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I guess you missed Matt 25:46 where Jesus said "And they will go away into ETERNAL PUNISHMENT, but the righteous will go into eternal life".
Most certainly not. "Everlasting punishment" is the foundational basis for what the Master describes regarding aionios kolasis. Again: Can you tell us, according to the contest of the Master's words, what qualifies a goat and a sheep?
Jesus used sheep and goats to picture the division between believers and unbelievers. Obedient followers will be separated from the pretenders and unbelievers.
Jesus teaches that the unrighteous will inherit "eternal punishment," while the righteous inherit "eternal life." Many have argued that this verse does not teach the doctrine of Hell as a place of eternal suffering and torment apart from God. Much stress is laid on the translation of "eternal" and "punishment" (see Other Views Considered, below). However, if these words are translated correctly, this verse must be considered strong evidence in support of the orthodox view.
The word translated "punishment" reflects the common meaning of the word in Koine Greek (see Grammatical Analysis, below, for more details). The word occurs in over 130 documents contemporary with the Greek New Testament, and in all cases, the translation "punishment" is correct. We must further stress that the word translated "eternal" in this verse modifies both "punishment" and "life.". This verse presents a parallel construction. Jesus is contrasting "punishment" with "life." If we take Him to mean that our life in Him is eternal - everlasting, without end - then it seems most reasonable to understand Him to be teaching that the punishment of the unrighteous is also eternal - everlasting, without end.
Thus, Jesus tells us that the eternal hope of the righteous is in Him, just as eternal punishment awaits the unrighteous who are apart from Him.
kai apeleusontai outoi eiV kolasin aiwnion, oi de dikaioi eiV xwhn aiwnion
KAI APELEUSONTAI OUTOI EIS KOLASIN AIÔNION, OI DE DIKAIOI EIS ZÔÊN AIÔNION
And these will go away into punishment eternal, but the just into life eternal.
To punish, with the implication of resulting severe suffering (Louw & Nida)
Moulton & Milligan, BAGD, and Thayer list dozens of occurrences of KOLASIS in late classical and early Christian documents, and cite "punishment" as the proper translation in each case. There are no other meanings listed for KOLASIS in any of these lexicons. Here is just one example from Moulton and Milligan: "for the evil doers among men receive their reward not among the living only, but also await punishment (KOLASIN) and much torment" (Oxyrhynchus Papyrus 840).
AIÔNIOS (166)
*
Without end (BAGD)
*
Without end, never to cease, everlasting (Thayer)
*
Eternal (TDNT, Louw & Nida)
*
In the vernacular as in the classical Greek (see Grimm-Thayer), it never loses the sense of perpetuus (Moulton & Milligan)
Vine suggests that AIÔNIOS may mean either eternal or "duration...undefined but not endless." However, the verses he cites in support of the latter definition (Romans 16:25; 2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 1:2) all refer to past time, not the future. BAGD and Thayer both define AIÔNIOS in these verses as "without beginning." Vine assigns the "eternal" meaning to AIÔNIOS in Matthew 25:46 - no doubt because whenever AIÔNIOS is combined with ZÔÊ ("life") in the Greek New Testament, it always means "eternal." Thus, if the second occurrence of AIÔNIOS in this verse means "eternal," it seems reasonable to accept the same meaning in the first usage, particularly given the parallel construction.
In conclusion, the lexical evidence is very strong that "eternal punishment" is the correct translation of KOLASIN AIÔNION in this verse. Thus, we may confidently conclude that Jesus taught that the unrighteous would be consigned to punishment everlasting, while those who call upon Him as their only Lord and Savior, will receive life everlasting.
Weak, very weak. Hell is the place God prepared for all those who do not believe in God.
Hi, what is eternal hell anyway? It is something that has always existed just as God has always existed having no beginning and no end. If it is a place that God prepared for those who do not believe in God, then it cannot be eternal. It had a beginning. God bless.
Last edited by ShanaBrown; 04-25-2009 at 10:09 PM..
Dr. R.F. Weymouth, a translator who was adept in Greek, states in The New Testament in Modern Speech (p. 657), "Eternal, Greek aeonian, i.e., of the ages: Etymologically this adjective, like others similarly formed does not signify, "during" but "belonging to" the aeons or ages."
Dr. Marvin Vincent, in his Word Studies of the New Testament (vol. IV, p. 59): "The adjective aionios in like manner carries the idea of time. Neither the noun nor the adjective in themselves carries the sense of "endless" or "everlasting." Aionios means enduring through or pertaining to a period of time. Out of the 150 instances in the LXX (Septuagint), four-fifths imply limited duration."
