The Prophetic Telegraph No. 20
Every knee shall bow
[To the reader - this paper
is an open reply to a letter on the subject of the extent of God's forgiveness
and love to His creation. It covers many of the queries that arise in the minds
of those who have been tutored into believing that God has some fiendish
everlasting torture chamber, called the
Dearly beloved brother in
Christ, Greetings in the name of our Lord and Saviour.
It was indeed good to have
your reply to my earlier letter, and to know by your remarks that you
considered all the points both carefully and prayerfully. In fact I felt
honoured by the amount of time you spent in pondering the issues relating to
man's destiny. And in response I must now give serious attention to the
questions you ask, and in fact I am taking the liberty of making this an open
reply, so as to include it in 'The Prophetic Telegraph' because I feel sure
that others will want to share and make their own contributions.
As you say, we are walking
through a minefield so far as many of our brethren are concerned, for by far
the majority of Christians are strongly of the opinion that 'eternal life'
belongs only to the 'saved' and that the other 90% can only 'look forward' to a
never-ending torment. But as I have found, many Christians have never really
given much thought to the matter. Rather do they tend to major on the
blessedness of their next life, and leave the plight of the rest to God. And in
a manner of speaking, there is good sense in this to a degree, for ignorance
may save them from the unkindly assertions that some are wont to make.
But the fireworks begin
when you suggest that God's grace may extend further than is hitherto
appreciated. But I was glad to see that in your case, there was no 'explosion'
at my letter! But you did pose a number of questions, ten in fact, and I shall
now attempt to answer them, in the order you presented them.
1.If all that
you say is correct, why do you think that God should have kept back this
knowledge until now?
I will answer this question
in two ways:- (a) If God should choose to hide certain facts about His future
plans, who are we to object? Did not our Lord say to His disciples that they
were favoured in knowing the secrets of the
Similarly in the Church
age, Luther and others rediscovered truths that had been lost for 1500 years,
and so another reformation was enacted. And since then the Church has recovered
other vital truths. If the truth of the 'larger gospel' is either a new truth,
or a lost truth, there can be no argument against its appearance now. (b) In
point of fact the 'larger gospel' was very well understood by many Christians
in the early centuries of the present era. The writings of Origen, Clement,
Gregory, and Facundus give eloquent testimony to this fact, and even Augustine
(who didn't himself hold to it) witnessed to the 'very many' in his day who
did. Rather than interrupt the flow of this letter, I will append a collection
of quotations at the end for you to read.
Furthermore, in the last
100 years or so there have been a number of serious theologians whose works
show that they were devoted to the 'larger gospel', the most significant of
which were (1) Rev. Andrew Jukes, who in 1867 wrote his classic work entitled
"The Restitution of All Things," (2) Thomas Allin, "Christ
Triumphant" 1890, and (3) Rev A.R.Symonds, "The Ultimate
Reconciliation and Subjection of All Souls to God under the Kingdom of
Christ." 1878. The first two of these titles are still available today as
reprints. If you wish to read them, I can supply you with an address from which
to obtain copies.
2. The N.T.
presents a consistent view that there will be just two classes of people, the
saved and the unsaved; those who have life and those who shall not see life.
But your letter left me with the distinct impression that ultimately you
expected all men to be saved. Although I followed much of your reasoning, I
cannot as yet resolve this dichotomy.
The Greek word. for save is
SOZO, its basic meaning being that of preservation from some fate, disaster,
doom, destruction or injury. Those whom the N.T. writers refer to as the 'saved
ones' have been saved, not from any of the above list, but rather from the
wrath and condemnation of God for their sins. "There is now no condemnation
to those who are in Christ." They have been saved from the penalty of
their sins because they have believed in the only begotten Son of God, and His
sacrificial death on the cross. You have no argument with me so far. I know
that! Your problem arises when you ask yourself the question, "For whom
did Christ die?" Before attempting to say anything else, please examine
the following Scriptures carefully.
1 Tim.4:10. He is the
Saviour of ALL MEN; but particularly those who believe. 1 Tim.1:15. Christ
Jesus came into the world to save sinners. (Who is not?) 1 Tim.2:4. God will
have ALL MEN to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. 1 Tim.2:6. He
gave Himself a ransom for ALL, a testimony to be made known in its own time.
(Therefore not all at once, in this age.) John 12:32. And I, if am lifted up,
will draw ALL MEN unto myself. Heb.9:26. Christ has been manifested for the
putting away of sin by His sacrifice. (Not just your sin or mine, but the whole
body of sin.) 1 John 2:2. He is the Mercy Seat for our sins, and not for ours
only, but for the sins of THE WHOLE WORLD. Hebrews 2:9. He tasted death on
behalf of EVERY MAIN. 2 Cor.5:15. He died on behalf of ALL.
