Dozier/Johnson Debate on Eternal Punishment
James Johnson's First Affirmative
Proposition:
The scriptures teach that the eternal punishment of lost man is a
final, irrevocable punishment in a lake that burns with fire and
brimstone.
Affirm: James Johnson
Deny: Robert Dozier
We use the following definitions:
"Scriptures" are those writings inspired (God-breathed) of God
"Eternal" means "without end".
"Punishment" means "the act of punishing".
"Eternal punishment" means "the act of punishing without end".
"Lost" means "to destroy, to perish".
"Lake with fire and brimstone" is "hell"; everlasting punishment;
in the figurative sense, "Gehenna"
"Fire and brimstone" is fire and sulphur. The Lake of Fire and
brimstone is a description of a lake of burning sulphur. Sulphur
melts and flows when it burns.
Hermeneutic to be Used
I would like to begin this discussion with a description of a
hermeneutic that is to be used for this discussion. It is a
simple rule with profound implications in terms of understanding
scripture. The simple rule is that any text must be taken
literally unless the context demands that the text must be
understood figuratively. D. R. Dungan in his classic work,
Hermeneutics, lists the above rule as the number one rule applied
to understanding figures (D. R. Dungan, Hermeneutics, Standard
Publishing Company, Cincinnati, OH, 1888, p184). To the above
rule we add a corollary: expositors must use a bible key to
unlock the meaning of figures (cf. Dungan, Sec 49, Rule 7, How
May We Know the Purpose of the Author http://www.mun.ca/rels/restmov/texts/ddungan/hatb/HATB07.HTM).
Expositors are not at liberty to apply just any meaning that they
choose to explain a figure, for such actions results in anarchy.
An example of the proper use of a bible key to explain a figure
is found in Rev 1:20 ("The seven stars are the angels of the
seven churches"). The apostle John illustrates the use of Bible
keys when He uses the statement of Christ to explain Rev 1:16's
"seven stars".
One expositor suggested a rule opposite to the above that must
apply to all scripture. He suggested that all scripture must be
taken figuratively unless the context demands that it must be
taken literally. Such a rule reduces understanding the Bible to
chaos, for there is NO text that cannot be imagined to be
figurative and there is NO text that is imagined to be figurative
to which one cannot attach some fanciful meaning. Even the
resurrection of Christ upon which our hope uniquely rests can be
imagined to be a figure of the hope of the disciples that was
crushed at the death of Christ that sprang again to life when the
disciples began to perpetuate His memory by the propagation of
the teaching of the Master. Likewise, if we permit the
imagination of the expositor to be the only rule needed to
determine the meaning of a figure then almost anything could be
imagined as an explanation of the text (Dungan:183). The chaotic
meaning attached to scripture by means of making it figurative
and assigning the "figures" an arbitrary meaning justifies the
charge leveled by unbelievers that the Bible can be made to mean
anything and hence means nothing. If the hermeneutic requiring a
text to be understood literally unless the context demands
otherwise is not followed, meaningful discussion of Bible texts
becomes impossible. Specifically of relevance to the present
discussion with regard to the use and understanding of figures
are "Gehenna", a figure of eternal punishment, and "the Lake of
Fire", a literal description of everlasting punishment.
The real issue in the debate on eternal punishment is not really
over what the Bible says. The text is very clear when it says
that the Lake of Fire burns unceasingly and does not ever go out
(Mt 3:12, Lk 3:16). Likewise it is very clear that the Devil is
thrown into the Lake of Fire and is tormented day and night
unendingly (Rev 20:10). It is abundantly clear that the wicked
who are thrown into hell are conscious for they weep and gnash
their teeth (Mt 8:12), and they have no rest day or night forever
(Rev 14:11). It is very clear that the wicked thrown there are
not burned up, for their worm does not ever die (Mk 9:48). The
literal sense of these verses is very clear, but yet controversy
remains over what God really means. The real issues are
therefore philosophical ones of what does God really mean rather
than what the text literally says. The main philosophical
opposition arises from the injustice that our theology has God
imposing on the ignorant. That is, is it really just for God to
throw weak and ignorant men into Gehenna to endless torment?
A second issue relevant to understanding eternal hell is in what
manner we should attempt to understand the Bible. Is it a book
of mystery using figurative language to reveal God's truth in
such a way that only specially endowed commentators who have
unique insight from God may understand it? Ed Fudge and Al Maxey
are representative champions of using the justice of God as the
key to interpreting the real meaning of hell
(http://www.edwardfudge.com/written/fire.html, http://www.zianet.com/maxey/MxThrshr.htm).
Sam Dawson is a representative champion of the figurative
approach to the Bible (http://gospelthemes.com/hell.htm).
The reasoning in this paper will make no difference to the people
who take the scriptures to be figurative. It will not matter
what God says because, "It is figurative, don't you know?" If
you start with the premise that eternal hell is a figure of
speech, you will never arrive at the conclusions presented here.
The reasoning here will be rejected outright as being invalid
because the basic premise that God literally means what He says
will be rejected from the beginning. With those who hold that
view, you must begin with a discussion regarding what is the
appropriate hermeneutic with which to interpret scripture. As
long as men feel free to take a passage in a figurative way when
they encounter scriptures whose literal sense is objectionable or
difficult, there can be no real rapprochement on the issue of
eternal punishment.
Hell is Unending Conscious Torment At issue in the discussion is
whether those who are damned by God at the Judgment suffer
unending, conscious torment or whether, as brother Dozier
affirms, they suffer for a time and are then utterly and finally
annihilated by the literal flames of hell. We can determine that
the damned suffer eternally by noting the meaning of "forever",
"eternal" and "everlasting". Though brother Dozier has contended
that "forever" has to do with permanence rather than duration, it
is clear that if something is permanent, it is age lasting.
Since the world to come does not end (Rev 22:5), anything
permanent in that world will last forever. God lasts forever
(Rev 15:7). Christ lasts forever (Lk 1:33, Rev 1:18). The
saints last forever (Mt 19:29, Lk 18:30, I Tim 1:16). The Bible
clearly teaches that the existence of these is without end. The
exact same word used to describe "life eternal" (Mt 25:46) is
used to describe "everlasting fire" (Mt 25:41) and "everlasting
punishment" (Mt 25:46). If the word means "permanent living"
when applied to God, Christ, and the saints, then it means
"permanent dying" when applied to the damned.
God saves the righteous from eternal wrath at the Judgment, and
the effect is eternal living. It is a one time decision by God
that brings the righteous into eternal life. However, though the
judgment may be a singular event with everlasting effects, the
state into which God's singular judgment placed the saints is one
of constant duration. The state selected by the Judgment of God
is an everlasting state that is distinct from His singular
judgment that selected their state. The state of the saved into
which God's singular judgment places them is eternal living.
