It is in the lake of fire that the eons are apparently brought to their consummation. This appears to be so because Paul tells us: “For AS in Adam ALL die So in Christ shall ALL be made alive. BUT EVERY MAN IN HIS OWN ORDER: Christ the first fruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at His coming. THEN COMETH THE END [ Gk. ‘telos’ #5056- conclusion or termination], when he [ Christ] shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he [ Christ] shall have put down ALL rule and authority and power. For he [ Christ] must reign, till he [ Christ] hath put all things under his [ Christ’s] feet. THE LAST ENEMY THAT SHALL BE DESTROYED IS DEATH” (1Co 15:22 – 26).

The end, the set goal, of the eons comes when Christ delivers up the kingdom to the Father. Christ does not deliver up the kingdom to the Father until ALL enemies are under His feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. This is accomplished when ” death and hell [ are] cast into the lake of fire, delivered to the righteous judges of this world and of heaven” (1Co 6:2 & 3). We know this is so because this is all the dead of all times. This is the final judgment, the white throne judgment, of the whole of mankind of all time, excluding only those who have been of the “house of God” and have already been chastened, judged, scourged and purified while in the flesh (1Pe 4:17; Heb 12:6).

So who will judge this world? Remember according to 1 Co 11:32 judgment is defined as chastening. Who has the Father predestined to chasten, scourge and purify this world?: “DO YE NOT KNOW THE SAINTS SHALL JUDGE THE WORLD” (1Co 6:2).

Where are these saints? Where do the scriptures themselves, not the doctrines of the whole deceived Christian world, but the word of God itself tell us the saints dwell?: “Who among us shall dwell with the DEVOURING FIRE? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burning? HE THAT WALKETH RIGHTEOUSLY, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hand from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil” (Isa 33:14, 15). These are they who will judge the dead of this world. That is “the Lord and His Christ” (Act 2:36; Act 4:25-28).

Those of Isa 33:14 and 15 are the ‘One Seed’ of Gal 3:16 because they are in Christ and are therefore “His Christ” “the seed of Abraham” of Gal 3:29.

These are not “Agar… answer[ ing] to Jerusalem that now is and is in bondage with her children” (Gal 4:25). No, these are “Jerusalem which is above [ which] is freed, which is the mother of US ALL” (Gal 4:25). These are those who “as Isaac was, are the CHILDREN OF PROMISE” (vs 28).

Jerusalem that now is, is in bondage with her children and will be brought to God when Sodom is brought to God (Eze 16:55). The time setting of Ezekiel 37, the valley of dry bones when “the whole house of Israel” is redeemed, is given in Eze 16:55. If one ignores Eze 16:55, places Eze 37 at the beginning of the millennium, it is like Esau giving away one’s birthright to the outward Jew. You would be denying the truth revealed to us by Paul who tells us that those in the flesh who say they are Jews are NOT (Rom 2: 28, 29). The whole Christian world has bought into this corrupted lie. John says all who believe this lie, are following the synagogue of Satan” (Rev 2:9). The “He that walketh righteously” of Isa 33:15 are those who are “now being freed from sin” (Rom 6:18, 22 CV). They are the “house of God” who are now being judged (1Pe 4:17). They are the “chaste virgin”, “espoused to one husband… to Christ” (2Co 11:2) and as such they are “the bride, the lambs wife” of Rev 21:9. They are “that great city the holy Jerusalem” of verse 10.

Because they are in Christ, these are the manchild ‘brought forth by the woman of Rev 12:5 who, since the days of Abel, has been the target of the “great red Dragon”.

What it all boils down to is: “As thou (God the Father) hast sent me (Christ) into the world, even SO have I also sent them into the world” (Joh 17:18). And “…as he is so are we in this world” (1Jn 4:17).

Those in the “One Seed” are “as He is…in this world.” Was He hated? We will be hated. Was he persecuted and put on the cross? We too, must present our bodies a living sacrifice (Rom 12:1), we must die to the flesh and bring forth much, much fruit (Joh 12:24 and 1Co 15:36, 37).

These are the overcomers of Rev 2 & 3. These are those “good and bad” who will come from the “highways and hedges” and will by the spirit of God be “compelled” to come to the wedding.

Those “devoured” by the “great red dragon” such as Adam, Esau, Pharaoh, Abimelech, King Saul, Ahab, etc. are far more numerous than those who are chastened and shown God’s mercy. The reason given for this does not deny that people make choices of every kind every day. Rather it is through these very choices, caused by the powers of Principalities in the heavens, that “all things are” work[ ed] after the counsel of HIS OWN WILL (Eph 1:11 and every example given in this paper)

The Greek word for will here is ‘thelemo’ Strong’s #2307 and is defined as “desire, pleasure, will”.

