On the afterlife (part 2 of 3): It is eternal, whether in peace or otherwise

Micah Stefan Dagaerag

Honest Engagements

One day, in the middle of a world literature class that I taught a few years ago in Foundation
University:

Me (to a student): Do you have a younger sibling?

Student: Yes, sir. My sister.
Me: Let’s say you punched her. Would you be punished?
Student: Yes, sir.
Me: What will happen to you?
Student: My parents will scold and ground me, sir.
Me: What if you punched a teacher, what will happen to you?
Student: Maybe I will fail the subject or get kicked out, sir.
Me: What if you punched the mayor of Dumaguete, what would happen to you?
Student: Maybe I will go to jail, sir.
Me: What if you punched the President of the Philippines?
Student: Maybe I will die, sir.
Me: And if you punched the eternal God of the universe?
Student: (Silent.)

The class was discussing the Bible as being the most influential piece of literature in the
history of Western civilization. Eventually we landed on the hopelessly thorny and
unpopular topic of Hell. I facilitated this thread of questions and answers in order to help
give a clearer perspective as to why Hell exists.

You might notice in the exchange above that while there was actually only one action being
repeated (that is, punching), the penalty for the identical act did not stay the same. What
changed? The act of punching worsened according to the level of authority and power of the
person to whom the punch is directed. That is why if you punch an eternal God with eternal
authority and eternal power, justice demands an eternal punishment.

Now, nobody likes eternal punishment. But we need more than disliking something before
we can say that such something absolutely does not exist. We don’t like the holocaust, but no
measure of widespread indignation or disbelief will make the holocaust disappear. Similarly,
the fact that Hell is the most unpopular doctrine out there is not its own disproof.

Descriptions of Hell are certainly offensive to the sensibilities of any generation. More well-
known descriptions include: undying worm or decay (Isaiah 66:22-24), everlasting shame
(Daniel 12:1-2), eternal fire (Matthew 18:6-9), eternal punishment (Matthew 25:31-46),
unquenchable fire (Mark 9:42-48), everlasting destruction (2 Thessalonians 1:5-10), eternal
fiery punishment (Jude 7), blackest darkness reserved forever (Jude 13), conscious torment
forever (Revelation 14:9-11), lake of fire where Satan and his false prophet are also punished
(Revelation 20:10), and second death (Revelation 20:14-15).

But the even scarier thought is that we have all punched God, every time we broke his law
and sinned, incurring eternal criminal liability. We lie. We steal. We lust. We hate. And those
cover just four of the Ten Commandments. Moreover, every time we sin we do so knowing
at the back of our minds (that is, our consciences) that what we are doing is wrong, so that
we are without excuse. Hell might be a horrible place, but it is not an evil one. In fact, that is
where evil is punished. It is also not where Satan dwells and reigns. Rather, it is where Satan
is destroyed.

On the other hand, while Hell exists as a place of eternal justice resulting in punishment,
there also exists a place of eternal justice resulting in peace. This is one of the unique and
remarkable things about the Gospel of Christ, in that sinners can escape judgment without
lessening God’s justice because it was Christ the Son of God who took up and paid the eternal
penalty of our sins by shedding his perfect blood on the cross. It is mercy that does preserves
God’s justice: grace that does not come at the expense of holiness. Mind-blowing stuff, I know.
More on this next week.