A Wake Up Call - God is Speaking to Us

[Dave]

Originally Posted by bearbear

This question coincides with a great debate between Calvinists and Arminians.

Limited atonement view:
Jesus just died only for his elect. God only loved the ones he chose and saved.

Unlimited atonement view:
God loves everyone and Jesus died for everyone. It's up to others to accept his gift with their free will as God cannot force himself on them. Unfortunately few do.

In both cases the majority who do not accept Jesus are damned. Yet Jesus' sacrifice still makes a difference because the ones who are saved from God's wrath would have never stood a chance without it. I find support in scripture for both views, and one may not necessarily rule out the other in the logic that God operates in which may be beyond our own time-based, finite minds.

Ephesians 2:1-6

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

Jesus also considered those who were destined to hell as "dead" (Luke 9:60) and he told the Sadducees that God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the God of the living and not the dead. Ultimately those who make it are the ones who matter, and the ones who don't, don't have any share in the next age and hence God does view them as if they were 'dead'. If it were not for Jesus there would be no humans asides from Jesus 'alive' by God's definition and eternal viewpoint as everyone would have been an deserving object of his wrath.

Hence, anything God does for us, is unmerited, undeserved; it is *grace*. If God were simply "fair" by his own definition, we'd all be screwed. But because God is loving and merciful we received grace through Jesus Christ.

------There is a considerable number of scriptures which contradict the conclusions that you may be drawing from Ephesians. In addition, the verses you quote in Ephesians 2 contradicts 1 Corinth 15. Furthermore, the first two verses listed below in 1 Peter show that God is merciful even to those who died and had rejected him.
1 Peter 3:18-19 For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, through whom also he went and preached to the spirits IN PRISON who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently
1 Peter 4:6 For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those WHO ARE NOW DEAD
----- Furthermore, there is ample evidence that God of the NT is merciful and forgiving and will not allow any person to be lost… here is just a sample of the scriptures which portray a loving God…
Matthew 18:14 In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that ANY of these little ones should be lost.
Luke 3:6 And ALL mankind will see God’s salvation.
John 12:32 when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw ALL men to myself.
John 12:47 “As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the WORLD, but to SAVE IT.
John 17:2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to ALL those you have given him.
John 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save THE WORLD through him.
Romans 5:18 Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for ALL men.
Romans 8:32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us ALL—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
Romans 8:38-39 nor ANYTHING else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 11:32 For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them ALL.
1 Corinthians 15:22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ ALL will be made alive.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19 God was reconciling THE WORLD to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them.
Ephesians 1:9-10 to bring ALL things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.
Philippians 2:9-10 at the name of Jesus EVERY knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and EVERY tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Colossians 1:19-20 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself ALL things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
1 John 2:2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the WHOLE WORLD.
1 Timothy 2:3-4 who gave himself as a ransom for ALL men
1 Timothy 4:9-10 who is the Savior of ALL men
-----It is also interesting to note that God is not judging the world as is commonly thought but the saints….
1 Cor 6:2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? ….verse 3…Do you not know that we are to judge Angels?

[bearbear]

1 Peter 3:18-19 For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, through whom also he went and preached to the spirits IN PRISON who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently
1 Peter 4:6 For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those WHO ARE NOW DEAD

This was a special exception for those dead before and during Jesus' time. No one who lived prior to Jesus' time had a chance to hear the gospel. Contrary to what Witness Lee taught, I believe Jesus took the souls who were in Paradise / Abraham's bosom in Hades and brought them up to heaven with him (Eph 4:8-10, 2 Cor 2:14). Back then every soul was in Sheol/Hades, though there was a chasm between paradise and "that other place you didn't want to be in" (Luke 16:19-31), but after Jesus' official sacrifice, God had the right to take these souls with him to heaven (Rev 1:18). After Jesus's death, those of us who pass on from this world who belong to God go to be with the Lord in heaven (2 Cor 5:8), rather than Paradise in Hades.

