A final objection to the
traditional view of hell is that eternal torment presupposes an eternal
existence of a cosmic dualism. Heaven and hell, happiness and pain, good and
evil would continue to exist forever alongside each other. It is impossible to
reconcile this view with the prophetic vision of the new world in which there
shall be no more "mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former
things have passed away" (Rev 21:4). How could crying and pain be forgotten
if the agony and anguish of the lost were at sight distance, as in the parable
of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31)?
The presence of
countless millions forever suffering excruciating torment, even if it were in
the camp of the unsaved, could only serve to destroy the peace and happiness of
the new world. The new creation would turn out to be flawed from day one, since
sinners would remain an eternal reality in God’s universe and God would never
be "everything to every one" (1 Cor. 15:28). John Stott asks, "How
can God in any meaningful sense be called ‘everything to everybody’ while an
unspecified number of people still continue in rebellion against Him and under
His judgment. It would be easier to hold together the awful reality of hell and
the universal reign of God if hell means destruction and the impenitent are no
more."95
The purpose of the plan
of salvation is ultimately to eradicate the presence of sin and sinners from
this world. It is only if sinners, Satan, and the devils ultimately are consumed
in the lake of fire and experience the extinction of the second death that we
truly can say that Christ’s redemptive mission has been an unqualified
victory. "Victory means that evil is removed, and nothing remains but light
and love. The traditional theory of everlasting torment means that the shadow of
darkness hangs over the new creation forever."96
To sum up, we can say
that from a cosmological perspective the traditional view of hell perpetrates a
cosmic dualism that contradicts the prophetic vision of the new world where the
presence of sin and sinners is forever passed away (Rev 21:4).
Conclusion. In
concluding this study of the various views of hell, it is important to remind
ourselves that the doctrine of the final punishment is not the Gospel but the
outcome of the rejection of the Gospel. It is by no means the most important
doctrine of Scripture, but it certainly affects the way we understand what the
Bible teaches in other vital areas such as human nature, death, salvation,
God’s character, human destiny, and the world to come.
The traditional view of
hell as eternal torment is either Biblical or unbiblical. We have sought the
answer in God’s Word and have found no Biblical support for it. What we found
is that traditionalists have tried to interpret the rich language and imageries
of destruction of the wicked in the light of the Hellenistic view of human
nature and of ecclesiastical dogma rather than on the basis of accepted methods
of Biblical interpretation.
Today the traditional
view of hell is being challenged and abandoned by respected scholars of
different religious persuasions, on the basis of Biblical, moral, judicial, and
cosmological considerations. Biblically, eternal torment negates the fundamental
principle that the ultimate wages of sin is death, cessation of life, and not
eternal torment. Furthermore, the rich imagery and language of destruction used
throughout the Bible to portray the fate of the wicked clearly indicate that
their final punishment results in annihilation and not eternal, conscious
torment.
Morally, the doctrine of
eternal conscious torment is incompatible with the Biblical revelation of divine
love and justice. The moral intuition God has implanted within our consciences
cannot justify the insatiable cruelty of a God who subjects sinners to unending
torments. Such a God is like a bloodthirsty monster and not like the loving
Father revealed to us by Jesus Christ.
Judicially, the doctrine
of eternal torment is inconsistent with the Biblical vision of justice, which
requires the penalty inflicted to be commensurate with the evil done. The notion
of unlimited retaliation is unknown to the Bible. Justice could never demand a
penalty of eternal pain for sins committed during a mere human lifetime,
especially since such punishment accomplishes no reformatory purpose.
Cosmologically, the
doctrine of eternal torment perpetuates a cosmic dualism that contradicts the
prophetic vision of the new world, from which sin and sinners have forever
passed away. If agonizing sinners were to remain an eternal reality in God’s
new universe, then it hardly could be said that there shall be no more
"mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed
away" (Rev 21:4).
The traditional view of
hell as conscious torment is in trouble today. The objections to such a view are
so strong and the support so weak that more and more people are abandoning it,
adopting instead the notion of universal salvation in order to avoid the
sadistic horror of hell. To salvage the important Biblical doctrine of the final
judgment and punishment of the wicked, it is important for Biblically-minded
Christians to reexamine what the Bible really teaches about the fate of the
lost.
Our careful
investigation of the relevant Biblical data has shown that the wicked will be
resurrected for the purpose of divine judgment. This will involve a permanent
expulsion from God’s presence into a place where there will be weeping and
grinding of teeth. After a period of conscious suffering as individually
required by divine justice, the wicked will be consumed with no hope of
restoration or recovery. The ultimate restoration of believers and the
extinction of sinners from this world will prove that Christ’s redemptive
mission has been an unqualified victory. Christ’s victory means that "the
former things have passed away" (Rev 21:4), and only light, love, peace,
and harmony will prevail throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity.
