The Church has always held tenaciously to the teaching that the punishment of those who enter eternity unsaved, is unending. There is abundant evidence in the apocryphal literature of Israel to show that that nation believed and taught the same thing. Of late, however, the assertion is being made that this punishment is for a limited time only, this contention being based upon the statement that the two Greek words used to describe this punishment, refer to a limited period of time. These two words are, the noun, aion (αἰον
, and the adjective, aionios (αἰονιος
.
We submit Moulton and Milligan in their Vocabulary of the Greek Testament as our first authority. The work of these scholars is recognized as the latest advance in New Testament research, since it is based upon the study of the Greek secular documents known as The Papyri. These latter are the last court of appeal on the usage of Greek words in the first century. They give two uses for aion (αἰον
. In a phrase from one of these early manuscripts, For the rest of your life, aion (αἰον
refers to a limited period of time. A public meeting at Oxyrhynchus was punctuated with cries of The Emperors forever, where aion (αἰον
has the meaning of unending.
They have this to say about aionios (αἰονιος
. Without pronouncing any opinion on the special meaning which theologians have found for this word, we must note that outside the New Testament, in the vernacular as well as in classical Greek (see Grimm-Thayer), it never loses the sense of perpetuus. It is a standing epithet of the emperors power. Websters International Dictionary derives our English word perpetual, meaning continuing forever, everlasting, eternal, unceasing (its own definition), from this Latin word perpetuus. They give as an illustration of the use of aionios (αἰονιος
the sentence, I confess that I should show myself grateful for your loving-kindness forever. Their closing comment on aionios (αἰονιος
is, In general, the word depicts that of which the horizon is not in view, whether the horizon be at an infinite distance, or whether it lies no farther than the span of a Caesars life. Our next authority is Biblico-Theological Lexicon of New Testament Greek, by Herman Cremer, D.D. He says of aion (αἰον
: In early Greek especially, and still also in Attic, aion (αἰον
signifies the duration of human life as limited to a certain space of time, hence the meanings, the duration of life, course of life, term of life, lifetime, life in its temporal form. From this original limitation of the conception to human life, it may be explained how it sometimes denotes the space of a human life, a human generation. Accordingly, the expansion of the conception of time unlimited was easy, for it simply involved the abstraction of the idea of limitation, and thus the word came to mean unlimited duration. Inasmuch, therefore, as aion (αἰον
may denote either the duration of a definite space of time, or the (unending) duration of time in general, both future and past, according to the context, it was the proper term for rendering the Hebrew olam (ὀλαμ
,for which the LXX (Greek translation of Old Testament) used it constantly, the only distinction being that the Hebrew word meant primarily, a remote, veiled, undefined, and therefore, unlimited time, past or future, and only secondarily, a definite (especially future) period whose limits must be ascertained by the context.
As to aionios (αἰονιος
, Cremer has but these brief words: Aionios (Ἀιονιος
refers to time in its duration, constant, abiding, eternal.
We come now to the testimony of A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament by Joseph Henry Thayer, D.D. He gives as the first meaning of aion (αἰον
, age, a human lifetime, life itself, and for the second meaning, an unbroken age, perpetuity of time, eternity. His meanings of aionios (αἰονιος
are, first, without beginning or end, that which has always been and always will be, second, without beginning, third, without end, never to cease, everlasting. When comparing the synonyms, aidios (αἰδιος
and aionios (αἰονιος
he says, aidios (αἰδιος
covers the complete philosophical ideawithout beginning and without end; also either without beginning or without end, as respects the past; it is applied to what has existed time out of mind. Aionios (Ἀιονιος
(from Plato on) gives prominence to the immeasurableness of eternity (while such words as suneches (συνεχες
, continuous, unintermitted, diateles (διατελες
, perpetual, lasting to the end, are not so applicable to an abstract term, like aion (αἰον
); aionios (αἰονιος
accordingly is especially adapted to supersensuous things.
