Appendix A
This index lists every major Scripture reference discussed in the book, organized by biblical book in canonical order. Each entry includes the chapter(s) where the passage is treated and a brief note explaining its significance in the book’s argument. Bold chapter numbers indicate where the passage receives its fullest treatment.
Genesis 1:26–27 — The creation of humanity in God’s image. Foundational for Baker’s argument that God’s image has been distorted by the Western juridical tradition. Chapters 4, 5, 17
Genesis 2:7 — God breathes the breath of life (neshamah) into Adam. Foundational text for the biblical understanding of the soul and substance dualism; the human person is both body and spirit. Chapters 27, 12
Genesis 2:17 — “In the day you eat of it you shall surely die.” Death as the natural consequence of separation from God’s life—not an externally imposed punishment. Supports the natural consequence model. Chapters 5, 19
Genesis 3:22–24 — The expulsion from Eden and the cherubim with the flaming sword. Basil the Great reads the fire as “terrible and burning toward infidels, but kindly accessible toward the faithful.” Early image of fire as both protective and purifying. Chapters 8, 15
Genesis 15:17 — God appears to Abraham as a smoking firepot and a flaming torch. God’s self-revelation through fire—a covenantal act of love, not punishment. Chapter 8
Genesis 19:24–28 — The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Often cited in support of ECT but actually supports CI—the cities were destroyed, not eternally tormented. Jude 7 calls this “eternal fire,” yet the fire finished its work. Chapters 9, 10, 22
Exodus 3:1–6 — The burning bush. God appears as fire that burns but does not consume. The bush is not destroyed because God’s fire is not destructive by nature—it is the fire of His holy presence. A key image for the divine presence model. Chapters 8, 14, 15
Exodus 13:21–22 — The pillar of fire by night. God’s presence is fire, and this fire guides and protects Israel. The same God who is a pillar of fire to His people is a consuming fire to His enemies—the difference is not in God but in the posture of the heart. Chapter 8
Exodus 19:16–19; 24:17 — God’s appearance at Sinai as devouring fire. The Israelites feared the fire; Moses entered it. Same fire, two responses—a paradigm of the divine presence model. Chapters 8, 14
Deuteronomy 4:24 — “For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.” One of the foundational texts for the book’s title and thesis. God’s consuming fire is His zealous, passionate love. Chapters 8, 22
Deuteronomy 32:22 — “A fire is kindled by my anger, burning to the depths of Sheol.” God’s fire reaches even into the realm of the dead. On the divine presence model, this fire is not punitive rage but the penetrating presence of God reaching every corner of reality. Chapters 7, 22
Deuteronomy 32:39 — “I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal.” A key text for the anthropomorphic language debate. Basil the Great argues this is accommodated language, not literal description of God’s intentions. Chapter 7
Psalm 16:10–11 — “You will not abandon my soul to Sheol.” Foundational for the intermediate state and the hope that Sheol/Hades is not the final word. Chapters 21, 27
Psalm 37:20, 38 — The wicked will perish; they will be consumed like smoke. CI proof text—the imagery is of destruction and dissolution, not eternal preservation in torment. Chapters 12, 22
Psalm 72 — A vision of the Messiah’s reign of justice. Biblical justice (tsedaka) here means rescuing the oppressed and establishing righteousness—not retribution. Chapter 6
Psalm 85:10 — “Steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other.” Hesed and emeth unite with tsedaka. God’s justice and love are not in tension but are one reality. Chapter 6
Psalm 139:7–12 — “Where can I go from your Spirit? If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.” God is present even in the realm of the dead. There is no place hidden from His presence. A key text supporting the divine presence model over the separation view of hell. Chapters 14, 21, 27
Isaiah 33:14–15 — “Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire? Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?” The answer: the righteous. The fire is God’s presence. The righteous dwell in it; the wicked cannot endure it. A devastating text for the separation model and a cornerstone of the divine presence model. Chapters 8, 14, 22
Isaiah 45:7 — “I form light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create calamity.” Engages the question of whether God is the direct cause of evil or whether evil is the natural consequence of turning from the source of good. Chapters 6, 7
Isaiah 66:24 — “Their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched.” The source text behind Mark 9:48. Refers to corpses outside Jerusalem (the Valley of Hinnom/Gehenna), not to conscious persons being tormented. Supports CI over ECT. Chapters 9, 10, 21
Jeremiah 2:17, 19 — “Have you not brought this upon yourself? ... Your own wickedness will correct you.” Sin as self-punishment. God does not need to impose punishment because sin is inherently self-destructive. A key text for the natural consequence model. Chapters 7, 19
Jeremiah 7:31–32; 19:6 — The Valley of Hinnom (Gehenna) as a place of child sacrifice that God explicitly declares He never commanded. Gehenna’s historical background as a place of horror, not a place God designed for torment. Chapter 21
