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 A Special look into the treasure of the original language of the bible presented through The Greek Center for Biblical Studies GCBS.
Purgatory and Universalism By Dr. Peter Vourliotis Saturday, July 19, 2003 A member of a "non-denominational Spirit-Filled church" in Florida recently wrote to ask if the pastor’s teaching of a "restoration of all things" is heresy. The pastor in question is using Rev 14:11, where the Greek word "aion," is repeated twice, to claim that Hell will be a temporary state of "purification," and that eventually all will be saved, even the devil and his demons, because God is love. Thus, the pastor argues: "would aions be successive eternities? That would be ridiculous....Can one eternal period of time follow another?....man once again has interjected his own bias into God’s perfect Word." Here is my brief answer to this sincere, truth-seeking member: First, the Holy Spirit is making you uncomfortable about this not-so-new teaching. Apparently, your pastor is unfamiliar with the Greek language, and no student of Biblical exegesis. His teaching, as you described it, blends Purgatory theology with Universalism. The Greek meaning of "aion"(aiwn) is twofold: a. one’s lifetime, and b. eternity. Whereas in the English, one might misinterpret the translation of the Greek "aionas aionon," (aiwnaV aiwnwn), or "the age of ages" of Revelation 14:11, to suggest a finite period of time among several periods, the original Greek clearly emphasizes that this will be the eternity of eternities, (to put it casually, the "mother" of all eternities) or forever. Furthermore, the double positive used in this verse, is common in Greek when emphasizing an important point. The repetition of "aion" points to the certainty and eternity of God’s punishment on those rejecting His loving redemption through Christ’s atoning death. Similar examples abound in Scripture, as in John 3:3, "Truly, truly, I say unto you unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God."(Greek NT) While a pastor may not be a student of Greek, one would have to purposely ignore other references to the everlasting punishment of the devil, his demons and unbelievers throughout scripture—including Matthew 25:41, "then He will say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels"(NKJV)—to come to the same conclusion as your pastor. I am sorry your pastor’s error is causing many to stumble. Scripture condemns this teaching as "doctrines of men" or "doctrines of demons". See Colossians 2:22, Hebrews 13:9 and 1 Timothy 4:1. I pray that this study will help him abandon this error. Should you need help to find a church that teaches "sound doctrine", we will only be glad to help. May the Lord bless you and keep you.
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