Joyful Surrender

 🍃🕊️ Philippians 2:(9)10 - (“..granted the name above all names) 10 so that at the name of Jesus every - pas, all, every - knee will bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.

     Who is “under earth”? Those who have died, including who’ve never heard the name. (Imo) translators liked to change “will” into should.. A slight to huge difference, to say every knee should bend is different from every knee wiLL bend - and we know Jesus “will draw all” so in even the hardest cases, it will be totaLLy joyful surrender! And actually originally there’s no should or will in the verse. (As far as I know, I’m no greek scholar.) So logically does all powerful God say, everyone should, or everyone will. I choose to assume will.

      Those “under the earth” and at the “lower part of earth” are in hades - “not seen” ..imo, without the myth, in a state of being gone.. but there is resurrection. Maybe there’s levels of the hades repose, top level “Abraham’s bosom”🤷🏼‍♀️ I don’t care one way or another, except that they shall all praise God - I have to think, a massive understatement for endless reasons.

Universalist Judgment Day Not A Cake Walk

It’s not that Christian Universalism believes Judgment ‘Day’ will be a cake walk! If one dies “still in their sins” then they will rise still in their sins - and, infirmities!

Just look at history! It’s a sad, pitiful, horrendous story! An intense day of its review is sure to include some weeping and gnashing of teeth, with plenty of outer darkness to go around.

It’s not like Hitler and Pol Pot, etc. will be welcomed into the bosom of God with open arms! “Our God is a consuming fire”!

But this does not nullify Jesus' words - "If I be lifted up from the Earth I will draw all to Me" -- "For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross". [John 12:32; Colossians 1:19-20]

"Having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth" -- "..that God may be all in all" -- "According to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will" -- "My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose" -- "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise.. not willing that any should perish but that all come to repentance." [Ephesians 1:9,10; 1 Corinthians 15:28; Ephesians 1:11; Isaiah 46:10; 2 Peter 3:9]

"Behold, I am the Lord.. is there any thing too hard for me?" - Jeremiah 32:27

The Apostle Peter and Christian Universalism

(Top o' the mornin'!)

I was thinking, after reading it this morning, that 2 Peter 1:1 - in the interlinear - is highly Christian Universalist.

Otherwise, it reads (NKJ for example):

- "Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.."

In the interlinear, it reads:

- "Simon Peter a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ to those who equally precious with ours having obtained a faith through [the] righteousness of the God of us and Savior Jesus Christ" - http://biblehub.com/interlinear/2_peter/1-1.htm

The words, "[the] righteousness" is from #G1343 - "dikaiosuné: righteousness, justice" and "(usually if not always in a Jewish atmosphere), justice, justness, righteousness, righteousness of which God is the source or author, but practically: a divine righteousness."

and "having obtained" is #G2975 - "lagchanó: to obtain by lot" (by a heavenly shake of the dice!)

- "Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness/justice of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.."

Now if "ones salvation is/was obtained by lot", and all others perish horribly forever and ever (as the mistranslation goes) how is that reflecting the justice and (utter) right-ness of God our heavenly Father?

Psalm 22 Prophecy To Be Fufilled

Verse one of Psalm 22, opens with the verse Jesus quoted when He was on the cross - "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?!"

And we've likely heard these following verses as fulfilled,
6 But I am a worm and not a man,
    scorned by everyone, despised by the people.
7 All who see me mock me;
    they hurl insults, shaking their heads.
8 “He trusts in the Lord,” they say,
    “let the Lord rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
    since he delights in him.”

12 Many bulls surround me;
    strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
13 Roaring lions that tear their prey
    open their mouths wide against me.
14 I am poured out like water,
    and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
    it has melted within me.
15 My mouth is dried up like a potsherd,
    and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
    you lay me in the dust of death.
16 Dogs surround me,
    a pack of villains encircles me;
    they pierce my hands and my feet.
17 All my bones are on display;
    people stare and gloat over me.
18 They divide my clothes among them
    and cast lots for my garment.

Hebrews chapter 2 quotes verse 22, 11 ..Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters. 12 He says, I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters; in the assembly I will sing your praise. (Psalm 22:22 I will declare Your name to My brethren;
In the midst of the assembly I will praise You.)

And the verses (same psalm) to be yet fulfilled -

27 All the ends of the earth
    will remember and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
    will worship before him..

