Stephen Jones — Eschatology
b2 — The Restoration of All Things
Apokatastasis and Restorationism
Jones opens his study with Acts 3:20-21 as the foundational text for the entire book:
“And that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.”
Source: Ch.1 — Acts 3:20-21
Jones emphasizes that the Greek word apokatastasis (“restoration”) is a legal/juridical term that implies return to an original state with full rights. He distinguishes this from mere forgiveness (debt cancellation) and from what he calls “universalism.”
Key distinction (Ch.2 — not fully available): Jones explicitly rejects the label “universalist” for his position:
“We prefer the term Restorationist, because universalism is the idea that all men are saved regardless of their sin or the judgments of God. Restorationism, on the other hand, recognizes that the judgments of God are real and that sin has serious consequences. But ultimately, after those judgments have run their course, God will have restored all things according to His purpose.”
Source: Ch.2 — Jones on the distinction universalism/restorationism
Interpretation: Jones frames apokatastasis not as bypassing judgment, but as the goal of judgment — God’s corrective discipline leads to restoration, not merely to permanent punishment.
Aionios as Age-Spanning, Not Eternal
Jones dedicates significant attention to the Greek word aionios (often translated “eternal” or “everlasting”), arguing that its correct meaning is “age-abiding” or “belonging to the age.”
He cites Jerome and Augustine’s influence on the Latin translation:
“Jerome and Augustine both were the ones who established the doctrine of endless punishment and eternal hell in the Western church. But this was based on a mistranslation of the Greek word aionios.”
Source: Ch.3 — Jerome and Augustine on aionios
Jones cites the Cambridge Bible Commentary on Matthew 25:46:
“The word translated ‘eternal’ or ‘everlasting’ is aionios, which means ‘age-abiding’ or ‘characteristic of the Age.’ The punishment of Matthew 25:46 is punishment characteristic of the Age to come, not meaning that it lasts for ever.”
Source: Ch.3 — Cambridge Bible Commentary on Matt. 25:46
Jones further supports this with 1 Timothy 4:10:
“For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.”
Source: Ch.4 — 1 Tim. 4:10, cited by Jones
Interpretation: Jones uses aionios to argue that “age-long punishment” is corrective and finite — not endless. The ages have a beginning and an end.
Judgment: The White Throne as Restorative Judgment
Jones reframes the Great White Throne judgment (Rev. 20:11-15) not as final condemnation but as restorative judgment:
“The lake of fire is the divine judgment that burns away all that is contrary to the nature of God. It is not a place of torment without end, but a place of divine correction that ultimately leads to the restoration of all things.”
Source: Ch.5 — Jones on the lake of fire and White Throne
He connects this to Moses’ fiery law (Deut. 33:2) and the baptism of fire (Matt. 3:11-12), arguing that divine fire is consistently presented in Scripture as purifying rather than purely destructive:
“John the Baptist said that Christ would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire. The fire is not a mark of God’s rejection, but of His purifying work.”
Source: Ch.5 — Matt. 3:11-12, cited by Jones
[SPANNING with b1]: In b1 (“Creation’s Jubilee”), Jones frames the lake of fire primarily through the lens of feast typology (Passover/unleavened bread). Here in b2, the primary frame is legal/judicial: the Kinsman-Redeemer and Jubilee law. Both converge on corrective judgment, but through different exegetical frames.
Resurrection and the Adam-Christ Symmetry
A central argument for universal restoration is the Adam-Christ typology in 1 Corinthians 15:
“For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father.”
Source: Ch.7 — 1 Cor. 15:22-24, cited by Jones
Jones argues that if “all” die in Adam, then “all” must be made alive in Christ — otherwise the symmetry breaks down:
“The same ‘all’ that died in Adam is the same ‘all’ that is made alive in Christ. The scope of death and the scope of life in Christ are coextensive.”
Source: Ch.7 — Jones on 1 Cor. 15:22
He further cites Romans 5:18-19:
“So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.”
