Will All Men Be Saved?

By H. L. Hastings.

READER: This is a very interesting question, and it is as important as it is interesting. We believe that there is a God, and that he has spoken to man in the Bible. Let us examine this question, then, in the light of His word. God rules the world, and he will rule it, and we shall do well to find out his will and purpose, and govern ourselves accordingly. Let us first look carefully at our question. It is not whether there is a hell or not. It is not whether wicked men will be punished as soon as they die. It is not whether wicked men will be punished in fire, or by mental suffering. It is not whether they will be eternally tormented, but it is, " WILL ALL MEN BE SAVED?”

Do you say " God is good, and almighty, and therefore he will save everybody if he can, and he will save everybody if he will." How do you know God can save all men? Do you say, " All things are possible with God What, then, does this mean, " It is impossible for God to lie?"—Heb. 6.18. Now if God has said that he will destroy or punish wicked men, how can he fail to do it, since it is impossible for him to lie? " But cannot God do all things?" I do not know. I remember hearing how the only begotten son of God, groaning beneath a ponderous load of anguish, when the sins of man were rolled upon him, cried out in the deepest agony of soul, " 0 my Father I if it be POSSIBLE, let this cup pass from me;" but though he could say that his Father always heard him, and though three times in his agony ha " prayed the same words," yet it appears that the " cup" did not "pass from" him.—Matt. 26.38, 44. Now if it were not possible, at this time, for God to permit this cup to pass from his only begotten and well beloved son, how can I know that it will be possible for God to save sinners who have hated his law, despised his grace, and worn out a long life in rebellion against him, and who persist in impenitence to the end. Why should he take the cup of death from We guilty and the godless, when he could not suffer it to pass from his own beloved son? As a question of might, God is almighty, but he cannot do wrong; hence Christ suffered, and why may not sinners also?

Besides, how shall God save all? Shall it be willingly? But then Christ says, " Ye will not come unto me that ye might have life." Shall he save them against their wills? How will they then be better than blocks, or machines.? If men are saved against their wills, why may they not even rebel against the salvation thus forced upon them? " But they will be so happy in heaven." How do you know? Some of them seem to prefer a bar-room here. Many never sing praise to God, and never use his name but to curse him. How do you know that they who dodge around a corner to avoid a Christian; who hate a prayer-meeting, and scoff at a church; who are only at home amid scenes of riot, and sin, and blasphemy, will so suddenly change and become lovers of heavenly things? How do you know that the man who leaves this world with curses may not enter the next world cursing still?

By what means will God save all? " By kindness and love and mercy?" But has he not been trying this plan for ages? Do all men love God when he shows them kindness? He causes his sun to shine and his rain to descend upon all. Why do they not love him? You preach love to man. You say "fear only hardens." Very well; why does not love melt all? Do you say, " it may hereafter?" How so? Is there another Savior to die for them? Is there a mightier Spirit to convince of sin? Why shall they who have resisted kindness, love, and mercy all their lives, come finally to yield to such influences when they leave this world? Do you say "they will be punished hereafter? But you say preaching punishment hardens men; pray tell, then, how inflicting it will melt them? And besides, what assurance is there that God will undertake to correct and reform those who have sinned against him and resisted him all their days?

Do you say, " Mau is a part of God, and he will not punish himself?" Man a part of God? How do you know? God never said so. Mist never said so. The Bible never said so. Yonder is a man, drunk; is he a part of God? Here is another who is a liar, a thief, a murderer, an adulterer, a villain and a vagabond. Is he a part of God? What God, pray? If this idea be true, of course God will not punish men for crimes when he commits them himself! But what a horribly blasphemous notion is this. A God that is lying, stealing, drinking, murdering, and full of all manner of crimes. Surely, that God can be no better than Satan. But man is not a part of God. Men are not " partakers of the divine nature " by natural birth. " That which is born of the flesh is flesh." Those only have a divine nature who are " begotten by the word of truth," and have God's spirit dwelling in them. They have. " everlasting life," but how shall those have it who reject " the word of truth" and do " despite to the Spirit of Grace?" How shall these who are " of the earth, earthy," and who remain to " the end earthly, sensual and devilish," ever attain to eternal glory? Let Peter tell us of their doom. " But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, shall utterly perish in their own CORRUPTION; and shall receive the REWARD of UNRIGHTEOUSNESS, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the daytime." - 2 Pet. 2.12, 13.

