Saved ignoble

That evil exists in the world is fair to say, I think.

So, when addressing the problem of evil, we have to ask one question:

Was evil a creation intended by God or did evil enter the universe without God’s intention, created by someone or something else?

First, it would be beneficial to define the word ‘sin’ as related to scripture.

23 for all sinned and are wanting of the glory of God. -Romans 3:23

We all sin and fall short of the glory of God. The Greek word for ‘sin’ used in the above verse is Strongs’s word 264 (hamartano) in the verb form and it is 265 (hamartema) in the noun form. The original definition of sin is to ‘miss the mark, make a mistake.’

So, we can ask, “Did God sin or make a mistake with His creation?” Let’s talk in terms of Satan because most belief systems attribute Satan with evil. Therefore, did God intend Satan to be evil or good? If God intended Satan to be evil then the problem is solved. However, if God intended Satan to be good but he turned evil, then how did this happen? Did Satan create evil on his own or did God put the capacity to sin within Satan?

The bottom line is that if God created Satan and intended him to be good but turned out to be evil, then God made a mistake and He sinned. Contrary, if God intended Satan to be evil and for sin to exist for a purpose, then God did not make a mistake, or sin, because it is part of His plan.

Many people think that when we credit God with the creation of evil, we are saying that He is evil or that He is a sinner. However, if God created evil and sin for an ultimate good purpose, then God is not evil nor is He a sinner. Conversly, if God did not intend evil to invade His creation, then He did indeed miss the mark and He did indeed sin. Scripture answers this question for us.

1 Peter 1:20 and Revelation 13:8 says that the lamb of God (Jesus Christ) was FOREKNOWN and SLAIN before the disruption of the world.

Question: What came first? The disruption of the world or Adam’s sin?

Obviously, the disruption of the world occured before Adam was created. Therefore, God already took care of the sin that had yet to invade His creation. God provided the remedy for sin before He even created the creature that brought sin to humanity.

Yet, it is common belief in Christianity, that God didn’t plan for Adam to sin or worse yet that Adam’s sin took God by surprise. How can this be when God already provided the eradication of sin before Adam ever made his choice? The fact of the matter is that God provided the lamb before sin entered the world because He knew and planned for sin to make an entrance.

One of the reasons I know God loves me is because He sent His Son to die for me. Well, how could I, you or anyone else know the love of God’s Son if sin never entered the world? Sin was necessary in order to reveal God’s love through His Son. Without sin, there was no need for a savior. As a result, we can say that sin is the necessary forerunner for which Christ appeared.

Anyone can love a lovely person, right? Well, the apostle Paul describes that its a deeper love when you can love the unloveable. Romans chapter five states that Christ shows a deeper love by dying for the irreverent, while they are still sinners.

Take your own children or loved ones for example, its easy to love them when they do good things and are on top of the world. However, loving them during the hard times when no one else does…that shows a deeper love.

How would Christ show this love for the irreverent, sinners, enemies if sin and evil didn’t exist. The fact that sin and evil exists doesn’t just require Christ to appear but shows just how deep His love actually is. Without this sin, irreverence, and dissention, we would not know the deep love of God.

Sin is the foil on which God shows His love:

6 For Christ, while we are still infirm, still in accord with the era, for the sake of the irreverent, died. 7 For hardly for the sake of a just man will anyone be dying: for, for the sake of a good man, perhaps someone may even be daring to die, 8 yet God is commending this love of His to us, seeing that, while we are still sinners, Christ died for our sakes. -Romans 5: 6-8

What About Satan?

Did God create Satan good or evil in the beginning?

First, we know that God created all things (Colossians 1: 15-17, Romans 11:36, 2 Corinthians 5:18). So, God did indeed create Satan. With respect to the adversary, there is a popular belief that Satan was a good, glorious creature that chose to rebel against God. However, this position fails to explain how evil originated in Satan when he is not the Creator.

In essence, where did Satan’s rebellion come from? He could not create this evil on his own because ALL is of God, even principalites, powers, authorities, and sovereignties of which Satan is…Remember, Satan is the chief authority of the air.

So, if Satan rebelled, then God must have put that rebellion in him. Again, this position still shows God as the originator of this evil. However, scripture explains that God created Satan to be exactly what he is and to do exactly what he does.

