If the Greek term "aionias" sometimes mean 'eternal' and sometimes not, why insist Hell MUST be forever?

Question

The same term is used to describe the duration of both Heaven and Hell. Wouldn't it be more charitable to assume that both are of limited duration... or it it so important to some people that their joy go on forever that they consider others frying in Hell eternally a small price to pay?!?

Answer 1

Hell does NOT go on foerver. The people in Hell will be destroyed.

What does God say "the wages of sin is DEATH", not eternal life in the fire.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son theat whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

What is the definition of perish
1)to become destroyed or ruined : cease to exist

Who gets eternal life? the people who believe in Jesus



"Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame: there shall not be a coal to warm at, nor fire to sit before it." Isaiah 47:14

Rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.Matthew 10:28

If God wants to destroy sin then wouldn't eternal life in the fire make sin ... eternal

people say the fire is eternal so sinners burn forever but
In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire. Jude 7

is Sodom and Gomorrah still burning? No but but the EFFECTS of the fire are eternal


Unquenchable Fire

But if you do not obey me to keep the Sabbath day holy by not carrying any load as you come through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle an UNQUENCHABLE fire in the gates of Jerusalem that will consume her fortresses.' "
Jeremiah 17:27

And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof. And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia: To fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfill threescore and ten years.
2 Chronicles 36:19-21

The fire is unquenchable because it burns until there is nothing else to burn.


But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall CONSUME; into smoke shall they CONSUME away.
Psalms 37: 20

And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the Lord shall be CONSUMED.
Isaiah 1: 28

Let the sinners be CONSUMED out of the earth, and let the wicked BE NO MORE. Bless thou the Lord, O my soul. Praise ye the Lord.
Psalms 104: 35

But the transgressors shall be DESTROYED together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.
Psalms 37: 38

For yet a little while, and the wicked SHALL NOT BE: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it SHALL NOT BE.
Psalms 37: 10

Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he COULD NOT BE FOUND.
Psalms 37: 36

And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to DESTROY both soul and body in hell.
Matthew 10: 28


Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall DIE.
Ezekiel 18:4

Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that NO MURDERER HATH ETERNAL life abiding in him.
1 John 3:15


If you were God and you wanted to tell people the wicked would no longer exist what word(s) would you use

How does God describe the sinners’ state of being
Destroyed
Perish
Die
Death
Ashes
Consumed
Burned up
Cut off
They end
Shall not be
Could not be found



God said you will die the Devil said you won't REALLY die the problem is the children of God believe the Devil over God

Think about it Revelation says God rains fire and brimstone on the wicked. Jesus says the meek inherit the earth, God is going to make a new Heaven and a new Earth so if hell fire goes on forever and ever then doesn't that make God a liar?

This video talks about it
http://www.bibleuniversity.com/Video/CourseID2/NR11.asx

you can email me if you have other questions

Answer 2

The Greek word "aion" means literally eon or age or a long period of time. By itself it doesn't indicate how long or if there is an end.
To decide whether a word in the Bible means eternal, you must take into account the context "eternal" occurs in and also other biblical statements on the issue. For example, on the eternality of heaven, Luke 1:33 says flat out that Christ's "kingdom shall have no end."
You're probably right that "some people" make hell eternal so that they can feel secure about heaven lasting forever. But on your suggestion that "wouldn't it be more charitable to assume...?" People make assumptions all the time, but are assumptions a good basis for living one's life? Are assumptions worth much?
On the other hand, on the doctrine that hell is eternal, I know of no verse in the Bible that states that hell will have no end.

Answer 3

The word "forever" is not the only word to look at. We are to compare scriptures "line upon line". "Forever" is used to describe the burning of Sodom and Gomorrah which are not still burning BUT there destruction is a forever result. That would be the same way with hell. There is no scripture to support that year after year they are still burning. The word "forever" for heaven does have scripture to back up an eternal living.
Isaiah 66:22,23 says that we are going to keep the Sabbath each week.
Revelation 22:2 talks about the tree of life baring fruit every month....12 differnent kinds.
Revelation 22: 5 says that the saved will reign for ever and ever.
This forever would not have a reason to end as they would still be there. If you burn up...then you are not there anymore....Mal 4: 1-3 says that sinners will be burned up and turned to ashes....thats is pretty much gone. (a forever result)

Answer 4

Not everyone does. There are many who believe that "hell" is the reality of being isolated and seperated from God. It is a self-imposed condition and is temporary in the sense that anyone can find reconciliation with God in the course of eternity.

Obviously, you have to break out of a literalist (or better put traditionalist) reading of the Bible. But there are whole, mainstream denominations that believe in that kind of a hell over the old fashion fire and brimstone type.

Answer 5

because there is no hint that heaven is anything but forever
additionally we have to harmonize it with the Hebrew ideas such as in Daniel 'there shall be a resurrection of the righteous and unrighteous, the righteous to everlasting life and the unrighteous to everlasting contempt" So we have to consider the weight of the Hebrew phrase everlasting... as opposed to really really long as you claim. We have to balance it with the Old Testament notion of salvation being everlasting life in Daniel and 'I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever' in psalms 23

in Greek there is more than one way to describe it
a person shall 'never die' 'never thirst'

conversely the smoke of their torment goes into the ages of the ages in Revelation.

In the end... why would it end... it rests on God who will never end

Answer 6

I can't think of a single time where it does NOT mean "eternal".

My lexicon only gives three meanings:

1) without beginning and end, that which always has been and always will be

2) without beginning

3) without end, never to cease, everlasting

What other uses are you finding or referring to?

Answer 7

While you are correct that the koine greek word aionas refers to a period of time, or an age, when used in a particular construction (ainias pros ton aionion) it does indeed refer to eternity. The phrase is literally translated "The ages through the ages".

Answer 8

Here are the definitions from Strongs dictionary

1. without beginning and end, that which always has been and always will be
2. without beginning
3. without end, never to cease, everlasting

All easily fit the idea of eternity and fit within the context.

Answer 9

Assuming you're referring to original Bible text, I think those words must exist in the text in several different languages. Not just Greek. The meaning should match in all languages.

Answer 10

''αιωνιας'' is a Greek word and is always mean eternal. not smtimes.always..as far as the rest.. i simply do not know