How does the story end?

Does God reach the goal with His creation and all people, or rather not? These are questions about recent events. Different views characterize the discussion. These are the most important views:

• The Universal Reconciliation,
• the doctrine of heaven and hell and
• the doctrine of the destruction of all unbelievers
  (a variant on the heaven-and-hell doctrine).

These three “main types,” if that is how they are to be described, seek to understand the Bible’s various statements about the purpose and work of God. They appear in an overall understanding and one comes to one’s own conclusions based on the considerations. The following is a summary of important statements for each teaching direction.

Universal Reconciliation

God will save (1Tim 4:9-11), justify (Rom 5:18), vivify (1Cor 15:22) all men. God, making peace through the blood of the cross, will reconcile the universe to Himself (Col 1:20) when Christ completes the universe in all things (Eph 1:23).

All things in heaven and on earth will be summed up in Christ (Eph 1:10). Then every knee will bow in the name of Jesus, the heavenly, the earthly and the subterranean, and every tongue will pay homage: Lord is Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father (Phil 2:9-11). Thus, Christ will reign until the consummation of the living, when He once hands over the kingship to His God and Father, that God may be all in all (1 Cor. 15:24-28).

Death will be put away as the last enemy (1Cor 15,26), after which life and incorruption will be brought to light (2Tim 1,10). He includes all in unruliness, that He may have mercy on all (Rom 11:32). Everything is of Him, through Him, and to Him (Rom 11:36), which includes God’s judgments (Rom 11:33-35).

References to all-auspice are most clearly found in Paul’s letters, but not only there. There are also many references in the Old Testament, such as “For the Lord does not cast off forever, but when he has afflicted, he has mercy according to the abundance of his grace. For he does not humble and afflict the children of men from the heart” (Cl 3:31-33).

Those who believe in all-reconciliation do not do so because they see a conflict between God’s love and justice. Nor does he simply blank out the righteousness of God. Rather, the point is that God’s righteousness has been fulfilled in Christ (Rom 1:16-17 Rom 3:21), and it is through this that God’s action in love and for healing and salvation can take place in the first place. It is not God who is dependent on man, but man is and remains dependent on God, who speaks of judgment and grace and will one day be all in all (1 Cor. 15:28).

Heaven and hell

Man must decide during his life where he wants to spend eternity. Either he believes (and goes to heaven) or he does not believe (and ends up in hell). It is a dualistic outcome of world history, in which God makes an offer of salvation, but man decides whether he wants to accept it or not. God is bound by this decision.

God does want all people to be saved (1Tim 2:4), but if people do not accept the love of the truth for their salvation, they will be lost (2Th 2:10). Only he who believes will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). He who does not believe is already judged because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God (John 3:18).

So it is appointed for man to die once and then to face judgment (Heb 9:27). Accordingly, for those who do not believe, there remains a fearful expectation of judgment and the fervor of a fire that will consume the adversaries (Heb. 10:27).

We should fear the one who has the power to cast into hell after killing (Luke 12:5). If something tempts a person to sin, it should be radically cut off or thrown away, for it is better to enter life lame or crippled or one-eyed than to be thrown into hell unharmed (Mark 9:43-48).

Thus, at some point, there will be a separation between (good) sheep and (bad) goats (Matt. 25:32). The goats will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous will enter into eternal life (Mt 25:46). The last judgment is followed by the second death in the lake of fire (Rev 20:11-15). This death is not an actual death, but whoever ends up here will be kept alive and tormented by God for all eternity (Rev 20:10, cf. Rev 14:11).

There is a variant on these formulations: In a variation, hell is described again and again today as “the time or world without God”, as “God’s remoteness”. This has the appearance of wanting to make the doctrine of heaven and hell acceptable, namely to push the fire and eternal torment into the background. Of course, this terminology is only like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, because if you want to get to the bottom of the reasons for God’s remoteness, you automatically come back to the original thoughts of a hell.

Destruction of the infidels

The disposal of the infidels. This view also envisions a dualistic outcome of world history with heaven and hell. Hell, however, is not endless torment, but extinction. The destruction of the unbelievers takes the place of endless torment.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish (here we read: be destroyed), but have everlasting life (John 3:16). If anyone was not found written in the book of life at the last judgment, he was thrown into the lake of fire (Rev 20:15). This is interpreted as annihilation because it represents a contrast to life – i.e. it cannot contain any other form of life.

Likewise, Heb 10:27 speaks of a fire that will “consume” the adversaries, which is tantamount to destruction. The Gospels read that “soul and body can be corrupted in hell” (Mt 10:28).

Proponents reject the doctrine of an endless torment in hell on the grounds that an endless torment as punishment for a relatively short life full of mistakes is not fitting and casts a blight on God’s nature and work. Annihilation is more appropriate and fits better with the testimony of Scripture. They see death as annihilation, and death is spoken of far more often than torment.

The attempt to rely on the Bible

This is how the different views stand side by side. What an exegesis of the above-mentioned biblical passages might look like is not yet the question here. This is an introduction, and the biblical passages mentioned are an incomplete selection of references. However, some things can already be recognized: All opinions try to base themselves on the Bible. In churches and communities, one is often confronted with only one point of view. Other opinions remain unmentioned. Not infrequently, therefore, I hear that something like an all atonement is not in the Bible at all. The texts that say this are avoided at all costs and are therefore unknown. The biblical passages mentioned here should help to correct the wrong impression. It is also assumed that proponents of all-auspices are probably unaware of the biblical passages to the contrary. This article should correct this impression.

Bible study helps

Quoting biblical passages alone, however, says nothing. Each passage should be examined in the light of the basic text and the context. This website therefore contains many neutral articles on how to study the Bible reliably and profitably. This is intended to support an examination and a differentiated, thoughtful and personal opinion on biblical statements. Therefore now the concrete invitation: If you have questions, then deal with these things. Try to trace why this or that is said.

If you don’t have any questions, you don’t need any answers. Then just leave those things and enjoy other things. Everything can lead to gratitude.

Deepening

Many questions can be explored in greater depth by working together – provided, of course, that everyone in a discussion group is willing to do so. The desire to know the Bible better can be a unifying element in conversation. In countless conversations I have had myself, it often happened that people entrenched themselves in dogmatic positions. However, this impedes the conversation and prevents us from talking about the Bible with an open mind. Let us always remember that knowledge inflates, but love builds up.

• Have you ever heard other doctrines along with the arguments?
• Is it important to think about these issues? Why (not)?
• What do other doctrines trigger in you? (insecurity, joy, indifference …)