Likewise the damned are placed in a state by a one time judgment
from God. They will never again come before the presence of God
(II Thes 1:9, En 62:13). Their access to God is forever
destroyed by His one time pronouncement of their doom. God's
pronouncement, however, rather than annihilating them forever,
places them in a state of punishment forever. In that state of
eternal punishment they are consigned to a state where they are
the objects of "the act of punishing" forever. Their state, like
the righteous, is an eternal state, but in contrast to the
eternal living state of the righteous, the wicked suffer an
eternal dying state in unending agony (Mt 8:12, Lk 13:28, Mk
9:48). Matthew 8:12 But the children of the kingdom shall be
cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing
of teeth. Luke 13:28 There shall be weeping and gnashing of
teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all
the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust
out. Mark 9:48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not
quenched.
From a practical perspective it matters not whether one regards
"eternal punishment" as a permanent state brought about by the
Judgment of God or whether one regards it as an unending state
brought about by the Judgment of God. In an age that never ends,
the effect of both views is exactly the same; that is, permanent
is the same as unending. If the damned are placed in a permanent
state of dying, they are placed in an eternal state of dying.
The place of death (Hades) is even put into Gehenna with the
damned (Rev 20:14). As a result of the place of death being
identical to the place of dying, the souls of the damned have
nowhere to go and physical death (the separation of body and
spirit-Jas 2:26) cannot occur. It is also true that souls cannot
be annihilated by fire because God's spirit angels can become
flames of fire (Heb 1:7) and spirits in Hades endure its flames
(Lk 16:24). The damned are placed in a state of eternal
punishment where they suffer the pangs of death (Acts 2:24) for
eternity (Mk 9:48, Isa 66:24). In contrast to the idea of
annihilation the Bible teaches that man has an immortal soul (Gen
1:27, 9:6, Lk 20:38). Man's soul is not annihilated by the
flames of Hades (Lk 16:24). Neither is the soul annihilated by
the flames of Gehenna as the following verses attest:
Mark 9:48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not
quenched.
Revelation 14:11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up
forever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who
worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark
of his name.
At the Judgment God pronounces a doom that is unchanging. For
the righteous their sentence is one of unending reward,
everlasting life. For the damned their sentence is one of
unending punishment, everlasting torment. The reader should note
that the sentence of God is singular and does not change. God's
judgment is either life or death. If one receives everlasting
life, he will be living forever. If one receives everlasting
death, he will be dying forever. God's sentence is not one of
punishment for a finite time and then annihilation forever, but
it is a singular punishment, "everlasting punishment". Those who
say that the wicked are annihilated either immediately or after a
finite time of torture ignore the unchanging aspect of God's
punishment. A punishment that is first torment in the flame and
then annihilation is not the same punishment. A change takes
place when the sinner ceases to exist. In the case where the
sinner suffers for a time and then ceases to exist, there are
actually two punishments involved. One is torture in the flame
where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. There is then a
second punishment inflicted: eternal annihilation. The judgment
of God is thus seen to be changed. The damned do NOT continue in
the punishment that God initially inflicts on them where they cry
out in pain. Sooner or later the pain of the fire ceases, when a
second punishment, annihilation, is inflicted upon them.
What is Death? The Lake of Fire is called the Second Death (Rev
20:14), but what is the death to which it refers? In order to
explain the Second Death, we need to understand death in
general. Jas 2:24 says, "The body apart from the spirit is
dead". It is not the spirit that dies, but the body. The body
is dead because it is separated from the spirit that animates it.
Likewise in Col 2:20 the Christian is deemed to be dead to the
world, that is, the Christian is separated from the defiling
elements of the world. We perceive then that the essence of death
then is separation from something. In death a relationship is
severed. We now notice that in I Tim 5:6 Paul describes a sinful
woman who is dead while her body is alive. He refers therefore to
a kind of death different from physical death. If death is
separation, what is it that the sinful woman is separated from
while she is still living? In the case of the sinful woman her
death appears to be a separation from fellowship with God. In
that way the sinful woman is physically alive but she is
spiritually dead because she is separated from fellowship with
God. We call the death of I Tim 5:6 "spiritual death".
Though the woman of I Tim 5:6 is dead, she does not cease to
exist, God does not cease to exist and her spirit does not cease
to exist. What ceases to exist is a relationship with God. In
the same way those who suffer the second death do not cease to
exist, but as II Thes 1:9 instructs us, the damned suffer
everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord. Paul
there defines what the second death is. It is permanent
separation from fellowship with God. The destruction of the
relationship with God is severing the fellowship with God and is
what the Second Death really is. The following table illustrates
the three different types of death that we have discussed. In
every case the death involves the destruction of a relationship.
The physical things involved in death do not cease their
existence, but when they die to one another they do cease to have
fellowship.
Type of Death What Does Exist What Does Not Exist
Physical The spirit, the body
(Matthew 22:32; Fellowship between the body
Luke 16:23-31) and the spirit
(James 2:26; Luke 16:22-23)
Spiritual The Person, God Fellowship between God and
the person
(1 Timothy 5:6; Ephesians
2:1-3)(1 John 1:6; 1 Timothy
5:6)
Eternal The Person, God Fellowship between God and
the person
(Matthew 25:46;
Mark 9:43-48)
As we have seen, the view of some is that the state of the wicked
changes from punishment to non-punishment when they eventually
burn up, but that is not what the text says happens. The text
says that the damned go into everlasting punishment, a punishing
that lasts forever. If a man goes to the electric chair, and he
dies, we do not speak of his punishment continuing. He is taken
and buried and his punishment is completed. That is not the view
of the Bible with respect to Gehenna. The text says that the
smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no
rest. Clearly "no rest" in Rev 14:11 indicates existence and
consciousness, and "forever and ever" indicates the unending
duration of their punishment. There is no change in the
punishment of the wicked. It continues without respite forever.
The Second Death Mark 9:48 and Rev 14:11 both indicate the
unending nature of the punishment. God sustains the tormented
for they glorify Him even while they suffer everlasting torture.
The plight of the wicked illustrate Paul 's saying that in a
great house there are vessels of wrath and vessels of mercy (Rom
9:22-23). The vessels of mercy glorify God by their obedience
and unending glorification. The vessels of wrath glorify God by
illustrating His justice upon their unending rebellion through
the unending punishment He inflicts. Both the righteous and the
wicked serve God forever. The righteous serve Him by their
everlasting obedient service. The wicked serve Him as an
everlasting object lesson of what happens to rebels. These
incorrigible rebels are located near earthly Jerusalem and are a
visible object lesson to those who come out from the City of God
(Isaiah 66:22-24, II Esdras 7:36).