I believe that your only
reluctance to fully accepting the logic of these Scriptures is the traditional
attitude of the church towards them, so may I suggest another line of enquiry.
Let us look at Numbers 14. In this chapter we read of the spies returning from
the Promised Land with their report. Ten are against, and only two (Joshua and
Caleb) are in favour of going up. The people listen to the ten, and pick up
stones to silence the two. At this juncture God Himself intervenes, and
threatens to wipe out the whole nation for their continual habit of
questioning, moaning, and rebelling. Moses intervenes, asking for mercy for the
people in accordance with the revealed character of God, and in verse 20 we
read that God answers him saying, "I have pardoned according to your
word." But having said that, the Lord then forbids any of the people of
This exactly depicts the
whole world today. In Adam, all humanity have been responsible for crucifying
Jesus, but on the cross He said, "Father forgive them, for they know not
what they do." God heard that prayer and answered it, as surely as He did
for Moses. All the nations of the world are a pardoned people, but it does not
mean that all people will enter the 'promised land' of the heavenly
inheritance, only those who like Joshua and Caleb have believed God's word and
shown themselves faithful. I hope at this stage you will have had part of your
problem solved. It now remains to investigate the spiritual meaning of the
Promised Land for Christians. The answer is quite clearly set forth in many
Scriptures, but Luke 20:35 is one of the best. Jesus said, "Those who are
accounted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from among the dead,
neither marry nor are given in marriage - - for they are equal to the
angels."
Notice the two important
points. (a) a certain worthiness is required, and (b) the equality with the
angels. The worthiness is related to obedience of faith, like Joshua and Caleb,
who alone of all that generation entered the Promised Land. But equality with
the angels represents something wholly new and unexpected. If Jesus came to die
for man's sin, then legally man might expect to recover that which has been
lost, in other words be restored to what Adam and Eve were like AND NO MORE.
But in God's great mercy He promises the faithful a HEAVENLY position, as equal
to the angels, in readiness to take positions of government in the age to come.
This is the meaning of the Promised Land. Abraham understood this truth, for he
looked for a city not made with hands, whilst others from the O.T. days endured
tortures, looking for a BETTER resurrection.
Without the understanding
just given, the word 'better' would have no meaning at all. And so we see that
the usual division of 'saved' and 'unsaved' is artificial, not being
Scriptural. In this present age there ARE saved and there ARE unsaved, and it
is a very meaningful distinction just now. But in the ages to come there will
be a time when the blood of Christ will be seen to have been shed for ALL MEN,
for God wants ALL MEN to be saved, ALL MEN to be pardoned. But only those who
'are worthy to attain' will have the joy of the 'better resurrection' and share
the government of the coming world with their Lord and Master, from a higher
position than the human dimension. Others will be restored to perfect humanity,
as were Adam and Eve, and let us not depreciate the glory of this, for Adam and
Eve were the crowning glory of God's first creation on earth!
3. I am told
that 'universal reconciliation' is the teaching of the Jehovah's Witnesses, and
is therefore heresy. Is this true?
I have not studied the J.W.
position sufficiently to know whether or not this is true. But I have a similar
question to ask you. I happen to know that the J.Ws are very hot on the truths
of creation and the flood, and denounce the teaching of evolution with vigour.
Should I therefore treat creation and the flood as heresy just because the J.Ws
hold to it? This is a favourite catch question, and it contains no logic at
all. It is as if Satan's forces have purposely dropped important truths into
the laps of various sects and cults in order to sully them in the eyes of the
4. You say that
the Greek language of the N.T. has no word meaning ''eternal' or 'everlasting'
and therefore all forms of punishment must eventually terminate. What then are
we to think about our Lord's words in the parable of the sheep and the goats?
Did He not say that the sheep enter everlasting life, and the goats depart into
everlasting fire? I have checked that the Greek word for everlasting is the
same in both places. If the everlasting fire has an end, does not logic demand
that everlasting life should also end? How then can you maintain such a theory?
Let's get this one fact
straight before I say anything else. If we have died with Christ, and our life
is 'hid with Christ in God', it is the utmost folly ever to think about an
'end' to that life. It can no more end than can the life of the Son of God!
However, your question needs an answer of a different sort. I do not doubt your
logic based upon the use of the same word for life and also for fire. But you
have not allowed your logic to carry through to its conclusion. The Greek word
for 'eternal' is AIONIOS, and there is no doubt at all that it means
'age-lasting', and the age in question is undoubtedly the Millennial Age of
God's reign. The Millennium has a beginning and also an end, and the scope of
the parable is that of the Millennial Age. What happens after it is not the
subject of this parable. The sheep are promised rewards, and the goats are
destined for punishment, or more strictly, 'cutting off', because the Greek
word basically means to prune. At the end of the Millennium, that 'cutting off'
will end. If then the goats have a release from troubles and are able to enter
life, why should we assume that the sheep should suddenly die? It is illogical.
