David Alsobrook - Eterity Means Forever

Eternal Means Forever

Will Everyone Eventually Be Saved?

An Expose of the Ultimate Reconciliation Heresy

by David Alsobrook

Contents

Chapter 1 Why I Wrote This Message
Chapter 2 "Everlasting Means Age-Lasting"
Chapter 3 "In Christ Shall All Be Made Alive"
Chapter 4 The Lost Are Really Lost

"He that believeth not the Son shall not see life." (John 3:36).

"And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." (2 Timothy 4:4)

Chapter One

Why I Wrote This Message

One of my most frequently asked questions is, "What are you working on now?" During the time I wrote this book my answer invariably produced a strange look of puzzlement. More often than not a follow-up question, such as, "Who believes that nonsense?" was asked in disbelief.

It may surprise you to know that there are millions of people who believe that someday everyone will know God's forgiveness. After he was deceived by numerous errors, the once highly esteemed church father, Origen (second century), taught that all creation will be perfectly reconciled to the Creator. The Universalist Church, founded by a former Wesleyan evangelist in the early 1800's, promotes the ultimate salvation of all as their basic tenet of faith. The Unitarian and the Unity groups do not believe in a literal/eternal punishment. Nor does the Christian Science faith believe in a literal damnation (or in the literal existence of sin, for that matter).

When you question common sinners if they really believe they will suffer eternally for their sins, few will acknowledge this possibility, holding instead to a false and cunningly deceptive line of thinking which reasons that a God of love could never sentence someone to an everlasting punishment. Humanism declares that all men are God's children (apart from spiritual re-birth) and will forever know His smile.

These examples we Full Gospel believers readily understand, as there are many cults, false religions, and deceived people "out there in the world" who believe many lies.

However, the reason most Spirit-filled Christians looked at me with a puzzled expression when I answered their question is, they found it hard to believe that such a subject had any relevance at all in our circles.

How I wish that were true! Perhaps you have heard of P.C. Nelson, that greatly renowned Greek scholar of the early Pentecostal movement? His former aide, now a very old retired minister, frequently sends me his newsletter which is entirely devoted to the heresy that all will ultimately be reconciled back to God.

I have met this sweet old man on a few occasions He always asks me if I have "seen the light yet" from his articles. I always tell him in a soft tone I cannot see the light in his newsletter, because the darkness is always printed in it! He then tells me he is praying for me and compliments any one of my books. (I do not rebuke this elderly gentleman, but entreat him to consider other passages of Scripture rather than the few distorted quotations he prints. I have rebuked, however, other younger active ministers who are leading people astray with their errors.)

My First Encounter with This Heresy

I remember her clearlyeyes shining, face radiant, voice shouting in an aged, raspy sound. Now in her eighties she no longer preached more than a few times a year, but her victorious spirit added to any service she attended.

I met Sister Jones (not her real name) in a lengthy revival I conducted in the early seventies. Others told me about the many great revivals she had held for more than 40 years before age had taken its merciless toll on her faculties.

Most preachers loved her dearly and I was no exception. She stayed with each message intently. She correctly discerned the moving of the Spirit in each night's service as I preached on various subjects.

Occasionally she would approach me after a service to add a point or two which I gratefully received.

One night as I preached on Eternal Judgment, however, her demeanor was quite different than usual. I attributed the crossness of her expression to the soberness of the message. (Since I stressed the eternal importance of following Jesus in this present life.)

I was to find out how wrong my assumption was when she paid an unexpected visit the next day. I vividly remember her frail and scrawny figure loaded down with all sorts of large books. "Sonny," she said emphatically, "come here while I learn you something." She further said, as she motioned me to a chair, "I've forgotten more of the Word of God than you'll ever know, but there's a part I remember that you obviously haven't learned yet."

I laughed at her abrasiveness good-naturedly and obeyed her command wondering what she was up to. Was I ever in for a great surprise!

Rather than expounding upon some dark mystery of the Scriptures, or upon some quaint personal interpretation of a passage here or there, (as I anticipated) she said things that left me completely speechless.

Sister Jones pointed a long, bony finger at me and in a most uncharacteristic tone of voice said, "You preached false doctrine to the people last night!"

"I did?" I asked astonished at her accusation, and even more hurt by her unkind tone.

"I did?" she mockingly echoed. You most certainly did!"

With this introduction she launched into a detailed study of the Scriptures from which she twisted out her teaching in the most dogmatic tones. She tried to cram into my 18-year-old head that everyone, regardless of their acceptance or rejection of Jesus Christ before death, will eventually be saved!

I will not go into all the ideas she perpetrated that sad day, but will answer them and others later. My purpose in sharing this unfortunate incident with you is to demonstrate how that even a well established, Holy Ghost Christian, who had faithfully served the Lord for many years, had been deceived by a spirit of error. (I later learned how the enemy gained this foothold in Sister Jones a few years earlier. Her unrepentant son had been tragically killed.) This may sound too strong a statement, but I believe it, on the basis of 15 years' observation, to be totally accurate: I have never met anyone who believed this error who didn't have a deceased unsaved loved one, or who weren't overtaken in other errors as well.

I am not on a witch hunt. I wish this book had not been needed. The sad fact is that last year alone (1985) three close pastor friends embraced this false teaching.

One of these pastors went so far as to write a book about his "new revelation." Another talked with me over two hours unyielding on any point (the spirit of error always renders a person unteachable). The third pastor split his church and hurt the spiritual walk of several sheep. His formerly amiable spirit became cruel and vindictive.

Although we tried to deal with him in the love of Christ all our efforts were spurned. In the end he cut off all communication with us.

I have not written this message because I enjoyed doing it, but because my heart is broken over this wile of the devil. Too many letters come across my desk to leave this error unreproved. (I often receive letters asking me about ultimate reconciliation.) There are too many innocent sheep, gullible to every wind of doctrine, who need the counsel of God's Holy Word on this point. That is my sole reason for writing this book. I pray God will use it to warn the immature and to deliver, if possible, those who have been taken captive of the devil.

"What's the Use?"

A few years ago a West Coast evangelist with a thriving healing ministry gave up his calling for antiques after he

"got the revelation" that everyone will eventually be saved in an age or two. "So what's the use?" he asked a mutual friend, "of knocking yourself out now to save the world?"