Origin, one of the early church theologians was one of the
strongest advocates of the doctrine of apokatastasis. This was
the belief that the wicked suffer an internal anguish because of
their separation from God. Its purpose was for purification, and
the punishment would have an end when all was restored. This was
in contrast to the more severe doctrine of eternal punishment.
Through the centuries, this apokatastisis ( or restoration of
all things ) has been the most popular theory of universal
salvation. 2. Universal Opportunity: This is the belief that
every person is given the opportunity during their lifetime to
respond to God. All men whether they hear the gospel of Jesus
Christ or not will have the opportunity to respond to general
revelation, (Psalm 19, Romans 1). According to this view, those
who are saved through this general revelation are like the
Athenians who worshipped the unknown God, (Acts 17:23). 3.
Universal Explicit Opportunity: This is the belief that everyone
will have an opportunity to