The word
"hell" (gehenna) does not occur in the writings of Paul. Instead, the
apostle refers a few times to God’s judgment executed upon the evildoers at
the time of Christ’s coming. Traditionalists appeal to some of these passages
to support their belief in the eternal punishment of the lost. Earlier we
examined the important passage of 2 Thessalonians 1:9, where Paul speaks of the
"punishment of eternal destruction" that the wicked will suffer at
Christ’s coming. We noted that the destruction of the wicked is eternal?
aionios, not because the process of destruction continues forever, but
because the results are permanent.
The Day of Wrath.
Another significant Pauline passage often cited in support of literal unending
hellfire is his warning about "the day of wrath when God’s righteous
judgment will be revealed. For he will render to every man according to his
works: . . . to those who do not obey the truth, but obey wickedness, there will
be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being
who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek" (Rom 2:5-9). The
"wrath, fury, tribulation, distress" are seen by traditionalists as
descriptive of the conscious torment of hell.42
The picture that Paul
presents of "the day of wrath," when the evildoers will experience
wrath, fury, tribulation and distress is most likely derived from Zephaniah,
where the prophet speaks of the eschatological Day of the Lord as a "day of
wrath . . . a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day
of darkness and gloom" (Zeph 1:15). Then the prophet says: "In the
fire of his jealous wrath, all the earth shall be consumed; for a full, yea,
sudden end he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth" (Zeph 1:18).
We have reason to
believe that Paul expresses the same truth that the Day of the Lord will bring a
sudden end to evildoers. Paul never makes any allusion to the everlasting
torment of the lost. Why? Simply, because for him, immortality is God’s gift
given to the saved at Christ’s coming (1 Cor 15:53-54) and not a natural
endowment of every person. The Apostle borrows freely from the Old Testament’s
prophetic vocabulary, but he illuminates the vision of the Day of the Lord with
the bright light of the Gospel, rather than with lurid details of conscious
eternal torment.
5. The Witness of
Revelation
The theme of the final
judgment is central to the book of Revelation, because it represents God’s way
of overcoming the opposition of evil to Himself and His people. Thus, it is not
surprising that believers in eternal hell fire find support for their view in
the dramatic imagery of Revelation’s final judgment. The visions cited to
support the view of everlasting punishment in hell are: (1) the vision of
God’s Wrath in Revelation 14:9-11, and (2) the vision of the lake of fire and
of the second death in Revelation 20:10, 14-15. We briefly examine them now.
The Vision of God’s
Wrath. In Revelation 14, John sees three angels announcing God’s final
judgment in language progressively stronger. The third angel cries out with a
loud voice: "If any one worships the beast and its image, and receives a
mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also shall drink the wine of God’s
wrath, poured unmixed into the cup of his anger, and he shall be tormented with
fire and sulphur in the presence of his holy angels and in the presence of the
Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up for ever and ever; and they have no
rest, day or night, these worshippers of the beast and its image, and whoever
receives the mark of its name" (Rev 14:9-11).
Traditionalists view
this passage together with Matthew 25:46 as the two most important texts which
support the traditional doctrine of hell. Peterson concludes his analysis of
this passage, by saying: "I conclude, therefore, that despite attempts to
prove otherwise, Revelation 14:9-11 unequivocally teaches that hell entails
eternal conscious torment for the lost. In fact, if we had only this passage, we
would be obligated to teach the traditional doctrine of hell on the authority of
the Word of God."43 Robert Morey states categorically the same view:
"By every rule of hermeneutics and exegesis, the only legitimate
interpretation of Revelation 14:10-11 is the one that clearly sees eternal,
conscious torment awaiting the wicked."44
These dogmatic
interpretations of Revelation 14:9-11 as proof of a literal, eternal torment
reveal a lack of sensitivity to the highly metaphorical language of the passage.