29 ..all who go down to the dust will kneel before him —

Three Harvests

Matthew 24:29-31 - “And immediately after the tribulation of those days.. they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

A MIraculous Catch Of Fish

Luke 5:6 - “they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.” Another miraculous harvest of fish occurred again later, after His resurrection - John 21:1,6 -  “After these things Jesus showed Himself to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias.. He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat.. and they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.”

Matthew 13:47-50 -  “The kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire..”

Revelation 16:14-16 - using/allowing the (14)“spirits of demons to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. (15)‘Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments..’ (16)And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.” (Gathered to hatred of Israel, Rev 12:17 & 7:4.)

Obadiah 1:15 - “The day of the Lord is near for all nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head.”

Joel 3:14 - “Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.”

Matthew 25:31-34 & 41 -  “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him.. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the reign prepared for you from the foundation of the world”.. And from the Concordant Literal Version, “then shall He be declaring to those also at His left, 'Go from Me, you cursed, into the fire eonian, made ready for the Adversary and his messengers."

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 - “..the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” (“At His coming”)

 1 Thessalonians 1:7-8 - “..when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire, giving vengeance to those not knowing God..”

Romans 2:5 - “..storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.”

Revelation 14:17-18,20 - “another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, who had power over fire... And the winepress was trampled outside the city..”

Isaiah 30:25 - “On every lofty mountain and on every high hill there will be streams of water on the day of the great slaughter (the day of the Lord), when the towers fall..”

Acts 2:21 - “And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

John 6:37 - “..and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.”

Revelation 20:4-6 - “And they will live and reign with Christ a thousand years. (But the rest of the dead live not again until the thousand years are finished.) This is the first resurrection. Blessed are they  who have part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.”

Revelation 20:7,12 - “When the thousand years are completed.. ..I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened..”

Daniel 7:9-10 - “I kept looking until thrones were set up, and the Ancient of Days (God) took His seat ..and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.”

Luke 11:31 - “The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them..”

Matthew 11:22 - “...it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.”

Matthew 11:24 - “But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”

Matthew 12:36 - “...everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.”

Mark 6:11 - “And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city.”

Acts 2:21 - “And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” 

John 6:37 - “..and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.”

_________________

1 Corinthians 15:22-24 - Young's Literal Translation with New King James

“For even as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive, but each in his proper order, [#1 harvest] (the all important) “first-fruit Christ, afterwards [#2] those who are Christ's, at His coming,  then -- [#3] the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father." ("So that He will be all in all", verse 28.) 

For Whom Does The Bell Toll?

When Paul tried to tell the synagogue of Thessalonica the good news that Messiah had come, they "contradicted and blasphemed". Heck, they caused a riot and "attacked the house of Jason"!

They were unable to believe the good news of Messiah.

Now when Paul got to the next town he preached in, at the synagogue of Berea, "they were more noble, for they searched the scriptures daily to see if those things were so".

Is it too good to be true that God wishes all to be saved? Is it too hard to believe that His Word will return to Him fully accomplishing all which He desires and intends? Is it possible for a person, or persons, to conceive of a better outcome than God Almighty does? Is it possible for Him to be less than perfect? Does perfect lose anything? Make mistakes? Paul wrote to Timothy (1 Tim 4:10) "..to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe". And Jesus Himself said, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth" (on the cross!) "will draw all men unto me". Is it really too good to be true? Is it truly easier to believe He will lose the majority of mankind? Will consign to annihilation, or worse, forever, even those who never heard the "good news"?

"Love never fails" - 1 Corinthians 13:8. Never, fails. All, should at least "search the scriptures" to see if it is really so. But! We need go back to the original words. The King's men (and others) have had a couple of preconceived notions. What does it hurt to search the scriptures to see what is so?

Quintus Roscious Gallus

Quintis Roscious Gallus, later called simply Roscious, lived in the years of 134 - 61 B.C. (or B.C.E). He was a slave who became an actor "for his master's profit". But he was able to buy his freedom and became a famous "tragedian and comedian".

I was looking something up in my 1952 edition of "The New Modern Encyclopedia" and noticed his name and read the small two sentence paragraph about him. He lived before the days of Jesus. How would he have ever heard the gospel message and believed on Jesus in order to be saved?

