The Scary Words
There are some "pivotal" words in our understanding of how God deals with His creation. For example, everlasting punishment in Matthew 25:46. Now you wouldn't think one would have to look up the meaning of that little phrase, would you?
But if we don't, we believe it means some will be punished endlessly when what it really says in the Greek language is that some will be "punished/pruned" for a season or an age. Draw means to drag. Gnashing of teeth speaks of regret. Torment...test for genuineness. Brimstone is sulfur, healing and cleansing. The unquenchable fire doesn't go out as long as it is needed.
perish- lost- condemn- brimstone- unquenchable fire- outer darkness
destroy- eternal damnation- torment- gnashing of teeth- -lake of fire
1. Perish
Strong's Concordance # 622 -apollumi --perish 33, destroy 26, lose 22, be lost 5, lost 4, miscellaneous 2
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.
( I always thought "perish" here, meant "go to hell when you die" )
Here are some different ways "apollumi" is used:
Matthew 9:17 Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.
Matthew 5:29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
Matthew 10:39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
Luke 15:9 And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. ( has nothing to do with her coin going to hell when it died )
Matthew 12:14 Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him.
Romans 14:15 But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.
The word perish was used to mean more than one thing. Contrary to what we have been taught, it does not mean "go to hell when we die". From worn out wine skins to killing someone or, simply, offending a young Christian brother, it is plain to see that to perish is used to show negativity in one sense or another.
For us humans, walking through this life without depending on Christ means we are perishing... We are being devoured by the adversary, the god of this world...the prince and power of the air. So, where does all this "negativity"
come from? Was it a surprise to God? Maybe He had to brainstorm for plan B when Adam and Eve ate that fruit.? No, I believe He had the whole plan for His creation in His mind before He ever said "let there be light." How else
could the lamb have been slain before the foundation of the world? Perishing is as much a part of God's plan for humanity as believing. Darkness needs light. Hunger needs bread. Sinners need a savior.
2. Lost
Strong's Concordance # 622 -apollumi --perish 33, destroy 26, lose 22, be lost 5, lost 4, miscellaneous 2
Look at 2 Corinthians 4:3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
Here are a few verses that use "lost" :
Obviously, it comes from the same Greek word as perish. We just tend to use it a little differently but it means the same. When referring to people, it means that until we find the Way, Truth, and Life, for ourselves, we are groping about as a blind man. We are perishing, or, lost.
Acts 5:37 After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed.
John 6:12 When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.
John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life,
and that they might have it more abundantly
John 18:14 Now Caiaphas was he, which gave counsel to the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die
for the people
John 6:27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed
I would say that lost, when it comes to people, pretty much means what we have been taught that it means.. I grew up knowing that people were either "saved" or "lost". If you are lost, you are not saved. Or, another way to say it is... you
are not relying on the work of the cross to make you in right standing before God. You are walking in the false security of your own agenda, out from under the umbrella of God's protection. And, His wrath will rain down on your head until you get under it. ( you were made for Him) This last verse shows the purpose of Christ's coming to earth....to seek and to SAVE the lost. Now, tell me, who among us was not lost? That's right, nobody. So, who did Christ come to save? That's right, everybody!
Luke 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
3. Condemn
Strong's # 2919 - Krino - judge 88, determine 7, condemn 5, go to law 2, call in question 2, esteem 2, miscellaneous 8
Strong's # 2632- Katakrino-condemn 17, damn 2
John 3:17- For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Romans 2:1 Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things
Romans 14:22 Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.
Romans 5:18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
James 3:1 My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.
John 3:18 says the person who does not believe is condemned already. (Romans 8:20 helps explain this)
Matthew 12:41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.
Matthew 27:3 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
John 8:10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
Mark 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned
James 2:5 Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.
Condemn in the New Testament is translated from several Greek words and because of that has several meanings but they all have to do with being judged by God or someone else, or, by one's self. The two main ones that we think of when we think of judgment are the ones listed. These certainly show that to be an unbeliever is not the way to go.
While the bible does not teach, in the original languages, eternal torment, it certainly does teach that it is still a fearful thing to fall into the hands of a living God. God, whose very definition is love, gives us a very sober warning in
Hebrews(quoted from Psalms) that if we hear His voice we are not to harden our hearts.
No matter how glorious the truth of universal reconciliation is, NO ONE goes his own way for very long without serious consequences. Jesus said, "I am the way, truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father but by Me." Yes, Jesus
does draw ALL to Himself, but, His way only. He loves us too much to leave us in our condemned state. His love/wrath will win.
Good question here...
What does Jesus mean by saying that He is the way, truth, and life?
Have you heard His voice? The Spirit and the Bride say come...WHAT AN INVITATION!
