A Rabbit in the Clouds
Imagine that you and a friend were looking up at the clouds on a warm summer day. Your friend says, “Look! Over there! It’s a rabbit.”
You turn to where he is pointing and at first see nothing that resembles a rabbit.
He says, “See, there’s the head, with the ears, and there’s the body.”
You say, “Oh, I see it now.”
Once we are told what to see, we can often see it. We can use our imagination to see any number of images that might have been suggested to us by someone else. The power of suggestion is powerful, indeed.
This power of suggestion is harmless when we’re looking at the clouds. But in other situations, the power of suggestion can cause a great deal of damage. Like pictures in the clouds, doctrines in Scripture can form in our minds at the suggestion of others. Is it possible that you hold a doctrinal belief that was formed primarily at the suggestion of someone else?
I suspect you do. I am thinking of one doctrine in particular. I suspect you might believe that God intends to torment some people for all eternity. You were probably taught that notion, and when you looked at Scripture, you were able to see the doctrine there.
In this essay, I will attempt to demonstrate that the doctrine of eternal torment is more similar to a rabbit in the clouds than a true doctrine of Scripture.
Let’s consider again the scenario of you and a friend looking at the clouds. Now, let’s push the scenario into absurd territory. Imagine that your friend who saw the rabbit in the clouds came to believe that he was seeing an actual rabbit in the clouds. That is absurd, I know, but assume that he really did believe this. How would you try dissuade him from this belief?
One way to dissuade him would be to look at the cloud from multiple angles, and to look at it over a long period time. A cloud that looked like a rabbit from one angle would probably look nothing like a rabbit from a different angle. And over time, you would probably see the cloud shift and change if you continued to watch it. Finally, if it were me, I would show him a real rabbit. I would take him to a pet store and show him what an actual rabbit looks like. I might let him touch it and look at it from all angles and, in doing so, emphasize to him the great difference between an actual rabbit and that image in the clouds.
In the case of the doctrine of eternal torment, I suggest that you do something similar. First, take a good hard look at this doctrine from all angles. Investigate it and pray about it over time, and make sure that you are truly basing your opinion on the facts, rather than on one limited view of the situation. Also, I would suggest that you consider what a clear and undeniable teaching of eternal torment would actually look like.
I plan to make a comparison. I will compare what's actually in Scripture to a bit of writing that undeniably teaches the doctrine of eternal torment. In doing so, I believe you will see that the Scripture contains nothing close to a teaching on eternal torment.
Below is a paragraph that comes from Jonathan Edwards’ sermon called Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God:
After reading that paragraph, is there any doubt that Jonathan Edwards believes in the doctrine of eternal torment? None.
Now, I want to look at a passage from the book of Hebrews. In general, the writer of Hebrews does a wonderful job of showing how the Old Testament illustrates and predicts the work of Christ. He makes the case that Christ truly is the Messiah and then details the wonderful benefits that flow to us from Him. As part of his message, the writer of Hebrews addresses the consequences of rejecting Christ. Here is the applicable passage from chapter 10:
Let’s compare the key phrases between these two passages:
You turn to where he is pointing and at first see nothing that resembles a rabbit.
He says, “See, there’s the head, with the ears, and there’s the body.”
You say, “Oh, I see it now.”
Once we are told what to see, we can often see it. We can use our imagination to see any number of images that might have been suggested to us by someone else. The power of suggestion is powerful, indeed.
This power of suggestion is harmless when we’re looking at the clouds. But in other situations, the power of suggestion can cause a great deal of damage. Like pictures in the clouds, doctrines in Scripture can form in our minds at the suggestion of others. Is it possible that you hold a doctrinal belief that was formed primarily at the suggestion of someone else?
I suspect you do. I am thinking of one doctrine in particular. I suspect you might believe that God intends to torment some people for all eternity. You were probably taught that notion, and when you looked at Scripture, you were able to see the doctrine there.
In this essay, I will attempt to demonstrate that the doctrine of eternal torment is more similar to a rabbit in the clouds than a true doctrine of Scripture.
Let’s consider again the scenario of you and a friend looking at the clouds. Now, let’s push the scenario into absurd territory. Imagine that your friend who saw the rabbit in the clouds came to believe that he was seeing an actual rabbit in the clouds. That is absurd, I know, but assume that he really did believe this. How would you try dissuade him from this belief?
