Eternal punishment, does it make sense? Can a good God create such a place?
“I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken-down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark”.
Stephen Hawking Theoretical physicist, Astrophysicist, Cosmologist.
We can find the origin of hell in an event described in the Bible. In this account, a cherub (Lucifer) and a fraction of the angels rebelled against God, leading to their expulsion from heaven. Due to this event, Jesus mentioned that hell was created for them. While it is true that the word 'Hell' does not appear in the original writings, and instead, reference is made to 'Gehenna,' a real place where waste was incinerated, considering the constant burning due to a large amount of waste, it is said that this place burned day and night. However, we must understand that this name change does not alter the analogy that Jesus used to describe a place of perpetual punishment for those who break God's law.
If we understand hell as a place of punishment, we must be clear that it is entirely logical and just. For example, governments worldwide have laws, and if someone violates one of these laws, it is fair and established that the person should be arrested and judged by the law. A judge has the duty to enforce the law and give a sentence according to the committed offense. Similarly, as the world we exist in is subject to God's law (The Ten Commandments), God, being just, will enforce the law he established, resulting in the deserved punishment, hell, for all those who have broken his commandments.
Many might agree with the idea of punishment but find it difficult to accept that the punishment is eternal. The main question that arises is: How could a loving God punish people for all eternity? To understand this, we must realize that God's love cannot nullify his justice. Just as he loves, he will also administer justice to those who deserve it. If we think of punishment as payment for a committed offense, this punishment has to be proportional to the gravity of the offense. Thus, considering the eternality of God and his perfect law, breaking it would consequently deserve eternal punishment. In this reasoning, a punishment that is not eternal would not be just, and God, by his very nature, cannot be unjust.
Reflection
The existence of hell may be difficult to comprehend, but it is just, as we have broken God's law time and time again, and undoubtedly our destiny upon death will be that place. But there is hope. Just as God is just, he is also loving toward you. God himself made a plan for you not to end up in hell; through the sacrifice of his son Jesus, you can be free from eternal punishment. He lived the perfect life that you couldn't and received the punishment you deserve. So, the question is no longer why a loving God would send you to hell, but rather why a just God would send you to heaven? This is the manifestation of God's love. He wants to save you; confess all your sins today, repent, and trust in Jesus as the only one who can deliver you from eternal hell and give you eternal heaven.
“There is no doctrine (Hell) which I would more willingly remove from Christianity than this, if it lay in my power. But it has the full support of Scripture and, especially, of Our Lord's own words; it has always been held by Christendom; and it has the support of reason. If a game is played, it must be possible to lose it”.
C. S. Lewis Writer and Oxford University scholar.
We want to pray for you
We understand that you may not fully comprehend the reason behind prayer, but we want to encourage you to have confidence in this act of faith. Today, we wish to pray for you, and you also have the option to do so for yourself wherever you are. We firmly believe that God will listen to you.