The Observations.net Weblog

True evil exists and God gives us the freedom to make our own choices. There are those so wedded to evil that they do not choose to be redeemed. Will those in the afterlife ever be given the chance to repent? That is a hard question with which many have wrestled.

Scriptures expressing the love of God for all people:

John 1:9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

John 12:32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

I John 2:2 And He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

Romans 5:18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of One the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

1 Corinthians 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

1 Corinthians 15:28 And when all things shall be subdued unto Him, then shall the Son also Himself be subject unto Him that put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.

2 Corinthians 5:5 And that He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him Which died for them, and rose again.

2 Corinthians 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

Ephesians 1:10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him:

Colossians 1:20 And, having made peace through the blood of His Cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

1 Timothy 2:3-4 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

I Timothy 2:6 Who gave Himself a ransom for all.

1 Timothy 4:10 For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, Who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.

Hebrews 2:9 But we see Jesus, Who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

There is an obscure passage in I Peter 3:18-20. Peter wrote, For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also He went and preached unto the spirits in prison; See Paul's parallel passage in Ephesians 4:8–10.

Between Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday, Jesus preached to the souls in hell. It sounds as if He was proclaiming to these lost souls an offer of salvation.

What is hell? It is God's testing and purging of the defiant. In another sense, hell is the natural consequence of human sin. It is the consequence of our sin, cruelty, unforgiveness, regret. Without Jesus to give forgiveness and to make all things new, there would be no escape for us. We would all perish in our own hell. Likewise, without Jesus, there could be no heaven. Heaven is the consequence of God's love and healing. Only Jesus, Who bore humanity's burden, can give us heaven.

In Matthew 5:25 and 26, Jesus compared the moral law to an adversary that must be appeased.

Agree with thine adversary [God's moral law] quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.

His words imply that the law can be appeased here and now (the easy way) or long-term (the hard way). If eternal damnation were the outcome, there would be no appeasing the law in the long-term. The sufferer would be totally out of luck. But by saying that the last penny will be paid, He is saying that there will be a full accounting and a final resolution. Because the person in hell remains sinful and does not achieve any sort of perfection, resolution does not come from the individual meeting all the requirements of the moral law. Resolution then (hard way) or now (easy way), comes only when one turns to Jesus. With eternal damnation, with no chance for repentance, there would be no resolution.

Hell isn't God being angry and throwing the sinner away into eternal torment. Hell is God leaving us to the natural consequences of our own lives and sin. Because He gives us freedom of choice, He lets us decide whether we will turn away from Him or to Him.

Is hell truly without end? John of Patmos wrote:

And the smoke of their torment (Greek basanismos means to test the purity of metal against a touchstone) ascendeth up for ever and ever (Greek aion, which actually means an age or era): and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

Let's retranslate.

And the smoke of their testing against God's touchstone ascends up for age upon age: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

Taking the mark of the beast isn't just receiving some microchip or taking a vaccine or using a digital currency. It represents a total rejection of God against the clear warnings of the two witnesses and even the angels, and aligning oneself with antichrist and satan. It is equivalent to the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit committed by the pharisees (Matthew 12:22-32, Mark 3:22-30).

Regarding the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, Jesus said, And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come. The statement implies that all other sins may be forgiven in the world to come.

But what if the blasphemer stops and cries out in repentance? Was not Saul of Tarsus the murderer of Christians guilty of blaspheming the Holy Spirit? The Saul who became Paul the Apostle?

Why is the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit or taking the mark of the beast so serious? Because such an action represents a total, obstinate rejection of all that is good and holy. In this case, the sinner willingly condemns himself because of his hatred of the good. C.S. Lewis wrote, I willingly believe that the damned are, in one sense, successful, rebels to the end; that the doors of hell are locked on the inside. God grants them their own wish. They hate the good so much, that they would rather be in hell with the devil than in heaven with a holy, loving God they want no part of. But what if they finally decide to unlock the door? What if God finally says Enough!

Revelation 20 states:

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. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Those remaining in hell for the duration of the Millennium, are those who have locked themselves in because they want nothing to do with God. He grants them their wish to remain apart.

And what does fire mean in Revelation? Revelation 1:14 says this of Christ, His head and His hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and His eyes were as a flame of fire; The fire is the searing vision of Jesus Christ from which there is no escape.

The lake of fire is said to burn with brimstone or sulfur. According to Strong's Concordance, the Greek theion translated as brimstone is divine incense, because burning brimstone was regarded as having power to purify, and to ward off disease.

There are two types of sulfur, organic and inorganic. Inorganic sulfur is known as sulfur dioxide, which is a heavy, colorless, poisonous gas. It is spewed out of volcanos and can kill. That is what most people associate with brimstone. Organic sulfur is found in the human body. Sulfuric supplements such as glutathione, n-acetyl cysteine (NAC), MSM, have a strong healing effect. If you have ever smelled the contents of a bottle of NAC, it reeks of sulfur. But NAC is a powerful, healing supplement. What if the sulfur of Revelation is the latter, bitter but healing?

But doesn't Revelation talk about those whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world? So, not everyone's name has been written since the beginning of time? Does that not draw a clear distinction between the sheep and the goats, the wheat and the tares? Yes, it does.

It is a hard thing to say, as the Christian universalists do, that in the end all will be saved. We cannot ignore our Lord when He said, Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. (Matthew 7:14) and It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. (Mark 10:25)

But, yet, there is always hope. Mark tells us that Jesus' own disciples began to despair and asked, Who then can be saved? (Mark 10:26)

Jesus answered, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible. (Mark 10:27)

The gate is narrow and few find the way. That is so obvious and there is no questioning it. But God is still love. Few may find the way. But will the way ever find them? The Way found Saul on the road to Damascus. It was not Saul who found the Way.

The God-man gave a stern message of warning and judgment that humans need to hear. We must choose to follow Christ now, in this life. Our choices and actions have consequences. But there is always reason to retain hope for all.

This author cannot decisively prove from Scripture that those in hell can still be saved. But knowing that God is love, I refuse to believe that there is no hope. Listen to Malachi speak on the purpose of God's fire:

But who may abide the day of His coming? and who shall stand when He appeareth? for He is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: (Mal 3:2)

And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness. (Mal 3:3)

If there is post mortem salvation, then who is correct: The Christian universalists who believe that all will eventually come to Christ or those who believe that some, but not all, in hell will be saved? Will even antichrist and the false prophet eventually be saved? That is a question which this author cannot answer.

For other resources, check out:

Robin Parry

Post Mortem Theology

Post Mortem Salvation