3. Now let us look at another passage, II Thess. 1:7-9: +"The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power."+ Here we are told that the punishment of those that know not God and obey not the gospel is "everlasting _destruction_."
What does "everlasting destruction" mean? In Rev. 17:8, 11 we are told that the beast goeth into "destruction," so if we can find out where the beast goes, or into what he goes, we shall know what "destruction" means in the Bible usage. In Rev. 19:20 we are told that +"the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought the signs in his sight, wherewith he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast and them that worshipped his image: they two were cast alive into the lake of fire that burneth with brimstone,"+ so we see that "_destruction_" is a portion in the lake of fire. And in the next chapter, Rev. 20:10, we are told that +"The devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where are also the beast and the false prophet+ (after having already been there for one thousand years, see context); +and they shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever."+ So we see that destruction means a portion in the lake of fire where its inhabitants are consciously suffering without cessation _for ever and ever_. It is clear then, from a comparison of II Thess. 1:7-9 with these passages, that those who know not God and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ shall be punished with never-ending, conscious suffering.
4. Let us look at one more passage, Matt. 25:41 (these again are the words of the Lord Jesus Himself): +"Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels."+ What I wish you to notice here is that the punishment into which the impenitent are sent is the "eternal fire" which is "_prepared for the devil and his angels_." We have an exact description of just what the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels is in the passage read a few moments ago, Rev. 20:10: +"And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where are also the beast and the false prophet; and they shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever."+ By a comparison of these two statements we have another explicit declaration of our Lord that the punishment of the impenitent is to be a conscious agony, where they are punished without rest day and night for ever and ever.
From any one of these passages and especially from all taken together, it is clear that the Scriptures make it as plain as language can make it that THE FUTURE PUNISHMENT OF THE PERSISTENTLY IMPENITENT IS ABSOLUTELY ENDLESS.