For those of you who would like to proceed with this study at a quicker pace than my writing, please read The Second Death and the Restitution of All Things by Andrew Jukes by just clicking here. Juke’s book at that link was kindly put into electronic format and posted online by Kenneth W. Eckerty Following is the forward that Mr. Eckerty affixed to Juke’s fine work.
I am often asked, that if this doctrine of the final “restitution of all things” is a Biblical truth, how is it that the majority of the Church rejects it as heresy? While there are many reasons why I believe the “majority” is in error on this particular doctrinal point, two particular passages of Scripture, I believe, answer the question on how the majority can be so wrong on something so important. Prov. 25:2 says, “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing, but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.” And in Psalm 18:26, “With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward.”
We live in a day of darkness and apathy in the Church. God does not allow His Truth to be easily found. You cannot find Truth with human understanding or even with “systematic theology.” Truth is not a “thing” but a Person. We must look past the letter (which “killeth”), and in the Spirit find out what the heart of God is in a particular matter. As long as we are content to continue in our lukewarmness, God is under no obligation to reveal deeper truths of His ways and judgments–which surely are “unsearchable” and “past finding out.” It is only by the grace of our God that He uses and blesses any of us. The “power of sin” is a most formidable foe. The Good News, however, is that we already have the victory in Christ over the world, the flesh, and the devil. Unfortunately, the majority of the Church has chosen religion over Christ as their victory. A “strong delusion” has come over the Church and is blinding us to the Truth of what Christ accomplished at Calvary. The majority of the Church believes that the cross of Christ either cannot (free will) or will not (predestination) save most men. This is not what the Word of God teaches. The Bible teaches us that Christ will save “to the uttermost.” The Cross has no limits! It is not limited by man’s will or the devil’s schemes. All things will be reconciled back to the Father by the blood of His Cross (Col 1: 20).
Andrew Jukes writes with refreshing clarity and directness. His words are just as pertinent today as when he penned them over 120 years ago. I have read many works on this subject, and without a doubt, Mr. Jukes’ work stands head and shoulders above all of them. Reading through his book slowly and carefully, I could not help to question this awful doctrine that the Church has come to embrace since the days of Augustine. His concluding comments make me shudder with emotion as I realize that according to our modern gospel, the Christ we will be with in Heaven, is a very different Christ than the one who walked on the earth. On the earth, Christ was loving and forgiving, teaching us to forgive an unlimited number of times.
But the Christ in Heaven, according to current orthodoxy, will be one who has limits on how much He can forgive. And when that limit is finally reached, those who have used up their chances, will be sent off to eternal torment, never to know the forgiveness of the Christ who “is the Savior of all men” and who “will have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the Truth.” But praise be to our God–our Lord Jesus is not different there compared to who He is here–for He is “the same yesterday, today, and for ever.” He “is” not as men see Him–even those who claim to be His own people. As Jukes says himself, “God will at last surely cure all men of their mistrust in Him.”
This work by Andrew Jukes beautifully communicates the glorious Truth of the doctrine of “the restitution of all things.” It is not easy reading because of the time period in which it was written. But it is not a book that should be given up on simply because of its reading difficulty. Endure its pages with patience. Read slowly and carefully. Keep your Bible close at hand. And most importantly, pray that God would show you what His Truth is. While I certainly believe Andrew Jukes was a gifted and Spirit-filled man, we have an even better witness than Brother Jukes.“And the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone teach you. But as His anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and as He taught you, abide in Him.” (1 John 2:27)
I can think of no issue of more importance than the one addressed in this book. In the words of Jukes, By an eternal law, we must more or less be changed into the likeness of the God we worship. If we think Him hard, we become hard. If we think Him careless of men’s bodies and souls, we shall be careless also. If we think Him love, we shall reflect something of His loving-kindness. For if we truly desire, as the Apostle Paul, to “know Him”, then we must “seek until we find” the God He really is; not only for the times in which we live, but unto the “ages of the ages” and beyond!
I pray “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the full knowledge of Him, the eyes of your mind having been enlightened, for you to know what is the hope of His calling, and what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us, the ones believing according to the working of His mighty strength.”
Your brother and servant in Christ,
Kenneth W. Eckerty
I plan to rely upon Juke’s work very much in the following posts because, as Eckerty wrote, “Mr. Jukes’ work stands head and shoulders above” all other works to be found on this subject.
