It is often claimed that Brother Russell denied the Biblical "doctrine" of eternal punishment. Walter Martin, in his book, "Kingdom of the Cults," (2003 Edition, page 49) claims: "At an early age, he rejected the doctrine of eternal punishment."
This idea has been repeated over and over.
On the Oxford Reference site, it is stated concerning Russell: "He came to reject the doctrine of eternal punishment."
On a Baptist site, we find the statement that in 1870 "Russell forms –Started a Bible Class in Pittsburgh to reject doctrine of eternal punishment."
On the "Sound Doctrine" site, it is claimed: "The evidence seems to suggest that Russell received from the Adventist his light on the non-existence of eternal punishment."
We could produce many more similar claims made by authors.
What did Brother Russell himself say about this? Actually, Brother Russell nowhere denied the Biblical teaching of eternal or everlasting punishment. He did deny that this punishment meant that anyone would be consciously suffering for eternity.
The phrase "eternal punishment" or "everlasting punishment" appears only once in the Bible, and that is in the parable of sheep and goats. (Matthew 25:46) Regarding this Brother Russell stated:
The everlasting punishment, be it remembered, will be administered; but this does not signify everlasting torments, because the punishment for sin is not torment, but death -- everlasting death will therefore be the punishment of the goat class with Satan the great adversary. From this death there will be no redemption, no resurrection, no recovery of any kind. As St. Peter declares, "They shall be like brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed." The everlasting fire is as symbolical, as parabolic, as the sheep and the goats. Fire is a symbol of destruction, and everlasting fire a symbol of everlasting destruction. An everlasting fire is one not quenched, one which burns until it shall have accomplished its purpose of complete destruction. -- "The Judgment Scene Before the Great White Throne," What Pastor Russell Wrote For the Overland Monthly, page 42.
As one should be able to see, he did not deny that there is eternal/everlasting punishment. He did deny that this meant "everlasting torments." Nevertheless, in the minds of many "eternal punishment" is thought to mean "eternal torment." Many have claimed that it means literal torment in literal flames of fires worse than any fire that is found on earth, and that torment is to continue without letup for all eternity. The Bible, however, describes no such idea. Indeed, God's name is denigrated by such teachings.
In his study, Parable of the Sheep and Goats, Russell stated:
While the Scriptures, as we have shown, do not teach the blasphemous doctrine of everlasting torment, they do most emphatically teach the everlasting punishment of the wicked, the class represented in the parable as "goats." -- Watch Tower, March 1, 1900, page 101.
One claims that according to Russell's way of thinking, there's no real punishment because the willfully wicked will be totally annihilated. Another claims that "you have to exist to have eternal punishment." We must insert here that the wages, or punishment, for sin is the opposite of being alive (Genesis 2:7; 3:19; Ecclesiastes 9:10; 12:7), and that there is nothing in the scriptures that says that one has to be consciously existing to receive the punishment of the second death, which is eternal. Being dead for eternity is eternal punishment.
Russell's comments:
Let no one be deceived regarding the duration of the punishment of the wicked, as it is repeatedly put forth in the scriptures that it is for eternity and not merely for a season. However; it is not a question as to the duration of the punishment, but it is a question as to the nature of the punishment. It is about this point that many Christians have been confused. When the Apostle says, concerning the ultimate fate of the wicked, "they shall suffer everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord," they at once get the thought of the eternal feature of the punishment, but do not get the proper idea as to its nature; reasoning generally that "destruction" means preservation (in fire and brimstone). Death is the punishment for sin. It is the penalty for disobedience. "The wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23.) And when death is eternal, it is eternal punishment.
What Pastor Russell Said, page 768
We could provide many more quotes, but the above demonstrates that Brother Russell was not denying the Biblical eternal/everlasting punishment, but he did not attribute the meaning of conscious eternal torture to the phrase "eternal/everlasting punishment".
Some of our studies related to the above:
Life After Death
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