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        THE BIBLE is confidently appealed to support three entirely different views of God's ultimate goal for the creatures of His hand and heart. Almost all agree in the main that the believer, who trusts alone in the blood of Christ, is certain of lasting bliss. But those who do not believe-- what is their destiny? Many insist that they will be tormented forever, others say that they will cease to exist while some believe that they, also will eventually be saved. All bring forward texts from the Bible. In each class are earnest, consecrated Christians who desire to know the truth and to live it out.
       If it were to be decided by a majority vote, eternal torment would be true. But the Scriptures speak of the present as a time of apostasy, so that the majority are more likely to be wrong. If it were left to history, the early Greek fathers seem to have held mostly to annihilation of the wicked or the salvation of all, and they used the language of inspiration and were nearer to its source than we are. But the only satisfactory way is to base our faith directly on the inspired Word of God. We must test and see what support it gives to each of these teachings.
        Teachers of eternal torment find quite a few strong texts in the Bible. Perhaps the principal one is the phrase "everlasting punishment" in Matthew 25:46, because it occurs in contrast to "eternal life. As everlasting and eternal are the same word in the Greek, these teachers rightly infer that the punishment must have the same duration as the life. As this same phrase "eternal life" is often used of the believer, there seems no doubt that the punishment is endless.
        Another passage which seems equally strong is "tormented day and night  forever and ever," (Rev. 20:10) connected with "God, Who liveth forever and ever." (Rev. 15:7).  Here again, they reason, God's life is endless, hence the torment can have no time limit. Admitting the translations to be correct, and leaving other passages out of consideration, this is enough to prove clearly that the Adversary (the devil) and the wild beast and the false prophet (who are the only ones in view) will suffer eternal torment.
        Those who hold to annihilation do not dispute the endlessness of the sinner's doom, but point out that it is not everlasting punishing, but punishment, that is, it does not consist in tormenting, but in death, in which there is no sensation. They rightly claim that man is mortal, and that there is no immortality  outside of Christ. For them the second death is the practical extinction of those who are cast into the lake of fire.
        The Universalists, apparently, do not rely much on scriptural evidence, so we will not consider them here, but rather those who base their belief in universal reconciliation on the Scriptures. These claim that "everlasting punishment" is a mistranslation, and should read "eonian [or age long] chastening," that it applies to only a few at a particular time, and does not deal with their final fate at all, that they will be judged for their acts, and after that suffer the second death, and only thereafter will they be made alive and reconciled. They say that, by leaving every passage in its place, and interpreting it as of the time and persons to which it refers, it is possible to believe all the Scriptures, for the conflict vanishes when the process is kept distinct from the result, the way from the goal.
       The principal passages they produce to prove that all will be saved and justified and made alive and reconciled are: "our Saviour God, Who wills that all mankind be saved and come into a realization of the truth" (1 Tim. 2: 3, 4);  "We rely on the living God, Who is the Saviour of all mankind, especially of believers" (1 Tim. 4:10); " . . . as it was through one offense for all mankind for condemnation, thus also it is through one just award for all mankind, for life's justifying" (Rom. 5:18);  "Even as, in Adam, all are dying, thus also, in Christ, shall all be vivified," (1 Cor. 15:22) ". . . through Him to reconcile all to Him (making peace through the blood of His cross),  through Him, whether those on earth or those in the heavens;" ( Col. 1:20) and the statement which supplies the title to this book,". . . .that God may be All in All.'' (1 Corth. 15:28).
        These passages, it is claimed, really deal with the final state, while the other passages, such as "everlasting punishment," and "torment for ever and ever," are concerned with intermediate matters. It will be seen from this that both eternal torment and annihilation fail to explain all the passages, especially those last quoted, but that the believer in universal reconciliation claims to do so. This is based mainly on his contention that the words eternal, everlasting, for ever, for ever and ever, etc., are limited time periods and should be so translated.
