Damnation Defined
Evangelicals agree that hell is a very real place where those who refuse to believe in Jesus will go. There is a distinction as to what happens in hell, though. Some believe that hell is a place where the wicked are punished and then they cease to exist. Others believe that hell is a place where the wicked will suffer everlasting torture. While it may seem that these two viewpoints do not matter, I believe that what one believes about hell affects what one believes about evangelism.
The first belief system is called conditionalism or annihilationism. It is based on conditional immortality; in other words, only those who believe in Jesus receive immortality. The wicked are simply terminated. The second belief system is called traditionalism since it has been the traditional view for the past two thousand years. All humans are immortal and the wicked spend eternity in a state of torture.
At the core of the defense of conditionalism is the belief that God’s character would be defamed if He were to torture people endlessly. “This is not the God of the Bible,” some will say. The defense also includes a different interpretation of words such as “everlasting” and “eternal.” When the Bible says in Matthew 25:46 – And [the goats] will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life, the claim is that the punishment is just for a little while, but has lasting effects. The analogy of a death row inmate may be useful. The conditionalist will say that when the Bible refers to eternal punishment, it is similar to the electric chair. The punishment last a few minutes, but has eternal or everlasting effects.
The traditional defense is centered on a more visible interpretation of the Bible. When the Bible says in Revelation 20:10 – and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever, and then in verse 15 – And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire, the traditionalist will say that this implies a clear everlasting torture for the wicked.
Obviously, both sides of this debate have verses that back them up and there is not a clear correct perspective. There are implications for us, though. The traditionalist will say that the God of the conditionalist is weak and unjust; the conditionalist says the God of the traditionalist is mean. How do you see God? Which one makes more sense to you?
The issue of greatest impact to me, though, is the relevance this has to our personal evangelism. We are commanded to tell people the Good News about Jesus. This discussion usually contains some mention of what I call or-else-ness. What are my choices? If I decide not to choose Jesus, then what? Think about this: if you were given the choice to spend life in prison or three minutes in an electric chair, which would you choose? It is my belief that most would choose the instant death over the drawn out punishment in prison. Similarly, I have an issue with the alternative to Jesus being extinction.
I have studied this topic extensively, and I remain convinced that the alternative to Jesus is eternal punishment: painful and torturous. Does this make God mean? No, it makes Him just. He has delineated the two options we have: Jesus or else. If we choose else, then we must be willing to deal with those consequences. What about you — what do you believe?
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I believe that the definition of hell itself is eternal separation from God. In that sense, that is an eternity of torture in itself. And essentially, the second God eternally separates himself from us, Satan is, by his evil nature is going to grab us up to eternally torture and torment us.That is kind of how I see things…Basically, I think the whole concept of eternal separation from God is the highest form of torture possible…it’s eternal lonliness, eternal sorrow, eternal pain. Thank goodness I know my Lord!
This topic of evalngelism is at the forefront of my mind these days, as well as for a friend of mine. We each have friends, best friends, that are not saved. The questions about our beliefs are frequent and much in depth, but all we can do is pray and hope. I can’t figure out a way to show that Jesus is real without feeling “preachy.” If people don’t believe the Bible is anything more than a “religious document” its difficult to prove validity. The search for more information from these girls is constant, I would love to hope for a turnaround “someday,” but can’t help to realize I don’t know what tomorrow brings. Any suggestions?
The real damnation is eternal separation from God and all that is good, beautiful, loving, lovely, inspiring, awesome, comforting, and wonderful.
Danielle:
I just prayed for these two best friends: that their search for truth will result in The Truth.
It is true that the Bible holds our beliefs; if one does not believe in the Bible, then that strategy appears to not work. Two suggestions: first, be persistent. We know the Bible is true, and that it is immeasurably useful — see 2 Timothy 3:16. Second, God can and does reveal Himself in other ways. If the Bible appears to not be working, use other tactics (but don’t stop using the Bible, too). Creation, logic, reason, anthropology, biology, and eschatology are just a few ideas. See Romans 1:18-25ff.
Keep up the good work!
-z
There is much to be said about this topic (heaven and hell). A lot could be read into the origins of “hell” historically and what the canonized Bible says about heaven and more. Rather than do that (and, thus, possibly jeopardize the holiness of The Word), I’ll defer to Scripture.
Something that must be agreed upon: this is not an issue of “what I believe” or how “I” interpret the Bible; but, rather, What does the Bible say? Danielle is correct: if we view The Bible as simply a gathering of stories which are not living and active and have been brought together under Providence, then the contents hold little validity and there wouldn’t be much to fear as this view would make hell whatever one interprets it to be…if it even exists at all. And, if the Bible isn’t the Truth, why call ourselves Christians/Followers of Christ/disciples/believers/etc.?
However, I digress and must disagree with popular/post-modern views of hell being an extra-Biblcal concept, a place apart from beliefs in God and The Word (notice I didn’t say God “or” The Word…).
From what I have read and what I have seen (read “As I and others have/have not lived the commands/examples of The Bible out in our lives, this is what we have learned”), hell is eternal separation from the Trinity. Satan will hold no extra power in hell as most movies/cartoons/folklore would have us believe, but will be in the same state of torture as anyone else in hell.
I don’t exactly know from what the Word says what “torture” looks like. Pitckforks? Liquid hot magma? Limbs severed from body, etc.? Or maybe just knowing that there’s something good out there that you’ll never attain/be a part of/know.
This brings me back to our discussion from Gen 1-3, Zac, re: light being inherently “good.” Maybe there’s more to be said about the nature of something being good according to God and it being holiness in its purest form. (If it makes this thought more tangible, think “liquid holiness”…much like the pink goo from GhostBusters 2 was “liquid evil.”) If something – heaven, in this case – is inherently good, would hell just be the absence of that good? Since God is light/good and all things that are good come from God, we COULD (though, not using not infalible logic) define hell simply by extracting heaven from the whole and getting the non-good/non-God/non-light/non-heaven “stuff.” This line of thinking, however, might border on desensitizing onesself from the nature of having a proper fear of THE LORD.
Another thought: Was hell invented by God as simply a void of good? Is it what would – normally – keep an unseared conscience from doing bad? Personal thoughts: I do not think God would create hell simply to manipulate man into doing good. However, I know men are very basic creatures who need constant motivation towards either growing or death, or else we stagnate and become soley creatures of wrath.
I believe that concentrating on trying to define God and what He does is pointless (though, interesting). Jesus agrees when it is said in the Bible that all that matters is this: are you trying to love God? This entails obedience to Him…not with a whip, but pseudo-self-governed via the Holy Spirit, which is within [us], other Xians, and the Word. And equally important (since the strawberry and the jalapeno are one in the same!
is the next part (the practical application of that love for God): loving others! This demonstrates an obedience to His Word(s). Not doing so thus places onesself in jeopardy of separation of not knowing God/who He truly is. This “not knowing”, I believe, alludes to a taste of what hell is really like.
Understand, though, that I don’t simply think that hell is as easy a concept to rationalize that it can be boiled down to mere human terms. There is something supernatural about heaven and hell that we simply cannot understand until we get there. But, I do think that separation from God/all things good (hell) is more tortuous to the soul than this world and even modern Xianity would have us believe. Again, to make it practical: have you ever broken up with someone you really care about or done something to hurt someone you care about? You know that feeling of, “This sux…. Life sux…. Will things ever get better?” I think that is a mere worm’s breath of what the realization of “how much I’ve hurt God and now I’m eternally removed from Him” will feel like.
In the end, I agree you, Zac. I think hell will be painful torture. I’m just not clear how that pain will be inflicted upon the souls of those in it.