In this series, it has become clear that the gospel of reconciliation has been entrusted to Paul. He proclaims that in Christ, God reconciles not a part, but the world to Himself: the entire universe. Reconciliation always presupposes change: enmity… Lees verder
In Ephesians 1, Paul speaks about the mystery of His will. This secret had not been made known to previous generations (Eph. 3:5; Col. 1:26), and its administration was entrusted to Paul. This secret has everything to do with the… Lees verder
1 Corinthians 15 is a long chapter dealing with the resurrection. Among the Corinthians were some who claimed that there is no resurrection of the dead. Paul responds by stating that if that is the case, then Christ has not… Lees verder
We have now discussed all the Scriptures that speak of reconciliation and thus also the theme of universal reconciliation. However, there are also texts that do not use this word, but do speak unambiguously about the reconciliation of the world… Lees verder
The preceding section in Colossians 1 describes the glory of the Son, through whom God created everything. He is the Firstborn of both the old and the new creation. God has the entire creation in view and, through Him, brings… Lees verder
The last two times that reconciliation is mentioned in Paul’s letters is in Colossians 1. Both times, it also refers to apokatallasso, which means: complete reconciliation. In this chapter, Paul describes the glory of Christ, as the Son of God’s… Lees verder
Of the three words Paul uses for reconciliation, we have already discussed all the Scripture passages in which they appear: katallage and katallasso. The third word, apokatallasso, is found only three times, namely in the letters to the Ephesians and… Lees verder
So far, we have discussed the Scriptures that speak of reconciliation in the order in which they appear in the Bible. In all other instances, it refers to the reconciliation of humanity with God. With the exception of 1 Corinthians… Lees verder
In Romans 5, we encountered the concept of reconciliation three times. Later in the letter to the Romans, it is mentioned once more, namely in Romans 11. In this chapter, Paul explains that the Jewish people are temporarily blind and… Lees verder
The word reconciliation is found exclusively in the apostle Paul. If we simply read what he writes about this, the meaning becomes clear, and we can also correctly interpret the concept of universal reconciliation. Paul uses three closely related words… Lees verder
In previous blogs, I have discussed several misunderstandings about reconciliation and universal reconciliation, which mainly stem from incorrect translations or misinterpretations of biblical terms. It would take too long to examine all the misconceptions about this within the Christian world;… Lees verder
In the previous blog post, we saw that “reconciliation of sins” is an incorrect translation. The Hebrew word kaphar speaks of covering or shielding sin. We also encounter this incorrect translation in the New Testament. The word kaphar appears in… Lees verder
When writing a series on a topic like universal reconciliation, it can be difficult to know where to begin. I would prefer to immediately discuss the texts that speak of reconciliation and the reconciliation of creation and where the concepts… Lees verder
There are many misunderstandings about universal reconciliation, both among opponents and proponents. Universal reconciliation is the view that God will ultimately reconcile all people — and, in a broader sense, all of creation — to Himself, through the work of… Lees verder
As we saw in 1 Corinthians 15:22, in Adam all die and in Christ all are made alive. Romans 5:18 expresses this same principle, encompassing all people, but approaches it from the perspective of condemnation and justification. Romans 5 GES18… Lees verder
I want to conclude this series of blogs by mentioning a number of Scriptures that present us with a true gospel, that is, good news. This message is largely unknown in the Christian world, mainly because people lack insight into… Lees verder
In the previous blog post, we considered the meaning of aeonian judgment and related terms, such as aeonian punishment. In many translations, these expressions are rendered as “eternal judgment” and “eternal punishment,” which assumes a judgment or punishment without end.… Lees verder
Several expressions in Scripture contain the word aionios, the adjective of aion. An incorrect reading or translation of these texts creates a hopeless picture, because the age-bound is then interpreted as endless. Eternal fire, punishment, and judgmentAn example of such… Lees verder
“Aeonian times” are successive periods of aeons. In the Bible, these periods are distinguished because God fulfills His “purpose of the aeons” in them (Eph. 3:11). In other words, God works out His plan of salvation in the aeons. Different… Lees verder
The Greek word aion means age and should therefore be rendered consistently. Translations with words like “world” or “eternity” are incorrect and cannot be a consistent rendering of aion. That translators have been aware of this is evident from the… Lees verder
In the previous blog post, I showed that aion does not mean “world,” but an era. The translation “world” eliminates the temporal aspect and thus obscures the view of God’s actions in the successive aeons and of His plan of… Lees verder
If the Bible teaches that the unbeliever will go to “eternal destruction” (2 Thessalonians 1:9) or “eternal judgment” (Hebrews 6:2), it is crucial whether this refers to a period of time with a beginning and an end, or rather to… Lees verder
In the closing verses of Gideon’s story, we read that Gideon dies and the people fall back into idolatry. From Judges 9 onward, the story of Gideon’s son Abimelech is described, marking a new low point in the history of… Lees verder
The refrain in the book of Judges is that the people did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, meaning that they served other gods (Judg. 2:11; 3:7). This is how the story of Gideon begins (6:1) and… Lees verder
Gideon made the ephod from the gold of victory and placed it in Ophrah. What happens next is often misunderstood in many commentaries. The text is often read as if Gideon had seduced the people into a form of worship… Lees verder