The Evangelical Universalist Forum

Christian Universalism by Eric Stetson

Hell graphically pictures ECT. Thus to say that Hell is real but not “endless” is to deny what Hell means; it’s an oxymoron.

Concerning NDEs, I’m amazed at the number of testimonies of people who experienced some form of conscious torment while dead, but were either saved and saw heaven also while dead, or came to faith after being raised to life. So these "experiences do tend to affirm that any torment in the after-life is temporary, not endless.

Of course, not one word in scripture is correctly interpreted as Hell, not Sheol, Hades, or Gehenna (Hinnom Valley). Rather, Paul speaks of “this present evil age” Gal.1.4. In this Present Evil Age, humanity is in bondage to sin, death, and evil from within and without, even demonic bondage. It is from this Present Evil Age that Jesus saves us. This Present Evil Age is a “Present” reality, a present physical and spiritual reality. And when people die, not having yet experienced salvation, they shed this mortal flesh and experience the full reality of this very present, very real spiritual evil age and understand the depths of evil bondage that they are caught in. Coming into this full reality, they cry out to God for salvation and He saves them. The blinders are removed and the truth of this bondage to evil is life-changing.

Thus the evil that people experience in their NDEs is not endless, and thus should technically not be called Hell and certainly does not affirm ECT, CT after death yes, but not ECT.