Introduction
The grammatical-historical method seeks to interpret Scripture in light of its original grammar, historical context, and literary form. This hermeneutic guards against speculative allegorization on the one hand and anachronistic literalism on the other. When applied consistently, however, it does not support the traditional doctrine of eternal conscious torment (ECT) but instead confirms preterism—the conviction that many New Testament prophecies referred to the first-century crisis culminating in the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.
Yet many interpreters suspend grammatical-historical rigor when approaching texts cited in defense of ECT. They impose later theological constructs onto first-century apocalyptic idioms, misreading what were historically bound warnings as metaphysical descriptions of everlasting torture. This essay contends that preterism, not futurism, is the proper fruit of grammatical-historical exegesis. We will examine the key texts invoked to support ECT—Matthew 25:41–46, Revelation 20:10–15, Mark 9:43–48, 2 Thessalonians 1:9, Jude 7, and related passages—before reflecting on the systematic and patristic implications.
Matthew 25:41–46 — The Sheep and the Goats
Context within the Olivet Discourse
Matthew 25 concludes Jesus’ Olivet Discourse (Matt 24–25), given in response to the disciples’ question about the destruction of the temple and the end of the age (Matt 24:3). The discourse consistently emphasizes imminence: “this generation will not pass away until all these things take place” (24:34). The parables of the virgins, talents, and sheep and goats depict the coming judgment on Israel in connection with the fall of Jerusalem.
Verse 41: “Depart from me…into the eternal fire”
The Greek phrase to pur to aiōnion (τὸ πῦρ τὸ αἰώνιον) recalls Old Testament usage. Jude 7 interprets Sodom and Gomorrah as having suffered the penalty of “eternal fire.” Yet those cities are not still burning. The fire is “eternal” in its effect (irreversible judgment), not its duration. First-century Jews would have recognized this as covenantal imagery, not metaphysical cosmology. Josephus records that Jerusalem’s destruction in A.D. 70 left the city engulfed in flames and corpses, resembling Gehenna (War 6.271–276).
Verse 46: “These will go away into eternal punishment”
The word kolasis (κόλασις), unlike timōria (penal retribution), originally denoted corrective pruning.² Jesus contrasts the irreversible exclusion from the messianic kingdom (kolasis aiōnios) with participation in enduring messianic life (zōē aiōnios). The punishment is covenantal and historical, not metaphysical and eternal.
Revelation 20:10, 14–15 — The Lake of Fire
Apocalyptic Genre
Revelation’s imagery is symbolic and visionary. A grammatical-historical method requires recognizing this genre: beasts, dragons, and fiery lakes function as symbols of political and spiritual realities, not literal geographic descriptions of the afterlife.³
Verse 10: “Tormented day and night forever and ever”
The idiom eis tous aiōnas tōn aiōnōn (εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων, “unto the ages of the ages”) is Hebraic hyperbole for irreversibility. Isaiah 34:10 speaks of Edom’s smoke rising “forever,” though Edom is not burning today. The “beast” symbolizes Rome, the “false prophet” apostate Judaism, and the “devil” the spiritual adversary behind them. Their casting into fire signifies the total collapse of these persecuting powers, not their unending torment.
Verse 14: “Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire”
Taken literally, this would mean abstractions suffer conscious torment. Instead, it signifies the abolition of mortality—the same truth Paul proclaims in 1 Corinthians 15:26: “The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”
Verse 15: “If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life…”
This points to covenantal exclusion, not metaphysical damnation. Those aligned with the persecuting powers faced historical judgment. John warns of exclusion from the New Jerusalem, not everlasting torture.
The Prophetic Motif of Judgment by Fire
Fire as a symbol of judgment saturates the Old Testament:
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Isaiah 34:9–10 – Edom’s smoke rises “forever,” symbolizing annihilation.
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Jeremiah 7:20 – Judah faces fire that “shall not be quenched,” fulfilled in Babylon’s destruction.
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Ezekiel 21:31–32 – Fire consumes Ammon; “unquenchable” means irresistible.
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Daniel 7:9–11 – A fiery stream destroys the beast, a direct background for Revelation.
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Malachi 4:1–3 – The wicked become “ashes under your feet.”
In each case, the imagery depicts decisive, historical judgment, not unending torment. Jesus and John, immersed in these Scriptures, employed the same idioms.
Other Proof-Texts for Eternal Torment
Mark 9:43–48 — “Where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched”
Jesus alludes to Isaiah 66:24, which depicts corpses outside Jerusalem consumed by fire and worms. The point is disgrace and total defeat, not perpetual torment. “Unquenchable fire” means unstoppable until its work is done (Jer 17:27). Gehenna symbolized Jerusalem’s impending fiery destruction.