One way to dissuade him would be to look at the cloud from multiple angles, and to look at it over a long period time. A cloud that looked like a rabbit from one angle would probably look nothing like a rabbit from a different angle. And over time, you would probably see the cloud shift and change if you continued to watch it. Finally, if it were me, I would show him a real rabbit. I would take him to a pet store and show him what an actual rabbit looks like. I might let him touch it and look at it from all angles and, in doing so, emphasize to him the great difference between an actual rabbit and that image in the clouds.
In the case of the doctrine of eternal torment, I suggest that you do something similar. First, take a good hard look at this doctrine from all angles. Investigate it and pray about it over time, and make sure that you are truly basing your opinion on the facts, rather than on one limited view of the situation. Also, I would suggest that you consider what a clear and undeniable teaching of eternal torment would actually look like.
I plan to make a comparison. I will compare what's actually in Scripture to a bit of writing that undeniably teaches the doctrine of eternal torment. In doing so, I believe you will see that the Scripture contains nothing close to a teaching on eternal torment.
Below is a paragraph that comes from Jonathan Edwards’ sermon called Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God:
- 'Tis everlasting Wrath. It would be dreadful to suffer this Fierceness and Wrath of Almighty God one Moment; but you must suffer it to all Eternity: there will be no End to this exquisite horrible Misery: When you look forward, you shall see a long Forever, a boundless Duration before you, which will swallow up your Thoughts, and amaze your Soul; and you will absolutely despair of ever having any Deliverance, any End, any Mitigation, any Rest at all; you will know certainly that you must wear out long Ages, Millions of Millions of Ages, in wrestling and conflicting with this almighty merciless Vengeance; and then when you have so done, when so many Ages have actually been spent by you in this Manner, you will know that all is but a Point to what remains. So that our Punishment will indeed be infinite. Oh who can express what the State of a Soul in such Circumstances is! All that we can possibly say about it, gives but a very feeble faint Representation of it; 'tis inexpressible and inconceivable: for who knows the Power of God’s Anger?
After reading that paragraph, is there any doubt that Jonathan Edwards believes in the doctrine of eternal torment? None.
Now, I want to look at a passage from the book of Hebrews. In general, the writer of Hebrews does a wonderful job of showing how the Old Testament illustrates and predicts the work of Christ. He makes the case that Christ truly is the Messiah and then details the wonderful benefits that flow to us from Him. As part of his message, the writer of Hebrews addresses the consequences of rejecting Christ. Here is the applicable passage from chapter 10:
- For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY." And again, "THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE." It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. … FOR YET IN A VERY LITTLE WHILE, HE WHO IS COMING WILL COME, AND WILL NOT DELAY. BUT MY RIGHTEOUS ONE SHALL LIVE BY FAITH; AND IF HE SHRINKS BACK, MY SOUL HAS NO PLEASURE IN HIM. But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.
Let’s compare the key phrases between these two passages:
If you are like me, and you were taught from a young age to believe in eternal torment, it is possible to “squint your eyes” and read into the Hebrews passage the notion of eternal torment. But by comparing the Hebrews passage against the Jonathan Edwards passage, I hope it becomes clear to you that the writer of Hebrews makes no mention whatsoever of eternal torment. He does say that the punishment will be terrifying, and more severe than physical death, but many types of punishment could be terrifying and worse than physical death. For example, a punishment where we forfeit our eternal existence would be much more severe than a punishment where we lose only this life on earth. The writer goes on to say that the adversaries will be “consumed”, will suffer “destruction” and will fail to “preserve” their souls. The writer of Hebrews seems to be saying the unbelievers will cease to exist. None of these phrases make any mention of ‘eternal’, or ‘without end’, or ‘boundless duration’, or any other notion that could be construed as eternal torment.
The only way a reader could understand the notion of eternal torment from that passage is to project that notion onto the passage, like projecting the notion of a rabbit onto a cloud.
If the writer of Hebrews did believe in eternal torment, wouldn’t he be very clear about that? Wouldn’t he be just as clear as Jonathan Edwards? Wouldn’t God, who was inspiring the writer, make sure that he was clear? Wouldn’t God’s sense of love and fairness compel him to be as clear as possible about the consequences of rejecting his message? I believe so.
Would God really condemn a person to eternal torment without a very clear warning beforehand? Consider Deuteronomy 30:15-20:
- See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the LORD your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it. But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. You will not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess it.
The curse that God warns against in this specific passage is that they will perish and will not prolong their days. Many other curses are listed in Deuteronomy, but not one of them is the curse of eternal torment. How could a Loving God do that? How could he allow all of those people to stumble into the punishment of eternal torment without adequate warning? Does that seem fair to you? It doesn’t seem fair to me.