Finally, we quote Liddell and Scott in their Greek-English Lexicon (classical). Aion (Ἀιον
means a space or period of time, a lifetime, life, an age, generation, an indefinitely long time, a space of time, eternity. Aionios (Ἀιονιος
means lasting, eternal Dr. E. B. Pusey* quotes J. Reddel, the best Greek Oxford scholar of his day as stating that aionios (αἰονιος
in classical Greek was used strictly of eternity, an eternal existence, such as shall be, when time shall be no more. These authorities agree on the two meanings of aion (αἰον
, that of a limited space of time, and that of eternity, never ending, everlasting, the meaning to be used in any particular instance to be determined by the context in which it is found. They also agree upon the meaning of aionios (αἰονιος
, that it refers to time in its duration, constant, abiding, eternal, continuing forever, everlasting. Our next step will be to show that in certain passages in the New Testament where aion (αἰον
appears, it cannot be used in its meaning of a limited space of time, but can only mean eternal. These passages have to do with the being of the Son of God, His reign, His glory, His throne, His priesthood, His post-resurrection life, none of which is of limited duration, for everything about God is of infinite proportions. These are Luke 1:33, 55; John 8:35 (second occurrence), 12:34; Romans 1:25, 9:5, 11:36, 16:27; II Corinthians 11:31; Galatians 1:5; Ephesians 3:11; Philippians 4:20; I Timothy 1:17; II Timothy 4:18; Hebrews 1:8; 5:6, 6:20, 7:17, 21, 24, 28; 13:8, 21; I Peter 4:11, 5:11; II Peter 3:18; Revelation 1:6, 18, 4:9, 10, 5:13, 7:12, 10:6, 11:15, 15:7. Instances where aionios (αἰονιος
is used, and where it can only mean eternal, because its context speaks of the being of God, the glory of God, and the covenant of blood are Romans 16:26; Hebrews 9:14; 13:20, I Peter 5:10. This establishes the fact that the New Testament usage of aion (αἰον
and aionios (αἰονιος
includes their meaning of eternal, whatever other meanings the former might have in other contexts such as those of a limited period of time (Colossians 1:26), or an age as characterized by a certain system of evil (Ro mans 12:2). As to aionios (αἰονιος
, the only places in the New Testament where it is translated by any other words than eternal or everlasting are Romans 16:25, II Timothy 1:9, and Titus 1:2 where it is rendered by the word world. But even here it refers to that which is anterior to the most remote period in the past conceivable by any imagination that man knows of (Expositors Greek Testament), namely, to the eternity before time began as we know it, time which runs concurrently with the created universe and the affairs of the human race. Thus, both aion (αἰον
and aionios (αἰονιος
are used in the New Testament in their meanings of everlasting and eternal.
Now we come to the passages in the New Testament where aionios (αἰονιος
is used in connection with the life God gives the believer when He saves him. We have seen that this word is used in connection with the being of God, and that it can only mean eternal in this case. But the life which God gives the believer is Christ (Col. 3:4), which means that aionios (αἰονιος
when it describes the life given the believer, must mean eternal, which agrees with the uniform meaning given by the four Greek authorities quoted. In all its occurrences in the New Testament, aionios (αἰονιος
never refers to a limited extent of time, but always to that which is eternal or everlasting. Even in Romans 16:25, II Timothy 1:9, and Titus 1:2, it refers to the eternity before time began. For the benefit of the student who does not have access to a Greek concordance, we list the passages where aionios (αἰονιος
is used in connection with the life given the believer; Mark 10:17, 30; Luke 10:25, 18:18, 30; John 3:15, 16, 36, 4:14, 36, 5:24, 39, 6:27, 40, 47, 54, 68, 10:28, 12:25, 50, 17:2, 3; Acts 13:46, 48; Romans 2:7, 5:21, 6:22, 23; II Corinthians 4:17, 18; 5:1; Galatians 6:8; I Timothy 1:16, 6:12; II Timothy 2:10; Titus 1:2, 3:7; Hebrews 5:9, 9:12; I Peter 5:10; I John 1:2, 2:25, 3:15, 5:11, 13, 20; Jude 21. This brings us to the places where aion (αἰον
is used in connection with this same life, and because this life is eternal, aion (αἰον
must mean eternal here, not an age; Mark 10:17; John 4:14, 6:51, 58, 8:51, 52, 10:28, 11:26. We have found that the life God gives the believer is described by two words, aion (αἰον
and aionios (αἰονιος
, both meaning eternal. We notice now the statement of our Lord in Matthew 25:46 These shall go away into aionios (αἰονιος
everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life (aionios (αἰονιος
) eternal. Aionios (Ἀιονιος
means eternal when used with the word life. Does it mean eternal when used with the word punishment?
