THE PATHFINDER

Publication #23

DISRUPTING THE FOUNDATIONS

(Part 6)

DEATH AND HELL
HELL AND THE LAKE OF FIRE
THE OUTCOME OF JUDGMENT BY FIRE

"NOT DISRUPTING AGAIN THE FOUNDATIONS OF...ETERNAL JUDGMENT"..."And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it...And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened...and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. and death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death." (Heb. 6:1-2, Rev. 20:11-14).

In the above verses we have the admonition to NOT DISRUPT AGAIN THE FOUNDATIONS OF..."ETERNAL JUDGMENT" as the Hebrews had done and we are so prone to do, and then in symbolic terms we are told a little about this particular foundation. In Part V of this series we covered some of these aspects, and hopefully, we will be able to conclude these thoughts in this study.

Although eternal judgment is a basic, foundational doctrine that every Christian should have understanding of, it appears to be the contrary. Man has either disrupted this foundation altogether by laying their own, which sometimes consist largely of ancient Greek and Roman myths, or they have swung to the other side of the pendulum and esteemed it as being the capstone of God's temple. Either way, there needs to be some clarity brought to men's minds concerning this foundation. Hopefully, we will be able to see some things herein that will bear witness to the Spirit and in turn will encourage us on to greater things in Christ. If not, then please, seek out and delve into the things the Lord is dealing with you about; but do remember this, without all the foundational doctrines of Christ being FIRMLY laid in our lives, we will not be able to stand the shakings when they come, and "eternal" judgment is named as one of the foundations that God's temple is built upon. Let us examine some of these aspects:

DEATH AND HELL

"And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. AND DEATH AND HELL WERE CAST INTO THE LAKE OF FIRE. This is the second death." (Rev. 20:13-14). The underlined words are omitted in Vatican manuscript #1160, so let us read it as such: "And the sea gave up the dead which were in it...AND DEATH AND HELL WERE CAST INTO THE LAKE OF FIRE." If indeed that phrase was not in the original letter John had written, it would indicate all realms of death, hell being one of them, abide in and are found IN THE DEAD SEA OF HUMANITY.

In times past we have had visions of the bodies of the dead being reformed (every atom and molecule in its original place) and rising up out of three distinct areas (the sea, the graves, and "hell") to stand in judgment before God; and then to be cast into hell to be tormented or to resume their torment forever. This would be a logical conclusion if we take these words as the Authorized version and other translations have it to be accurate and literal, rather than realizing, not only are there many translated errors in our modern versions of the Bible, but the book of Revelation is one of SYMBOLIC keys. Revelation 1:1 gives us the first key of understanding this book, "...And He sent and SIGNIFIED (SIGN-i-fied) it by His angel..."

Signified indicates the things spoken of in this book are SIGNS or SYMBOLS that testify of the actual thing; such as, those who overcome shall be "PILLARS" in the temple of God (Rev. 3:12) speaks of a CHARACTERISTIC of the overcomers (strong, supportive & resting upon the foundation of Christ). The rider with "THE SWORD" coming out of His mouth (Rev. 19:15) is referring to the WORD OF GOD rather than a literal sword, etc. etc. With this, it makes it a little easier to understand the MANY WATERS, LAKE, and the SEAS, as mentioned in this book, are pointing to something greater in scope than the natural waters and seas of the world. Revelation 17:15 is the verse that gives us the meaning to these words: "The WATERS which thou sawest...are PEOPLES, and NATIONS, and TONGUES." Therefore, I believe it is safe to conclude, the salty waters from which the dead are coming is the SEA of HUMANITY and, of course, the dead from this sea are cast into the fiery lake of God's people!

I believe we would be accurate in saying, these DEAD ONES are like the ones Jesus referred to when He told the man who wanted to follow Him but after his father had died and he buried him, "Let the DEAD bury the DEAD..." (Lk. 9:60). In the eyes of Jesus, which was that of the Spirit, He saw the ones carrying the corpse to the grave were just as dead as the one they were to bury. The reason was, they did not possess the living Spirit of God, which constitutes the only real life there is -- everything else is dead in comparison. This realm of death is referred to in Ezekiel 18:20 as a result of missing the mark, "The soul that sinneth shall die;" and Paul said that everyone, at one time or another, falls into this category: "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23). Can we then reason that everyone is or at least has been a part of the sea which contains death and hell?

