Houston Smith, who died in 2016 at ninety-seven, was a great scholar of world religions. He was a Christian.
But as a young man, he was attracted to some of the Eastern faiths.
He could not abide by the Christian teachings of hell.
On a retreat, he met a priest of the Eastern Orthodox Church. He was fascinated by him. He talked to him and missed other retreat activities.
He told the priest he could not settle on the Christian faith because of eternal punishment in hell.
The priest said, “Listen, you know that story where Paul was taken up to heaven?”
He meant Paul’s NDE, his near-death experience. (II Cor. 12)
Paul was so reluctant to share the story he put it in the third person. But it is clear Paul was talking about himself.
Paul said he was told in heaven things he could not repeat.
“I know what he was told,” said the priest to Houston Smith. “He was told that all people will be saved.”
That did it for the young man who would become the great scholar. He then felt free to become a follower of Jesus Christ.
And Paul did let the secret out. He said in Romans 11:25 that “the full number of Gentiles” would be brought to faith and then “all Israel will be saved.”
Well—that’s everybody.
Is there a hell?
Of course, there is. There must be a place for evil people when they die.
Hell is in eternity— another dimension. But hell is not forever.
There is no limit on God’s forgiveness nor on God’s saving power.
Through Christ, the world is reconciled.
We are all loved.
We are all forgiven.
