Damnation
In the King James Version, the Greek word krisis was translated as “damnation”, in Matthew 23:33 and Mark 12:40, for example, a choice obviously influenced by the entrenched pagan view of the afterlife.
The word krisis referred to a “tribunal” and spoke of a trial. The meaning is “judgement” or “justice”, and most modern translations now use the word “sentenced” or “condemnation”.
The word “damnation” is not a Biblical word and has nothing to do with God’s justice.
Eternal
The Hebrew word olam and Greek words aion and aionis are translated as “eternal” or “forever” in our English versions even though the words actually mean “age” or “aeon”, a period of time with a specific beginning and end.
Because this is such a comprehensive topic, please see our article on the subject here where we include several examples of how the word is correctly translated “age” and then sometimes incorrectly translated as “eternal” or “forever”, betraying an Augustine bias. That said, here are two sources on the subject.
In his Word Studies in the New Testament, Marvin Vincent explained:
Aion, transliterated aeon, is a period of longer or shorter duration, having a beginning and an end, and complete in itself.”
As G. Campbell Morgan, the highly respected expositor of Scripture, explained in God’s Methods with Man:
Let me say to Bible students that we must be very careful how we use the word ‘eternity’. We have fallen into great error in our constant use of that word. There is no word in the whole Book of God corresponding with our ‘eternal,’ which, as commonly used among us, means absolutely without end.”
Interestingly, Young’s Literal Translation translates the Greek words consistently using the phrase “age-during”. While this makes for some clumsy reading, it certainly better captures the true meaning of the original words.
Let’s look at one example of how these Greek words are mistranslated in the Book of Revelation, John wrote:
The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”
(Revelation 20:10, italics added)
As already mentioned, a lake of fire and brimstone was a brilliant hyperbolic metaphor for divine purification, specifically dramatising the sheer extent of the enemy’s wickedness yet at the same time emphasising God’s sovereign power over it.
Now, the phrase “forever and ever” is the Greek term eis aion aion which literally means, “age to age” or “age into age”.
The double use of the word aion or “age” is a poetic and clever way of dramatically expressing the severe consequence reserved for the devil and his underlings.
However, the unfortunate translation “forever and ever”—again, an indication of translation bias—incorrectly gives the impression that this is a penalty without end. To be clear, the phrase conveys the intensity of the punishment and though unquestionably severe, it does not convey the sense of time without end.
Torment
John mentioned the word “torment” in Revelation 20:10, and it’s a word sometimes associated with torture in our thinking. Is this valid?
The word “torment” (Greek: basanizo) means to test or prove something, and it again conveys the idea of purification.
As Charles Pridgeon explained:
The original idea of basanizo is to put to the test by rubbing on a touchstone, to test some metal that looked like gold to find whether it was real or not (Malachi 3:2, 3). The meaning and usage harmonizes with the idea of divine purification and the torment which is the test to find whether there has been any change in the sufferer.”
The word basanizo is also used of a sick person (Matthew 8:6), a ship tossed by waves (Matthew 14:24), Lot’s grief (2 Peter 2:8) and birth pains (Revelation 12:2). Thus, “torment” is fundamentally different from torture.
Torture
The only time the New Testament uses the word torture is in the letter to the Hebrews to laud believers who sacrificed all for God, those who were tortured for their faith (Hebrews 11:35). The word ‘torture’ is never associated with God’s judgement of the unbeliever in the Bible.
Eternal Punishment
In the Parable of the Judgement of the Nations (Matthew 25:31-46), Jesus taught on the importance of our concern for others, especially the poor and marginalised of society. Of those who live only out of self-concern, Jesus said, “these will go away into eternal punishment” (Matthew 25:46).
Jesus used the phrase aionios kolasis in His parable of the sheep and goats, a phrase translated as “eternal punishment” in most English versions. (This is the only time the phrase is used in the entire Bible.)
As we’ve seen, aionios refers to a time-specific period that has both a beginning and an end. Thus, in this case, it refers to an appropriately intense or severe penalty that the guilty deserve.
The Greek word translated “punishment” (kolasis) comes from the word kolasin, a horticultural term used for pruning trees. In classical Greek, kolasis referred to punishment that aimed at the reformation of the offender.
Together, this phrase (aionios kolasis) more accurately refers to the appropriate curative correction or remedial chastisement the self-seeking face, a penalty that fits the crime. Certainly, the phrase in itself does not imply a penalty that is applied without end.
To Sum Up
God’s angry displeasure of the unbeliever is unimaginably horrible, especially of those who defiantly reject His loving appeals and who abuse and exploit others. Words like bitter regret, chronic isolation, overwhelming loneliness, devastating meaninglessness, crushing despair … fail to capture it fully. Hence, the Biblical metaphors convey a reality that cannot be described in mere words.
However, God’s judgement is not punitive but restorative. And unless one literalises the Biblical metaphors or draws on pagan concepts, the Scriptures do not explicitly advocate for never-ending judgement.