In his commentary on Revelation, J. P. M. Sweet, a respected British New
Testament scholar, offers a most timely caution in his comment on this passage:
"To ask, ‘what does Revelation teach ? eternal torment or eternal
destruction?’ is to use (or misuse) the book as a source of ‘doctrine,’ or
of information about the future. John uses pictures, as Jesus used parables (cf.
Matt 18:32-34; 25:41-46), to ram home the unimaginable disaster of rejecting
God, and the unimaginable blessedness of union with God, while there is still
time to do something about it."45 It is unfortunate that this warning is
ignored by those who choose to interpret literally highly figurative passages
like the one under consideration.
Four Elements of the
Judgment. Let us now consider the four major elements in the angel’s
announcement of God’s judgment upon the apostates who worship the beast: (1)
The pouring and drinking of the cup of God’s wrath, (2) the torment with
burning sulphur inflicted upon the ungodly in the sight of the angels and of the
Lamb, (3) the smoke of their torment rising forever, and (4) their having no
rest day or night.
The pouring of the cup
of God’s wrath is a well-established Old Testament symbol of divine judgment
(Is 51:17, 22; Jer 25:15-38; Ps 60:3; 75:8). God pours the cup
"unmixed," that is, undiluted, to ensure its deadly effects. The
prophets used similar language:"They shall drink and stagger, and shall be
as though they had not been" (Ob 16: cf. Jer 25:18, 27, 33). The same cup
of God’s wrath is served to Babylon, the city that corrupts the people. God
mixes "a double draught for her," and the result is "pestilence,
mourning, famine" and destruction by fire (Rev 18:6, 8). We have reason to
believe that the end of Babylon, destroyed by fire, is also the end of the
apostates who drink God’s unmixed cup.
The fate of the ungodly
is described through the imagery of the most terrible judgment that ever fell on
this earth?the destruction by fire and sulphur of Sodom and Gomorrah."He
shall be tormented with fire and sulphur, in the presence of the holy angels and
in the presence of the Lamb" (Rev 14:10). The imagery of fire and sulphur
that destroyed the two cities frequently is used in the Bible to signify
complete annihilation (Job 18:15-17; Is 30:33; Ezek 38:22).
Isaiah describes the
fate of Edom in language that is strikingly similar to that of Revelation 14:10.
He says:"The streams of Edom shall be turned into pitch, and her soil into
brimstone; her land shall become burning pitch. Night and day it shall not be
quenched, its smoke shall go up for ever" (Is 34:9-10). As Revelation
14:10, we have here the unquenchable fire, the sulphur (brimstone), and the
smoke that goes up forever, night and day. Does this mean that Edom was to burn
forever? We do not have to go far to find the answer because the verse
continues: "From generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall
pass through it for ever and ever" (Is 34:10).46 It is evident that the
unquenchable fire and the ever-ascending smoke are metaphoric symbols of
complete destruction, extermination, and annihilation. If this is the meaning of
this imagery in the Old Testament, we have reason to believe that the same
meaning applies to the text under consideration.
This conclusion is
supported by John’s use of the imagery of the fire and smoke to describe the
fate of Babylon, the city responsible for enticing God’s people into apostasy.
The city "shall be burned with fire" (Rev 18:8) and "the smoke
from her goes up for ever and ever" (Rev 19:3). Does this mean that Babylon
will burn for all eternity? Obviously not, because the merchants and kings
bewail the "torment" they see, and cry: "Alas, alas, for the
great city . . . In one hour she has been laid waste. . . . and shall be found
no more" (Rev 18:10, 17, 19, 21). It is evident that the smoke of the
torment of Babylon that "goes up for ever and ever" represents
complete destruction because the city "shall be found no more" (Rev
18:21).
The striking similarity
between the fate of the apostates and the fate of Babylon, where both are
characterized as tormented by fire whose smoke "goes up for ever and
ever" (Rev 14:10-11; cf. 18:8; 19:3), gives us reason to believe that the
destiny of Babylon is also the destiny of those who have partaken of her sins,
that is, both experience the same destruction and annihilation.
