SNIPPETS FROM THE HARD COPY UR LIBRARY OF RODGER TUTT

[eaglesway]

Wow. That was so well said. A genuine jewel.

[rodgertutt]

Greek scholar William Barclay wrote concerning kolasis aionion (age-during corrective chastisement) in Matthew 25:46
"The Greek word for punishment is kolasis, which was not originally an ethical word at all. It originally meant the pruning of trees to make them grow better. There is no instance in Greek secular literature where kolasis does not mean remedial punishment. It is a simple fact that in Greek kolasis always means remedial punishment. God's punishment is always for man's cure."

See what other Greek scholars say about it too.
AN ANALYTICAL STUDY OF WORDS
http://www.tentmaker.org/books/asw/Chapter11.html

Fifteen literally translated (not interpretively translated) Bibles that reveal what God will do with the sinners in Matthew 25:46
Concordant Literal, Young's literal, Wilson's Emphatic Diaglott, Rotherham's Emphasized, Scarlett's, J.W. Hanson's New Covenant, Twentieth Century, Ferrar Fenton, The Western New Testament, Weymouth's (unedited), Clementson's,  The New Testament of our Lord and Savior Jesus Anointed, The Restoration of Original Sacred Name Bible, Bullinger's Companion Bible margins, Jonathan Mitchell's translation (2010).

Regarding the meaning of aionios, many Greek scholars agree with John Wesley Hanson.
AIÓN – AIÓNIOS
http://www.tentmaker.org/books/Aion_lim.shtml

SEE

THE SCHOLARS CORNER THE CENTER FOR BIBLE STUDIES IN CHRISTIAN UNIVERSALISM
Scholar's Corner: The Center for Bible studies in Christian Universalism
http://www.tentmaker.org/ScholarsCorner.html

[rodgertutt]

LOUIS ABBOTT – UNIVERSAL SALVATION ASSURED

Interested students of the Word of God will decide if Louis Abbott knows what He is talking about.
AN ANALYTICAL STUDY OF WORDS – LOUIS ABBOTT

In the forward to his book AN ANALYTICAL STUDY OF WORDS, Louis Abbott wrote, "One key area various denominations are divided over is the final destiny of the ungodly, the wicked, the unsaved, the unregenerate, or however one wishes to phrase it.
There are three views on this subject. Each position claims Scriptural support: (1) eternal torment; (2) eternal destruction; and (3) the ultimate salvation of all. It is obvious that all cannot be correct. Two of them have to be wrong.
I pray this book will be a blessing to all who are struggling with this subject." (unquote)
Notice how Louis proves that numbers one and two are wrong according to the Bible.

This book can be read online at this link
AN ANALYTICAL STUDY OF WORDS
http://www.tentmaker.org/books/asw/index.html

ENJOY!

Eight interviews with Greek scholar Louis Abbott about his belief that the Bible teaches universal salvation (in eight parts)

Copy and paste the links into your browser.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJoNxjUAAi8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuoRnAsugew
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAsVTXJYEHY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_sblmYiX4I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bfx6tcwq3M4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iM5fSRDxVwg
http://tentmaker.org/video2/tag/athiest/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoWeKXdNhyg

ENJOY!

WHAT IF WE ARE WRONG
http://www.tentmaker.org/books/asw/Appendix5.html

[rodgertutt]

LOVE WINS

Here is an analogy that I got from Ray Prinzing (my earthly hero and mentor)

A man courts a lady by continually expressing his love for her week after week, both verbally, and by bringing her gifts.

If he stops trying to persuade her to marry him, he loses everything.
But if he never stops trying to convince her until she says yes, then he goes to her place, gathers up all the gifts he gave her AND HER, and takes them back to his place for the rest of their lives.

Human love sometimes fails to elicit a loving response, but God's divine love is not hampered by the limitations of human love.

Even if takes kolasis aionios (age-during corrective chastisement) which is a negative expression of His love, God will sooner or later elicit a loving response from everyone.

That is what I believe.
LOVE WINS
http://lovewins.us/388/an-analytical-study-of-words/

[rodgertutt]

LOYAL HURLEY

The age following The Great White Throne Judgment is sometimes called by theologians 'the age of consummation,' or 'the age of Jubilee,' or 'the age of the New Heaven and New Earth.'
By the time that age has ended, all fallen creatures will have been saved from everything from which they need to be saved, including their stubborn will.

