Jesus did NOT teach eternal torture. IN fact he taught the very OPPOSITE of what christians teach about hell.

Eternal torture is for the wicked only. Check yourself.

First I appreciate all this information.

But again, let me bring up 2 additional verses, where aionios, is used:

2 Corinthians 5:1 For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal (aionios) in the heavens.

So is our heavenly home, eternal, or only last for an age?

Romans 16:26 But now as the prophets foretold and as the eternal (aionios) God has commanded, this message is made known to all Gentiles everywhere, so that they too might believe and obey him.

Now does it make sense, that the "eternal (aionios)" God, is only "age lasting" (a certain period), or is God truly eternal as stated?

OP here you translate 'everlasting' as actually meaning everlasting

But why do you translate everlasting in other passages, as temporary, or only for an age?

This is the Revelation of Jesus Christ to Saint John

What part of "shall be tormented day and night
for ever and ever" do you not understand?

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 for ever and ever.

12 And I saw the dead, small and great,
stand before God; and the books were opened:
and another book was opened, which is the book of life:
and the dead were judged out of those things
which were written in the books, according to their works.

11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it,
from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away;
and there was found no place for them.

13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it;
and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them:
and they were judged every man according to their works.

14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire.
This is the second death.

15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life
was cast into the lake of fire.

God: The Rock Of Ages

We shall consider a more sensible understanding while respecting God's immortality. Let's recap the facts:
Aion means "age", and can also suggest a world associated with that age (eg Industrial Age, Industrial World)
The word aionios is composed of aion + ios which means, as demonstrated before, "pertaining to aion"

God is "aionios" which means God pertains to the ages
Why should anyone assume that such facts would limit God? Such an understanding does not rob God of his immortality, but simply underscores the important relationship drawn in the New Testament between God and the ages He created to execute his plan to live within his followers.

God will never die, or end just because ages do, but doesn't God relate to what he creates, even if He is not limited to what he creates? Is this so difficult to understand? If God did not relate to the ages, how could we ever know Him?
He created the aions/ages to reveal his plan to the Israelites through their prophets of ages past (Hebrews 1:1-

2). He is God of what He creates. God is big, even bigger than the universe, but is He limited to being big? Is not God also smaller than the tiniest atomic particle, able to see all things?
Here is a scriptural example of how God pertains to - without being limited to - what he creates: in Genesis 24:4-

3, we read that God is the "God of heaven and the God of the earth." Now, the earth is visible, natural and will pass away (Matt. 24:35). Is God visible? No, He is invisible. Is God natural? No, He is Spirit. Will God pass away? No, He will not pass away. Yet, he is the God of the earth, nevertheless. Likewise, He is the God of the ages.

1 Titus 1:17
Now unto the King eternal (aion), immortal (aphthartos), invisible (aoratos), the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever(aion eis aion). Amen.
God is:
1) of the age/aion
2) immortal
3) invisible
In the above scripture, all three characteritcs apply to God, retaining individual meanings. God's invisibility is as distinct a trait from his immortality as his continuing presence in the aion. So why confuse immortality with aionios, when they are not the same in the scripture? Additionally, and curiously enough, in the King James Bible they translate aion eis aion (meaning - "age unto age") as forever and ever. Does forever actually need another "ever" attached to make it infinite? Really, it doesn't because the very concept of eternity defies pluralization of itself. But, the true meaning of aion does not, because ages do multiply unto themselves.

Acknowledging that aion means age - and aion eis aion means age unto age - does not limit God, not according to the verse above. He is the God of the aion/age, AND He is immortal, AND He is invisible. AND, unto Him be honor and glory from "age unto age." Amen. Furthermore, the fact that "aion" can be seen to be a "world" associated with an age, we could translated it as "God of the world." Is He the God of the world? Yes.

