What does Ellen White write about...
Adventistische Schriften über: "Revelation 20:10 — “they will be tormented forever”?"
Answer
The biblical formulation that the ungodly and Satan are “tormented from eternity to eternity” (Revelation 20:10), according to Adventist understanding, does not mean an endless, consciously experienced suffering without end. The biblical term for “eternity” or “forever” in this context describes the uninterrupted duration of the process until the being in question is completely consumed. The judgment in the lake of fire ends with the final and complete destruction of evil (“root and branch”), thereby the universe is forever cleansed of sin and death.
The biblical meaning of “eternity” in judgment
»God’s Word forbids us the notion that the ungodly should exist throughout all eternity; so when we read that they are “tormented day and night from eternity to eternity,” we must understand that their sufferings will be long and will continue without interruption until they are completely consumed. That such a time will come is taught by the word of the Lord: “For behold, a day is coming that shall burn like an oven; then all scoffers and all ungodly will be like stubble; and the coming day will burn them up, says the Lord of hosts, and will leave them neither root nor branch.”«
The temporal limitation of the term “forever”
»They tell us that the clear testimony on their side is found in the phrase “will be tormented from eternity to eternity.” We concede that this language is clear and literal, as far as it goes; but it is well known that the term “forever” in its meaning is limited to the duration of the thing to which it is applied.«
Final destruction instead of an eternally burning hell
»In the purifying flames the ungodly are finally destroyed, root and branch — Satan the root, his followers the branches. God’s justice is satisfied, and the saints and the whole host of angels say with one voice: Amen. [...] The fire that consumes the ungodly cleanses the earth. Every trace of the curse is swept away. No eternally burning hell will present the dreadful consequences of sin to the redeemed.«
Misinterpretation of biblical expressions about eternal torment
»How incompatible with any movement of love and mercy, and even with our sense of justice, is the doctrine that the unrepentant dead are tormented with fire and sulfur in an eternally burning hell; that they must endure torture for the sins of a short, earthly life as long as God lives. [...] He [Satan] leads them to misinterpret strong expressions of Scripture, giving the language the tint of bitterness and wickedness that is his own, not that of our Creator.«
Original Sources (English)
Stephan Krol
Founder of EGW Vision
Why I built EGW Vision
Hello, I am Stephan Krol. I started this Ellen White website to make the writings of Ellen G. White and the Adventist pioneers easier to access for everyone.
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