When modern Christianity limits God and His plan of salvation to the 66 books of the modern Bible, we get a very narrow view of His mercy and plan depending on your interpretation of scripture. Such limitations can lead to a multitude of absurdities and errors. For example, modern Christian doctrine rejects God's intimate and absolute Providence over His creation. God is seen by them as willing but unable to save all of humanity. Worse still, modern Christianity depicts a God of Love casting multitudes of His children in hell to be tortured forever. While modern doctrine affirms Jesus died for every person, modern doctrines also teach the contradiction that not every person will be saved. Modern doctrine teaches that hell is a place where there is no escape, no hope, no end. They tell us that even a God of Love will not extend His mercy past the gates of hell. They tell us that God casts multitudes of people headlong into flames to be tortured forever. They tell us those who go to hell cannot possibly turn to God nor will God hear their cries and help them. Such absurdities result from a narrow interpretation and faulty concepts about the nature of God and salvation.

If we accept the testimony of Christians who have had profound spiritual visions, such as in the near-death experience, then we do not limit the Holy Spirit's influence to events happening 2000 years ago in the Bible. We also can understand the Holy Spirit is active in these last days as the prophet Joel stated:

"And afterward, I [God] will pour out my Spirit on all people.  Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old me will dream dreams, your young men will see visions." (Joel 3:28)  

We do not need to believe that God's miracles and the Holy Spirit are limited to only the Bible. Profound spiritual visions such as in the near-death experience can shed more light on the nature of God and salvation.  The Bible states:

"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God." (1 John 4:1). 

The early Christians accepted many concepts for which the modern Church rejects, but is being proven true by the near-death experience.  Even Paul is said to have had one:

"I know a man in Christ [meaning Paul himself] who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven." (2 Corinthians 12:2).

Many people having near-death experiences have visited hell and have escaped from it or have seen people escape from it. The near-death experience verifies hell as being not literal flames but something far worse, a spiritual condition of total separation from love, light, joy, peace, God, sanity, etc. Those near-death experiencers who have been to hell and back know first hand that there is a way out of hell for those who are repentant.

So now the question is this: Has God, before the beginning of time, predestined a multitude of  His children to be tortured forever in hell? Didn't Christ die for those in hell also? The only logical and   reasonable answer is those in hell are not tortured forever and yes, Christ did pay for their sins.

Now let's examine the evidence. Scripture is clear God that predestines the actions of everyone. Since this is the case, how can God's will and the human will be different? The answer is: they are not.  The early Christians believed the human will to be a divine attribute that is repressed because of the fall and needs to be awakened by God in order to be free.  In this sense, our will is a part of God's will and how we use it determines our destiny.

Predestination and human responsibility are not mutually exclusive but rather they go hand in hand. They are on different sides of the same coin. 

God's will and the human will can be rectified in this way: It is God's will that we choose our own destiny. Man's responsibility does not affect the fact of God's predestination.

Has God predestined multitudes to burn in hell for eternity? I cannot conceive of a God of Infinite love to permit one soul to be tortured forever. Common sense tells us that a few minutes in hell may be enough for even the hardest sinner to change his mind and repent. Near-death experiences have shown that while hell may last forever, a person's torment there may not. It is my opinion, and the opinion of millions of others throughout history, that God's arm of salvation and mercy extends even to those in hell. Because Christ died for all sinners, even the gates of hell cannot prevail over even one of them.

This is also why many early Christians believed in universal salvation. It is common sense to believe if Christ died for all, all will be saved. Can’t Christ save everyone if He pleases? Who are we to decide Christ is unable to save sinners in the torment of hell?  Universal redemption implies universal salvation. There is no escaping this logic. If Christ died for all men, then the logical conclusion is all humanity will eventually be saved.  This early Christian doctrine shows an all-Loving Father choosing all of humanity for salvation, redeeming all of them through Christ, and eventually saving all through the Holy Spirit. Many of them believed it is through the process of reincarnation that God works out salvation on the world. The early Christian doctrine of reincarnation shows a God of love giving people many lifetimes to come to God.

Here are perhaps the greatest scriptural support for universal salvation:

"When he has done this (God putting everything under Christ's feet), then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all." (1 Corinthians 15:28)

"This is good, and pleases God, who wants all humanity to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." (1 Timothy 2:3-4).

"But I (Jesus), when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all humanity to myself."  (John 12:32).

"For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive." (1 Corinthians 15:22).

"He (the Lord) is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9).

"I know that you (God) can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted." (Job 42:2).

Since God will cannot be thwarted, and because God wills all humanity to be saved, draws all humanity to Himself, makes all alive, does not will anyone to perish, it can be safely concluded that everyone will be saved.   The above verses support the early Christian doctrine of universal salvation and is at odds with the modern Christian doctrine of eternal damnation.  The early Christians believed if a person did not attain salvation in their current lifetime, then they would be given as many chances as it takes in either the age to come or in some future lifetime.

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