CS Lewis described hell, "I willingly believe that the damned are, in one sense, successful, rebels to the end; that the doors of hell are locked on the inside. I do not mean that the ghosts may not wish to come out of hell, in the vague fashion wherein an envious man ‘wishes’ to be happy: but they certainly do not will even the first preliminary stages of that self-abandonment through which alone the soul can reach any good. They enjoy forever the horrible freedom they have demanded, and are therefore self-enslaved” (C S Lewis, The Problem of Pain). In other words, those in Hell would rather be there then in glory. I like the concept, but I'm not sure about it. Is hell a place where people are running further and further into God-forsakenness, or is hell a place where people are beating on the door of Heaven agonizing over their God-forsakenness? It's not a moot question: Do we present the gospel as a 'last chance' before eternal regret? Or is an unbeliever's rejection of the gospel a magnifying glass on the state of damnation of a soul which desires nothing else?
Comments
The first passage to come to mind is Luke 16 (isn't that where the parable of Lazarus and the rich man is?). He seems to want to be in heaven because he doesn't want his brothers to come there.
But I don't agree with Lewis about those damned "enjoying" their self-enslavement. The passages on hell I think of all say they don't want to be there and wish out. It is indeed a punishment, with no joy there. It seems to me that since we can indeed have conflicted emotions here, we could also have it in hell - not wanting to be there, and yet hating the thought of what it would take to be out of there. And on top of that, knowing its impossible to get out, hating the God who is rightly done this to me.
Tom, I like your way of bringing the two together. Lewis' description doesn't seem to do justice with the concept of punishment. Yet, a being utterly repulsed and terrified by God could never want His presence. In fact that would be what they would hate most and want least. Perhaps what we are left with is a place where those present agonize over nothing more than their God forsakenness, except the thought of having God himself. A bit paradoxical, hm?