The whole world of people is like a moving, churning, wind blown, mass of salty, dead sea water that is never stable -- unlike the mighty sea of God, THE SEA OF GLASS MINGLED WITH FIRE, whose judgment causes all nations to come and worship before Him (Rev. 15:2-4) -- even THE LAKE OF FIRE! In the sea of death, every vain breeze that blows from the spirit of the world entices humanity by playing upon the weaknesses of man with all manner of temptations. They are continually seeking to satisfy the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. These temptations are induced by the ever changing winds of soulish suggestions to their wavering minds. It is certainly from this sea that DEATH and HELL are taken and judged in the balance of the righteous equity of God. Yes, dear ones, the sea of all ages will give up the dead (the visible, natural death) and hell (the invisible, spiritual death) that are in it. Death, that last enemy, will be openly revealed and destroyed to never rise again (I Cor. 15:26). Even hell, the invisible realm of death, where all manner of evil works, will be revealed when the books of peoples lives are opened to be read, and God's corrective judgment will then be administered accordingly.

Almost everyone skips over this part about HELL being cast into THE LAKE OF FIRE when teaching on the subject of God's judgments. One reason is probably due to HELL being one of the most abused words of the Bible. Contrary to popular belief, hell is not synonymous to the lake of fire, although those who are in this realm of death might certainly be in torment. We will not have a word study, but suffice it to simply give its definition and proceed from there. The Greek word HADES that HELL is commonly translated from (SHEOL in the Hebrew) simply means, "UNSEEN STATE of departed souls" (Strong's Exhaustive Conc. & Young's Analytical Conc.), "INVISIBLE" (The Diaglott), and some others have rendered it "GRAVE."

We could say the bodies laying in the graves are invisible to the natural eye, and we would not be wrong in saying this is hell or hades, but in the Spirit of truth, we understand this has a much greater meaning to it than that of the grave. Hell, in the context of Revelation 20:13 is not something physical and merely out of sight, but it is INVISIBLE, IMPERCEPTIBLE, UNSEEN to the natural eye, and not because of its location but because IT IS SPIRITUAL. Hades is not the realm of the natural but of the spirit, and spirit can not be seen with the natural eye nor can it be perceived by the natural mind. It is only when the spirit, whether good or evil, is expressed through a physical body is it seen and perceived by men of flesh.

The kingdom of God is also in the realm of the invisible, and it is in this realm, the HIDDEN REALM of the SPIRIT, that the awesome power of the Spirit of God blows as the wind, comes down as rain, or burns like fire. Therein is where the Son's of God become one with His Spirit and move and have their being. Therefore, since the invisible realm is their element, they are able to break down the gates of HELL, enter into that realm of the UNSEEN and loose those who were appointed to death and are held captive by the spirit of the evil one, and these prisoners will emphatically be led into the glorious liberty of the children of God as a result of being born of His Spirit. (Gen. 22:17, Ps. 102:18-20, I Pt. 3:19, Eph. 4:8 & Rom 8:19-21). Yes, dear ones, there will be a surrender of all mankind to Christ and genuine salvation for them when the clarion call is heard by those of all ages past, present, and future: "Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in." (Ps. 24:7). It matters not if those gates are that of men's closed minds to their darkened hearts, or if it is the gates that now separate us from the spirits of those who have departed and are reserved in unbreakable chains of darkness (Mt. 16:18 & Jude 6) -- they shall prevail only until the time of their judgment by fire that ultimately turns men to everlasting salvation .

HELL AND THE LAKE OF FIRE

It has been widely accepted and taught that HELL and THE LAKE OF FIRE are one and the same, as we had mentioned earlier. One of the reasons is probably due to GEHENNA PUROS of Matthew 5:22 (KJV) being translated HELL FIRE, and in all the other places Gehenna is found, it has likewise been rendered hell. Hell is our English word for hades, and to say Gehenna also means hell is an injustice to the principles of translating languages. Regardless of how the concept originated, the thought has no foundation to substantiate it -- the fact is, hell and the lake of fire are not even remotely the same. If indeed, they were, then we would have to strike out Revelation 20:14 (along with others) from the pages of our Bibles, which reads, "And death and HELL were cast INTO THE LAKE OF FIRE. This is the second death." HELL, the UNSEEN realm of the DEATH is cast INTO THE LAKE OF FIRE -- a lake that burns with God-fire (brimstone, KJV). Think about it for a moment...if they were synonymous, there would be no way for hell to be cast into itself; however, being that it is something different than the lake of fire, it is a simple matter for it to be cast into the other.

