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Matthew Timothy Short
Huh?
Date Joined Apr 2002
Total Posts : 635
| Posted 12/4/2004 12:06 PM (GMT -6) |   | The views are as follows:
1. The traditional view: The soul is immortal by nature and will spend eternity either in the ecstacy of heaven or the torments of hell. Most who hold this view concede that the vast majority of mankind throughout all ages will endure the latter. Once death occurs, it is too late to repent and believe — the grave ends our probation and fixes our destiny. Augustine was among the most prominent theologians to expound this view.
2. The conditional immortality/annihilationist view: The soul is mortal by nature and sleeps until the resurrection at Christ’s Second Coming. Jesus will raise the righteous dead immortal and annihilate the wicked dead in fiery judgment. Like view #1, it asserts that most human beings will, unfortunately, not be saved. And like the traditional view, it maintains that eternal destiny is inalterable once a person is dead. It is the doctrine of the Adventist tradition. Church Fathers who held this view (arguably) include Justin Martyr and Irenaeus.
3. The universal restoration view: The issue here is not whether the soul is mortal or immortal. It is this: All human beings will ultimately enjoy redemption and the presence of God forever. Some find the abundant life on this side of the grave — they are called “the elect,” "the saints" and “the firstfruits.” Others may face a fearful judgment and retribution, either in this life or the next. But in the end, they will join the company of the redeemed. This was the view of Origen and Gregory of Nyssa.
There are variations on all of these views. But generally speaking, the above statements sum them up. The traditional view is currently dominant in Christendom and has been for centuries. Still, many have held the other two views and have used the Bible for support.
How can this be? Is Scripture so inconclusive about something as important as the destiny of mankind? . . .
Here is a sampling of what the Old Testament says about the extent of redemption:
“All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him.” (Psalm 22: 27)
“All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord ... You open your hand, satisfying the desire of every living thing. The Lord is just in all his ways and kind in all his doings. ... My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, and all flesh will bless his holy name forever and ever.” (Psalm 145: 10, 16-17, 21)
“On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines ... And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; he will swallow up death forever. Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth.” (Isa. 26:6-8)
“By myself I have sworn, from my mouth has gone forth in righteousness a word that shall not return: ‘To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.’ ” (Isa. 45:23)
“From new moon to new moon, and from sabbath to sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before me, says the Lord.” (Isa. 66:23)
“For from the rising of the sun to the setting my name is great among the nations, and in every place incense is offered to my name, and a pure offering, for my name is great among the nations.” (Mal. 1:11)
Sometimes, these statements come from prophets who also speak of God destroying certain nations for their iniquity. Evidently, there is no conflict in the prophetic mind between the ruin of sinful nations and the ultimate restoration of all. We are left with the paradox.
Tremendous throngs will swarm to the mountain of the Lord, the prophets say. What can we make of this? It is true that many have embraced the piety of Jesus since the gospel’s first proclamation. But they are still but a sliver of humanity. Their numbers fall short of the prophets’ visions, which include the Lord’s name being honored everywhere, in everyplace, from the rising to the setting of the sun. We have not seen, in two thousand years, a time when EVERY knee bowed to the Lord. Nor a time when God has wiped away tears from EVERY face.
Some may complain that I am being overly literal here. I should leave room for hyperbole and other literary devices. That may be. But I submit that the first two “human destiny” views do not accord with these prophetic pictures as closely as universalism. Traditionalism tells us that most of humanity — most by far — will suffer horribly, world without end. Conditionalism says that a minority will rise from the grave immortal while the rest burn up in a terrible cataclysm. The prophets, on the other hand, proclaim the universalist hope: All flesh will worship the Lord forever and ever.
http://www.auburn.edu/~allenkc/universal_restoration.html
Pudding for everyone 
Imagination projects unreal images out of the mind and seeks to attach reality to them. Faith creates nothing; it simply reckons upon that which is already there. | | Back to Top | | |
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selah
Registered Member
Date Joined Oct 2001
Total Posts : 1210
| Posted 12/20/2004 12:00 AM (GMT -6) | | Interesting article on that site;
http://www.tentmaker.org/Dew/Dew6/D6-WhyDoesGodAllowSuffering.html | | Back to Top | | |
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Matthew Timothy Short
Huh?
Date Joined Apr 2002
Total Posts : 635
| Posted 12/20/2004 1:15 AM (GMT -6) | |
From the above article Selah mentioned:
In other words, it is through our unity with each other that the experiences of individuals become the experience, lessons, and wisdom of all! Yes, by God's sovereign decree and plan, we all go through various degrees of pain and suffering in this world; some less, some more so. But by the incredible unity that is, first of all, for the ecclesia, and eventually, for ALL, we are privileged to be able to BEAR (experience, identify with, participate in) with Christ ALL of mankind's burdens and so ALL of humanity will learn the full measure of the sickness of sin, and even better, the full redemption and contrasting grace and love of our Father! When we are all become truly one body in Christ, knit together, there will no longer be an issue of fairness for the things suffered in this world: each will identify, truly EMPATHIZING, with one another, each helping to bear the other's pain. The lessons and wisdom gained from the experience of the world’s full history of sin will be everyone’s to share.
This thought is awesome to me even as I write. It gives new meaning to "unity" and "bearing with one another in love"! It puts "love one another" in a new perspective: we are all one! Our brother's pain should be our own! We should take our sister's burden as seriously as if it were our own! And our gracious Father will help us to bear it all, to walk through it all, in the strength of His grace!
Most precious Father, help us to renew our commitment to our brothers and sisters! Let us grow into the unity that you share with Your Son Jesus! Let us, as ones who have been undeservedly blessed with many blessings, and undeservedly spared much of the pain that is common to mankind, seek to ease the load of others by identifying with and helping them to bear their pain and suffering! Guide us into the good works that you've prepared from before the world was laid! May your Love and Grace flow from us
unblemished and undiminished!
Praise be to our Father, and to our Lord!
"...I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
There is one body and one Spirit-- just as you were called to one hope when you were called--
one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."
May we learn to identify ourselves with our brothers and sisters in all things, and so attain the fullness of the unity the Father has planned for us in Christ!
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