Friday, January 25, 2013


Following is the opening salvo of a dialogue found in:

The universal restoration: Exhibited in four dialogues between a minister and his friend...

 By Elhanan Winchester    written in the late 1700's.

Available for free on Google books. An excellent read for all who oppose the idea, and for those who embrace it, as well as for all who aren't sure but would like to think it through.  If this describes you, then this is an excellent resource.

Friend: I shall first of all bring to view that grand objection which is formed from the word eternal or everlasting being applied to a future state of punishment as in the following passages.

 Isaiah xxxiii 14 The sinners in Zion are afraid fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings.
Dan xii 2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
St Matt xviii 8 Wherefore if thine hand or thy foot offend thee or cause thee to offend cut them off and cast them from thee it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.
St Matt xxv 41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
Verse 46 These shall go away into everlasting punishment but the righteous into life eternal or everlasting 
The same word in the original being used for both though varied by the translators.
St Mark iii 29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness but is in danger of eternal damnation.
2 Thes i 7 8 9 The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power.
Jude 1: 6, 7 And the Angels which kept not their first estate but left their own habitation he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day even as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities about them in like manner giving themselves over unto fornication and going after strange flesh are set forth for an example suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. 

These texts together form such an objection to the doctrine of the Restoration that I can by no means believe it unless this can be fairly answered and proofs brought from the Scriptures to shew that the words everlasting and eternal which are translations of the same word and synonymous being connected with the punishment of the wicked and their future misery do not necessarily imply the continuance of the same while God exists. 

Minister: I am glad that you have so fairly and fully stated the matter and I highly commend your resolution not to believe the universal doctrine unless this can be answered fully without any torturing or twisting the Scriptures and if I am not able with God's assistance to remove this difficulty I will publicly recant my sentiments…

Go to Google and get the book to find out what the answer was. The following link should get you close to the page.

http://books.google.com/books?id=BWIVAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA72&lpg=PA72&dq=aioniois&source=bl&ots=d8mUPUXr_w&sig=hmy0d8sdD2B57PJdp54D5WXOWH4&hl=en&sa=X&ei=pi8CUeDCDeTQiwL0yoHIDw&ved=0CEwQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=aioniois&f=false 

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