On The Eagle's Wings

This passage merits some clear explanation on two points.

1. If eternal (aion) means "age" or "period of time" then is eternal life ongoing or also of limited duration? 

2. What is the meaning of "punishment" in this passage.  

Let's examine both those things.

Mat 25:45 "Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as, ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal."

1. If eternal (aion) means "age" or "period of time" then is eternal life ongoing or also of limited duration? 

Let's address the issue of eternal life first.  The following is a section of a book called The Greek Word Aion--Aionios....by Rev. John Wesley Hanson, AM

WORDS TEACHING ENDLESS DURATION.

But the Blessed Life has not been left dependent on so equivocal a word (referring to the word aion). The soul's immortal and happy existence is taught in the New Testament, by words that in the Bible are never applied to anything that is of limited duration. They are applied to God and the soul's happy existence only. These words are akataluton, imperishable; amarantos and amarantinos, unfading; aphtharto, immortal, incorruptible; and athanasian, immortality. Let us quote some of the passages in which these words occur:

Heb. 7:15, 16, "And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchizedek there ariseth another priest, who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless (akatalutos, imperishable) life."

1 Pet. 1:3, 4, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy, hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, (aphtharton,) and undefiled, and that fadeth not (amaranton) away."

1 Pet. 5:4, "And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory thatfadeth not (amarantinos) away."

1 Tim. 1:17, "Now unto the King eternal, immortal, (aphtharto,) invisible, the only wise god, be honor and glory forever and ever, Amen."

Rom. 1:23, "And changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man."

1 Cor. 9:25, "Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible."

1 Cor. 15:51-54, "Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, (aphthartoi,) and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, (aphtharsian,) and this mortal must put on immortality (athanasian). So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, (aphtharsian,) and this mortal shall have put on immortality, (athanasian,) then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory."

Rom. 2:7, "To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, (aphtharsia,) eternal life."

1 Cor. 15:42, "So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption (aphtharsia)." See also verse 50,

2 Tim 1:10, "Who brought life and immortality (aphtharsian) to light, through the gospel."

1 Tim. 6:16, "Who only hath immortality (athanasian)."

 Now these words are applied to God and the soul's happiness. They are words that in the Bible are never applied to punishment, or to anything perishable. They would have been affixed to punishment had the Bible intended to teach endless punishment. 

***Addition as of 6/2009

Questions to think about concerning this topic.

1. When does LIFE end?

2. If there is no death in AIONIOS LIFE, then what would herald it's end?

Aionios life, or correctly translated an AGE OF LIFE,  is our reward for living a righteous life (according to Matt 25:46) and aionios correction, or an AGE OF CORRECTION is our consequence for a life of disobedience. 

So I will pose two more questions:

1. When does correction or punishment end?  Assume that we are talking about a child, since God is Father.  Father's purpose was and still is to conform all to the likeness of His Son.

"For those whom he foreknew (Are there any he did not know before he created them? Or is he not the creator and originator of all?) he also predestined (determined before hand) to be conformed to the image of his Son."

If Father's purpose is to conform us all to the image of His Son this period of correction will last precisely the amount of time it takes to accomplish that task. 

2. What is the meaning of "punishment" in this passage? 

One of the best ways to determine a word meaning is to look at other passages in scripture that use the same word in other passages of scripture to see if one can determine the meaning from the context.  I have previously written extensively about the use of aion in scripture and the many passages that verify it's correct meaning of "age" or "limited period of time". 

The word punishment or kolasis in Greek, appears twice in the New Testament. The second time it appears is as follows:

1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear because fear has kolasis, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.

Some translate the word kolasis as punishment and sometimes torment instead of correction.  The passage indicates that perfect love casts out fear because fear has a correction. In other words there is a way to remedy fear--perfect love--and one who fears is also one who is not perfected or "made complete" or "consummated (in character)" in love.  The writer is trying to get the message across that there is no fear in love because love is the solution (or correction) for fear.

Likewise Jesus words aionios kolasis were in contrast to the words of known endless torment teachers like the Pharisees and Greek Philosophers. They were saying the wicked would go into aidios timoria (words never used in scripture) which does mean endless torment while Jesus was saying those who did not clothe, feed, take care of the poor and needy would experience a period of correction.  Sounds like something one's Father would do when His child was disobedient or needed a change of attitude, doesn't it?  Hardly appropriate to send a selfish child into endless flames of torment.

The following is also another quote that brings clarity to these words from the chapter mentioned above by Hanson:

Philo, who was contemporary with Christ, generally used aidion to denote endless, and aionian temporary duration. He uses the exact phraseology of Matt. 25:46, precisely as Christ used it: "It is better not to promise than not to give prompt assistance, for no blame follows in the former case, but in the latter there is dissatisfaction from the weaker class, and a deep hatred and æonian punishment (chastisement) from such as are more powerful." Here we have the precise terms employed by our Lord, which show that aionian did not mean endless but did mean limited duration in the time of Christ. Philo adopts athanaton, ateleuteton or aidion to denote endless, and aionian temporary duration. In one place occurs this sentence concerning the wicked: "to live always dying, and to undergo, as it were, an immortal and interminable death."² Stephens, in his valuable "Thesaurus," quotes from a Jewish work: "These they called aionios, hearing that they had performed the sacred rites for three entire generations." ³ This shows conclusively that the expression "three generations" was then one full equivalent of aionian. Now, these eminent scholars were Jews who wrote in Greek, and who certainly knew the meaning of the words they employed, and they give to the aeonian words the sense of indefinite duration, to be determined in any case by the scope of the subject. Had our Lord intended to indoctrinate the doctrine of the Pharisees, he would have used the terms by which they described it. But his word defining the duration of punishment was aionian, while their words are aidion, adialeipton, and athanaton. Instead of saying with Philo and Josephus, thanaton athanaton, deathless or immortal death; eirgmon aidion, eternal imprisonment; aidion timorion, eternal torment; and thanaton ateleuteton, interminable death, he used aionion kolasin, an adjective in universal use for limited duration, and a noun denoting suffering producing improvement. The word by which our Lord describes punishment is the word kolasin, which is thus defined: "Chastisement, punishment." "The trimming of the luxuriant branches of a tree or vine to improve it and make it fruitful." "The act of clipping or pruning--restriction, restraint, reproof, check, chastisement." "The kind of punishment which tends to the improvement of the criminal is what the Greek philosopher called kolasis or chastisement." "Pruning, checking, punishment, chastisement, correction." "Do we want to know what was uppermost in the minds of those who formed the word for punishment? The Latin poena or punio, to punish, the root pu in Sanscrit, which means to cleanse, to purify, tells us that the Latin derivation was originally formed, not to express mere striking or torture, but cleansing. correcting, delivering from the stain of sin." ⁴ That it had this meaning in Greek usage, see Plato: "For the natural or accidental evils of others no one gets angry, or admonishes, or teaches, or punishes (kolazei) them, but we pity those afflicted with such misfortune for if, O Socrates, if you will consider what is the design of punishing (kolazein) the wicked, this of itself will show you that men think virtue something that may be acquired; for no one punishes (kolazei) the wicked, looking to the past only simply for the wrong he has done--that is, no one does this thing who does not act like a wild beast; desiring only revenge, without thought. Hence, he who seeks to punish (kolazein) with reason does not punish for the sake of the past wrong deed, but for the sake of the future, that neither the man himself who is punished may do wrong again, nor any other who has seen him chastised. And he who entertains this thought must believe that virtue may be taught, and he punishes (kolazei) for the purpose of deterring from wickedness?" ⁵