But in the event that some are stubborn to this ‘will’, let us turn to Isa 46:10, 11: “… My counsel shall stand and I will do all my pleasure.” It is ALL of God (2Co 5:18 “ALL OUR WORKS IN US “[ ARE] “wrought” by the Lord (Isa 26:12).

The only reason most people refuse to come to the wedding supper is because “many are called, but few are chosen” (Mat 20:16; Mat 22:14).

This scripture tells us that those who excused themselves to perform what amounts to good works of their own righteousness, far exceeded the number of those who were finally seated as guests at the “marriage” of the ‘king’s son’ (Mat 22:2).

This also explains why we have a lake of fire instead of an ocean or sea of fire. Those that ‘do righteously’ of Isa 33:15 are the same as the ‘few’ of Mat 20:16 and Mat 22:14). These are not the only fruits of those in Adam, but are a “kind of first fruits of His creatures” (Jas 1:18).

These first fruits have been dragged to God by his spirit because Israel “according to the flesh” has excused herself from attending the wedding of the king’s son.

Very few people notice that Paul says “he is not a Jew which is one outwardly.” The true Jew is the only Jew. “… He is a Jew which is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit and not in the letter” (Rom 2:28).

Paul tells us that God is the potter, and He makes vessels of honor and vessels of dishonor. Both come from the hand of the same unerring Potter.

If the Potter makes a vessel to dishonor “marred”, it is because He intended it to be dishonorable. In Jer 18 we are told that the first Israel, the Israel “according to the flesh”, “was marred in the hand of the potter: so He made it again ANOTHER VESSEL as it seemed good to the potter to make it.” (Jer 18:4). It is “another vessel”, another Israel, one which “walks according to this rule…” “In Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything nor uncircumcision, but [ what does avail much is] a new [ converted “free from sin”] creature.” This is the “Israel of God” (Gal 4:15, 16).

The fact that Jeremiah goes on to tell Israel to repent and turn back to God, in no way denies that God knew exactly what they would do. If God does not know what we will do, then how can He “declare the end from the beginning?” The fact that David says “… thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness neither shall evil dwell with thee” (Psa 5:4) in no way denies that God creates evil and sends evil spirits to accomplish HIS PURPOSE.

God knew Israel would not repent. He knew they would reject and slay their savior. He knew that the Gentiles would “obtain mercy through their unbelief” (Rom 11:30). Most Christians see and acknowledge verse 28 (“as touching election they are beloved for the Father’s sake”), but God has given them eyes that cannot see verse 31: “Even so have these [ Israel] also now not believed [ for what reason?] THAT THROUGH OUR MERCY THEY ALSO MAY OBTAIN MERCY.”

We, the inward Jews, are the channel through which the outward Jews will be brought to God. Eze. 16:55 tells us this will happen when Sodom is resurrected. 1Co 15:22; 1Ti 2:4; 1Ti 4:10; 2Pe 3:9 and a host of other scriptures show that all in Adam are included in verse 32 of Rom 11: “For God hath concluded them ALL in unbelief [ For what reason? Why sin and evil?] that He [ through us – vs 31] might HAVE MERCY UPON ALL.“

Here is Paul’s conclusion on the subject of free will: “For the creature was made subject to vanity, NOT WILLINGLY [ not by our ‘free will’], but by reason of HIM who hath subjected the same in hope” (Rom 8:20).

If we are saved by ‘grace through faith and that not of yourselves’ then it appears that there is no room whatsoever for the flesh [ self] to glory. It is all of God. This is the lesson of God planting the tree of the knowledge of good AND EVIL. Both good and evil have the same root. ALL IS OF GOD. This is the lesson of the story of Joseph and his brothers. Joseph’s brothers thought they were ‘of their own free will’ selling Joseph into Egypt. But was that the way it really was? Was this really their idea or were powers and principalities in the heavens really the originators of this whole segment of man’s history? “So now it was NOT YOU that sent me hither [ to Egypt], BUT GOD” (Gen 45:8). “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but GOD meant it [ the evil] unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive” (Gen 50:20).

THAT is the purpose for evil. God means it unto good to save much people alive.

The lake of fire is a lake of mercy, the climactic work of grace, just as surely as it is through the mercy of God (Rom 9:18) that He chastens and scourges us (Heb 12:6). Paul concludes Rom 11 “O, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? Or who hath been His counselor? Or who hath first given to Him and it shall be recompensed unto him again? FOR OF HIM AND THROUGH HIM AND TO HIM ARE ALL THINGS: to whom be glory forever. Amen.”