" No Rest, Day or
Night." The phrase "they have no rest, day or night" (Rev 14:11)
is interpreted by traditionalists as descriptive of the eternal torment of hell.
The phrase, however, denotes the continuity and not the eternal duration of an
action. John uses the same phrase "day and night" to describe the
living creatures praising God (Rev 4:8), the martyrs serving God (Rev 7:15),
Satan accusing the brethren (Rev 12:10), and the unholy trinity being tormented
in the lake of fire (Rev 20:10). In each case, the thought is the same: the
action continues while it lasts. Harold Guillebaud correctly explains that the
phrase "they have no rest, day or night" (Rev 14:11) "certainly
says that there will be no break or intermission in the suffering of the
followers of the Beast, while it continues; but in itself it does not say that
it will continue forever."47
Support for this
conclusion is provided by the usage of the phrase "day and night" in
Isaiah 34:10, where, as we have seen, Edom’s fire is not quenched "night
and day" and "its smoke shall go up for ever" (Is 34:10). The
imagery is designed to convey that Edom’s fire would continue until it had
consumed all that there was, and then it would go out. The outcome would be
permanent destruction, not everlasting burning. "From generation to
generation it shall lie waste" (Is 34:10).
To sum up, the four
figures present in the scene of Revelation 14:9-11 complement one another in
describing the final destruction of the apostates. The "unmixed" wine
of God’s fury poured out in full strength suggests a judgment resulting in
extinction. The burning sulphur denotes some degree of conscious punishment that
precedes the extinction. The rising smoke serves as a continuous reminder of
God’s just judgment. The suffering will continue day and night until the
ungodly are completely destroyed.
The Lake of Fire. The
last description in the Bible of the final punishment contains two highly
significant metaphorical expresions: (1) the lake of fire, and (2) the second
death (Rev 19:20; 20:10, 15; 21:8). Traditionalists attribute fundamental
importance to "lake of fire" because for them, as stated by John
Walvoord, "the lake of fire is, and it serves as a synonym for the eternal
place of torment."48
To determine the meaning
of "the lake of fire," we need to examine its four occurrences in
Revelation, the only book in the Bible where the phrase is found. The first
reference occurs in Revelation 19:20, where we are told that the beast and the
false prophet "were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with
sulphur." The second reference is found in Revelation 20:10, where John
describes the outcome of Satan’s last great assault against God: "The
devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulphur where
the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night
for ever and ever." God’s throwing of the devil into the lake of fire
increases its inhabitants from two to three.
The third and fourth
references are found in Revelation 20:15 and 21:8, where all the wicked are also
thrown into the lake of fire. It is evident that there is a crescendo as all
evil powers, and people eventually experience the final punishment of the lake
of fire.
The fundamental question
is whether the lake of fire represents an ever-burning hell where the wicked are
supposed to be tormented for all eternity or whether it symbolizes the permanent
destruction of sin and sinners. Five major considerations lead us to believe
that the lake of fire represents the final and complete annihilation of evil and
evildoers.
First, the beast and the
false prophet, who are cast alive into the lake of fire, are two symbolic
personages who represent not actual people but persecuting civil governments and
corrupting false religion. Political and religious systems cannot suffer
conscious torment forever. Thus, for them, the lake of fire represents complete,
irreversible annihilation.
Second, the imagery of
the devil and his host who are devoured by fire from heaven and then cast into
the lake of fire and brimstone, is largely derived from Ezekiel 38 and 39, where
even the code names "Gog" and "Magog" are found, and from 2
King 1:10, which speaks of the fire that came down from heaven to consume the
captain and the fifty soldiers sent against Elijah. In both instances, the fire
causes the annihilation of evildoers (Ezek 38:22; 39:6, 16). The similarity of
imagery suggests that the same meaning and function of fire as utter destruction
applies to the fate of the devil in Revelation 20:10.
