who will pay the penalty: eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might,
The Greek word here for "everlasting" has no limit of range. The meaning removes all limits of time, and it is the exact opposite of temporary (2 Corinthians 4:18). The word "everlasting" or "eternal" is found seventy-two times in the books of the New Testament; forty-four of the seventy-two times the phrase has to do with eternal life, the remaining twenty-eight times with eternal destruction. Therefore, if there is no eternal destruction, there can be no eternal life. If the wicked cease to be after the final judgment, the righteous will also cease to be because the same word is used as applying to both eternal life and eternal destruction.