It's Not Just The Prodigal Son

Imagine that mankind is God's child. Not only is that child a wandering prodigal, wasting his inheritance on loose living and squandering. But that child can be, and often is, quite savage and barbaric. "Which thing God hates" I'm sure! How would you create a universe? One free from such potential?

Has The Gospel Message Lost Any Of Its Glory Since First Delivered?

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.. ..And man, "male and female, in His own image".

And every thing was very good" [from Genesis 1:1, 27 and 31].  And God himself, surely? Is both Life (itself) and Perfection (without flaw or weakness or limitation).

"..The Lord God breathed into his nostrils (the) breath of life, and the man became a living creature" [Genesis 2:7].

But in their heart, mankind has wandered away from perfection and God who is life. (A possibility and side effect of thinking ability?) "For all have sinned" (in the original language - missed the mark) "and come short of the splendor of God" [Romans 3:23]. And "the results of sin" (imperfection) "is death" [Romans 6:23]. Imperfection, being the opposite of Life/God.

"But! The gift of God is eternal life in Jesus!" [Romans 6:23]. "Which works" (the rescue) "was finished from the foundation/creation of the world" [Hebrews 4:3].

Jesus said, "If I be lifted up from the earth" (on the cross) "I will draw all men to me" [John 12:32]. Another translation puts it like this - "And I" said Jesus, "when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

1 Timothy 4:10 says "we trust in the living God! Who is the Savior of all men! Especially of those who believe." Another version says "who is Saviour of all men -- especially of those believing." God, our Father, is the savior of all.  -- Perfect (surely?) makes no mistakes. Can lose nothing.

"...He made known to us the mystery of his will, that when the times reach their fulfillment He might gather together all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth" [Ephesians 1:9,10]. "And through Jesus to reconcile all things to Himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven.." [Colossians 1:20].

"Behold," the Book of Revelation says "I make all things new.. the river of life from the throne, as clear as crystal.."

"He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes between nations. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, with none troubling, for the Lord Almighty has spoken" [Micah 4:3,4]. "The cow and the bear shall graze, their young ones shall lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox" [Isaiah 11:7].

Christianity has been made up of human beings, and the gospel message has been passed down through human hands for nearly two thousand years. That the message has lost some of its glory, and picked up some baggage along the way, is not surprising. As the Gospel (Greek for "good news") has come to be preached and taught, it would seem one of two impossibilities would be true. God is not perfect, certainly not all powerful. Or, God is not all good. But some darkness resides within Him. (And thus He too misses the mark, and can only fade?)

Is it possible we have come to greatly underestimate Him? And His great plan (intent) of salvation and reconciliation (perfection)? "The grave" has been translated to read "hell". Which, surely, casts a great shadow upon His character. And contradicts both the good news and the Holy Bible. The "lower part of the earth" and "the place of the dead" is still the grave.

"Preaching via the Spirit to those awaiting the ark and flood", was in that day, not in a mythical, all hope is lost 'hell'. "These will be coming into eonian (agelasting) chastening/curtailing" has been translated into "these will go away into eternal punishment" [Matthew 25:46 ]. And the phrase "in the deepest depths of darkness, locked into judgment" also, does not equate to a lower chamber in 'hell'! A closer translation for judgment, would be "decision" (from the Greek word "krisis"). Even "Gehenna" the city dump has been translated to read 'hell'!

"All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will worship before Thee" Psalm 22:27.

"So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it" [Isaiah 55:11]. "I have sworn by Myself, the word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and it turns not back, that to Me, every knee shall bow and every tongue swear" [Isaiah 45:23].

"‘As surely as I live' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me, every tongue will acknowledge God’” [Romans 14:11]. Ultimately, all humans will repent.. there may even "be weeping and gnashing of teeth" in "outer darkness" but if God says all will bend the knee and all families of the nations will worship (rejoice) before Him, who are we to contradict His Word. His Promise.

In 1 Corinthians 15:22-28, it says, "In Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order - Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. Then (also) -- the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, having abolished all rule, authority and power.. and the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.. all things having been subdued unto him, that He may be (the) all in all".

From Revelation 21:1,4,5 - "There will be new heavens and a new Earth.. God shall wipe away all tears ...there shall be no more death. Behold, I make all things new."

"..Though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.." [Psalm 46:2]. Even if man's world were to crash in an hour and fall in a day, "HIS kingdom will never end!" [Luke 1:33].