A snippet from THE OUTCOME OF INFINITE GRACE – DR. LOYAL F. HURLEY
"Only as one sees God's Plan of the Ages do they see the beauty of God's Program for the redemption of the race.

Heb. 11:3 should read, "Through faith we understand that the ages were planned by the Word of God." The ages will collectively end. A literal translation of Heb. 9:26 is, 'But now, once for all, with a view to the end of the ages, has He been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.' (Alexander Thompson's translation)

Throughout the eons there is sin and evil, condemnation and death. At the end of the eons all will be justified (Rom. 5:18,19), and all will be reconciled through Christ's blood (Col. 1:20).

GOD'S PLAN FOR THE AGES OF TIME
THE EONS OF THE BIBLE WITH CONCORDANCE
http://www.saviourofall.org/Tracts/Eons2.html

[GodIsLove]

Rodger, I want you to know I really appreciate all of the "snippets" you share periodically! Its so valuable for people visiting the website and new members to read through all of your posts (and even veteran members)!

[darryl]

Even if takes kolasis aionios (age-during corrective chastisement) which is a negative expression of His love, God will sooner or later elicit a loving response from everyone.

That is what I believe.
LOVE WINS
http://lovewins.us/388/an-analytical-study-of-words/

me too...it's alot better'n believing the opposite !. :dsunny:

[rodgertutt]

MARTIN LUTHER

I like what Martin Luther said: "God forbid that I should limit the time of acquiring faith to the present life. In the depth of the Divine mercy there may be opportunity to win it in the future." (Martin Luther's letter to Hans von Rechenberg, 1522.)

In the conclusion of THE BONDAGE OF THE WILL, Martin Luther wrote
""Even according to the testimony of reason herself there can be no "Free-will"—in man,—in angel,—or in any creature!"
http://www.truecovenanter.com/truelutheran/luther_bow.html#conc

"FREE WILL"

A will in bondage to an enslaved mind is only "free" to choose what they prefer which is summed up in Romans 3:10-18. Until God intervenes and causes Jesus to be choice in their heart like He did for Saul of Tarsus, the sinner will always choose their own way rather than God's way unless they happen to coincide.

Gerry Beauchemin wrote
"Tradition has taught that God will not save a person against their will. I agree. However He has the power to orchestrate whatever circumstances are necessary to effect one's will to change.

Once a full revelation of God is received in the ages to come (Eph. 2:7), men will bow and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord just as Isaiah and Paul prophesied (Is. 45:21-25; Rom. 4:11; Ph. 2:9-11). Who would want to continue in active and persistent rebellion knowing God only wants what is best for them? Knowing the great goodness and love of God, along with the Holy Spirit working in their hearts, these hardened hearts must melt before His glorious being.

It is impossible that an omnipotent God can fail in His purpose so that some would forever resist unconditional love opting for everlasting pain. This would be totally irrational. And even if one were that irrational, such resistance would not arise out of a 'free' will, but an 'enslaved' will, a will in bondage to an enslaved mind."
GERRY BEAUCHEMIN

Here is a helpful article on the subject.
MAN IS NOT A FREE MORAL AGENT
http://www.godfire.net/eby/saviour_of_the_world.html

[rodgertutt]

MISCELLANEOUS QUOTES

"Now in the same manner as God has converted so many to Himself
without destroying their liberty, He can undoubtedly convert whole
nations, or the whole world. And it is as easy to Him to convert a
world as one individual soul." - John Wesley

"I frankly confess that, for myself, even if it could be, I should not
want free-will to be given me....But now that God has taken my salvation
out of the control of my own will, and put it under the control of
His, and promised to save me, not according to my working or running,
but according to His own grace and mercy, I have the comfortable
certainty that He is faithful and will not lie to me, and that He is
also great and powerful, so that no devils or opposition can break Him
or pluck me from Him." -Martin Luther

