Is biblical prophecy based on God’s meticulous foreknowledge, or on His power and ability to bend the course of history to His will and grand plan?
If God has predestined everything to happen exactly as it has and will happen, even down to the most minute molecular phenomena, then aren’t we essentially living in a kind of simulation, as some theorists have suggested?
Bible Rebel is exploring the three major Christian doctrines concerning the theology of hell. Below are some quotes from three prominent theologians/scholars who hold the universal salvation view.
Links to the other views on Bible Rebel
Annihilationism (often called “conditional immortality”)
Infernalism (eternal conscious torment)
“If God is the good creator of all, then in the end all shall return to Him—every last rational soul.” —from That All Shall Be Saved (2019)
Hart argues that God’s goodness, freedom, and victory in Christ logically require the ultimate restoration of all people.
“The Christian faith is universalist in its logic… God’s purpose is the reconciliation of all, and nothing less.” —from In the End, God… (1950)
Robinson was one of the first major 20th‑century Anglican voices to articulate universal reconciliation as the natural conclusion of the gospel.
“If God truly wills the salvation of all and if nothing can finally defeat His redemptive love, then universal reconciliation follows.” —from The Inescapable Love of God (1999)
Talbott’s work is foundational in modern Christian universalism, arguing from Scripture, logic, and the character of God.
Here are four insightful quotes about the Old Testament Books of I and II Samuel.
On the overarching purpose of Samuel
“The First Book of Samuel was written to show who the true Shepherd‑King of Israel must be: the Son of David, a man ‘after the Lord’s own heart’; Second Samuel was written to show that this true King of Israel will finally establish God’s forever kingdom.”
The Gospel Coalition
On what Samuel teaches about God and obedience
“In 1 and 2 Samuel what you really see is how God operates, what He requires of His people, and what He does when His people fail… Hope is never found in a human king; hope is found in the King of kings.”
Paul Tripp
On God’s sovereignty in the narrative
“The books of 1 & 2 Samuel reveal God’s sovereignty in history: God humbles the proud and exalts the humble, and He sovereignly works through the rise and fall of kings to accomplish His purposes.”
Randy McCracken
On the theological significance of Samuel’s leadership and the kingship theme
“Samuel’s story and the monarchy narratives show that God providentially draws His people back into right relationship with Himself by choosing and exalting leaders according to His will, even amid human failure.”
Jonathan Anderson
Bible Rebel is exploring the three major Christian doctrines concerning the theology of hell.
Here are some quotes from three prominent theologians/scholars who hold the eternal conscious torment view of hell.
Charles H. Spurgeon (Baptist preacher)
“When thou diest, thy soul will be tormented alone; that will be a hell for it, but at the day of judgment thy body will join thy soul, and then thou wilt have twin hells… every nerve a string on which the devil shall forever play his diabolical tune of ‘Hell’s Unutterable Lament.’”
— Spurgeon vividly affirms conscious, ongoing torment in hell after death, consistent with traditional teaching on eternal punishment.
Denny Burk (Theologian; The Gospel Coalition essay)
“Hell is a place of eternal, conscious torment for everyone who does not trust in Jesus Christ…I t describes unending experience of divine judgment and just retribution for sin.”
— This reflects a contemporary evangelical articulation of the historic doctrine of ECT, emphasizing unending conscious punishment for the unrepentant.
John Piper (Reformed theologian; quoted in public domain margin)
“No one can hide from the Lord… God’s power is present in hell as the One who… maintains suffering…†…† (paraphrased summary of his emphasis that torment in hell is real and ongoing).
A wise king once chose a quiet stretch of countryside and there he built a house so vast it was the size of a town, with countless rooms, wide halls, and courtyards. When it was finished, he sent his loyal servants to live inside it. Their work was to prepare every room—sweeping floors, setting tables, lighting lamps, and making each place ready for life. Yet the king gave one puzzling command: the doors were to remain locked. The servants obeyed, working faithfully day after day, hearing the sounds of people passing by outside but never opening the doors to them.