44 You are of your father, the Adversary, and the desires of your father you are wanting to do. He was a man-killer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, for truth is not in him. Whenever he may be speaking a lie, he is speaking of his own, for he is a liar, and the father of it. -John 8:44

The above verse in John shows that the Adversary was a man-killer from the beginning. There is no mention of Satan transforming himself from good to evil. But, some may object and say that the ‘beginning’ here is in the garden and subsequent to Satan’s fall. Okay, let’s look at a verse where God speaks of Satan’s creation and purpose:

And I Myself created the ruiner to harm. -Isaiah 54:16

The above verse in Isaiah does not say that God created the Adversary good and then he became bad, niether by God’s nor Satan’s decision. This verse says that God created Satan as he is…as the ruiner. This verse says that God created the Adversary to do exactly what he does…harm.

King James Bible
By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; His hand hath formed the crooked serpent. -Job 26:13

In Job 26:13, I used the King James Bible interpretation because the word ‘formed’ is used. This verse says that God formed the crooked serpent, not that God formed the glorious angel and then he turned bad.

The Hebrew word used in this verse is Strong’s word 2490 ‘chalal.’ Here is this word’s definition and meaning:

Original Word: חָלַל
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: chalal
Pronunciation: khaw-LAL
Phonetic Spelling: (khaw-lal’)
Definition: To profane, defile, pollute, desecrate, begin
Meaning: to bore, to wound, to dissolve, to profane, to break, to begin, to play

So, any way you look at this verse, it was God that began, defiled, and polluted Satan. Satan created nothing and makes no free will choice to rebel, but is what he is by His hand…the Hand of the Almighty God.

Scripture is replete with evidence that God created evil to fulfill His purpose and that God created Satan and other malevolent creatures to exact evil on His creation. Please pay special attention to the rest of this book that will detail how God uses evil to fulfill His purpose and plan. God is not evil because all evil will eventually lead to perfected creatures in the end. Evil is not separate from God as He is the Creator of all.

Evil is used by God to teach, shape, and form His creatures into His children. Evil is in existence throughout history and today in order for God to show His goodness, love, and power in overcoming it. Once God finishes creating everything perfect through Christ Jesus, evil will be abolished forever.

Evil Introduction

We have been told a lie about evil. For so long, religion and society have taught us that evil was created by Satan and has invaded God’s creation against the Almighty’s will. From the very beginning, we have credited Satan with being a creator of something that changes God’s own creation for all eternity. But, is that really true?

What if evil was created by God for a specific purpose? Well, I am going to prove through scripture, that God indeed created evil to shape us, teach us, and ultimately give Him and us greater glory than we could’ve ever had if evil never existed. God will turn every evil into good and justify every diabolical act ever performed in His creation. Then, once evil has fulfilled its purpose and all creation is perfected, evil itself will be abolished and gone forever.

Evil is a Source of Motivation

Throughout my life, I have heard so many stories of rags to riches as I’m sure you have as well. A person grew up with nothing, but worked so hard that they made something of themselves. Most people would consider the hardships and poverty experienced as a form of ‘evil.’ Rightly so.

However, the poor, difficult life of poverty often produces an intensity and motivation in this person to overcome this poverty, no? So, if the evil of difficulty and poverty produced a needed mentality and desire to achieve success, then would the evil have been beneficial?

My point is that the evil we experience shapes us, forms us, molds us into what we are. So, are we going to credit Satan or God with the creation of something that is so vital to our experience and development?

God is the Creator (Placer and Subjector) of all

God created the heavens and the earth and everything in them. Scripture makes it clear that nothing, not one thing, came into existence apart from the Almighty God (John 1:3).

In fact, God is the Placer and Subjector of all things. God created everything that is visible and invisible, including every human, every spiritual entitity, and every power, authority, and sovereignty (Col 1:16).

God is the source of all things

We can give nothing to God that He has not first given to us because ALL comes out of Him (Rom 11:36). Scripture says that God gives life, breath, and all to every single creature (Acts 17:25). In fact, our very existence, every single move we make, and every detail of our lives is in God (Acts 17:28).

God’s goal and purpose

God’s purpose of creation and the end goal for every one if His creatures is stated in scipture. God created the heavens and the earth and all in them and His goal is to reconcile all in the heavens and the earth to Himself through the blood of the cross (Colossians 1:20).

The end game of God is stated no clearer than in 1 Corinthians 15:28 where God will be all in every creature He created. God will justify and give immortality to all creation because of Christ’s death for sin, His entombment, and His resurrection. God is creating a family and all creation is included. Christ is the Firstborn of this creation.

Everything is working together to bring every creature through the old humanity and into the new creation by way of Christ Jesus. This is the end game. Jesus is the first of what we all will one day be.

Christian Evil threatens God as Creator of all, Source of all, and goal and purpose.

