UNIVERSAL RECONCILIATION
By ALFRED SHELL T HE following brief and important article the Lord would include all He adds two on Universal Reconciliation has been more classes as in No. 3. So that counts sent us by Alfred Shell o f Colton. While No. 1 out. it is thoroughly satisfactory, we think it No. 2 has more classes than No. 1, but might have been made even stronger by not the four classes o f No. 3. This then
calling attention to the fact that in ColOs- sians 1 :20 it was not persons, but things, that are reconciled to God. O f course, this point is not necessary for the force o f argu ment as given by Mr. Shell, but it makes, the point even stronger. He writes: Those who believe in the final salvation _of every lost being in the Universe, who call themselves ReconciliationistsT" usually fall back 'on three texts to try to prove their position. These texts are Colossians 1 :20, Philippians 2:10, Revelation 5:13. Do t these texts teach that all the lost are finally saved? Let us diagram and number them thus: No. 1 Colossians 1 :20. Heaven. Earth. , No. 2 Philippians 2 :10. Heaven. Earth. Under the Earth., No. 3 Revelation 5:13. Heaven. Earth. ' Under the Earth. Sea. No. 1 says Heaven and Earth reconciled. TWO classes RECONCILED. No. 2 says Heaven, Earth, and Under the Earth bow and confess. THREE classes BOW and CONFESS. No. 3 says Heaven, Earth, Under the Earth, and Sea say blessing, honor, glory, and power to the Lamb. FOUR classes PRAISE. Now No. 1 may teach salvation, but the two classes do not include all, for, when
is not broad enough to include all. But even if it did it does not say what they claim. It does not say they are saved. It says they bow and confess Him Lord. This does not mean salvation for them, for we read in Matthew 7:21-23 that many shall say Lord, Lord,” and tell Him how they did wonderful works in His name, and He will -say, “ Depart, I never knew you.” John 18 :6 tells us that those who came to arrest Jesus went backward and fell to the ground"when He told them who He was. Now the Lord who made that company fall before Him can just as easily make others bow before Him. Certainly th^ saved will do this willingly,, but the ALL o f our text will do it willingly or un willingly. So bowing or confessing Him Lord does not, o f itself, imply salvation. No; 2 does not teach Universal Reconcilia tion. No. 3 is broad enough to include all, per haps, but it again does; not say about them the thing, claimed. It says they ascribe" blessing, honor, glory and power to the Lamb. One who does this is not neces sarily saved; for demons praised Him say ing He was the Holy One o f God, and sub mitted to Him, and, in the person, o f the one possessed, even bowed ;toNHim, and acknowledged Him also as their Judge; and, at that time at least, they were not saved. So we may state it thus: No. 1 may speak o f Salvation, but it is not broad enough to include ALL. No. 2 and No. 3 may include ALL but they do not speak o f Salvation. But the texts are juggled with, and mixed up, and read into one another until, from a combination o f them, they think they find their doctrine.
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