Even the old-time Christian hymn says, our God is the "Rock of Ages." He is, therefore, the "aionios Rock." He endures through all generations - and He is with us age unto age - straight through to His plan's ultimate fulfillment when time has reached a fulfillment (we will get to that later). When Christians sing that God is the Rock "of ages," do they mean to say that He is limited to those ages? Of course not. They mean that His glory and majesty endures throughout the ages He created, until surely all knees bow to Christ and all tongues confess that he is their Lord (Phil 2:10-11).

It All Began With A Promise

A Christian might say, "we have believed in everlasting torment for 2000 years, how could we be wrong after all that time?" The reason they have been wrong is because most Christians haven't investigated their beliefs. They simply cling what they were first taught without studying the scriptures to see if it was true, and it ends there. Under those conditions, it makes perfect sense. Since nobody investigated the theory of a flat earth, people believed in a flat earth for a long time! They were wrong.
Isn't it an interesting trend throughout history that what man dogmatically assumes first, tends to be the opposite. We thought the earth was flat. It's a sphere. We thought the sun revolved around the earth. It's the opposite. Didn't the Isrealites kill the Messiah?

As it is, Christians are dead wrong about infinite torment for sinners, they are also wrong about what aionios-life really is. Observe Paul's sound pattern of words with actual

Greek:
Titus. 1:2

In hope of aionios-life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began (pro chronos aionios).
The Greek word pro means before, and chronos means time. The Greek text pro chronos aionios therefore reads: before the time of the ages. The King James translators substituted "before the world began" which is clearly promlematic because if they also claim that aionios means eternity, that would mean Paul said "before time eternal!" Before time eternal? Isn't God eternal? How can can God promise something before "time eternal" if God always was and He is eternal? Is it any wonder that they translated it "before the world began" instead? Very slippery.

In reality, this verse means that God made a promise regarding aionios-life (the life of the ages), before he created those aions/ages. This will make perfect sense when we discuss what aionios-life really is. Just as Jesus Christ was slain from the foundation of the world and his death was purposed by God before it happened (Acts 4:27-28), even so, aionios-life was promised before the time of the ages (pro chronos aionios).

For man, both judgment and life pertain to ages that God created for a perfect and victorious purpose, and that purpose is not to torture people mercilessly. In hearing this, one may say: "But if aionios-life is not eternal-life, wouldn't it therefore only be temporary? You can't have it both ways." Since they don't understand the real Bibical definition of aionios-life they make this error.

The Truth About Aionios-Life (The Life Of The Ages)
[link to mercifultruth.com]

BTW Every soul that has ever lived is going to be
resurrected to immortality.
The children of God will be resurrected in the first
resurrection, those written in the Lamb's Book of Life.
Then a thousand years later, after the Millennial Reign
of Christ, all of the lost will be resurrected for the
Last Judgment.

We will all live eternally,
either with Christ,
or in the Lake of Fire.

There is NO RECORD at all of ANYONE
being redeemed from eternal damnation.

So you believe Satan and his demons will eventually be removed from the lake of fire, and return to heaven?

Also, second question, if aionios, only means for a period, what Greek word actually means forever, eternal, or everlasting?

Also you assuming eternal God, only means a God pertaining to age, is a weak interpretation. Eternal makes more sense, since not only does he pertain to this age, but all ages.

HELL: Several words are translated "hell" in the KJV:
Sheol Literally "the unseen" Hebrew equivalent of Hades.

David says that God is there, and
Job longs to hide there from God's wrath (King James Bible > “GRAVE,” “HELL,” “PIT”).

Wemust note that the translators often used the word "hell" when speaking of the wicked, and"pit" or "grave" when referring to the righteous. This completely unjustified editing has caused any to draw conclusions which the writers never intended.

Hades (or the root “hadees”) Literally
"Unseen" place of dead, where Jesus went, He has the key. (King James Bible > “GRAVE,” “HELL” ) Isn’t it interesting that hell and grave were interchangeable words to those who translated the holy scripture in 1611?