"for the power of "free-will" is nil, and it does no good, nor can do,
without grace. It follows, therefore, that "free-will" is obviously a
term applicable only to Divine Majesty; for only He can do, and does
(as the Psalmist sings) "whatever he wills in heaven and earth"
[Psalms 135:6]. If "free-will" is ascribed to men, it is ascribed with
no more propriety than divinity itself would be - and no blasphemy
could exceed that! So it befits theologians to refrain from using the
term when they want to speak of human ability, and to leave it to be
applied to God only." –Martin Luther

"God forbid that I should limit the time of acquiring faith to the
present life. In the depth of the Divine mercy there may be
opportunity to win it in the future... For the opinion that God could
not have created man to be rejected and cast away into eternal torment
is held among us also..." -Martin Luther, letter to Hans von Rechenberg,
1522

"How ironic that those who believe God will not violate the 'free'
will of man have no problem believing He will violate His own free
will—that all men should be saved!" - David Nuckols

"He does not save men by arbitrary force. He saves by their wills,
through moral influence. God has resources in his universe, the all
conquering agencies of love, to make the unwilling soul willing! He
has light enough to make the blind see, and love enough to melt the
hardened heart." -Quillen Hamilton Shinn

"The healthy man does not torture others." Carl Jung

"Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves." Confucius

"In order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be
present." Sir Francis Bacon

"Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls. The most massive
characters are seared with scars." Khalil Gibran

"There can be no good without evil." Russian proverb

"It is a wise father that knows his own child." William Shakespeare

"Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects
revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method
is love." Martin Luther King, Jr.

"I have always found that mercy bears richer fruit than strict
justice." Abraham Lincoln

"There is no lasting hope in violence, only temporary relief from
hopelessness." Kingman Brewster, Jr.

"All humanity is one undivided and indivisible family. I cannot detach
myself from the wickedest soul." Mahatma Ghandi

"Love feels no burden, thinks nothing of its trouble, attempts what is
above its strength, pleads no excuse for impossibility, for it thinks
all things are lawful for itself and all things are possible." Thomas
A. Kempis

"No man chooses evil because it is evil; he only mistakes it for
happiness, the good he seeks." Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

"What really raises one's indignation against suffering is not
suffering intrinsically, but the senselessness of suffering."
Frederich Nietzsche

"Adversity is like a strong wind. It tears away from us all but the
things that cannot be torn, so that we see ourselves as we truly are."
Arthur Golden

"I'm for truth no matter who tells it. I'm for justice no matter who
it's for or against." Malcolm X

[rodgertutt]

MOTIVATION

Philippians 1:15-18

"Some preach Christ because of envy and strife, and some of good will.
One preaches Christ out of contention, not sincerely, the other out of love.
What then, notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is being preached.
And I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice."

ETers and ANers preach Christ out of the false motivation that if they don't preach many will suffer forever in "hell" or be annihilated.
But even so, like Paul, I rejoice and, yea, I will rejoice that Christ is being preached.

KNOWING THE REAL JESUS
https://www.godfire.net/eby/godislove.html

[rodgertutt]

ETERNAL PUNISHMENT CHRISTIANS VERSUS ETERNAL PUNISHMENT MUSLIMS

As most Christians already know, millions of Christians believe that millions of Muslims (and all other non-Christians too) are going to suffer forever in hell.
They believe it because that's the way they were taught by their parents and by other people on whom they relied to tell them the truth.

What many Christians do not know is that millions of Muslims believe that millions of Christians (and all non-Muslims) are going to suffer forever in hell too.
And they also believe it because that's the way they were taught by their parents and by other people on whom they relied to tell them the truth
Quote from THE AFTER LIFE IN ISLAM
"Being a Muslim does not keep one out of Hell, but non-Muslims (kafir), however, will be punished eternally."
That is why they believe they are doing God's work when they make a project out of killing non-Muslim "infidels" if they refuse to convert to Islam.

I think the entire dichotomy is ridiculous!
I think that the idea of "eternal hell" may be the cause of more suffering on this earth than any other idea that exists.

In my opinion the greatest of all manifestations of God's grace in action on this earth is that anyone can believe that God will let anyone choose themselves into an inescapable state of everlasting suffering and not go insane thinking about it.