4. Destroy
Strong's Concordance # 622-Apollumi (look familiar?)-perish 33, destroy 26, lose 22, be lost 5, lost 4, miscellaneous 2
Because this word is from the same Greek word as perish, and lost, I will only list one scripture that uses the word as destroy. And, this is because it is one of the scriptures used to support the teaching of endless hell.
Matthew 10:28 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.
As usual, when He talked about hell,(Gehenna) Jesus was not talking to sinners, He was talking to His Jewish disciples. Neither did Jesus say "hell" in this verse, He said "Gehenna" which is what it really was, a valley outside of Jerusalem....don't know which translator decided to plug hell in there instead of what it really said??? (Details about Gehenna are on the "hell" page.)
Jesus was making the point to His disciples that they would be persecuted horribly for taking the His message of repentance to the people of Israel. That they were not to fear what man could do to them but to fear what He could do if they let the fear of man deter them. Some teachers say "destroy" here means to annihilate completely but I disagree.
Gehenna was a shameful place for the Jews. If the soul is the mind, will, and emotions, it is easy to see how ending up in Gehenna (slaughtered in AD 70 or thrown there as a worthless, dead body) would be the utter humiliation for
God's chosen people. Another reason I disagree that destroy means annihilation in Gehenna is because Jesus told the Pharisees in Matthew 23 that they were children of hell(Gehenna). He asked them, "how shall you escape the damnation of Gehenna?" Then tells them, "you won't see me again UNTIL you say, blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord."
Whatever Gehenna meant to them or even if it means hell to us, those Pharisees will walk right out of it with a brand new attitude and praise for the Messiah. And we have to remember that Paul told the Romans that ALL of Israel would be saved. Shameful, regretful? Yes. Endless? No!
The Greek word for soul in this passage of scripture is psuche. Strongs's # 5590. Here are a few verses that use that word:
Mt 16:25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
Mt 16:26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Mt 20:28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
Mt 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Mt 26:38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.
An excerpt from "Bible Threatenings Explained"
Dr. W. E. Manley observes that the condition threatened "is one wherein the body can be killed. And no one has imagined any such place, outside the present state of being. Nor can there be the least doubt about the nature of this killing of the body; for the passage is so constructed as to settle this question beyond all controversy. It is taking away the natural life, as was done by the persecutors of the apostles. The Jews were in a condition of depravity properly represented by Gehenna. The apostles had been in that condition, but had been delivered from it. By
supposing the word Hell to denote a condition now and in the present life, there is no absurdity involved. Sinful men may here suffer both natural death and moral death; but in the future life, natural death cannot be suffered; whatever
may be said of moral death. Fear not men, your persecutors, who can inflict on you only bodily suffering. But rather fear him who is able to inflict both bodily suffering, and what is worse, mental and moral suffering, in that condition of
depravity represented by the foulest and most revolting locality known to the Jewish people."
"Woe unto you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of Hell than yourselves." Matt. xxiii:15.
Looking upon the smoking valley, and thinking of its corruptions and abominations, to call a man a "child of Gehenna" was to say that his heart was corrupt and his character vile, but it no more indicated a place of woe after death, than a resident of New York would imply such a place by calling a bad man a child of Five Points.
5. Eternal Damnation
Eternal: Strong's Concordance # 166 Aionios ( eternal 42, everlasting 25, the world began, since the world began, for ever 1 )
Aionios is from another Greek word Strong's # 165 Aion. Aionios is the adjective of Aion. It is translated ( evermore 4, age 2, eternalever 71, world 38, never )
Aion and aionios are the words that are crucial to understanding Universal Salvation. Because of that Aion is going to have a page all it's own. We can determine the meaning of a word by how it is used in the scriptures, not necessarily by the definition the writers of the concordance give us.
This is the case with Aion and Aionios. They are very versatile words, as you can see by all the ways it has been translated. How can the same word mean "never" and "forever" at the same time? Sometimes it is translated "age" and that seems to be the correct translation.
Damnation-- Strong's # 2920 Krisis (judgment 41, damnation 3, accusation 2, condemnation 2)
Matthew 5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say,
Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. ( It strikes me strange that "damnation"(judgment) in this verse is the lesser sentence that hell fire. How can you get any worse than damnation???)
Matthew 12:20 A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory. Hum...damnation unto victory? Whose victory? Could it be the Messiah's who came to take away the sin of the world? Could it be through that "judgment or damnation" that He would bring victory? It could! Victory for God...He gets His creation back. Victory for Christ.... He accomplishes His mission(It is finished!) Victory for mankind....in Adam all die, in Christ all are made alive!
Remember...for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness" Isaiah 26:9
Matthew 12:41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. It would sound pretty silly to say they would rise in "damnation" wouldn't it? Seeing how they repented when Jonah preached to them........Do you think Jonah preached hell fire and damnation to those heathens? No, here's what he told them..."On the day Jonah entered the city, he shouted to the crowds: "Forty days from now Nineveh will be destroyed!"
