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Every Knee Shall Bow
Every Knee Shall Bow [Paperback] [Dec 03, 2004] Chamberlain, Mark T and Allin...
124 pages, Paperback
First published December 3, 2004
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February 22, 2026
A HEARTFELT INTRODUCTION TO THE SUBJECT
Mark T. Chamberlain wrote in the Introduction to this 2005 book, “This book started as a revision of a book written in the 19th century by Thomas Allin [1838-1909] called ‘Universalism Asserted.’ … Thomas Allin’s book is my favorite next to the Bible… It is full of Scripture and quotes from the earliest writings of the Church… this started out as a revision. It has become something else---a collaboration across the centuries. That is why I list myself as co-author.”
He explains, “Don’t get me wrong. I believe in Romans 3:23 that ‘all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.’ I believe that all of us deserve to be punished, but eternal torment? Can you honestly look at your unsaved relatives and say they deserve to be tormented by demons forever?… Most people will only believe us when we teach a plan of punishment that is reasonable and credible... A penalty that seems unspeakably cruel, shocking, even monstrous loses all force as a threat! Only Universalists fully recognize both the guilt of sin and the need for a just punishment, one that fits the crime!” (Pg. 13)
He explains, “Christian Universalists not only accept but also emphasize punishment not as needless cruelty with no purpose, but as both justice and discipline that brings the sinner to repentance. The main question of this debate is this: Can evil ever be stronger than God? Can a Father allow the endless, hopeless sin and misery of even one of His children, and calmly look on forever and ever, unmoved and unsympathizing?” (Pg. 21)
People always tell me that all chances for salvation end at a person’s death. But where is this taught? The only passage of Scripture I have ever … heard anyone try to use to prove this is Hebrews 9:27 … ‘it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.’ How does this verse teach that there are no further chances for salvation after death? Where does it say in this verse that after the judgment comes eternal hell? Nowhere! If God wants to hand down a different sentence to each individual according to the light he or she had and the sins that have been committed, why can’t He?” (Pg. 21)
He continues, “I don’t know why some people are saved in this life and others are not, but I am convinced that God is willing and able to save everyone, and that He eventually will! That is why I believe that death does not have the last word.” (Pg. 28) He adds, “If God does whatever He pleases, and He desires all men to be saved, what can stop Him from saving all men? Is man’s will stronger than God?” (Pg. 31)
He notes, “Another objection to eternal hell is that it punishes finite sins with infinite punishment. Where is the justice in that? Take the most heinous sins such as murder, rape, child abuse, genocide and terrorism. No Christian would deny that any of these sins can be forgiven if the perpetrator merely receives Jesus Christ… If all these sins can be forgiven in this life, why not in the life to come? Why should anyone be punished for all eternity for sins committed in time?… If punishment is not meant for the reformation of the sinner, what else is it but pure, sadistic vindictiveness?… the sins of the majority of mankind are never taken away! They’re just thrown into the eternal torture chamber called hell, where they fester and rot, getting worse and worse throughout history, an eternal testimony to the failure of God!” (Pg. 35)
He argues, “There is another very serious obstacle to accepting the popular creed. Nobody really believes it! Or at least they act as if they don’t. If Christians really believed it… they would not be able to read, day or night, as long as one sinner remained who was lost… For a Christian who really believes that most of those around him are heading for eternal torture and misery… to do anything else but try every waking moment to save them is like a fireman playing golf while his city is in flames.” (Pg. 41)
He says of 1 Corinthians 15:22 (‘as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive’], “Some try to say that the second ‘all’ in the verse means only believers, but that is pure sophistry or specious reasoning. You can’t say that the first clause of the verse teaches the fall of all mankind in Adam without the second clause teaching the salvation of all mankind in Christ!” (Pg. 49)