At the right time, the king sent his son, the prince, to the great house. Unlike the servants, the prince carried the keys. He walked through the halls, threw open the doors, and called out to the people from every road and field, inviting them to come in. Families, strangers, and wanderers entered together, filling the rooms with laughter and conversation.
The prince welcomed them to live with him, not as guests but as family, alongside the servants who had prepared the house. And at last the king’s house became what it was always meant to be—a living home where many shared one life under the care of the king’s son.
In the Old Testament, God worked through Israel to carry out His plan. Then came Jesus, who completed that plan through His life, His death on the cross, and His resurrection from the grave.
Because of what Jesus did, we are now in the Church Age, where all people—not just the people of Israel—are invited into the household of God.
Have you ever seen the signs people hold up at football games for the TV cameras that say, “John 3:16”? That verse tells us what God’s plan was all along and why Jesus is the most important part of that grand plan.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Whosoever. Not just some, but everyone is invited to take part in the goal of God’s plan through Jesus Christ—everlasting life.
Next, we’ll look at how we plug into God’s plan in this new Church Age. Hint: it’s not different from the ways we’ve already talked about.
In upcoming posts we’ll be exploring the three major Christian doctrines concerning the theology of hell.
We start with annihilationism and some quotes from three prominent theologians/scholars who hold the conditional immortality view.
“Emotionally, I find the concept of hell intolerable and do not understand how people can live with it without either cauterizing their feelings or cracking under the strain. … My question must be—and is—not what does my heart tell me, but what does God’s word say? And it seems to me that the annihilation of the wicked is more consistent with the biblical emphasis on the finality of judgment and the gift of immortality to the redeemed alone.”
John Stott & David Edwards, Evangelical Essentials (InterVarsity Press, 1988)
“The wicked will finally perish. They will be no more. This conclusion rests on the consistent testimony of Scripture that immortality is a gift God gives only to the redeemed, and that the lost suffer punishment ending in death, not everlasting life in misery.”
Edward Fudge, The Fire That Consumes (3rd ed., Cascade Books, 2011)
“Hell is not torture forever but the final destruction of the wicked. God does not sustain the wicked in endless conscious agony; rather, they are finally and completely destroyed, which better reflects both biblical language and the justice of God.”
Clark H. Pinnock, “The Destruction of the Finally Impenitent,” in Criswell Theological Review (1990)
The plan to connect the United States by rail began in 1862, but it took years of hard work and danger to build tracks across mountains and deserts. For a long time, it wasn’t clear when everything would finally come together and the Transcontinental Railroad would be completed.
Then, in 1869, the last rail was connected at Promontory Summit, Utah, with the driving of the Golden Spike. In that moment, the long plan was complete, and the country was finally linked from coast to coast.
After Adam and Eve messed up, God promised to rescue humanity, and Jesus came as the fulfillment of that plan. Through His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus completed God’s long-promised work and rescue plan, opening the way for everyone in all ages to be restored to God and receive everlasting life with Him.
God’s plan started with a promise (Genesis 3:15), was carried through history by people like Abraham and David, and was fully revealed in Jesus, who came to save the world.
Luke 4:16-21
And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
Jesus wasn’t just teaching good ideas—He was the fulfillment of God’s long-promised plan, set in motion all the way back in the Old Testament.
John 19:28 & 30
After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst…
When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
God’s plan was accomplished, the Old Testament scripture was fulfilled, and Jesus said, “It is finished”.
How did Jesus carry out God’s plan?
Did Jesus show us by example any of the four ways to plug into God’s grand plan that we looked at earlier? We’ll talk about that next.
Before moving on to the Gospels, the Good News of Jesus Christ and His kingdom, there are some other men and women in the Old Testament who plugged into God’s plan, that you can read about and see how they put themselves into the flow of God’s purposes.
