The Ultimate Horror of God's Universe

Certainly, hell is the ultimate horror of God’s universe. The other difficulties of the Bible and of Providence are real enough, but however appalling they may be, their seeming harshnesses and injustices are only temporary, cut short at death. The terrors of hell, on the other hand, belong to the world which lies beyond death.

Wenham’s quote [1] captures how the notions of hell and eternal punishment are the ultimate case study in the goodness of God in light of human suffering. For some, if God “satisfied his thirst for revenge so implacably” as to punish the unsaved eternally, he would be “insatiably cruel” and a “bloodthirsty monster”. This an idea is “morally repugnant” they claim. [2]

This abhorrence of the horrors of hell betrays the degree of distortion in our views on anthropology. We live in an age where human rights are paramount. Societies claim humans have a right to life, free from suffering. We may not explicitly state that God is obligated to show us kindness and mercy, but tacitly humans generally expect to be comfortable and often blame God when we are not. Our rights to comfort has eclipsed God's right to judge.

However, Scripture critiques our views and shows us the reverse is true. The offense of sin deserves the penalty of death (Roman 6:23). We all sin. And our sinfulness earns us a place in hell. We are on death row. As those deserving of the ultimate penalty, we have no rights to life, comfort or blessing. We have no claims! And God is not bound to show mercy.

Scripture asserts God’s right to judge, vindicate his name, to seek retribution for sins committed against him. He is just in bringing humanity under condemnation. God is exercising his right as the just judge by sending sinful humans to hell.

Since God is under no obligation to give blessings, we ought to be stunned that he restrains his wrath, choosing instead to bestow kindness on us. Prisoners on God's death row may live a luxurious life on earth, enjoying good health and relationship. And to some, God even extends a pardon from condemnation, eternal life and a place in his family! In doing all this, God shows himself to be lavishly gracious and unspeakably merciful.

It is preposterous and obtuse then to accuse God of being unjust or lacking mercy when he has already granted condemned sinners earthly life and delayed punishment. It shows the depths of human ingratitude, especially in the light of the fact that God has sent his Jesus Christ to take the punishment in our place, gives us repeated warnings of the impending judgment and grants extra time to turn back to him.

The accusation that God is unfair in sending people to hell reveals how warped our thinking is. We cannot see what is really detestable. What's worse: the murder or the life sentence? What does God find abhorrent? It is sin, not hell, that is the ultimate horror of God’s universe. [3] The severity of the penalty ought to impress upon us the severity of the offense.

[1] John W Wenham, The Enigma of Evil, Surrey: Eagle, 1994, p 68.
[2] Clark H. Pinnock, 'The Nature of Hell', Ex Audity 20 (2004), 55.
[3] Christopher W. Morgan, 'Annihilationism: Will the Unsaved be Punished Forever', in Hell Under Fire, eds. C.W. Morgan and R.A. Peterson. Michigan: Grand Rapids, 2004, p 210.