Is hell really eternal separation from God?
There's a composite quote from C.S. Lewis'
The Problem of Pain and
The Great Divorce that's quite popular among
fluffy-bunny Christians.
Quote:
In the long run the answer to all those who object to the doctrine of hell is itself a question: “What are you asking God to do?” . . . To leave them alone? Alas, I am afraid that is what he does . . . . There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says, in the end, 'Thy will be done.'
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According to C.S. Lewis, hell is eternal separation from God. Those who share this view will often quote passages that speak of the damned being "cast out into outer darkness" (Mt 8:12; 22:13; 25:30; cf. Rev 22:14-15) or being commanded to depart from the presence of our omnipresent God (Mt 7:23; 25:41; Lk 13:27; cf. Ps 139:7-10). They will likely quote 2 Thessalonians 1:9 – "
[They] shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power . . . " Yet they will completely ignore Revelation 14:10 – "
The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb . . . ." According to the people at
GotQuestions.org, "These two verses are by far the most confusing on this topic because of their apparent contradiction." Indeed, either these passages are contradictory – which we know is not possible – or there is some sense in which God is present in hell.
How can God be both present and not present in hell? Easy. God can dwell exclusively in heaven (Ps 115:3; 123:1; Eccl 5:2; Is 63:15) and exclusively in Zion (Ps 9:11; 76:2; Joel 3:17, 21)
simultaneously. Jesus was in heaven even while he was on earth talking to Nicodemus: "
And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven" (Jn 3:13). God is everywhere and yet He can leave people (1 Sam 16:14). God can be both present and absent wherever He wants, whenever He wants. It's not a biggie. And God is most certainly present in hell: "
Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me" (Ps 139:7-10). Some would argue the translators of the KJV erred in rendering
sheol as hell. But even
if that's so, the meaning of the passage remains unchanged: there's
nowhere you can go to get away from God. Not even hell. I think the Westminster Larger Catechism describes hell very precisely. It's not separation from God; it's separation from His comforting presence.
Quote:
Q. 29. What are the punishments of sin in the world to come?
A. The punishments of sin in the world to come, are everlasting separation from the comfortable presence of God, and most grievous torments in soul and body, without intermission, in hell-fire forever.
( Emphasis mine)
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God is intimately involved with the creation and continuation of hell. He created hell for the devil and his angels (Mt 25:41), and He created the wicked for hell (Prov 16:4; Jude 1:4; Rom 9:22-23). Jesus will sustain the damned and their place of torment – as He does all of His creation – through the power of His Word (Heb 1:3). Hell is a place of fire (Rev 20:14-15). There are many examples throughout the Bible where fire is a physical manifestation of God's presence. God appeared to Moses in the burning bush (Ex 3:2). He led the Israelites through the wilderness with a pillar of fire (Ex 13:21). The Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles at Pentecost as tongues of fire (Acts 2:3). The author of Hebrews went as far as to say, "For our God is a consuming fire" (Heb 12:29). And just as God is everlasting (Ps 90:2), so are the fires of hell (Mt 18:8; 25:41).
So what will God be doing in hell? Punishing the wicked, of course! "
Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup" (Ps 11:6). "
But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation [. . .] shall devour the adversaries . . . For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (Heb 10:27, 30-31). The Lord will personally repay the wicked for all their evil deeds with His own hands.
Thanks to Jesus' temporary sacrifice on the cross, this is a side of God that the Christian will never have to experience. We'll get to see God punishing our unbelieving family members and acquaintances, of course (Rev 14:10), but we'll never have to experience it. We'll just have to keep reminding ourselves that God's raining down destruction on someone with one hand while sustaining their being with the other, for all eternity, is not cruel.
Quote:
No matter how we analyze the concept of hell it often sounds to us as a place of cruel and unusual punishment. If, however, we can take any comfort in the concept of hell, we can take it in the full assurance that there will be no cruelty there. It is impossible for God to be cruel. Cruelty involves inflicting a punishment that is more severe or harsh than the crime. Cruelty in this sense is unjust. God is incapable of inflicting an unjust punishment. The Judge of all the earth will surely do what is right. No innocent person will ever suffer at His hand.
— R. C. Sproul
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The real problem with Lewis' view on hell is why would God just give the wicked what they want? If there was no God in hell, it would be an atheist utopia, a place of sin and sodomy without consequences. According to the Bible, far from giving the damned what they want and leaving them alone, God will give them what they least want – His company.
Quote:
A breath of relief is usually heard when someone declares, “Hell is a symbol for separation from God.” To be separated from God for eternity is no great threat to the impenitent person. The ungodly want nothing more than to be separated from God. Their problem in hell will not be separation from God, it will be the presence of God that will torment them. In hell, God will be present in the fullness of His divine wrath. He will be there to exercise His just punishment of the damned. They will know Him as an all-consuming fire.
— R. C. Sproul
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Those who want to learn more about hell might like
this sermon by Steven Anderson or
Future Punishment Eternal by Robert Murray M'Cheyne (it's interesting to note that many
online versions omit the fifth point of his original sermon: "hell is closed in and surrounded by the attributes of God").