God is the Creator, Source, and Completer of all creation. So, what about evil? The misunderstanding of the creation, source, and completion of evil is, I believe, the number one factor causing mankind to reject the true God of scripture.

The religious view of evil is flawed to say the least. The ignorance of the true creation and purpose of evil threatens plain statements of scripture that God created all, is the source of all, and is the completer of all.

Christian Evil creates a 2nd Creator/God

Scripture says that all is of God (2 Cor 5:18), yet Christianity teaches that evil is not. How can God be the Creator of all and yet not be the creator of something that is as influencial as evil throughout human history? Being the Creator and the Source is what makes God, God. Then, whoever is the creator and source of evil would be a god. That is exactly what we make Satan when we say he created evil.

If evil was not a part of God’s plan and it entered His universe apart from His creation, plan, and purpose, then God is not fully God. The creator of evil becomes an equal god because evil now effects the outcome and purpose of God. Evil touches everything in God’s creation, so to say that evil is not from God concedes that every part of God’s creation is infected with something He did not create nor intend.

So, God is no longer the God of anything, but instead He is engaged in cosmic battle with another god, Satan.

Christian Evil must invent a place to hold evil: eternal hell

Understanding the origin of evil is so important because not understanding it leads to two of the most hideous, false doctrines. If evil is not from God then there must be a place to hold evil for all eternity, therefore, the unscriptural and illogical eternal hell was invented.

Eternal hell turns God into a sick monster that tortures the very creatures that He created. It makes the cross of Christ a failure because Jesus came to take away the sin of the world and save sinners, yet because of sin, people are tortured forever.

Christian Evil has to get God off the hook: human free-will

Eternal hell is a stain on God’s love and sovereignty. Therefore, Christians can’t have God responsible for this and as a result invented human-free will. This places the ultimate destiny of mankind on human choice and not God. Therefore, because of evil, God is no longer the creator, source, nor completer of any of His creature’s destinies.

The proper understanding of Evil

Scripture has an entirely different view on the origin and purpose of evil. God is indeed the creator and source of all things, including evil. God says this in the first person that “I create evil” so that there is no doubt.

God gives us an experience of evil (Ecc. 1:13) and subjects us to horrible things (Rom 8:20) in order to one day free us from them. You see, in order to become glorified children of God, we must know good and evil. We have to experience pain, suffering, sin, death and separation from God in order to truly understand joy, righteousness, immortality and the glory of being with God.

Evil is the contrast God uses to teach us, shape us, and mold us into His children. Once we are perfected and given the immortality of Christ Jesus, evil is abolished forever.

God remains God

Only by placing evil in its proper place, as a creation of God, can we truly understand the power and purpose of our God. Evil is not running rogue and ruining God’s creation, but instead, is a vital step in the process of creating Children of God that know good and evil.

By placing evil in its proper place, we can honor the God of scripture seeing that out of Him and through Him and for Him is all: To Him be the glory of the eons! Amen (Romans 11:36)!

Picture it: The Almighty God creates and Satan says, “NO.” The false teaching of annihilationism teaches that God creates human beings and because of their supposed ‘free-will’ combined with Satan’s power, the human that God created to exist will be taken out of existence. God creates and that creation is rubbed out of existence by the almighty Satan and the almighty free-will of man. Blasphemy!

So, according to annihilationists, God can’t even keep His own creation in existence.

God’s goal is to create perfect, glorified children through His Son, Jesus Christ. However, those that teach annihilation believe that God cannot achieve His goal. Not only that, but the very creatures God created to be His children are taken out of existence by forces outside of His control. How can you say this being is God if He can’t even keep His own creation in existence?

I am going to go over just a few verses that people may use to imply annihilation and then use a few verses to completley annihilate any possibility of annihilation.

New King James Version
When the wicked spring up like grass, And when all the workers of iniquity flourish, It is that they may be destroyed forever. -Psalm 92:7

New King James Version
The LORD preserves all who love Him, But all the wicked He will destroy. -Psalm 145:20

New International Version
All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. As it is with the good, so with the sinful; as it is with those who take oaths, so with those who are afraid to take them. -Ecclesiastes 9:2

It is first important to understand that the old testament writings teach that death is the destiny for all, good and bad, righteous and wicked. This death is a permanent condition from which there is no hope.

You see, there is no question about what death is and no doubt about its permanence. That is our curse and our old testament writers knew that. Ecclesiastes 9:5 says that the dead know nothing. They have no conscious thought or existence. They are gone.

Without going into too much detail, we know that at death the body returns to the soil from which it came and the spirit returns to God from which it came. Death is a return to the state of ‘no conscious thought’ that we were before birth. Now, our spirit goes to God, but it is not conscious. The soul is a combination of a body and spirit. Therefore, we will not regain consciousness until God gives us a new body to house our spirit.