Ezekiel 18:23, 32; 33:11 — “I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked.” God does not desire the destruction of any person. If ECT is true, God gets what He does not want for all eternity. Supports both CI (God reluctantly destroys) and UR (God eventually saves all). Chapters 4, 10, 13, 30
Daniel 7:9–10 — The Ancient of Days on His throne, with a river of fire flowing from Him. In the Orthodox reading, this river of fire is the outpouring of God’s love—the same river that illumines the righteous and torments the wicked. Chapters 8, 15, 22, 23
Daniel 12:2 — “Many of those who sleep in the dust shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” A key OT text for the resurrection of the just and unjust and the reality of final judgment. Chapters 9, 23, 29
Hosea 2:19–20 — God’s betrothal of Israel in tsedaka, hesed, and emeth. God’s justice is expressed through covenantal love, faithfulness, and restoration. Chapter 6
Amos 3:6 — “Does disaster come to a city unless the LORD has done it?” Engages the anthropomorphic language of God causing evil. Basil and the Fathers read this as accommodated language. Chapter 7
Micah 6:8 — “What does the LORD require of you? To do justice (mishpat), to love mercy (hesed), and to walk humbly with your God.” Justice and mercy are not opposites but companions. Chapter 6
Malachi 3:2–3 — “He is like a refiner’s fire ... He will purify the sons of Levi.” God’s fire is explicitly purifying, not punitive. The refiner’s fire does not aim to destroy but to remove impurities. A core text for the divine presence model’s reading of fire. Chapters 8, 22
Malachi 4:1–3 — “The day is coming, burning like an oven ... all evildoers will be stubble ... burned up.” CI proof text. The wicked are consumed like stubble—imagery of total destruction, not ongoing torment. Also: “You shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet.” Chapters 12, 22
Matthew 3:11–12 — John the Baptist: Jesus will baptize “with the Holy Spirit and fire.” The same Christ brings both baptism and fire—the Spirit purifies the willing, and the chaff is burned up. Chapters 8, 22
Matthew 5:22, 29–30 — Jesus’s warnings about Gehenna. The first uses of Gehenna in the Gospels. Gehenna is the Valley of Hinnom—a place of destruction, not eternal torment. Chapters 9, 21
Matthew 7:13–14 — The narrow and wide gates. “The gate is wide that leads to destruction (apoleia).” The word is destruction, not torment. Supports CI. Chapters 10, 12
Matthew 10:28 — “Fear him who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.” One of the most important texts for CI. God can destroy the soul. The soul is not inherently immortal. On the divine presence model, the fire of God’s love is what destroys the resistant. Chapters 4, 9, 12, 14, 21, 27, 29, 30
Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43 — The parable of the wheat and the tares. The tares are gathered and burned. Imagery of destruction, not eternal preservation in torment. The fire does its work and the tares are consumed. Chapters 9, 24
Matthew 13:47–50 — The parable of the net. The bad fish are thrown away. Again, the imagery is separation and disposal, not eternal torment. Chapter 24
Matthew 17:1–8 — The Transfiguration. Jesus’s face shines like the sun. God’s presence is revealed as overwhelming light and fire. The disciples are terrified—and they love Him. Chapters 8, 15
Matthew 22:1–14 — The parable of the wedding banquet. The man without a wedding garment is cast into “outer darkness.” On the divine presence model, the darkness is not physical absence from God but the soul’s inability to participate in the joy of God’s presence. Chapter 24
Matthew 25:1–13 — The parable of the ten virgins. The foolish virgins are shut out. The door is closed. The language of finality and irreversibility in the divine presence framework. Chapter 24
Matthew 25:31–46 — The parable of the sheep and the goats. “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (v. 41). “These will go away into eternal punishment (kolasis aionios)” (v. 46). A critical text for the ECT debate. Kolasis is corrective punishment, not retributive (timoria). Aionios refers to the quality of the age to come, not necessarily infinite duration. Chapters 9, 10, 13, 17, 23
Matthew 25:41 — “Depart from me”—used to argue for the separation model. But on the divine presence model, this “departure” is experiential, not spatial. God is omnipresent; the wicked experience His presence as expulsion rather than embrace. Chapters 10, 14, 20
Mark 9:43–48 — “Where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.” Quoting Isaiah 66:24. Refers to the undying worm and unquenchable fire of the Valley of Hinnom—imagery of thorough destruction, not eternal consciousness. An unquenchable fire is one that cannot be put out until it has consumed everything. Chapters 9, 10, 21
Luke 12:49 — “I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled!” Jesus Himself brings the fire. The fire is His presence, His mission, His love reaching the whole world. Chapters 8, 22
Luke 15:11–32 — The parable of the prodigal son. The elder brother is in his father’s house, surrounded by his father’s love, and yet he is in his own private hell—consumed by resentment and self-righteousness. A vivid illustration of the divine presence model: paradise and hell in the same house. Chapters 14, 15, 18, 24
Luke 16:19–31 — The rich man and Lazarus. The rich man is in Hades—the intermediate state—not in Gehenna or the lake of fire. Critical for the Hades/Gehenna distinction. Often misread as a description of the final state. Chapters 9, 17, 21, 24, 27
