ULTIMATE RECONCILIATION
THIS recent article published in the monthly, “Thy Kingdom Come” defines an error of assumption, and comes at a time when Universalism and its attendant multiculturalism and diversity are being promoted as basic to our Faith. One aspect of Universalism is the issue of the “Restoration of all things” doctrine which is applied to all, ignoring the fact that its focus is upon Israel: its restoration and reawakening in today’s world as was originally noted in Isaiah 11:11,
“And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people which shall be left…”
The words of Acts 3:17-21 are used as justification for this universal restoration of all things doctrine, especially verse 21, but most promoters ignore the 2nd part of this verse that directs attention to the OT prophets whose comments are aimed solely at a restoration of Israel. It may be that the KJV and other translations, are corrupted texts, as the Ferrar Fenton Bible does not contain the words, “restoration of all things,” so it may be that this comment has been added by the Translators of the KJV and subsequent translations.
The term “Ultimate Reconciliation” identifies a doctrinal position that many within the worldwide Christian Israel movement are still unfamiliar with. It is the belief that every single person who has ever lived will eventually come to salvation, God’s kingdom, and everlasting life.
People holding to this interpretation of Scripture admit that only a minority have found salvation, through Christ’s blood, in this world age. They agree that participants in the millennial age to come will consist of only a small percentage of the world’s total population since time began.
“Time”, from a Biblical point of view, might be described as; the Old Testament era, the New Testament era, the millennium and eternity. From the “Ultimate Reconciliation” position the millennium is followed by age after age where people who did not find salvation in the earlier periods are cleansed of sin. These long ages to come are seen as punishing and correcting, adjusting and convincing, all suffering sinners with “purifying fire” until finally everyone who ever lived has surrendered to God and received Jesus as saviour. There are variations on the above but the central theme remains clear: Everyone Will Be Saved!
The Bible does teach that under Christ’s rule a perfected creation will come to a genuine ultimate reconciliation before Almighty God!
Creation began in a state of total harmony under God. This relationship ended after the fall of Adam and Eve and a future reconciled kingdom will manifest after the victorious millennial reign of Christ. Jesus’ 1,000-year rule climaxing with the second resurrection and His final judgment will completely adjust and correct all the effects of sin resulting in a renewed creation. The millennial reign brings the kingdom on earth to perfection. Every rock, river, plant, insect, animal, human and angel will exist in divine harmony-obedient to Christ’s personal supervision and cleansed of corrupting sin. Descriptions of this triumph are found in Revelation 21 and I Corinthians15: 24-28. The Kingdom is pictured after the forceful elimination of Satan, the beast, the false prophet, death, hell and “whosoever was not found written in the book of life” culminating in Revelation 20.
Most Christians look forward to an ultimate perfected kingdom age. Their theology varies in how they see God handling unrepentant sinners to establish this condition. Three views predominate regarding their fate:
1 They will live forever in a special zone of eternal torment.
2 They will all be purified and cleansed for ages and enter eternal life.
3 They will receive the punishment of actual, everlasting death.
All three groups have their favourite Bible verses, interpretations and historical quotes to back up their views. The majority position of British-Israel and Christian Identity teachers and writers has always been number 3: The Annihilation of the Wicked. This view, often called “Conditional Immortality” understands man’s natural destiny (since the fall) is inevitable, real and eternal death, but that we may receive the special gift of resurrection and everlasting life through Christ’s sacrificial death. God’s rebellious enemies collect the natural “wages of sin.” Final reconciliation comes about by a cleansing destruction of the “tares” not by refining them into wheat (Matthew 13: 30, 40, 50).
A leading “Ultimate Reconciliation” teacher has portrayed people suffering “fiery” correction for ages after the events chronicled in Revelation 20. The time period of Revelation 20 includes the end of the millennium, the white throne judgment, the end of death and hell, and the second death of unregenerate sinners. For a proof text that pain and evil continues after the completion of these events he referenced Revelation 22:15;
“For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.”
Of course Revelation 22 does follow Revelation 20 but in actual fact John’s Revelation vision ends in Revelation 22:8! John “comes to his senses” at this point and returns to his own time where he talks with the angel “which shewed me these things.” John is now back in his own era at the feet of an angel who had revealed God’s vast panorama of the future to him.
John has returned from the end of time to his own time. Revelation.22:15 is simply future to John’s earthly lifetime. It does not describe episodes after the millennial age! But the speaker did ignore some verses that do legitimately follow Revelation 20 time wise;
“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” (Revelation 21: 14).
The finality of judgment at this time is brought out again a few verses later;
“…the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8).
Also before John’s Revelation vision ends at Revelation 22:8 one more verse sums up the post-millennial condition;
“And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:” (Revelation 22:3)
By reviewing the above I discovered how a simple misinterpretation was being used to support the idea of “purifying” torture for sinners continuing for ages after Christ’s victorious millennial reign.
Incidentally some insist rebellious sinners are still living after the second death of Revelation 20 based on Revelation 21:8;
“But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
But this verse is clearly a reference back to the one and only “second death.” A restatement of the fact that the people described (experiencing second and final death) will not be in the “new heaven and a new earth” – “the holy city, new Jerusalem” (Revelation 21:1,2). Remember: death dies in the second death – the end of death. Hell (hades) dies in the second death – the end of hell. Thus “whosoever was not found written in the book of life” also experience their end! The first death (personal) offers potential resurrection in Scripture.The second death (general) does not.
Reviewing Matthew Chapter Seven
Most of us are familiar with the many Old Testament passages that make a clear connection between sin and genuine death. “Live Forever” theology (whether with eternal tormenting fire or age-lasting cleansing fire) seems to draw mainly from the New Testament. But punishment by eternal death is taught there too. Matthew chapter seven is one example of many.
