Hope Beyond Hell Paperback – Sep 25 2006

If anybody had told me six months ago that ...

1. The Bible teaches that Hell is NOT "eternal", "everlasting" or "forever and ever"

2. Many scriptures teach that everybody will eventually be saved

3. Most early church fathers -- at least the ones who spoke the language of the New Testament (Greek) -- believed that all would be saved

... I would have rolled my eyes in disbelief.

Hope Beyond Hell shows convincingly that all three statements are true, and gives about a hundred reasons to believe that all will be saved in the end. This book's strengths are its scriptural foundation, comprehensiveness and clarity.

I know it's hard for many of us to believe that Christianity has been wrong about this issue for the last fifteen centuries, but I appeal to my fellow Evangelicals (and everybody else) to be good Bereans (Acts 17:11) and go whereever the scriptural evidence leads. You can read the whole book on the author's website for free. Or at least check out Romans 5:18-20, Romans 11:32, I Corinthians 15:22, John 12:32, Colossians 1:20, and as many of the other 175 passages listed in Appendix I as you can. The worst that will happen is that you'll disagree and will be able to defend your faith better (I Pet 3:15). The best that will happen is that the really good news will give you new eyes with which to see life, people, and your (and everybody's) Heavenly Father who always is love.

Many years ago I began to explore traditional evangelical teaching concerning eternal conscious torment in hell for those who were not believers in Jesus Christ. Since the dawn of time I suppose this would involve several billion poor souls. Somehow this did not seem to fit with the nature of God; a God whose essence, whose very nature is love. God does not "have" love: He is love. In all aspects of God's many attributes love is the essence and motivation for his action so one is not free to say, "Yes, God is love but He is also....." We also know that He wills that all be saved and that His will is sovereign. I explored the Greek word "aion" and discovered after months of study referencing numerous Greek lexicons and after having read several lengthy and scholarly treatises dealing with etymology and 1st century usage that the word in most Bibles has been (tragically) incorrectly translated "eternal." The word simply means for an age. Forever and ever is not good English nor is it good Greek. It means for an age and another age. So why was it translated forever? It has to do with control. The church from about the 5th century onward found the idea of eternal torture in the flames of hell to be a powerful mechanism for control of its constituents. Shortly thereafter I discovered Gerry Beachemin's book, Hope Beyond Hell. He clearly outlines the deceptive mistranslation, the history of the early Church and shows to all who will listen that God is truly a God of love and will in the end of time bring all to himself, not by force but through the power of His love which never gives up on any of his children. "Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father." This affirmation cannot be made apart from the Holy Spirit. Beauchemin takes us to the very end of all the eons, beyond Revelation to the texts of St. Paul who makes it abundantly clear that God will be "all in all." All things come from Him and all return to Him. "Behold" the Lord says, "I am making everything new."
This is a brilliant, well-written book, full of scriptures (taken in context), interesting view of early Church history and reason. It is a book that will give fresh insight and if believed will change your life because instead of attempting to worship a god who tortures most of mankind forever, a veritable monster, it introduces you to the only true God who is Love, who redeems, who makes alive.
Here is a book written to confirm a particular view of the future of man. It is theological. But I found it to be more devotional and helped me be able to rejoice in the wisdom and magnificence of our God, "Abba," daddy.

My journey with God has taken me on a lifetime of fascinating discoveries, starting as a childhood believer in my parents religion to a brief rebellion as an agnostic and then atheist as I ran from God and (I thought) all religion. To my surprise the farther I tried to run from God the more I was drawn to Him as I realized that it was taking a lot more faith and therefore I was becoming a lot more religious as I strived to believe my creation and the entire universe was a random act than to accept the obvious that my creation and the universe I lived in was filled with order, intelligence, and beauty. These experiences were the beginning of my personal relationship with God. The closer I get to God through prayer and Bible study the more I want to know Him and the more I trust Him with my life. This has lead me to pray for about two years that He would teach me His gospel, His "Good News" and that He would also teach me how to share it with those He places in my life. Well this has lead me to this wonderful book Hope Beyond Hell that is the greatest good news I believe I have always known and that Gerry so well documents, that God actually does love the world enough to die for us all with no exceptions and it is His will that in accordance to His will every knee will eventually bow and every tongue will in fact will joyfully confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. It is an answer to my prayers and has changed my life and my understanding of my God in profound ways. Thank you Gerry.

Most Christians might admit that Jesus could save everyone - but they repel at the idea that He WILL save everyone, eventually. - - - - - -
After reading this book I realized that there are many scriptures most Christians, pastors, theologians, professors, etc., simply set aside because they don't want to see them for what they declare.
Read this book and explore what is really meant by: "Every knee will bow, and every tongue confess".
Read this book and understand I Corinthians 4:10 - ". . . because we have our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of ALL people, especially of those who believe." - - - Most pastors skip this verse completely.
Read this book and grasp a clear understanding of the fact that we ALL inherit sin and death from Adam - and we ALL inherit righteousness and life from the second Adam, Jesus Christ. [Romans 5:18]

Our desire to praise and glorify God grows exponentially when we see the truth of His word and the fact that God has a plan to redeem EVERYONE through His amazing Son - and He gains ALL THE GLORY!

I was impressed by the author's excellent research, organization, readability, documentation, serious theological and exegetical defense of Christian Universal Reconciliation. This ranks along with Thomas Talbott, The Inescapable Love of God, as one of the best defenses of this view available. Wheras Talbott's book is philosophical, Beauchemin's Hope Beyond Hell is pastoral. The authors head and heart bring the openminded reader to consider what may be the most important paradigm shift that can be made concerning God and the gospel. I cannot stop sharing the insights and ideas and truths that remain faithful to a high view of scripture and set me free from some conclusions I now believe are unworthy of the God I love.

Don Hendricks