For anyone who is interested, the following is a very informative link
http://what-the-hell-is-hell.com/topics/hell-scholars-corner/

[rodgertutt]

GOD'S PLAN FOR THE AGES OF TIME

While believers are enjoying life eonian, unbelievers will experience kolasis eonian which means age-during corrective chastisement. When the corrective chastisement has been achieved in everyone who needs it, then both life eonian and chastisement eonian will come to an end and eternity will continue with everyone saved from everything from which they need to be saved, including their stubborn will.

A snippet from
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
http://www.saviourofall.org/Tracts/Eons2.html 

The age following The Great White Throne Judgment is sometimes called by theologians 'the age of consummation,' or 'the age of Jubilee,' or 'the age of the New Heaven and New Earth.'
By the time that age has ended, all fallen creatures will have been saved from everything from which they need to be saved, including their stubborn will.

A snippet from THE OUTCOME OF INFINITE GRACE – LOYAL F. HURLEY

"Only as one sees God's Plan of the Ages do they see the beauty of God's Program for the redemption of the race.

Heb. 11:3 should read, "Through faith we understand that the ages were planned by the Word of God." The ages will collectively end. A literal translation of Heb. 9:26 is, 'But now, once for all, with a view to the end of the ages, has He been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.'

Throughout the eons there is sin and evil, condemnation and death. At the end of the eons all will be justified (Rom. 5:18,19), and all will be reconciled through Christ's blood (Col. 1:20).

GOD'S PLAN FOR THE AGES OF TIME
THE EONS OF THE BIBLE WITH CONCORDANCE
http://www.saviourofall.org/Tracts/Eons2.html

[rodgertutt]

MUST AION MEAN ETERNAL? – PHILIP SCRANTON

"There are many texts in which aion and aionios cannot bear the meaning of eternity. And there are no texts in which the meaning of a limited period of time does not make reasonable sense. Our great loss is that when we ascribe the meaning of eternity to these words, we obliterate from view God's purpose of the eons. Further, the character of God is slandered, making Him the inflictor of incomprehensible woe.

It does not say that "all in Christ shall be made alive." It says, "in Christ shall all be made alive." The word for made alive means to be made immortal. After the great white throne, the unbelieving will participate in the second death – the lake of fire. Finally, at the consummation, when death is abolished, all will be made alive in Christ."

God is working all things after the counsel of His will and according to His perfect schedule. But the improper translation of "for the ages of the ages" ignores the purpose and climax of history. The holies of the holies (plural/plural) were the two inner confines of the tabernacle. They were more holy than the outer court and the camp and all the places outside the camp. In like manner, the ages of the ages are the two greatest ages of history because of what will transpire during their time. It does not cast the smallest shadow on the brilliance of God's glory to say that glory be attributed to Him during the climatic eons when His purpose will be realized by all and His glory seen more clearly than ever before."

[rodgertutt]

Jesus did not speak English, and neither were the scriptures written in English.

Jesus did not ever say the words "eternal life". In John 3:16 Jesus promises eonian life (greek: aionios zoe), which quite literally means something of which the horizon/end-point is not in view, but can more generally have the meaning of "pertaining to an age or ages" ie. age-abiding.

Do not confuse this with the idea of immortality - which is also a promise as shown by Paul in 1 Cor 15: 53-57. This is why all will be alive truly forever. Not because of eonian life, but because immortality is granted.

It has caused much confusion and travesty due to the way modern Christian tradition has munged the terms "eternal life" and "immortality".
There are many examples where the word eon and its Hebrew counter-part olam simply cannot mean literally "eternal" or "forever", yet the meaning is forced there when it is not warranted.

You can study this for yourself if you wish to honestly understand.

Christian Universalism understands what immortality is and what it means to put it on as scripture defines it. That does not change simply because Jesus was talking about an undetermined period of time.

ABOUT THE WORD AIONIOS
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

[rodgertutt]

A snippet from THE GREEK WORD AION – AIONIOS TRANSLATED EVERLASTING – ETERNAL IN THE HOLY BIBLE SHOWN TO DENOTE LIMITED DURATION – JOHN WESLEY HANSON

"The word aidios (not aionios) was in universal use among the non-Christian Greek Jews of our Savior's day, to convey the idea of eternal duration, and was used by them to teach endless punishment.