“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat” (Matthew.7:13).
The picture here is of two gates only. A strait (narrow) gate and a wide gate. The verse tells us the wide gate leads to destruction. Strong’s Concordance (#684) defines the Greek word “apoleia” used for “destruction” as: “ruin or loss (physical, spiritual or eternal); damnable (nation), destruction, die, perdition, perish, pernicious ways, waste.” Young’s Concordance sums up the meaning as “loss.” Neither reference suggests the wide gate could lead to ages of refinement.
“Apoleia” is used five times in Scripture including Romans 9 where Paul speaks of God dispensing His mercy in verses 15, 16 and 18. Then he gives the illustration of two vessels:
“Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory” (Romans. 9:21-23).
Note that the vessels of wrath are destined to destruction and the other vessels to mercy and glory. But if the vessels of wrath are coming into eternal life via cleansing fire they would also be receiving God’s mercy, when the passage teaches they won’t. The first fulfilment of this wrath bringing destruction pictured here was the AD 70 destruction of over a million Messiah-rejecting Jews. As a type of end-time wrath it presents us with death and total devastation.
The other three uses of “apoleia” also represent ruin, loss, death or destruction in the accepted sense of those terms (Philippians 3:19; 2 Peter 2:1 & 3:16). For example 2 Peter 2: 1 warns that “apoleia” will be swift. Can age after age of refining fire be thought of as “swift”?
The two gates in Matthew 7:13 are pictured as opposites. We know the broad gate leads to destruction. It will help us to understand “destruction” if we see where the other gate leads.
“Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:14).
The strait gate leads to life! The broad gate doesn’t. There is no hint that the broad gate leads to life by ages of suffering. And to clarify this more fully Scripture states; “…few there be that find it.” The many that go through the broad gate do not find “it.” A universalist theory of salvation is that the broad gate leads to the slow method (ages of purgatorial cleansing) to life and the strait gate is the rapid route. Sorry – the few that find life do not find destruction. Those that find
destruction do not find life. The essential meaning in Strong’s and Young’s of “apoleia” as “loss” is clear. Destruction here illustrates loss of life!
Only modern man would have trouble understanding the next few verses of Matthew 7;
“Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire” (Matthew 7: 16-19).
Christ is presenting by his street preaching to the common man in an agrarian culture an everyday example from normal farming practice. No one should imagine that throwing a corrupt tree into fire could produce a better tree, then or now. The natural reading of Christ’s warning is that certain people – represented by bad, fruitless trees – will be destroyed.
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).
This begins a powerful section of Scripture packed with meaning that preachers have mined for centuries, but note one clear teaching of verse 21: Not every one will come into the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus is talking about these people who shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven when He says;
“And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:23).
If Jesus never knew them and he orders them to “depart from me” it seems safe to assume He didn’t know them, He doesn’t know them, and isn’t going to get to know them. Could His command be taken to mean, “Come into my presence to experience the cleansing fire of my law.”
Jesus then compares a person’s whole being to a house.
“Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And everyone that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rains descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon the house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it” (Matthew 7:24-27).
In this parable Jesus describes two houses, relating them to salvation. One survived, founded on a rock (Christ). The other represents those who hear Christ but don’t act on His sayings. Their “house” is destroyed, it falls, it’s over and finished. Nothing in Matthew 7 offers the unrepentant sinner a second chance.
Paul often warns about destruction being sudden, inescapable and unexpected. For example in I Thessalonians 5:2,3 Young’s defines the Greek as simply “destruction” and Strong’s states; “(to destroy; a prol. form); ruin, i.e., death, punishment; destruction.” Malachi 4:1 describes the awesome judgment coming on the wicked. The Bible pictures judgment as swift and final, not as continuing for ages after the millennial kingdom where sinners are rebuilt and refined into eternal life.
A Caution Regarding Dogmatism
Countless published studies (deeper and more detailed than this sketch) have helped Bible students to understand their immortality to be totally conditional on receiving Jesus Christ’s sacrificial payment for sin. Again and again Christians have been satisfied that real destruction of the wicked rests on a more solid Scriptural footing than both eternal torment and universalism via “cleansing fire.” Yet all interpretations have their stronger and weaker points. It could be a big mistake for some Israel-Christian organizations to insist on only this position as a sort of doctrinal statement or litmus test for participants. Many Identity groups decided years ago to avoid becoming official “churches” or denominations. By avoiding polarization on various issues several fellowships have escaped fragmentation over the years.
The belief in eternal torment has been a majority orthodox doctrine throughout much of the history of Christendom. The modern resurgence of the Israel Identity (from around 1850) coincided with the rise in understanding of “Conditional Immortality.” This era has also featured the strongest exposition of the Kingdom on Earth. Yet pockets of all these teachings (including “Ultimate Reconciliation”) have always survived within smaller assemblies of believers. The ultimate reconciliation view has been on the rise in the last few years, often under the banner “The Restoration of All Things.” Those who defend it vigorously have developed alternative interpretations for the Bible verses that seem to deny it -just as those expounding the two other main views have done for their beliefs. Generally the majority of Christian-Israel teachers and books have accepted that actual death is God’s eternal punishment for sin. This is evident by reviewing the material released for decades by Covenant Publishing, Destiny Publishers and other major distributors. Should any British-Israel or Identity group begin insisting that “Ultimate Reconciliation” is the only “Scriptural Truth” and attempt to publicly refute every criticism they could be excluding many sincere Bible believers and leading their fellowship into narrow denominationalism.
In any case each Christian stands alone before The Almighty, responsible to shine what light he has on these controversial issues even under intense persecution,
“And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in [gehenna] hell” (Matthew 10:28).
Amen
Courtesy British-Israel Vancouver Bookroom
1307 Kingsway, Vancouver, BC Canada, V5V 3E3