Ephesians 4:8-10
Therefore it says,
“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,
and he gave gifts to men.”
(In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)

2 Corinthians 2:14
But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.

Jesus is no longer preaching the gospel to the dead in hell, he is in heaven and leaves this duty to men on earth via the great commission. With Jesus' death, God raised the standard and commands men everywhere to repent and receive the good news, the gospel of Jesus Christ. John the Baptist foreshadowed this urgency as he proclaimed that the kingdom of God was near, and folks needed to repent ASAP (Mark 1:15).

Acts 17:30 NLT
"God overlooked people's ignorance about these things in earlier times, but now he commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to him.

Judgment comes after we die. We only have one chance to turn to God and it's in this life, hence why Jesus was so urgent concerning the gospel.

Hebrews 9:27
And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,

Luke 9:60
And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

I will address the other verses later, and have to leave now.

[bearbear]

Originally Posted by Dave

------There is a considerable number of scriptures which contradict the conclusions that you may be drawing from Ephesians. In addition, the verses you quote in Ephesians 2 contradicts 1 Corinth 15.

Are you referring to 1 Cor 15 talking about the resurrection of all the dead? This is consistent with Daniel 12:2 which also says that all the dead will be resurrected, however there will be a division:

Daniel 12:2
Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.

Which is consistent with the Sheep/Goat division Jesus describes in Matthew 25

44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

----- Furthermore, there is ample evidence that God of the NT is merciful and forgiving and will not allow any person to be lost… here is just a sample of the scriptures which portray a loving God…
Matthew 18:14 In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that ANY of these little ones should be lost.

Matt 18:14 is set in context of the 100 sheep the shepherd owns, so it's referring to those whom Jesus considers his sheep and whom the Father predestinated before the beginning of time and belong to God. Not everyone is Jesus' sheep and not everyone knows his voice. In fact some aren't even sheep, but goats (Matt 25:31-46)

Jesus made it clear to the Pharisees as he did in many other places that not everyone belonged to him including some of those who call him "Lord, Lord" but practice evil (Matt 7:21-23).

John 8
21 Once more Jesus said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.”
22 This made the Jews ask, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘Where I go, you cannot come’?”
23 But he continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.
24 I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.”

This is not to diminish the promise in Matt 18:14. The verse promises that if God choses you and considers you his, Jesus isn't going to lose you no matter how far you stray. The debate Calvinists and others have is whether or not you can know you are truly saved and belonging to God while alive, or do you have to wait until you find yourself in heaven? Nevertheless scripture seems to steer us away from dwelling on such questions as Paul tells us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Phil 2:12) and Peter tells us to make every effort to confirm our calling and election (2 Peter 1:10)

[Dave]

Originally Posted by bearbear

Are you referring to 1 Cor 15 talking about the resurrection of all the dead?

In Corinthians 15:12-15 Paul insisted that they had not been resurrected with Christ – they were saying there was no resurrection of the dead, indicated that they had already been raised and their bodies were meaningless and they could do what they wanted e.g. lie with prostitutes etc (Paul wrote this because many had taken on gnostic beliefs after he left) but Ephesians 2:5-6 indicates that “God has raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly places". Of course, most scholars do not believe Paul wrote Ephesians (for a variety of reasons) but that it was written by one of his followers after Paul’s death. In addition, most evidence shows that it was not sent to Ephesus but circulated among all the churches since that phrase “are in Ephesus and” can be clearly seen as a correction (i.e. addition) in the margin between the columns in the first page of the Greek manuscript “Codex Sinaiticus” the oldest compete manuscript of the New Testament, if you look at it. (I am only noting this since if it is a different author that may account for the discrepancy) Be that as it may, there is a contradiction. My point is that it is not a good selection of verses to prove your point unless you can reconcile the two points of view.

[awareness]

Originally Posted by Dave

unless you can reconcile the two points of view.

Just reconcile how God's love isn't omnipotent enough to redeem even the devil, and any supposed hell, and all souls. If God is God, that is.