Tartarus in Greek mythology, a place to restrain angels held there, awaiting judgment (King James Bible > “HELL”)

Peter refers to this place.

Gehenna Literally "Ravine of Hinna" Jerusalem's
garbage dump (King James Bible > “HELL,” “FIRE”) Gehenna is the only word which indicates fire. King Josiah, in his days,desecrated this place by tearing down all the idols, crushing or burning them, and burning human bones on them (probably those of the priests who presided over these rituals).

A Jew was not allowed to touch anything that touched a dead human being. Please note, it was God's own people who were doing the burning, not God, and He said such a thing never
entered His mind (Jeremiah 19:26).

Also note, not one single time in the entire Old Testament
was this word "Gehinnom" translated "hell."
In Jesus' day, this valley was a city dump very much like modern dumps always being filled,and therefore always having something for the fire to consume and worms to eat. It was a
place fit only for waste. Should a Jew, God's "chosen" people ever be given a burial in "Gehenna," it would be the most humiliating thing that could ever happen to him. It would be
like saying that one's life here on earth was completely worthless, fit only for the dump.

For Jesus to tell a religious Jew, such as a Pharisee, that his life, his religious works, his devotion to
God were fit only for the city dump, was to insult him in the worst possible way. Jews went to
great efforts to make their funerals great events. Some even hired professional "mourners" to
cry at their funeral.

Herod was going to have the leaders of Israel killed on his day of death so
that Israel would mourn on his death.
This is the kind of mentality Jews had regarding their life and they way they should leave this
world.

Even today, one will hear Jews say that the most important thing a person owns is his
name. They will go to great lengths to keep their name alive.

They will name buildings, start
foundations, etc., to keep their name alive. Many, who no longer believe in a resurrection feel
this is the only way they can stay alive beyond the grave to have their name remain in the
minds of future generations.

Look at what the scripture has to say about Hinna's Ravine:
Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of
the son of Hinnom (in Greek=Gehenna), but the valley of slaughter: for they shall bury in Tophet, till
there be no place.

Jer 7:32
Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Even so will I break this people and this city, as one breaketh a potter's
vessel, that cannot be made whole again: and they shall bury them in Tophet, till there be no place to
bury. Thus will I do unto this place, saith the LORD, and to the inhabitants thereof, and even make this
city as Tophet Jer 19:11,12

Now, watch what happens!

And the whole valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields as far as the Brook Kidron, to
the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be holy to the LORD. It shall not be plucked up or
thrown down anymore forever. Jer. 31:3840
Halleluja! Even Gehenna will be holy to the Lord!

TORMENT:
Basanos (Noun)a
touchstone to test purity of gold or silver
Basanizo (Verb)to
test for purity or chasen by scourging or torture KJV = PAIN, TOIL,
TORMENT, TOSS, VEX

This is no fun, of course, but is hardly eternal, either. Jesus uses this word when He tells the story of the uncompassionate servant:

"Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that
debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even
as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all
that was due unto him.

So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses." Matt 18:3235 Here the Tormentors had charge of the servant only till the debt was paid.

We read in Hebrews

12:11 that "no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it
yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby."

Here the Tormentors had charge of the servant only till the debt was paid. We read in Hebrews 12:11 that "no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby."
Again, punishment is not eternal, and is for our good.

Ra (Hebrew) Same
as Basanizo: (Strong's #7451). The word “ra” appears 665 times in 622 verses of the Scripture. The following are some English words used to translate it: adversity,
affliction, bad, calamity, displease, distress, evil, misery.

Still other words used to translate it are grief, harm, hurt, noisome, sore, sorrow, trouble, vex, wickedness, wretchedness, and wrong. The word "ra" comes from a primary root "raa," which properly means "to spoil"
(literally by breaking to pieces).These are the words which have created so much confusion.