We have been told that this SECOND DEATH is an eternal separation from God, but if people would give it some serious consideration, I believe they would have to expel such a thought from their minds, and the sooner the better. The basic truth of the matter is, one cannot be separated from God if he is in the very midst Him, and David made this clear in Psalms 139:8, "If I make my bed in hell (Heb. sheol, Grk. hades), behold THOU ART THERE." People are not eternally separated from God in hades, and even at the great white throne judgment they find themselves consciously engulfed by Him in the lake of spiritual fire which is called the second death.

Incidentally, this realm of God called death must of necessity be a destroyer of something due to its definition. Therefore, let us consider the following thought:

The FIRST DEATH, which was initiated by Adam, destroyed LIFE, while the SECOND DEATH (LIFE), which was initiated by JESUS, destroys DEATH. Jesus came and "turned the tables." He consummated the reversal of everything the first Adam instituted, and in symbolic terminology He had this to say about the second death: "I am come to send FIRE ON THE EARTH, and what will I, if it be already kindled?" (Lk. 12:49). And indeed, He did come and send fire on the earth, but not as eternal hell fire as it has been supposed. For an account of this fire that has already been poured out for almost 2000 years, read Luke 12:49-56. It is recorded here that such a fire would not be administered until after His own death and resurrection, and it would be at that time when it would commence rather than eons down the road of time.

Many today are not only putting God's judgment fires off into the future, but they have the same attitude and poor vision as that of James and John when a certain Samaritan village would not receive Jesus, which was to destroy them by calling flaming fire down out of heaven the way Elijah did (Lk. 9:52-54). Rather than moving according to their desires and expectations, He rebuked them, saying, "Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is NOT come to DESTROY men's lives, but TO SAVE THEM." (Lk. 9:55-56). Oh yes, He will baptize the whole world with fire, and has already been doing it as mentioned above, but this fire is not to destroy men's lives or to roast them in a literal fire forever; but He came to SAVE MEN, and that He did and will continue to do until all which was lost is found and saved (See parables in Luke 15) -- yet so as by fire (I Cor. 3:15). The Firstfruits are to be delivered first, then those who are His at His coming, and finally the end rank (I Cor. 15:22-23).

I John 4:14 also testifies of this truth by declaring "...that the Father sent the Son to be the SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD." It is also recorded. -- "So shall My WORD be that goeth forth out of My mouth: It (He) shall not return unto Me void, but it will accomplish that which I please, and prosper in the thing whereto I SENT IT." (Is. 55:11). And is it not also written of JESUS that HE is THE WORD (Jn. 1:1)? Therefore, since He was SENT TO BE THE SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD, and the WORD that comes forth from God will always accomplish what pleases Him and what it was sent to do...Do we for a minute believe Jesus will fail in what He was sent as the WORD to do? And since God SO LOVED THE WORLD He gave His only begotten Son (Jn. 3:16), and as we all should know, LOVE NEVER FAILS (I Cor. 13:8), then can we not conclude His purpose will eventually be manifested? If this is true, and it is, how can we look someone in the eye and tell them it is not so?

Brethren, it is time to stop lying to ourselves and to the world and to stop worrying about our "good" reputations and start telling it like it is -- namely, that Jesus and our Father are not failures, and neither are they unforgiving, sadistic, eternal tormenters. But let it be known, GOD IS THE ONE who IS LOVE (I Jn. 4:8), the One who WILL HAVE ALL MEN TO BE SAVED (I Tim. 2:4), the One who WORKS ALL THINGS AFTER THE COUNSEL OF HIS OWN WILL (Eph. 2:11), and the One who IS THE SAVIOUR OF ALL MEN (I Tim. 4:10)! -- YET, SO AS BY FIRE!!! (I Cor. 3:15).

THE OUTCOME OF JUDGMENT BY FIRE

"And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea." When our minds have ascended by Christ from the earth (natural) and into the heavens (the Spirit), even as John when he saw and wrote of these things, and when we do not have a chapter break between the verses quoted, we can see the intent of the writer a little more clearly. To insure a continuing thought of the subject matter, we notice the conjunction AND is the first word in Rev. 21:1. This keeps everything tied together, rather than ending chapter 20 with most of humanity locked in the lake of fire and not seeing the ultimate outcome of its work.

