The Eternal Duration of Hell's Torments # 1

The Eternal Duration of Hell's Torments # 1

"It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God!" (Hebrews 10:3).

How can it be consistent with the justice and righteousness of God to punish temporal sinning, with everlasting suffering, to inflict eternal vengeance, for momentary offences, to throw a sinner into unending misery, for committing a few sins here which quickly have an end?

This has made some conclude against the eternal duration of hell's torments - as if God were so merciful that He would not let them lie under His wrath forever. But I answer this with the Apostle, "Is God unjust in bringing His wrath on us? Certainly not!" (Romans 3:5-6). God is holy, just, and righteous - even when He punishes momentary offences with everlasting torments. And this will appear, by considering the following:

1. It is necessary for the governing of the world, that the penalty should be so stated. It is necessary for the preserving the authority of God's law in its full force and vigor, and to render it more solemn and dreadful. The design of God is to have the punishment so great as to check all the temptations to sin which a man can have. There is in man since the fall, such a propensity to sensual things, that, without this fear of hell, nothing is able to keep it down. Fleshly lusts are so severest threatenings. Therefore, God has told us beforehand, "Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on these who are disobedient!" (Eph. 5:6).

God wisely balances the sinner's delights with the fear of punishment, that by setting eternal pains against momentary pleasures, we may the better escape temptation. The pleasures of sin, which are but for a season, entail on us torments which are eternal!

God has wisely left to our own choice whether we will have the passing pleasures of sin here on earth - or those eternal pleasures which comes hereafter, as a reward of grace. Things at hand will far more prevail than things to come, if those things to come are not considerably greater. Here on earth the pain is short, and so is the pleasure - but in the eternal world both the pain and the pleasure are eternal. In the wisdom of God, those who work out their salvation with fear and trembling here, should have pleasures at the right hand of God for evermore - and those who will have their sinful pleasures here, should have everlasting misery in the eternal world.

2. Common reason allows that there ought to be a proportion between the nature of the offence, and the quality of the punishment. Now sin against God is such an immense thing that nothing less than an everlasting punishment can be equivalent to it. This will be plain, if you consider the following:

(a.) The greatness of the majesty against which sin is committed. Every sin is a base derogating of God, and this is enough to make the guilt of it infinite - because it is done against an infinite God, and therefore it deserves an infinite punishment. Now a finite creature cannot bear an infinite punishment - therefore God makes the punishment infinite in regard to continuance. The creature cannot pay the whole debt at once - therefore he must be paying forever!

(b.) There is eternity in sin, not only as being committed against an eternal God, and as deserving eternal punishment. There is a further eternity in sin - with respect to the disposition and will of the sinner, which is so tied to sin that if the sinner should live forever - then he would sin forever. He is never weary of sin. He desires to live here always, that he may always enjoy his lusts. Though he lives ever so long - yet he never thinks it is time to be judged by God.

To what a great age the men of the old world lived - eight or nine hundred years, and yet they made no other use of it than to indulge their lusts! Every sinner would certainly go on in sin to the world's  end, if death did not hinder him. His desire and will is to sin everlastingly - and he would do so if he could!

As  in the case of duty - so in the case of sin - God looks more at the will than the deed. What hinders a sinner from being a sinner still, who does not leave sin, until sin leaves him? He who would sin forever if he could - he continues to sin in willing to sin.

Is it not just, that those who if they lived forever, would never have left sinning - should never cease suffering? And is it not just that their eternal obstinacy should be punished with an everlasting punishment? 

(3.) Again there is an actual eternity in man's sin, for though death puts an end to their lives, it does not put an end to their sins - for hell is as full of sin as of suffering. They sin even in hell, even when under the wrath of God. Their sin-nature remains forever - and they continue sinner forever. Therefore it is just with God that there should be an everlasting continuance of the punishment.

~Matthew Mead~

(continued with # 2)