This is why death is equated to sleep. We can say that our spirit is with God, but death is sleep because we are not conscious until we are resurrected. Alright, enough on that.

My point is that the old testament writers knew what death was and there was no question that everyone was heading there. However, the question to be asked is asked in Job 14:14:

New King James Version
If a man dies, shall he live again?

The question to ask is not what death is but when a man dies, will he live again? There is no life somewhere else when a man dies. He is dead. There is no life in heaven, hell, or some sort of soul conscious state. When a man dies, he is dead. Everyone knows that if one follows the proper definition of ‘death’ in scripture. Death is a permanent condition and the dead are indeed, no more. So again, the question to ask is this: If a man dies, will he live again?

NO! That is UNTIL Jesus Christ came along. It’s interesting that one of the defining words of the word ‘forever’ in Psalm 92:7 is UNTIL. Though death is a permanent condition, Jesus Christ defied death by entering it. Christ Jesus entered the death state, the unconscious state, the knowing nothing state…in order for God to free Him and us from that state.

In order to understand what Christ accomplished, we must understand the hopeless destruction of death. That is what is explained in scripture anytime death, destruction, separation from God, being lost, being no more, etc. are discussed. Now, once we understand death and its finality…enter Christ Jesus.

Christ Jesus blew a whole in the permance of death so all creation will one day come out of it. That is why Christ’s death is a big deal! He took a permanent condition and made it a pre-requisite guarantee for immortality. Don’t ever let anyone take scripture out of context when death, destruction, and being lost is discussed. These are not permanent conditions. If Christ didn’t enter death than yes, they are permanent conditions…as the Old Testament writers were writing from this perspective. But, Christ did enter death and so death and destruction can never be permanent for any creature.

So, let’s be clear that using the term annihilation is just another way of explaining that people will be dead forever. This is a complete impossibilty because of Christ Jesus. In fact, destruction and annihilation as some people call it, is a necessary prelude to immortality. Let’s take a brief look at Luke 19:10.

New King James Version
for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” -Luke 19:10

The Greek word used for ‘lost’ in this verse is Strong’s 622, ‘Apollumi.’ It means ‘to destroy, to perish, to lose, kill, the rusultant death being viewed as certain.’

Lexicon

apollumi: To destroy, to perish, to lose

Original Word: ἀπόλλυμι
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: apollumi
Pronunciation: ä-pŏl’-lü-mē
Phonetic Spelling: (ap-ol’-loo-mee)
Definition: To destroy, to perish, to lose
Meaning: (a) I kill, destroy, (b) I lose, mid: I am perishing (the resultant death being viewed as certain).

This word described destruction and annihalation of the lost. Annihilationists would say there is no hope for these people. However, these are the very people that Jesus came to save!

Jesus came to seek and to save those that are lost, destroyed, perished, those that have certain death. People need to be in this state IN ORDER TO BE SAVED. Annihilationists want to make this a permanent condition when Jesus Christ says this condition is needed in order to be saved.

One look at 1 Corinthians, chapter 15 will furthur prove the impossibility of annihilation of any of God’s creatures.

First, in Corinthians 15:22, Paul says that in Adam, ALL are dying, thus also, in Christ shall ALL be vivified. This is consistent with everything I’ve written about in this article. Christ came to seek and to save the lost and here in Corinthains, all must die in Adam in order to be vivified by Christ.

Now, this verse says that the exact same all that die in Adam are the exact same all vivified by Christ. ‘Vivified’ means to make alive beyond the possibility of death. So, if everyone that dies in Adam is made alive beyond the possibility of death, then how can annihilation (the absence of life) be a thing? It Can’t!

Now, Paul goes on to explain and define the all in the context. He mentions all sovereignty, authority, and power, as well as every man that dies in Adam. Remember that Satan and his minions are authorities and powers of the air. So, this is all creation and all creation is subjected to Christ. On top of that, Paul goes on to say that the only being not subject to Christ is God Himself.

So, when Paul says that God will be All in all in 1 Corinthians 15:28, there can be no doubt that this is every creature ever created. However, those that hate the power of the cross, will object and say that this ‘all’ does not include those that have been annihilated or banished to hell. Nevermind that Paul already included every creature in this ‘all’ in order to show what ‘all’ includes. Christians just ingnore that.

Here is the kicker. In 1 Corinthians 15:27, death is abolished. Abolished means to render inoperative, not existing anymore. So again, there are many religious people that say God is All in all, but this does not include those annihilated. However, this argument directly denies the fact that death is abolished. They just changed the word death to annihilation.

