Following the Terms to Paint a Clearer Picture of Hell

When it comes to the eternal destiny of individuals without Christ, those in what's often called the annihilationist or "conditional immortality" camp argue that certain key words in Scripture (like "death" and "destroy") depict their final judgment as, ultimately, non-existence. But let me suggest another line of biblical argumentation for the 'ongoingness' of God's eternal judgment. Using a different set of key terms, below you will find biblical texts linked together by the basanos family of words in the Greek New Testament. These words, having to do with "torment", "torture", or "pain", appear twenty-two times in the New Testament, with six instances related to suffering in the afterlife. Let's simply go in order of their appearance.

First is the Greek word BASANISTES in Matthew 18:34. Though the word only appears once in the New Testament, it's attested in other works outside the Bible. Translated as "jailers" in the ESV, the root word gives us the sense of torturer or tormentor as well (as reflected in many other translations). What's interesting is that the parable speaks about the unmerciful servant being handed over to these torturers, "until he should pay all his debt". As Jesus' listeners would have understood, the insanely large, hyperbolic amount Jesus uses to describe the debt ("ten thousand talents"--which would be in the billions of dollars today), could never have been paid off by this man in his (or any) lifetime.

Second, in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, the word BASANOS appears twice, in both Luke 16:23 and 16:28 (with the synonym "anguish" appearing twice as well (vs. 24-25). The setting is "Hades" (v. 23), which here is, of course, not the underworld of Greek mythology, but the abode of the dead (reflecting the Hebrew word sheol). What's curious is how this serves as a place of "torment" for the greedy man, even though the Day of Judgment has not yet taken place. It's clear from the parable that no relief is possible for this man (vs. 24-26). Like Jesus' use of gehenna ("hell"), the parable also uses the imagery of fire to describe consequences the man is experiencing for his greedy, uncaring lifestyle. But it's noteworthy that this post-mortem fire does not consume. Instead, it causes unrelievable anguish. Though I believe the elements presented here (the fire, the chasm, "Abraham's side", etc.) are shaped for Jesus' storytelling purposes, the essence of this judgment and this suffering lines up with, for example, Matthew 13, where a "fiery furnace" is visualized in respect to the final judgment. For it too will be a "place [where] there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (vs. 42, 50)

Third, in both Revelation 14:10 and 20:10,  the verb BASANIZO, "to torment" is used once again in connection with the imagery of fire. Though we have moved our basanos words from the imagery of parables (Matthew 18:23-35; Luke 16:19-31) to the imagery of the apocalyptic, very real suffering is being represented here; specifically, the torment of those who worship the beast (14:9), the torment of the beast himself, and the torment of "the devil who had deceived them" (20:10). Even if the beast is a symbolic image, the imagery in the Revelation represents very real people throughout history who used (and will use) their power and influence to oppose God and his servants. Along with the devil and those who followed the world system (20:15), all these will face the 'fire' of God's ultimate judgment. This is clearly the same "fire" Jesus described in Matthew 25:41 as the one "prepared for the devil and his angels". 

Fourth, one last variant of our keyword appears in Revelation 14:11. It's the word BASANISMOS, another noun translated as "torment". But in this verse, a verse concerning the final judgment of God's enemies, the duration of this torment is clearly indicated. In keeping with the unpayable debt of Matthew 18:34 and the unrelievable pain of Luke 16:23, 28, according to this verse, the "smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever". Now, this verse does seem to borrow judgment imagery from Isaiah 34:10-11, where God's judgment against Edom is being vividly described as utterly final and not to be forgotten (i.e., memorialized). This is very similar to the language in Revelation 19:3 concerning the harlot's destruction. But 14:11 is different in that John returns to the suffering individuals themselves, and expands his description of their torment by explaining that "they have no rest, day or night". This is not the language of finality or legacy. This is a statement concerning an ongoing experience of suffering, not simply memorializing a painful, but past experience. This same language appears again in Revelation 20:10, where the devil, et al., "will be tormented day and night forever and ever". It's true that realities like Death and Hades are also consigned to this fiery judgment in 20:14, but this is explained six verses later by the phrase, "and death shall be no more" (21:4). Clearly, if this image of fire (a "lake" in this case) was meant to convey the complete consuming of God's enemies, the same "shall be no more" language could be employed. It isn't. In fact, the closing paragraphs of the Revelation seem to speak about those cut off from the tree of life, about those in torment, as being "outside" the gates of the symbolic city; a city that represents the coming, final, blessed state of God's people (21:14-15).

I believe using a Greek word group like this helps us to see how this theme develops in the New Testament, as well as the interconnectedness of several important passages. It can also help us with what might be less clear in terms of words like "death" and "destroy", for that final image in the Revelation of fiery torment is, in fact, called "the second death". Again, though the idea of being completely consumed is present in regard to Death (21:4), it isn't applied to actual persons/beings (and therefore, does not contradict the "forever and ever" used language in Revelation). 

While the annihilationist view does have a number of strengths in dealing with a number of difficult passages, for me, passages like these tilt the weight toward a more traditional understanding of the gehenna and "outer darkness" (Matthew 8:12; 22:13; 25:30) passages in the Gospels. Clearly, this issue of eternal punishment remains a very difficult doctrine. As such, there are many things about this doctrine that should keep us humble and careful, as we lean firmly into the far clearer doctrines of God's goodness, justice, wisdom, and sovereignty over the destinies of all people.