A forced worship can never give glory to God.
Psalm 22:27-29
27 All the ends of the world Shall remember and turn to the LORD, And all the families of the nations Shall worship before You. 28 For the kingdom is the LORD’s, And He rules over the nations. 29 All the prosperous of the earth Shall eat and worship; All those who go down to the dust Shall bow before Him, Even he who cannot keep himself alive.
Notice that all the ends of the world shall turn to the Lord (they will repent) and worship Him. Also, please note that all those who go down to the dust shall bow before Him, meaning all who die shall bow down and worship Him.
Revelation 5:13
And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: “Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!”
These are wonderful and glorious prophetic scriptures. In the Eternal Kingdom of God of the New Heaven and the New Earth, every created creature, man and angel will worship, honour and give glory to God.
Jesus Christ will restore All Things
Acts 3:19-21, 25
19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, 21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.
25 You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed’.
Note that since the beginning of the world, God has spoken about the time when Jesus Christ will restore all things. God spoke this through the mouth of all of His holy prophets. This emphasises just how important the restoration of all things is to God. The restoration of all things will happen when Jesus Christ returns to this earth to fulfil the Abrahamic Covenant and to bless all the families of the earth, as confirmed in verse 25 above.
Revelation 21:1-6
1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away”. 5 Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new”. And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful”. 6 And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End...”
Yes, the time will come, at the creation of the Eternal Kingdom of God of the New Heaven and the New Earth, when Jesus Christ will bring to completion God’s Plan of Universal Salvation, which He is working out in biblical ages. This will be when there will be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain. This will be when God the Father Himself comes down to earth to dwell with all people and God will be ALL in ALL. (1 Corinthians 15:28)
Please take time to study and meditate on the many glorious Universalist Scriptures given in this chapter. Let the Holy Spirit minister to your heart, mind and spirit about the unsearchable riches of Christ so that you may be able to comprehend and know the width, the length, the depth and the height of the love of Christ, which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:17-19)
The Bible from Genesis to Revelation upholds the truth of universal salvation and reconciliation through Jesus Christ in other scriptures besides those listed in this chapter. Yet, it is amazing that traditional Christianity, both Roman Catholicism and Protestantism, ignores, explains away, maligns and twists all these clear scriptures in favour of the doctrine of hell, which has its roots in paganism and not in the Word of God.
Later on, in Chapters 15-19, we give complete and comprehensive answers to why, when and how the doctrine of hell crept into Christianity.
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