Death is what we inherited from Adam and its non-existence and separation from God. It has been abolished, yet annihilationists still claim that people will cease to exist and be separate from God for all eternity. The only separation here is the Christian separation from the truth of Christ’s accomplishment.

Again, the problem here is applying annihlation and death to eternity. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15: 36-37 that we need to die in order to be made immortal. The mistake that many make is applying to eternity (annihilation and death) that which is the very stepping stone to immortality. Death is needed for immortality and yet the Christian annihilationist stops at death. Keep going my friend.

42 Thus also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is roused in incorruption. 43 It is sown in dishonor; it is roused in glory. It is sown in infirmity; it is roused in power. 44 It is sown a soulish body; it is roused a spiritual body.
45 If there is a soulish body, there is a spiritual also. Thus it is written also, The first man, Adam, “became a living soul:” the last Adam a vivifying Spirit. -1 Corinthians 15: 42-45

The religious world warns of corruption, dishonor, and infirmity and yet these are the necessary foundation of immortality in the above verses. Annihilation, death, and separation from God…whatever you call it…absolutely cannot be the end state of any human being. Why? Because these things are the necessary building blocks of immortality and can only run the course from death to life as described in scripture.

Destruction is a prelude to an immortal life with God. Permanent destruction, death, or annihilation is a complete impossibility because of Christ and the only way one can believe these things are permanent is if they reject Christ.

Christ annihilates any possibility of permanent annihilation.

Thank you Lord!

In closing, Romans 5: 12-13 says that death passed through into all mankind, on which all sinned. So, our sin, all of our sin, comes because death is operating in us. Therefore, if there is any sin left in the universe, then it is a result of death.

In the end of 1 Corinthians chapter 15, the apostle Paul taunts death by alluding to a few old testament verses.

54 Now, whenever this corruptible should be putting on incorruption and this mortal should be putting on immortality, then shall come to pass the word which is written, Swallowed up was Death by Victory. 55 Where, O Death, is your victory? Where, O Death, is your sting? -1 Corinthians 15: 54-55

If not all are saved and many are annihlated or eternally tormented, then death and its sting of sin will still hold a great deal of God’s creatures. So, how can Paul taunt death by asking where it is and by asking where is the sin it produces?

I imagine death and sin answering back to Paul based on the teaching of annihilation by saying “What do you mean, I took most of God’s creation and made it not exist. There I am and there is my sting.” Death would be right.

The only way the apostle Paul or any of us can taunt death is if it and its sting (sin) has been eradicated from the universe and no longer hold any of God’s creatures. This is exactly what is explained in 1 Corinthians 15 when every creature takes on the immortality of Christ Jesus.

More on this in a coming article.

Grace and peace to you all.

I attended and spoke at a Concordant Conference this past weekend in Kansas City, Missouri. During the conference, two verses came up that really summarizes God’s creation and Christ’s work on the cross. These verses are Genesis 1:1 and Colossians 1:20.

In a beginning Elohim created the heavens and the earth. – Genesis 1:1

and through Him to reconcile all to Him (making peace through the blood of His cross), through Him, whether those on the earth or those in the heavens. – Colossians 1:20

In fact, you can just combine these two verses and make them one continuous sentence of truth:

In a beginning Elohim created the heavens and the earth and through Him (Christ) to reconcile all to Him (making peace through the blood of His cross), through Him, whether those on the earth or those in the heavens.

God created the heavens and the earth and everything and everyone in them. Through the blood of Christ’s cross, God reconciles the heavens and the earth and EVERYONE in them.

Notice that the heavens and the earth are the two realms of creation, not hell. Hell was not created because it does not exist…or should I say…hell does not exist because it was never created. Notice also that the heavens and the earth created by God are the exact same heavens and earth reconciled to God through the blood of the cross.

God does not create the heavens and the earth and then only reconcile a portion of those heavens and earth. No, He creates all and reconciles all. That is the point in these two verses. Here we have the creation and completion of God’s creation. So, what’s the problem?

The problem is that people get lost in the process of reconciliation and consider the process…the end. The truth is that the process in not the end but the means to the end. The end being reconciliation of the whole universe to God, through Christ.

Alot happens between creation and reconcilaition. Sin, death, creatures being lost and broken, and everything else happens throughout the ages of time. However, every experience we have, whether good or bad, whether lost in this life or found, will eventually lead us to a greater understanding of God and His accomplishment through His Son.