Third, it is impossible
to visualize how the devil and his angels, who are spirits could "be
tormented [with fire] day and night for ever and ever" (Rev 20:10). After
all, fire belongs to the material, physical world, but the devil and his angels
are not physical beings. Eldon Ladd rightly points out: "How a lake of
literal fire can bring everlasting torture to non-physical beings is impossible
to imagine. It is obvious that this is picturesque language describing a real
fact in the spiritual world: the final and everlasting destruction of the forces
of evil which have plagued men since the garden of Eden."49
Fourth, the fact that
"Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire" (Rev 20:14) shows
that the meaning of the lake of fire is symbolic, because Death and Hades (the
grave) are abstract realities that cannot be thrown into or consumed with fire.
By the imagery of Death and Hades being thrown into the lake of fire, John
simply affirms the final and complete destruction of death and the grave. By His
death and resurrection, Jesus conquered the power of death, but eternal life
cannot be experienced until death is symbolically destroyed in the lake of fire
and banished from the universe.
"The Second
Death." The fifth and decisive consideration is the fact that the lake of
fire is defined as "the second death." Before we look at the usage of
the phrase "second death," it is important to note that John clearly
explains that "the lake of fire is the second death" (Rev 20:14; cf.
21:8).
Some traditionalists
interpret "the second death," not as the ultimate death, but as the
ultimate separation of sinners from God. For example, Robert Peterson states:
"When John says that Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of
fire" (Rev 20:14), he indicates that the intermediate state gives way to
the final one. He also does this by revealing that the ‘lake of fire is the
second death’ (Rev 20:14). As death means the separation of the soul from the
body, so the second death denotes the ultimate separation of the ungodly from
their Creator’s love. Accordingly, God reunites the souls of the unsaved dead
with their bodies to fit the lost for eternal punishment. If eternal life
entails forever knowing the Father and the Son (John 17:3), its antithesis, the
second death, involves being deprived of God’s fellowship for all
eternity."50
It is hard to understand
how Peterson can interpret "the second death" as eternal conscious
separation from God when, as we noted in chapter 4, the Bible makes it
abundantly clear that there is no consciousness in death. The "second
death" is the antithesis of "eternal life," but the antithesis of
eternal life is "eternal death" and not eternal conscious separation
from God. Furthermore, the notion of the souls of the unsaved being reunited
with their bodies after the intermediate state, to make them fit for eternal
punishment can only be supported on the basis of a dualistic understanding of
human nature. From a Biblical perspective, death is the cessation of life and
not the separation of the body from the soul. The meaning of the phrase
"second death" must be determined on the basis of the internal witness
of the book of Revelation and of contemporary Jewish literature rather than on
the basis of Greek dualism, foreign to the Bible.
Throughout the book of
Revelation, John explains the meaning of a first term by the use of a second.
For example, he explains that the bowls of incense are the prayers of the saints
(Rev 5:8). "The fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints" (Rev
19:8). The coming to life of the saints and their reigning with Christ a
thousand years "is the first resurrection" (Rev 20:5). Following the
same pattern, John explicitly explains that "the lake of fire is the second
death" (Rev 20:14; cf. 21:8).
Some traditionalists
wish to define the second death as the lake of fire, in order to be able to
argue that the second death is not the final death, but eternal torment in the
lake of fire. A quick reading of Revelation 20:14 and 21:8 suffices to show that
the opposite is true. John unmistakenly states: "The lake of fire is the
second death" and not vice versa. The meaning of the second death derives
from and is dependent upon the meaning of the first death experienced by every
human being at the cessation of life. The second death differs from the first
death, not in nature but in results. The first death is a temporary sleep
because it is followed by the resurrection. The second death is permanent and
irreversible extinction because there is no awakening.
References to the
"Second Death." Since John clearly defines the lake of fire to be the
second death, it is crucial for us to understand the meaning of "the second
death." This phrase occurs four times in Revelation but does not appear
elsewhere in the New Testament. The first reference is found in Revelation 2:11:
"He who conquers shall not be hurt by the second death." Here
"the second death" is differentiated from the physical death that
every human being experiences. The implication is that the saved receive eternal
life, and will not experience eternal death.
