concluded that the justice of God actually requires an unending Hell.47 Edwards also defended the doctrine of the endless punishment of the wicked against annihilationism by pointing to divine sovereignty. In ‘The Justice of God in the Damnation of Sinners,’ Edwards argued that a right understanding of God’s sovereignty was necessary for belief in endless punishment.48 First, God permitted the Fall and temporarily allows humans to sin. He did not have to render it impossible for people to sin. Second,