Must Hitler Burn Forever?

Have you thought much about the traditional doctrine of Hell? Unbelievers in Christ, we are taught, will spend eternity in a place of punishment called Hell (or H-E-double hockey sticks for those of you from Minnesota). Well, here I am greeted this morning in the Christian Post with having to reflect on whether unbelievers and even evil scoundrels like Adolf Hitler are they really spending eternity in Hell.

Link HERE. The author is Randall Rauser, who is the associate professor of historical theology at Taylor Seminary in Edmonton. And his approach to the topic is first using reason and logic in suggesting that Christians have misunderstood the doctrine of an eternal Hell. He has a very persuasive line that summarizes his position: can the finite life (of 70 to 80 years) commit sins that deserve eternal punishment? He uses the worst of all lives, Adolf Hitler as his example. And if God punished Hitler for 3,000,000,000 (3 billion) years in Hell, with perhaps physical, emotional or even psychological torment, wouldn't this stir in even our hearts compassion that the torment end? His point is that if even Hitler does not deserve eternal Hell, then how can Christianity continue to cling to the eternal Hell doctrine?

I am sympathetic to Professor Rauser's argument. However, anytime that you go against 2,000 years of Christian teaching and rely upon our reason primarily, we are treading in dangerous waters. So let us remember the clear teaching of our Lord Jesus:

Mathew 25:31-34, :41 says: When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. ³² Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats ³³ And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. ³⁴ Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world… ⁴¹ "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. (ESV)

So Jesus' teaching on Judgment Day is that all the nations will be gathered before Jesus' throne. And He will separate them into two groups: sheep on the right and goats on the left. The sheep will enter God's Kingdom, and the goats will depart "into the eternal fire". So the teaching could not be much clearer: the sheep of Jesus will go to Heaven, and the goats will depart into Hell.

So perhaps Hell is eternal fire, while the punishment is not eternal (annihilationism). Or perhaps everyone goes to Heaven (universalism). Professor Rauser does a good job explaining what the alternatives and implications of what his teaching really means.

My take away is this – I hope that you will read Professor Rauser's chapter, and if you disagree with him, at least have a thoughtful response of why you disagree. For me, I found it helpful and refreshing in seeing that someone else besides me was wrestling with the same doctrine on eternal punishment in Hell. God bless you, /s/Tom Wolff