Dear Gary and Michelle thank you, your writings have been of much inspiration in my quest for the truth. Having been a Christian for a number of years and having only stumbled on what I now consider to be the truth — that which you preach and teach I’d like to ask you a quick question from a site that a brother sent me re: Universalism and why he thinks it’s false. The copy/paste section is below and I’m inquiring as to why “eónas tón eónon” or as they translate “forever and ever” cannot be basically translated into eternity.
forever and ever
αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων
eónas tón eónon (aionas ton aionon)
“ages of the ages”
| Eternal – without end | Eternal Damnation |
|---|---|
| “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen,” (1 Tim. 1:17). | “And a second time they said, “Hallelujah! Her smoke rises up forever and ever ” (Rev. 19:3). |
| “. . . To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever” (Rev. 5:13). | “And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever,” (Rev. 20:10). |
The Greek phrase “eónas tón eonon [αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων],” which is translated “forever and ever,” occurs 18 times in the Greek New Testament. In 17 of them, the phrase means without end, extending into infinity. In Rev. 19:3, the phrase is used to describe the destruction of the great whore of Babylon (Rev. 17:1,4) whose smoke ascends forever and ever. It too is eternal and it signifies the beginning of the eternal judgment that comes upon her.
Also worth examining is Rev. 14:11, “And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever ; and they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”
The Greek in Rev. 14:11 is only slightly different. In the table above, “forever and ever” is translated from the Greek, “eónas ton eónon [αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων],” which is literally “ages of the of ages.” In Rev. 14:11, the Greek is “eónas eónon” which is literally, “ages of ages.” In the latter, the single Greek word “of the” is missing. But it is not necessary and does not change the meaning of the text. Therefore, the scripture teaches the smoke of their torment goes up forever, without end.
Please, I’d really value your response as I love your writings and truly value them.
From a Brother in Townsville, Nth Queensland, Australia.
Answer:
Editor’s note (2026) #1: The short answer: is that the Hebrews and Greeks never developed the concept of eternity as we know it today. For them, the idea was a compiling up of time. Time unknown, time into the future but the concept of “no time” which eternity entails was not generally present.
The longer answer: In order not to duplicate content, the original answer was including a full article found elsewhere. We include the link to the article so that you can read Gary’s original response: Does “ForeverS And EverS” Make Sense to You?
[Editor’s note (2026) #2: Greek transliterations have been updated throughout from Erasmian to Neo-Hellenic Koine. See our article titled Erasmus Never Used Erasmian Greek for further explanation. As reference, the two key Greek words αἰών and αἰώνιος are transliterated as — Erasmian: aion/aionios; Neo-Hellenic Koine: eón/eónios.]