The second reference to
"the second death" occurs in Revelation 20:6, in the context of the
first resurrection of the saints at the beginning of the millennium: "Over
such the second death has no power." Again, the implication is that the
resurrected saints will not experience the second death, that is, the punishment
of eternal death, obviously because they will be raised to immortal life. The
third and the fourth references are in Revelation 20:14 and 21:8, where the
second death is identified with the lake of fire into which the devil, the
beast, the false prophet, Death, Hades, and all evildoers are thrown. In these
instances, the lake of fire is the second death in the sense that it
accomplishes the eternal death and destruction of sin and sinners.
The meaning of the
phrase "second death" is clarified by its usage in the Targum, which
is the Aramaic translation and interpretation of the Old Testament. In the
Targum, the phrase is used several times to refer to the final and irreversible
death of the wicked. According to Strack and Billerbeck, the Targum on Jeremiah
51:39, 57 contains an oracle against Babylon, which says: "They shall die
the second death and not live in the world to come."51 Here the second
death is clearly the death resulting from the final judgment which prevents
evildoers from living in the world to come.
In his study The New
Testament and the Palestinian Targum to the Pentateuch, M. McNamara cites the
Targums of Deuteronomy 33:6, Isaiah 22:14 and 65:6, 15 where the phrase
"second death" is used to describe the ultimate, irreversible death.
The Targum on Deuteronomy 33:6 reads: "Let Reuben live in this world and
die not in the second death in which death the wicked die in the world to
come."52 In the Targum on Isaiah 22:14, the prophet says: "This sin
shall not be forgiven you till you die the second death, says the Lord of
Host."53 In both instances, "the second death" is the ultimate
destruction experienced by the wicked at the final judgment.
The Targum on Isaiah
65:6 is very close to Revelation 20:14 and 21:8. It reads: "Their
punishment shall be in Gehenna where the fire burns all the day. Behold, it is
written before me: ‘I will not give them respite during (their) life but will
render them the punishment of their transgressions and will deliver their bodies
to the second death."54 Again, the Targum on Isaiah 65:15 reads: "And
you shall leave your name for a curse to my chosen and the Lord God will slay
you with the second death but his servants, the righteous, he shall call by a
different name."55 Here, the second death is explicitly equated with the
slaying of the wicked by the Lord, a clear image of final destruction and not of
eternal torment.
In the light of the
preceding considerations, we conclude that the phrase the "second
death" is used by John to define the nature of the punishment in the lake
of fire, namely, a punishment that ultimately results in eternal, irreversible
death. As Robert Mounce points out, "The lake of fire indicates not only
the stern punishment awaiting the enemies of righteousness but also their full
and final defeat. It is the second death, that is, the destiny of those whose
temporary resurrection results only in a return to death and its
punishment."56 The same view is expressed eloquently by Henry Alford who
writes: "As there is a second and higher life, so there is also a second
and deeper death. And as after that life there is no more death (Rev 21:4), so
after that death there is no more life."57 This is a sensible definition of
the "second death," as the final, irreversible death. To interpret the
phrase otherwise, as eternal conscious torment or separation from God means to
negate the Biblical meaning of "death" as cessation of life.
Conclusion. In closing
this examination of the traditional view of hell as the place of a literal,
everlasting punishment of the wicked, three major observations can be made.
First, the traditional view of hell largely depends upon a dualistic view of
human nature, which requires the eternal survival of the soul either in heavenly
bliss or in hellish torment. We have found such a belief to be foreign to the
wholistic Biblical view of human nature, where death denotes the cessation of
life for the whole person.
Second, the
traditionalist view rests largely on a literal interpretation of such symbolic
images as gehennah, the lake of fire, and the second death. Such images do not
lend themselves to a literal interpretation because, as we have seen, they are
metaphorical descriptions of the permanent destruction of evil and evildoers.
Incidentally, lakes are filled with water and not with fire.
