Reference

Matthew 25:46

Punishment Language Eternal Conscious Torment Eternal Duration Language Judgment at Resurrection Hell Terminology (Sheol/Hades/Gehenna/Lake of Fire)

“And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”

Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Why This Verse Was Tagged

Punishment Language

Keyword Match

100% relevance

This verse contains specific terms directly associated with this theme.

Eternal Conscious Torment

Keyword Match

80% 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.

Judgment at Resurrection

Keyword Match

30% relevance

This verse contains specific terms directly associated with this theme.

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

Semantic Discovery

50% 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.

Punishment Language

The verse explicitly uses the term "punishment," which is a direct form of "punish language" as defined by the theme.

Eternal Conscious Torment

The verse states "everlasting punishment" but does not explicitly define the nature of this punishment as ongoing, conscious suffering, leaving open interpretations where "punishment" could refer to eternal destruction or separation rather than perpetual torment.

Eternal Duration Language

The verse explicitly uses the terms "everlasting" and "eternal," which directly denote ongoing, continuous duration, making a counter-argument against the theme's support impossible at face value.

Judgment at Resurrection

The verse speaks of "everlasting punishment" and "life eternal," which are outcomes of judgment, but it does not explicitly mention resurrection or the timing of judgment in relation to it. The text itself does not directly link these outcomes to the event of resurrection.

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

The verse uses the general terms "everlasting punishment" and "life eternal" without explicitly naming any of the specific locations or states of punishment listed in the theme definition (Gehenna, Tartarus, Lake of Fire, or 'hell' distinct from Sheol/Hades as a general grave). Therefore, it does not directly reference "Hell Terminology."

Punishment Language

Related Verses

Matthew 25:41

“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:”

Matthew 25:33

“And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.”

Matthew 25:30

“And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Matthew 13:49

“So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,”

Matthew 13:42

“And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”

Thematic Connections

Punishment Language Eternal Conscious Torment Eternal Duration Language Judgment at Resurrection Hell Terminology (Sheol/Hades/Gehenna/Lake of Fire)

Private Study Note

Add your own reflections or cross-references for this verse.