The harsh reality of Hell

Not sure if you’ve heard, but a couple weeks ago, Kirk Cameron – actor and public Christian figure stated that he had become increasingly convinced of the doctrine of Annihilationism. Now, for those who may not know what that is, let me explain. Annihilationism teaches that, “after the unsaved persons in hell have paid a particular penalty for their sins, they (body and soul) will be completely obliterated (annihilated) and cease to exist.” 

Contrary to the mainstream belief of most Christians throughout history, Annihilationists believe that hell is only temporary. Now, to be clear, they are not saying hell doesn’t exist, or that hell (the lake of fire) isn’t an awful place; they are instead teaching that the suffering of the human soul will at some point come to an end. 

To speak in laymen terms, Annihilationism submits the idea that the “sin debt” accrued by unbelievers over their lifetime of rebellion against God, will eventually be satisfied and they will then simply cease to exist. Whether it takes 100 years, or 1,000 years, or 10 million years; at some specific point, based on the number and severity of their sins, that person will have suffered enough to appease God, and with the debt requited, they will be annihilated. Contrariwise, the Bible is clear that only the sacrificial death of Jesus can truly atone for sin! Not the suffering of men, no matter how awful, can satiate God’s righteous justice. 

Further still, Annihilationists think the doctrine of Eternal Conscious Torment (the long-held orthodox belief of mainstream Christianity) is unfair and inconsistent with the character of God. In fact, in his podcast, ‘Dangerous Conversations,’ Cameron states eternal torment is the very definition of “cruel and unusual punishment.” He goes on to belittle the idea of a never-ending hell by saying, it would be unjust of God to “barbeque souls” for all eternity. (I find myself more than a little disappointed he spoke so dismissively about the suffering souls in hell.)
Every Christian should respect Kirk Cameron for the good work he has done over his lifetime. Yet, Bible believers must strongly reject his newfound belief. While it is understandable why both believers and unbelievers grapple with the idea of eternal conscious torment, we must guard against the temptation to make hell less than eternally horrific. It’s true, none of us like to think about hell. Not one single person wants to meditate on or envision the harsh realities of hell. However, we don’t do anyone any spiritual favors by remodeling hell to fit our modern sensitives. Rather than us seeking to make God’s wrath more tolerable by putting an expiration date on it, lost souls need to be warned to flee the wrath to come. Hell is real, and according to Jesus, it should be avoided at all costs (Mark 9:43-48). 

A major concern is that when someone with the Cameron’s popularity changes his position on a long-held Christian belief, he is likely to have a significant (detrimental) influence on others; especially with young Christians lacking the necessary discernment to see the errors of this position. Having said that, some within the Christian community have gone too far, too fast by labeling Cameron “a heretic to be marked and avoided.” It grieves me that we Evangelicals are so quick to eat our own. We ought instead, to give our brother the space and grace to be wrong, and time to rethink his position, before shunning him. Nonetheless, the eternal state of the human soul is no small matter. 

Consider a few of the theological problems with the idea of annihilationism. First, there is no evidence that once a lost sinner dies and enters hell, they stop sinning. While there will certainly be limitations on what the eternally damned can do, there is nothing in Scripture that inclines us to think they will stop their rebellion and hatred towards God. Secondly, the Bible is quite clear, only the sacrificial death of Jesus is enough to truly atone for sin. However painful, however lengthy, however unspeakably horrible the torments of hell will be – they still are not enough to appease God’s righteous wrath against sin. Only Jesus can do that! Third, teaching that the torments of hell (though unspeakably awful) will eventually end, undermines the urgency of embracing the Gospel, by weakening the warnings of eternal condemnation. Lastly, annihilationism diminishes the awful price Jesus paid on Calvary on the behalf of sinners. The Lord not only suffered for the sins of His people; He suffered the unending, unyielding wrath of God for the sins that they themselves would have endured for endless ages. Annihilationism unintentionally, reduces the sacrificial atoning work of Christ by lessening the price He graciously paid for His people. 

Folks, every Bible student goes through “Growing Pains” and makes some mistakes along the way. That is true for Kirk Cameron, for me, and for you confessing Christian. Yet, we must acknowledge, with such a huge following, this error could lead many souls astray. Let’s pray God would help this dear brother see the errors of this belief system and get back on track. But Christian, let us also get busy telling people about Jesus. Because Christ alone is the only hope for rescue from this awful place called hell. Let our clarion message be; today, if you will repent and turn to God in faith, He will save you from your sins and the eternal hell we all deserve. Friend, if you are looking for a reason to rejoice during this Christmas season, that is it. Christ came to this earth to live and die – to deliver us from unending torment and into the glorious presence of God forever.