Third, the traditional
view fails to provide a rational explanation for the justice of God in
inflicting endless divine retribution for sins committed during the space of a
short life. The doctrine of eternal conscious torment is incompatible with the
Biblical revelation of divine love and justice. This point is considered later
in conjunction with the moral implications of eternal torment.
In conclusion, the
traditional view of hell was more likely to be accepted during the Middle Ages,
when most people lived under autocratic regimes of despotic rulers, who could
and did torture and destroy human beings with impunity. Under such social
conditions, theologians with a good conscience could attribute to God an
unappeasable vindictiveness and insatiable cruelty, which today would be
regarded as demonic. Today, theological ideas are subject to an ethical and
rational criticism that forbids the moral perversity attributed to God in the
past. Our sense of justice requires that the penalty inflicted must be
commensurate with the evil done. This important truth is ignored by the
traditional view that requires eternal punishment for the sins of even a short
lifetime.
PART
II: ALTERNATIVE VIEWS OF HELL
The serious problems
posed by the traditional view of hell has led some
scholars to seek for alternative interpretations.
Brief consideration is given here to two fresh
attempts to understand the Biblical data, and to
redefine the nature of hell.
1.
The Metaphorical View of Hell
The most modest
revision of the traditional view of hell involves
interpreting metaphorically the nature of the unending
torment of hell. According to this view, hell is still
understood as everlasting punishment, but it is less
literally hellish, because the physical fire no longer
tortures or burns the flesh of the wicked, but
represents the pain of being separated from God. Billy
Graham expresses a metaphorical view of hellfire when
he says: "I have often wondered if hell is a
terrible burning within our hearts for God, to
fellowship with God, a fire that we can never
quench."58 Graham’s
interpretation of hellfire as"a terrible burning
within our hearts for God" is most ingenious.
Unfortunately, it ignores that the"burning"
takes place not within the heart, but without where
the wicked are consumed. If the wicked had a burning
within their hearts for God, they would not experience
the suffering of the final punishment.
Figurative Imagery.
In his
compelling presentation of the metaphorical view of
hell, William Crockett argues that Christians should
not have to face the embarrassment of believing that
"a portion of creation find ease in heaven, while
the rest burn in hell."59
His solution is to recognize that "hellfire and
brimstone are not literal depictions of hell’s
furnishing, but figurative expressions warning the
wicked of impending doom."60
Crockett cites Calvin, Luther, and a host of
contemporary scholars, all of whom "interpret
hell’s fire metaphorically, or at least allow for
the possibility that hell might be something other
than literal fire."61
Crockett maintains
that "the strongest reason for taking them [the
images of hell] as metaphors is the conflicting
language used in the New Testament to describe hell.
How could hell be literal fire when it is also
described as darkness (Matt 8:12; 22:13; 25:30; 2 Pet
2:17; Jude 13)?"62 He
continues, asking a pertinent question: "Did the
New Testament writers intend their words to be taken
literally? Certainly, Jude did not. He describes hell
as ‘eternal fire’ in verse 7, and then further
depicts it as the ‘blackest darkness’ in verse 13.
. . . Fire and darkness, of course, are not the only
images we have of hell in the New Testament. The
wicked are said to weep and gnash their teeth (Matt
8:12; 13:42; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30; Luke 13:28), their
worm never dies (Mark 9:48), and they are beaten with
many blows (Luke 12:47). No one thinks hell will
involve actual beatings or is a place where the
maggots of the dead achieve immortality. Equally, no
one thinks that gnashing teeth is anything other than
an image of hell’s grim reality. In the past, some
have wondered about people who enter hell toothless.
