Reference

Matthew 25:41

Eternal Conscious TormentEternal Duration LanguageFire ImageryHell Terminology (Sheol/Hades/Gehenna/Lake of Fire)
“Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:”
39

Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

40

And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

41

Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

42

For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

43

I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

Why This Verse Was Tagged

Eternal Conscious Torment
Keyword Match
90% relevance

This verse contains specific terms directly associated with this theme.

Eternal Duration Language
Keyword Match
100% relevance

This verse contains specific terms directly associated with this theme.

Fire Imagery
Keyword Match
100% relevance

This verse contains specific terms directly associated with this theme.

Hell Terminology (Sheol/Hades/Gehenna/Lake of Fire)
Semantic Discovery
90% relevance

This verse was identified through meaning similarity — its content is mathematically close to known verses in this theme, even without sharing the same vocabulary.

Counter-Arguments

The strongest case that this verse does not belong in this theme.

Eternal Conscious Torment

The verse describes "everlasting fire" and a state of being "cursed," but it does not explicitly detail the *conscious experience* of suffering within that fire, nor does it explicitly state that the suffering is "ongoing" for the individuals, only that the fire itself is "everlasting."

Eternal Duration Language

The verse explicitly uses the word "everlasting," which directly aligns with the theme's definition of emphasizing ongoing, continuous duration.

Fire Imagery

There is no argument that this verse does not support the theme, as it explicitly mentions "everlasting fire" in a context of judgment.

Hell Terminology (Sheol/Hades/Gehenna/Lake of Fire)

The verse does not explicitly use the terms "Sheol," "Hades," "Gehenna," or "Lake of Fire," which are the specific terms listed in the theme definition.

Eternal Conscious Torment
Eternal Conscious Torment

Cross-References

2 Peter 2:4Thematic

“For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;”

Matthew 7:23Thematic

“And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”

Revelation 22:3Thematic

“And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:”

1 John 3:18Thematic

“My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.”

Psalms 1:5Thematic

“Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.”

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Thematic Connections

Eternal Conscious TormentEternal Duration LanguageFire ImageryHell Terminology (Sheol/Hades/Gehenna/Lake of Fire)

Private Study Note