Isaiah claims that people who come to worship God on the new
earth will go out to be reminded of the consequences of rebellion
against God (Isa 66:22-24). Is it reasonable in the context of
Isa 66 to take Isaiah's prophecy as a literal description of what
happens? Does the context demand that we take the verse to be
figurative? There is nothing in the context of Isaiah 66 that on
the face of it prohibits us from taking what Isaiah says in a
very literal sense. In support of a literal view of hell being
not far outside of Jerusalem on the new earth, we introduce Isa
34:9-10. In that passage, Isaiah makes a peculiar claim
regarding Edom, the land of the nation of Esau that lies to south
of Jerusalem. Isaiah foresees that Edom will be turned into fire
and brimstone forever. The fire of it will not be quenched night
or day; the smoke thereof shall go up forever: from generation to
generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it forever
and ever. Since Edom is certainly not like Isaiah 's description
at the present time, and Edom as a nation has ceased to exist,
some have sought to find justification for redefining "eternal"
as temporary based on the fact that Edom is nothing like the
description in Isa 34:9-10. Must we then resort to defining Isa
34:9-10 as a figure of speech because we have not yet seen a
literal fulfillment of it? Is it possible that a literal
fulfillment is yet in the future? We now investigate the
possibility that a literal fulfillment of Isa 34:9 is in God's
plan for the future.
History tells us that the Hasmonean Jews conquered Edom around
135 BC, but it even then did not become the land of burning pitch
that Isaiah describes. The Jews conquered Edom and gave them the
choice to serve God or be annihilated. They chose to serve God
at least superficially. Edom was at that time, and had been
before, a very worldly-minded nation that was very opposed to
Jacob/Israel (Ezek 25:12) even as their founding father, Esau,
had been (Gen 27:41). Herod the Great sprang from the Edomites
and his career reflected much of the worldly and ungodly
philosophy of the Edomites (Mt 2:16). In none of these events
however, do we find anything that approaches the description of
fire and brimstone and eternal desolation pictured by Isaiah.
There has never been a complete and perpetual annihilation of
Edom as described in Isaiah. People still live there today.
Bozrah, Petra, and other sites in Edom enjoy a brisk tourist
business. It certainly is not a perpetual waste as Isaiah
describes it. How then can the prophecy come true? When taken
in conjunction with Isa 66:22-24 and the other prophecies
regarding Gehenna, the meaning becomes clear. Edom's land will
become the site of the Lake of Fire. Let us now notice in more
detail the text of Isa 66:22-24:
Isaiah 66:22 For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I
will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your
seed and your name remain.
23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another,
and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship
before me, saith the LORD.
24 And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcasses of the
men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not
die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an
abhorring unto all flesh.
It is clear from Isaiah's prophecy that the place of torment of
the wicked is nearby to the place of worship on the new earth
because people who come to worship God at Jerusalem go out to
soberly reflect upon the fate of those who rebel against God.
Likewise the sacred writings of the Jews attested to the place of
torment being to the south of the place of worship.
Enoch 90:24 And the judgment was held first over the stars [the
fallen angels II Pet 2:4, Rev 9:1], and they were judged and
found guilty, and went to the place of condemnation, and they
were cast into an abyss, full of fire and flaming, and full 25 of
pillars of fire. And those seventy shepherds were judged and
found guilty ["I am the good shepherd" Jn 10:11, "All that ever
came before me are thieves and robbers" Jn 10:8], and they were
cast 26 into that fiery abyss. And I saw at that time how a like
abyss was opened in the midst of the earth, full of fire, and
they brought those blinded sheep, and they were all judged and
found guilty and 27 cast into this fiery abyss, and they burned;
now this abyss was to the right [based on standing at the house
of God facing the sun rising] of that house. And I saw those
sheep burning and their bones burning
Enoch, a prophet of God (Jude 1:14), says that the fiery abyss is
"to the right". Since the reference of God's people is God's
house (Ps 5:7) and toward the sun rising (Ezek 43:2), to the
right would be to the south. So according to Enoch the hell of
fire is close to Jerusalem and to the south. Likewise II Esdras
7:33-38 also describes hell as being close by the City of God:
[33] And the Most High shall be revealed upon the seat of
judgment, and compassion shall pass away, and patience shall be
withdrawn;
[34] but only judgment shall remain, truth shall stand, and
faithfulness shall grow strong.
[35] And recompense shall follow, and the reward shall be
manifested; righteous deeds shall awake, and unrighteous deeds
shall not sleep.
[36] Then the pit of torment shall appear, and opposite it shall
be the place of rest; and the furnace of hell shall be disclosed,
and opposite it the paradise of delight.
[37] Then the Most High will say to the nations that have been
raised from the dead, 'Look now, and understand whom you have
denied, whom you have not served, whose commandments you have
despised!
[38] Look on this side and on that; here are delight and rest,
and there are fire and torments!'
Esdras says that the place of rest for God's people (the city of
God-Heb 4:3, 11:10) is close to the pit of torment. Therefore it
appears from the prophecies in Isaiah, Enoch, and Esdras that at
the Judgment the Lake of Fire will be located on a site to the
south of Jerusalem. It will appear at the same time that New
Jerusalem comes down from heaven (Rev 21:2). On a site to the
right of the house of God (south), the Lake of Fire will occupy
much of the land that once belonged to worldly Esau. In that the
Lake of Fire is to the south of Jerusalem, it corresponds to the
type of the Valley of the Son of Hinnom (Gehenna), the lower end
of which was also south of Jerusalem. Gehenna (Josh 15:8, II Chr
28:3) was a place of demons (I Cor 10:20) where humans were
sacrificed and tortured in the flames (II Ki 23:10, II Chr 28:3,
Jer 7:31); screaming, weeping and gnashing of teeth was heard;
and later became a place where garbage was dumped. Likewise we
find the Lake of Fire to be a place where demons are thrown (Rev
19:20, 20:10, 16:16), humans are to be tortured in fire (Rev
14:11), and there is weeping and gnashing of teeth (Lk 13:28).