He recounts, “Thomas Allin tells a story: ‘A man asked an evangelist, “You have told us that God’s love for us is very great and very strong and that He sent His Son to save us, and that I may be saved this moment, if I will. But if I go away without an immediate acceptance of this offer, and if in a few minutes later I am killed by an accident on my way home, I would find myself in hell for ever and ever.” The evangelist answered “Yes.” The man then said, “If that is true, I don’t want anything to do with a being whose love for me can change so completely in five minutes.”’ (Pg. 53)
He suggests, “If the salvation of all men was not secured on the cross but only made available, it would have been far from finished. The battle would have just begun. The hard part would have been getting people to receive the salvation made available to them… but Jesus died knowing that they all eventually will because the Father had given them all to Him. It is finished!” (Pg. 79)
He argues, “If God has to cast some people into everlasting hell, it means He was unable to get them to submit themselves to Him. They won’t be submitting themselves to Him in hell; they will be hating Him and cursing Him for all eternity. What kind of subjection is that? All WILL willingly submit themselves to Jesus and to God the Father after he has purged them of all sin and rebellion.’ (Pg. 85)
He observes, “It is terrible to think of the agony caused to loving hearts with regard to their dead loved ones. How can people have any peace or joy if they believe that their loved ones are suffering unspeakable agony in literally unquenchable flames? I urge my readers to pause and seriously consider that to press words like ‘unquenchable’ to a narrow literal meaning is absolute nonsense.” (Pg. 107)
He states, “let us look at Revelation 14:9-11 [‘the smoke of their torment goes up for ages and ages’]. Being what is called a ‘Partial Preterist’… I believe this passage is not about the end times, but about the time of the evil emperor Nero… The sufferings in this passage would then be speaking of the terrible earthly sufferings that befell Rome at that time. But whatever theory of eschatology one holds to, the passage teaches suffering for ages and ages… and not for eternity.” (Pg. 110)
He also cautions, “if people die in their sins, they will be punished! I believe it will not be everlasting, but it will be terrible! And if we love people, we should want spare them from any suffering.” (Pg. 115)
This book---relatively brief, and not TOO ‘detailed’ in terms of biblical exegesis---would be a fine introduction to Christian (particularly evangelical) Universalism for most Christians.
Mark T. Chamberlain wrote in the Introduction to this 2005 book, “This book started as a revision of a book written in the 19th century by Thomas Allin [1838-1909] called ‘Universalism Asserted.’ … Thomas Allin’s book is my favorite next to the Bible… It is full of Scripture and quotes from the earliest writings of the Church… this started out as a revision. It has become something else---a collaboration across the centuries. That is why I list myself as co-author.”
He explains, “Don’t get me wrong. I believe in Romans 3:23 that ‘all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.’ I believe that all of us deserve to be punished, but eternal torment? Can you honestly look at your unsaved relatives and say they deserve to be tormented by demons forever?… Most people will only believe us when we teach a plan of punishment that is reasonable and credible... A penalty that seems unspeakably cruel, shocking, even monstrous loses all force as a threat! Only Universalists fully recognize both the guilt of sin and the need for a just punishment, one that fits the crime!” (Pg. 13)
He explains, “Christian Universalists not only accept but also emphasize punishment not as needless cruelty with no purpose, but as both justice and discipline that brings the sinner to repentance. The main question of this debate is this: Can evil ever be stronger than God? Can a Father allow the endless, hopeless sin and misery of even one of His children, and calmly look on forever and ever, unmoved and unsympathizing?” (Pg. 21)
People always tell me that all chances for salvation end at a person’s death. But where is this taught? The only passage of Scripture I have ever … heard anyone try to use to prove this is Hebrews 9:27 … ‘it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.’ How does this verse teach that there are no further chances for salvation after death? Where does it say in this verse that after the judgment comes eternal hell? Nowhere! If God wants to hand down a different sentence to each individual according to the light he or she had and the sins that have been committed, why can’t He?” (Pg. 21)
He continues, “I don’t know why some people are saved in this life and others are not, but I am convinced that God is willing and able to save everyone, and that He eventually will! That is why I believe that death does not have the last word.” (Pg. 28) He adds, “If God does whatever He pleases, and He desires all men to be saved, what can stop Him from saving all men? Is man’s will stronger than God?” (Pg. 31)
