The
Other Side of the Coin
It is made plain throughout the Bible that God
will ultimately save all people (Colossians 1:20 and Ephesians 1:10). Sin is
not said to bring everlasting torment but "death" (Romans 6:23). The
bible also says that Christ tasted that very same death (Gr. thanatos-qanatoV) for every human being: Hebrews 2:9 and II
Corinthians 5:14-15.
Yet it must be recognized that when God is
dealing with people, He can and does use punishment. The Bible
clearly tells of such chastising past, present, and future. It is obviously not
a punishment to pay for sins because Christ already died for the sins of the
entire cosmos (John 1:29).
For the most part punishment is directed to
the non-believers with the intent of turning them to God, but it can be
allotted to believers as well: always with a purpose. In fact, a key to
understanding such punishment is to remember that it consistently involves the
objective of improving the ones to whom it is assigned. By taking all scripture
together, punishment is seen to be more than vengeance. In the original
languages, such constructive chastening is nowhere said to last
"forever."
This study of punishment should be extended
to the Old Testament. In this document, however, our attention is confined to
the New Testament Greek in which there are several words or groups of words,
which designate God’s actions against those who sin and who practice stubborn
unbelief. Each word will be listed with a biblical example. The number and
transliteration of each Greek word is supplied from (Goodrick and Kohlenbergers
exhaustive concordance of the New International Version. Transliterated Greek
words are arranged in their English alphabetical order for the convenience of
those among us who are not familiar with the order of letters in the Greek
alphabet.
1. 521. Antimisthia (antimisqia).
An exchange or penalty. Romans 1:27 "…received in themselves the due penalty
for their perversion."
2. 650. Apokteino (apokteino).
Kill(ed). Revelation 2:23 "…I will strike her children dead."
3. 989. Basanizo (basanizo). To
torture or torment. Revelation 20:10 "…tormented day and
night.
990. Basanizmos (BasanizmoV). Torment. Revelation 14:11 "smoke of their torment."
992. Basanos (basanoV). Torment. Luke 16:23 "in Hades, where he was in
torment."
4. 1296. Dero (dero). Beaten.
Luke 12:47-48 "…beaten with many…(48) beaten
with few stripes (blows).
5. 1472. Dike (dike).
Punishment. Jude 1:7 speaks of the suffering of
6. 1689. Ekdikesis (ekdikesiV).
Punishment or justice. Luke 21:22 "For this is the time of punishment…"
1690. Ekdikos (EkdikoV). Punishment. I Thessalonians 4:6 "The Lord will
punish men..."
7. 2204. Epitimia (Epitimia).
Punishment. II Corinthians 2:6 "The punishment is inflicted
on him…"
8. 3136. Kolasis (KolasiV). G/K
call it punishment, but A.E. Knoch made a strong case for its meaning
"pruning." Matthew 25:46 "…age-related pruning…"
3134. kolazo. II Peter 2:9 "the Lord
knows how to continue their pruning." Knoch.
9. 3210. Krima (Krima). Judgment
or condemnation. Mark 12:40 concerning teachers who devour widows’ houses and
will be therefore judged most severly.
10. 3212. Krino (Krino). Judged or
condemned. Acts 7:7 in reference to
11. 3632. Misthapodosia (Misqapodosia). A reward (of punishment). Hebrews 2:2 ". . .
every violation and disobedience received its just punishment."
12. 3973. Orge (Orge). Wrath,
indignation, punishment. Romans 1:18 "The wrath of God is
revealed from heaven…"
13. 4082. Paideia (Paideia). Discipline,
training. Hebrews 12:5 "My son, do not make light of Lord’s discipline…"
4084. Paideuo (Paideuo). Discipline, instruct, train, heat. Revelation 3:19a
"Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline."
14. 4250. Patasso (Patasso). Strike.
Revelation 11:6 "…and to strike the earth with every kind of
plague…"
15. 5103. Stenochoria (Stenocoria).
Distress. Romans 2:9. "trouble and distress for every human
being who does evil."
16. 2568. Thlipsis (QliyiV).
Trouble. Romans 2:9 "trouble and distress for ever human
being who…"
17. 2596. Thumos (QumoV). Anger.
Romans 2:8 "…there will be... anger."
18. 5512 Timoreo (Timoreo).
Punished. Hebrews 10:29 "…a man deserves to be punished who
has trampled the Son of God under foot…"
If there are other word groups In the Greek
which have been overlooked in this review of God’s corrective punishments,
please inform us—address below.
In only three of these New Testament passages
is there any hint in English translations that the particular punishment
persists permanently: Jude 7, Matthew 25:46, and Revelation 14:11. In each case
a flawed translation is involved.
Jude 7 appears to speak of "the
punishment of eternal fire." The Greek text reflects a limited punishment.
Due to that limitation, the Rotherham version has it "age-abiding
fire" and
In Revelation 14:11, the smoke of their
torment (Gr. basanizmos-basanizmoV) is said to be
rising forever and ever, and the NASB has it "going up forever and
ever." But, the CLV has the torment associated with "the eons of the
eons" which is a clear reference to the last two great time spans in God’s
plan of the ages: the millennial age (1000 years) and the New Heaven/New Earth
eon, the duration of which is not directly revealed. In any case, it does not
mean "forever and ever" as most English translations assert.
Finally, Matthew 25:46 has specific reference
to a judgment of nations in respect to their treatment of
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