This cannot be mere natural death, for righteous and wicked both perish there. It is the special doom of the ungodly. How then shall these persons be saved? Do you say I " make man as no better than a beast?" " I?" I have said nothing about it. Peter, the apostle of Christ, compares some men to beasts—settle the matter with him I " No better than beasts?" Do you not know twenty men that are worse than many beasts? What beasts can compare in cruelty with kings and warriors, who slaughter tens of thousands in a day? Do beasts ever plot such deeds of dark and damning infamy as men do sometimes? Do beasts give way to such unbridled lusts? Do beasts go reeling to the gutter, drunk, night after night? Do beasts curse and blaspheme and insult the God that made them? That which falls from on high sinks low. Angels, when they fall, go lower than men, and become demons. Men, who in innocence stood between beasts and angels, when they fall, plunge beneath the beastly level, and lie groveling between brutes and devils. How shall such men be saved when they reject the last hope and offer of salvation offered in this world? Can the fires of purgatory be more cleansing for them than that blood of the covenant which they have counted "as an unholy thing?"

Do you say, "The living God is the Savior of all men?" Very well; but Paul also says, " Specially of those that believe." So there is an universal salvation fur "all men," and a special salvation for believers. Are the two alike? God does save all men here from many evils, no doubt. But this is not eternal salvation. Pray, what is this universal salvation? Salvation is deliverance or rescue; now what is that from which God saves all men? Is it from sin? No; for "all men" have sinned or do sin, even those that believe in universal salvation. Is it from punishment that God saves them? That cannot be, for you say, "A man is punished here as he goes along, for all the sins he commits." Well, is he saved from hell fire? "No, for there is not any to be saved from." Pray, tell us, then, what your " universal salvation" amounts to? What is it from? Not from sin, or punishment, or hell-fire; then what is it? Do you say it is " to inherit eternal glory?" How can that be?

Salvation is simply deliverance, and nothing more. It is salvation from some ill or danger. If you are taken from the water while sinking, by a benevolent stranger, that is salvation; but, if he then takes you to his house, and makes you heir to all his wealth, that is not salvation: the salvation was the deliverance—saved from drowning. The future kindness was something more than mere salvation. Paul distinguishes between the two when he says, " Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sake, that they may also obtain the SALVATION which is in Christ Jesus, WITH eternal glory."-2 Tim. 2.10. Here we see salvation comes first—deliverance, rescue—and then eternal glory! So we perceive Christ is a deliverer—" There shall come out of Zion a deliverer." But what does this "universal salvation" deliver men from? Do you say "from death?" In what way? Do men really die? How can they, if -they are a part of God? If they are not a part of God—if they are like their father Adam, "of the earth earthy," then they may die, and then God may be the Savior of all men from natural death. For as in Adam all DIE, so in Christ shall ALL lie made ALIVE. All die physically in consequence of Adam's sin, 'without personal guilt. God said to him when he sinned, "Dust thou art, and unto dust you shalt RETURN." - Gen 3.19.

