Reconciling All Things

“[God] will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, for there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself as a ransom for all people.” 1 Timothy 2:4-6 KJV

The reconciliation of all things is such a deep truth to comprehend. It’s good news that God will judge and redeem all as the fulfillment of His eternal plan and purpose! Yet this very truth causes many to stumble as it challenges the prominent teachings of present Christianity. Nonetheless, God does not have a plan to sentence unbelievers to everlasting hell. An eternal hell of everlasting judgment accomplishes no redemption, only punishment.

This understanding of hell cannot lead anyone back to fellowship with the holy presence of our Lord. Further, an eternal hell denies God’s own will, that God is the changer of even the most evil and despicable hearts. God will not fail to change the hearts of billions who are all destined to be judged by Him. He has determined to do so.

Yes, it is true that those who are not with Him at the time of His last coming will be thrown into the lake of fire. But what does this really mean? Since our God is a consuming fire, the dreaded lake of fire is the purging of all who have not come to him to be changed by the fire of His presence before that time. This lake of fire is none other than the fiery presence of God within His kingdom priests, those who minister the word of reconciliation for the ages.

Hell is separation from God, a condition well known on this earth. Many teach that hell is eternal with no way of escape but God does not say that. He always makes a way of escape! Most of the world’s people are already separated from God and many do not know or care. Through the centuries, believers have lived in and experienced many hellish conditions which the faithful are brought through by trusting the Lord. We do not have to leave this earth to be in hell!

We all have had times in our walk with God where we felt separated from Him as we experience t tragedy, even the evil of devastating circumstances in this life. We all are having to learn that He is always, always with us. King David said this when he was alive:

“Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.” Psalm 139: 7-8

We understand a much different outcome for humankind when God’s redemptive justice is seen. God is throwing all sinners, all who fall short of His righteous standards, into the cleansing, purifying Word of God to change them. God does not suddenly, at the end of time, lose His ability to reconcile, to bring back all to Him. God will have His day of judgment and we all are held accountable. Father God sent Jesus to save the world. Will our Lord not complete this work?

It is very clear that no flesh will be allowed in His Kingdom. But for what purpose? All of us are found lacking the spiritual qualities to meet God’s standards of mercy and justice. All of us therefore need God’s consuming fire to burn up our dross. This is good news, not the fearful, dreaded news that the rapture doctrine brings.

We will all be truly changed, clothed in righteous garments, with our flesh swallowed up in His victory. He promised a people who are spotless, with no guile. So shall we be forever with the Lord and His saints! If we did not begin to cover our nakedness with His character and nature, we will still be dealt with. If you remain invested in unbelievers being judged, rest assured that will still happen. In God’s plan for the ages, all will be judged and, in mercy and love, changed to be able to dwell with Him forever.

You see, being cast into the lake of fire is a necessity! The fire of God’s presence is needed to burn up the dross and impurities. Committed Christians who understand God’s ways welcome the fires of change. It is a redemptive process, justified as part of God’s plan to bring all back to Him. This is good news that isn’t reserved only for sinful unbelievers!

“For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.

If any man’s work abide which he hath built…he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” I Cor. 3:11-15 KJV

Some are convicted by the holy righteousness of saints even now to change their ways and seek the purification and reconciliation only God brings. He promises through Hosea to heal all our wounds and restore us to live in His presence.

“Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us that we may live in his presence.” Hosea 6:1-2 NIV

“But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” 2 Peter 3:8 KJV

We have had revivals for two days, the two thousand years and more of this church age, knowing that a day in the Lord is a thousand years according to Peter. God has faithfully come again and again with revivals of refreshing rain of His spirit. Each one marvelous, bringing a renewal and refreshing in the spirit, reaping more for His kingdom. On the third day of the kingdom age, we will not just be revived but restored, fully reconciled, pure and holy, able to live in His presence.

We are thankful for every revival that has swept this earth, bringing many to God and refreshing His people. But revivals do not accomplish restoration to Father God, making us fit for intimate relationship with Him as in the beginning. When we are revived, it is a blessed and holy refreshing, like giving a drink to dry and thirsty land so it may continue its growth. When something is restored, it is reinstated, brought back again.

God’s purpose in reconciling all things is to bring us into harmony with Him, bearing the nature of our King, the Lord Jesus Christ. We are made harmonious, compatible with God like Adam had in the beginning, walking with God in perfect fellowship and unity. This cannot happen in the current state of humanity. There must be a change, a massive building of the inner man to become like our Father, truly sons indeed who follow after the firstborn Son.

God does not save all despite their inner state that is unlike His nature. Of course, He will have all come to know Him and His ways, but all require a process of purification to enter fully into reconciliation. This has been taking a great deal of time, here and on the other side, to achieve even within willing vessels. Many saints have died with this longing, this yearning of seeing the day of the Lord come fully into His own.

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the eagerly awaiting creation waits for the revealing of the sons and daughters of God.

For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only that, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons and daughters, the redemption of our body.

For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, through perseverance we wait eagerly for it.” Romans 8:18-25 NASB

All creation is groaning for this reconciliation, as death continues to rule in all forms of life. Since it was God Who decreed this way, subjecting us to this futile life on earth, it is also God Who will complete our adoption into His beloved family. Truly would we want eternal life for humans and this planet in our current state of death, disease and destruction of this earth? While Adam had perfect fellowship with God, walking and talking with Him face to face, he was not a mature man. If he had been, there would not have been the fall into sin.