Now let's look at what the scriptures have to say about God, and about His intentions
[link to mercifultruth.com]

Gen 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 for ever:

Are you saying this only refers to an age? That would not make sense considering Adam was going to live for an age anyway. Also, you still haven't explained why the same word is used in regards to us having eternal life. Are you saying we only have life for an age?

I think you should take your time reading the entire article it covers all your questions...

We will have Aionian Life with Christ, after the ages are done for and God is All in all, we will continue on, as death is defeated, also we are given IMMORTALITY, Incorrupttion...

So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
1 Corinthians 15:54

This is eternally dangerously misleading.
Eternal damnation is CLEARLY taught throughout
the New Testament.

If you are believing that is NOT true, PLEASE,
read the New Testament from beginning to end,
especially REVELATION 20.

Your eternal destiny hangs in the balance.

There are only TWO kinds of people.
The SAVED and the LOST.

Don't let ANYONE convince you of a lie.

Just looked through it, and it does not answer the question.

If aion, and aionios, refer to an age, or a time period, than what's the actual Greek word to mean forever, or everlasting?

Also if the lake of fire is only temporary, or for an age, that would mean, all who are thrown in, both humans and Satan and his demons, would eventually get redeemed.

There are no verses that even hints of Satan, being redeemed and returning to heaven with us.

It's clearly NOT taught throughout Hebrew Old and Greek
New Testament.

Doctrine of Eternal torment is Catholic/Pagan Egyptian/Babylonian in origin..do some study on it.

"..."Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and Cause you to come up out of your graves ... And ye shall know [no ‘ignorance defense’ here] that I am the LORD ... And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall Live, and I shall place you in your own land ..." (Ezek. 37:11-13).

Very interesting Scripture. Not likely you will ever hear a sermon on these verses. Notice: God’s people, Israel, are dead in their graves. They are not alive in Heaven. They are not alive in Hell. When God brings them out of their graves, they "live." That means they were "dead". "And ye shall know that I am the LORD." They didn’t know that when they died and went into their graves.

"And shall put my spirit in you ..." (Ezek. 37:11-14).

Are these people returning from life in Heaven, to death in the grave, to life in their own land, and for the first time "knowing" who the Lord is, and for the first time having God’s Spirit?

Are these people returning from life in Hell, to death in the grave, to life in their own land, and for the first time "knowing" who the Lord is, and for the first time having God’s Spirit?

According to Christian theology, it doesn’t make sense that God would take people to Heaven, who never knew God, and didn’t have God’s spirit. On the other hand, according to Christian theology, it doesn’t make sense that God would take people from Hell, and give them His spirit and a possession of land. And God further says:

"I will be their God and they shall be my people" (Ezek. 37:27).

According to Christian theology, do these people come back from Hell, or from Heaven? And according to your theology, why are these resurrected dead people coming back to "possess the land?"

As long as you teach that: man has an immortal soul, death is really life at a different location, hades is a place of suffering, Christians go to Heaven when they die, Christ is not the Saviour of the whole world, Satan is more cunning than God, and will win by a sizable margin, man has a "free will" which is more powerful than God’s will, we are under the law that Paul says we are not under, we are not solely saved by grace, as there are things that can disqualify one from salvation, etc., etc., you will never be able to explain Ezekiel Chapter 37. God clearly tell us that it is His will to save everyone:

"... Our Saviour, God, Who wills [this is the very "will" of The Almighty Creator God] that all mankind [not some or a few, but all mankind] be saved ["saved," not condemned to eternity in Hell fire] and come to a realization [that’s "knowledge," a dispelling of "ignorance"] of the truth" [part of which is the truth that God planned from the beginning to save all mankind through the Sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ] ..."
[link to bible-truths.com]

That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
Philippians 2:10


And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.
1 Corinthians 15:28

It clearly says ALL

So again, what's the actual Greek word to mean everlasting, or forever?

aidios: everlasting
Original Word: ἀΐδιος, ον
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: aidios
Phonetic Spelling: (ah-id'-ee-os)
Short Definition: eternal
Definition: eternal, everlasting.