Gehenna
The Bible uses the type of the Valley of Hinnom to give a picture
of the Lake of Fire. The Valley of Hinnom was a literal place
nearby Jerusalem, but it is not the actual place where the wicked
will be burned. "Gehenna" that in the typical sense means "hell"
or "hellfire" is derived from Hebrew ge-hinnom, meaning "valley
of Hinnom", also known in the Old Testament as "the valley of the
son(s) of Hinnom" (Josh 15:8). Located west and south of
Jerusalem and running into the Kidron Valley at a point opposite
the modern village of Silwan, the valley of Hinnom once formed
part of the boundary between the tribes of Judah and Benjamin
(Josh. 15:8; 18:16; Neh. 11:30). During the monarchical period,
it became the site of an infamous high place (called "Topheth"
and derived from an Aramaic word meaning "fireplace"), where some
of the kings of Judah engaged in forbidden religious practices,
including human sacrifice by fire (2 Chron. 28:3; 33:6; Jer.
7:31; 32:35). Because of this, Jeremiah spoke of its impending
judgment and destruction (Jer. 7:32; 19:6). King Josiah put an
end to these practices by destroying and defiling the high place
in the valley of Hinnom (2 Kings 23:10).
Probably because of these associations with fiery destruction and
judgment, the word Gehenna came to be used metaphorically during
the intertestamental period as a designation for hell or eternal
damnation. In the New Testament, the word is used only in this
way and never as a geographic place name. As such, Gehenna is to
be distinguished from Hades, which is the temporary abode of all
the dead in general where the dead are held to await the Judgment
(Acts 2:27, 31; Rev. 20:13-14). Though prior to the time of the
resurrection of Christ even the saints were held captive in Hades
(Lk 16:25), the souls of the saints are now in heaven with Christ
(Eph 4:8, Php 1:23, Rev 6:10, Rev 20:4) while the souls of those
who are not saints continue to go to Hades (Rev 20:13) where in
torment they await the Judgment (Lk 12:48, Heb 9:27). By
contrast, the souls of the righteous enter heaven immediately
upon death (II Cor 5:8-9, Php 1:23-24). Jesus warned his
disciples of committing sins that would lead to Gehenna (Matt.
5:22, 29-30; 23:33; Mark 9:45; Luke 12:5). In the New Testament,
Gehenna designates the place or state of the final punishment of
the wicked. It is variously described as a fiery furnace (Matt.
13:42, 50), an unquenchable fire (Mark 9:43), or an eternal fire
prepared for the devil and his angels (Matt. 25:41). (The two
paragraphs above are adapted from Harper's Bible Dictionary.)
The Bible describes the place of punishment for the wicked by
several names. It is called a place of outer darkness where
there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Mt 22:13, 24:51,
25:30, Lk 13:28) and a place of everlasting fire (Mt 18:8, 25:41)
and a place of eternal punishment (Mt 25:46 ASV) and the Lake of
Fire (Rev 19:20, 20:10, 14, 15). Because some have questioned
that the above named places are identical, we submit the
following reasoning:
Mt 25:41 The everlasting fire is the place prepared for the Devil
Rev 20:10 The Devil is cast into the Lake of Fire
The Devil is cast into the everlasting fire
Unquenchable fire is everlasting fire.
Mark 9:43 Gehenna is the place of unquenchable fire
The everlasting fire where Devil is cast is Gehenna, the Lake of
Fire
Some also question whether "outer darkness" describes a place of
fire.
Here is Bible reasoning regarding outer darkness and the Lake of
Fire:
The wicked are punished by being thrown into outer darkness where
there is weeping and gnashing of teeth Mt 8:12
The place where the wicked were thrown was a furnace of fire
where there was weeping and gnashing of teeth Mt 13:42
Therefore the furnace of fire is a place of outer darkness where
there is weeping and gnashing of teeth
The furnace of fire is a place where the wicked are cast at the
end of the world Mt 13:41-42
The place where the wicked are cast at the end of the world is
the Lake of Fire Rev 20:15
Therefore the furnace of fire is the Lake of Fire.
Since The Lake of Fire is the same as the furnace of fire, the
Lake of Fire is a place of outer darkness where there is weeping
and gnashing of teeth. Gehenna and the Lake of Fire are the same
place, so Gehenna is a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth.
That place is a place of eternal fire, eternal torment, fire and
brimstone, outer darkness, and weeping and gnashing of teeth. It
is the place where the Devil and his angels will be thrown for
eternity (Rev 20:10).
The question naturally arises as to how one may be in outer
darkness and at the same time be in a place where fire is burning
and where men may be observed that are being tormented in the
flames (Isa 66:24). What Enoch says regarding the Judgment
explains how Gehenna, the Lake of Fire, can be both visible and
"outer darkness". Enoch 63:11 says, "And after that their faces
shall be filled with darkness and shame before that Son of Man,
and they shall be driven from his presence, and the sword shall
abide before his face in their midst."
The mist of darkness on the face of the damned is the Bible's
"outer darkness". The blindness of the damned is outer darkness
to them Mt 8:12, 22:13, 25:30, but they can be seen by others
(Isa 66:23-24). They cannot be recognized, and they cannot see
because of the mist of darkness that is on their face (II Pet
2:17). II Esdras 7:[55(125)] corroborates Peter's testimony when
it states, "Or that the faces of those who practiced self-control
shall shine more than the stars [Mt 13:43], but our faces shall
be blacker than darkness?"
Hell is not a place where anyone would want to go, so it is hard
to believe that some would be so depraved that they would refuse
to repent, even under torment, but Enoch says that it is so (En
50:4). Nonetheless, many people will go there because of evil
hearts and unbelief (Heb 3:11-12). In order to impress upon our
minds the awfulness of the place and to motivate men to avoid
going there at all costs, God has described it as a place that is
offensive to all five of our senses.
God appealed to all our five senses to describe hell as a bad
place:
1. Touch: pain from burning fire (Mt 25:42) 2. Taste: dry mouth,
extreme thirst, blood from gnashing teeth (Mt 8:12) 3. Smell:
rotting garbage-gehenna; rotten eggs-brimstone (Rev 20:10) 4.
Sight: smoke-fire; corruption-gehenna or black darkness (Rev
14:11, Mt 25:30) 5. Sound: moaning, weeping, crying, screaming
(Lk 13:28)
Hell is not just a ghost story designed to scare kids. It is a
most fearful and sober reality. It is not merely a place where
we are thrown and for a brief moment flare in a glorious flame
before we sink into eternal oblivion, but it is an awful, awful
place where the worm of our decay does not die (Mk 9:48, Isa
66:24), the fire is not quenched (Mk 9:48), the smoke of our
torment goes up forever (Rev 14:11), outer darkness abides
forever and ever (Mt 8:12, 25:41), and we are a spectacle of
shame to the redeemed through countless ages (Isa 66:24). God
forbid that we should go there, but go there we will, if we do
not try to serve God.
