VERSION 2.0 
Revised 2022

PROVE ALL THINGS, HOLD FAST THAT WHICH IS GOOD
1 Thessalonians 5:21​
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SECTION III NOTES
Passages Cited To Teach Degrees of Punishment in Hell

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Matthew 10:14-15, Matthew 11:21-22, Matthew 11:23-24, Mark 6:11, Luke 10:10-12, Luke 10:13-14

And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.  (Matthew 10:14-15)
Torment Yes
Eternal No

Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. (Matthew 11:21-22)
Torment Yes
Eternal No

And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.  (Matthew 11:23-24)
Torment Yes
Eternal No

And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.  (Mark 6:11)
Torment Yes
Eternal No

But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say, Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city. (Luke 10:10-12)
Torment Yes
Eternal No

Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment, than for you. (Luke 10:13-14)
Torment Yes
Eternal No

It is amazing how our assumptions can trick us into reading something into a passage of scripture that simply isn't there.

We have been taught that these passages teach degrees of punishment in hell. The problem is, that while these passage DO teach degrees of punishment, none of them say 'in hell'.

Nor do they imply that these punishments take place 'in hell' because they tell us in clear and unambiguous language the time period in which they do take place: In the day of judgment. 

If the punishments to be meted out described in these verses take place IN the day of judgment, then it is clear that they do not speak at all of any punishment following the judgment. It is not the fault of the Bible that mankind has developed a faulty view of the duration, nature, and purpose of God's judgment. Suffice it to say that these verses do not mention hell (with the exception of Hades in Matthew 11:23, see Section IV) and as such have nothing to do with the doctrine of eternal conscious torment.

There will be punishment and retribution for sin., but as these verses show, the time and place for that punishment is not hell for all eternity, but in the day of judgment following the resurrection. The day of judgment is one of the central themes of the Bible, and there are literally dozens of passage that detail this judgment.

See also our article:
In The Day of Judgment: Does The Bible Teach Degrees of Punishment in Hell?

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Luke 12:46

The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. 
Torment Yes
Eternal No

The passage speaks of some being beaten with "many stripes", and some being beaten with "few stripes", so there is clearly an indication of degree of punishment. But where does such punishment take place? In hell? Does the passage anywhere state that this takes place in hell? Can those who teach that this is the meaning of the passage prove it?

In this passage, if Jesus had meant us to understand "degrees of punishment in hell" then he certainly has used obscure language to express that idea. Do the terms "few" and "many" have any real meaning if hell is torment in flames for all eternity without end? Why use such obscure language if this is what was meant? The passages does not say 'lighter stripes' and 'harder stripes', it says 'few', and 'many', which are both finite and thus have nothing to do with eternal torment in hell.

This passage is a parallel to Matthew 25:30 treated in Section II. Please see notes in that section.
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Matthew 23:14, Mark 12:40, Luke 20:47

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
(Matthew 23:14)
​​Torment Yes
Eternal No

Which devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation.  (Mark 12:40)
​Torment Yes
Eternal No

Which devour widows' houses, and for a shew make long prayers: the same shall receive greater damnation. (Luke 20:47)
​​Torment Yes
Eternal No

These three passages are parallels one to another and each carry the same thought. The more light one claims to have had, or the more privileged one esteems themselves before men, the greater their judgment will be. These comments were directed toward the Pharisees who felt they above all men were favored in God's sight.

The Greek word for 'damnation' here is 'krima'', and does not carry the exact sense in which it has been rendered in the King James Bible. The word represents a judicial sentence, as opposed to the Greek word krisis for the process of judgment. The verse has nothing to do with punishment in hell, but carries the same thought as Luke 12:46 shown above: those that knew God's will and did not do it, in the judgment will be beaten with many stripes. Those who did not know God's will will be beaten with few stripes.

I remind the reader once more that the only 'hell' in these verses exists in the imagination of the reader who has been conditioned to see this unscriptural doctrine where there is none.

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