To exemplify further, let
us assume that a man should say to us "I lived in that peaceful era
between the two world wars." No one would say that he died at the end of
the era! He is still alive! In the same way it will be possible to say "I
shall enjoy age-lasting life in the Millennium," without anyone thinking
that it then has to end. The 'peaceful era' between the wars is much like the
'peaceful era' of the Millennium. In both cases, the speaker refers ONLY to a
specified period of time, without uttering a word about the time beyond. What
makes me happy is that the goats have a limited time for their 'cutting off',
after which they may once again be allowed to find peace with God. I must add
two Scriptures here, to show that life in Christ is truly eternal, everlasting
in the sense of the word as it is used today. (a) Luke 20:36. Jesus said about
the ones who are to be resurrected, "neither can they die any more."
(b) 1 Cor
5. You quoted
Phil.2:lO-11 as authority for saying that every created being in heaven, on the
earth, or under the earth, would eventually be reconciled to God. Doesn't this
go beyond the words Paul uses? Didn't he say that all beings would 'bow their
knees' and 'confess that Christ was Lord'? Surely a defeated people has no
option but to bow the knee and accept subjugation, but this in no way guarantees
a change of heart.
Would a subjugated people,
forced to be obedient under duress, be 'to the glory of God the Father'? I have
never doubted the fact that God could, at any moment, intervene in world
affairs, and take the world by storm and produce the situation of which you
speak, but I cannot think it would be to God's glory. It just does not meet the
conditions of the Bible. The glory of the Lord is manifested through His
character and this requires a ready submission, not a forced subjugation. When
Paul preached on Mars Hill in
Heaven's command is for man
to repent, and to repent means to change his ways, not to submit under pressure
whilst the human heart bleeds for revenge. Heaven's joys are not measured by
military might, but by 'every sinner who repents'. This is God's command to all
men everywhere, and He will not be satisfied until He has achieved His goal.
And if man repents, and thereby knows the peace of God in his heart, he is
reconciled to God, and that is why I said what I did in my letter. It is a
great error to assume that God's kingdom will be like any of man's kingdoms.
Man relies upon military might, but God relies upon peaceful persuasion and
patient teaching.
In the days of the
Millennium, such methods will also be accompanied by proper rewards and
punishments, which do not appear in the earth just yet. But to liken the
And now a word about
'confession'. In Phil.2 the Greek verb is in the Middle Voice. And this needs a
little explanation. English grammar allows for Active and Passive Voices for
verbs. We have no Middle. Take the verb to make. In the Active Voice, one might
say "I make cakes." In the Passive Voice, "I am made to look a
fool." But in Greek, in the Middle Voice it would be "I make myself a
table." In other words the Middle Voice has a reflexive sense, the making
is not only by myself, but also for myself. And so it is here in Phil.2. It
cannot possibly be translated to mean 'I am made to confess'. It means 'I
myself confess of my own free will.' Everyone, of his or her own free will,
whether a heavenly being, an earthly being, or one who has lived and is now
dead, will ultimately bow the knee and confess the Lordship of Christ. Why be
afraid of accepting such a glorious promise? It is only the strictures of
evangelicalism that stand in your way. Paul states the truth by quoting from
Isaiah, and so great is the truth that he also brings it out in his letter to
the Romans as well. There WILL be a time when ALL THINGS ARE UNDER HIS FEET,
and God will have achieved this goal not by squashing them beneath conqueror's
military boots, but by patient instruction in the ways of righteousness. No
other way would be acceptable.
6. Evangelicals
teach that we have but one chance in this life to believe in Christ, and that
this is the real force of the gospel message. If God gives people a second
chance (after death, or in resurrection), then the gospel loses much of its
clout.
I have read much about
'hell-fire sermons' and I have heard of people being scared into the kingdom by
such tactics. I do not favour such methods. However, it is 'by the foolishness
of preaching that men are saved,' and so we see that God can and does use all
our mistakes, and by His unlimited wisdom He draws men unto Himself. We should
not however expect our folly to commend itself to God. Jesus said that if He
was lifted up, He would draw all men unto Himself. A fully instructed preacher
will therefore show people the great love of God at
I must add a word here
about the 'second chance'. Have you ever analysed what you mean when you use
this expression? Have you ever given a thought to the countless millions of
people who have lived and died without even hearing the name of Jesus? They
have never even had a first chance, let alone a second! Take this a step
further. Out of all those who live in the western world, and have had a chance
of hearing the gospel, how many have really understood the message, so that on
the day of judgment they can honestly say "I heard, and I understood, and
I rejected the Son of God."
We are on very dangerous
ground here if we set ourselves up as the judges of the ignorant masses.
