“These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”— Matthew 25:46 ESV

This text uses the word “eternal” twice. The first time it is applied to the punishment of the wicked, and the second time it refers to the eternal life of the righteous. If “eternal life” means a life without end, should not the “eternal punishment” also be without end?

The Sheep and the Goats

Matthew 25:46 is the conclusion of Jesus’ parable or story of the sheep and the goats (Matt 25:31–46). The story depicts the Lord’s second coming wherein He divides “the nations”¹ into two clear groups—the sheep and the goats. The sheep are placed on the Master’s right and the goats on the left. Twice in the story the sheep are identified as the righteous (vv. 37 and 46). The goats are never specifically identified, though they are obviously a group opposite to the sheep. Both the sheep and the goats address Jesus as Lord and give fairly similar responses to His words to them.

Jesus addresses the sheep first, calling them blessed and inviting them to enter the kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world. The reason they are invited to enter is that they have cared for Him in the person of the poor and needy. The goats, on the other hand, are called accursed² and are condemned to “the eternal fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels” (v. 41). The reason for the harsh judgment on the goats is their lack of concern for the poor and needy—which Jesus indicates is the same as not serving or helping Him.

Two Approaches to Life

We can see that Jesus presents two very contrary destinies, based on two very different approaches to life in the present world. Those who bless and help others with their time and resources are headed toward an eternal kingdom of joy and blessedness. Those who neglect to help others around them are unaware not only of the needs of these “least” individuals but also of the fact that in so doing they are neglecting Jesus Himself.³ Jesus said they are headed toward something God never intended for people—eternal punishment.

Eternal Punishment

But just what is this “eternal punishment” to which the goats are consigned? The term “punishment” used here is kolasis, a fairly rare word in the New Testament, used only here in Matthew 25:46 and in 1 John 4:18. It comes from a root that means “to trim,” “lop,” “mutilate,” “punish,” “chastise.” It has the idea of cutting off what is unnecessary. To be punished by God is to be cut off. It is a consistent teaching of Scripture that the wicked will be punished by the Almighty (Gen 6–9; Ezek 18; Rom 1; Heb 10:29; 2 Pet 2:9; Rev 20). It may not be this which troubles as much as the idea of a punishment that continues throughout eternity. Thus, the word “eternal” is the more crucial one in the phrase “eternal punishment.”

The term “eternal” used here is aionios. Its Old Testament counterpart is the Hebrew term ʿolam. Both terms can mean “eternal, everlasting” or “for a lifetime, as long as life lasts,” depending on what they modify. In Exodus 21:6, a servant who loves his master will serve him ʿolam (forever = all his life). In Jude 7, Sodom and Gomorrah undergo the punishment of aionios fire (eternal fire). Obviously, Sodom and Gomorrah are no longer burning; thus the fire was eternal only in the sense of a final or ongoing result, not in the sense of a fire that is still burning or will burn into eternity.

This leads to the question of how the term aionios is used in Matthew. He uses the term “eternal” six times (18:8; 19:16, 29; 25:41, 46 [twice]). Three times the term is linked to “life” (thus “eternal life”), and three times it is linked to “fire” or “punishment.” Eternal life is the reward of the righteous and clearly indicates unending existence. Many assume the punishment of the wicked, “eternal fire,” to be unending existence in an ever-burning hell.

The sinners of Sodom are “set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire” [Jude 7]. The passage defines “eternal fire.” It is a fire from God which destroys sinners totally and forever.⁴

Eternal Fire

However, a closer examination of Matthew’s use of the term “fire” suggests another perspective. Matthew uses the word “fire” (Gk. pyr) a total of twelve times.⁵

Almost all of these occurrences are linked with the idea of judgment. Especially instructive are the agricultural metaphors used by John the Baptist in Matthew 3:10–12 and by Jesus in the parable of the wheat and the tares in Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43. In both cases there is a division made between the good and the bad. The good items are preserved, while the bad items are burned up with fire. The term “burned up” in Greek is katakaio, which means “to consume,” “burn up.” The chaff (Matt 3:10–12) or the tares (13:36–43) are consumed by a fire that is unquenchable (3:12). It is not the chaff or tares that endures forever. Since they are combustible they are consumed. But the fire is eternal in its effects (cf. Mark 9:42–50 with the reference to the worm that does not die and the fire that is not quenched).⁶ It is instructive to note in this regard that Jesus does not call the wicked eternal, but rather the fire. The wicked are consumed by the eternal fire (just like the chaff or the tares), and the effect is eternal punishment, not eternal punishing.

The Issue of Immortality

The above conclusion is supported by the fact that the righteous will receive immortality only at the first resurrection (1 Cor 15:50–54). Therefore, “eternal life” will be a life without end (Rev 21:4), whereas the unrighteous, who do not have, or receive, immortality (Eccl 9:5–6; 2 Thess 2:9–10), cannot suffer eternally because they are mortal. Their punishment is the second death (Rev 2:11; 20:6, 14; 21:8). While the righteous can look forward to a life of eternal bliss, the expectation of the wicked is the fire of judgment that will consume them (Heb 10:27).

Summary

Putting this all together, we see that the punishment the wicked receive is something they bring on themselves by neglecting the needy around them. This links them to the devil and his angels in heading toward just punishment from God. The punishment will involve destruction by fire, but the fire itself, while eternal in effect, will not burn on forever because the wicked are not immortal (cf. Mal 4:1–3).

* This article was originally published as Tom Shepherd, “Do the Wicked Burn Forever in Hell?,” in Interpreting Scripture: Bible Questions and Answers, ed. Gerhard Pfandl (Silver Spring, MD: Biblical Research Institute, 2010), 2:293–296 and is reprinted with slight changes.