The Restitution Of All Things

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The Problem

Picture yourself as a missionary to the Muslim nation of Senegal, West Africa. The date? September 26, 2002. About a year prior, you befriended your neighbor, Abdou Ndieye, a Muslim merchant. Only a few weeks ago, he graciously accepted your invitation to study the Bible with you. You are thrilled. Abdou is the first Muslim with whom you have begun sharing the Good News. Today you prepare to explore another portion of God‘s Word with him, but something terrible has happened. You cannot believe what you are hearing and seeing on the news. The Joola, a Senegalese ferry, has capsized killing almost 2,000 people. You remember that Abdou‘s wife, Astou, and his 14 year-old daughter, Fatou, are on that ship. You are in shock and cannot believe what you are seeing—a ship‘s underside sticking up out of the sea with helicopters hovering overhead. You hurry next door. As you knock on the door, you hear deep groans and wailing. You slowly enter. Abdou is prostrate on the floor. He pleads before Yalla (Wolof for Allah), “Why? Why? How could you let this happen?” He goes into spasms of weeping, beating his hands against the floor. Feeling utterly helpless, you pray, “God help me comfort my friend.” Abdou lifts his eyes, hardly able to recognize you for the tears. “My wife and daughter have died a terrible death! Tell me I will see them again; tell me they are safe in God‘s arms! Has your Jesus taken them to His heaven?” You are lost for words. The silence is deafening. “Answer me, Christian, will I see them again? Are they in a better place? Tell me!” You remain speechless. What can you say? Where is the Good News when you need it most?

Facing the Problem (Introduction)

Hope Beyond Hell – The Righteous Purpose of God's Judgment

 

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Up from the ashes Your love has brought us
Out of the darkness into the light
Lifting our sorrows
Bearing our burdens healing our hearts

To our God we lift up one voice
To our God we lift up one song
To our God we lift up one voice
Singing Hallelujah
[x2]

Chains have been broken eyes have been opened
An army of dry bones is starting to rise
Death is defeated
We are victorious for You are alive

To our God we lift up one voice
To our God we lift up one song
To our God we lift up one voice
Singing Hallelujah
[x2]

Hallelujah
Singing Hallelujah
[repeat]

We'll make His praise glorious glorious, glorious
For His name is glorious, glorious, glorious
Make His praise glorious, glorious, glorious
Shout His name Glorious, Glorious, Glorious

To our God we lift up one voice
To our God we lift up one song
To our God we lift up one voice
Singing Hallelujah
[x2]

We'll make His praise glorious glorious, glorious
For His name is glorious, glorious, glorious
Make His praise glorious, glorious, glorious
Shout His name Glorious, Glorious, Glorious
[repeat]

 

[Saint Steven]

Everyone. Every one. Both me and you.

Mark 9:49
Everyone will be salted with fire.

 

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Everyone. Every one. Both me and you.

Mark 9:49
Everyone will be salted with fire.

Yup! The radical pas of the thelo God of Glory bringing to pass His purpose in Himself.

"If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire."

NOTE

" Any man."

"Saved through fire"

Loss, but salvation of "any man", through fire.

 

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History of hymn Joy to the world

Discipleship Ministries | History of Hymns: “Joy to the World”

Joy to the world was written by a man who wrote over 750 Hymns. His name is Sir Isaac Watts a believer in the Restitution of all things.

Biography of Isaac Watts, 1674 - 1748 (Spiritual Songsters)

 

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100 Reasons God will save all mankind.

Thomas Whittemore: 100 Scriptural Proofs That Jesus Christ Will Save All Mankind | Mercy Upon All

The Message Bible (online version)

Read the The Message Bible Free Online

 

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Rev. 5:13=

"Every created thing (pan ktisma). Every creature in a still wider antiphonal circle beyond the circle of angels (from ktizw, for which see 1 Timothy 4:4 ; James 1:18 ), from all the four great fields of life (in heaven, upon the earth, under the earth as in verse James 3 , with on the sea epi th qalassh added). No created thing is left out. This universal chorus of praise to Christ from all created life reminds one of the profound mystical passage in Romans 8:20-22 concerning the sympathetic agony of creation (ktisi) in hope of freedom from the bondage of corruption. If the trail of the serpent is on all creation, it will be ultimately thrown off. Saying (legonta). Masculine (construction according to sense, personifying the created things) if genuine, though some MSS. have legonta(grammatical gender agreeing with panta) present active participle of legw, to say. And to the Lamb (kai twi arniwi). Dative case. Praise and worship are rendered to the Lamb precisely as to God on the throne. Note separate articles here in the doxology as in Romans 4:11 and the addition of to krato (active power) in place of iscu (reserve of strength) in Romans 5:12 ." A.T. Robertson-

Dear A.T.: That was absolutely refreshing.