'Ignorant masses' are made up of individuals for whom Christ died, and if He
died for them, His Father will seek them out and find them in due course. We
have no barometer by which to judge mankind. Let us leave all such in God's
hands. Everyone will be given a chance, nay, many chances, eventually, but not
all will be given the privilege of ruling with Christ in the heavenlies.
Evangelicals are self-condemned when they assert that all those who never hear
the gospel are automatically bound for everlasting hell-f ire. The God who
commanded His ancient people not to pass their children through the fire to
Moloch, does not Himself do so with millions of humans who have never had the
chance of knowing Him. Would to God that evangelicals would think this one
through prayerfully, basing their theology on the revealed character of God.
7. In Jude 7 we
are told that
Further to this list we may
add a note on the climate of the region. Gen.13:1O tells us that before God
destroyed
You will remember that
Abraham was concerned that 'the Lord of all the earth should do right', and so
he deferentially asked the Lord whether He would destroy it if even five
righteous souls were to be found therein. And the Lord answered "No".
And as soon as
What therefore are we to
say about the expression 'eternal fire' that Jude used? First of all let us
re-translate it. It should have read 'age-during fire'. But this doesn't help
very much, because nobody suffered the fire for longer than a few seconds, and
the fires themselves burned out relatively quickly, in fact as soon as the
volatile fractions of the crude oil were used up, and the thick tar blocked off
the vents in the ground. We do not know how long this took, but one may make a
reasonable estimate in terms of a few months or at the most a couple of years.
What therefore could have lasted throughout the ages since then, even until
today, that Jude could say, 'they suffered the judgment of age-lasting fire'?
We must conclude that the example of their 'cutting off' from this world's
existence, as a whole people, lasts as a constant reminder and lesson to all
other peoples who have lived since. Perhaps this is why Jude says that they
have been 'set forth as an example'. The word
In the 1930s according to
Watchman Nee, the city of
And here we must ponder on
the significance of Jesus' own words about
I believe that this verse
shows up the poverty of the theory perhaps more than any other. What do we know
about the nature of God's judgment? Again we look to Jesus' words, in Luke 12:
47-48. The servant who was ignorant and did wrong is beaten with few stripes,
but the servant who was knowledgeable and still did wrong is beaten with many
stripes. The Master said nothing about being beaten forever. In the O.T. the
punishment of beating was always restricted to 40 lashes, 'lest he should be
degraded in your eyes.' (Deut.25:3) As with the best penal systems that man has
operated, the punishment always has to fit the crime. Has any one ever dreamed
up what may be called THE INFINITE SIN? One that required INFINITE PUNISHMENT?
God forbid. May the very thought perish.
In the day of resurrection
and judgment, the Sodomites will rise up to condemn those who lived in
8. I wou1d
dearly like to think that God will be as great a Victor as you declare, but
don' t you think you will cause monumental antagonism amongst Christians by
saying that the Devil will ultimately be reconciled to God, even if it takes
10,000 years?
Forgiveness of sin is the
foundation stone of all Christianity. For that very purpose the Son of God gave
His life. Are we to limit the effectiveness of the cross by false limitations
of our own making? Have any of us the right to define the magnitude of God's
love to His own creation? Did not Paul say to the Ephesians that they 'might
know the love of Christ which is BEYOND KNOWLEDGE, that you might be filled
with all the fullness of God'. If therefore the love of God in Christ is so
great that it is outside the scope of human knowledge, and if at the same time
we are encouraged, somehow, to know it, to experience it, and thereby be filled
with all the fullness of God, why cannot we as Christians conceive the
possibility of the Devil coming to a better mind and eventually seeking the
forgiveness of his Creator? Would God refuse him? Of all people in the world,
Christians should be the first to rejoice at such a possibility.
But I sense that you may be
right in what you say, because I have already had some very hard words spoken
to me about this very matter, and that by 'convinced Christians'. Remember
Jesus' words to Simon the Pharisee concerning the repentant harlot, "Those
who have been forgiven much, love much." Is it that many Christians have
not had a vision of their own sins, and the largeness of the Saviour's love to
them, and so they are as yet incapable of allowing their hearts to expand to
take in the possibility of even further realms of divine grace? I can well
understand that initial reactions may be cautious, or even explosive, but this
is so often born of fear. I am more concerned with the CONSIDERED reaction to
the 'larger gospel', one that comes as a result of serious reflection, and
prayerful study. I would then look for an enlargement of the human heart and a
deep joy at the realization of just how much of God's great work lies ahead.
The Scriptures warn us about Satan. They describe him as a murderer from the
beginning, as the father of lies, as the great deceiver of mankind, as the
devourer, and so on. We are given instructions on how to deal with him, by
resisting him until he flees, by learning to know his wiles, by taking God's
armour, and so on. But we are never told to HATE him, and by the example of
Michael (in Jude) we are enjoined to speak to him with deference, asking the
Lord to rebuke him on our behalf.