Paul goes through great lengths to prove that all of God’s creation is saved by Christ. Isn’t it enough that the heavens and earth are reconciled? Yet, Paul elaborates on who ‘the all reconciled to God through Christ’ actually includes so there is no doubt:

15 Who is the Image of the invisible God, Firstborn of every creature,
16 for in Him is all created, that in the heavens and that on the earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones, or lordships, or sovereignties, or authorities, all is created through Him and for Him… – Colossians 1: 15-16

The above verses say that Christ, the Image of the invisible God, is the Firstborn of EVERY CREATURE. That includes every single human, animal, and spiritual entity.

The above verses say that in Him (Christ) ALL is created, everything in the heavens and earth (the only two realms of existence).

The above verses say that if a creature is visible or invisible, God created them through Christ Jesus. Tell me…is there any creature that is neither visible nor invisible? Of course not, so this includes every creature.

The above verses say that through Christ, God created thrones, lordships, sovereignties, and authorities. Did you know that Satan is the chief authority of the air (Ephesians 2:2)? So God created Satan and all evil sovereignties, authorities, and world-mights of darkness and wickedness among the celestials (Ephesians 6:12).

So, if God created all authorities and Satan is an authority…well, there you go.

So, if Adolf Hitler is a creature…well, there you go.

So, if everyone you know is either visible or invisible…well, there you go.

Okay, there is no doubt that all is created by God through Christ. However, there are many that say all are created by God but not all are saved by God. Well, Paul went through this trouble to define the ALL created by God. Why?

Paul went through the trouble of clearly defining the ALL in these verses to include every single creature ever created in order to show what happens to ALL of these creatures. What is the end for all these creatures that God created? What is the end for every being, good and wicked, visible and invisible, every creature on earth or in the heavens?

Colossians 1:20 tells us:

20 and through Him to reconcile all to Him (making peace through the blood of His cross), through Him, whether those on the earth or those in the heavens.

The same ALL created by God through Christ are the EXACT SAME ALL reconciled to God through the blood of the cross. That is the end for every single creature…immortality and life with God is every creature’s end because of CHRIST’S DEATH, ENTOMBMENT, AND RESURRECTION!

Don’t worry about Satan and Hitler, the time between God creating the heavens and the earth and the reconciliation of the heavens and the earth, will bring severe judgement, correction, and death for these evil doers. Satan, in fact, will be tormented for the eons of the eons in the lake of fire before being reconciled to God.

Though it is important to know that judgement and death touch people to varying degrees and severity, we must also understand that the heaviest judgement is in the end, temporary. Christ’s death abolished death and in the fullness of time…all will be delivered from it.

God created ALL and is responsible for saving ALL. Jesus Christ’s death for sin, His entombment, and His resurrection does exactly that. Salvation is God’s accomplishment through Christ Jesus.

Though many are lost for a time, every one of God’s creatures come through Christ in the end so that God fulfills His purpose in creating the heavens and the earth. That purpose is to be All in everyone of His creatures (1 Corinthians 15:28).

Jesus indeed accomplishes God’s mission. He is a perfect Savior, undefeated in reconciling God’s creatures. All God’s creation will be with God in the end.

Thank you Lord Jesus!

This is going to be an encouraging message because I want to get to a verse in Ephesians that shows just how great God is and the treasures that He has waiting for us…

But first, I want to briefly set things up by going over Ephesians, chapter one. For anyone that still believes in the complete nonsense of human free will, I’d like you to read these versese carefully and ask yourself: Is it God or man that does this?

I am just going to quote Ephesians chapter one verses 1-12 and will bold every mention of God’s action and underline every mention of man’s action. Here we go…

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, to all the saints who are also believers in Christ Jesus:
2 Grace to you and peace from God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who blesses us with every spiritual blessing among the celestials, in Christ,
4 according as He chooses us in Him before the disruption of the world, we to be holy and flawless in His sight,
5 in love designating us beforehand for the place of a son for Him through Christ Jesus; in accord with the delight of His will,
6 for the laud of the glory of His grace, which graces us in the Beloved:
7 in Whom we are having the deliverance through His blood, the forgiveness of offenses in accord with the riches of His grace,
8 which He lavishes on us; in all wisdom and prudence
9 making known to us the secret of His will (in accord with His delight, which He purposed in Him)
10 to have an administration of the complement of the eras, to head up all in the Christ — both that in the heavens and that on the earth —
11 in Him in Whom our lot was cast also, being designated beforehand according to the purpose of the One Who is operating all in accord with the counsel of His will,
12 that we should be for the laud of His glory, who are pre-expectant in the Christ. -Ephesians 1: 1-12

Notice that I have highlighted 10 separate phrases that show God chooses and does the saving and not one phrase is underlined. Why? Because man does nothing and only has what God has given them. Man only does what God has ordained for him to do…and not do.

