Eternal Punishment

Proponents of eternal conscious torment are fond of arguing for their heresies on grounds that are totally irrelevant to the matters at hand.  False accusations of emotionalism on the part of annihilationists, appeals to tradition and consensus, and inconsistent use of language are among their favorite tools.  When it comes to the Bible itself, they also argue from irrelevant grounds.  For instance, they like to point to the phrase "eternal punishment" as if it, on its own, confirms anything about eternal conscious torment.

The phrase "eternal punishment" (Matthew 25:46) does not necessarily entail either eternal conscious torment or annihilationism.  What it does necessitate is that the punishment of the wicked in hell has a permanent effect; either all the unsaved will suffer without end, or the wicked will be rendered nonexistent, and they will never be restored to life.  In either case, there is a punishment, and it lasts forever.  As such, the phrase is a red herring to almost any analysis of either conception of hell.

This is why Matthew 25 is completely irrelevant to whether eternal conscious torment or annihilationism is correct.  Similarly, Matthew 18, which uses the phrase "eternal fire," tells us nothing about whether the beings thrown into hellfire will exist as long as the fire does or whether they be annihilated [1].  If that phrase was the only information about hell, the matter would be vague.  It is not that these phrases tell us nothing whatsoever about hell, but that they say nothing of the duration or intensity of the punishment.  Other passages must be consulted to learn of those factors.

When one does examine other passages, both about hell in particular and justice in general, it becomes apparent that the Bible teaches proportionality in punishment.  Of course, what constitutes proportionality is not for humans to arbitrarily decide, as the Bible gives very specific examples of which crimes deserve which punishments.  In every case in which is does so, there is a line that is not to be crossed, because to go beyond it is to practice injustice.  The examples of corporal punishment (Deuteronomy 25:1-3), Lex Talionis (which is severely misunderstood by many; see Exodus 21:23-25), and monetary fines (Exodus 21:22) establish this.

Eternal conscious torment cannot possibly be the default model of hell for a deity with the moral nature described in the Bible.  If eternal conscious torment is true, God either gave unjust moral revelation to the Jews or he changed his nature so that endless torture in the case of every sinful being became just.  Since God cannot give sinful instructions (James 1:17) and since his character does not change (Malachi 3:6), the only Biblical option is that eternal conscious torment for all sinful beings is heretical (unless Revelation does not mean what it says, Revelation 20:10 provides several exceptions to annihilation, which is why I do not say that every sinful being will be annihilated).

It is these facts, alongside the clear Biblical descriptions of the annihilation of the human body and mind (2 Peter 2:6, Matthew 10:28) and alongside the truth of conditional immortality (1 Timothy 6:16), that render annihilationism Biblically correct.  And yet the doctrine is rejected by all but a minority within Christendom!  Everything about God's character that concerns justice is at stake in the right analysis of passages about hell.  Exegeting verses about hell should be a major concern for all Christians, since the subject is of extreme importance, but tradition remains an inviting prison for many.


[1].  https://thechristianrationalist.blogspot.com/2018/04/eternal-fire-common-assumption.html