Many Christians speak ill
of Satan in a manner quite contrary to the instructions in Jude, and worse
still, mockery is made of him continually, not just by the world, but by God's
own people. Make no mistake, he is our enemy, as he is God's enemy. But what
did Jesus have to say about our enemies? (Matt.5:43) "You have heard it
said, 'Love your neighbour, and hate your enemy', 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 despitefully use you and persecute you, THAT YOU MAY BE CHILDREN OF
YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN." And in v.48, "Be therefore perfect, as your
heavenly Father is perfect." Are we to assume that God can ask this of us,
whilst at the same time practising hatred towards His own great enemy? Such a
conclusion is unthinkable.
Personally, I do not think
that we, as human beings, have the capacity to 'love' Satan, but I am confident
that God does, and that He will not rest until He has seen His ultimate
prodigal son return from the far country in penitence. Undoubtedly God will
rejoice with exceeding great joy at such an event, but will there be a company
of 'elder brothers' around to complain at such an action? Will they be like the
prophet Jonah, who was not content to see
Such a comprehensive
declaration makes the mind boggle, but lest we should disbelieve it, the Lord
instructed John, "Write, for these words are faithful and true." God
must have known in advance how few would be able to take it in, and simply
believe it, even if it seems impossible. But with God all things are possible.
The much loved 19th century author, George MacDonald, in his book "Lilith",
speaks of the difficulties that lie in the path of such a great plan of
reconciliation. The classic comment on page 153 bears repeating.
"Annihilation itself is no death to evil. Only good where evil was, is
evil dead. An evil thing must live with its evil until it chooses to be good.
That alone is the slaying of evil." And so, my dear brother, I must hope
that you will begin to see the magnificent panorama that lies ahead in the
'ages to come', and that the eyes of your heart will be enlightened to see the
length and the breadth, the height and the depth of God's love.
9. In Rev.2O:1O
it says that the Devil, the Beast, and the False Prophet will be tormented day
and night for ever and ever. Please will you explain to me what the symbolism
of this verse means. The picture is not pleasant, and I cannot contemplate the
thought of God tormenting people at all, and especially not in a 'lake of
fire'.
I am much gratified to know
that you feel this way, especially as we have only recently had a letter from a
young man at Bible College, saying that he thought it was necessary for God to
do it 'in His love and righteousness.' I heartily agree with you. I cannot
contemplate the picture painted here, and at the same time square it with God's
character. But it is a verse of Scripture, and therefore it stands as surely as
those verses we enjoy reading. I cannot even contemplate that a good MAN would
ever think up so dreadful a scene as here painted. And so, when we find
ourselves presented with strange, perplexing, and seemingly contradictory words
of Scripture, we should always present it back to the Lord, the Author, asking
for His word of explanation. This should be done in company with a detailed
study of the Greek words used, and the possibility that some figure or figures
of speech are being employed, as often they are in the Bible.
Let us first of all deal
with the word translated 'torment'. In the Greek it is BASANOS, and the
lexicons tell us that it originally meant a TOUCHSTONE, a means of determining whether
gold was pure or not. Subsequently the word came to be used figuratively to
mean an examiner of people, one who could find out the hidden truths of the
heart. And this is helpful to us here, because although men's sins are largely
hidden in this age, Jesus spoke of a time when the thoughts and the intents of
the heart would be made manifest. "There is nothing hidden that shall not
be made manifest." Try to imagine what it would be like for a person who
had lived a wicked life, but had always been successfully able to conceal his
real self and present a 'front' of respectability. If then, by some miraculous
means, everything was suddenly exposed, how would he feel? All his erstwhile
friends would depart and turn against him. He would feel naked and exposed
before the world. To begin with he might fight against the exposure, trying to
justify himself, but as time passed, and as he began to see the impossibility
of any further cover-up, he might 'replay' the events of his life and begin to
feel sorrow and remorse. The act of the Divine Examiner would have been a
relatively brief encounter, wholly in tune with the many Scriptures which
define and declare God's future judgments.
Such is the work of the
Holy Spirit. "When the Holy Spirit is come, He will convict the world of
sin". But what of the times that follow this act of unveiling? How will
the person feel? Do we not frequently use such expressions as "I was
tormented by the thought of what I had done, and could not forget it." Who
then does the tormenting? Are we not ourselves the inflictors of our own
torment? On first reading Rev.20:1O we might get the impression, sometimes
found on grotesque mediaeval paintings, where fork-tailed demons continually
prod the writhing inmates of the sulphur-lake, as they grope about in agony.
But nothing could be further from the truth.
