“And he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb; and the smoke of their torment ascends up for ever, and ever; and they have no rest day or night.” (Rev 14:10, 11)
First we ask, Does the proposed interpretation comport with God's character?
No it does not. There are numerous scriptures, which teach that love is one of the principal characteristics of God. Here is just one:
“God is love. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear hath torment.”(1 John 4:8, 18)
Because God is love, he is incapable of torment. To torment anyone is entirely foreign to God's character. It is contrary to his thoughts. He simply wouldn't think of it; it is an abomination to him. Jeremiah confirms this where God denounces those who sacrificed their children by fire to pagan gods:
“They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spoke it, neither came it into my mind.”(Jer 19:5)
“And they built the high places of Baal ... to cause their sons, and their daughters to pass through the fire unto Molech, which I commanded them not, neither came it into my mind, that they should do this abomination.”(Jer 32:35; Compare with Jer 7:31 and Deut 18:10-12)
It is clear from these statements that God finds this act of burning individuals alive, to be so repulsive that it has never interred into his mind. Thus eternal torment does not comport with God's character of love.
It is blasphemous for men to put this evil and false idea to our God. The very idea of burning someone alive is evil (an impossibility with God), and gives evidence how depraved someone who believes in such things can be.
Another characteristic of God is justice: “Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne” (Psa 89:14), or as Moffatt renders it: “Thy throne rests upon equality and justice.”
Does eternal torment comport with God's character of justice?
Is it just to impose an eternity of torment for the sins of only a few brief years of this present life? Is it equitable? Of course it is not! It is a grossly disproportionate punishment.
The penalty for sin was announced at the beginning in Gen 2:17 as simply death: “Thou shall surely die” is what God said. This is what Adam was to expect if he sinned: nothing more than death. Would it be just for God to announce the penalty as death, then after the sin had been committed to rudely surprise the sinner by amplifying the penalty to an eternity of torment? Such a thing would be most unjust. Thus it does not comport with God's character in this respect either.
Does the proposed interpretation square with the ransom?
It does not. Jesus came as a man to assume the penalty for sin. If the sentence upon Adam was eternal torment and Jesus took Adam's place, then Jesus must be tormented forever which we know is false. The sentence for disobedience was simply death; Jesus died to pay the penalty as the ransom.
Is eternal torment in accordance with the divine plan?
Emphatically no, the plan provides for the restoration of mankind to perfection and harmony with God. The restitution of all things was spoken by the mouth of all God's holy prophets since the world began. (Acts 3:21) Eternally tormenting a large segment of humanity is incompatible with this. Since we are told that “all the wicked will he destroy” (Psa 145:20), God will certainly not keep any of the wicked alive in torment. On the contrary 2 Thess 1:9 says plainly that they “shall be punished with everlasting destruction” i.e. they will be destroyed from existence and never come back.
Continued with next post.