A loving God beats the dickens outta an angry wrathful God. I can only fear such a God. But couldn't with a clean conscience ever love Him.

Ask yourself why we seem to be more drawn to a angry wrathful God, rather than to a loving forgiving God. Maybe we are in need of a little self analysis.

[bearbear]

Originally Posted by Dave

In Corinthians 15:12-15 Paul insisted that they had not been resurrected with Christ – they were saying there was no resurrection of the dead, indicated that they had already been raised and their bodies were meaningless and they could do what they wanted e.g. lie with prostitutes etc (Paul wrote this because many had taken on gnostic beliefs after he left) but Ephesians 2:5-6 indicates that “God has raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly places".

In Ephesians 2:1 it says "we were dead in our transgressions". Paul is speaking in spiritual terms, not physical terms as he is writing to people who are not physically dead but alive. We were spiritually dead in our sins, but then God's grace through Jesus Christ paved the way for us to be born again in the Holy Spirit.

Henceforth Ephesians 2:5-6 isn't referring to the resurrection of our bodies which will happen at the last trumpet (1 Thess 4:16), but it's talking in spiritual terms. Though that's not to say that the author isn't also pointing to our eventual receiving of our inheritance in Christ which includes reigning with him (2 Tim 2:12) and receiving new bodies (1 Cor 15:52).

Although Jesus is in heaven, spiritually speaking, we can be where Jesus is just as when Jesus said we could remain in him and he in us (John 15:5), and he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit (1 Cor 6:17).

Of course, most scholars do not believe Paul wrote Ephesians (for a variety of reasons) but that it was written by one of his followers after Paul’s death. In addition, most evidence shows that it was not sent to Ephesus but circulated among all the churches since that phrase “are in Ephesus and” can be clearly seen as a correction (i.e. addition) in the margin between the columns in the first page of the Greek manuscript “Codex Sinaiticus” the oldest compete manuscript of the New Testament, if you look at it. (I am only noting this since if it is a different author that may account for the discrepancy) Be that as it may, there is a contradiction. My point is that it is not a good selection of verses to prove your point unless you can reconcile the two points of view.

I am afraid that by you devoting yourself to this kind of research rather than the word of God which makes you wise for salvation (2 Tim 3:15, 1 Peter 2:2, Acts 20:32), you're straining a gnat but swallowing whole camels.

I could have chosen from many other passages in the New Testament which echo the theme of Ephesians 2:1-10 which simply says we were once by nature children of wrath, but God in his love and grace redeemed us and made us to be his own.

Colossians 1:21-22
Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—

Romans 5:10
For if, while we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!

[Dave]

Originally Posted by bearbear

In Ephesians 2:1 it says "we were dead in our transgressions". Paul is speaking in spiritual terms, not physical terms as he is writing to people who are not physically dead but alive. We were spiritually dead in our sins, but then God's grace through Jesus Christ paved the way for us to be born again in the Holy Spirit. We were once dead in the spirit but then God made us alive in the spirit.

Henceforth Ephesians 2:5-6 isn't referring to the resurrection of our bodies which will happen at the last trumpet (1 Thess 4:16), but it's talking in spiritual terms. Though that's not to say that the author isn't also pointing to our eventual receiving of our inheritance in Christ which includes reigning with him (2 Tim 2:12) and receiving new bodies (1 Cor 15:52).

Although Jesus is in heaven, spiritually speaking, we can be where Jesus is just as when Jesus said we could remain in him and he in us (John 15:5), and he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit (1 Cor 6:17).

You should read those verses again. That is exactly my point. The Corinthian's passage is saying we have "not" spiritually been raised with Christ yet (Paul was trying to address the gnostic point which indicated that we have been raised spiritually with Christ and therefore our bodies are not important). Ephesians is saying we have been raised with Christ, spiritually, as you say. There is a clear contradiction. The only thing you can say is that he is addressing two issues from different perspectives but I believe my original point was that Ephesians was written by a different person which maybe in the scheme of things doesn't mean anything if it is scripture.

