Page 336 … the finality of Hell
You then go on to quote Luke 16:24-26 in an attempt to “prove” that there is no way out of Hell once a Soul arrives there, and yet in doing so you completely miss the most important point of all – namely, that any God who constructs such an eternal prison of torment, to house Souls who have only finitely sinned against Him over a single human lifetime, is either a God who is weak – &/or a God who is stupid – &/or a God who is wicked.
So my Friend; feel free to take your pick and then let us know …
Which of these options (or which combination thereof) is God for you?
(I, of course, would answer “None of the above”!)
“The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast Love. The Lord is good to ALL, and his Compassion is over ALL that he has made.” ~ Psalm 145:8-9
And then you mention that, “[You] hold to a form of universalism that holds out the false hope that Hell is not the final destination for sinners.”
Well, actually Lucy, this is not at all the case – but not for the reasons you might think. You see, I don’t hold out any hopes at all – certainly not for myself. If I go to Hell, then I will forgive God for incorrectly sending me there, and will go about doing whatever I can to ease the torment of those who have been similarly wrongfully convicted … My dear Friend, as a true Follower of The Way of Christ, I am not at all concerned about myself. I do not fear Hell, and neither do I long for Heaven … I am only interested in abiding in the teachings of Jesus Christ and enlivening the perfect Love of his God; a God whose Grace is unlimited, a God whose Mercy knows no bounds, and a God who would never force anyone to remain in any place of unjust torment – really for any length of time whatsoever … And I also have no hope regarding other “sinners” either; only a deep & profound Faith that real Justice will be done and that true LOVE will reign. And if that Justice will not be done and that Love will not reign, then I simply have an undying Faith that I will spend eternity doing my best to one day make it so … Amen!