Is hell’s punishment unending? (2) (Rev. 20:10-15)

Continuing our consideration of various answers to our question …

·        Mormons (Latter Day Saints) would answer the question in the negative: "The false doctrine that the punishment to be visited upon erring souls is endless, that every sentence for sin is of interminable duration, must be regarded as one of the most pernicious results of misapprehension of scripture.  It is but a dogma of unauthorized and erring sectaries, at once unscriptural, unreasonable, & revolting to one who loves mercy & honors justice" (Apostle James Edward Talmage, 1862-1933, quoted "Is Mormonism Based on the Bible?", Ira Ransom, p14).

·        Present-day Judaism generally would deny unending punishment.  “The pictures of penal fires...are purely imaginary...The idea of eternal punishment is repugnant to the genius of Judaism.  Here and there a Rabbi may be found advocating the notion; but such teaching does not represent the doctrine of any rational religion.  God is supremely just and He cannot conceivably inflict upon fallible man, prone to error, beset by fierce temptations, endless torments for his sins in this life." (Morris Joseph, Judaism as Creed and Life, 1903).

·        We mentioned that there are some evangelical Christians who deny unending punishment.  Here is a sampling.

o   Robert Brow, in an article Evangelical Megashift (Christianity Today, Feb. 19,1990; quoted in Ashamed of the Gospel, John MacArthur, p193), says new-model evangelicalism redefines hell.  "No one could possibly be in hell who would rather be in heaven," the new view claims.  So hell is no longer thought of as a place of eternal torment.  Instead, it is an exclusive refuge from God's presence, open only to those determined to get there.

o   Clark Pinnock (quoted in the USNews article referenced in the previous blog, p63) says: "How can Christians possibly project a deity of such cruelty and vindictiveness" as to inflict "everlasting torture upon his creatures, however sinful they may have been?" A God who would do this is "more nearly like Satan than like God."

o   John R.W.Stott (same article and page) says: Fire's main function is to destroy & that while the "fire of hell" may be eternal & unquenchable, "it would be very odd if what is thrown into it proves indestructable."

We will continue our survey.  But note from this last quote there are two approaches to the denial of eternal punishment: one that the wicked are destroyed (annihilation); the other that the soul is not eternal (conditional immortality).