 |  |
unhappy nations to their awful lot, would it not be well if we knew the word
used by the Lord for 'punishment' here? He had the choice of at least four
words:
Ekdikesis, 'The punishment of evildoers' (1 Pet. 2:14).
Epitimia, 'Sufficient ... is this punishment' (2 Cor. 2:6).
Timoria, 'Sorer punishment' (Heb. 10:29).
These words are not found in Matthew 25. The word employed there is
kolasis, 'a pruning' (Dr. Bullinger's Lexicon). The one other occurrence of
kolasis is in 1 John 4:18, 'torment'. Kolazo is translated 'punish' in Acts
4:21 and 2 Peter 2:9. The first meaning of kolazo given in Liddell and Scott
is 'curtail, dock, prune', and secondly to 'castigate, keep within bounds,
correct, punish'. Kolasis is used with dendron, 'trees' in the sense of
pruning. Turning to the usage of the word kolasis in the LXX we read in
Ezekiel 18:30:
'I will judge you O house of Israel, saith the Lord, each one according
to his way: be converted, and turn from all your ungodliness, and it
shall not become to you the punishment of iniquity'.
Again in Ezekiel 44:12 -14, the Levites, because of their departure and
ministry of idols, became 'a punishment' of iniquity to the house of Israel,
with the consequence that these Levites could no longer draw near, nor
approach the holy things, but they shall bear 'their reproach' (atimian, 'no
honour', see usage in 2 Tim. 2:20,21) and take a lower service. This is
understandable, but to translate this word kolasis as equivalent to
everlasting torment in 'hell' is, here, impossible. Before attempting a
conclusion of this matter in Matthew 25, let us get a little light by turning
to Hebrews 6. It will, we trust, be conceded that for Israel to 'crucify to
themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame' is a deeper
sin, than neglecting to visit the Lord's brethren in prison. Yet while there
is reference to 'burning' as a consequence, it is remedial:
'For the earth ... which beareth thorns and briars is rejected, and is
nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned' (Heb. 6:7,8).
The 'earth' here is a piece of land under cultivation. The word
'rejected' is adokimos, 'disqualified' having failed the test, and is not
cursed, but 'nigh unto' cursing, an expression parallel to being 'hurt' of
the second death. The burning which is its end, burns up the 'thorns and
briars', but does not destroy the land itself, but rather benefits it. It is
comparable to the 'pruning' of a tree. If we can allow the gentler meaning
of the term in Matthew 25, the nations who failed will go away into an age -
long pruning, thereby missing the glory of the Millennium, but will benefit
by its administration and correction.
Let us examine the Scriptures as to the usage of 'fire' to indicate the
Holiness and the Presence of God, before we go further in our search.
Fire and the Holiness of God
'Our God is a consuming fire' (Heb. 12:29).
These words refer back to Deuteronomy 4:24 and 9:3. This fire turns
both ways. Its flame scorches the covenant people who provoke the Lord to
jealousy, the flame destroys the enemies of His people. The association of