"We will not fear, for God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble" [Psalm 46:1].

Jesus said "Abide in me" [John 15:4] and “if you abide in My word, truly my disciples ye are, and ye shall know the truth" [John 8:31].

"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.. We may come near, then, with freedom, to the throne of grace, that we may receive kindness, and find grace -- for seasonable help" [James 4:8; Hebrews 4;16] ..for the help and ongoing transformation we need.

"We shall be like Him" [1 John 3:2].

"For the fruit of the Spirit is: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness (gentleness), faithfulness, humility, and self-control (temperance)" [Galatians 5:22,23].

"God is love" [1 John 4:8].
  

Are The Ancient Holy Days Of Israel The Salvation Plan Outline?

I've been thinking on this (and talking about it) for a long time. I'm so happy, finally the words have come together into some sort of cohesive sense [1 Corinthians 14:7,33]. I hope!

The ancient Holy Days of God (Leviticus 23:1-44) describe UR! Otherwise known as universal Reconciliation and Redemption [Jonah 2:9] Or CU Christian Universalism.
Each Holy Day represents Jesus (Messiah).
The Spring Holy Days:

[#1] He was and is the Passover (Lamb). [Leviticus 23:5, New King James Version - "On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the Lord’s Passover."

[#2] He is the Unleavened Bread. (The oven was "the grave").

[#3] After three nights and three days, "at even" as the weekly Sabbath day was ending...
        He is the "First Fruits unto God". [1 Corinthians 15:17,18 and 20] "First Fruits" is Thanksgiving for the entire (grain) harvest. [1 Corinthians 15:20,21,22]

Then fifty (pent) days later (was) the outpouring of the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of God, wholly dependent upon the first three Holy Days earlier in the season. [Leviticus 23:1-22, the Spring Holy Days [#1-4] fulfilled by Jesus, it would seem, as His First Advent.]

There were two harvests in the land. The fruit of the land harvest is in..

The Autumn Holy Days:

[A] On the first day of the seventh month [Leviticus 23:24].. a blowing of Trumpets (also called New Year's).

[B] 10 Days (1000 yrs?) Later, The Day Of Atonement (DOA) - "Any person who is not humbled in this same day, shall be cut off from among his people." [Leviticus 23:29] "I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it.. ..And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and scrolls were opened, and another scroll was opened, which is that of the life, and the dead were judged out of the things written in the scrolls. -- according to their works; and the sea did give up those dead in it, and the death and the hades did give up the dead in them, and they were judged, each one according to their works; and the death and the hades" (place of the dead, the grave) "were cast to the lake of the fire -- this [is] the second death; and" (then?) "if any one was not found written in the scroll of the life, he was cast to the lake of the fire." (Who's, not going to "believe" after having been resurrected, etc?) [Revelation 20:11-15] "Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all." [1 Corinthians 15:28]

[C] 5 Days (500 yrs?) Later, The Feast of Booths (or Tabernacles/Tents) - the joyful observance of the vintage and fruit harvest. "Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine." [Deuteronomy 16:13] "And you shall take for yourselves, on the first day, the fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees, the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days." [Leviticus 23:40]
   "..a statute forever..." [from Leviticus 23:41]
   "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth.. and..`Lo, the tabernacle of God [is] with men, and He will tabernacle with them, and they shall be His peoples, and God Himself shall be with them" [Revelation 21:1-3]
   "And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles." [Zechariah 14:16]

"..I will set My sanctuary in their midst forevermore. My tabernacle or dwelling place also shall be with them; indeed I will be their God, and they shall be My people." [Ezekiel 37:26c,27]
The Fall Holy Days, A-C, fulfilled by Jesus' long 2nd advent, like His 1st fulfilled the Spring Holy Days.

In the middle of writing this, I found myself thinking about Ultimate Reality, God's blueprint, how things will be after all is accomplished. In my mind's eye I saw the family I married into blending with, becoming family, with the one I was born into. (Barely at all have the two met.) Now this may seem obvious, but I don't remember ever realizing it to this degree before. It started when I found myself thinking of my mother in law, who passed away a little over thirty years ago. I thought if my family likes my husband, which they do, they will just love.. my mother in law. Then in my imagination I started to think of some dear aunts.. and sisters in law. Brothers, sisters, cousins.. And so on... all the beautiful branches of families and races, all God's family.. All safe. All beloved of God.