I Peter 4:17-18. Peter tells us to expect the church to be judged. He implies, though that there is no comparison between our judgment and the judgment of those who dot obey the Gospel. Righteous people will hardly be saved. Ungodly people will not appear in that City at all.

II Peter 2/Jude . There is a huge similarity between the writings of Peter here, and Jude, the half-brother of Jesus. Both of them sound one of the most serious notes of Scripture regarding those spreading lies about the Gospel.

False teachers are to perish utterly in their own corruption. They are accursed children. The gloom of darkness is reserved for them. Forever. They have been marked out for this condemnation. God will execute judgment on these ungodly men.

Does it sound to you that, after all of this, God will finally say to them, "Maybe we can work this thing out?"

I think not. To be saved from their fate, says Jude, is to be rescued from the fire. That is the consistent message of God's Word on this subject. May we be rescuing many even this day.

II Peter 3:7-9. Our world is headed for a baptism of fire, the fire of destruction and judgment. All the ungodly will be judged and lost. But Peter adds that God is waiting a long time for this. He is giving His church the time to get out and do their job. He is giving the lost a chance to hear and believe. Why?

Because He really wants everyone to be saved. He wants everyone to repent. The damnation of the wicked gives Him no pleasure, but so it must be.

Does God always get His way? Absolutely not. Abortion and homosexuality are rampant in my country. Rape and murder abound. Poverty and sickness are everywhere. Are these God's will? Of course not. But they are here anyway.

So when Peter tells us that God does not want anyone to be lost, He is not saying that, therefore, no one will be lost! He is communicating the great love of God for us, the love that sent Jesus to Calvary, that "whoever believes in Him shall not perish..."

But those who do not believe will suffer eternal loss. His Word cannot change. He cannot lie. He will judge the ungodly.

Acts 15:16-19. A word from Brother James. By this time in the book of Acts, the apostle James has been martyred by Herod. The James mentioned here is the half-brother of Jesus, brother of Jude (Judas). He became a leader in the first Jerusalem church, and is here giving some advice to Peter and Paul about how to deal with Gentiles. In doing so, he says some things that could set off a Universalist...

Actually it is a quote from the prophet Amos (9:11-12). Amos says that one day the tabernacle of David will be restored so that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, specifically those Gentiles who are called by His name.

James says that since there are Gentiles turning to the Lord, we Jews better leave them alone. This is the beginning of what God said would happen.

What the Universalists want to grab from the passage is the portion which reads "...all the Gentiles who are called by My name..." In their thinking, the "who" is not there.

But a simple reading of text and context assures us that it is not every Gentile, but a select group, that comes out for the Jewish Messiah.