Biblical Theology
Published works
Book: Eckhart, Don Elijah. Jesus the Everlasting Hope of Humankind: Biblical Theology Prompted by Visions and Dreams from the Holy Spirit. Eugene, OR: Resource Publications, 2018.
Article: Eckhart, Don Elijah. “Here Am I: A Story with Reflections for Life” The National Digest, 2026.
Article: Eckhart, Don Elijah. “Sea Change in Historical Salvation Theology: Could Another Sea Change Occur?” The National Digest, 2025.
Article: Eckhart, Don Elijah. “A Second Look at Redemption.” The National Digest, 2024.
Introduction to Book, including dream
On April 3, 1999, I had a dream. With the tune of the old hymn “Beneath the Cross of Jesus” playing in my head, new words came to my mind in the early morning. I got out of bed and wrote down these words. It was the first time I had heard them, and I knew they were from God, not me. Adding to the assurance that this was a revelation, I had seen visions earlier that morning. The Lord called me and has led me in examining the Biblical basis for the ideas in this revelation.
- Beyond the cross of Jesus, I cannot bear to see, The sight of that dear dying man Who gave His life for me; And when the picture quickly fades, I see the risen Christ, The One for Whom I’ll die myself…greets me saying “arise!”
- Upon the cross of Jesus, for sin His blood was poured; His love a sacrifice for all, Christ is my Living Lord; So as my life has grown with Him, the story to be told; The One for Whom I’ve died myself…the first for me to hold.
- What if I’d never known Him, what would “eternal” be?
Would I be drowning deep inside, within a fiery sea?
If I could gasp for one last breath, to utter one last word,
From deep within my soul I’d cry…to God just for “mercy.”
1 Words by Elizabeth C. Clephane in 1868 and music by Frederick C. Maker in 1881. - If God could hear me calling, I know He’d grant my plea; But how much longer would it be until He rescues me? And then a figure comes in view — who could this savior be? He’s Jesus Christ, my Servant King…the God I long to see!!!
The song is divided into two parts. Verses 1 and 2 reflect a life devoted to Jesus and eternal life which flows naturally from earthly life—unbroken by death. I will refer to this person as “Adjoined.” The name is intended to reflect an individual who is aligned with Jesus; that is, the person obeys Christ. Verses 3 and 4 represent a person who is lost and experiencing eternal punishment. I will call this individual “Alone” because of the solitary state in which the person exists. Totally helpless, this person is in despair until calling to God for “mercy.” Then Jesus saves the wretched soul from the fiery sea.
The title “Beyond the Cross of Jesus – Christ Greets Me” applies to both the first two verses (salvation during this lifetime) and the last two verses (showing how salvation could be possible through Christ after this life). In verses 1 and 2, followers of Christ are beyond the cross historically yet walk with Jesus and are guided by the Holy Spirit every day. In verses 3 and 4, lost persons are oftentimes thought to be beyond the redemption of Jesus’ sacrifice. A weighty question is asked: “What if I’d never known Him, what would ‘eternal’ be?” It is essentially asking: if I had never come to faith in Jesus Christ, what would be my eternal fate? It is also asking about the eternal destiny of all people of all times and all places. Eternal is a key word; I did not know its full significance at the time I wrote down these verses. However, as I have found in my studies, its meaning helps to demonstrate that no one is beyond the salvation made possible by Jesus Christ.
Have misgivings? So did I. The reader will recognize that this is not how the Bible is generally read—that is, according to how most Christians understand it or have been told what the Bible means. “Once someone dies, that’s the end—heaven or hell,” most people say. “No one gets a ‘second chance,’” they say to emphasize the point. “Hell is everlasting torment,” asserts the pastor or evangelist; “say a prayer while you can still be saved.” I can relate to these concerns. Before April 3, 1999, I would not have even considered the possibility that Jesus saves in eternity and that God wants everyone to be saved. Even with the revelation, I did not know what to do regarding it. After completing an earlier calling from the Lord, I took classes in Biblical Greek and Hebrew. Then the Holy Spirit led me to enroll in seminary. However, there is no specific curriculum on this topic in seminary. As led by the Holy Spirit, my classes and papers were structured to study Biblically whether the revelation is true. Thus, the approach taken by this thesis is to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit in studying Scripture for truth revealed in it.
In seminary, I studied the Bible and the history of Christian theology, especially eternal punishment, a topic seldom examined since Augustine in the fifth century. In the book , I describe visions and dreams that prompt an insightful study of Scripture and a biblical theology, which I call 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 (1 Timothy 2:3-4) can be accomplished according to Scripture. God’s sovereignty and human freewill coalesce, as every tongue joyfully confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord. The Good News may be even better than we thought!