How will they grind their teeth?"63
The answer that some have given to the last
question is that "dentures will be provided in
the next world so that the damned might be able to
weep and gnash their teeth."64
On the basis of his
metaphorical interpretation of hellfire, Crockett
concludes: "Hell, then, should not be pictured as
an inferno belching fire like Nebuchadnezzar’s fiery
furnace. The most we can say is that the rebellious
will be cast from the presence of God, without any
hope of restoration. Like Adam and Eve they will be
driven away, but this time into ‘eternal night,’
where joy and hope are forever lost."65
Evaluation of the
Metaphorical View. Credit
must be given to the proponents of the metaphorical
view of hell for pointing out that the images used in
the Bible to describe hell, such as fire, darkness,
voracious maggots, sulphur, and gnashing of teeth are
metaphors and not actual descriptions of fact. When
interpreting a text, it is important to distinguish
between the medium and the message. Metaphors are
designed to communicate a particular message, but they
are not the message itself. This means that when
interpreting the highly symbolic images of hell, we
must seek to understand the message being conveyed
instead of taking the images as a literal descriptions
of the reality.
Proponents of the
metaphorical view are correct in pointing out that the
fundamental problem with the traditional view of hell
is that it is based on a literalism that ignores the
highly symbolic nature of the language used. But the
problem with the metaphorical view of hell is that it
merely wants to replace the physical torment with a
more endurable mental torment. But, by the lowering
the pain quotient in a non-literal hell, they do not
substantially change the nature of hell since it still
remains a place of unending torment.
Some may even question
the notion that eternal mental torment is more humane
than physical torment. Mental anguish can be as
painful as physical pain. By making hell more humane,
the metaphorical view has not gained much because it
is still burdened with the same problems of the
traditionalist view. People are still asked to believe
that God tortures evildoers endlessly, though
presumably less severely. In my view, the solution is
to be found not in humanizing or sanitizing hell so
that it may ultimately prove to be a more tolerable
place for the wicked to spend eternity, but in
understanding the nature of the final punishment
which, as we shall see, is permanent annihilation and
not eternal torment.
2.
The Universalist View of Hell
A second and more
radical revision of hell has been attempted by universalists,
who have reduced hell to a temporary condition of
graded punishments which ultimately leads to heaven.Universalists believe that ultimately God will
succeed in bringing every human being to salvation and
eternal life so that no one, in fact, will be
condemned in the final judgment to either eternal
torment or annihilation. This belief was first
suggested by Origen in the third century, and it has
gained steady support in modern times, especially
through the writing of such men as Friedrich
Schleiermacher, C. F. D. Moule, J. A. T. Robinson,
Michael Paternoster, Michael Perry, and John Hick. The
arguments presented by these and other writers in
support of universalism are both theological and
philosophical.
Theological and
Philosophical Arguments.
Theologically, appeal is made to "universalist
passages" (1 Tim 2:4; 4:10; Col 1:20; Rom 5:18;
11:32; Eph 1:10; 1 Cor 15:22), which seem to offer
hope of universal salvation. On the basis of these
texts, universalists argue that if all human beings
are not ultimately saved, then God’s will for
"all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge
of the truth" (1 Tim 2:4) would be frustrated and
defeated. Only through the salvation of all human
beings can God demonstrate the triumph of His
infinitely patient love.
Philosophically,
universalists find it intolerable that a loving God
would allow millions of persons to suffer
everlasting torment for sins committed within a
span of a few years. Jacques Ellul articulates this
view admirably, asking the following probing
questions:"Have we not seen the impossibility of
considering that the New Creation, that admirable
symphony of love, could exist beside the world
of wrath? Is God still double-faced: a visage of love
turned toward his celestial Jerusalem and a visage of
wrath turned toward this ‘hell?’ Are then the
peace and joy of God complete, since he continues as a
God of wrath and of fulmination? Could Paradise be
what Romain Gary has so marvelously described in
Tulipe, when he said that the trouble is not the
concentration camp but ‘the very peaceable, very
happy little village beside the camp’—the
little village alongside, where people were
undisturbed while millions died atrociously in the
camp."66
Purgatorial
Process.
Universalists argue that it is unthinkable that in the
final judgment God would condemn to eternal torment
the countless millions of non-Christians who have not
responded to Christ because they have never heard the
Christian message. The solution proposed by some
universalists is that God will save all the unfaithful
by enabling them to be gradually transformed through a
"purgatorial" process after death.