Once we realize that divine
revelation has been responsible for the arresting of human (or angelic)
wickedness, then we can easily imagine how painful it would be to live with the
record of one's own sins. And the greater the catalogue of sins, the greater
will be the inner torment. Jesus spoke about certain sins which were against
the Holy Spirit, and said that they would not be forgiven 'unto the age'. Here
we get the real sense of wretchedness that must ensue to those who, in a moment
of unmitigated terror, are told that they have been far from God, when they
themselves thought that they were 'in the front line.' No wonder there is a
mention of weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. And they have to wait for
a long time before they become eligible to receive God's forgiveness, not
'until the age'.
All those who have already
trodden this earth, and have died in this condition, will then have found
themselves in 'outer darkness', having to wait until the set time for God's
mercy to be shown to them. Imagine what it would be like for one such as
Bunyan's 'Pilgrim', who having come to the cross with the weight of an enormous
burden on the shoulders (i.e. enlightenment of personal sin has occurred), only
to be told that he will have to bear that burden for much time before it can be
rolled away. There is true wretchedness here, and it is not pleasant to
contemplate, but we must never allow our minds to be sullied with the thought
that the wait is 'everlasting'. Coming back now to Rev. 20:10, we immediately
get a new picture of Satan, the Beast, and the False Prophet.
We are shown in this
picture beings who have already been enlightened, whose sins have been exposed,
not only to the world, but to themselves, and inwardly they are tormented by
the enormity of all that they have done. After thinking of themselves as the
masters of the human race, the unseen powers behind the shaping of human
history, they now realize that they have defiled God's world, and progressively
destroyed all their OWN innate character with which God created them. Having
started off as the very greatest of all God's heavenly creations, they have
debased themselves beyond all recognition, making themselves into what they now
are. The 'head' has become the 'tail', and many of those who were 'first' have
become the 'last'. And the very long waiting period before forgiveness is
offered to them, is the price they have to pay for centuries of intense
calculated evil. And during this time they are haunted by, and constantly ('day
and night') in remembrance of all that they have done.
The 'lake of fire' is the
place where ENLIGHTENMENT has taken place, but forgiveness not yet found. Thank
God it is only a
All God's punishments must
fit the crimes, and it is not surprising to find such pictures as these used as
symbols of punishment. But remember, they are not imposed from outside, they
are the self-afflictions of those whose enlightenment is accompanied by intense
inner torment. Why does God allow them to suffer the agony of their own sins
for so long without having the peace of forgiveness in their hearts? It is
because the 'fire' is purgative, the 'flames' are refining and consuming of all
that is offensive. God's fire is always good fire, it is a refining and
purifying fire, consuming all that is worthless. In Zech.13:9 we are told of
some of God's people being brought through the fire to refine them and try
them, "and they shall call on my name and I will hear them." Again
and again God is presented as 'the Refiner of Gold and Silver'. This is the
only correct interpretation of the fire. Any other interpretation, based upon
the sadistic pleasure of a tyrant who at last has his enemies in his grasp, is
like the 'strange fire' that Nadab and Abihu brought before the Lord, and
equally offensive to the character of God.
So much for fire, what
about the sulphur? In the ancient world plague was finally eradicated from an
area by burning all the corpses and then 'cleansing' the buildings with sulphur
candles. The effect of the sulphur dioxide fumes was to kill off any remaining
viruses and bacteria, thus rendering the place safe for habitation again. In
its figurative use, 'sulphur' purges away all the things which caused the evil.
If the fire dealt with the fruits of evil, then the sulphur dealt with the
roots. And God will not be satisfied until the sulphur has done its work.
Finally, I must answer your question about 'for ever and ever'. Has it ever
occurred to you that if 'for ever' means eternity, then how can there be
anything additional to it? It is illogical to speak of 'an infinity of
infinities.' In point of fact, it would need a small booklet to uncover all the
interesting facts about the N.T. usage of such expressions as AGE, EVER, ETERNAL,
and EVERLASTING, but in this letter I shall try to do justice in a small
compass.
English readers have become
so used to the expression 'for ever and ever', and the way in which it has been
employed in fiction, that we have ceased to ask ourselves what we mean by it. A
literal translation of the Greek reads, 'unto (or, into) the ages of the ages'.
Why is there a duplication? To answer this question we need to realize that the
N.T. writers were steeped in the Hebrew of the O.T., and as such were well
aware of the figure of speech, so often found there, called Polyptoton, a
figure which was employed to give emphasis. One or two examples of this must be
seen to know how to handle the text under question in Rev.20: 10. In Gen.2:16
we have 'of every tree in the garden you may freely eat.' (The Hebrew has
'eating you shall eat', and so the A.V. has correctly given the force of this
figure.) Gen.2:17 'you shall surely die'. (The Hebrew is 'dying you shall die'.
Again, it is correctly interpreted as a figure.) Gen.9:25.