Where is human action here?

-Paul is an apostle according to the will of God, not his human will (verse 1).

–God chooses us before the disruption of the world (verse 4). How could it be our free will if the choice was made before we were born?

-God designates us beforehand for a place of a son (verse 5). Before we do anything good or bad.

-We are chosen in accord with the delight of His will, not our will (verse 5).

–We are chosen for the glory and laud of His grace, not us earning it in any way (verse 6).

–He (God) lavishes this grace on us, again, we don’t earn it (verse 8).

-This is done in accord with His delight (verse 9).

-He (God) purposed this in Him (Christ).

-We were designated beforehand (before we were born, before we did anything good or bad).

-God is operating ALL in accord with the counsel of His will, and is not subject to our will (verse 11).

–We are pre-expectant in Christ (verse 12). This means we are chosen by God to taste these treasures.

It’s all God and not man. God chooses who will believe beforehand, before man has any life or capacity to make choices. God works out the circumstances of those He has chosen so that they come to belief at an appointed time during their life. If God did not choose for a person to believe then as their life unfolds, they will not believe. Don’t worry, God has a specific plan to bring them through the cross at their appointed time as well…only through judgment. All is of God.

There is so much in the first three chapters of Ephesians, I encourage my readers to go over these verses very carefully. Now, that we established this action is of God, on to Ephesians 3:20.

20 Now to Him Who is able to do superexcessively above all that we are requesting or apprehending, according to the power that is operating in us -Ephesians 3:20

I don’t know about you, but my dreams are far higher than reality. In other words, I dream of things that are so far above and beyond in joy, greatness, love, etc….that reality can be very dissappointing at times. Reality is no match for the height of my dreams or my thoughts…or even my requests.

I think of being more loving, more successful, more spiritual, and those dreams and what I can think go far beyond what I am in reality. Why is it that I can think greater than what God can do? Why are my requests not fulfilled as I desire? It won’t always be this way and this is part of the evil that we have to experience in order to know what it is truly like when God is our all. We have to have an experience of what its like to be without God in order to truly understand what its like when God fills us up (paraphrasing A.E. Knoch).

Ephesians 3:20 says that God can do superexcessively above all that we are requesting or even can think about! I don’t know about you, but I can think on and request some pretty great things.

The point is: There will come a time when this verse will be fulfilled in every creature. There will come a time when what we can ask and think can’t come close to the reality that God provides. The opposite of what occurs today in this experience of evil. As I said before, reality today is no match for the height of my dreams, thoughts and requests. In contrast…my dreams, thoughts, and requests in the future will be no match for reality when God is our All.

I know there are many, probably religious folk, that would say God has already done this in their life. I’m sorry, but what a lolipop life you must live and this message probably isn’t for you. In fact, religion would probably say that God only saving a fraction of His own creation and sending the rest to eternal hell or annihilation is doing ‘superexcessively above’ what we can ask or think.

I would think if the topic was salvation then God doing supperexcessively above what mankind can request or think would involve saving all His creation and not just a fraction of it. That is exactly what scripture says and I would contend that people rejecting the salvation of all through Christ’s cross actually like that people are in eternal hell or separate from God forever. God doing superexcessively more that what they can ask or think involves God burning and bruttaly torturing MORE people for ever.

What a trajedy to believe in eternal conscious torment or eternal annihilation. What a trajedy to believe that God doing superexcessively more than we can ask or think doesn’t involve saving each one of His creations.

The fact is that He saves each one of His creatures and SO much more. We will all step into this reality in God’s timing.

Grace and peace to you all!

Why is there so much suffering in the world? Why did Jesus have to suffer? Great questions that I think religion does a poor job of answering.

10 For it became Him, because of Whom all is, and through Whom all is, in leading many sons into glory, to perfect the Inaugurator of their salvation through sufferings. – Hebrews 2:10

Jesus Christ was perfected through sufferings in order to lead many sons into glory! So clearly suffering, though extremely unpleasant, serves a great purpose in God’s grand plan.

Oftentimes in life, people that share difficult experiences together form a close, unique relationship that otherwise would not have been developed without this difficult circumstance. Suffering makes us look beyond ourselves and ultimately bring us closer to our Creator.

Christ Jesus, the Son of the Almighty God, was made inferior to mere messengers because of the suffering of death (Hebrews 2:9). This was done so that He should be tasting death for the sake of everyone (Hebrews 2:9).

