Here is a recent article that I found from a unknown source that seems to indicate Russell was a Universalist of sorts. And since Russell is the "Holy Grail" of Preterism, it seems interesting to me that he ends his seemly Full Preterist work with universalistic conclusions. It would seem to me that this FACT speaks volumes to what Preterists seem to deny they believe today and yet THIS WAS the conclusion drawn by Russell's version of Preterism. Though it is not the same, the line in 70AD IS THE SAME and is shown in his writing to be a clear marker where by things ended and began which resulted in his Universalistic comments.
It is always interesting to read the comments of theologians on passages which make clear that all will eventually be reconciled to God. I Corinthians 15:22 is one such passage which reads: “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” When J. Stuart Russell comments on I Corinthians in relation to the coming or ‘parousia’ of Christ in his book The Parousia, he seems to indicate that verse 22 along with the rest of the chapter was fulfilled somehow in the 1st century around 70 A.D. However, in his Summary and Conclusion he references John 12:32 “I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me,” as well as Romans 5:19. Both of these passages strongly support universal reconciliation. Because the theme of Russell’s book is that the ‘parousia’ has already occurred, he indicates that the scriptures don’t give us much in the way of prophecy but do however give us some promises such as the above listed scriptures. He continues with a discussion on Romans 5:19-21 stating:
“He does not hesitate to affirm that the restorative work of Christ will ultimately more than repair the ruin wrought by sin. ‘As by one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the obedience of One shall the many be made righteous.’ There would be no point in this comparison if ‘the many’ on the one side of the equation bore no proportion to ‘the many’ on the other side. But this is not all: the redemptive work of Christ does more than redress the balance: it outweighs, and that immeasurably, the counterpoise of evil.”He concludes by saying:
“This world belongs no more to the devil, but to God. Christ has redeemed it, and will recover it, and draw ALL MEN unto Him. Otherwise it is inconceivable that God would have taught His people in all ages to utter in faith and hope that sublime prophetic prayer:–” (Psalm 67)According to his own words, J. Stuart Russell can be chalked up most assuredly as a believer in the eventual Salvation of all men - Universal Reconciliation.
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