Dr. F.W. Farrar, author of The Life of Christ and The Life and Work of St. Paul, as well as books about Greek grammar and syntax, writes in The Eternal Hope (p. 198), "That the adjective is applied to some things which are "endless" does not, of course, for one moment prove that the word itself meant 'endless;' and to introduce this rendering into many passages would be utterly impossible and absurd." In his book, Mercy and Judgment, Dr. Farrar states (p. 378), "Since aion meant 'age,' aionios means, properly, 'belonging to an age,' or 'age-long,' and anyone who asserts that it must mean 'endless' defends a position which even Augustine practically abandoned twelve centuries ago. Even if aion always meant 'eternity,' which is not the case in classic or Hellenistic Greek-aionios could still mean only 'belonging to eternity' and not 'lasting through it.'"
Lange's Commentary American Edition (vol. V, p. 48), on Ecclesiastes chapter 1 verse 4, in commenting upon the statement "The earth abideth forever" says, "The preacher, in contending with the universalist, or restorationist, would commit an error, and, it may be, suffer a failure in his argument, should he lay the whole stress of it on the etymological or historical significance of the words, aion, aionios, and attempt to prove that, of themselves, they necessarily carry the meaning of endless duration." On page 45 of the same work, Dr. Taylor Lewis says: "The Greek aiones and aiones ton aionon, the Latin secula, and secula seculorum, the Old Saxon, or Old English of Wicliffe, to worldis or worldis (Heb. XIII 21), or our more modern phrase, for ever and ever, wherever the German ewig, was originally a noun denoting age or a vast period, just like the Greek, Latin, and Hebrew words corresponding to it."
The Rev. Bennet, in his Olam Hanneshamoth (p. 44), says, "The primary nature of olam is 'hidden,' and both as to past and future denotes a duration that is unknown." Olam is the Hebrew word for the Greek aion.
The Parkhurst Lexicon: "Olam (aeon) seems to be used much more for an indefinite than for an infinite time."
Dr. MacKnight: "I must be so candid as to acknowledge that the use of these terms 'forever,' 'eternal,' 'everlasting,' shows that they who understand these words in a limited sense when applied to punishment put no forced interpretation upon them."
Dr. Nigel Turner, in Christian Words, says (p. 457), "All the way through it is never feasible to understand aionios as everlasting."
The Pulpit Commentary, vol. 15, p. 485, says, "It is possible that 'aeonian' may denote merely indefinite duration without the connotation of never ending."
The Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible, vol. 4, p. 643, says, "The O.T. and the N.T. are not acquainted with conception of eternity as timelessness." Page 644: "The O.T. has not developed a special term for eternity." Page 645: "The use of the word aion in the N.T. is determined very much by the O.T. and the LXX. Aion means long, distant, uninterrupted time. The intensifying plural occurs frequently in the N.T. ...but it adds no new meaning."
Dr. Lammenois, a man adept with languages, states, "In Hebrew and Greek the words rendered 'everlasting' have not this sense. They signify a long duration of time, a period; whence the phrase, during these eternities and beyond
The word translated "punishment" reflects the common meaning of the word in Koine Greek (see Grammatical Analysis, below, for more details). The word occurs in over 130 documents contemporary with the Greek New Testament, and in all cases, the translation "punishment" is correct. We must further stress that the word translated "eternal" in this verse modifies both "punishment" and "life.". This verse presents a parallel construction. Jesus is contrasting "punishment" with "life." If we take Him to mean that our life in Him is eternal - everlasting, without end - then it seems most reasonable to understand Him to be teaching that the punishment of the unrighteous is also eternal - everlasting, without end.
Believers have aionios life. Aionios means, "of or pertaining to an age or ages" Jesus has defined aionios life as knowing God, the only True God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent. (John 17:3)
Aionios life is what believers have now today and in the age to come. We are promised immortality when we are resurrected. This is when we will live forever. We are speaking of 2 different things.
John 3 13Do not wonder, my brethren, if the world doth hate you; 14we -- we have known that we have passed out of the death to the life, because we love the brethren; he who is not loving the brother doth remain in the death. 15Every one who is hating his brother -- a man-killer he is, and ye have known that no man-killer hath life age-during in him remaining (YLT)
1 John 5:11-12
And this is the testimony: God has given usaionios-life, andthis life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
Rom 8:6
For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Believers have the life of the ages, life during the ages, and this life consists of knowing God, the only True God, and Jesus Christ whom He has sent. It is the highest life that the Creator has given to the creature.
Life (Zoe) =the principle of life in the spirit and soul; expressing all of the highest and best which Christ is and which He gives to the saints (believers) (Key Word Study Bible)
We have a relationship with God today, in this age and in the age to come. We can know the Creator today. We are walking with God by faith, have been forgiven, have been set free from the slavery to sin, can be overcomers, will rule and reign with Him, have His Holy Spirit dwelling within us, have His power to live right today, are being transformed into His image, and we are to be lights in the world. We are the people of God. Believers have passed out of death and into life because we have aionios life, the life of knowing God, the life of the ages. We are no longer lost, slaves to sin, and we can walk with God victoriously in this age and in the age to come. This the aionios life.