Hell and the Justice of God The real issue and motivation
underlying the eternal punishment discussion is a worthy attempt
to defend the justice of God. There would be no motivation for
Ed Fudge, Al Maxey, Robert Dozier and others to produce such a
patently wrong view of eternal punishment if behind it did not
lie the problem of obvious injustice that our theology has God
working on sinners. Almost every teacher or preacher who has
been teaching very long has experienced the question, "But what
about those people that never heard?" People recognize that it
is unjust to eternally burn ignorant people. God's justice in
relation to those who never heard is a valid concern when our
theology answers the question with, "They go to hell forever."
We can see that such an unqualified sentence is unjust and
unworthy of God is seen from the following considerations.
Man is born into the world without any volition of his own (Jn
1:13). He is born into a fallen world where his very physical
life from the moment of his conception is forfeit to Adam's sin
(I Cor 15:22, Gen 3:19, 22, Heb 9:27). In addition, due to his
weakened fleshly nature (Mt 26:41) that came about as a result of
the Fall (Gen 3:17), man has poor control over his faculties (Jas
1:14, I Jn 2:16, Rom 7:15). It is the universal experience of
man that he inevitably falls into sin (Isa 53:6, I Ki 8:46, Rom
3:23, 7:9) and transgresses whatever law of God he happens to be
under. If the man happens to be a man who never experienced the
light of the gospel, by the prevalent theology his fate would be
eternal punishment. That is clearly unfair. The man had no
choice about coming into the world. Though he theoretically did
not have to sin, practically speaking, it is a foregone
conclusion. Since the wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23) and he
has nothing with which to pay the debt incurred by his sin, he is
by all accounts doomed to eternal hell. Because of the obvious
injustice in sending someone to an eternal hell who did not know
and could not prevent his sin, Fudge, Maxey and others have
sought to soften the blow and render the punishment of wicked a
little less draconian and a little more in harmony with justice
than our present thinking would allow. The Catholics have
followed a similar course in their doctrine of purgatory. Both
Catholics and Protestants perceive a difficulty in sending men to
eternal torment who did not know better and could not help their
state.
Certainly all would allow that the sinner is worthy of
punishment, but eternal suffering seems more than justice would
allow. For the believer, however, the answer is not trying to
contravene the clear teaching of the scripture on eternal
punishment, but it is rather to be willing to take what God says
about the Judgment. Since the Bible certainly teaches eternal
conscious torment (Rev 14:11, 20:10), what then is the solution
of the dilemma for the wicked? God provides the answer, if we
are willing to hear.
In Luke 12:48 Jesus provides a key to the solution of the justice
of the eternal judgment of God. Jesus promises that those who
were ignorant of God's will and yet sinned anyway will be
punished, but they will receive "few stripes". What does "few
stripes" mean? Does it mean a cooler spot in Hell? That cannot
be, for by no stretch of the imagination can one get "few
stripes" out of "eternal punishment", even if the stripes were
inflicted with a wet noodle. "Few stripes" indicates a temporal
punishment, even as Dozier and others seek to extract out of
"eternal punishment". The "few stripes" of the Bible, however,
are administered during this present age. We see them
administered in Lk 16:24 where Dives in Hades proclaims, "I am
tormented in this flame". The wicked endure punishment in the
flames of Hades until the resurrection. Then they are brought
before God where a true Judgment occurs. In contrast to our
theology that says that judgment occurs at the moment of death,
God says the Judgment occurs after the Resurrection (Mt 25:31ff,
Lk 19:15, Syb Orc 2:404-413, 8:295-299).
At this point most Christians would agree with the general
scenario of death, torment in Hades for the wicked, and the
Resurrection. Most people do not accept what God says happens
next. There is a real, genuine Judgment of life and death. It
can be a real Judgment because a determination is made at that
time based not only on what people did in their lives, but also
their attitude after they found out that they were sinners in the
hands of an angry God. Enoch the prophet (Jude 1:14) says in En
50:2-4,
And the righteous shall be victorious in the name of the Lord of
Spirits: And He will cause the others [the nations-JRJ] to
witness (this) That they may repent And forgo the works of their
hands.
3 They [the nations-JRJ] shall have no honour through the name of
the Lord of Spirits, Yet through His name shall they be saved,
And the Lord of Spirits will have compassion on them, For His
compassion is great.
4 And He is righteous also in His judgment,
Though the Bible does not explicitly state that men can repent
after death as clearly as Enoch does, the Bible requires that we
necessarily conclude what Enoch expressly states. The Bible
states that the righteous will be given rule over those of the
nations to whom God grants life. For example
1 Corinthians 6:2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the
world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy
to judge the smallest matters?
3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things
that pertain to this life?
Paul makes it explicitly clear that the judgment of which God
speaks in I Cor 6 is not exercised in this life. It is a
position of authority granted to the righteous to be over the
nations on the new earth (I Cor 6:3). Paul's picture of the
saints in authority over the nations agrees with very many OT and
NT prophecies (Rev 2:27, Lk 19:17, Isa 61:4, Isa 14:1,2, Isa
54:3, Isa 61:6, Amos 9:12, Micah 5:8, Ps 47:3, Isa 45:11, Dt
28:13, Zech 2:8, Rev 3:21, I Cor 6:2-3, Mt 5:5, II Tim 4:8, I Cor
9:25, Jas 1:12, I Pet 5:4, Rev 2:10). Since God gives a promise
to the saints that they will rule over the nations, if someone
obeyed God in this life, he would be among the redeemed and have
the blessings promised to the righteous (Acts 2:38-39, Rev
2:10). The fact that there are multitudes among the nations who
serve the sons of God implies that they do not receive the
blessings of sons, and hence do not serve God in this life.
These of the nations receive eternal life, but they do not
receive the adoption as sons (Gal 4:5). Those among the nations
who inherit the earth (Mt 5:5) are saved from hell, but they do
not receive access to God (Rev 22:15). The Judgment is therefore
a true judgment where men's eternal destinies are determined.
We should also notice the judgment of the nations in Mt 25:31ff.
In that judgment of the nations, we do not find a single
reference to whether those being judged used one cup or many, or
whether they used Bible classes, or believed premillennialism, or
had their women cover their heads during worship, or used
instruments of music, or partook of the Lord 's Supper every
first day of the week. The judgment there is all about what it
means to be a basic decent human. There is no indication that
these people even knew anything about Jesus, because they asked
when they did what He accused them of doing (Mt 25:39). It is
clear in Mt 25 that Jesus is judging the nations based upon their
basic decency as human beings. These nations were not religious
people who were attempting to serve God. The righteous are
judged first and are thereafter present with Christ at the
judgment of the nations (I Pet 4:17, Lk 19:15, 27, Mt 25:10, II
Esdras 2:43). When the nations are judged, the brethren of
Christ have already received their kingdoms (Lk 19:17, 19) and
are present at the Judgment helping Christ in the separation of
the nations (Mt 25:40, I Cor 6:2).