Let me address another example from Scripture that has been presented as teaching the doctrine of eternal torment. One phrase that is often used by Christ himself in reference to hell is the phrase of “weeping and gnashing of teeth”. I find this phrase occurring seven times in Scripture, but none of these seven occurrences make any mention of eternal. Yes, they mention torment, but make no mention of how long it lasts. If you thought that these passages teach eternal torment, then you were projecting onto them that notion of eternity.
I want to delve into this more deeply. In understanding what Jesus was attempting to say when he spoke of “weeping and gnashing of teeth”, it is wise to look for any references in the Old Testament that might have been an inspiration for Christ. I find five instances in the Old Testament where a form of the word gnash is used. Of these, the one of greatest interest to me is this passage from Psalms 112:9-10:
- He has given freely to the poor, His righteousness endures forever; His horn will be exalted in honor. The wicked will see it and be vexed, He will gnash his teeth and melt away; The desire of the wicked will perish.
These are the final two verses of a chapter that details the rewards that will come to a righteous man. I find this most interesting because this passage is specifically about a day of judgment. It seems likely that Jesus might have had this passage in mind when he was making his own statements about the ultimate day of judgment. In this passage, we read that the wicked man is gnashing his teeth because the righteous man is being honored.
From this passage and others, I conclude that, at the judgment day, the wicked will be kept around long enough to see the honor given to the righteous. This will be unbearably vexing for them. They will get a glimpse of the paradise and honor that will be given to the righteous, but they know that they will be excluded. Not only will they be excluded, but they will be on their way to an eternal destruction, a destruction more permanent than the physical destruction of death.
Whether you are persuaded by those arguments are not, the indisputable truth is that Christ never once claims that the wicked will be weeping and gnashing their teeth forever.
I could go on and on. Essentially every passage in Scripture that might seem to teach eternal torment falls apart upon closer examination. Is this what you would expect, if God really intended to torment some people for all of eternity? Wouldn’t God be absolutely clear about the fate that awaits them? Wouldn’t He clearly warn them, again and again, in no uncertain terms, about the horrors of eternal torment? Shouldn’t we see multiple passages in Scriptures similar to the one above from Jonathan Edwards? I would think so.
Many people claim to have seen in Scripture the doctrine of eternal torment, but much of what they see has just been projected onto the passages.
Conversely, passage after passage exists in Scripture clearly describing the ultimate destruction of the wicked. In fact, I can count almost 60 passages in the New Testament that declare the destruction of the wicked in some form or another. If you missed them, perhaps you were projecting onto them your own belief in eternal torment.
Here are just a few examples:
- Matthew 3:10 - John says unbelievers will be like a tree in a fire
- Matthew 3:12 - John says unbelievers will be like chaff in a fire
- Matthew 13:30 - Jesus says that unbelievers will be burned up like weeds
- John 15:16 - Jesus says that unbelievers will be burned up like dried branches
Again, think of each of these passages in light of a Loving God who truly wants people to come to repentance. If the intent was to convey the image of eternal torment, wouldn’t an illustration of a rock in the fire have been a better illustration? Why would John and Jesus continue to deliver illustrations that use substances that are consumed in a fire?
Here are some other examples that teach the destruction of unbelievers:
- Acts 3:23 - Peter says that those who reject Christ will be utterly destroyed
- Romans 6:23 - Paul says that the wages of sin is death (not eternal torment)
- 2 Thessalonians 1:9 - Paul says the ungodly will suffer everlasting destruction
- Jude 1:7 – Jude says God Sodom and Gomorrah (who were reduced to ashes) are examples of those who will suffer the punishment of eternal fire
Why would these writers make the statements above if they were trying to communicate the notion of eternal torment? Is that clear writing? Would God have inspired them to write so many passages that seem to say the opposite of eternal torment?
In closing, we know that Scripture proclaims that God is Love. On the face of it, it seems like a contradiction to say that the source of Love itself would design a world that leads to eternal torment for millions of people. At the beginning of time, when God is considering what kind of world to create, why would he move forward with one like that?
I can’t image why, but if somehow this contradiction could be resolved, wouldn’t a God of love be very clear about the consequences of rejecting his message?
If you believe that you’ve seen this teaching in Scripture, I suggest that what you have seen is more like a rabbit in the clouds than a true doctrinal teaching. There has never truly been a actual giant rabbit hanging in the sky, and there has never been a true teaching in Scripture that God will torment people for all eternity.