So, Christ had to suffer in order to enter death for all mankind. Of course, death brings suffering and it is impossible to taste death without suffering. However, this suffering of Jesus was used to perfect the Savior for the salvation of all mankind. So Jesus shared in our suffering in order that we may share in His glory of resurrection and immortality. Better said: We share in the suffering of Christ so that we share in His glory.

Let us remember that we are saved by the faith of Christ. Without suffering and death, what faith would Christ have needed? Death is what we inheritied from Adam, so Christ needed to enter it for us. The suffering leading to Christ’s death on the cross required a faith in God to follow through with resurrection. Jesus was going into death and death, according to scripture, is the absence of life. The absence of conscious existence.

So, when our Lord committed His Spirit to God, He had FAITH that God would make Him alive. This suffering, this death, and this faith was needed in order for Christ to be vivified and perfected as the Firstborn of a new creation, as the glorified Son of God. That is why Christ was perfected through suffering. The suffering leads to glorification and Christ suffered for all mankind so that all mankind will one day be glorified, each in their own order of course.

17 Yet if children, enjoyers also of an allotment, enjoyers, indeed, of an allotment from God, yet joint enjoyers of Christ’s allotment, if so be that we are suffering together, that we should be glorified together also. -Romans 8:17

In Romans chapter 8, the apostle Paul says that creation is subjected to vanity by God. This vanity brings suffering to us and it is not of our own doing as most religious people would tell you. No, it is God that subjects us to this suffering.

Why would God do this?

God subjects us to vanity and the suffering it brings in order to SET US FREE FROM IT!

20 For to vanity was the creation subjected, not voluntarily, but because of Him Who subjects it, in expectation 21 that the creation itself, also, shall be freed from the slavery of corruption into the glorious freedom of the children of God. -Romans 8:20-21

God knows how to teach us and give us the greatest possible joy. He knows that in order for us to experience the deepest understanding and joy this freedom brings, we need to understand and have an experience of the bondage of suffering. Then, onced freed, we will revel in being children of God all the more.

We have an expectation of sonship and the deliverance of our bodies of sin, death, and suffering. Paul says that these sufferings do not deserve the glory about to be revealed for us. In essence, he is saying that these sufferings are just a necessary prelude to a future glory that is beyond our comprehension…but the joy of this future glory is dependent on the experience and knowledge of suffering.

18 For I am reckoning that the sufferings of the current era do not deserve the glory about to be revealed for us. -Romans 8:18

Suffering ties us together with Christ and as a result, ties us together with His glory. Through suffering, we form a deep connection with Christ that makes us indistiguishable from His suffering and glory. This, I believe, is why Paul can say that he rejoices in his sufferings (Colossians 1:24).

As far as Christ goes, He did not suffer because of His doing but because of ours. He is the spotless Lamb and the One through Whom we are justified. Christ suffers for our sins so that God can work those sins into good to fulfill His purpose and enhance His glory.

For an example of this, we can look no furthur than the greatest sin ever committed. The torture and murder of God’s Son. The people that killed Jesus sinned in horrible ways. However, through Christ’s suffering and death, God turnd the greatest sin of all time into the means of saving all creation. This is how God dealt with and justified all sin…through the suffering and death of Christ. Our sins, however great they are, will be turned into righteous acts that fulfill God’s purpose. This is how we are justified.

So, in suffering, we are acquainted with Christ’s suffering and the glory to come. This is why Peter, when talking about suffering, seems to always connect it with coming glory.

11 searching into what or what manner of era the spirit of Christ in them made evident, when testifying beforehand to the sufferings pertaining to Christ and the glories after these. -1 Peter 1:11

13 but, according as you are participating in the sufferings of Christ, rejoice, that you may be rejoicing, exulting in the unveiling of His glory also. -1 Peter 4:13

In fact, Peter says that God adjusting, establishing, firming, and founding you is based on suffering. But, the suffering is only for a brief time. This is in agreement with Paul when he says our momentary suffering cannot be compared to the future glory that it produces. This is the common thread of suffering.

10 Now the God of all grace, Who calls you into His eonian glory in Christ, while briefly suffering, He will be adjusting, establishing, firming, founding you. -1 Peter 5:10

In conclusion, its all about God’s sovereignty and constrast. Suffering is the set-up for glory, and Christ’s glory and ours is dependent upon it. Yes, some people suffer more than others and in ways that is too much for us to comprehend. However know this, our suffering is calculated by God in order to produce an eternal weight of joy and glory far beyond what we can possibly imagine.

Grace and peace to you all.