Luke 23:43 — “Today you will be with me in paradise.” A key text for the conscious intermediate state. The thief goes immediately to be with Christ. Supports substance dualism against soul sleep. Chapters 27, 29
John 3:16 — “Whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” The contrast is between perishing (apollymi—destruction) and eternal life—not between eternal life and eternal torment. Supports CI. Chapters 10, 12
John 3:36 — “Whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” God’s wrath as the experience of the unbelieving heart encountering divine love. Chapters 7, 14
John 5:28–29 — “All who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out—those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.” The universal resurrection. On the divine presence model, the judgment is the unveiling of truth in God’s presence. Chapters 11, 23, 29
Acts 2:27, 31 — Peter quotes Psalm 16:10—Christ’s soul was not abandoned to Hades. Supports the intermediate state and the distinction between Hades and the final state. Chapters 21, 27
Acts 3:21 — “The restoration (apokatastasis) of all things.” The only NT use of this term. Universalists argue it points toward the eventual reconciliation of all things. Chapters 13, 30
Romans 1:18–32 — The “wrath of God” revealed from heaven. Critically, God’s wrath here is described as God “giving them over” (vv. 24, 26, 28)—not as God actively punishing. This is the natural consequence model in Paul: God respects human choice and allows sin to produce its own destruction. Chapters 7, 19
Romans 2:5–16 — The day of wrath and the revelation of God’s righteous judgment. God judges according to what is in the heart. On the divine presence model, the judgment is the opening of the heart before the light of God’s truth. Chapters 23, 25
Romans 3:21–26 — The righteousness (dikaiosyne) of God revealed apart from the law. God’s justice IS His saving action in Christ. Justice and mercy are one. Chapter 6
Romans 5:18–19 — “As one trespass led to condemnation for all, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all.” A key universalist text. The scope of Christ’s redemptive work parallels the scope of Adam’s fall—both are universal. Chapters 13, 25, 30
Romans 8:38–39 — Nothing can separate us from the love of God. If nothing can separate us, then hell cannot be a place of separation from God’s love. The love is inescapable. Chapters 4, 14, 25
Romans 11:32 — “God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.” Another universal scope text. The scope of mercy is as wide as the scope of disobedience. Chapters 13, 25, 30
Romans 14:10–12 — “We will all stand before God’s judgment seat.” The universality of the judgment. Every knee, every tongue, every heart will stand before God. Chapter 23
1 Corinthians 3:12–15 — “Each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire.” The most important Pauline text for the divine presence model. The fire tests and reveals. Some works survive; others are burned up. The person “will be saved, but only as through fire.” Fire is purifying, not punitive. Chapters 8, 14, 22, 25
1 Corinthians 15:22 — “As in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive.” A key universalist text. The “all” in Christ parallels the “all” in Adam. Chapters 13, 25, 30
1 Corinthians 15:22–28 — “Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father ... that God may be all in all.” The eschatological consummation: God will be “all in all” (panta en pasin). On the divine presence model, this means God’s presence will fill everything and everyone. The righteous experience this as paradise; the wicked experience it as hell. Gregory of Nyssa: in this state, God becomes everything to His creatures. Chapters 14, 15, 25, 29, 30, 32
2 Corinthians 5:8 — “We would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” A key text for the conscious intermediate state. Paul expects to be with Christ immediately upon death. Supports substance dualism. Chapter 27
2 Corinthians 5:10 — “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ.” The universality and transparency of the final judgment. Chapter 23
Philippians 1:23 — “My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.” Paul expects conscious existence with Christ between death and resurrection. Supports the intermediate state. Chapter 27
Philippians 2:10–11 — “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow ... and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.” Does this describe willing worship or forced acknowledgment? Universalists argue the former; CI advocates argue the latter. The divine presence model allows both readings. Chapters 13, 25, 30
Colossians 1:19–20 — “Through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven.” The cosmic scope of reconciliation. A key universalist text. Chapters 13, 25, 30
1 Thessalonians 4:13–17 — The dead in Christ will rise. The hope of resurrection presupposes the intermediate state between death and the final resurrection. Chapters 27, 29
2 Thessalonians 1:5–10 — “They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord.” The most contested translation in the debate. The Greek preposition apo can mean “away from” or “proceeding from.” If the latter, the destruction comes FROM the Lord’s presence—not away from it. This is devastating for the separation model and strongly supports the divine presence model. Chapters 9, 10, 12, 20, 25
1 Timothy 2:4 — God “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” If God desires all to be saved, does He get what He wants? A key text in the CI vs. UR debate. Chapters 4, 13, 25, 30
