I know someone will probably make mention of some of these verses, so I'm going to get a head start.
*[FONT="][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]John 3:16 - The Entire World?[/FONT][/FONT]
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[FONT="]‘For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.’ -- [FONT="]John 3:16 [/FONT][/FONT]
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[FONT="]‘World’ here translates from the Greek word ‘kosmos.’ ‘Kosmos’ has several meanings behind it, which include ‘the universe,’ ‘the circle of the earth,’ ‘the earth,’ ‘the inhabitants of the earth,’ ‘any aggregate or general collection of particulars of any sort.’ According to Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, there’s approximately eight different meanings behind the term ‘kosmos.’ Also noted, Thayer’s Greek Lexicon points out that the usage of the term in John 3:16 actually refers to a particular group of people, ‘[FONT="]of believers only, John 1:29; 3:16; 3:17; 6:33; 12:47 1 Cor. 4:9; 2 Cor. 5:19[/FONT][FONT="]’[/FONT][/FONT]
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[FONT="]If we refer to other verses throughout the entire span of the Scriptures, we’ll clearly see that the term ‘world’ has various meanings. John 7:7, ‘world’ refers to unbelievers. John 15:19, ‘world’ refers to everyone besides believers. 1 Corinthians 4:9, ‘world’ refers to everyone who saw the disciples. John 12:19, ‘world’ refers to many men, though not all men, of a certain region. 2 Peter 2:5, ‘world’ refers to the ungodly. 1 John 3:1, ‘world’ refers to unbelievers. If we are to say that the term ‘world’ means ‘everybody, everywhere,’ then we run into a bit of a problem, such as in 1 John 5:19, which states:[/FONT]
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‘We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.’—1 John 5:19
[FONT="]If ‘world’ truly meant ‘everybody, everywhere,’ this would mean that everyone, even true genuine believers are under the dominion of Satan. [/FONT]
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[FONT="]As far as 1 John 2:2 goes, since I know there are some here making reference to it, it really just boils down to understanding who the book was written by, and who it is addressed to. As John Samson pointed out in his article titled Understanding 1 John 2:2, ‘…the First Epistle of John, which is a letter written to a primarily Jewish audience. So in 1 John 2:2, as in the rest of the letter, we have the Apostle John, a Jew, writing primarily to fellow Jewish believers in the Messiah. He writes of Jesus Christ being ‘the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only (Hebrews), but also for the whole world (Gentiles).’ Cross reference 1 John 2:2 and John 11:51-52: [/FONT]
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1 John 2:2 (NASB), ‘…He Himself[a] is the propitiation for our sins[c]; and not for ours only[d], but also[e] for those of the whole world.[f]’
John 11:51-52 (NASB), ‘…Jesus[a] was going to die for the nation[c], and not for the nation only[d], but in order that He might also[e] gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.[f]’[FONT="][/FONT]
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[FONT="]Likewise, Revelation 5:9 also points out, ‘… for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.’ Take note scripture does not say ‘everyone from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.’ Scripture is clear that Christ died for the sake of His people (Isaiah 53:8, Matthew 1:21); the children of God who are scattered abroad, men from every tribe, tongue, and nation -- the ‘world’ (John 11:51-52, Revelation 5:9, Revelation 7:9-10); the Church (Ephesians 5:25, Acts 20:28); the Sheep (John 10:11-15). Christ said in John 17:9-10, ‘I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours; and all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them.’
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1 Timothy 2:4 – All Men to be Saved?
‘First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.’ – 1 Timothy 2:1-4
The Greek term ‘pas,’ otherwise, ‘all,’ can mean ‘individually[FONT="]’ or it could mean, ‘collectively.’ Allow me to first point out that ‘all men’ as seen in 1 Timothy 2:4 is in reference to all types of men, ‘for kings and all who are in authority’ – types of people. [/FONT]
To those that would argue that ‘all men’ means ‘everyone, everywhere,’ when John the Baptist was preaching in the wilderness of Judea (Matthew 3), did ‘all’ of Judea (v. 5), that is, ‘everybody, everywhere’ get baptized (v. 6)? That is, every single individual in, and through Judea? In John 12:32, ‘And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself,’ is Christ referring to ‘everybody, everywhere’? If God desires all men to be saved, who can hinder His will? ‘But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases.’ – Psalm 115:3
The words ‘world,’ and ‘all,’ as Thayer’s New Testament Greek Lexicon puts it, ‘…signify that Christ has redeemed some of all sorts -- some Jews, some Gentiles,’ some from this nation, some from that nation, some that speak English, some that speak Spanish, etc. This can be seen in Revelation 7:9-10, ‘After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.’
2 Peter 3:9 – All Men to Repentance?
‘The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.’ – 2 Peter 3:9
[FONT="]2 Peter 3:9 is one of the misquoted passages of the Bible, and it's not speaking of ‘all’ people. If we examine the chapter more closely, you will see this. Pay particular attention to who’s talking, who they’re talking to, and what they’re talking about:[/FONT]
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‘This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles. Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.’ For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.” – 2 Peter 2:1-7
Notice the language used, ‘beloved,’ ‘mockers,’ ‘you,’ ‘them.’ The usage of these terms infers that there are specific groups of people this chapter is speaking about. First allow me to say that 2 Peter 3 is addressing fellow brethren (‘This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you…’) about the return of Christ, and why the Second Coming has been delayed.
“But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.” – 2 Peter 3:8-10
Again, we have the usage of ‘beloved,’ ‘you.’ Who is 2 Peter 3:9 referring to when it says, ‘The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance’? He’s referring to ‘you,’ the ‘beloved,’ not wishing for any of ‘you,’ the elect, God’s chosen people to eternal life, to perish, but for ‘all’ of the ‘beloved,’ ‘all’ of ‘you,’ His people, His elect whom have yet to come to repentance, to come to repentance, to turn to the Lord. Can you imagine if Christ returned a couple hundred years ago? If Christ had made His triumphant return only two hundred years ago, then not a single one of us in Christ would have ever been able to come to repentance.
There is never a day that goes by where the return of Christ doesn’t cross my mind in one form or another, and as joyful of a day it will be when it happens, it is for the sake of the elect, for the sake of my own brethren that I’m thankful for the delay of the Master’s return.
about the return of Christ, and why the Second Coming has been delayed. 