Since AND was used to continue the thought, we can determine the NEW HEAVEN and the NEW EARTH is a direct result of the LAKE OF FIRE. Not only that, but everything down to verse six is also a result of these holy fires of God being applied to people's lives.

Symbolically speaking, the new heaven and earth speak of the renewed heaven and earth of man himself (his spirit and soul and his earthy body). This happens from being subjected to the corrective judgment of God. "...No more sea" would indicate the state of being of the masses (having had no sure foundation of Christ) have been done away with; for when God's great judgment by fire finally comes to a close, the whole world will have found their everlasting end in Christ Jesus and will be firmly secured in Him forever.

It goes on to say that Jerusalem has also become new and prepared as a bride for her husband. In this new condition, as a result of the lake of fire, she is then worthy to come down from God out of the realm of the heavens as a PURified vessel to be manifested to the world in all her radiant glory. And this time it will be without the fig leaves of her self-sewn religion that had formerly covered her nakedness.

Verse three continues on with what happens because of the lake of fire -- God is now able to tabernacle (dwell) with men. They are His people and He is their God, for the PURging fires have changed them.

"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and THERE SHALL BE NO MORE DEATH [Remember? Death was cast into the lake of fire], neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away. And He that sat upon the throne said, behold, I make ALL THINGS NEW..." (Verse 4 & 5). Note, He did not say, I make all new things, but He will make ALL THINGS NEW! God is not going to create new things, and do away with the old, but He will take what He has already made and make them new; and again, this is accomplished in and by the transforming fire of His Spirit.

"And He said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end..." In plain English He is saying, IT IS DONE, IT IS FINISHED, I HAVE ACCOMPLISHED WHAT MY FATHER SENT ME TO DO." Yes, dear ones, He is the author and finisher of our faith -- what He starts He will finish -- we can count on that. "...I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely." (Verse 6). What would make ones soul thirst for the Spiritual water of life more than anything? FIRE! And once a person has been in the fire long enough (for an AGE), the new person he is transformed into will then desire this water of life, and the flaming Word of God will suddenly become as a refreshing rain in due season. Where there was once a searing pain to the soul, the Spirit and Word will be as the healing balm of Gilead, to no more expose sin but to reveal the glory of God through the new creation of the Holy Spirit.

Verses 7 and 8 are not speaking of an eternal condition of carnal minded men but is a merely recap of Revelation 20:4-15: The overcomers who sat on thrones of judgment inherit all things, and not only will God be their God, but they shall be THE SONS OF GOD! "But the fearful [There are many spiritual cowards today who are held captive by the chains of the religious system, fearing to even consider there might be something greater], and unbelieving [having faith in man & their doctrines but not in that of the Spirit of Christ who should be their Lord], and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers [those impregnating souls with spirits and doctrines other than Christ's], and sorcerers [those mixing religious doctrines and lies into potions that stupefy and addict], and idolaters [those who worship God according to their imaginations rather than in Spirit and in Truth], and ALL LIARS [the ones who speak and teach that which is not true], shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."

ALL LIARS shall have their part in the lake of fire. Who, we now ask, is lying in reference to God's "ETERNAL" JUDGMENT, not to mention other teachings? Is it me and others who teach the same as I do, or is it the ones who maintain God's wrath is eternal and the flames to be literal? One thing for certain, whoever the liars are will most surely have their part in the lake of fire. We only pray the fire will come now and prove us and our works, so where ever there is a loss, there can be a rebuilding before the great inheritance of all things is lost. We will either be the conquering rulers in the kingdom of God, coming forth as brimstone, or we will be those who are over-ruled and suffer great loss. Let us, therefore, examine ourselves and see if we are truly pressing toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Phil. 3:14). If this is not the mark we aspire to, then it is by default the philosophies of men and petty kingdoms we seek, and they will most surely dissolve away when they are subjected to the fervent heat of God when He appears with flaming glory in all His Sons of choosing?

We mentioned earlier that many of those who are seeing this wonderful truth of ETERNAL (AIONION) JUDGMENT, which is only one of the FOUNDATIONS, have erred in thinking this teaching is perhaps the capstone of God's building. Perhaps with the actual performance and consummation of all men being saved is the capstone, but the revelation of it alone and the processing (judgment) is certainly not. Therefore, we need to understand there is no revelation worth anything to us, or to anyone else for that matter, unless we can put it into effect, so let us be diligent in learning how to perform the things we have had the privilege of seeing.

