BiblicalInsights.net

The doctrine of universalism teaches that everyone will be saved.  Consequently, universalists deny eternal punishment.  This brings up an important question, “Does the Bible teach the doctrine of endless punishment?”

Jesus teaches the doctrine of eternal  or endless punishment in two ways.  First, He uses the phrase, “everlasting punishment” in Matt. 25:46.  Second, He uses the world hell eleven times in His personal teaching ministry.  Let’s consider each of these points.

There are seven passages of Scripture in the New Testament that refer to endless punishment.  They are:  Matt. 18:8; 25:41; 25:46; Mark 3:29; II Thess. 1:9; Heb. 6:2, and Jude 6.  Four of these passages are from the Lord Jesus Christ.  In Matt. 18:8, Jesus said, “Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.”  In the very next verse, Jesus uses a synonymous phrase, “to be cast into hell fire.”  So, hell fire and everlasting fire are the same thing.  In Matt. 25:41, Jesus states, “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.”  Everlasting fire is hell fire.  Again, Jesus teaches in Matt. 25:46, “And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”  This is the only passage in the New Testament where Jesus uses the phrase, “everlasting punishment.”  This passage teaches that the punishment is endless and the thought is:  if the righteous go into life eternal (heaven) then, the unrighteous will go into everlasting punishment (hell).  The eternal destinies of men are determined by their choices in life and the consequences of those choices involve the justice of God in the Judgment Day.  Finally, in Mark 3:29, the Lord says, “But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation.”  The word “everlasting” (Matt. 25:41,46) is from the Greek word aionios.  This word is found 66 times in the New Testament and means “unending duration.”  The destiny of lost men and women is bound up with that of Satan and his angels.  How long will Satan be punished?  The answer is found in Rev. 20:10, “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”  How long will the punishment of the wicked endure?  Just as long as the “everlasting life” for the righteous (Matt. 25:46).  In Matthew 25:46 the same word “everlasting” is found in the same sentence with the same sense (unending duration) and applies to both of the words punishment and life.

The Greek word gehenna (hell) is found twelve times in the New Testament.  Eleven of the twelve times, it is found on the lips of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt. 5:22; 5:29; 5:30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15; 23:33; Mark 9:43,45,47; Luke 12:5).  James uses the word gehenna (hell) once in James 3:6.  In Matt. 18:8, 9, Jesus uses the phrases, “everlasting fire” and “hell fire” synonymously.  Thus, He equates everlasting (endless) punishment with hell.

Punishment involves three essential elements.  The first element is awareness.  In Luke 16:33, the rich man was in torments after his death.  This indicates conscious awareness.  The extinction of consciousness is not of the nature of punishment and therefore is no deterrent to sin. The essence of punishment is suffering.  Suffering involves consciousness.  Annihilation destroys the concept of conscious suffering for one’s sins and contradicts the teaching of Jesus.  The second element is justice.  God’s absolute justice is the rectitude by which He upholds Himself against violations of His holiness.  God’s moral excellence (His holiness) made necessary either the punishment of sinners or the forgiveness of sinners whereby their condemnation would be removed.  God’s punishment of sinners is the result of their rejection of His perfect Will.  Punishment is retributive not reformative.  The third element of punishment is the penalty from judgment.  The punishment is tied to the transgression of God’s Will.  The penalty flows from divine judgment.  This judgment is not precarious, but absolute.  It is based upon divine law which reflects the holiness of God.  The punishment that results is real and it is endless.

God will punish the evil-doer eternally in hell!

Leland Ryken’s book, The Legacy of the King James Bible: Celebrating 400 Years of the Most Influential English Translation is a wonderful treatment of the King James Version of the Bible from a historical and literary standpoint.  I have just recently posted a book review of this work.  Ryken is a friend of the KJV.  The KJV is the most published book in the history of the world.  It has a place of prominence among English Bible translations and is unsurpassed in its literary beauty.  If you have neglected this English translation of the Bible, perhaps this is the time to take a closer look at the KJV.  If Ryken impresses you with its beauty and quality, maybe you will read it with new admiration too!

I wanted to share a picture of the Ohio State Fair Booth for 2011.  Several churches of Christ in the Central Ohio area sponsor the booth and work at the booth during the twelve days that the state fair is operating.  There is a web site for the state fair booth.  It is statefaircoc.org.  For the first time, we produced our own three lesson Bible correspondence course for pre-teens and early teens.  The course covers topics on the Bible, the Church and the Plan of Salvation.  The course is available on the fair booth website.  Also, there are links on the website to the various congregations that help with the booth.

Ohio State Fair Booth

The wonder of God’s Word is the awe it inspires within us as we contemplate the various aspects of its nature.  In Psalm 119:161, the writer declares, “…my heart standeth in awe of thy word.”  One of the aspects of God’s Word that produces awe is its sufficiency.  The sufficiency of the Scriptures is comprehended in three concepts:  Scripture is complete, comprehensive and capable.
The Scriptures are Complete
Scripture is the “whole counsel of God.”  Acts 20:27.  Jude states, “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3).  The reference to “the faith” is the one faith mentioned by Paul in Eph. 4:5.  It is the body of truth revealed by God through the means of inspiration (II Tim. 3:16).  The word “once” is from the Greek word hapax which means “once for all” and denotes an unrepeatable event.  The consequence of the force of this term is:  no latter day revelations.  However, some claim that God speaks to them today and makes revelations to them by His Spirit.  If this is so, Jude 3 is not true.  Others claim that the traditions of men are just as binding on them as the Law of God.  This also is false.  The Scriptures contain all of the sacred knowledge that equips men to know God and to know His Will for their lives (II Pet. 1:3).  In addition, consider the passages of Scripture that forbid adding to or taking away from the Word of God (Deut. 4:2, Rev. 22:18,19).  The Scriptures and the Scriptures alone make us wise unto salvation (II Tim. 3:15).
The Scriptures are Comprehensive
The Scriptures contain all of the divine words for every aspect of life.  In II Pet. 1:3-4, Peter writes that we have “…all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of him who hath called us to glory and virtue.”  Absolutely nothing has been omitted that is essential for us to know God, know how to be saved, and know how to live the Christian life and eventually receive the crown of life.  God’s Word should permeate the heart and mind of man in such a way that it impacts the whole of life by integrating faith in God in everything we do.  This is the Christian worldview.  God’s wisdom expressed in His word touches every aspect of life.  Do not compartmentalize the Scriptures.  Do not compartmentalize your faith.  The Scriptures must guide the politician, school teacher, scientist, mathematician, preacher, plumber, etc. etc.
The Scriptures are Capable
The Scriptures are able to accomplish the sacred purposes for which God sent them forth (Isa. 55:10,11).  God’s Word will not return unto Him void.  There is power in the Word of God.  The Word of God is the seed of the kingdom.  In this seed is the germ of spiritual and eternal life.  There is life-giving power in the Word of God (John 6:63, 68).  We are born again not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible, by the word of God which liveth and abideth forever (I Pet. 1:23).  There is power to save in God’s Word (Rom. 1:16).  God’s Word is sufficient to provide us with the knowledge of salvation.  There is life-changing power in God’s Word (Rom. 10:17, I John 5:4).  Faith comes by hearing the Word of God.  Faith overcomes the world.  Our lives are transformed as our minds and hearts are renewed through the Word of God (Rom. 12:1-2).  God’s Word facilitates the process of becoming all that God wants us to be!
The Scriptures are sufficient.  They provide us with all of the divine words needed for every aspect of life.