Eternal Punishment

Definition and Meaning

Eternal punishment is also called everlasting punishment (Korean yeongbeol, 永罰). It is the teaching that the penalty received by those condemned at the Last Judgment never ends. The King James Version renders Matthew 25:46 as "And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal." This verse concludes the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats and sets everlasting punishment alongside eternal life. The doctrine is commonly treated together with the doctrine of heaven and hell.

Biblical and Historical Background

Passages frequently cited in support of this doctrine include the following:

• Mark 9:48: "Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched."
• 2 Thessalonians 1:9: "punished with everlasting destruction"
• Revelation 14:9–11 and Revelation 20:7–15

The New Testament word for "hell" (Gehenna) takes its name from the Valley of Hinnom south of Jerusalem.

Interpretations fall into three broad categories:

• Traditional view: Punishment continues without end in a conscious state. Augustine defended this view, and the Westminster Confession of Faith states in its final chapter that the wicked shall "be cast into eternal torments."
• Annihilationism (conditional immortality): The wicked cease to exist after judgment, and "eternal" means that the outcome is irreversible. Proponents appeal to the words "destroy both soul and body in hell" in Matthew 10:28. John Stott stated that he tentatively leaned toward this view. The Seventh-day Adventist Church and Jehovah's Witnesses likewise do not teach endless torment in hell.
• Universalism: This view holds that all will ultimately be restored. It is often associated with the ancient theologian Origen, but most church traditions have not accepted it.

Practice in the Korean Church

The major Korean denominations, including Presbyterian, Methodist, Holiness, Baptist, and Full Gospel churches, generally teach the traditional view. Because Presbyterian churches adopt the Westminster Confession of Faith as their doctrinal standard, the doctrine of eternal punishment is explicitly stated in their confession.

From the pulpit, hell and eternal punishment have been emphasized in sermons and revival meetings that call for evangelism and repentance. Testimonies and books by people claiming to have seen heaven and hell have also circulated widely, though their credibility has drawn criticism within the church.

Annihilationism is discussed by some theologians and within parts of the evangelical community, but it has not been adopted as the official position of any major Korean denomination.