[paladinan]

Look... I can’t stop you from ducking out; and you did say, earlier, that you like the “hit and run” style (which really doesn’t seem very sincere, to be honest), but this won’t go away by ignoring it.

You claimed that “aionios” need not be limited to “forever”, but that it might also refer to “a long time”; but you offer no basis (aside from personal picking-and-choosing) for your choice to translate “aionios/n” as “a long time” when referring to torment, but translating “aionios/n” as “forever” when referring to eternal life. It seems patently obvious that you’re biased, and that you’re letting your bias control your selective “interpretation” of Scripture. Either you have an objective standard by which to tell the difference between “a long time” and “forever” (when using the identical Greek word in both cases), or you don’t. Which is it? Mere squeamishness about eternal torment is simply not good enough, FRiend; it’s up to God, not up to you.

[Genoa]

One last reply and then I really have to go. (1) First, I think the "hit and run" comment came from cuban leaf. (2) Greek words have a variety of possible meanings, and aionios can refer to absolute eternity, or not, depending on the principle of "the analogy of scripture," or comparing all of scripture to the passage being interpreted. When "death" and "destruction" and "perish" are used over and over again to describe the destiny of the lost, that would seem to call for an interpretation of aionios that allows for a termination. That does not necessitate that the word always has to mean that. When talking about the eternal life of the redeemed, there is no such obligation to require aionios to have that meaning. It is a flexible term. That's why we need to look at all scripture, not just pick out texts to suit our theology. Maybe you are guilty of the very crime you accuse me of.