Jesus never allowed himself to use it in connection with punishment, nor did any of His disciples but one, and he but once, and then carefully and expressly limited its meaning. Can demonstration go further than this to show that Jesus carefully avoided the phraseology by which His contemporaries described the doctrine of endless punishment? Jesus never adopted the language of His day on this subject. Their language was aidios timoria, endless torment. His language was aionion kolasin, age-lasting correction. They described unending ruin, He, discipline, resulting in reformation."
See this link.
http://www.tentmaker.org/books/Aion_lim.html
See the first item under APPENDIX
AIDIOS – AN IMPORTANT WORD CONSIDERED

[rodgertutt]

My two favourite Bible verses
1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your care on Jesus because He cares for you.”
Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep him in perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on You because he trusts in You.”
If THE PURPOSE OF EVIL link below doesn’t open
copy and paste it into your browser and it will open.
It is the best writing on the subject that I have ever read!

MY BELIEFS IN A NUT SHELL IN TWO PARTS
1. Everything has to happen the way that it does including all attempts to assist or prevent it from happening.
(Most people regard that as common sense)

2. God is going to eventually change all suffering into something better for everyone that it happened.
(As a Christian universalist that is what I believe)

THE PURPOSE OF EVIL – A.P. Adams
http://thegloryrd.com:80/apadams/evil.html

[rodgertutt]

MY BELIEFS

I'm convinced that after we have thought the very best thoughts about God, we can be sure that He is even better than that because He is able to do above what we can even think, Ephesians 3:20. And IMHO I cannot think any higher thoughts than universal transformation.

I believe that after our resurrection from the dead God will eventually somehow transform every second of everyone's suffering into something better that it happened.
That includes both the unexplained and seemingly unjustifiable suffering that we all experience in varying degrees, as well as what the Bible calls "kolasis aionion" which means age-during corrective chastisement that everyone who needs it will experience.

I believe that God will eventually fit every unique individual into His master plan in a positive way that necessitates their unique temporary involvement in evil and suffering that will enable God to manifest, and glorify, and magnify the many facets of His character in a way that uniquely involves that person, and everyone else involved in that person's life too.
Then, after God has finished using evil and suffering for the reasons why He allowed them to temporarily exist, He will eradicate them from existence.

I believe that God has both the ability and the intention to save all fallen creatures from everything from which they need to be saved, and He will not fail to do so.

I believe that God's determination, within the wise counsel of His DECRETIVE will which is that which MUST occur, to eventually rid all of creation from suffering, will in every case, overcome the strongest will that is temporarily opposed to God's PRECEPTIVE will which is what His creatures OUGHT to do, e.g. THE GOLDEN RULE.

All evil eventually leads to good, however, God is the only One Who can do this. He created evil (Isaiah 45:7), to provide the contrast for good. When all good is revealed, then evil will be abolished from God's universe—forever.
THE PURPOSE OF EVIL – A.P. Adams (GOOD EXPOSITION)
http://thegloryrd.com:80/apadams/evil.html

I believe the only mistake that I am probably making is in grossly underestimating just how gloriously God will achieve this universal transformation through what Christ accomplished for everyone by His death and resurrection, through the power in the blood of his cross.
That is the kind of God that I see in the Bible.

Realizing that he is including everyone without exception, the following quote by Christian universalist Dr. Leslie Weatherhead nicely sums up what I believe. I've had it memorized for many years and love to quote it frequently.

"God's purposes are so vast and glorious, beyond all guessing now, that when they are achieved and consummated, all our sufferings and sorrows of today, even the agonies that nearly break our faith, the disasters that well nigh overwhelm us, shall, seen from that fair country where God's age long dreams come true, bulk as little as bulk now the pieces of a broken toy upon a nursery floor, over which, thinking that all our little world was in ruins, we cried ourselves to sleep."

THE COROLLARY TO MY BELIEFS
For me the corollary to my belief in universal transformation is just as important as the belief itself.
The corollary is that when the chips are down and I am overwhelmed by life's negatives to the point where I can't make my wonderful theology work for me in a practical way, yet even that sorry state of affairs is something that God will eventually transform into something better for me that it temporarily prevailed.