And so we could proceed
through such examples as God of gods, Lord of lords, Prince of princes, Song of
songs, Vanity of vanities, Hebrew of the Hebrews, heavens of the heavens, until
we come to 'the ages of the ages It is clear now what we must do. The best and
clearest of translations should be 'unto the most magnificent ages of all'.
What are these? In Eph.2:7 Paul speaks of God showing forth His great grace 'in
the ages to come'. These ages are still future to us, and the first of them
will be the Millennium, during which the Lord will take up His reign over this
earth in the first phase of His activities of judgment.
Each age that follows will
bear the stamp of some special character, just as the ages that are past have
done so. At present we long for the day when God's kingdom will come, and His
will done on earth as it is in heaven. This will be a mountain peak of gladness
and righteousness. But for those who live in that era, they will become
increasingly aware of the greater peaks that lie beyond. Just now we cannot
obtain more than just a glimpse of their reality, but as time passes, God will
manifest His purposes with even greater clarity. Returning to Rev.20:1O, we
have seen that the Devil and others are retained in the 'lake of fire until the
most magnificent ages'. It seems that during these wonderful times, God will
gradually bring His healing hand to bear on those who have caused Him the most
pain. And when it is all finished, God will be 'all in all', not 'all in some'
or 'some in all' but 'all in all'. God can do it, even if our minds cannot
grasp it all just now.
10. Finally I
would like to ask you a more personal and subjective question, and I hope that
it will not give offence. It is a question which perhaps many might frame in
their minds, or feel unconsciously. What experience have you personally had of
the hurtful ways of Satan? If you have lived in relative calm and preach the
doctrine of ultimate reconciliation from the comforts of your own armchair,
then are you really in a position to know what others might, and sometimes do
know first-hand of the violence, tragic loss, and suffering at the hands of
evil men. Surely only then would you be in the place of understanding of Satan'
s evil and how God really feels about him. Maybe then you might change your
mind about showing the Devil love. Maybe you would rather he were destroyed,
and certainly you would think your attitude reflected God's own feelings.
This is indeed a subjective
question, and all subjective questions need very careful answers. In fact all
subjective matters tend to cloud reality in the mists of human emotion.
Consider the legal code of this nation. Suppose that it were written by a group
of people who had all undergone recent traumatic experiences of one kind or
another, various acts of lawlessness. Should we be happy with the result?
Should we not then expect to find penalties that looked every bit like revenge?
No, we must get our facts straight in a cool and logical manner, without the
bias that follows hard on the tracks of personal disaster, bitterness, and
anguish of soul. I believe that your question is a dangerous one, that should
not be answered BECAUSE it is subjective.
The questioner, be it
yourself, or an imaginary friend, might then frame his reasoning on my
subjective answer, instead of framing it on the word of God, and so get into an
emotional vortex where truth is lost beneath the boiled-up feelings of the
human soul. This would not be constructive in the least and I positively refuse
to get drawn into it. Having said that, I would nevertheless like to make a few
comments of a positive and constructive nature on the issue of Satan's future,
viewed in the light of human violence. It is often said that violence begets
violence and the tragic events in
It takes great strength of
character to do this, and probably few have ever done so without the under
girding of God's own strength. When should we learn these ways? In the
aftermath of violence? Certainly not. They need to be learned in the reading
and accepting of God's word in the quietness of the closet, until they become
indelibly printed upon the heart. If and when tragedy strikes, the child of God
may then lean upon the stable principles learned already, and cry to God for
the courage to put them into action. Only then can violence be defused. Only
then can family feuds and sectarian differences be halted, and sanity return to
the lives of ordinary people. Jesus' way is the ONLY way. But you may still be
asking, 'How CAN I love my enemy?' And I would answer that Jesus did NOT say
'Have affection for your enemy'. Love (as defined by Jesus in the N.T.) is way
beyond affection. It is a much higher and more noble quality altogether. God
commended His love to us that whilst we were yet sinners Christ died for us.
(Rom.5:8) I have been greatly encouraged by the words of a song I heard
recently, written by the Gospel singer Don Francisco. "Love is not a
feeling, it's an act of the will'.
And it was just such an
'act of the will' that enabled Jesus to face the cross rather than call for the
12 legions of angels He had at the ready. But He did it knowing that He would
be carrying away the sins of the whole world into the
You will have seen that I
have declined answer the question about my own personal experience, being a
subjective matter. This would serve no useful purpose save to make me either
acceptable or unacceptable in your eyes, and that is of no consequence when
dealing with matters of great and lasting interest. But I will quote one
example from life, very briefly, to exemplify what I have tried to convey. It concerns
Corrie ten Boom, and may be found in her book, "The Hiding Place",
page 220. Corrie suffered many indignities and great mental torture at the
hands of the Nazis during the last war, particularly at the Ravensbruck
concentration camp. But two years after the war was over, she was speaking at a
church service in
It was at a church
service in
What more needs to be said?