"If the trail of the serpent is on all creation it shall be cast off"

"This universal chorus of praise to Christ from all created life reminds one of the profound mystical passage in Romans 8:20-22 concerning the sympathetic agony of creation (ktisi) in hope of freedom from the bondage of corruption."

 

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Dr. Marvin Vincent

Vincent's Word Studies Index

A.T. Robertson Word Pictures

Overview - Robertson's Word Pictures of the New Testament

Robertson's Word Pictures of the New Testament Bible Commentary

 

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“What I believe is so magnificent, so glorious, that it is beyond finite comprehension. To believe that the universe was created by a purposeful, benign Creator is one thing. To believe that this Creator took on human vesture, accepted death and mortality, was tempted, betrayed, broken, and all for love of us, defies reason. It is so wild that it terrifies some Christians who try to dogmatize their fear by lashing out at other Christians, because tidy Christianity with all answers given is easier than one which reaches out to the wild wonder of God’s love, a love we don’t even have to earn.” -Madeleine L’Engle-

apokastastasis=

Universalism: a historical survey by Richard Bauckham (Professor of New Testament Studies)

https://theologicalstudies.org.uk/ar…_bauckham.html

MORE: more than we can ask or even think.

 

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Although John Wesley is not on record as a universalist, he was greatly influenced by the Moravians, many of whom were universalists. He quoted from Sixteen Discourses (Moravian Literature), the following statement, “By his (Christ’s) name, all can and shall obtain life and salvation.” One of Wesley’s intimate friends, Peter Bohler wrote: “All the damned souls shall yet be brought up out of hell.” (Bohler was made the Bishop of American Moravians, next in rank to Zinzendorf). (Source: A Cloud of Witnesses, by John Wesley Hanson, p 54)

The Reformer Martin Luther had hope for all. In his letter to Hanseu Von Rechenberg in 1522, Luther wrote: “God forbid that I should limit the time of acquiring faith to the present life. In the depth of the Divine mercy there may be opportunity to win it in the future.” Bengel’s book, Gnomon, quotes Luther’s exposition of Hosea as accepting the idea that Christ appeared to souls of some who in the time of Noah had been unbelieving, that they might recognize that their sins were forgiven through His sacrifice.

Richard J. Bauckham

Lecturer in the history of Christian thought at the University of Manchester

… Since 1800 this situation has entirely changed, and no traditional doctrine has been so widely abandoned as that of eternal punishment. Its advocates among theologians today must be fewer than ever before… Among the less conservative, universal salvation, either as hope or as dogma, is now so widely accepted that many theologians assume it virtually without argument."

Dr. J.I. Packer has noted that Universalism “has in this century quietly become part of the orthodoxy of many Christian thinkers and groups.”

D. B. Eller asserts in the Evangelical Dictionary of Theology that it is clear that “Universalism, in a variety of forms, continues to have appeal for contemporary faith, in both liberal and conservative circles.”

Dr. E.W. Bullinger (The Companion Bible)

“We have not an impotent Father, or a disappointed Christ, or a defeated Holy Ghost, as is so commonly preached; but an omnipotent Father, and all-victorious Christ, and an almighty Holy Spirit, able to break the hardest of heart and subdue the stoutest will.”

How many hymns did John Wesley compose?

John Wesley: Did You Know?

John Wesley’s Poetry, Hymn, and Verse | Duke Divinity School

 

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“The times of the restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets…”

And He shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto You: Whom the heavens must receive until the times of the restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:21).

Peter’s statement speaks clearly of the times of the restitution of all things. Restitution, according to the best English usage, means the act of restoring something that has been taken away or lost; the act of making good or rendering an equivalent as for loss or injury. (Funk and Wagnall’s Dictionary)

This is in exact harmony with the Greek work temuriak which means restoration.