Believers have life during the ages. Most people do not have this life and many will perish in this age and in the age to come. Many will experience the severe judgments of God which are the judgments of God during the ages. Ages have a beginning and they have an end. The scriptures refer to past ages, the present age, and ages to come. They cannot be eternal if they have a beginning and an end.
There was "a secret concealed from the aions" (ages) (past) (Eph.3:9)
There was "the preparation of the aions"(ages) (past) (Heb.11:3)
There is "the present wicked aion" (age)(present) (Gal.1:4)
There is "the conclusion of the current aion" (age) (present) (Matt 28:20)
There will be "the comingaion" (age)(future) (Luke 18:30)
There will be "the oncoming aions" (ages)(future) (Eph.2:7)
We can lose the life of knowing God today, in this age. Colossians 1:21-23 says that we will be presented holy, blameless, beyond reproach if we continue in the faith firmly Colossians says that believers who have aionios life, that life of the ages and during the ages, have been promised immortality.Immortality is not the same as aionios life.
1 Corinthians 15:
50 50And this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood the reign of God is not able to inherit, nor doth the corruption inherit the incorruption; 51lo, I tell you a secret; we indeed shall not all sleep, and we all shall be changed; 52in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, in the last trumpet, for it shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible (aphthartoi), and we -- we shall be changed: 53for it behoveth this corruptible to put on incorruption (aphtharsian), and this mortal to put on immortality; (athanasian) 54and when this corruptible may have put on incorruption, and this mortal may have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the word that hath been written, `The Death was swallowed up -- to victory; 55where, O Death, thy sting? where, O Hades, thy victory?'
We will receive immortality when our bodies are raised never to die again and we will be with God forever. Aionios life is the life we have today, life during the ages and eventually we will receive immortality.
God bless.
Last edited by ShanaBrown; 04-25-2009 at 11:23 PM..
Jesus used sheep and goats to picture the division between believers and unbelievers. Obedient followers will be separated from the pretenders and unbelievers.
INLC,
I don't know how you do it....I'm about to jump through the screen.
After all you have spoken to the truth, it's got to be more than just not understanding on their part. It has to be part of the strong delusion that God says what will happen as time nears the end.
It will be a very sad when the delusion of their denial becomes reality.... hell, eternal punishment awaits the evil doers and unbelievers.
On words that have been translated as "forever" or "eternal" in some translations.
Sodom's fiery judgment is "eternal" (Jude
7)--until--God "will restore the fortunes of Sodom"
16:53-55).
Israel's "affliction is incurable" (Jer.
30:12)-until--the Lord "will restore health" and heal
her wounds (Jer. 30:17).
The sin of Samaria "is incurable" (Mic. 1:9)-until--
Lord "will restore ... the fortunes of Samaria." (Ez.
16:53).
Ammon is to become a "wasteland forever" and "rise no
more" (Zeph. 2:9, Jer. 25:27 --until--the Lord will
"restore the fortunes of the Ammonites" (Jer. 49:6).
An Ammonite or Moabite is forbidden to enter the
Lord's congregation "forever"-until--the tenth
generation (Deut. 23:3):
Habakkuk tells us of mountains that were
"everlasting", that is -until-- they "were shattered"
Hab. 3 3:6).
The Aaronic Priesthood was to be an "everlasting"
priesthood (Ex. 40:15), that is-until-it was
superceded by the Melchizedek Priesthood (Hebrews
7:14-18).
Many translations of the Bible inform us that God
would dwell in Solomon's Temple "forever" (1 Kings
8:13), that is,--until the Temple was destroyed.
The Law of Moses was to be an "everlasting covenant"
(Leviticus 24:8) yet we read in the New Covenant the
first was "done away" and "abolished" (2 Corinthians
3:11,13), and God "made the first old" (Hebrews 8:13).
The fire for Israel's sin offering (of a ram without
blemish) is never to be put out. It shall be a
"perpetual"-- until-- Christ, the Lamb of God, dies
for our sins. We now have a better covenant
established on better promises (Lev. 6:12-13, Heb.
8:6-13).
God's waves of wrath roll over Jonah
"forever"-until--the Lord delivers him from the large
fish's belly on the third day (Jonah 2:6,10; 1: 17);
Egypt and Elam will "rise no more" (Jer.
25:27)-until--the Lord will "restore the fortunes of
Egypt" (Ez. 29:14) and "restore the fortunes of Elam"
(Jer. 49:39).
"Moab is destroyed" (Jer. 48:4, 42)-until--the Lord
"will restore the fortunes of Moab" (Jer. 48:47).
Israel's judgment lasts "forever"-until--the Spirit is
poured out and God restores it (Isa. 32:13-15).
So, narrow is the way to life and few find it-until--
and His church confiscate the "strong man's" booty,
setting the captives free so God becomes all in all
(Isa. 61, Luke 11:21-22, Matt. 7:13; 16:18, 1 Cor.
15:24-28).
God bless.
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