Journal: Masters Seminary Journal
Volume: TMSJ 09:2 (Fall 1998)
Article: Jesus’ View Of Eternal Punishment
Author: Robert L. Thomas

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MSJ 9:2 (Fall 98) p. 147

Jesus’ View Of Eternal Punishment

Robert L. Thomas

Professor of New Testament

Jesus’ last extended teaching about how the lost would spend eternity came in His description of the sheep-and-goat judgment in Matt 25:31–46 where He made pronouncements of judgment regarding two groups. The pronouncements will come when He returns to earth to initiate His millennial reign and will deal specifically with the living Gentiles on earth at that time. He will reach His verdict on the basis of how the two groups have treated believing Israelites during the persecutions of Daniel’s seventieth week, treatments that will reflect whether they have trusted in Him to receive eternal life. The consequences of Jesus’ pronouncements will be happy for believers, but for unbelievers they will be unspeakably horrible. The latter group, the goats, will depart from His presence into unending punishment worse than the suffering one experiences when he has his flesh consumed with fire. Evangelicals who have flirted with notions of watering down Jesus’ teachings on the subject would do well to pay closer attention to His words.

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In an investigation of a subject like Jesus’ view of eternal punishment, many options present themselves. (1) One could with great profit select from Jesus’ teachings a response to each of the evangelicals who has gone astray in his view of this doctrine. (2) Or he could profitably study a number of Greek words Jesus used that are crucial to this doctrine. (3) Or an examination of all the passages in which Jesus spoke of this doctrine would be of profit. Since space does not allow for this last alternative, the following essay will concentrate on one of those passages. In doing so, it will also give limited attention to recent evangelical deviations from Jesus’ teaching and several especially significant Greek words. The passage in focus is a critical one because it is the last occasion known when Jesus elaborated on the subject of eternal punishment. It is a passage that is important for a number of other reasons. For example, George Ladd said this was the passage that turned him away from being a dispensationalist,1 and Clark Pinnock acknowledges this as

MSJ 9:2 (Fall 98) p. 148

a passage that could go against his doctrine of annihilationism.2 Also, Heil notes that it is a passage about which no consensus exists regarding its meaning.3

The passage selected for investigation is Matt 25:31–...

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