If Hell was a reality, why in the world did Jonah not tell them about it?
Matthew 23:23 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? (reading on to the end of this chapter we see that even with the judgment of hell(Gehenna), they end up with a brand new attitude toward the Messiah.
Mark 3:29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation:
Mark 6:11 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city
Luke 11:42 But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
John 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
John 16:8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
Acts 8:33 In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth
2 Peter 2:11 Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord.
Damnation is translated from two different Greek words
Strong's # 2919 Krima (judgment 13, damnation 7, condemnation 5, be condemned 1, go to law, avenge )
Matthew 7:2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
Matthew 23:14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
John 9:39 And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind. Now, if you believe damnation is eternal torment, then you will have to see that
damnation here(judgment) causes those who can't see to see.
Romans 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out
1 Corinthians 11:29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. We read what the judgment was for not discerning the Lord's body (each other)...for some are weak and sickly and some sleep(die).
2Peter 2:3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not
Jude 1:4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Revelation 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years ( how would that verse sound if we replaced judgment with damnation?)
Try to see if for what it is, not how we have been "programed" to see it.
Strong's # 2920 Krisis ( judgment 41, damnation 3, accusation 2, condemnation 2 )
Matthew 5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
Matthew 12:20 A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory. There's that "victory" word again.... It is so good to be free from fear!
Matthew 23:33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? Here is that same verse from Young's Literal Translation.....Serpents! brood of vipers! how may ye escape from the judgment of
the gehenna? In all of the literal translations the original words are used instead of the hell words. In this particular verse, you will notice that "judgment" is used insttead of "damnation"...Did the translators have an agenda???
John 5:22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:
John 5:29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. Daniel 12:2 speaks of this. Instead of damnation Daniel said shame and contempt. That makes sense doesn't it? The apostle Paul said he had hope in the resurrection of the just and the unjust.
Who is their right mind would hope for most people to be raised from the dead to be sentenced to a fate much worse than death?
John 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. What was about to happen here? When is the judgment of this world? When was the prince of this world cast out? On the cross!
2 Thes 1:5 Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:
Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
2 Peter 2:11 Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord.
1 John 4:17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
Rev 19:2 For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.
Considering that "aionian" is not a word that means endless and seeing how these "damnation" words are used, we can know that aionian judgment is for a period of time. Eternal damnation makes no sense. If Jesus paid the price for our sin and it was "eternal damnation" He would still be eternally damned. But we know He rose from the dead and is at the right hand of the Father waiting for the completion of this great plan and helping us when we need Him.
6. Torment
Strong's # 928 Basanizo ( torment 8, pain 1, toss 1, vex 1, toil 1)
Mt 8:29 And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?
Mt 14:24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.
2Pe 2:8 (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)
Re 11:10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth
Re 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.
Re 14:10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
Notice where this tormenting is taking place. Not in some isolated place away from God, it is in the very PRESENCE of God! Saint and sinner will go through testing. Saints learn to judge themselves. Sinners are judged because they wouldn't judge themselves. We both learn what is lacking in us.
There are three or four words translated torment, but since this one is the one that most traditional believers use to show torment lasts forever, I have used it. One of the words translated torment is Kolasis, which is also translated punishment. (remember in the Greek language, it means to prune)
Here is the definition in Strong's Concordance:
to test (metals) by the touchstone, which is a black siliceous stone used to test the purity of gold or silver by the colour of the streak produced on it by rubbing it with either metal, to question by applying torture, to torture to vex with grievous pains (of body or mind), to torment to be harassed, distressed of those who at sea are struggling with a head wind
This definition reminds me of someone being interrogated by the police. Consistently, through out the Bible we are told of the restoration of all things of redemption, and reconciliation. Paul said that God commands all men to repent.
We know from John that the wrath of God abides on those who do not believe. We know that Godly sorrow causes repentance. We know that the Pharisees, after being condemned to Hell, Gehenna, come out of Gehenna with a new attitude toward the Messiah. The torment or testing for genuineness, will be a grievous process but it will bring the purification needed for them to see the truth.
Have you ever seen a twenty dollar bill tormented? Next time you give one to a cashier or checker at the grocery store, watch, as they test it for genuineness. They rub something over it and if it is counterfeit it will show up. The fire of God will test all of us at one time or another.
As believers, we submit to the baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire. Those who do not believe find themselves "tormented" by the fire of the righteous judgment of God. Like the rich man that found himself in hell/Hades. Why was he tormented? What was working on him to make him so miserable? The torment he found himself in was revealing what was in his own heart. Here he was the rich man who dressed in the robes of royalty...purple, seeing the penniless beggar NOT in heaven, but in the bosum of Abraham