Aidios only used in the scripture to describe the God Head.

If God wanted to use this word pertaining to punishment/ judgement , He would have then it would mean eternal..

"kolasis aionios" - typically (mis)translated as "eternal (aionios) punishment

Means Aionian/Age Abiding CORRECTION (chastisement or pruning.)

Last Edited by me777 on 09/14/2013 01:21 PM

This is not correct, "aidios" is also used here:

Jude 1:6 And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal (aidios) chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day

Now your stating all including Satan and his demons, will eventually get redeemed, and bow before God, so than this word can't mean only everlasting. Also the verse is stating they'll be kept under these chains until a day. So again, it's only for a period.

I personally did not state anything , I just quoted the Scriptures which describe The End of Ages.

When it says UNTIL it clears the meaning of the word used..

Those are only 2 places where aidios is used in the Scriptures it never used pertaining to the Ages which always end, or duration or punishment( correction)which also ends...NOTHING can be corrected with unending punishment btw

Its basically impossible to interpret some religious scripture properly without an explanation from someone who is themselves spiritually advanced. Take of example the belief of the second coming of Christ. What follows is an authentic explanation by Meher Baba:

"And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ, or, lo, he is there, believe him not... But in those days, after that tribulation... then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven."

Gospel of St. Mark 13: 21, 26, 27

The gathering of the elect refers to the reincarnation and final assembling of his close disciples and followers at the time of his second coming. It is wrong to associate the second coming with the imprisonment of the devil and a thousand years' peace, or with a literal interpretation of the last day of judgment. All the great mystics have understood the word 'clouds' as a symbolic expression for states of consciousness or spiritual planes. When the Christ descends from the infinite, the seventh plane, he brings with him to earth the infinite goodness, wisdom, power and love, and also the powers, signs and experiences of the six lower planes.

In the words of a great Sufi saint,

Asman o Abro dunya basta been

Avvalin Haq bad manzil pus zamin

"Behold the sky, the clouds and the world.

First is God, then the planes, the last is earth,

but all three are linked."

We read in St. Mark 9:2 and 7, that the transfiguration of Jesus occurred when he ascended into a mountain: "And there was a cloud that overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, saying 'This is my beloved son, hear him."

Brother Leo relates of the vision of St. Francis in Mount Alvernia that he "saw coming down from heaven a torch of flame exceeding beautiful and light, which, descending, rested on the head of St. Francis; and out of the flame there came a voice..." St. Francis explains to Brother Leo, "Then I was in a light of contemplation, in which I saw the abyss of the infinite goodness and wisdom and power of God... And in the flame that thou sawest was God, who also spake in such a manner unto me, even as in old time he had appeared unto Moses."

On Mount Sinai God appeared in a thick cloud and with fire.

Therefore we see that clouds, the house of clouds (manzil), is a symbolic expression among mystics for the six planes.

The Bible states that the punishment for sin is eternal death.

Also from Meher Baba

Most of the priests of established religions attach too much importance to external forms, rituals and conformity. And since they are not themselves free from selfishness, narrowness and ignorance, they exploit the weak and credulous by holding before them the fear of hell or the hope of heaven.

Rings true eh?

Where does it say that?

It says the wages of Sin is death. And Jesus tasted death for ALL man.

"How does the Church decide just what the lake of fire is, what happens there, why, to whom, and for how long?

Remember back about thirty pages where I showed you that the Scriptures in Rev. 20 and 21 do not actually say what happens to a person who is thrown into the lake of fire? It does not say they are burned or tortured. It does not say if they are killed.

It does not say how long they are in this fire (there is an indication as to how low the beast, false prophet, and Satan are in this lake of fire, however).

So how then does the church decide that those who are thrown into this lake of fire are tortured, in their physical flesh, by real fire, for all eternity?

A SCRIPTURAL EXPLANATION OF THE LAKE OF FIRE
[link to bible-truths.com]

Last Edited by me777 on 09/14/2013 01:55 PM

The greek word, can mean, correction, but it also can mean punishment.

