Three page paper on: Your friend Steve was very unsettled after reading the following quote from Clark Pinnock: "How can Christians possibly project a deity of such cruelty and vindictiveness whose ways include inflicting everlasting torture upon His creatures, however sinful they may have been? Surely a God who would do such a thing is more nearly like Satan than like God, at least by any ordinary moral standards, and by the gospel itself." Defines eternal damnation, annihilation, and universalism as well as sheol, hades, and gehanna.
Eschatology
Eternal punishment is clearly outlined and explained in Matthew 25:46: "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." The concept of eternal punishment is unpalatable, signaling perhaps an unjust God who "permanently installs a place of suffering in the final, eternal order," ("Annihilationism," n.d.). Yet, eternal damnation is certainly supported by scripture. Unfortunately from an eschatological perspective, there is also ample scriptural evidence in support of annihilationism: the doctrine that the damned do not rot eternally in hell but, rather, are obliterated. Anniliationism presumes that the wicked are not privileged to receive the bounty of God in Heaven; and they subsequently perish entirely. Souls are not innately immortal; only righteous souls have the ability to achieve immortality and do so only in heaven. The optimistic tone of annihilationism is echoed also in universalism: a Christian eschatological degree that suggests that all souls shall eventually be saved. There is in fact scriptural support for all three positions, making the difference between eternal punishment, annihilationism, and universalism a chief point of dispute among theologians.
Linked to these different eschatological standpoints are different conceptualizations of Hell: Hell as Hades, Hell as Sheol, and Hell as Gehanna. Hades is a Greek concept, which may have been later fused with Biblical concepts of Hell. Hades is a "dwelling place" of the dead; it has some features in common with purgatory in that it is more of a limbo than it is a place of eternal damnation (Martin, 2012). Hades is by no means a pleasant place; and it is similar to both Sheol and Gehanna. Sheol is a Hebrew concept that refers also to a dwelling place of the dead. It is a godless underworld, but as with Hades, the souls in Sheol are not necessarily going to remain. The righteous may be revived from Sheol; there is ample scriptural evidence from the Old Testament that supports the version of Sheol as being a potentially temporary place: including I Sam. ii. 6; Job vii. 9; Ps. xxx. 4; Isa. xiv. 11, 15 (cited in "Sheol"). Like Hades and Sheol, Gehanna is conceptualized as an actual place, but there is some suggestion that "It was figuratively used to designate 'a place of eternal dwelling and eternal punishment'" (Martin, 2012). Therefore, Gehanna corresponds to traditional notions of the eternal abode of the wicked.
The Old Testament tends to support an annihilationist view; whereas the New Testament offers more textual support for the eternal damnation and universalist perspectives. For example, Psalm 37:1-2 states, "Do not fret because of those who are evil / or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, / like green plants they will soon die away." On the other hand, Matthew 25:46 clearly supports eternal damnation. The New Testament also offers passages that seem to support the universalist perspective, too. "For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive," (I Corinthians 15:22).
Therefore, it may be difficult to choose one of these three eschatological perspectives and deliver this view definitively. All three can and should be entertained, as a means of encouraging close reading and internalization of scripture. At the same time, Christian missions and evangelical endeavors require a strong focus that precludes too-liberal interpretations of scripture. I would therefore adhere mostly to the universalist perspective, because of what it entails insofar as evangelical and missionary activities are designed to do.
Eternal damnation is indeed too much to fathom for many believers or would-be believers. The scriptural support for eternal damnation is also not as robust as it is for both universalism and for annihilationism. It is mainly the gospel of Matthew that is explicit in the perspective of eternal damnation. Within the eternal damnation framework, however, it is still possible to surrender one's beliefs about God and God's will. Eternal damnation may be a part of God's plan. Annihilation, on the other hand, is supported mostly by the Old Testament, rendering a Christian perspective weaker. Although scriptural support for annihilation is strong, and it is an attractive principle, universalism is the most attractive in the sense that it is optimistic.
Universalism may seem unrealistic, given the potential for the Day of Judgment to arrive at any moment prior to the salvation of all souls in Christ. However, from the perspective of an evangelist, it is important to cultivate that sense of optimism in believers. Believers also need to have a reason to evangelize: to spread the word of the gospel. A universalist perspective provides the impetus to get out there and save souls, rather than become resigned to the fact that there are 7 billion of us and counting -- and how on earth will it be possible to convert everyone? The answer to that question lies with God and the Holy Spirit, and it is not up to us to question that Will.
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