Did you catch the distinction? All sins in ignorance will be forgiven. The only sin that cannot be forgiven is willful blasphemy against the Holy Spirit – deliberate rejection of the Spirit’s awakening call to salvation. “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sin [no possibility of atonement for sin], but a certain terrifying expectation of judgment…” (Heb 10:26) “In the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good Word of God and the power of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance…” (Heb 6:4-6)

 This is the “unforgivable sin.” Those convicted of it at the Great White Throne judgment cannot be pardoned, but must be cast into hell to be punished for their evil deeds. This is a whole new kind of death - no longer Satan’s pointless torment, but the “Second Death” - a specific punishment for each and every evil deed, as assigned by the righteous Judge of all the earth. (Rev 19:11-15)

So both the “eternal life” and the “eternal punishment” of Matthew 25:46 are talking about a quality of life rather than a length of time. The eternal life is a living relationship with the author of life. The eternal punishment is knowingly rejecting that relationship by a deliberate rejection of the gospel and reaping the fruit of that rejection. God must allow the full consequences of every evil deed to return in full measure upon the rebel, until his evil nature is destroyed in hell. “Fear not those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matt 10:28)

At the true rapture, “… the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to give their reward to Thy bondservants the prophets and to the saints and to those who fear Thy name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth.” (Rev 11:18) That is the “Second Death.” It is the destruction of the wicked in the fires of hell. But is it an endless torment? or a total annihilation?

I don’t believe it is either. Many do, for there are Scripture passages which seem to support both positions. But when I step back and look at the entire Bible either position forces some major contradictions in God’s Word, and I believe in a big enough God that He never makes mistakes or contradicts Himself. Instead, I have developed a unifying hypothesis which removes all the contradictions. I call it Ultimate Reconciliation.

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