Originally Posted by bearbear

I am afraid that by you devoting yourself to this kind of research rather than the word of God which gives you growth in your salvation (1 Peter 2:2, Acts 20:32), you're straining a gnat but swallowing whole camels.

I notice that you quote from different translations of the Bible EV and RSV and maybe others. I don't seem to understand why you consider them better than the oldest Codex' manuscripts. Having been trained in Greek I go back to them to double check the closest manuscripts to the originals since i do not have the confidence you do in various translations. When I read one passage from the KJV and compare it RSV or EV or NSRV I find there are discrepancies. I keep a number of versions at my finger tips to include the oldest Codex as well as a Greek interlinear NT. I Thess 5:21 "...test everything" (NSRV). Do you just accept everything as it is in one or two versions?

[bearbear]

Originally Posted by Dave

You should read those verses again. That is exactly my point. The Corinthian's passage is saying we have "not" spiritually been raised with Christ yet (Paul was trying to address the gnostic point which indicated that we have been raised spiritually with Christ and therefore our bodies are not important). Ephesians is saying we have been raised with Christ, spiritually, as you say. There is a clear contradiction. The only thing you can say is that he is addressing two issues from different perspectives but I believe my original point was that Ephesians was written by a different person which maybe in the scheme of things doesn't mean anything if it is scripture.

1 Cor 15:12-15:
But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised.

Paul was addressing the view that there was no bodily resurrection of the dead, which would also imply that Jesus was never raised from the dead, he is not talking in spiritual terms in 1 Cor 15:12-15. Ephesians talks about a spiritual resurrection, but nowhere does it state that a physical, bodily resurrection has already taken place and will never happen. In Corinthians, Paul is saying that in fact there is a physical, bodily resurrection. I don't see how it's a contradiction as no where does he state that a spiritual resurrection happening excludes the bodily resurrection from happening.

Furthermore, we're assuming that there is such a thing as "time" in the spiritual world. It's possible that the spiritual world is timeless and things don't necessarily happen in order but in ways that is hard for our physical minds to comprehend. For example scripture says that our true home is in heaven (Phil 3:20) and God knew us even before he formed us in our mother's womb (Jer 1:5) and that the lamb of God was slain before the foundation of the world (Rev 13:8).

I notice that you quote from different translations of the Bible EV and RSV and maybe others. I don't seem to understand why you consider them better than the oldest Codex' manuscripts. Having been trained in Greek I go back to them to double check the closest manuscripts to the originals since i do not have the confidence you do in various translations. When I read one passage from the KJV and compare it RSV or EV or NSRV I find there are discrepancies. I keep a number of versions at my finger tips to include the oldest Codex as well as a Greek interlinear NT. I Thess 5:21 "...test everything" (NSRV). Do you just accept everything as it is in one or two versions?

I keep a Greek-English ESV interlinear with me as well and have concordances handy. I quote verses from english translations to make our conversation easier. If you'd like to go into the Greek, I am fine with that as well.

The heart of what I was saying was not to discourage scholarly studies of God's word, but that if you are using your scholarly gift to undermine the validity of scriptures, that is much less profitable than directing your talents towards uncovering the mountain of spiritual riches contained in God's word.

It's like spending hours to find scraps of food in a garbage bin, when there's a free buffet two feet away.

[Dave]

Originally Posted by bearbear

The heart of what I was saying was not to discourage scholarly studies of God's word, but that if you are using your scholarly gift to undermine the validity of scriptures, that is much less profitable than directing your talents towards uncovering the mountain of spiritual riches contained in God's word.

It's like spending hours to find scraps of food in a garbage bin, when there's a free buffet two feet away.