Also, going back, this still does not explain this verse:

2 Corinthians 5:1 For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal (aionios) in the heavens.

So our heavenly home, is only for age, or a set time period? Also the verse is contrasting an earthly home, which is temporary, or only lasts for a period, compared to eternal home in heaven.

The Truth About Aionios-Judgment (Judgement Of The Ages)

Christians often say: "God must torture people forever, because he is just and holy, and cannot stand in the presence of sin." Does the presence of sin destroy God, or does the presence of God destroy sin?

The Bible answers that question as we will see. To understand to a deeper extent the contrast between "the-life-of-the-ages (aionios life)" and "the-judgment-of-the-ages (aionios judgment) and how they also relate, let us consider a most famous Scripture from the Bible. Certainly, God has shown his love for the world in such a way that that would be unthinkable to man:

John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish (Greek - apollumi) but have aionios-life.
Make no mistake about it: God so loves the world. He loves it so much He gave His only begotten son to save it in its entirety.

Now, this scripture is used the Christian world over to prove infinite torment as truth. After all, what happens to whosoever does not believe? Look closely. The verse does not say that unbelievers will be tortured for infinity, nor does it say that those who do not now believe never will in the future.

The verse simply defines what belief results in: aionios-life, knowledge of God. Recalling the Biblical definition of life, those with faith have knowledge of Christ because they carry the Spirit of God within them. In like manner, this verse also defines the result of unbelief: "whosoever does not believe" does not have aionios-life, the Spirit within them. They do not have knowledge of God. That is spiritual destruction on this earth.

With that in mind, you are about to discover the truth about "perishing" that not many in the congregations yet realize: the word "perish" in this verse comes from the Greek word apollumi meaning "to destroy" or "to lose" or "to be lost."
Here is an example from the parable of the lost sheep:

Luke 15:6

And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost (apollumi).
This word apollumi is used in this parable of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son. After that son humbly returns to his father, observe his father's words when speaking to his son's jealous brother:

Luke 15:32
'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours (the prodigal son) was dead and is alive again; he was lost (apollumi) and is found.'
That is why "whosoever believeth" shall not "perish."

Through the Spirit of Christ within them, whosoever believes "was dead, and is alive again, was lost (apollumi) and is found." Reflect again on what John says is the product of sin: "Anyone who does not love remains in death (ie perished).

Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has aionios-life in him." Consider the following: If one does not believe in Jesus, how can one know Jesus and have His life within, causing him/her to forsake death in sin, and enter into life in these ages? Without faith in Jesus Christ, will God allow us to be perished?

Without Christ we already are perished! God will allow us to remain destroyed (lost) as part of His judgments. In fact He will turn us over to our prodigal ways as part of judgment: (Romans 1:28-31). And we know that judgment leads to the overthrow of our flesh, our carnal, lustful nature, so that we may live according to the Spirit (1 Corinthians 5:1-5).

2 Corinthians 4:3
But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost (appolumi - perished in sin)

Remember how the Prodigal Son was perished (lost) in sin, and what horrible experiences he had? Yet, his experience caused him to remember his Father who waited with loving patience for his son to return to him. This is why Paul says:

Such wise and glorious purposes in judgment God has!

Sometimes we need to learn our lessons the hard way.
Recognizing what aionios-life is, and how it is given to us in the ages God has created (to dwell within man) we may understand aionios judgment, and how it will achieve God's perfect justice and purpose. In the "parable of the sheep and goats" we see a separation occurring between the wicked and the just:

Matthew 25:46

And these (the wicked) shall go away into aionios punishment: but the righteous into life aionios.
Here is the verse that many Christian theologians use as a parallel comparison, to prove the unending state of punishment for unbelievers. Their logic: if eternal life is immortality, so the punishment is unending. But, the severe flaw in such an argument, with respect to the Biblical definition of "aionios-life," is crystal clear.