But now we will let Dr. E. B. Pusey speak,* as he quotes Augustine on this passage, and then adds his own comment. Augustine said of this text, What a thing it is, to account eternal punishment to be a fire of long duration, and eternal life to be without end, since Christ comprised both in that very same place, in one and the same sentence, saying, These shall go into eternal punishment, but the righteous into life eternal. If both are eternal, either both must be understood to be lasting with an end, or both perpetual without end. For like is related to like; on the one side, eternal punishment; on the other side, eternal life. But to say in one and the same sentence, life eternal shall be without end, punishment eternal shall have an end, were too absurd: whence, since the eternal life of the saints shall be without end, punishment eternal too shall doubtless have no end to those whose it shall be. Dr. Pusey adds the following to Augustines words: The argument is not merely from language. It has a moral and religious aspect. Any ordinary writer who drew a contrast between two things, would, if he wished to be understood, use the self-same word in the self-same sense. He would avoid ambiguity. If he did not, we should count him ignorant of language, or if it were intentional, dishonest. I ask, In what matter of this world would you trust one who in any matter of this world, should use the self-same word in two distinct senses in the self-same sentence, without giving any hint that he was so doing? In none. Find any case in which you would trust a man who did so in the things of men, and then ascribe it to your God in the things of God. I could not trust man. I could not believe it of my God.
It remains for us to examine the New Testament passages where aion (αἰον
and aionios (αἰονιος
are used of the future punishment of the lost. We will look first at those passages which contain aionios (αἰονιος
. In Matthew 18:8 the phrase everlasting fire is in the Greek the fire which is everlasting. The use of the definite article shows that this passage does not refer to fire in general but to a particular fire (Rev. 20:10). This fire will burn forever and is unquenchable (Mark 9:43). Matthew 25:41 tells us that this everlasting fire is prepared for the devil and his angels. The word prepared in the Greek is in the perfect tense, which tense speaks of a past complete action that has present results. The Lake of Fire had been prepared before our Lord spoke these words, and is now in existence. The fires of this lake are not purifying but punitive. That is, their purpose is not to purify the wicked dead in order that they might be brought to repentance and faith with the result that they will all be finally saved, as those teach who advocate the universal restoration of the entire human race. They are for the punishment of Satan and his fallen angels, and for those of the human race who enter eternity in a lost condition. Matthew 25:46 has been dealt with above.
As to Mark 3:29, the best Greek texts have sin instead of damnation, which latter word appears in the a.v., as the translation of a Greek word meaning judgment, and which is a rejected reading. The words in danger of are from a Greek word which refers to anyone held in anything so that he cannot escape. Thus the one who committed the sin referred to in this passage is in the grasp of an eternal sin, the sin being eternal, not in the sense of eternally repeating itself, but in that it is eternal in its guilt. Such a sin demands eternal punishment. In II Thessalonians 1:9 we have everlasting destruction. The Greek word translated destruction does not mean annihilation. Moulton and Milligan define its first century Biblical usage as follows: ruin, the loss of all that gives worth to existence. Thayer in his lexicon gives the meanings ruin, destruction, death. The word comes from the verb meaning to destroy. But to destroy something does not mean to put it out of existence, but to ruin it, to reduce it to such form that it loses all that gave worth to its existence. One may burn down a beautiful mansion. The materials which composed it are still in existence, a heap of ashes, but it is destroyed in that it cannot be used as a home any more. It is in such form that it has lost all that gave worth to its existence as a mansion. The eternal condition of the lost will be one of utter ruin, a condition in which the soul lives forever in a state devoid of all that makes existence worthwhile.
In Hebrews 6:2 we have eternal judgment. The word judgment here is from a Greek word that refers to a condemnatory sentence, aionios (αἰονιος
being used to teach that this sentence is eternal in that the punishment it prescribes is unending. In Jude 7 we have lost human beings condemned to the same everlasting fire which has been prepared for Satan and the fallen angels, the latter in verse 6 being reserved for the Great White Throne judgment and the fire prepared for them (Matt. 25:41).
Wuest, Kenneth S.: Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament : For the English Reader. Grand Rapids : Eerdmans, 1997, c1984, S. Treasures from the Greek New Testament: p.34-43