        Upon the pages of current translations of God's Word there is an irreconcilable conflict between eternal sin and universal righteousness, eternal death and universal vivification, eternal punishment and universal reconciliation.  If sin and death and judgment are eternal, then righteousness and resurrection and reconciliation cannot be universal.  The translations must be wrong and a study of the doctrine of the eons shows that the eternity of evil is unfounded and fatuous and false.  As the following pages seek to show, God is not ground under the heels of Fate but serenely guides the universe with a strong and steady hand to it grand and glorious goal.
        The subject is considered from two sides, God's assertions and human asseverations, and, as always, God is true and man is found a liar.
        Let it be clear that we are not seeking to displace the Word of God or any portion of it by a new "system" or theology.  We know that no present system will stand the test of all the Word of God. The difficulty lies deeper-- it is in faulty translations of that Word itself.  By correcting these misleading renderings the discrepancies vanish as well as the difficulties which they occasion.
    Let everyone face the issue squarely.  Current versions clearly teach different outcomes of God's connection with evil.  Let us put the case thus:
                                                                Universal                                  Everlasting
                                                               Justification           vs                Punishment
                                                                Rom. 5:18                                 Matt. 25:46
                                                                Universal                                  An Endless
                                                                Vivification            vs                Death State
                                                                1 Cor. 15:22                             Rev. 20:14
                                                                Universal                                   Eternal
                                                                Reconciliation       vs                Torment
                                                                Col. 1:20                                    Rev. 20:10

        There is no escaping the conviction that both views cannot be true.  The usual method has been to minimize the universality of the reconciliation.  But this cannot be done without violating the context. The real discrepancy lies in the words "everlasting," "endless," and "eternal," which have no equivalents in the original.
       The key to the cause, the character and consequences of sin lies in its temporary term.  If evil is eternal and death indestructible and estrangement irreconcilable, their origin and object can never be grasped.  Their gloomy shadow stretches its interminable length upon the character of the God Who prepared their entrance and existence, yet provided no exit for them when they had played their part.
        Faith will fall back upon God in spite of a faulty version and trust Him to explain all in His own time; but this very same faith will force aside all human interference when once it discovers that God Himself has already given a sufficient and most satisfactory explanation.  Faith will exult that the bitterness of human theology has been banished and its doubts not only dissolved, but that the God it worships is greater and grander and more glorious that it had dared to dream.
       Let no one imagine that these pages teach a mere "restitution" to a former state.  A creation restored to its primeval condition cannot account for the presence of evil.  Sin leads to estrangement.  It brings in the breach between God and His creatures.  It makes them His enemies.  God's answer to this is reconciliation, not a mere restoration to a former condition.  It is far more that.  It is God's display, by means of the dark shadows of sin, of His immanent  love for His creatures, and His way of engaging their affection.
        Nor let any dream that aught of this is brought about apart from the work of Christ. Rather let them acknowledge that it owns Him not only as the Alpha, but also as the Omega, not only as the Origin but also as the Consummation.  The truth here set forth is based upon the blood of Christ, it depends upon the death of God's Son, and it crowns His cross with a conquest which adequately accords with the suffering and shame of Him Who was forsaken for our sakes upon the accursed tree.
        It is the, particular purpose of this book to examine the scriptural teaching on the eons: hence much space (the whole of Appendix A) is devoted to an investigation of  the eonian times, and another appendix is added to show how eon and eonian have been translated in seven selected versions.
        The subject of the eonian times is one of the most vital and interesting which could engage the minds and hearts of those who wish to know God's Word and His ways. Until this is thoroughly understood we are not really ready to consider what God has to say in regard to the final outcome of His purpose.  We therefore urge everyone to study the eons carefully, their number and character and relation to each other.
        The chapters which follow are taken from UNSEARCHABLE RICHES, a magazine devoted to original research in the Word of God.
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⁽¹⁾Knoch, A. E. All In All. Canyon Country, CA. Concordant Publishing Concern 1978

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