Here is my point. Didn't we spend years under WL believing that we were "uncovering the mountain of spiritual riches contained in God's word"? The other day I was looking at 3 notebooks full of detailed notes I took while I was at the Hebrew conference in Anaheim with WL. I, along with others, were caught up in it. Oh, the mountain of spiritual riches we thought we were experiencing at that time. Your free buffet can be deceptive and a trap, as I quoted 1 Thess "...test everything." In addition, we are all at different levels. When I first was a Christian in 1964 and went to Bible college I saw the Bible, books of the Bible, verses in a certain way. As I studied over the years my understanding changed. We all became stuck in the mud with WL teachings...unable to change and saturated with his interpretations. If we limit our growth to one interpretation we fall back into the WL syndrome.

[OBW]

Originally Posted by Dave

You should read those verses again. That is exactly my point. The Corinthian's passage is saying we have "not" spiritually been raised with Christ yet (Paul was trying to address the gnostic point which indicated that we have been raised spiritually with Christ and therefore our bodies are not important). Ephesians is saying we have been raised with Christ, spiritually, as you say. There is a clear contradiction. The only thing you can say is that he is addressing two issues from different perspectives but I believe my original point was that Ephesians was written by a different person which maybe in the scheme of things doesn't mean anything if it is scripture.

The Corinthians passage is talking about the resurrection of the body. It is essentially the topic of the entire chapter. Paul begins by talking about the fact of the resurrection of Christ. Then he turns to the error that some had taken on that there would be no resurrection of the dead for man. And coupled with that, a discussion of the nature of the body in resurrection. It all ends with a declaration that at the time of the resurrection, the age is changing and the old, corrupted body of flesh that we had does not qualify for entry. Therefore the need for a resurrection with a different kind of body.

But Ephesians 2 is simply not talking about the same thing. You are equating "made alive together with Christ" with something about resurrection. That is not the common understanding of salvation/regeneration. It is not a matter of resurrection. Where is there anything about being raised (as if in resurrection)? Are you relying on one of many definitions of a word? A definition that is not the one accepted by most translators? And if so, why are we to reject the majority opinion and take yours? In the past I did that for Lee and I just don't go there anymore — at least not without good cause.

And it would appear that you are busy responding to bear-bear about this. And it seems that bear-bear is also treating Ephesians as if talking about some kind of resurrection.

But I see no basis for treating Ephesians 2 as talking about the resurrection of the body of any man, but instead about the salvation of man.

Not the same thing.

And therefore nothing that would lead anyone to conclude that two entirely different people with different views on resurrection wrote these two books.

Am I missing something here?

[Dave]

Originally Posted by OBW

The Corinthians passage is talking about the resurrection of the body. It is essentially the topic of the entire chapter. Paul begins by talking about the fact of the resurrection of Christ. Then he turns to the error that some had taken on that there would be no resurrection of the dead for man. And coupled with that, a discussion of the nature of the body in resurrection. It all ends with a declaration that at the time of the resurrection, the age is changing and the old, corrupted body of flesh that we had does not qualify for entry. Therefore the need for a resurrection with a different kind of body.

But Ephesians 2 is simply not talking about the same thing. You are equating "made alive together with Christ" with something about resurrection. That is not the common understanding of salvation/regeneration. It is not a matter of resurrection. Where is there anything about being raised (as if in resurrection)? Are you relying on one of many definitions of a word? A definition that is not the one accepted by most translators? And if so, why are we to reject the majority opinion and take yours? In the past I did that for Lee and I just don't go there anymore — at least not without good cause.

And it would appear that you are busy responding to bear-bear about this. And it seems that bear-bear is also treating Ephesians as if talking about some kind of resurrection.

But I see no basis for treating Ephesians 2 as talking about the resurrection of the body of any man, but instead about the salvation of man.

Not the same thing.

And therefore nothing that would lead anyone to conclude that two entirely different people with different views on resurrection wrote these two books.

Am I missing something here?

