What the rest of the Bible says
Away from the presence of the Lord
Paul wrote that those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord.
What Paul wrote
In 2 Thessalonians Paul writes of the day the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven. The heart of the punishment he describes is being shut out from the presence of the Lord and the glory of His power.
7and to give relief to you who are afflicted with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, 8punishing those who don’t know God, and to those who don’t obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus, 9who will pay the penalty: eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might, 10when he comes in that day to be glorified in his saints and to be admired among all those who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.
2 Thessalonians 1:7-10 (WEB) · context
Where Christians disagree
- Christians read eternal destruction in two ways: an endless conscious separation from God, or a final destruction that is permanent. Both readings take the warning as real.
The good news
Jesus came to save you from this
God loves you and gave His Son so that whoever believes in Him should not perish.