This view represents a
revision of the Roman Catholic doctrine of purgatory,
which limits this remedial process only to the souls
of the faithful. The universalists extend this
privilege also to the souls of the unfaithful.
Thus, beyond death, God continues to draw all the
unsaved to Himself, until ultimately all will respond
to His love and rejoice in His presence for all
eternity.
An Appealing but
Unbiblical View.
No one can deny that the theological and philosophical
arguments of universalism appeal to the Christian
conscience. Any person who has deeply sensed God’s
love longs to see Him saving every person and hates to
think that He would be so vindictive as to punish
millions of persons—especially those who have lived
in ignorance—with eternal torments. Yet, our
appreciation for the universalists’ concern to
uphold the triumph of God’s love and to justly
refute the unbiblical concept of eternal
suffering must not blind us to the fact that this
doctrine is a serious distortion of Biblical teaching.
First of all, the
"universalist passages" declare the scope
of God’s universal saving purpose, but not
the fact of universal salvation for every human
being. For example, in Colossians 1:19-23, God’s
plan "to reconcile to himself all things" is
said to include the Colossian believers, "provided
that you continue in the faith."
Similarly, in 1
Timothy 2:4, God’s desire for "all men
to be saved" is expressed together with the fact
of a final judgment that will bring "ruin and
destruction" to the unfaithful (1 Tim 6:9-10; cf.
5:24; 4:8). God extends to all the provision of
salvation, but He respects the freedom of those who
reject His offer even though it causes Him utmost
anguish.
Second, the argument
that God ultimately will save all because the doctrine
of everlasting torment for the unsaved is
impossible to accept, inasmuch as it negates any sense
of divine justice as well as the very peace and joy of
paradise, is a valid argument. However, such an
argument, as we have shown, rests upon an erroneous
interpretation of the Biblical teaching about the
nature of the final punishment of the wicked.
Universal salvation cannot be right just because
eternal suffering is wrong.
Third, the notion of a
remedial punishment, or of gradual transformation
after death, is totally foreign to the Scripture. The
destiny of each person is firmly fixed at death. This
principle is explicitly expressed by Christ in the
parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-21).
In Hebrews 9:27, also, it is clearly stated that
"it is appointed for men to die once, and after
that comes judgment." For the impenitent
sinners,"the prospect of judgment" is a
"fearful" one, because they will experience
not universal salvation but "a fury of fire which
will consume the adversaries" (Heb 10:26-27).
Fourth, regarding the
challenge of those who had no opportunity to learn and
to respond to the message of Christ, it is not
necessary either to surrender the belief in salvation
solely through Jesus Christ or to consign all the
non-Christians to everlasting torment. The less
privileged may find salvation on the basis of their
trusting response to what they have known of God. Paul
mentions that the Gentiles who do not know the law
will be judged according to the law which is
"written in their hearts" (Rom 2:14-16).
Universalism, though
attractive at first sight, is erroneous because it
fails to recognize that God’s love for mankind is
manifested not by glossing over sins, nor by limiting
human freedom, but rather by providing salvation and
freedom to accept it. This truth is aptly expressed in
the best-known text about God’s love and the danger
involved in rejecting it: "For God so loved the
world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes
in him should not perish but have eternal life"
(John 3:16).
Conclusion. Both
the metaphorical and universalistic views of hell
represent worthy attempts "to take the hell out
of hell." Unfortunately, they fail to do justice
to the Biblical data and thus they ultimately
misrepresent the Biblical doctrine of the final
punishment of the unsaved. The sensible solution to
the problems of the traditionalist view is to be
found, not by lowering or eliminating the pain
quotient of a literal hell but, by accepting hell for
what it is, the final punishment and permanent
annihilation of the wicked. As the Bible says:
"The wicked will be no more" (Ps 37:10)
because "their end is destruction" (Phil
3:19).