2 Thessalonians 1:9 — “Eternal destruction”
Paul addresses first-century persecutors of the Thessalonian church. The Greek olethros aiōnios denotes irreversible ruin, not ongoing torment. Their “destruction” was removal from covenantal standing, not everlasting agony.
Jude 7 — “Suffering the punishment of eternal fire”
Sodom’s destruction is the example: its fire was eternal in effect, not in duration. Jude’s point is that apostate Israel faced the same irreversible judgment.
Other Texts
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Matthew 10:28 – God can “destroy body and soul in Gehenna.” The verb apollymi means ruin, not torment. Again, Gehenna signifies Jerusalem’s fiery judgment.
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Hebrews 10:27 – A “fury of fire” awaits those who reject Christ. Echoing Jeremiah, this is a warning of the destruction of Jerusalem’s temple system, not everlasting punishment.
Systematic Theological Reflection: Justice, Restoration, and the Problem of Dualism
1. Divine Justice
Unending torment for finite sins contradicts the biblical principle of justice: “He will render to each according to his works” (Rom 2:6). Covenant-breaking Israel faced a proportionate, historical judgment.
2. The Restoration of All Things
Scripture points toward universal restoration (apokatastasis, Acts 3:21; Col 1:20). ECT implies an everlasting rebellion, but preterism clears the ground for the hope that God’s justice is ultimately restorative.
3. Manichaean Dualism and Equal Ultimacy
ECT inadvertently imports Manichaean dualism into Christian theology by positing the eternal coexistence of good and evil. This suggests equal ultimacy—that God’s kingdom and the realm of torment both endure forever. The biblical vision, however, is that evil will be abolished and God will be “all in all” (1 Cor 15:28).
Preterism avoids this distortion. By situating “hell” texts in their first-century context, it affirms the decisive defeat of evil in history and the ultimate triumph of God’s restorative plan.
Patristic Voices Against Eternal Torment
The early church fathers did not speak with one voice on the fate of the wicked, but many repudiated the later doctrine of ECT:
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Origen (185–254) – Taught that punishments are corrective, not retributive, and anticipated the ultimate restoration of all (De Principiis 1.6.1–3).
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Gregory of Nyssa (335–395) – Interpreted the “lake of fire” as purgative, intended to heal and restore (On the Soul and Resurrection).
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Athanasius (296–373) – In On the Incarnation, described death and corruption as abolished by Christ, emphasizing restoration rather than perpetual torment.
Even Augustine, who hardened Western theology against universal restoration, admitted that some Christians of his day believed punishment was purgative and temporary (Enchiridion 112). The dominance of ECT came later, shaped more by Latin juridical categories than by consistent exegesis.
Thus, a preterist, grammatical-historical reading finds strong resonance with significant patristic witnesses who opposed the idea of unending dualism between good and evil.
Conclusion
The doctrine of eternal conscious torment rests on misreadings of prophetic and apocalyptic imagery. A consistent grammatical-historical hermeneutic—honoring genre, idiom, and historical context—supports a preterist understanding of the so-called “hell texts.” These passages describe covenantal judgments in the first century, not everlasting torments.
Moreover, ECT undermines biblical theology by importing Manichaean dualism, distorting divine justice, and contradicting the promise of cosmic restoration. Preterism, by contrast, aligns with both Scripture’s historical context and its ultimate vision of God’s triumph:
“That God may be all in all.” (1 Cor 15:28)
Preterism, therefore, is not an innovation but the faithful outworking of the Reformation’s hermeneutic—vindicating both the accuracy of Jesus’ prophecies and the goodness of God’s redemptive purpose.
Notes
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Jude 7; cf. Philo, On the Eternity of the World 76, where aiōnios denotes permanence of result rather than infinite duration.
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Aristotle, Rhetoric 1.10: kolasis is for the sake of the one corrected, timōria for the satisfaction of the one punishing.
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G. B. Caird, The Language and Imagery of the Bible (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1980), 243–258.
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Josephus, The Jewish War 6.271–276, vividly describes Jerusalem consumed by fire in A.D. 70.
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Jeremiah 17:27 and Isaiah 66:24 provide the background for Mark 9.
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Augustine, Confessions 3.6, describing his departure from Manichaean dualism.
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Origen, De Principiis 1.6.1–3; Gregory of Nyssa, On the Soul and Resurrection; Athanasius, On the Incarnation.
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