The true comparison here is not between infinite punishment and immortality (such a comparison is never given in the Bible), but between aionios punishment, and aionios-life. The actual comparison is between life of the ages and punishment of the ages. In fact, keeping the Biblical definition of life in mind, the above verse does more to support the aion/age centered nature of judgment than it does to deny it.

Do you see how such false assumptions - that aionios-life is the same as immortality - can lead a path straight down into the false orthodox teaching of infinite torture for non-Christians? When man casually disregards God's definition of his terms, this is what happens. When man substitutes his own ideas in place of God's statements, the result is doctrinal cancer.

Consider this verse as another example of that:
Matthew 7:13-15
Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction (apoleia - derivative of apollumi), and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

If you are a Christian reading this, how many times have you heard this verse twisted to say "narrow is the gate that leads to Heaven, and wide is the gate that leads to Hell?" How many times have you heard Christian preachers casually adding and subtracting from God's words as they see fit, to satisfy their doctrines? When preachers play fast and loose with their Bibles like that, it is a very bad sign.

It's called idolatry. That is when a person takes God's stated definitions of His own terms and substitutes them with his own Golden Calf reworkings. It's serious business (Exodus 32:19).
This is what the verse says, "narrow is the way that leads to life." Please observe, and remember God's perspective,
not man's assumption:

Rom 8:10
And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit ... is ... life because of righteousness.
Rom 8:6
For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

How many more scriptures do you need to see that, according to God, life is in the Spirit right now? The reason that the gate to destruction is wide, is that the temptations of the carnal mind are easy to follow into a walking spiritual death.

This verse has nothing to do with God sending people into "eternal" torture; it is about the difference between life, and the wages of sin.

The Bible testifies about present ages and ages to come, and in those ages, some will receive aionios-life, and some will receive aionios judgment. If man may have the Spirit of

Christ within him presently, can he also look forward to aionios-life in aions to come? Absolutely, and that even more abundantly!
There was "a secret concealed from the aions" (past)

(Eph.3:9)
There was "the preparation of the aions" (past) (Heb.11:3)
There is "the present wicked aion" (present) (Gal.1:4)
There is "the conclusion of the current aion" (present) (Matt 28:20)
There will be "the coming aion" (future) (Luke 18:30)
There will be "the oncoming aions" (future) (Eph.2:7)

1 Timothy 4:8
For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.

Romans 8:23
And even we Christians, although we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, also groan to be released from pain and suffering.

Yes, aionios-life can be within Christ's disciples now, as scripture is abundantly clear. But His followers have only received a foretaste, a hint of future glory. After this "present wicked aion" is over, the Spirit will be upon Christ's disciples without measure, doubled, tripled, quadrupled etc, in the "oncoming aion" (Rom. 8:18).

Paul described this as the glory of the present age and the age which is to come (Eph 1:21, Eph 2:7) And if we understand that "aionios-life" is to know God now both in these present aions and in the coming aions, we also know what aionios punishment is, the perfect opposite:

2 Thessalonians 1:6-9
God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

They will be punished with aionios destruction (judgment pertaining to the aion/age) and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power, on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.
First, we see a great revelation in this epistle: "God is just."

Ponder that for a moment, in your deepest heart of hearts. What is justice? Recall that famous American statue of the blindfolded woman holding the scales. Balance. God's justice is perfect balance through perfect wisdom. He judges until the debt is paid. Unlike vengeful human beings, God demands what is owed and not beyond: (Matt 18:21-35), as justice has obviously nothing to do with roasting human beings alive forever. The Biblical principle of "an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth" should reveal that.

The wicked will be shut out from the presence of the Lord because He, in His awesome wisdom, has appointed an aion for aionios judgment.