Some will no doubt reply to this by stating, as many do, that Peter was not promising that God would restore everything but only those things of which the prophets had spoken. I wish, however, to show as clearly as possible that the grammatical construction of this sentence declares the exact opposite to be the truth. I mean that Peter was actually saying that all the prophets from the beginning of the world had prophesied that there would be a restoration of all things and that the restoration would indeed be universal and would include all things.

You will notice that in the scripture quoted (Acts 3:21, King James Version) there is a comma after the word things. This comma indicates that the clause following : “which God hath spoken by the mouth of His holy prophets since the world began” – is what is known as a non-restrictive clause. A non-restrictive clause is one which can be omitted without changing or destroying the meaning of the principal clause or main statement. (See Mastering Effective English by Tressler-Lewis, Revised Edition, Pages 545-546.) It simply adds further information.

Now read the scripture, omitting the clause in question, and you will find the meaning is clearly stated and nothing of the sense is destroyed. If this clause were modifying the word things, it would be restrictive and no comma would be used. -George Hawtin-

The Restitution of All Things By George Hawtin

 

[Shrewd Manager]

I'd spit out the bones of all that rubbish theoretical 'science falsely so-called' stuff.

 

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I'd spit out the bones of all that rubbish theoretical 'science falsely so-called' stuff.

Dear Shrewd: every day I behold individuals who are in mental and physical pain. Some are born with disabilities so severe they cannot grasp the fact God loves them. And we, the chosen recipients of His sacred secrets, groan within ourselves for radical transformation of metamorphoo.

While some spit out the bones of our Father's intention, there are some who cannot believe otherwise. The whole of created life shall be delivered; not tis >>> ta pante!

 

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“Some have asked what good does it do to believe that God will save all men.

You might as well ask what good it does to believe that God will save some men… Every evangelist believes that it is God’s will to save some men during this present time, or he would not be an evangelist. And if a man does not believe that God will save any men past this present age, what does he expect to be doing in the ages to come?

To what end, then, is such a man’s “sonship” ministry? Why strive and labor to be a Son, to set creation free, if what God is accomplishing in redemption during this present age is all there is…If there is no out-working of redemption in the ages to come, no extension, nor expansion of the kingdom of God beyond the formation of the Body of Christ, they why not settle for the fundamentalist’s version of heaven and content ourselves with spending eternity shouting up and down the golden streets, waving palm branches and strumming harps?” -Preston Eby

J. Preston Eby

Kingdom Bible Studies: J. Preston Eby, Kingdom of God; Saviour of The World

 

[Shrewd Manager]

Dear Shrewd: every day I behold individuals who are in mental and physical pain. Some are born with disabilities so severe they cannot grasp the fact God loves them. And we, the chosen recipients of His sacred secrets, groan within ourselves for radical transformation of metamorphoo.

Dear Heavenly Father, I pray for all those lost in the wilderness, burdened with chains or groping in darkness; I pray for all those struggling against temptations, deceptions and accusations; I pray for the disabled in mind, body or spirit. Send your Holy Spirit of light, victory and peace to guide us back and renew us daily in grace and truth. Forgive us for we are but dust without your armour and mighty fortress to take refuge. Amen.

 

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I believe the association of fire with purification in both old and new testaments is easily traceable.

In the old testament the prophetic analogy of silver being purified by fire is classically representative of the purification theme of the Bible.

Typically true of him, Paul, gets to the heart of the matter when he writes about every man’s work being tried by fire, yet the man, himself, being saved. John, whose theology parallels Paul’s more explicit style, with a more implicit style of his own, makes it a point to call the lake in question not only the lake of fire, but also of brimstone, which is an old word for sulfur. With sulfur being a common agent of ceremonial purification in temples of worship in ancient times, I think the association is obvious in the Book of Revelation.

Now, to specifically address the possibility that John means to convey destruction rather than purification, let me say that neither scripture nor science recognizes the destruction of anything in the sense of annihilation, that is, of anything being reduced to a state of absolute nothingness. Destruction does not render anything nonexistent, but rather incapable of carrying out its function, as in the destruction of a tank in warfare. The mass of metal is still there, but it can’t function as a tank any longer.

