Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth

As people like Rob Bell (author of "Love Wins") and other liberal theologians do their best to eliminate the reality of Hell  -- believing that a loving God would never allow one of his creations to experience eternal torment  -- the assumption seems to be that people would be sentenced to Hell against their will. That they will be cruelly tormented and tortured for eternity for something -- being fallen human beings -- they had no real control over. That in Hell they would clearly see the light and be incredibly regretful and remorseful and sorry for all they've done. These pour souls. How could a God of Love allow them to be tortured for eternity? What kind of monster would such a God be?

According to Rob Bell, that's not the God he knows. Nor is it the God I believe is described in the Bible. Jesus Christ, The Lord God of all Creation, is a God of forgiveness (Eph 1.7). Anyone who genuinely seeks forgiveness from God, and who repents of their sin (i.e. to simply admit our wrong, accept His forgiveness, and ask for His help to stop doing what is wrong and to start living in a way that pleases Him) "will not perish, but have eternal life." (Jn 3:16) That's not my opinion. That's God's promise to us.

And Jesus paints a very different picture of those who spend eternity in Hell. He describes unrepentant sinners. He says that they will be "weeping and gnashing their teeth." He says that seven times, in fact.

Some people mistakenly think of "weeping and gnashing of teeth" as describing remorse, as regret about bad choices made and missed possibilities: "Oh, if I only knew, if I only did this or that, Oh, whoa is me."

We think of these poor souls -- maybe our family or our friends -- as living in this regret that simply boils down to, as Robert Frost might say, "the road not taken."  They made mistakes, unfortunate bad choices in their short time on earth, and now must pay an outrageous price ... for eternity? That seems unfair, say those who agree with Rob Bell. Kind of like getting a life sentence for jay walking.

But the same words Jesus uses for "gnashing of teeth" are also used in scripture accounts that have nothing to do with hell, and in these examples, you can't associate "gnashing of teeth" with anything resembling remorse or regret.

For example, in Acts 7:54, the religious mob who stoned Stephen to death are described as being "furious and gnashed their teeth at him."


Here are other examples from scripture:



Job 16:9 -- "God assails me with tears of anger and gnashes his teeth at me."

Ps 35:16 -- "Like the ungodly, they maliciously mocked; they gnashed their teeth at me."

Ps 37:12 -- "The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them."

La 2:16 -- "All your enemies open their mouths wide against you; they scoff and gnash their teeth."

This use of gnash their teeth does not illustrate remorse or regret. It illustrates violence, vitriol, hatred, and murderous anger.  Wild animals gnash their teeth, not remorseful, repentant souls.

The spirits who will spend their eternity in Hell do not lose their sinful nature -- it in fact seems to accelerate and become even more pronounced, as if there are no longer restraints on it. Their refusal to repent, their extreme bitterness at God, their hostility, stubborness ... their sheer hatred of the Creator who made them never abates.  These ruined souls are eternally clenching their fists in anger. They burn in their eternal contempt of the Almighty.

These are not sweet, gentle, repentant, or deserving spirits. They are where they are because of what they chose to be. In hell, they are vile spirits, no longer held back and tempered by the immense grace of the very generous God they reject. They may have even seemed sweet and kind in their humanity. Really nice people, at least by our limited human standards.

But they now gnash their teeth for eternity. Their true souls are revealed. We would probably never recognize them.

God is not unmoved by this. God did not want them to spend eternity in Hell. He so loved everyone of them that "He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." (Jn 3:16)  


God gave them an out, just as He has given an out to you and me. He stood at their door and knocked. He reached out his hand.  He showed them His love throughout their lives, in ways they simply refused to acknowledge, whether it be that sunny day for their special event, or that tender moment with their family, or that feeling of inspiration and hope they felt when they looked at a spectacular night sky, or that door of opportunity that He opened for them, which they attributed to their own power and wisdom.

He also gave them a free will, to do as they wished. They did not take God's outstretched, forgiving hand. They rejected it. They ignored God. They created their own gods instead -- money, music, education, politics, sports, sex, drugs, alcohol, intellect, family ... prayed to self-created deities who thought like them and shared their world views (but of course were powerless) ... at every turn, they shook their fists, and turned away from Him.

And in eternity, nothing changes. It goes on and on. They still reject Him. Their fists remain clinched. They gnash their teeth, like a rabid dog. Their spirits unrepentant and defiant. They will never "get it". It is their chosen eternity.

God, speaking through Moses, breaks it down to its simplest elements, and spells it out so that even those stiff-necked and dull Israelites could understand it: "I put before you life and death, blessing and cursing, therefore choose life." (Deut 30:19).

He essentially gives the test and tells us the correct choice. He has put it out there for all of us to take, simply and easily. Sadly, there is not, and will not, be anyone in hell who chose "life", who chose to obey God and repent from their sins when the opportunity was before them.