Jesus the Everlasting Hope of Humankind: Biblical Theology Prompted by Visions and Dreams from the Holy Spirit begins with a vision that came to Don Eckhart of two persons: one a Spirit-filled Christian and the other in the lake of fire. The vision depicts Jesus saving the desperate one crying out for mercy. Eckhart enrolled in seminary where he studied the Bible and the history of Christian theology, especially eternal punishment, a topic seldom examined since Augustine in the fifth century. Uniquely unfolding in the book are visions and dreams prompting an insightful study of Scripture and a biblical theology developed as the hope of Christ-mediated salvation for all. The effects are far-reaching but not complicated. This coherent theology includes afterlife correction and purification for nonbelievers, as well as for believers who never fully devoted to Jesus Christ. This purification compares to Catherine of Genoa's vision in the early sixteenth century. The book demonstrates how God's desire that all be saved can be accomplished according to Scripture. God's sovereignty and human free will coalesce, as every tongue joyfully confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord. The Good News may be even better than we thought!

Jesus the Everlasting Hope of Humankind: Biblical Theology Prompted by Visions and Dreams from the Holy Spirit begins with a vision that came to Don Eckhart of two persons: one a Spirit-filled Christian and the other in the lake of fire. The vision depicts Jesus saving the desperate one crying out for mercy. Eckhart enrolled in seminary where he studied the Bible and the history of Christian theology, especially eternal punishment, a topic seldom examined since Augustine in the fifth century. Uniquely unfolding in the book are visions and dreams prompting an insightful study of Scripture and a biblical theology developed as the hope of Christ-mediated salvation for all. The effects are far-reaching but not complicated. This coherent theology includes afterlife correction and purification for nonbelievers, as well as for believers who never fully devoted to Jesus Christ. This purification compares to Catherine of Genoa's vision in the early sixteenth century. The book demonstrates how God's desire that all be saved can be accomplished according to Scripture. God's sovereignty and human free will coalesce, as every tongue joyfully confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord. The Good News may be even better than we thought!

Our churches affirm that death cannot destroy the communion with God of those redeemed and justified. The nature of the life that the justified departed share with God cannot be described in great detail and, in this life, it remains a great mystery. Nevertheless, Catholics and Lutherans share the sure and certain hope that the justified departed are in Christ and enjoy the rest that belongs to those who have run the race. This common statement of Round XI offers fresh insights into some issues that proved contentious in the debates of the sixteenth century. Among the issues explored in this dialogue were continuity in the communion of saints, prayers for or about the dead, the meaning of death, purgation, an interim state between death and the final general judgment, and the promise of resurrection. Agreements are affirmed on the basis of new insights, as readers will discover in this statement of Round XI.

This ebook edition contains artwork adapted from the print edition to fit the digital format. "My hope is that this volume will help you to see the Savior more clearly, to understand his grace more deeply, to confess your struggle more honestly, to worship him more fully, and to find in these meditations the motivation to continue to follow the Savior even when he’s leading you into unexpected and hard places.” —Paul David Tripp Best-selling author Paul David Tripp invites you into his personal reflections on his experience of God’s ever-present grace through the ups and downs of his life. He shares his celebrations, disappointments, cries for help, confessions, and confusions in the form of 120 meditations that were written over many years through various joys and struggles. Vulnerable yet pastoral and wise, these meditations in the form of verse showcase how God’s amazing grace intersects with the mundane, unexpected, messy, and beautiful moments of everyday life.

Have you lost hope and wondered if you were going to make it another day? Are you concerned about your childrens welfare in this increasingly, evil society. This book was written just for you! Author Sandra K. Bouie takes you on a mothers journey from the bowels of despair to the brink of a newfound hope. Take hold of the hope set before you! A Blessed Hope! Learn about the one who will never disappoint you, never fail you, nor leave you. His name is Jesus! A must-read for mothers everywhere! Blended with the private and intimate moments shared only with the Lord of All Hope, this book should not be missed by any reader.

Most evangelical Christians believe that those people who are not saved before they die will be punished in hell forever. But is this what the Bible truly teaches? Do Christians need to rethink their understanding of hell? In the late twentieth century, a growing number of evangelical theologians, biblical scholars, and philosophers began to reject the traditional doctrine of eternal conscious torment in hell in favor of a minority theological perspective called conditional immortality. This view contends that the unsaved are resurrected to face divine judgment, just as Christians have always believed, but due to the fact that immortality is only given to those who are in Christ, the unsaved do not exist forever in hell. Instead, they face the punishment of the "second death"--an end to their conscious existence. This volume brings together excerpts from a variety of well-respected evangelical thinkers, including John Stott, John Wenham, and E. Earl Ellis, as they articulate the biblical, theological, and philosophical arguments for conditionalism. These readings will give thoughtful Christians strong evidence that there are indeed compelling reasons for rethinking hell.

This book is perhaps one of the most misunderstood works of Catholic theology of our time. Critics contend that von Balthasar espouses universalism, the idea that all men will certainly be saved. Yet, as von Balthasar insists, damnation is a real possibility for anyone. Indeed, he explores the nature of damnation with sobering clarity. At the same time, he contends that a deep understanding of God’s merciful love and human freedom, and a careful reading of the Catholic tradition, point to the possibility—not the certainty—that, in the end, all men will accept the salvation Christ won for all. For this all-embracing salvation, von Balthasar says, we may dare hope, we must pray and with God’s help we must work. The Catholic Church’s teaching on hell has been generally neglected by theologians, with the notable exception of von Balthasar. He grounds his reflections clearly in Sacred Scripture and Catholic teaching. While the Church asserts that certain individuals are in heaven (the saints), she never declares a specific individual to be in hell. In fact, the Church hopes that in their final moments of life, even the greatest sinners would have repented of their terrible sins, and be saved. Sacred Scripture states, “God ... desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all” (1 Tim 2:4–5).

A compassionate, shame-free guide for your darkest days “A one-of-a-kind book . . . to read for yourself or give to a struggling friend or loved one without the fear that depression and suicidal thoughts will be minimized, medicalized or over-spiritualized.”—Kay Warren, cofounder of Saddleback Church What happens when loving Jesus doesn’t cure you of depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts? You might be crushed by shame over your mental illness, only to be told by well-meaning Christians to “choose joy” and “pray more.” So you beg God to take away the pain, but nothing eases the ache inside. As darkness lingers and color drains from your world, you’re left wondering if God has abandoned you. You just want a way out. But there’s hope. In I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die, Sarah J. Robinson offers a healthy, practical, and shame-free guide for Christians struggling with mental illness. With unflinching honesty, Sarah shares her story of battling depression and fighting to stay alive despite toxic theology that made her afraid to seek help outside the church. Pairing her own story with scriptural insights, mental health research, and simple practices, Sarah helps you reconnect with the God who is present in our deepest anguish and discover that you are worth everything it takes to get better. Beautifully written and full of hard-won wisdom, I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die offers a path toward a rich, hope-filled life in Christ, even when healing doesn’t look like what you expect.

Developments in biblical studies, neurosciences, and Christian philosophy of mind force theologians to reconsider the traditional concept of the immortal soul. At the same time, the concept itself tends to create axiological dualism between the bodyand the soul that in turn may lead to insufficient appreciation of the physical life in this world. A more holistic approach to the ontology of human beings is required. The aim of this study is to analyse the function of the concept of the soul in the dualistic anthropology of John Calvin and to compare it to the holistic anthropology of Karl Barth in order to answer the question of whether the transition from one to the other is possible without the loss of the functions fulfilled by the soul.