the final judgment and eternal punishment

The Final Judgment and Eternal Punishment

Who will be judged? What is hell?

A. The Fact of Final Judgment

1. Scriptural Evidence for a Final Judgment.Rev 20:11-15: Then I saw a great white throne and him who

was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (ESV)


2. Will There Be More Than One Judgment?In a dispensational view, there will be different judgments:• (a) A “judgment of the nations” to determine who enters the

millennium. (Matt 25:31-46)

• (b) A “judgment of believers’ works” or bēma judgment in which Christians will receive degrees of reward. (2 Cor 5:10)

• (c) A “great white throne judgment” at the end of the millennium to declare eternal punishments for unbelievers. (Rev 20:11-15)


2. Will There Be More Than One Judgment?However, these three passages seem to all speak of the same

final judgment.

In particular, Matthew 25 makes no mention of the millennium and frequently references eternal punishment or life.

B. The Time of Final Judgment

The final judgment will occur after the millennium and the rebellion that occurs at the end of it. (Rev 20:7-11)

C. The Nature of the Final Judgment

1. Jesus Christ Will Be the Judge. (2 Tim 4:1; Acts 10:42; Jn 5:26-27)

2. Unbelievers Will Be Judged. (Rom 2:5-7; Lk 12:47-48)

3. Believers Will Be Judged. (Rom 14:10, 12; 2 Cor 5:10)This judgment of believers will be a judgment to evaluate and

bestow various degrees of reward, but believers should not fear eternal condemnation. (Jn 5:24; Rom 8:1)

C. The Nature of the Final Judgment

4. Angels Will Be Judged. (2 Pet 2:4; Jude 6; 1 Cor 6:3)

5. We Will Help in the Work of Judgment. (Matt 19:28; 1 Cor 6:2-3; Rev 20:4)

D. Necessity of Final Judgment

Rather than letting God find out the condition of our hearts, the final judgment “will serve the purpose rather of displaying before all rational creatures the declarative glory of God in a formal, forensic act, which magnifies on the one hand His holiness and righteousness, and on the other hand, His grace and mercy. Moreover, it should be borne in mind that the judgment at the last day will differ from that of the death of each individual in more than one respect. It will not be secret, but public; it will not pertain to the soul only, but also to the body; it will not have reference to a single individual, but to all men.” —Louis Berkhof

E. Justice of God in the Final Judgment

Rom 3:19: Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. (ESV)

Rev 19:1-2: After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for his judgments are true and just; for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality, and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.” (ESV)

F. Moral Application of the Final Judgment

1. The Doctrine of Final Judgment Satisfies Our Inward Sense of a Need for Justice in the World. (Col 3:22, 25)

2. The Doctrine of Final Judgment Enables Us to Forgive Others Freely. (Rom 12:19; 1 Pet 2:22-23)

3. The Doctrine of the Final Judgment Provides a Motive for Righteous Living. (Matt 6:20)

4. The Doctrine of Final Judgment Provides a Great Motive for Evangelism. (Ezek 33:11; 2 Pet 3:9)

G. Hell

Definition: Hell is a place of eternal conscious punishment for the wicked.

Annihilationism: After the wicked have suffered the penalty of God’s wrath for a time, God will annihilate them so that they no longer exist.

G. Hell

Arguments in favor of annihilationism: 1. The biblical references to the destruction of the wicked

implies that they will no longer exist after they are destroyed.

Response: The words translated “destruction” do not necessarily imply a ceasing to exist or some kind of annihilation, but can simply be ways of referring to the harmful and destructive effects of final judgment on unbelievers.

G. Hell

Arguments in favor of annihilationism: 2. Eternal conscious punishment is inconsistent with the love

of God.

Response: The same difficulty in reconciling God’s love with eternal punishment would seem to be present in reconciling God’s love with the idea of divine punishment at all.

3. Eternal punishment seems disproportionate and unjust for sins committed in time.

Response: This wrongly assumes we know the extent of the evil done when sinners rebel against God.

G. Hell

Arguments in favor of annihilationism: 4. The continuing presence of evil creatures in God’s

universe will eternally mar the perfection of a universe that God created to reflect his glory.

Response: When God punishes evil, the glory of his justice, righteousness, and power to triumph over all opposition will be seen. (Rom 9:22-24; Rev 19:13)

G. Hell

Conclusions:The ultimate resolution of the depths of this question lies far

beyond our ability to understand, and remains hidden in the counsels of God.

This is a hard, sorrowful doctrine for us because we have a portion of God’s love for people. Yet we must realize that whatever God in his wisdom has ordained and taught in Scripture is right. (Ro 9:2-3; Ezek 33:11)

G. Hell

Conclusions:We must believe that eternal punishment is true and just, yet

we should also long that even those people who most severely persecute the church should come to faith in Christ and thus escape eternal condemnation.

From the perspective of the world to come there is a much greater recognition of the necessity and rightness of eternal punishment. (Re 19:1-4)

Special Terms

annihilationismconditional immortalityeternal conscious punishmentfinal judgmentgreat white throne judgmenthelljudgment of the nationsuniversalism

The New Heavens and New Earth

What is heaven? Is it a place? How will the earth be renewed? What will it be like to live

in the new heavens and new earth?

A. We Will Live Eternally With God in New Heavens and a New Earth

1. What Is Heaven?Heaven is the place where God most fully makes known his

presence to bless. (Isa 66:1; 1 Pet 3:22; Matt 6:9)

2. Heaven Is a Place, Not Just a State of Mind. (Acts 1:11; 7:55-56; Jn 14:3)


3. The Physical Creation Will Be Renewed and We Will Continue to Exist and Act in It. (Rom 8:19-21; Heb 1:11-12; 12:26-27; 2 Pet 3:10-13; Rev 20:11; 21:1)It is difficult to think of God annihilating his original creation as

this seems to give the devil the last word by scrapping what was originally “very good.”

Passages above which refer to the passing or burning up of the earth may refer to its present form, not its very existence.


4. Our Resurrection Bodies Will Be Part of the Renewed Creation.In the new heavens and new earth there will be a place and

activities for our resurrection bodies, which will never grow old or become weak or ill. There is nothing inherently “unspiritual” about the physical world that God made and called “very good.” (Gen 1:31)

We shall eat and drink. (Rev 19:9).

Jesus will once again drink wine. (Luke 22:18)


Music is prominent in descriptions of heaven, so it is possible both musical and artistic activities will be done to the glory of God.

Since God is infinite and we are finite, we may expect that we will be able to go on learning about God and his relationship to creation for all eternity.

Perhaps people will work at the whole range of investigation and development of creation through technological, creative, and inventive means, exhibiting the full extent of creation in the image of God.


5. The New Creation Will Not Be “Timeless” but Will Include an Unending Succession of Moments.Though the New Jerusalem will never experience night,

Revelation describes many actions that involve a sequence of events. (Rev 21:24-26; 22:2)

B. The Doctrine of the New Creation Provides a Great Motivation for Storing Up Treasures in Heaven Rather Than

on Earth2 Pet 3:11-13: Since all these things are thus to be dissolved,

what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. (ESV)

B. The Doctrine of the New Creation Provides a Great Motivation for Storing Up Treasures in Heaven Rather Than

on EarthMatt 6:19-21: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth,

where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (ESV)

C. The New Creation Will Be a Place of Great Beauty and Abundance and Joy in the Presence of God

Rev 21:1-4: Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (ESV)

C. The New Creation Will Be a Place of Great Beauty and Abundance and Joy in the Presence of God

Rev 21:6-7: And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. (ESV)

Rev 22:5: And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever. (ESV)

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