Where There’s Blayze

As a Christian there are numerous theological issues that perplex me, despite this I am intrigued by them all and at one moment or another I tend to delve into the the issues. I like to see what scripture and modern day texts say on the issue so that I may form an opinion of my own. Last year I wrote my dissertation on why and all loving God would allow natural evil. I wont go too far into that debate, however it did spark an element of curiosity in me in regards to eschatology and who will get to Heaven. Sadly it is an argument that can never truly be answered, but despite that one snag, I am going to write down my thoughts as they currently stand in the hope that it may help me get to a conclusion of my own.

The theory that I am currently being drawn to is that of universalism. This was sparked when looking at examples of natural disasters during my dissertation. If we look at a horrific event in our recent history of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake/tsunami, we can see that 230,000–280,000 people were killed. Now what are we to believe happened to those who died after death? It is fair to assume that there was a great number of those people who did not believe in God or Jesus and who had not given themselves over to God in anyway. It is very possible that many of them were probably atheists. If we believe that the only way to Heaven is through Christ as the one true vine (John 15:1) then it must be accepted that a great number of those who died did not get to Heaven, but in fact ended up in the alternative, Hell. This strikes me as greatly unfair. Now it is not my place to question Gods judgement, however this does not seem to fit in with the character of God that we are shown in the New Testament. It also seems contradictory to scripture and undermines what Christ did for us on the cross. We are shown that God is a forgiving all loving being, and yet we have to deal with the belief that anyone who does not commit their lives to Christ are cast into an eternal fire to be tormented. It does not seem to fit. If we return to the example of the 2004 Indian ocean disaster there were numerous young people who will have died without a faith, they have lost their opportunity to turn to Christ in later life. For example, I did not give my life to Christ until I was seventeen years old. If I had died from a natural disaster at the age of sixteen, I would not have known Christ or gained a relationship with God. Would I have been admitted to Heaven? An answer to this could be that of universalism, that all are accepted into Heaven. In this case, it is a great comfort to us all that those who have passed in disasters such as this one are in a far better place and not condemned to an eternity of suffering. There are also multitudes of scriptural verses that do suggest that we are all to be welcomed into Heaven. In 1 Corinthians 15:22 it says that ‘for as in Adam all die, also in Christ shall all be made alive.’ This passage is one of many that refer to Christ dying for all our sins and suggests that we are all forgiven. Many would argue that we are all forgiven through Christ but when we die, that is it, forgiveness is all of a sudden redundant as if you have not had a relationship with God and Christ then there is no forgiveness, you are denied Heaven. Why would the absolution of Heaven only last in life? If we truly are forgiven then surely when we die we are clean because of the blood of Christ, therefore have no reason to be denied Heaven. This point is reiterated in Colossians 1:19-20 where it says ‘For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.’ This is yet another verse that references the act on the cross as being the definitive absolution of sins. This is a common belief within Christianity, but why do we then restrict this act by saying that at the point of death we are still condemned for our life choices. Even if we move away from the act on the cross, God’s mercy towards man is spoken of a great deal within the New Testament. In Romans, 11:32 it says ‘For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.’ It is this very mercy that the theory of universalism draws its strength from, that God’s mercy is so strong that no one shall be denied Heaven. My last defence of the theory of universalism is from the book of Samuel in chapter 28 where he is contacted through a medium. The language that is used in the original text places Samuel in Hell when he is contacted. The question is then raised as to why Samuel is in what we would see as Hell? It is possible that this is not Hell, but in fact a waiting place or some form of purgatory, which could all fit into the theory of universalism.

Having said all this there are aspects of universalism that are greatly flawed in my opinion. Most of all in my mind if we accept the theory that all are accepted into Heaven regardless of the life they live then do we make God redundant in life? Is there a need for God? If we are getting into Heaven anyway, why should we altar our lives to coincide with how God wants us to live if it changes nothing? Naturally, this is quite a bleak and narrow-minded view, but these questions are raised none the less. As a Christian, I would argue that if you take away the concept of Heaven and Hell, there are still huge advantages to accepting God into your life and if someone lives a life without accepting Christ into their lives then that is their loss. It does still make us question the importance of a relationship with God and our view of mission if we believe that all are accepted into Heaven. Personally, I could only truly believe in universalism if I were to also believe in purgatory. Purgatory is the belief that after you die before you go to Heaven you are purged of your sins. This would give a fuller picture to what happens after death and it makes a great deal of sense. In Malachi 3:3, it says ‘He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver’. The way you refine silver is by holding it in the hottest part of a flame and allowing the impurities to melt away, despite the fact that this particular verse is referencing the sons of Levi, this could be a thought of what happens in purgatory. We are purged of our sins in a flame that melts away our impurities and shapes us into the people that God intended us to be. This would answer why Hell is referenced as an eternal flame, it could actually be referencing purgatory. This would show that although all people get into Heaven due to being made clean by the blood of Christ, they will be purged of whatever sins have taken hold of their lives and their character. This means that although they get into Heaven, it would only be once they were truly people who represented the image that God wished us to show. Which we are all capable of and deep down all do posses that image. Of course, the counter argument to this is that there is no biblical evidence for a belief in purgatory, it is simply a belief laced in tradition. We can speculate that the descriptions of Gehenna and Hades were in fact referencing a state of purgatory that we would pass through, which I realize is a farfetched theory with little evidence to support it.

Are more accepted and typical theory is the Armenian theory. The Armenian theory states that all are able to receive Gods grace and may come to him, but there are those who won’t and will subsequently go to Hell. Now a belief in Hell is not necessarily synonymous with the Armenian belief but for the sake of this argument (as it is the most common belief) we will assume that it is. The Armenian belief has much to support it biblically; all the references to Hell support it. In addition to this, the scriptures that refer to Christ being the one true vine and the only way to the father does defend the belief that the relationship with God is open to everyone but that only those who accept this gift will be accepted into Heaven. This is also shown in Matthew 10:32, where it says, ‘so everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven.’ This verse suggests that Christ will only acknowledge those who have a relationship with him on Earth in their lives.

Despite this being a widely accepted theory, there are flaws to it that truly make me question whether it is true. It does not answer the question of what happens to those instances where someone dies in a natural disaster at a young age. It still does not seem to fit in with Gods character. My biggest issue with this is that if God knows when he is creating someone that they are not going to make it into Heaven, because he knows all, then he is simply creating someone he knows will spend an eternity in suffering. This does not seem to be the characteristic of an all-loving God.

In the final analysis, it is clear that both these theories have their flaws whilst maintaining some merits. Perhaps as you have read this you have disagreed with everything I have put forward or possibly been led to a completely different theory. This post is simply that of a man searching for answers to the mystery of what happens after we die. It is somewhat anti climactic that after a veritable essay that there is no definitive answer, nor can there ever be one. We are plagued with questions that cannot be truly answered till we die, but the hope is that by researching these things we may grow closer to God and wiser because of the experience.

Blessings.