Moses is an important leader in the Bible whom God chose to rescue the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and guide them toward the Promised Land. Moses’ story is found mainly in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
Deborah was a prophetess, judge, and leader of Israel. You can read her story in the Book of Judges, chapters 4 and 5.
King David plays a big role in God’s grand plan because God chose him to lead Israel and promised that his family line would last forever. David’s story is found mainly in 1 Samuel (chapters 16–31) and 2 Samuel. Also, many of the Psalms were written by David.
Ruth was a woman plugged into God’s purposes and in the family line of King David—and ultimately Jesus. Her story is found in The Book of Ruth (Ruth 1–4).
Next we’re going to look at the one who is the main player in God’s grand plan, the Promised One, Jesus of Nazareth.
God’s plan worked through Israel and through key people in the Old Testament, like Abraham, Moses, and King David. But what did these people do that put them right in the middle of God’s plan? And how can we do the same in our own lives?
Here are four ways we can plug into God’s grand plan.
Seek God first.
Learn what He wants through prayer and study. Pay attention to how He speaks—through Scripture, wise people, and everyday moments. Then follow where He leads.
Add value to the world around you.
Grow your knowledge, skills, and talents, and use them for the right purposes and to do good in God’s creation.
Do hard things without fear.
Don’t always choose what’s easy or comfortable. Be willing to challenge bad habits and wrong thinking, starting with yourself.
Fight darkness with light.
Don’t just ignore what’s wrong. Stand against it by helping people in your family, faith, and community find hope, care, encouragement, and challenge.
Abraham is known as the father of the Jewish people. God chose Abraham and promised to give him many descendants, land for his people, and that through his family all nations of the world would be blessed.
Read this passage from Genesis 12:1-5 (he was called Abram before God named him Abraham) and see if you can find the ways Abraham plugged into God’s plan and if they line up with the four ways we just looked at:
Genesis 12:1-5
1 Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
4 So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.
5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.
Here’s some of what I see in these verses:
Seek God first
God spoke directly to Abram and told him to go to a new land. Abram was listening for God and he responded in faith. Genesis 12:1
Add value to the world
Notice in verse 5, “all their substance that they had gathered…”. Abram was a successful livestock owner who moved with his flocks and herds and used his “substance” to feed, clothe, and add value to the world around him, and to have the means to go where God led him. Genesis 12:5
Do hard things without fear
Abram left his country, relatives, and father’s household—everything familiar—to follow God into the unknown. Genesis 12:1, 4
Fight darkness with light
By obeying God, Abram became part of God’s plan to bring blessing, hope, and goodness to the world along with his wife, nephew, and community of, “souls that they had gotten in Haran”, knowing that we are to shine light first among those closest to us. Genesis 12:3-5
More of Abraham’s (Abram’s) life and story are found in the book of Genesis, chapters 12–25.
How does God carry out His big plan?
He does it through people.
Which people?
First, His chosen people—Israel—as we see in the Old Testament.
Then, the promised Seed from Genesis 3:15—Jesus Christ—revealed in the New Testament Gospels.
And now, in our time, it’s you and me—the Church—as we read in the rest of the New Testament.
From the Old Testament up until the birth of Jesus, Israel played a special role in God’s plan. But God’s plan was never just about one nation—it was always about rescuing the whole world (Genesis 12:3; Isaiah 49:6).
Genesis 12:1-5
Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
Israel was like a delivery vehicle God drove through history to bring the Messiah, Jesus, into the world as Savior.
Along the way, Abraham got on board by trusting God’s promise, even when it didn’t make sense.
Moses rode along by leading Israel out of slavery, showing God’s power and faithfulness.
King David became a passenger too, pointing ahead to the true King who would come from his family line. All of them played their part as God moved His plan forward.
But what we really want to get to is how those guys and gals in the Old Testament discovered their own purpose and best lives by plugging into God’s bigger plan, so that we can learn how to do the same in our own lives.
Stay tuned.