God Desires That Everyone Be Saved: How Can It Happen?
by Don Elijah Eckhart
Presentation 11-23-2025
This is the day that the Lord has made … We will rejoice and be glad in it.
Today, I want to give insights from the New Testament, which are fresh and wonderful.
From 1 Timothy 2: 3,4 (NRSV) –
“God our Savior who desires everyone to be saved.”
But what does this mean? Is God just hoping that all people come to salvation?
No, the same God who has his eye on the sparrow also has His eye on each human being.
God has purpose – in his own time.
First, let’s look at some profound human concerns.
Many older Christians are grieved that their children and grandchildren may not be saved. This is especially the case where Christianity is declining, such as in Europe. (My brother, who lives in Germany, told me that in the past year, three churches in Oldenburg closed – two Catholic and one Lutheran.) Think of the sorrow of the older generation about younger family members.
On the other hand, Christianity is growing dramatically in Africa and other parts of the world. In fact, Africa is now sending missionaries to Europe – a surprising turnabout from when Europe was the bastion of Christianity. However, there is a stressful side for Africans: new Christians wonder about the eternal destiny of their elders who did not believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
Thus, many Christians are concerned about the salvation of family members and others who have died. This is because the traditional view of salvation contends that the opportunity to believe in Jesus Christ ceases upon a person’s death. The traditional notion is taken from Hebrews 9:27. “Just as people are destined to die once, and then to face the judgment, . . .” [NIV]. However, what is meant by judgment?
The traditional view assumes that judgment is endless punishment. However, another way to understand judgment is that it is corrective and restorative. We will examine these views in this presentation.
The traditional view became prominent in the 6th century A.D. based on the beliefs of Augustine. He believed that judgment was everlasting conscious torment. For Augustine, after unsaved people die, they continue to experience torment forever.
Augustine, who died in the 5th century AD, probably derived his view by reading Scripture in Old Latin. However, the New Testament was originally written in Greek, not Latin. Furthermore, Biblical Greek has a wider range of meanings than Latin for a key word aionios. We will come back to this point.
Augustine was also influenced by his belief in predestination, which has been abandoned by most Christian denominations. First Timothy, Chapter 2, verses 3 and 4, says that God wants everyone to be saved. It is an encouraging message, and it refutes the idea of predestination.
Still, variations of Augustine’s viewpoint on endless punishment are held by many churches today.
Church leaders before the time of Augustine had diverse views on this topic. Some held the view of universal restoration, whereby God could restore lost souls in the afterlife.
With such an understanding, judgment takes on a new meaning which is far different than the traditional concept of endless torment. There would be correction instead of torment. Correction would still be distressful because the unsaved person must face the consequences of their earthly actions. However, correction is not endless, and it leads to restoration.
Always keep in mind that God wants all people to be saved (NIV translation). To be valid, theology must be consistent with this Biblical truth.
The Bible teaches that God wants the best for humans.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16 NIV)
John 3:16 is one of the most well-known verses in the Bible. Looking at it more closely, we see that the word “believes” does not have a time limit. John 3:16 does not say that a person must believe before he or she dies. The same is true elsewhere in the New Testament. I did a detailed examination to reach this conclusion.
In addition to John 3:16, we notice the next verse, John 3:17: “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (NIV) The world is made up of people. God sent Jesus to save the world – a hopeful message.
Jesus made atonement for the sins of the world. Atone means to make amends. The atonement was accomplished by Jesus’ death on the cross and his resurrection. This divine action is uniquely significant for the eternal destiny of humankind. It is proof of God’s desire to save humans, through His one and only Son.
This contains a threefold understanding. First, the atonement is intended by God to benefit all humans. Second, a response is required by persons who are able to do so. Third, the fullness of salvation is not simply agreeing that Jesus is the Savior; it means that the person fully obeys Jesus as Lord.
Returning to the word that Augustine translated from Latin to be “everlasting,” in Greek aionios (eon) also means an age. Thus, it can be a long period of time, the length of which is not known by humans. The important point is that an age exists in time, and is not necessarily everlasting.
Even so, eternal life is everlasting, and we trust God that it will be.
The Bible speaks of ages, such as in Ephesians, Chapter 1, verses 20 and 21:
“God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him
at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and
dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age
to come.”