This is the path to maturity that God has chosen for His greatest creation. The truth of reconciliation for all is the most hopeful promise of restoration to God and is it ever needed! God’s will for all men to be saved surely will happen, continuing until all are reaped from this earthy life to the spiritual kingdom of God and His dear Son. Some will not know His full salvation and redemption for ages to come. but those who are called, chosen and remain faithful continue on this path now.

Does He not need His people to shine a light in this present darkness here and now? We are surely in much darkness on this earth, in great need of God’s light to shine through His people.

“The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9 Berean

Peter confirms God’s will that all are to be saved. If God is not willing for anyone to perish, do you really think He will not accomplish what He wishes? Paul speaks in Corinthians of this process of redemption as each coming in his own order or rank as God decrees. Some indeed will sleep until their rank is called to face the judgment that brings redemption and restoration into full fellowship with Him.

We cannot enter in as we are, but this earthly life is our training ground preparing for our life in His kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy in the holy spirit.

“Now I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.

For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must be clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.” 1 Corinthians 15:50-53 Berean

We will all be changed because we cannot enter in as we are. Paul is not talking just about these flesh and blood bodies, but what rules and reigns within them. The carnal mind of man, our will, thoughts, and emotions, is death and death is disannulled, destroyed rather than fixed up, so to speak. Those of us who love the Lord have all tried to fix up our flesh and get it to behave, but it does not work. Read Romans 7 which expresses the futility of man’s efforts to be good, to avoid evil, in our own strength.

“We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do, I do not do. But what I hate, I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I admit that the law is good. In that case, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

“I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh; for I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do. Instead, I keep on doing the evil I do not want to do. And if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

So this is the principle I have discovered: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law. But I see another law at work in my body, warring against the law of my mind and holding me captive to the law of sin that dwells within me.

What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord! Romans 7: 14-22 Berean

When we come to the truth that there is nothing good in us in our flesh, in our Adamic nature, we do not remain in despair of ever being good enough to be in God’s presence. Instead, we begin to enter into His rest as we increasingly turn to Jesus Christ our Lord to rescue us from our body of death. He trains and teaches us to keep our focus upon Him, to trust that He is building up His very nature within us, in our spiritual man that can never die.

When we know to do right and do it not, it is sin. Sin is missing the mark or missing the target, as the Mitchell New Testament translates it. There is judgment of that sin for every man who knows the truth, and, eventually, for all men to be reconciled. Where does God say, however, that there is sin in those who do not know the truth, who are living in unbelief? The majority of unredeemed humans don’t even know what the target is, let alone that God makes it possible to achieve!

That’s the main difficulty with trying to legislate righteous living. While laws have been necessary to protect the innocent, it will not always be so. How can this ever happen? When His kingdom is established in the earth in the hearts of all men, it shall come to pass. We are the temple of God and in us will His kingdom be established.

“They will neither harm nor destroy on all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the sea is full of water.” Isaiah 11:9 Berean

Note that God says the entire earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord. How does this fit with most of humankind on the earth being left in an eternal hell to suffer torment forever? Who will shine God’s light in the darkness if the saints are all in some heavenly paradise in the clouds? John the Revelator speaks of this as well:

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes,’and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the former things have passed away.’

And the One seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’..” Revelation 21:3-5 Berean

God is descending from His throne to dwell in man, living in us on this earth. It is on this earth that we need the tears of sorrow, pain, and loss to be wiped away. Death will be eventually wiped off the face of this earth we now live in, and all creation will stop their groaning for redemption and change. All of what we see, hear, and experience now that causes such pain and devastation will be passed away as He makes all things new. As my dear husband, Rich, says, we go from woe to wow!

He does it. It will take ages and only God knows how long until the work Jesus pronounced as finished will be manifested in the creation, but He has already made the way. We can enter in now to be a part of the life of God that, right now, wipes away all tears and sorrow and crying and pain. It takes the God nature of love to do this and that is what we are pursuing with all our might! Then We experience the end of the lamentations in Romans 7 as we are changed into the very faith of the Son of God in Romans 8, our escape from this bondage we have had for centuries:

“Therefore there is now no condemnation [no guilty verdict, no punishment] for those who are in Christ Jesus [who believe in Him as personal Lord and Savior]. For the law of the Spirit of life [which is] in Christ Jesus [the law of our new being] has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

For what the Law could not do [that is, overcome sin and remove its penalty, its power] being weakened by the flesh [man’s nature without the Holy Spirit], God did: He sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful man as an offering for sin.

And He condemned sin in the flesh [subdued it and overcame it in the person of His own Son], so that the [righteous and just] requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us who do not live our lives in the ways of the flesh [guided by worldliness and our sinful nature], but [live our lives] in the ways of the Spirit [guided by His power]. Romans 8: 1-5 Amplified

This is truly the path from woe to WOW! Jesus Christ our Lord has made a way, He is the Way. Those who are called are destined to have the fullness of Christ, all of the character and nature of our Lord, so as He is, so are we in this world. Some will have the great privilege of displaying the Christ to others, shining forth the light of the love of God, so that all will eventually be reconciled to the Father no matter how long it takes.

“Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

‘I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you a this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.’ The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!” And let the one who hears say, ‘Come!’

Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.” Revelation 22:12-17 NIV