On the other hand, the vast majority have never even heard this word, and many of those who have heard it have rejected it. This rejection has been because of a number of things: fear of being deceived or loosing their reputation among men, hardness of heart, vindictiveness, traditions, spiritual blindness and deafness, etc. Whatever the reasons, the feeble castles made of Greek and Roman fables will definitely come tumbling down when everything is shaken and tested with fire (Heb. 12:25-29). For you see, the people have errantly rejected not just a teaching, but a living Word which is one of the very foundations and stepping stones to much greater things in the building of God.

If this is the stand certain ones choose to take, believing and teaching an "eternal hell," we shall not contend with them, for theological sword clashings only lend to weary us all and keeps us from building the peaceable habitations of God -- His Holy Temple. However, what we will do is to continue trumpeting the Word of truth to all those who have an ear to hear, as these are the ones the Pathfinder is sincerely written to. We will declare and confirm that JESUS CHRIST CAME TO SAVE THE WORLD, and He will not cease from drawing all mankind to Himself until He ACTUALLY DOES become THE SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD. We will also continue to declare, that fire is one of the primary means He uses to accomplish this awesome work of universal salvation. He salts the Sons first with the fire of Himself, the Bride next at His appearing through His body of Sons, and then the rest of the world.

We should search out and embrace in our hearts the truth that the Sons of God will be made perfect by the living fires of God, and they in turn will become the flaming conquerors who sit upon the many thrones which make up the GREAT WHITE THRONE from which to judge the world of men and angels. This judgment, of course, will be by THE HOLY FIRE OF GOD, which is His WORD as FIRE and HIS MINISTERS AS FLAMING FIRE. When the Sons of God speak, their words will penetrate into the darkest corner of a man's heart and kindle a fire that cannot be quenched. It will burn anything and everything that can be consumed. And when the age of "ETERNAL" (AIONION) JUDGMENT has come to the END (Jesus being the END OF ALL THINGS), we will see ALL THINGS MADE NEW, for there will be NO MORE DEATH and NO MORE CURSE (Rev. 22:3). DEATH will have been swallowed up in VICTORY, and all creation will be heard, saying, "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" (I Cor. 15:54-55).

These things, brethren, we shall herald from the house tops (Mt.10:27), and continue to do so, until we see EVERY KNEE bowing and hear EVERY TONGUE confessing that JESUS CHRIST IS THEIR LORD to the GLORY OF GOD THEIR FATHER. (Phil. 2:10-11). Can you say AMEN to that? If so, then say it -- AMEN!!!

When the thought of the above lesson on AIONION JUDGMENT is fully grasped, it will then be seen that the LAKE OF FIRE is the primary thing God uses to bring SALVATION TO ALL MANKIND. As magnificent as this purpose of God is, it is common for people to oppose things that are different than the way they believe. It is the exception to find someone who is open to "revolutionary" ideas, especially if they are contrary to tradition. Those who are open and embrace them are rarely accepted among the social and religious circles, for they don't fit in, they are nonconformists. But that's all right, for Jesus was also a nonconformist. He never bowed to the man's traditions and was killed because of it. We are seeing the same thing happening to others who stand for truths that expose man's religious folly. An excellent example of this is contained in a letter written in the late 1800s to J.W. Brite from Andrew Jukes of Woolwich, England, author of THE RESTITUTION OF ALL THINGS, who was 80 years old at the time. In an extract of his letter about the criticisms he received on his book, he wrote:

"...When it was printed, not only the religious magazines generally, but even some of my best and oldest friends, condemned me. I was charged by one dear soul with not believing the Bible, and denying the 'atonement,' and I know not what else; and a dear and honored brother in Christ, when he heard that I had been invited to a conference of Christian brethren in Switzerland, said, that if I was permitted to be present, or to take a part, he would not attend the meeting.

"I need not speak of things like this, I only refer to them to tell you to fear none of these things. The 'Truth' is stronger than all lies. If it is misrepresented and condemned and slain, it yet will rise again. Christ is the Truth, and he must go conquering and to conquer, and must reign till all his enemies are subject to him."

Things haven't changed much, have they? It is sad that there are those who are supposed to be examples of Christian love are sometimes the ones who breed fear and even hatred in the hearts of others. A few months ago, we were asked not to attend a certain church, because some of the people were afraid we would infect them with what we believed -- not realizing such an infection of God's infinite love would be one of the most pleasant and rewarding things a person could possess.