The point of this discussion in reference to eternal punishment
is that from the above considerations, it is clear that God is
eminently fair and just at the Judgment. He pardons those people
who suffered temporal punishment in Hades who knew nothing of His
grace provided they display a penitent and submissive heart after
they discover their error. Regarding those who refuse to repent
after they have learned about Him and have seen firsthand from
their suffering in Hades what God can do, if then God responds
justly to their continued rebellion? He is left with but little
choice but to send them to eternal hell. Also, for those people
who knew God's will in the present age and reviled it, their case
is as the Hebrew writer intimates in Heb 10:29, "Of how much
sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who
hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the
blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy
thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?" Those
people who knew God and opposed God and His people will be given
up to death (Lk 12:47, Mk 16:16, II Pet 2:21, II Baruch 72:5),
because they fully deserve it. They adamantly refused to serve
God in life, but they will serve Him eternally in their death
(Isa 66:23-24, Rev 21:8). God's judgment is eminently fair,
because only those who have known God's will and rejected it (Heb
10:29, II Pet 2:22) or learned about it in Hades and refused to
repent (En 50:4) or who have been utterly wicked (En 103:7-8,
22:13) will experience the second death. Seeing then the mercy
of God toward those ignorant but penitent among the nations who
could not help their situation, God is entirely fair to send
those who continue to resist to eternal torment. There is no
need to rework the scriptures in an attempt to arrive at a
scenario in which God is justified in His judgments. The
scriptures justify God in His judgments in what they say
regarding the judgment of the nations.
Hell is Eternal We have already discussed some scriptures that
teach that hell is unending. In an attempt to circumvent the
force of these scriptures, some argue that time is not the issue
with regard to hell, but rather its permanence. They argue that
the sentence of God is what is permanent rather than the
punishment. In contrast to the view that hell is temporary, we
notice the positive teaching of the scriptures regarding hell.
We notice that the fires of hell are permanent. Mt 18:8 says
that its fire is "everlasting". Mk 9:48 says, "The fire is not
quenched". The word "everlasting" in "everlasting fire" in Mt
25:41 is exactly the same word as is found in "everlasting life"
(Mt 19:29, Lk 18:30). The fires of hell are said to last as long
as the righteous are said to live. We do not conclude from the
Bible description of Gehenna that it burns for a while and then
goes out. We conclude that it actually and literally serves as a
place of torment forever. Why, then, if "everlasting fire" is a
fire burning forever, is not "everlasting punishment" an act of
punishing forever? The eternal fire (Jude 1:7) visited upon
Sodom and Gomorrah went out upon the earth, but the same fire
still burns eternally in the Lake of Fire (Ex 20:11, En 18:10-
15). The fire and brimstone poured in cataracts upon the earth
at the end of the world (II Pet 3:7, Syb Orc 3:63-67, 3:98-106,
3:861-871) that burns the wicked from the earth like chaff (Lk
3:17) is from the same everlasting fire that burns ceaselessly in
hell, though the fire eventually goes out on the earth (Mal 4:3,
Syb Orc 4:227-236). The everlasting fire burns ceaselessly in
hell, but when separated from its source in hell, eventually goes
out. Enoch explicitly states that the Lake of Fire burns
endlessly (En 10:13-14, 67:13, 91:9, 108:2-6). Though fire taken
from hell eventually goes out, the fires in the lake itself will
never be extinguished (Mk 9:48).
In Rev 20:10 John says the Devil is cast into the Lake of Fire
where he is tormented day and night forever and ever. No one
doubts the justice of the perpetual punishment of the Devil.
After all, with malice aforethought he tempted Adam and Eve to
commit a capital crime (Jn 8:44), and thereby put to death both
Adam and Eve and over forty billion of their descendants (Rom
5:12, I Cor 15:22). It is Satan who is directly responsible for
the billions who eternally perish. It is Satan who has abetted
every atrocity, every malignity, every corruption, and every
travesty since the beginning of creation. Certainly, we could
not imagine such malignancy being met with anything less than
torment day and night forever and ever. However, the description
of what is given to the Devil is exactly the same as what is
given to the damned. Rev 20:14 says, "[The Devil] shall be
tormented day and night forever and ever". Rev 14:11 says the
smoke of the torment of the wicked "ascendeth up forever and
ever: and they have no rest day nor night". There is no
difference between the punishment of the Devil and the punishment
of the damned. In fact, Mt 25:41 even specifies that the
everlasting fire into which the damned are cast is the same fire
in which the Devil is cast. The same fire that perpetually
torments the Devil also perpetually punishes the damned. Since
the everlasting, unquenchable fire does not ever end for the
Devil, on what basis do we conclude that it ends for the damned
who are with him?
Consider the assertion that men are burned up in the flames of
hell. We know that angels and the Devil both have spirit
dimensions (Heb 1:7, Eph 6:12, II Cor 11:14). However, we do not
have any problem with the Devil (a spirit) being tormented
endlessly. We also do not conclude that he eventually burns up
and is annihilated because of the flame. Why then, since men
have a spirit made in the image of God, do we suppose that the
flame burns up the spirit that is in man? There is no evidence
whatever that fire can destroy a spirit. Spirits can become fire
(Heb 1:7, II Thes 1:8). The saints can be baptized in it (Mt
3:11). The souls in Hades endure it for centuries (Lk 16:24).
It does not destroy them. Why should the fire destroy the damned
when God says they are to suffer as objects of the act of
unending punishing?
In support of the thesis that eternal punishment is unending
punishing, the following scriptures are introduced for your
consideration:
Mt 25:46 ASV And these shall go away into eternal punishment: but
the righteous into eternal life.
"Eternal" means "perpetual, eternal, forever, everlasting".
"Punishment" is the "act of punishing". The wicked are to
receive "eternal punishment" or they are the objects of the
"perpetual act of punishing".
Mark 9:47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is
better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye,
than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:
48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
There is no end to the existence of the wicked. Something about
them endures for the same duration as the unquenchable fire.
Matthew 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand,
Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for
the devil and his angels:
The damned burn in the same place and for the same duration, as
do the Devil and his angels. If the everlasting fire does not
annihilate the evil spirits when they are cast into it, why would
the flames annihilate the spirit of man that is made in the image
of the everlasting God?
Revelation 19:20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false
prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived
them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that
worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a Lake of
Fire burning with brimstone.