The idea that nature somehow communicates the gospel to all those who've never heard it? ...Just doesn't hold water. There should be no going beyond the Word of God! The translators (men) have erred in some ways from the original languages of God's Word to us.

We can find Strong's numbers here, for the original words:
www.scripture4all.org/download/download_ISA3.php

And their meanings here - may have to scroll past the translations:
http://studybible.info/strongs/

Acts 17:11 - "These were more noble ..in that they searched the scriptures daily.. whether those things were so."

Why Do I Believe? And What Do I Believe?

Why do I believe? One reason being God talks to me in numbers. Not just to me of course. I'm quite sure this is no singularity. It took me a while to fully realize it though, that the numbers were speaking. And of course he has many ways of communicating.

Here's a bit of my story.. Back in 1979 while in the Rocky Mountains I discovered God. It was a pretty cool experience. And after that the only dysfunction left has been in my favor! No churches for me. Hallelujah, because they've got so much of it wRong! The stories of those days in '79 are pretty interesting. But most interesting is when my son was 16. In 1996, he asked me two questions. I wasn't real happy with my answers, so I asked for better ones. It wasn't the first time I asked for a real clear understanding of things. I was a pretty solid believer, but after the answers came back like three 'bams'! Wow. Knocked my socks off. And all these years later.. still knocked off.

The questions he asked were "Why was the tree of knowing good and evil in the garden?" and "Isn't it great we get to be an ant farm!" ("A cynic is a disappointed idealist.")

The first answer that came to my mind was that God is life itself, the breath, spark and force (be with us!) And that he can only be perfect. Or he too would fade (2nd law of science.  Presently.)

I could see that before God ever did any creating he could see all possibilities and their results stretched out 360 degrees in front of his sight 'like a floating ethereal blanket'. And that he has done all things in just the way he has in order to bring about the best of all possibilities.

Then I realized that when God endowed thinking ability (to angel and man) a whole new world (or tree) of potentials came to be. Because it's only logic, you see, that with rationality will come, sooner or later, the ability to make choices.

Strangely, my whole 'bam!' experience (download from God, to borrow someone else's words) ended with a question - why did God (Yahweh) wait so-very-long and only create the  universe and man and woman, not only after the first bound-to-occur rebel thought ocurred, but after it had progressed into outright trickey and sedition? Didn't he know what would  happen?

Of course He did! And here's the paradox  - for God? - Once one chooses anything in any tiny way which difffers with what He chooses, they become imperfect, the opposite of life. Hence -  the world as we presently know it, death, and all suffer, some horribly. But God, being life, lives through, suffers and experiences it all! Why would he put himslf through all that? Because he's not creating robots or an ant farm, but an un-breakable paradise and a family of many beautiful branches. Un-breakable because etched deeply upon every heart and mind will be the full knowing and complete understanding that one cannot wander away from God, for to do so can only ever end in a puff of self destructive smoke (apocalypse/nonlife). He's letting the ability to choose run its course and has only interfered a few times. Mostly by building in the rescue "from the foundation"/beginning.

He waited (so very long) so all "in heaven and earth" would take this unavoidable journey (and lesson) all together. Or else one would wander away now, another later and another still later.. taking virtually 'for ever'. Unavoidable, if there's to be the ability to think and ponder and analyze that is!

Mostly what I learned is because He is perfect, the 'end' result can only be the best one possible.

Before and since then by continuing my studies I've learned all references to a 'hell' in the Bible are mistranslations and misunderstandings. Mostly from the Greek, there's no 'hell' in the  Old Testament (except for in the King James). And I've learned that Judgment Day will be rather - Atonement Day, for all who didn't have one previously. If Christ is the Passover Lamb -  Spring Holy Days fulfilled by His first advent - then the Fall Holy Days, Trumpets, Atonement and Tabernacles will be fulfilled by his long second advent.

Jesus said "If I be lifted up from the earth" (on a cross, an image strong enough to pierce every psyche) "I will draw all to me". [John 12:32] Psalm 22:27 says "all the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all families of the nations will rejoice before Him". And 1 Timothy 4:10 says "God is the savior of all". And there's plenty of folks who believe these verses and many others like them. Tentmaker.org, for instance, has a lot of U.R. (universal redemption) articles and information, and an interesting discussion forum.

 Take care and God bless!

Tentmaker
Think Science Proves Atheism?