This death was "passed upon all men.” But all shall "be made alive " by Christ's victory over death, without their own personal righteousness. In this sense we have "universal salvation" from the grave. "For there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and of the unjust."—Acts 24.15. For "All that are in their GRAVES shall hear his voice, and COME FORTH, they that have done good unto the resurrection of LIFE, and they that have done evil to the resurrection of condemnation." —John 5.28, 29. But is this universal salvation eternal? By no means. No Scripture declares it. Those that are thus raised to condemnation, may die "the second death" from which there is no predicted deliverance. Beyond this "universal salvation" there is a special salvation. He is the "Savior of all men, specially of those that believe." This is eternal salvation—eternal deliverance from sin, death, pain, guilt, sorrow, toil and curse. This is for the obedient. For "being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that OBEY him."—Heb. 5. 9. But how shall they have eternal salvation who refuse to "obey him?"

Do you say "God shall be all in all, and so he must have everybody saved?" Why can he not be "all in all" just as well if the wicked are destroyed? Let us see what Paul says: "For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive, but every man in his own order. The word "order" is togmati in Greek, a military term signifying "a regular body of soldiers, a division, a brigade, a command." So in the resurrection there are different orders, divisions, or companies, in which every man has his own proper place or " order." What are they? At first, leading the whole mighty host, we have the great captain of salvation and conqueror of the grave, "Christ the first fruits" (and perhaps there were with him "many of the bodies of the saints that slept)"—(Matt. 27.52)—thus forming the first division, band, or "order." "Afterward they that are Christ's at his coming;" all the saints that have died in every age and land; who are sleeping " in Jesus," shall then awake to life and immortality. This is the second great division or " order." But are these all? If so, then we might look for eternal salvation for all. But no.

Then the end, "to tilos" in Greek, a word which signifies not only "end," but among other things "a body of soldiers, a company, legion, troop," etc. This is the last division—they that are not Christ's at his coming. They came forth to "the resurrection of damnation," "to shame and everlasting contempt." This is the end, or last divi-Sion of the army of the dead, and these come forth when lie delivered' up the kingdom to God, even the Father. All power in heaven and in earth has been, during this 'age, given into Christ's hands (Matt. 28.18), and grace has reigned and will reign "unto eternal life," bringing forth the people of God to inherit that life, and now, over the rebellious in this " kingdom under the whole heaven," God resumes the reign of judgment and justice. The Father rules in the majesty of his power. The Lord God Almighty takes to himself his great power (before delegated to Christ, but now delivered up to God again), and he reigns amid the anger of nations and the outpouring of divine wrath. He reigns till he puts all enemies under the Son's feet, for he has said to Christ, "Sit thou at my right hand till I make thine enemies thy footstool."—Ps. 10. Then all foes shall be "subdued," not saved. "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death." Here is the utter overthrow of every foe. And to this agree the words of the Revelator, " Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire, and death and hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death."—Rev. 20.12-14.

And when the last foe is slain, and "all things are subdued" unto Christ, "then shall the Son also himself be subject to him that did put all things under him, that God may be all in all." —1 Cor. 15.21-28. Then the kingdoms of this world, which shall have first become the kingdoms of our Lord, shall also become the kingdom of " his Christ, and he shall reign forever arid ever."—Rev. 11.15. There shall be given to him "dominion, and glory, and a kingdom"—Dan. 7.14. "The Lord God shall give to him the throne of his Father David, and he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end." —Luke 1.32, 33. "And the kingdom and dominion, and greatness of the kingdom, under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him."—Dan. 7.27. His kingdom shall come and his will be done in earth as it is in heaven (Matt. vi. 10), and then God shall " be all in all." But how does this teach that all-men will be saved?

"But the Bible teaches that there will be a restitution of ALL THINGS; and so if all things are restored, wicked men must be of course." Yes, and if all things are restored, your old hat, and coat, and house, must be restored too. But you have not quoted but half that passage. Let us have a fair view of it. First, Peter says, "Repent ye therefore and be CONVERTED, that your sins may be blotted out. He knew no other way for sins to be blotted out but by repentance and conversion!' Second, "So that (hopos) times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord."

Third, "And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you." Fourth, " Whom the heavens must receive until the times of restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began."

