Thanks Gena, here is a portion from Lake of Fire Part VI;
http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:-0oQskztZVwJ:bible-truths.com/lake6.html+l+ray+smith+context&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=us(THE SAVIOUR OF ALL MEN, SPECIALLY BELIEVERS)A little digression: For the past couple of weeks I have been wasting my time exchanging emails with a man who took great exception to my treatment of I Tim. 2:4 in Part V of this series on the lake of fire. He concluded that I have not a lick of knowledge concerning proper interpretation, homiletics, hermeneutics, or exegesis. He proceeded to explain to me the king of all theological seminary theories on interpretation, which is "context, context, context" (sort of like the real estate theory of property value: "location, location, location"). He pointed out that the "context" of "all men" found in I Tim. 2:4 is found in I Tim. 2:1-2,
"I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for ALL MEN; For kings, and for ALL that are in authority…"
He informed me that in my ignorance I failed to see that the "all men" that God wills to be saved in verse 4 is speaking of kings and those in authority of verse 2 ONLY! Oh really?
I asked him if the "all men" of verses 4 and 5 also pertained ONLY to the "context" of verse 2. Let’s read it:
"For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men [all mankind], the man Christ Jesus; Who gave Himself a ransom for ALL [mankind], to be testified in DUE time" (I Tim. 2:5-6).
I asked him if Jesus Christ gave Himself a ransom for "all kings and all in authority" ONLY (in keeping with his theory of "context, context, context")? I never heard from him again.
"Alleging themselves to be wise, they are made STUPID…" (Rom. 1:22, Concordant New Testament).
Let me kindly point out that the "kings and authorities" of verse 2 are only two categories of the "all men" in verse 1. Do we really think that what Paul was actually meaning to say is this: "I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all kings and for all that are in authority, ONLY?" NO! The supplications, intercessions and giving of thanks were to be made "for ALL men." Paul then gives us two categories of men out of "all men" that should be included. Namely kings and those in authority, because these have the power and authority to make our lives miserable if they become our enemies, and Paul desired that the saints live a "quiet and peaceable life" as much as is possible in this wicked world.
I was kind of sad that my detractor did not answer back my last email to him, because I was holding I Tim. 4:10 in store for my next rebuttal to his inane arguments. Now this truly is a remarkable Scripture. I have had many traitors of the truth tell me that when God speaks of "all" being saved it always means "all saints" or "all in the context" or "all in Christ" or some other "all," just as long as it can never ever mean "all of mankind." But don’t you just know that it is God’s way to shut the mouths of deceivers. Let’s look at I Tim. 4:9-10 in any context you wish:
"This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation. For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, Who IS THE SAVIOUR OF ALL MEN, specially of those that believe."
Now had God left off that last phrase, "specially of those that believe," then maybe our detractors could once again say that, "Well, yes, God ‘is the saviour of all men,’ it’s just that He doesn’t actually save all men." Let me now show you how my Pennsylvania farm boy mind works when it comes to a Scripture like this one. God has so tightly book-ended this verse that it is absolutely impossible for even the most devious minds of detractors and traitors of the truth to misrepresent this verse with an ounce of intelligence. This verse is IRON CLAD!
Notice that this verse does not say: "God is the Saviour of ALL MEN, specially ALL MEN," does it? No. And this verse does not say: "God is the Saviour of ALL THAT BELIEVE, specially ALL THAT BELIEVE," does it? No. The "specially of those that believe," BELIEVE. The rest of the "all men" do NOT BELIEVE. These are two different groups—(1)Believers and (2)NON-believers. Since the "believers" are "specially" saved, in relation to the saving of the "all men non-believers," then they will be saved also. See it doesn’t say that God is the Saviour of all men but will ONLY save believers. No, the "all men" ARE SAVED and the "believers" are SPECIALLY SAVED—BOTH will be saved! The word "specially" does not mean "exclusively."
The word "specially" is translated from the Greek word malista, which means "in the greatest degree or particularly" (Strong’s Greek Dictionary p. 155). It is translated "specially," "especially," "chiefly" and "most of all." In every single usage of this word in the New Testament it is used in relation to others who are not excluded, but included in the same subject. Let us notice a few of these so that we can be absolutely convinced in our own minds that the "specially believers" can in no possible way exclude the "all men" of the same verse.
"For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, SPECIALLY [Gk: malista] they of the circumcision" (Titus 1:10).
Is it even necessary that I point out that this verse does not in any way insinuate that the "unruly and vain talkers and deceivers" are ALL from the circumcision ONLY?
"Not now as a servant but above a servant, a brother beloved, SPECIALLY to me, but how much more unto thee, both in the flesh, and in the Lord?" (Philemon 16).
This verse says for sure that Onesimus was "special" to more than just Paul. And so it is with every single use of this Greek work in the New Testament.
It is absolutely clear and irrefutable that the believers of I Tim. 4:10 are saved in a special way, that is, they are saved before the rest of humanity, and they are given the gift of eonian (age-abiding) life reigning with Christ in the Kingdom of God, ages before the rest of humanity are saved. Only those called and chosen NOW will EVER reign and rule and bring salvation to the rest of the world and to the universe—THIS is a special gift of God to believers being called in this age ONLY. But … BUT, the rest of humanity WILL ALSO BE SAVED (albeit by way of the lake of fire in the great white throne judgment).
And so it is that long before the rest of humanity is purged through the lake of fire, believers must also be purged through FIRE. It is so sad that these things are not taught in Sunday school or church. Salvation is by grace through faith. But if we isolate these two words "grace" and "faith" from all the thousands of Scriptures that show us how grace and faith operate in the real world, then we will fail to see or understand the most fundamental of New Testament teachings. GAL, 2;20.