We have heard people say, and evidently without much thought at all, "If all mankind will eventually be saved, then the death of Jesus was in vain." To me, statements such as this defies all logic and is one of the most absurd responses to the work of the cross and life of Jesus a person could possibly make; for the very purpose of Him dying on the cross was to make atonement for the sins of the whole world and to bring them all into Himself so they too can live. Think about it, He did not go to the cross so only two percent of the creation could be saved, but He died so all would find their place in Him. Therefore, to say He died in vain if all are saved is ludicrous. The truth of the matter is, if they are not eventually saved, then, and only then, will He have died in vain; but we know the Word of God (JESUS) will not return void, for He will ultimately prosper in the thing He was sent to do (Isa. 55:11).

It never ceases to amaze me, that when one is called of God to reflect upon His love and intent for mankind, saying He will not lose even one man to an eternal hell, some people are quick to condemn these messengers of peace to the infamous Dante's inferno of man's own making. In effect, what they are saying, "If you love and say God is a god of infinite love, then we will hate you with infinite hate and condemn you to the eternal flames that you deserve even for wanting to free humanity from their 'just' rewards." This may not be their exact words, but this is in effect what they seem to be saying and is apparently the spirit of their thoughts when they condemn another for seeing and declaring this truth concerning God's love. We have seen people will go out of their way to crucify the angels of mercy with subtle innuendoes and horror tales of how such teachings breed immorality, and God only knows what else is said that would bring discredit to anyone associated with the doctrine. They have made excuses for their god of eternal torment, which keeps the majority of humanity wrapped in the unforgiving flames of what might be their own desires. The sky is the limit to what men's minds can come up with, but even so, God's truths will remain and will come to be a reality regardless of what men assume to be true.

One common argument against the eventual salvation of all, sometimes called Ultimate Reconciliation (U.R), it is said, the doctrine is not a new one, that it has been around since the first century, and the Church has always dispelled it and have kept it out of their ranks. I can agree, it certainly has been around for a long time, but so has the teachings of salvation through faith by the grace of God, baptism of the Holy Spirit, the resurrection of the dead, to mention only a few. Does this mean that these other doctrines are not true, just because they are not new revelations? Of course not! And neither should this be the criteria to judge and condemn U.R. as being a false doctrine.

Another means to discredit this thought is to link it with Universalism, saying they are one and the same. From what I know about Universalism, it sounds like the people who teach it have had some insight to God's plan and purpose for His creation but are lacking in the Spirit of the word. Therefore, many of them do not see God as a god of judgment, One who will correct mankind through the work of Christ as fire in their lives. They seem to see the end result without having a vision of the process that brings them to that destination. Their concept leans in the direction of humanism rather than the power of God through the Spirit of Christ. They may say it is Christ that is transforming them, but from what I see, it is the soul they are confusing as being that of the Spirit. If this is the case, they are only becoming better "Adams" rather than a new creation. Their concept of mankind not burning in a literal lake of fire throughout eternity is good, but their vision of the means toward that end I believe to be faulty. Therefore, to say Ultimate Reconciliation is the same as Universalism, and to use such a premise for rejecting it, is not a very firm foundation to make a stand on.

From my experience with most of those who oppose U.R., they have apparently never objectively searched out the matter; but rather, their research has been on a subjective note. That is, rather than looking into this teaching with the thought that it may be true and then actively reading, studying, and giving adequate time to see if it is, they have primarily used research material that is already opposed to the thought -- this is usually the sum of their research. Therefore, their findings have been subjected to the negative books concerning this teaching rather than from an objective view point.

I am no different and I confess, it is not always easy to be objective with our beliefs, especially when we are comfortable in them, but I believe we owe it to God, to humanity, and to ourselves to strive to be objective and always open to the teachings that come to us, no matter how old or new they are. Even the teachings of Eternal Hell, I suggest we study the material that supports them along with those of Ultimate Reconciliation until the Spirit of Christ solidifies one or the other as the truth -- and then we should be willing to change if need be if and when new light is shed on the subject. With that, we will at least know why we believe what we do, rather than just taking someone's word for it or because it makes us feel good. -- God bless you all in your endeavors.

Elwin R. Roach

Home | Elwin's Directory | Margit's Directory | Other Links

To to receive our monthly studies in booklet form write to:

The Pathfinder
Elwin & Margit Roach
PO Box 4004
Alamogordo, NM 88311-4004