Here you see, first: God was to send Jesus from heaven, but the heavens mast receive him "until the time of restitution of all things," etc. But you say that God sent Jesus at the destruction of Jerusalem; and that that was the " coming of Christ." Very well; then " the times of restitution of all things" were at the destruction of Jerusalem, about A.D. 70. So the restitution took place then, and you are too late to be saved in the restitution, by about 1800 years I But do you say "this coming and restitution is yet future?" Then you will please observe, second:

That repentance and conversion are requisite preparations for the reception of its blessings; and third: It is not the "restitution of all things" ABSOLUTELY, or without exception; nor is it the restitution of all things which men or Universalist: speak of; but it is the restitution of all things WHICH GOD HATE SPOKEN by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. Now, if God and his prophets have said that all wicked men will be restored, this passage confirms the idea of their restoration; but no such declaration can be found in the writings of "all the holy prophets since the world began." God has promised a restoration of the earth to its Paradisaical beauty, of the inheritance of it to his people, of the long desolate " throne of David," and of " the kingdom to Israel;" but not one syllable has he said of the restitution of all the finally rebellious and impenitent to divine favor. And in this same connection, Peter speaks of Christ as the Great Prophet described by Moses, saying: " Him shall ye hear in ail things whatsoever he shall say unto you; and it shall come to pass that every son that will not hear that Prophet shall be DESTROYED from among the people."—Acts 3.19-23. Now, this destruction cannot be in this world, for every soul refusing to hear Christ is not destroyed here; therefore, it must be after death that " every soul" that would not hear Christ is to be destroyed. How then dues THIS passage prove that all mankind will be saved?

Do you say that "God will have all men to be saved?" Yes, and he will have them "come to the knowledge of the truth" also; but if they refuse to obey his will in coming to the knowledge of the truth, as vast multitudes do, some being " willingly ignorant," they may also refuse and "neglect so great salvation," and perish at last. So, while this passage plainly proves that God's desire is to have all men saved, I do not see that it proves that all will be saved.

Bat, " the creature shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the sons of God." Yes, so Paul declares. But who are the sons of God? "All men," do you say? Well, I admit it for the present, though the Bible calls the Tares "the children of the wicked one," and John speaks of some who are "the children of the devil;" and Jesus said to the Jews, " Ye are of your father the devil;" but, now, if men are the sons of God, what is this "creature" which is to be delivered? It is not men, for it is to be delivered into their liberty. The creature, too, was made subject to vanity, sorrow, misery, etc., "not willingly;” but man sinned willingly. The word ktisis, translated creature, is rendered "creation" in the very next verse. "For we know that the whole creation (pasa km ktisis) groans and travailed in pain together until now, and not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption; to wit, the redemption of our body."—Rom. 8.19, 23. The same word is rendered creation, Mark, 10.6; 13.19; Rom. 1.20, and creature, verse 25; and creation, Rev. 3.14. Paul is not talking of universal salvation of men, but of the coming glory of the people of God, with which their present sufferings are not worthy to be compared. And as when man sinned " the whole creation" was cursed and made subject to vanity, not willingly but on account of man's sin, and as God said "cursed be the ground for thy sake" (Gen. 3.17-19), so when the people of God are saved from sin and death, then "there shall be no more curse, nor sorrow, nor sighing, nor pain."—Rev. 21.1-7. "The lion and lamb shall lie down together," in that " restitution of all things which God has spoken," by all his holy prophets. To this day of resurrection, " the ad-option, even the redemption of our body," Paul looked, and he represents the whole creation as groaning in the pangs of childbirth for its coming, because when Christ should come to restore all things, the whole earth and all creation would be delivered from all the pain and sorrow of this " bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the sons of God." But how does this prove that all men will be eternally saved?

The apostle, in Rom. 8.13, says: "If the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you." But How does this give hope to those who "grieve" the "holy Spirit of God;" who do "despite to the spirit of grace;" who "blaspheme against the Holy Ghost;" "those who: separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit?"—Jude 1.19.