Revelation 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into
the Lake of Fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false
prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night forever and
ever.
The beast, the false prophet and the Devil are all cast into the
Lake of Fire that burns forever. There they will be tormented
forever.
Revelation 20:14 And death and hell [Hades] were cast into the
Lake of Fire. This is the second death.
The place of the dead is made to co-exist with the Lake of Fire.
The spirits in Gehenna have no place to which they can depart
(Gen 35:18). They eternally experience the pangs of death (Acts
2:24), but cannot be loosed from them (Mk 9:48).
Revelation 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book
of life was cast into the Lake of Fire.
The Lake of Fire becomes the abode of all those to whom God did
not grant life.
Matthew 22:13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand
and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness;
there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The place of torment is dark and painful. Once put there, men
cannot escape.
Matthew 25:30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer
darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 8:12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out
into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of
teeth.
Jude 1:4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were
before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men.
to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.
The place of torment is a place of Stygian darkness. Men are
tormented and weep and gnash their teeth.
Isaiah 66:22 For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I
will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your
seed and your name remain.
23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another,
and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship
before me, saith the LORD.
24 And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcasses of the
men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not
die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an
abhorring unto all flesh.
Mark 9:44 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not
quenched.
The place of torment does not end.
The following texts are taken from ancient Jewish writings that
were at one time considered sacred. These texts were excluded
from the Jewish canon between AD 100-125 and from the Christian
canon in AD 397. They are presented here for your consideration
as texts that were considered genuine by early Christians (Jude
1:14). The reader can see for himself that these texts are consistent with the accepted biblical texts.
Enoch 10:11-14
And the Lord said unto Michael: Go, bind Semjaza [a fallen angel]
and his associates who have united themselves with women so as to
have defiled themselves [Gen 6:1-2] 12 with them in all their
uncleanness. And when their sons have slain one another, and they
have seen the destruction of their beloved ones, bind them fast
for seventy generations in the valleys of the earth, till the day
of their judgment and of their consummation, till the judgment
that is 13 forever and ever is consummated. In those days they
shall be led off to the abyss of fire: and 14 to the torment and
the prison in which they shall be confined forever.
Enoch 62:8 And all the elect shall stand before him on that day.
9 And all the kings and the mighty and the exalted and those who
rule the earth Shall fall down before him on their faces, And
worship and set their hope upon that Son of Man, And petition him
and supplicate for mercy at his hands.
10 Nevertheless that Lord of Spirits will so press them That they
shall hastily go forth from His presence, And their faces shall
be filled with shame, And the darkness grow deeper on their
faces.
11 And He will deliver them to the angels for punishment, To
execute vengeance on them because they have oppressed His
children and His elect
12 And they shall be a spectacle for the righteous and for His
elect: [Isa 66:23-23, Lk 19:27, Mk 9:44]
II Baruch 44:14
These are they who have acquired for themselves treasures of
wisdom, And with them are found stores of understanding, And from
mercy have they not withdrawn, And the truth of the law have they
preserved.
15 For to them shall be given the world to come, But the dwelling
of the rest who are many shall be in the fire.'
The Sibylline Oracles were apparently part of God's very ancient
revelation to the Gentiles. It is part of what they did not wish
to retain in their memory of which Paul speaks in Rom 1:21, 25.
The Oracles are filled with information regarding the end of the
world. It was quoted as scripture by some early Christians.
Sib Orc 8:288
Faithful and faithless mortals shall see God The Most High with
the saints at the end of time.
290 And of men bearing flesh he judges souls
Upon his throne, when sometime the whole world
Shall be a desert and a place of thorns.
And mortals shall their idols cast away
And all wealth. And the searching fire shall burn
295 Earth, heaven, and sea; and it shall burn the gates,
Of Hades' prison. Then shall come all flesh
Of the dead to the free light of the saints;
But the lawless shall that fire whirl round and round.
For ages.
The following words from the Bible in the original language that
are translated "forever", "everlasting", or "eternal". The
numbers given are Strong's numbers. For each of the words we
give a definition from one of the lexicographers (Strong, Thayer,
Brown-Driver-Briggs). The definition is followed by a sample
scripture in which the original word is found that in most cases
clearly means "unending". The sample verse is followed by my
brief comment emphasizing the unending nature of the word in the
verse.
forever H0753
from 748; length: KJV -- + forever, length, long.
E.g. Ps 21:4 regarding the Messiah
4 He asked life of thee, and thou gavest it him, even length of
days forever and ever. (H0753)
There is no end to the life of the Messiah.
forever H3605 H3117
always, continually, as long as
3605 properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every
3117 day
2 Chronicles 21:7 Howbeit the LORD would not destroy the house of
David, because of the covenant that he had made with David, and
as he promised to give a light to him and to his sons forever.
(H3605 H3117)
There is no end to God's promise that David would have a light to
him and his sons.
forever H4481 H5957
forever
4481 from; out of; by; by reason of; at; more than.
5957 remote time, i.e. the future or past indefinitely; often
adverb,
Daniel 2:20 Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God
forever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: (H4481 H5957)
The name of God is to be blessed without end.
Forever:
forever H5331
eminence; perpetuity; strength; victory; enduring;
everlastingness; enduring of life; endurance in time; perpetual;
continual; unto the end; everlastingness; ever.
Ps 68:16 Why leap ye, ye high hills? this is the hill which God
desireth to dwell in; yea, the LORD will dwell in it forever.
(H5331)
God will dwell in Zion without end (Micah 4:7)
forever H5703
perpetuity; forever; continuing future; ancient (used of past
time); forever (used of future time); used of continuous
existence; forever (used of God's existence).
Micah 4:5b we will walk in the name of the LORD our God forever
and ever. (H5703)
There is no end to Israel's walking in the name of the Lord.
forever H5704
as far as; even to; until; up to; while; as far as; used of
space: as far as; up to; even to; in combination: from... as far
as; both... and (with `min'; from); used of time: even to; until;
unto; till; during; end; used of degree: to the degree of; even
like; to the point that; so that even.
Ezekiel 37:25 And they shall dwell in the land that I have given
unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they
shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their
children's children forever: and my servant David shall be their
prince forever. (H5704)
Jacob will dwell in the land God gave him for the same duration
as Jesus rules over the world, that is, without end (Lk 1:33).
forever H5769
forever, always, of old, everlasting, perpetual long duration;
antiquity; futurity; forever; ever; everlasting; evermore;
perpetual; old; ancient; world; ancient time; long time (used of
the past); (used of the future); forever; always; continuous
existence; perpetual; everlasting; indefinite or unending future;
eternity.