Have you ever heard about the "unforgivable sin?" This is what the orthodox church names it, though the actual term "unforgivable sin" is not scriptural. Jesus warned that blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is a sin that is bound to be judged, but here are his actual words:

Mark 3:28-29
Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost not forgiveness in the age (ou aphesis eis aion), but is in danger of aionios judgment.

The term "ou aphesis aion" was translated "will never have forgiveness." If you look in your Bibles, you will see that the translators conveniently failed, altogether, to translate "eis aion" as "in the age." The term is there, but they opted for "never" instead. Nice, huh? Just as Jesus said that believers have a promise of "aionios-life" "in the aion to come" he also spoke of some who will not have forgiveness "in the age" because they are in danger of the "aionios-judgment" (the judgment of the ages.)

That this age-abiding judgment is not infinite agrees with God's statements about the fruit He produces in those judgment. The Scripture informs us:

Isaiah 26:9
When Your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world will learn righteousness. Let favor be showed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the LORD.

Jeremiah 30:24
See what a scorching wind has gone out from the Lord, a sweeping whirlwind. It whirls round the heads of the wicked; the Lord's anger is not to be turned aside, until he has finished and achieved His heart's desire. In days to come you will understand.

Did you notice what God says through Isaiah about the wicked? Let favor be shown to the wicked, he will not learn righteousness. That's the reason why when God's JUDGMENTS, not his favor, are upon the wicked, they WILL LEARN RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Has a Christian ever told you that when God judges the earth, "the people of the world will learn righteousness?" Probably not. You probably heard that when God judges the earth, nobody will learn righteousness, but they will suffer torture forever instead. You probably heard that when God judges the earth nothing good will come from that at all. Liars.

Psalm 96:11-13
Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof. Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice Before the LORD: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.

Why should we let the earth be glad? Why? Have you ever heard a Christian rejoicing at the prospect of God coming to judge the world with righteousness, and the people with His truth? Of course not. They have no reason to say "let the earth be glad" at such a prospect. Make no mistake, God does NOT show favor to the wicked. HE JUDGES THEM, but not the way the despicable eternal torment doctrine proposes. Through those judgments, the people of the world learn righteousness.

According to the Bible, it is not God's favor, but God's anger upon the wicked which shall not be turned aside...until? That's right "until he has finished and achieved His heart's desire." That the church denies before the world that God can achieve all he desires, through his judgments, is shameful teaching. Have you ever heard the church say such things? Of course not.

Just what do you suppose God's heart desires? Do you say He is able to finish and achieve those desires? You don't have to suppose. In a deafening voice, through his word: God declares "YES." His judgments - every last one - are able to accomplish what he desires, which is why, unlike the church, the Israelites rejoiced.

With their insidious, watered-down doctrines, it is amazing the undue credit that the Christian church has given Satan, insinuating that he wields the power to refute God's plan. He will shut many mouths. God's purpose is good. He is Love, and He does nothing dislocated from love. How can Divine wrath be detached from Divine love? He does nothing outside his nature. He is not fractured and polarized against Himself.

Is God at war with his nature when he punishes? Righteous judgment does not mean sticking a needle in someone's eye and it certainly does not involve handing his creation over to infinite defeat. A judge finds justice in all situations, and deals according to the heart's intent, making right what was wrong, and making whole what was once broken. That is God's wisdom and love in judgment.

Indeed, in the ages to come, His people will be glorified in him. In those ages, others will be shut out from his presence and judged. As we have seen: "The length of the aion depends on the subject to which it is attached. It does not mean a period of a fixed length for all cases. There is one aion of a human life, another of the life of a nation, another of a crow's life, another of an oak's life."
There is also an aion of judgment.

During aionios punishment perfect justice is done by a perfect God who alone determines the time needed to achieve his own purpose - that the ones being judged learn righteousness. His wrath achieves his heart's desire. It has always been so.

Is anything too difficult for God?
[link to mercifultruth.com]

I don't think you REALLY read all I posted...

If god is that compassionate. He will understand why I can't seriously believe in something without a shred of real evidence.