As a result of the resurrection of Jesus and his ascension to the Father, Christ has authority over all powers continuing in the age to come. Thus, Christ is at the center of salvation in the afterlife as well as the present age.
In addition to understanding the Greek word aionios as pertaining to an age or eon, fire is used symbolically in the Bible to mean purifying (for example, in Hebrews 12:29 and 1 Peter 1:7). Therefore, when eternal and fire are combined as one idea (as in Matthew 25:41), eternal fire can be understood as purifying which takes place in the age after this world.
Persons with sinful patterns can enter eternal life but not with the sinfulness they exhibited on earth. First, they must be corrected and purified. The point of correction in the afterlife is to show the person the need to repent of his or her sins and turn to God. Then they can enter eternal life as transformed persons devoted to Christ and his kingdom.
Correction is guided by God in love, which in earthly terms, may be like a concerned parent’s tough love. It is not to be taken lightly, for it may involve anguish and remorse before repentance. Still, God has dominion over hell, using it or the lake of fire to bring about correction and redemption.
Although the purifying process may seem to the person to continue without end—regardless of how long it actually lasts for each person—correction comes to completion within the age.
The gift of eternal life comes by the grace of God through faith—this is true of those in their earthly life and those saved after death.
The Holy Spirit continues to guide the person. Whether during this life or in the afterlife, the goal for each person is to become Christ-like, offer praise to God, receive eternal life, and continue in holy living.
The ramifications of this alternative theology are significant. Only those who obey Christ as Lord enter eternal life without the need for correction after their death. Nonetheless, everyone ultimately can be saved by God.
Biblical Images of Eternal Punishment
Word images are used in the Bible to describe human destiny. For centuries, the prevalent view has been to see these images in conjunction with traditional theology (such as endless torment).
This alternative theology recognizes that misuse of these images is inappropriate and misrepresents the character of God. Properly interpreted, these images reflect God’s purposes of justice and restoration that can be seen throughout the Old and New Testaments. Restoring people corresponds with the character of God.
Next, we will contrast the use of images by traditional theology and by this alternative theology.
Eternal punishment, under traditional theology, is endless conscious torment, whereas under this alternative theology, it is correction and purification occurring within the age to come.
Eternal fire is a specific description of eternal punishment. Under traditional theology, it designates endless suffering, whereas under this alternative theology, fire symbolizes a process of purification from human sin.
Unquenchable fire is similar to eternal fire for traditional theology, for it is taken to mean that the fire does not go out, and neither does the agony associated with it ever cease. Under this alternative theology, the point is that the fire does what God intends it to do for as long as God uses it. Fire is a purifying element for the sinful.
The lake of fire (or burning sulfur) is referenced in the Book of Revelation. For traditional theology, the lake of fire is the form of everlasting punishment for unredeemed humans. Under this alternative theology, the fire is symbolic of purification and the lake suggests water suitable for baptism and repentance.
The open gates of the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:25), according to traditional theology, demonstrate that no one wants to leave heaven. However, why would anyone want to leave heaven? According to this alternative theology, the open gates signify that there will be more people entering the city after they have repented and been purified.
Name in the book of life (Revelation 20:15) means to be saved during this earthly life, according to traditional theology. Under this alternative theology, Jesus may have the name added to the book of life for a person who is purified and saved out of the lake of fire. After all, Jesus owns the Lamb’s book of life.
Outer darkness, in traditional theology, is permanent darkness, isolation, loneliness, and despair. Under this alternative theology, these conditions may also exist for unsaved persons who are undergoing correction. Although the conditions last for an unknown period of time, they are not permanent. After people in the outer darkness repent and are purified, they may join the fellowship of other human beings in the New Jerusalem.
Weeping and gnashing of teeth show the anguish of the lost according to traditional theology, whereas under this alternative theology, the dual-image reflects regret and then repentance by the people experiencing correction.
The worm that never dies indicates endless, continuous suffering in hell according to traditional theology, whereas under this alternative theology, it signifies the presence of life in fertile soil, which is continually being rejuvenated. New life growing into maturity can emerge from the soil inhabited by the beneficial worm.
Destruction is used in traditional theology as essentially the same as endless conscious torment of the lost. However, destruction and endless torment clearly do not match. When destruction is applied to humans, torment would not be everlasting, for either the person or the torment would eventually cease. (For more on the alternative theology regarding destruction, see Eckhart, Don Elijah, Jesus the Everlasting Hope of Humankind, (2018), pages 22-23 and 107-108.