A lot of this was lost in translation. In other words, I would have to go back and retrace our posts to figure out how we arrived at this point. On the other hand, I believe bearbear used the first 12 verses of Ephesians 2 to make his point. My perspective is that Ephesians was not written by Paul which is commonly understood by many scholars. While other deuteron-pauline epistles may be in question there is virtually no doubt about Ephesians for many reasons and there is a question as to whether it was written to the Ephesians as I have previously noted. In Ephesians this author says he had previously lived an immoral life as a pagan, "in the passions of the flesh, following its desires and senses" Eph. 2:3 whereas in Philippians he writes, "According to the righteousness found in the law, I was blameless" (Phil. 3:6) I noted that Ephesians may well have not been written to the Ephesians. Other than the Codex which I noted previously I would add that if you look at the footnote "a" in the NSRV regarding Ephesians 1:1 it states "Other ancient authorities lack in Ephesus, reading saints who are also faithful" This is not "Dave's" theory but Christian scholars around the globe support this view. They also do not agree that the verses quoted in Ephesians 2 are consistent with Paul's 1 Corinthians 15. I am sure there are scholars who would agree with your view, however, In any case, let's just agree to disagree and move on.

[bearbear]

Originally Posted by Dave

Luke 3:6 And ALL mankind will see God’s salvation.
John 12:32 when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw ALL men to myself.
John 12:47 “As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the WORLD, but to SAVE IT.
John 17:2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to ALL those you have given him.
John 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save THE WORLD through him.
Romans 5:18 Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for ALL men.
Romans 8:32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us ALL—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
Romans 8:38-39 nor ANYTHING else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 11:32 For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them ALL.
1 Corinthians 15:22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ ALL will be made alive.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19 God was reconciling THE WORLD to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them.
Ephesians 1:9-10 to bring ALL things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.
Philippians 2:9-10 at the name of Jesus EVERY knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and EVERY tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Colossians 1:19-20 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself ALL things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
1 John 2:2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the WHOLE WORLD.
1 Timothy 2:3-4 who gave himself as a ransom for ALL men
1 Timothy 4:9-10 who is the Savior of ALL men

I believe these verses are set in the context of the new heavens and the new earth, the world that God considers to be the real one. Because the current world we live in is passing away and temporary (1 John 2:17), God does not consider it real, as only the things that are eternal are real to him (2 Cor 4:18).

1 John 2:17 ESV
And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

2 Cor 4:18 NIV
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Hence "All" here in this context are those whom God considers to be "All" men not in the old creation which is passing away but in this new creation in Christ which is everlasting.

In the old creation, God created the heavens and the earth first and then populated it with men. In the new creation God is doing the reverse, he is creating its inhabitants first who are spiritually born again in Christ and then creating the new home for them afterwards. If the old creation was formed in a seven day division, perhaps the new creation will have a similar seven day division for formation. It is interesting that the Jews worship during the Sabbath, the last of the seven days of the week but Christians who are under the new covenant worship on the first day of the week when Jesus rose. Perhaps this is to signify that the seven days of the new creation starts with us who are redeemed in Christ on the first day!

Revelation 21:1
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

Continuing on to the next point, Jesus talked about two kinds of deaths. The first one is physical and not all that important, but the second one, spiritual death is eternal and was the one he was trying to warn people about (John 8:24).

For example Lazarus "died", but Jesus conveyed that this wasn't a big deal and said that Lazarus wasn't dead but "sleeping" (John 11:11-14). Here he was referring to someone being spiritually alive but physically dead.

However Jesus does the vice versa when he refers to people who are "alive" as "dead" in verses like "Let the dead bury the dead.." (Luke 9:60). Here he is talking about people who are physically alive but spiritually dead.

Why was Jesus nonchalant about physical death yet so serious about spiritual death? Because those who die spiritually, die eternally. This is the second death mentioned in Revelation 21:8
“The cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars – their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."

When people die in this world, their existence ceases to be a part of this world. In the same way, those who die spiritually have no share and existence in the new creation that God has planned. Our God is God of the living, not the dead (Mark 12:27).

Revelation 21:4
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

John 11:25
Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;