Source: Ch.7 — Rom. 5:18-19, cited by Jones
Hell and the Lake of Fire as Corrective Judgment
Jones situates Gehenna and the lake of fire within his broader framework of corrective, age-long judgment:
“Gehenna was the Valley of Hinnom, where Israel burned its garbage and where, historically, children had been sacrificed to Moloch. Jesus uses this as an image of divine judgment — a real and serious judgment — but not one that is interminable.”
Source: Ch.8 — Jones on Gehenna
He also examines Revelation 20:14, where death and Hades are cast into the lake of fire:
“Even death and Hades — the last enemies — are destroyed in the lake of fire. This is not a place of eternal suffering for conscious beings, but the destruction of death itself, which is the final enemy (1 Cor. 15:26).”
Source: Ch.8 — Rev. 20:14 and 1 Cor. 15:26, cited by Jones
Jubilee Law as Eschatological End-Goal
Jones builds extensively on the Mosaic Jubilee (Leviticus 25) as the legal framework for universal restoration. The key verse is Leviticus 25:54:
“Even if he is not redeemed by those means, he shall still go out in the year of Jubilee, he and his sons with him.”
Source: Ch.9 — Lev. 25:54, cited by Jones
Jones argues this is a binding divine law — no one remains enslaved after the Jubilee, regardless of whether a Kinsman-Redeemer has acted on their behalf. He then applies this typologically to the eschatological Jubilee:
“The Jubilee law is not merely a social regulation for ancient Israel. It is a prophetic law that reveals the heart of God toward all of creation. The Great Jubilee is the restoration of all things.”
Source: Ch.9 — Jones on Lev. 25 as eschatological type
He connects this to the Kinsman-Redeemer (go’el) typology: Christ as the Kinsman-Redeemer purchases the freedom of all who are enslaved. The Jubilee guarantees that even those not redeemed by a go’el are ultimately freed.
New Creation and the Restoration of All Nations
Jones draws on multiple Davidic psalms and Revelation to establish that all nations will ultimately worship God:
“All the earth will worship You, and will sing praises to You; they will sing praises to Your name.” — Psalm 66:4
“Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You. Let the nations be glad and sing for joy.” — Psalm 67:3-4
“And all kings will bow down before him, all nations will serve him.” — Psalm 72:11
Source: Ch.9 — Ps. 66:4; 67:3-4; 72:11, cited by Jones
He culminates with Revelation 5:13-14:
“And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, ‘To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.‘”
Source: Ch.9 — Rev. 5:13-14, cited by Jones
And Revelation 15:3-4:
“Great and marvelous are Your works, O Lord God, the Almighty; righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations! Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy; for all the nations will come and worship before You.”
Source: Ch.9 — Rev. 15:3-4, cited by Jones
Interpretation: Jones reads these texts as prophetic certainties, not merely aspirational hopes. The nations’ worship is guaranteed by the Jubilee law and the Adam-Christ symmetry.
The Return of Christ as Restoration
Jones frames the Second Coming not primarily as judgment but as the final act of restoration:
“When the heavens must retain Christ ‘until the period of restoration of all things’ (Acts 3:21), this is not a passive waiting. It is an active preparation for the consummation of God’s purpose — the restoration of all that was lost in Adam.”
Source: Ch.1 — Jones on Acts 3:21 and the Second Coming
He connects this to the Noahic covenant (Gen. 9:8-17), arguing that God’s covenant with “all flesh” (Gen. 9:17) provides the legal basis for universal restoration:
“The covenant God made with Noah was not only with Noah and his descendants, but with every living creature. This is the widest covenant in Scripture, and it forms the foundation for the restoration of all things.”
Source: Ch.4 — Jones on Gen. 9:8-17, Noahic covenant
Note: Chapters 2 and 6 were not fully available for extraction (persisted output). Key themes from Ch.2 (distinction universalism/restorationism in detail) and Ch.6 (all things under his feet — 1 Cor. 15:27) are therefore incompletely documented. Status: partial.