If Corrie could find the miraculous power to forgive the (humanly)
unforgivable, then equally God can change the hearts of those who 'sit in their
own armchairs' and shut their minds and hearts to the greatness of God's love.
I say this not as a 'backlash' on the nature of your question, but rather a
very real driving need for Christians to present the thesis of this letter, in
prayer, to the Lord, for His mind to be revealed, and for our own hearts to be
opened to the great vistas of work that God still has to do, and perhaps for us
to become part of His work of reconciliation. Please remember this. Although
Satan may be God's greatest enemy, the Bible does not speak of him as being the
LAST enemy. The last enemy is DEATH, whether it be the first death or the
second death. When death is destroyed, then God will have reached the end of
His work. But well before this is reached, God's greatest enemy will have been
reconciled. May God be praised!
QUOTATIONS FROM THE EARLY CHRISTIAN FATHERS.
ORIGEN. (Commentary on the epistle to the
Romans, Book 8 chapter 11)
But he who despises the
purification of the word of God, and the doctrine of the gospel, only keeps
himself for dreadful and penal purifications afterwards; so that the fire of
gehenna may purge him in torments whom neither apostolic doctrine nor gospel
preaching has cleansed, according to that which is written of being 'purified
by fire'. But how long this purification which is wrought out by penal fire
shall endure, or for how many periods or ages it shall torment sinners, He only
knows to who all judgment is committed by the Father.
(From De Principiis,
1.6:1-4 and 3.6:5)
The restoration to unity
must not be imagined as a sudden happening. Rather is it to be thought of as
gradually effected by stages during the passing of countless ages. Little by
little and individually the correction and purification will be accomplished.
Some will lead the way and climb to heights with swifter progress, others
following hard on them, yet others will be far behind. Thus multitudes of
individuals and countless orders will advance and reconcile themselves to God,
who once were enemies; and so at length the last enemy will be reached. When it
is said that the last enemy shall be destroyed (i.e. the Devil) it is not to be
understood as meaning that his substance, which is God's creation, perishes,
but that his purpose and hostile will perishes, for this does not come from God
but from himself. Therefore his destruction means not his ceasing to exist, but
ceasing to be an enemy, and ceasing to be death. Nothing is impossible to
Omnipotence; there is nothing that cannot be healed by its Maker. The Creator made
all things in order that they might exist, and if things were made to exist,
they cannot become non-existent.
FACUNDUS. (Various works. Vol.2.p.384.
Venetian edition of 1728)
To all this is also to be
added the confession of Domitian of Galatia, formerly Bishop of Ancyra - - for
in the book which he wrote to Vigilius, where he is complaining of those who
contradicted the doctrines of Origen, who maintained that the souls of men had
pre-existed in some state of blessedness before they came into bodies, and that
all those who were doomed to eternal punishment should, together with the Devil
and his angels, be restored to their former state of blessedness.
GREGORY OF NYASA. (Dialogue on life and
resurrection.)
It is needful that evil
should some day be wholly and absolutely removed out of the circle of being.
For inasmuch as it is not in the nature of evil to exist without the will, when
every will comes to be in God, evil will go on to absolute extinction, by
reason of there being no receptacle of it left.
CLEMENT OF
The Lord, he says, is the
propitiation 'not for our sins only' (that is of the faithful), 'but also for
the whole world'. Therefore He indeed saves all universally, but some as
converted by punishments, others by voluntary submission, thus obtaining the
honour and dignity that 'to Him every knee shall bow, of things in heaven, and
things on earth, and things under the earth', that is angels, and men, and
souls departed this life before His coming into the world.
AUGUSTINE (De Civ.Dei, Book 21, ch.17)
And now I see I must have a
gentle disputation with certain tender hearts of our own religion, who are
unwilling to believe that everlasting punishment will be inflicted, either on
all those whom the Just Judge shall condemn to the
pains of hell, or even on
some of them, but who think that after certain periods of time, longer or
shorter according to the proportion of their crimes, they shall be delivered
out of that state.
(In other words, Augustine
did not himself believe in ultimate restitution, but he speaks of the 'very
many' in his day who did, and the words 'very many' in the original Latin are
IMO QUAM PLURIMI, words which could never be interpreted of a small number.)
POSTSCRIPT.
Although, as you know, my
dear friend, I first came to know the Lord back in 1948, it was not until the
spring of 1969 that the Lord first conveyed to me the truths of full
reconciliation. My wife and I received the revelation, and in a very short
space of time, we had come to believe in something that had been kept from us
for nearly 20 years. It was as a shaft of pure beautiful light, and that light
has been with us ever since, especially because we have had adequate time to
see that the Scriptures are full of it, when once certain obstacles are removed
from bad translations, and so we are glad to share the truth with as many as
will receive it.