Do you say "God has sworn that every knee shall bow to him, and every tongue shall confess to God?"—Is. 45.23. True, but when is this? Let Paul answer. "For we shall all stand before the JUDGMENT SEAT of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall gm account of himself to God."—Rom. 14.10-12. This is at the day of judgment. All shall bow, all shall confess, but shall all be saved? At that day he shall set some on the right hand, and some on the left, and to those on the left hand he shall say, " Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels."—Matt. 25.41. This does not look like all being saved. "Bat everlasting fire does not necessarily signify a fire that never will cease to burn; the word everlasting sometimes signifies a limited period." I know it. But does that prove universal salvation?

The same phrase is used in Jude 1.7, where we are told that Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them " are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of! eternal fire." Suppose that fire has gone out, are the Sodomites saved? That is the question. No. The eternal fire burned up the whole hated rate. And so the prophet says: "Behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven, and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly shall be stubble, and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of Hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. But unto you that fear my name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings, and ye shall go forth and grow up as the calves of the start, and ye shall tread down the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet, in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of Hosts."—Mal. 4.1-4.

This is the last threatening in the Old Testament against sinners. These, says Jesus, shall go away into everlasting punishment. But you say that "punishment is not merely torment." True, but it is something; and it is not salvation. Let Paul tell us what it is, when he speaks of those " who know not God, and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting DESTRUCTION from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power, when he shall come to be glorified in his saints and admired in all them that believe."- 2 Thess. 1.1-10. This is the punishment, " everlasting destruction;" this is not salvation.

But you say, " The rich man and Lazarus is a parable, and the hell there spoken of is hades, the state of the dead, and not a place of punishment." Welt what then? Beyond the "state of the dead" there is a resurrection unto condemnation, and then God is "able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna." "But Gehenna was the valley of Hinnom, near Jerusalem, where the filth of the city and the carcasses of malefactors were thrown, and fires were kept constantly burning to consume them." True, and what then? Why, simply, that God will cast wicked men into such a place and "burn them up ROOT AND BRANCH."

Besides this, Gehenna was a valley of earth, but Jesus speaks of being "cast into hell fire," eis teen Geennan, eis to pur to asbeston, "into the Gehenna, into the fire unquenchable;" and eis teen Geennan too paws "into the Gehenna OF FIRE."—Matt. 18.9; Mar. 9.43-48. This is not a Gehenna of earth merely, like that near Jerusalem, but a " Gehenna of fire." But you say " unquenchable fire is not a fire that never can be extinguished. Eusebius used the phrase to describe a fire that burned the martyrs at Alexandria."—Eusebius Eccl. Hist. b. 6. c. 41. True, and did the fire save the martyrs? No, it burnt them up. So this fire shall not save the guilty, for God is able to destroy them, " both soul and body in Gehenna." This is not universal salvation.

Do you say "God is good and therefore he will save all?" How does that conclusion follow? Suppose a man comes to your house and kills your wife and children, do you let him go on unpunished because you are "good?" Suppose when convicted of the crime be says, the judge will not punish me because he is "so good." Would that plea save him? You would say, "Because I am good I must stop your murderous work;" the judge would say, "because I am good I must put a stop to your infernal cruelty." And may not God do the same? If Pharaoh pursue God's people, is not God good to deliver them and sink him in the Red Sea? And will not God be good when he shall deliver all his people from their foes and destroy all their enemies? "But God is merciful, His mercy endures forever." Yes, but what is mercy? Is it to allow men to sin, and rebel, and persecute, and ravage, and destroy, and sit still like a weak old woman who lets her children run headlong to perdition, because she is " so good?" Mercy is for those who seek it, for the humble and the penitent. But how does mercy work on those that are incorrigible? Let David give answer as he sings high praises:

"To him that smote Egypt in their first-born,