He notes, “Another objection to eternal hell is that it punishes finite sins with infinite punishment. Where is the justice in that? Take the most heinous sins such as murder, rape, child abuse, genocide and terrorism. No Christian would deny that any of these sins can be forgiven if the perpetrator merely receives Jesus Christ… If all these sins can be forgiven in this life, why not in the life to come? Why should anyone be punished for all eternity for sins committed in time?… If punishment is not meant for the reformation of the sinner, what else is it but pure, sadistic vindictiveness?… the sins of the majority of mankind are never taken away! They’re just thrown into the eternal torture chamber called hell, where they fester and rot, getting worse and worse throughout history, an eternal testimony to the failure of God!” (Pg. 35)
He argues, “There is another very serious obstacle to accepting the popular creed. Nobody really believes it! Or at least they act as if they don’t. If Christians really believed it… they would not be able to read, day or night, as long as one sinner remained who was lost… For a Christian who really believes that most of those around him are heading for eternal torture and misery… to do anything else but try every waking moment to save them is like a fireman playing golf while his city is in flames.” (Pg. 41)
He says of 1 Corinthians 15:22 (‘as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive’], “Some try to say that the second ‘all’ in the verse means only believers, but that is pure sophistry or specious reasoning. You can’t say that the first clause of the verse teaches the fall of all mankind in Adam without the second clause teaching the salvation of all mankind in Christ!” (Pg. 49)
He recounts, “Thomas Allin tells a story: ‘A man asked an evangelist, “You have told us that God’s love for us is very great and very strong and that He sent His Son to save us, and that I may be saved this moment, if I will. But if I go away without an immediate acceptance of this offer, and if in a few minutes later I am killed by an accident on my way home, I would find myself in hell for ever and ever.” The evangelist answered “Yes.” The man then said, “If that is true, I don’t want anything to do with a being whose love for me can change so completely in five minutes.”’ (Pg. 53)
He suggests, “If the salvation of all men was not secured on the cross but only made available, it would have been far from finished. The battle would have just begun. The hard part would have been getting people to receive the salvation made available to them… but Jesus died knowing that they all eventually will because the Father had given them all to Him. It is finished!” (Pg. 79)
He argues, “If God has to cast some people into everlasting hell, it means He was unable to get them to submit themselves to Him. They won’t be submitting themselves to Him in hell; they will be hating Him and cursing Him for all eternity. What kind of subjection is that? All WILL willingly submit themselves to Jesus and to God the Father after he has purged them of all sin and rebellion.’ (Pg. 85)
He observes, “It is terrible to think of the agony caused to loving hearts with regard to their dead loved ones. How can people have any peace or joy if they believe that their loved ones are suffering unspeakable agony in literally unquenchable flames? I urge my readers to pause and seriously consider that to press words like ‘unquenchable’ to a narrow literal meaning is absolute nonsense.” (Pg. 107)
He states, “let us look at Revelation 14:9-11 [‘the smoke of their torment goes up for ages and ages’]. Being what is called a ‘Partial Preterist’… I believe this passage is not about the end times, but about the time of the evil emperor Nero… The sufferings in this passage would then be speaking of the terrible earthly sufferings that befell Rome at that time. But whatever theory of eschatology one holds to, the passage teaches suffering for ages and ages… and not for eternity.” (Pg. 110)
He also cautions, “if people die in their sins, they will be punished! I believe it will not be everlasting, but it will be terrible! And if we love people, we should want spare them from any suffering.” (Pg. 115)
This book---relatively brief, and not TOO ‘detailed’ in terms of biblical exegesis---would be a fine introduction to Christian (particularly evangelical) Universalism for most Christians.
December 12, 2013
Great little book. This is a work based on Thomas Allin's original. Very excellent information and great for the person wanting to know more about the salvation of all. Easy to understand.
Read
March 23, 2014This is a great book on Love of God for ALL humanity.....
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