[rodgertutt]

MYTHS - Kenneth Larsen

"...they will be turning their hearing away from the truth, yet will be turned aside to myths." 2 Tim. 4:4

Scripture: "And if you are loving those loving you, what thanks [grace] is it to you? For sinners also are loving those loving them. And if you should be doing good to those doing good to you, what thanks [grace] is it to you? For sinners also are doing the same. And if you should ever be lending to those from whom you are expecting to get back, what thanks [grace] is it to you? For sinners also are lending to sinners, that they may get back the equivalent. Moreover, be loving your enemies, and be doing good, and be lending, expecting nothing from them, and your wages will be vast in the heavens, and you will be sons of the Most High, for He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked." Luke 6:32-35.
Myth: "God expects something from us (to exercise our free will) before His grace will be of any benefit to us. God loves His enemies, and will give the most ungrateful and wicked among them the wages of sin (death) forever."

Scripture: "For to vanity was the creation subjected, not voluntarily, but because of Him Who subjects it, in expectation that the creation itself, also, shall be freed from the slavery of corruption into the glorious freedom of the children of God." Romans 8:20, 21.
Myth: "Satan and Adam subjected the creation to vanity. The creation will be freed from the slavery of corruption by the Almighty, by granting incorruptibility to a few, and annihilating the rest."

Scripture: "...Not one is seeking out God. All avoid Him..." "Consequently, then, it is not of him who is willing, nor of him who is racing, but of God, the Merciful." Romans 3:11, 12; 9:16.
Myth: "Seek God and you'll be saved. Your salvation depends on how you exercise your free will. If you're lost, it will be your own fault."

Scripture: "For God locks up all together in stubbornness, that He should be merciful to all." Romans 11:32
Myth: "It was Lucifer's doing, and Adam's. God is merciful to all us humans because He gives us a chance to escape the consequences of their sins."

Scripture: "and through Him to reconcile all to Him (making peace through the blood of His cross), through Him, whether those on the earth or those in the heavens. And you, being once estranged and enemies in comprehension, by wicked acts, yet now He reconciles" Colossians 1:20, 21.
Myth: "God wishes He could reconcile all the estranged on earth and in the heavens, but He has to have cooperation from those on earth; He can't do it alone. As for those estranged in the heavens, they're hopeless."

[rodgertutt]

THE NARROW DOOR AND MANY CALLED BUT FEW CHOSEN

The language is entirely confined to the present.
"Lord, are there few that be 'saved'?" The literal rendering is: "Are those being saved few?" The question relates entirely to the number then, at that time that were entering the narrow door and accepting Christ. Also, many were called to accept Christ through the apostolic preaching of that time period, but few were chosen by way of their acceptance of that call.

What it does not mean is that anyone will suffer eternal torment or be annihilated; because we know that sooner or later God will have (wants if you like) all men to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4)
It is God's "pleasure" that all mankind be saved.
And "God is operating all in accord with the counsel of His will" (Ephesians 1:11).

Change it to read "in accord with the counsel of what He wants if you like.
Because God says
"My counsel shall stand.
I will do all my pleasure
(the saving of all mankind is part of the pleasure that God wants)
Yea I have spoken it.
I will also bring it to pass.
I have purposed it.
I will also do it."
Isaiah 46:10,11

Job 23:13 "But he stands alone, and who can oppose Him?
He does whatever he pleases.
(the saving of all mankind is part of what He wants that pleases Him).

Isaiah 55:11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
(the saving of all mankind is part of all of which God desires or wants)

So we see God does all His pleasure, He does whatever He pleases, and His word accomplishes that which He desires.
His pleasure, that which He desires and pleases Him is what He wants.

His will = What He wants
What does He want?
THE SALVATION OF ALL MANKIND
Why will it happen?
Because God Himself will see to it that it gets done.

Any cooperation towards our salvation is the result, not the cause of God laying hold on us by His saving grace and causing Jesus to be "choice" in our heart, just like it was in the case of Lydia and Saul of Tarsus.

[rodgertutt]

NOT EVERYONE – Matt. 7:21

If these words were taken literally, then no one at all would enter the kingdom of Heaven because, at least for a period of time EVERYONE doesn't do the will of the Father.
According to Rom. 3:10-18 EVERYONE starts out in the condition described in those verses.