Genesis 3:22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as
one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his
hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live
forever: (H5769)
God did not want man to physically live without end.
forever H5704 H5769
forever as far as; even to; until; up to; while; as far as; used
of space: as far as; up to; even to; in combination: from... as
far as; both... and (with `min'; from); used of time: even to;
until; unto; till; during; end; used of degree: to the degree of;
even like; to the point that; so that even.
2 Samuel 7:13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will
stablish the throne of his kingdom forever. (H5704 H5769)
The throne of Jesus kingdom will not end.
forever H5865
forever
forever; ever; everlasting; evermore; perpetual; old; ancient;
world.
2 Chronicles 33:7 And he set a carved image, the idol which he
had made, in the house of God, of which God had said to David and
to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have
chosen before all the tribes of Israel, will I put my name
forever: (H5865)
There is to be no end of God's name associated with Jerusalem
(Micah 4:7).
forever H5957
old, forever, never, everlasting, forever and ever, remote time;
i.e. the future or past indefinitely; often used adverbially:
forever; everlasting; old.
Daniel 2:44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of
heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the
kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in
pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand
forever. (H5957)
The kingdom of Christ will not end.
forever H6783
Completion; finality; in perpetuity (Lev. 25:23,30).
Leviticus 25:30 And if it be not redeemed within the space of a
full year, then the house that is in the walled city shall be
established forever to him that bought it throughout his
generations: it shall not go out in the jubilee. (H6783)
The house was to remain the buyer's property without end during
this age.
forever G0165
from the same as 104; properly, an age; by extension, perpetuity
(also past); by implication, the world; specially (Jewish) a
Messianic period (present or future): KJV -- age, course,
eternal, (for) ever(-more), (n-)ever, (beginning of the, while
the) world (began, without end).
Compare 5550.
John 6:51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if
any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread
that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of
the world. (G0165)
There was to be no end of the life of the man who eats the living
bread.
forever G0166
from 165; perpetual (also used of past time, or past and future
as well):
KJV -- eternal, forever, everlasting, world (began).
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,
but have everlasting life. (G0166)
There is to be no end of the life God gives those who believe on
the Son of God.
Everlasting:
everlasting H5769
from 5956; properly, concealed, i.e. the vanishing point;
generally, time out of mind (past or future), i.e. (practically)
eternity; frequentatively, adverbial (especially with
prepositional prefix) always:
KJV -- alway(-s), ancient (time), any more, continuance, eternal,
(for, (n-))ever(- lasting, -more, of old), lasting, long (time),
(of) old (time), perpetual, at any time, (beginning of the) world
(+ without end). Compare 5331, 5703.
Psalms 41:13 Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting,
and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen. (H5769)
There is to be no end to blessing God's name.
everlasting H5703
from 5710; properly, a (peremptory) terminus, i.e. (by
implication)duration, in the sense of advance or perpetuity
(substantially as a noun, either with or without a preposition):
KJV -- eternity, ever(- lasting, -more), old, perpetually, +
world without end. Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto
us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder:
and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty
God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (H5703)
There is to be no end of the Father.
everlasting H5957
(Aramaic) corresponding to 5769; remote time, i.e. the future or
past indefinitely; often adverb, forever: KJV -- for ((n-))ever
(lasting), old. Daniel 7:13 I saw in the night visions, and,
behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven,
and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before
him.
14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom,
that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his
dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. (H5957
There is to be no end of the dominion of the Son of Man.
everlasting H6924
from 6923; the front, of place (absolutely, the fore part,
relatively the East) or time (antiquity); often used adverbially
(before, anciently, eastward): KJV -- aforetime, ancient (time),
before, east (end, part, side, -ward), eternal, X ever(-lasting),
forward, old, past. Compare 6926.
Habakkuk 1:12 Art thou not from everlasting, O LORD my God, mine
Holy One? we shall not die. O LORD, thou hast ordained them for
judgment; and, O mighty God, thou hast established them for
correction. (H6924)
God has no beginning.
everlasting G0166
from 165; perpetual (also used of past time, or past and future
as well):
KJV -- eternal, forever, everlasting, world (began).
Matthew 19:29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or
brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children,
or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and
shall inherit everlasting life (G0166).
There is to be no end of the life God gives the faithful.
eternal H5769
from 5956; properly, concealed, i.e. the vanishing point;
generally, time out of mind (past or future), i.e. (practically)
eternity; frequentatively, adverbial (especially with
prepositional prefix) always:
KJV -- alway(-s), ancient (time), any more, continuance, eternal,
(for, (n-))ever(- lasting, -more, of old), lasting, long (time),
(of) old(time), perpetual, at any time, (beginning of the) world
(+ without end).
Compare 5331, 5703.
Isaiah 60:15 Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that
no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency,
a joy of many generations.
Jerusalem is to be a place of excellency without end (Micah 4:7).
Eternal:
eternal H6924
from 6923; the front, of place (absolutely, the fore part,
relatively the East) or time (antiquity); often used adverbially
(before, anciently, eastward): KJV -- aforetime, ancient (time),
before, east (end, part, side, -ward), eternal, X ever(-lasting),
forward, old, past. Compare 6926.
Deuteronomy 33:27 The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath
are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from
before thee; and shall say, Destroy them (H6924).
There is no end to God.
eternal G0165
from the same as 104; properly, an age; by extension, perpetuity
(also past); by implication, the world; specially (Jewish) a
Messianic period (present or future): KJV -- age, course,
eternal, (for) ever(-more), (n-)ever, (beginning of the, while
the) world (began, without end).
Compare 5550.
1 Timothy 1:17 Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible,
the only wise God, be honour and glory forever and ever. Amen.
(G0165)
There is no end to God.
eternal G0166
from 165; perpetual (also used of past time, or past and future
as well):
KJV -- eternal, forever, everlasting, world (began).
Matthew 25:46 And these shall go away into everlasting
punishment: but the righteous into life eternal (G0166).
There is no end to eternal punishment or to eternal life.
eternal G0126
from 104; everduring (forward and backward, or forward only): KJV
-- eternal, everlasting.
Romans 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of
the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that
are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are
without excuse: (G0126)
God's power is without end.
Conclusion
Clearly the Bible contains the concept of endless existence. The
concept of the endless existence of the wicked in conscious
punishment is conveyed using exactly the same words that are used
to describe the endless existence of God. God is just in sending
those who are still unrepentant after temporal punishment in the
fires of Hades to the unending fire of the Lake of Fire. The
smoke of those cast into the Lake of Fire goes up forever and
ever, their worm does not die, and they have no rest day or night
forever. May God grant that we all avoid that awful place.
James Johnson