The title says what I intend at the outset: to identify whether there is indeed scriptural basis for the teaching of Eternal Damnation or whether there is an alternative that suggests God will allow mankind to pay for their sins through suffering and then be accepted.
(The latter argument is one of the apparent foundations of the Universalist Church.)

At First look

The NASB gives the traditional viewpoint of the damnation of those who do not accept the sufferings of Jesus as their propitiation being an eternal one, by translating Mathew 25:46 this way:

Matthew 25
46 These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Young’s Literal Translation makes an interesting alternative observation:

Matthew 25
⁴⁶ And these shall go away to punishment age-during, but the righteous to life age-during.’

This single verse comparison of the texts seems to suggest there is a hidden meaning, or one that has been purposely obscured by some party who had a hand in one of these translations.

Here are others:

Daniel 12
² “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.

Daniel 12
² ‘And the multitude of those sleeping in the dust of the ground do awake, some to life age-during, and some to reproaches—to abhorrence age-during.

So we see a problem with the translation of “eternal” being “age-during”.

If we do get “eternal life”, what then: Is this implying there is “eternal death”?

Acts 13
⁴⁶Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.”

Maybe so as:

1 John 5
¹¹ And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
¹² He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.

If “eternal life” is what we get through obedience then what do we get for disobedience? Eternal life is eternal existence, so then not having His Eternal life will be an end, no? Once again, we must turn to the Bible…

The “eternal life” is defined as a dwelling place or existence with God in Psalm 90

Psalm 90:1-2

Can this mean that to not have “eternal life” is to not dwell with God, but to dwell elsewhere? Can there be another opportunity for mankind to make our way to God?

Does that seem so in Deuteronomy (YLT) ?:

Deuteronomy 33
²⁷ A habitation [is] the eternal God, And beneath [are] arms age-during. And He casteth out from thy presence the enemy, and saith, ‘Destroy!’

And yet here:

Ezekiel 34:16
”I will seek the lost, bring back the scattered, bind up the broken and strengthen the sick; but the [Isaiah 10:16] fat and the strong I will destroy. I will [Isaiah 49:26] feed them with judgment.
(Whole Chapter: Ezekiel 34 In context: Ezekiel 34:15-17)

The Second Death

Revelation 20
⁶ Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.
¹⁴ Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.

Revelation 21
⁸ “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

Here are more YLT version Bible examples of translations of “eternal” as “age-during”

Jude 1
⁷ as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them, in like manner to these, having given themselves to whoredom, and gone after other flesh, have been set before — an example, of fire age-during, justice suffering.

Matthew 25
⁴⁶ And these shall go away to punishment age-during, but the righteous to life age-during.’

Genesis 21
³³ and [Abraham] planteth a tamarask in Beer-Sheba, and preacheth there in the name of Jehovah, God age-during;

This verse in Genesis is a clear indication of the intent of the term that the translation to “eternal” has to be accurate as God is not God for just an age:

Eternal search in NIV:
http://www.biblegateway.com/cgi-bin/bible?search=eternal&SearchType=AND&version=NIV&restrict=&StartRestrict=&EndRestrict=&rpp=25&language=english&searchpage=0&x=14&y=10

I found this rather odd example of YLT using both eternal and age-during in the same verse:

Deuteronomy 33
²⁷ A habitation [is] the eternal God, And beneath [are] arms age-during. And He casteth out from thy presence the enemy, and saith, `Destroy!’

Which in the NASB reads:

Deuteronomy 33
²⁷
“The eternal God is a dwelling place,
And underneath are the everlasting arms;
And He drove out the enemy from before you,
And said, ‘Destroy!’

This indicates that the literal word used in Rev 20:10 YLT version translated as “to the ages of the ages” may have been the same as used here for everlasting and not eternal.

Eternal:

06924 qedem {keh’-dem} or qedmah {kayd’-maw}

from 06923; TWOT – 1988a;

AV – east 32, old 17, eastward 11, ancient 6, east side 5, before 3,
east part 2, ancient time 2, aforetime 1, eternal 1, misc 7; 87

n m
1) east, antiquity, front, that which is before, aforetime
1a) front, from the front or east, in front, mount of the East
1b) ancient time, aforetime, ancient, from of old, earliest time
1c) anciently, of old (adverb)
1d) beginning
1e) east
adv
2) eastward, to or toward the East

Everlasting:

05769 `owlam {o-lawm’} or `olam {o-lawm’}

from 05956; TWOT – 1631a; n m

AV – ever 272, everlasting 63, old 22, perpetual 22, evermore 15,
never 13, time 6, ancient 5, world 4, always 3, alway 2, long 2,
more 2, never + 0408 2, misc 6; 439

1) long duration, antiquity, futurity, for ever, ever, everlasting,
evermore, perpetual, old, ancient, world
1a) ancient time, long time (of past)
1b) (of future)
1b1) for ever, always
1b2) continuous existence, perpetual
1b3) everlasting, indefinite or unending future, eternity

Final Mention

My parting shot is this:
In another paper I had shown what I thought was conclusive evidence that there will be no pre-tribulation rapture. Since then there is question on how accurate that is, but for Matthew’s timeline issues. But whether we are here or not the timeline runs as follows:

Tribulation; the Devil and his angels are bound in the pit, The Believers reign with Jesus for 1000 years; Armageddon where the lost still alive during the 1000 year reign and still rejected Jesus, those dead without Christ who are now raised to the second resurrection and Satan, with his fallen angels, do battle with God and the Saved where they (Satan, et all) lose; The Judgment of the lost (I say to judgment and the fiery furnace (the Second Death),- others say they shall be unmade with creation); All creation is destroyed as/because or before A New Heaven and the New Earth are Created and God starts anew with His Children.

Conclusion

My summary then is that we can know what will happen to the lost – that God says in the Bible, in too many places, that the lost shall pay a horrible price! I know we can be sure of our own salvation, as we entrust ourselves to Jesus. It is plain we shall know for sure whether God will forgive all after a 1000 year punishment – He has made it plain in scripture that he shall not. There shall be eternal damnation for those who reject His Son Jesus as the atonement for their sin, we only need look to the overwhelming number of verses that speak directly of a horrible fate for the lost as being conclusive. I can say from my own understanding of God that He cannot be anything but JUST – and there is ample evidence for the eternal damnation of those who break the Law, remain unrepentant refusing the Mercy of Yahweh found ONLY through Jesus.

I believe the conclusion must be drawn from God’s character:

Mercy triumphs over Judgment, and God’s Mercy will only be realized in Jesus. All others must expect His Wrath, as scripture clearly states. God’s love for Justice, Truth and Righteousness cannot be ignored.

I have updated these conclusions since learning of the use for the Law.

The Law is perfect, converting the soul.

Come quickly Lord Jesus.

Patrick J. Burwell
OnlyJesusSaves.com Editor

Cross-references

1. Dan 12:2

2. Acts 13:46, 48; Rom 2:7; 5:21; 6:23; Gal 6:8; 1 John 5:11