All that Jesus meant by that statement is that NO UNREPENTANT SINNER will ever enter the kingdom of Heaven.

But we know that a time is coming when there will be no unrepentant sinners left in existence.

We know this because God "will have all men to be saved" (1 Timothy 2:4)
It is God's "pleasure" that all mankind be saved.
And "God is operating all in accord with the counsel of His will" (Ephesians 1:11).

Change it to read "in accord with the counsel of what He wants" if you like.
Because God says
"My counsel shall stand.
I will do all my pleasure
(the saving of all mankind is part of the pleasure that God wants)
Yea I have spoken it.
I will also bring it to pass.
I have purposed it.
I will also do it."
Isaiah 46:10,11

Job 23:13 "But He stands alone, and who can oppose Him?
He does whatever he pleases.
(the saving of all mankind is part of what He wants that pleases Him).

Isaiah 55:11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
(the saving of all mankind is part of all of which God desires or wants)

So we see God does all His pleasure, He does whatever He pleases, and His word accomplishes that which He desires.
His pleasure, that which He desires and pleases Him is what He wants.

His will = What He wants
What does He want?
THE SALVATION OF ALL MANKIND
Why will it happen?
Because God Himself will see to it that it gets done.

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.

[marie glen]

 :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

.... :Chinscratch: just the other day I was reading in Ephesians 1, in the interlinear.. verses 9 and 10 -

9 - And He has made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ -

http://biblehub.com/interlinear/ephesians/1-9.htm

- His "will" - G2307. theléma ► will, often referring to God's "preferred-will," i.e. His "best-offer" - I thought that was interesting.. not only His will - which who or what can oppose? but also His preferred or top will (lol) - top priority?

9,10 - And He has made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment--to bring all things in heaven and on earth together in Christ.
-- http://biblehub.com/interlinear/ephesians/1-10.htm - the word "all"
- G3956 pas: all, every, the whole - http://biblehub.com/greek/3956.htm

And how "good pleasure" is the word "eudokia" (G2107)good pleasure, also good will -

10 Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger."
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
14 "Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill (eudokias-G2107) toward men.."

[rodgertutt]

NOTHING gives me greater pleasure than to guide people to the reasons why I see an infinitely different God in the Bible than the one I was taught in the several different eternal punishment churches I attended during years gone by and in the Bible school from which I graduated. I'm 79 years old.

CHRIST TRIUMPHANT - Thomas Allin
http://www.tentmaker.org/books/ChristTriumphant.htm

CHRIST TRIUMPHANT - Thomas Allin
http://www.tlchrist.info/filealin.htm

[rodgertutt]

NOW IS "A" DAY OF SALVATION
(not "the" day of salvation)

http://www.auburn.edu/~allenkc/today.html

[rodgertutt]

125 NUTS

In my opinion, this book blows the theological ship of the Calvinists clean out of the water.

A snippet from 125 NUTS FOR CALVINISTS TO CRACK – C.R. Bierbower
(another book in my hard copy UR library)

"Although a Calvinist myself for more than thirty years, the scriptures declaring God's infinite love, and the plain teachings of Jesus my Lord on the subject of love, mercy and truth, finally sank my theological ship. This left me searching for the truth as it is in Jesus. Finally I was convinced by the overwhelming number of Scriptures that our great God and Heavenly Father truly does, without partiality, love the whole world, and He will in His own time and in His own way finally reconcile all men unto Himself.

Arminianism and Calvinism both represent each other as the method for God's work in salvation, and both vigorously reject the final reconciliation of all men. It is my purpose in this book to point out to my Calvinistic brethren the inconsistency of their interpretation of Scripture."

And IMO, C.R. does a very good job of pointing out the inconsistency of the Calvinist interpretation of Scripture."

[rodgertutt]

Calvinism, Arminianism, or Christian Biblical Universalism

Which view of salvation is true?

Two good expositions specifically answering that question!

ABSOLUTE ASSURANCE IN JESUS CHRIST – Charles Slagle
http://www.sigler.org/slagle/absolute.htm 

THE LAW OF CIRCULARITY – J.Preston Eby
http://www.godfire.net/eby/circularity.html