I thought I would start a thread on the positve evidence. Clearly it's there.

Universalism doesn't bother me.  In fact, it would be lovely to think that all will be saved in the end.

However, we do find plenty of scripture supporting a judgment and that hell is something unpleasant and tangible.

Choux, what do you do with these verses?  I also note that most of the verses you cite come from the OT.  what about Jesus' clear teachment on judgment in the NT?  How do you dismiss that?

Something else to consider about "Eternal Punnishment" is that "forever" and "eternal" don't always mean "forever" and "eternal" even when they are parallel. We see this in Ro. 16:25,26 where the word is used twice in the same context referring to something temporal and also to God.

Now to Him who is able to strengthen you....according to the mystery that was kept secret for LONG AGES. but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the ETERNAL God.

Here's another in Hab. 3:6

He stood and measured the earth;
he looked and shook the nations;
then the eternal mountains were scattered;
the everlasting hills sank low.
His were the everlasting ways.

The hills aren't everlasting but God's ways are.

The word is a relative term depending on the subject with which it is associated. Matt. 25:46 contains an additional clue that this may be the case. The word punnishment is kolasis and it carries with it the idea of correction. As Barclay notes:

The Greek word for punnishment here is kolasis, which was not orginally an ethical word at all. It originally meant the pruning of trees to make them grow better. I think it is true to say that in all Greek secular literature kolasis is never used of anything but remedial punnishment.

Also, in Is. 34:8-10 the word doesn't mean "forever " in reference to God's punnishment. His anger lasts a moment but His mercy endures forever.


For the Lord has a day of vengeance, a year of recompence for the cause of Zion. And the streams of Edom shall be turned to pitch, and her soil into sulfur, and her land shall become burning pitch. Night and day it shall not be quenched; it's smoke shall go up forever.

This is the exact same language used in Rev. Notice the text says that the fire will not be quenched day and night. It's smoke is said to ascend forever even though Edom isn't still burning today. It went out long ago.