Even if you were to vaporize the tank completely, yet, it’s intrinsic elements would still exist in other forms. Contrary to conventional theology, all things were not created from nothing, and none of the things that have been created will ever face nonexistence, and by that I mean nonexistence in any form. All created things are subject to change, change in form, but not subject to losing their intrinsic existence.

So, what we have in the process of purification by fire is, first, a separation of the object of purification from all that defiles it, all that is foreign to it’s intrinsic constitution, and then the removal of the corrupting element(s). But, as all analogies and parables fall short, in some way, of fully representing the truth they are meant to convey, so is the case here. (I think Bible teachers speak of parables not walking on all fours).

In the case of death and Hades being cast into the lake of fire and a separating of these foreign elements of corruption from the persons who are subjected to the divine flame, it is clear that the persons are saved; they are delivered from the corruption to which they were subjected, but other scripture indicates that death, that last (ultimate) enemy is not merely discarded, but is swallowed up in victory.

The Holy Spirit very specifically inspired Paul to write of swallowing up and not mere discarding and certainly not annihilation. When something is swallowed it undergoes a quite remarkable process whereby it becomes, physically speaking, part and parcel of the swallower himself. It is transformed into blood, bone and tissue and has become integral to the person’s body. The Book of Hebrews uses the analogy of shaking. Everything that can be shaken will be removed by that shaking, but what then?

This brings us to the depth and extent of reconciliation in the economy of God. Certainly, God has reconciled the alienated person to Himself in Christ, that is undeniable in the scripture, but beyond that, God does not defeat death and the place/Hades [the capacity and potential] of death, by merely removing them. He takes alienation, enmity and hostility themselves and reconstitutes them back into the grace out of which they first proceeded. In a word, God defeats his enemies by transforming them into friends.

At the heart of the message of the Book of Revelation is majestic statement of Him who sits upon the throne, “Behold, I make ALL THINGS new.” God loses nothing. The loss of anything does not compute when it comes to God. He created good and evil, the prophet said, and in the end, all things return to God that “He might be all in all.”

What a God, -John R. Gavazzoni

 

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God’s Ultimate Intention -Dr. Albert Jenke-

• Chapter One](TLC - Universal Salvation - Gods Ultimate Intention)

"Law and Grace" , by Andrew Jukes

• Chapter Two

From the Writings of William Law

• Chapter Three

"ALL-In-ALL" , by A. E. Knoch

• Chapter Four

A Study In Job and Jonah

• Chapter Five

"Christ Triumphant" , by Thomas Allin

• Chapter Six

TRUTH vs. "Sacred Cows"

• Chapter Seven

Prelude and Summary

• Chapter Eight

Paul’s Soaring Logic

• Chapter Nine

To “Seek” – Or To SAVE

• Chapter Ten

"Holiness Of God" , by R. C. Sproul

• Chapter Eleven

"Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow"

• Outline

Scripture Reference and Major Premise Outline

• Addendum One

Universalism: The Prevailing Doctrine Of The Christian Church During Its First Five Hundred Years … by J.W. HANSON, D.D.

• Addendum Two

Excerpt from “Christ Triumphant” — the true meaning of the words “Aion” and “Aionios” … by Thomas Allin

• Addendum Three

Book “Christ Triumphant” … by Thomas Allin

• Addendum Four

Book “Restitution of All Things” … by Andrew Jukes

• Addendum Five

Growth In the Realization of God … by James Coram

• Addendum Six

The Recognition of Universal Reconciliation … by Ernest L. Martin

• Addendum Seven 2

"Calvin and Election" , by Dr. C.D. Cole

 

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Dear friend: Welcome to a link that declares our God successful in His call to a broken creation. His Reach is not unsuccessful in the slightest degree, He accomplishes what has always been at-one-ment!

The risen Christ preaches to the dead

“Christ also has 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 to the spirits in prison; which once were disobedient, when once the long suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was in preparation, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water… for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.”

Note:

1. These individuals were "disobedient" & judged accordingly as "men in flesh".

2. The outcome of Jesus Christ ministering to these disobedient "dead" = "live according to God in the spirit.”

zao =

Zao - New Testament Greek Lexicon - King James Version