The second death is the lake of fire. This is stated in Revelation, Chapter 20, verse 14:
“Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.”
Traditional theology has assumed that its view of endless conscious torment is reflected by the second death. However, if that were the case, the second death would not be death at all. The second death is that Death itself is no longer. The purpose of Death and Hades being thrown into the lake of fire is to burn up these two intrusions which were never intended from the beginning, while purifying humans who are not in Christ so that they may live with God forever. Under this alternative theology, the second death happens in the lake of fire when the person who died apart from Christ now dies spiritually and is born again by the Holy Spirit. The person’s repentance and purification complete this process.
Summary of images. In this review of images, an overall observation stands out. The purposes of God to deliver and restore humankind, as presented throughout the Bible, are reflected by this alternative theology, whereas the interpretations given to these images by traditional theology seem at times to be contrived.
Living in sin in this life has its own consequences. Under this alternative theology, God restores human beings who were created to be in fellowship with God and with other humans. The images line up with this understanding of God and God’s purposes.
Paul’s Calling to the Gentiles
In Ephesians, Chapter 3, verse 9, Paul wrote of the mystery that had become known through his calling, that is, the Gentiles were included as fellow heirs with Jews. The mystery had been “hidden for ages in God who created all things” (Ephesians 3:9).
Think of the various reactions of first century Jewish Christians to this pronouncement! Similarly, it is understandable that twenty-first century Christians who have heard only traditional theology (including endless punishment) may be skeptical initially of this alternative theology.
Still, there is a connection, or a progression, to the inclusion of Gentiles as Jesus’ followers, as revealed to Paul. Under this alternative theology, we can foresee the scope to expand again, until all people are devout participants in the kingdom of God.
Biblical Theology
This alternative theology holds to the Biblical truth that God wants all people to be saved. Furthermore, it demonstrates how God’s desire can be accomplished without contradicting Scripture. Therefore, unlike traditional theology, this alternative theology is an appropriate interpretation of the Bible.
Jesus Christ is the one and only mediator between God and humankind (1 Timothy 2:5). As we trust Jesus for our own salvation, we can also trust Jesus to be the mediator for others—even beyond their deaths.
The study of Biblical truths will enhance the vitality of Christianity and the faith of Christians. This alternative theology provides Biblical background to teach about the heart of God toward lost people. This teaching can rectify the false impression that traditional theology has depicted of God in eternity. God’s essence is love (I John 4:16), and God’s essence does not cease when a person dies.
Instead of telling the unbelieving world “God will abandon you to endless torment,” we can offer the Biblical message: “Jesus seeks and saves sinners.” Remember the parable of the lost sheep where the shepherd leaves 99 sheep to find the lost one. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who rescues lost people.
Jesus Christ is the only Way to God the Father. We should put our trust in Jesus, not uncertain interpretations or incomplete theologies.
Two important points have been made that inform the Christian message to the world and within Christianity. Jesus can save the lost even beyond death, while his true followers are those who obey him during this life. Both points are Christ-centered and in accordance with the Bible.
Obedience to God
Regarding salvation in this lifetime, we must consider Jesus’ words as recorded in Matthew, Chapter 7, verse 21:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.”
Therefore, some repent and live for Christ during this life, while others will need correction and purification in the afterlife. The people needing correction include not only those who have engaged in obvious sinful behavior, but also those who think they are saved but have not been obedient to Christ in this lifetime. Thus, this theology rectifies the notion of salvation for those who are less-than-fully devoted to Christ.
Throughout, human freewill is maintained. Each person eventually recognizes his or her need for God. We were created that way, but it takes some longer than others to realize it and to develop faith. God is in control of the process of salvation and never relinquishes authority.
Making a Decision for Christ Now
Therefore, no one should postpone a decision to receive salvation, thinking that it will be available in the afterlife. In addition, no one should delay daily decisions to obey Christ during this lifetime. In both cases, to presume that God’s grace will be available at a later time when the person wants it fails to acknowledge that God gives grace and we receive it. We don’t just take grace when we want it.
Second Corinthians, Chapter 6, verses 1 and 2, are pertinent,
“As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. For he says, ‘In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.’ I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.”
The time to receive God’s grace is when it is given. It may be a very long wait, seemingly endless, to receive God’s grace in the afterlife. It is incomparably better to receive salvation in this life than in the afterlife.
Obedience to Christ is the faithful response, but to delay can miss out on the blessings of a devoted life. In Romans, Chapter 6, verse 22, we read:
“But now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the advantage you get is sanctification. The end is eternal life.”