1 Timothy 6:16 — God “alone has immortality.” Immortality belongs to God alone. Humans are not inherently immortal. Immortality is a gift given in Christ, not a natural property of the soul. Foundational for conditional immortality. Chapters 12, 27
2 Timothy 1:10 — Christ “abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” Immortality comes through Christ, not through the soul’s nature. Supports CI. Chapter 12
Hebrews 10:26–31 — “A fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.” The fire consumes. This is CI language—destruction, not eternal torment. Also: “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” On the divine presence model, the terror is in encountering God Himself, not a torture chamber. Chapters 7, 12, 22
Hebrews 12:29 — “For our God is a consuming fire.” The book’s title text. God Himself is fire. This fire is not something God uses—it is something God is. The fire is His love, His presence, His very being. The same fire that purifies the willing consumes the resistant. Chapters 1, 4, 8, 14, 22, 32
James 3:6 — The tongue “is set on fire by Gehenna.” Gehenna as a source of destructive evil, not as a place of divine punishment. Chapter 21
1 Peter 1:7 — “So that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise.” Fire tests and purifies faith. The fire is not punitive but refining. Chapters 8, 22
1 Peter 3:18–20 — Christ “went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison.” The Descensus text. Christ preached to the dead. The foundation for the postmortem opportunity: if Christ descended to the dead to proclaim the gospel, then salvation is offered beyond the grave. Chapters 28, 29
1 Peter 4:6 — “The gospel was preached even to those who are dead.” Companion text to 3:18–20. The gospel reaches the dead. Supports the postmortem opportunity. Chapters 28, 29
2 Peter 2:4 — “God cast the angels who sinned into Tartarus.” The only use of Tartarus in the New Testament. A holding place for fallen angels, distinct from Hades, Gehenna, and the lake of fire. Chapter 21
2 Peter 3:7, 10–13 — “The heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire.” The eschatological fire that renews creation. On the divine presence model, this fire is the unveiling of God’s full presence, which purifies the cosmos just as it purifies (or consumes) the human soul. Chapters 22, 29
1 John 4:8, 16 — “God is love.” The foundational ontological claim of the book. Love is not something God does; it is what God is. Every doctrine of hell must answer to this reality. Chapters 1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 14, 17, 30, 32
1 John 4:18 — “Perfect love casts out fear.” On the divine presence model, those whose hearts are aligned with God’s love have nothing to fear from His fire. Fear is the response of the resistant heart. Chapters 4, 14
Jude 7 — Sodom and Gomorrah serve as an example by “undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.” The fire was “eternal” (aionios), yet the cities were destroyed—the fire is not still burning. “Eternal fire” describes the quality of the judgment, not its infinite duration. Chapters 10, 22
Revelation 6:9–11 — The souls of the martyrs under the altar, crying out to God. They are conscious, communicating, and waiting. A key text for the conscious intermediate state. Chapter 27
Revelation 14:9–11 — “The smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever.” The single most important text for the ECT debate. But note what the text actually says: the torment happens “in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb” (v. 10). This explicitly locates the torment IN God’s presence—devastating to the separation model and a cornerstone of the divine presence model. The “forever and ever” language is apocalyptic and symbolic. Chapters 9, 10, 26
Revelation 20:10 — The devil, the beast, and the false prophet are “tormented day and night forever and ever.” Often cited for ECT. But this is said of three symbolic figures (the devil, the beast, and the false prophet), not of human beings. Apocalyptic genre demands careful interpretation. Chapters 9, 13, 26
Revelation 20:11–15 — The great white throne judgment. The books are opened—including the book of life. On the divine presence model, the opening of the books is the unveiling of every human heart before the penetrating light of God’s truth. Death and Hades are thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is identified as “the second death.” Chapters 9, 11, 23, 26, 29
Revelation 20:13–14 — Death and Hades give up their dead and are thrown into the lake of fire. Hades is a temporary holding state that is itself destroyed. The lake of fire is where death itself dies. Supports CI: the lake of fire is the “second death,” a death image, not a torture-chamber image. Chapters 21, 26
Revelation 21:1–5 — “Behold, I am making all things new.” The new heavens and new earth. God dwells with His people. No more death, no more tears. On the divine presence model, the new creation is the full, unveiled presence of God—paradise for those who love Him. Chapters 26, 29, 32
Revelation 21:8 — “The cowardly, the faithless ... their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” Again, the lake of fire IS the second death. This is a death, not an eternal conscious existence. Chapters 12, 26
Revelation 22:1–5 — The river of the water of life flows from God’s throne. In the Orthodox tradition, this river is the same river of fire from Daniel 7:9–10. One river, two experiences. For the saints, it is the water of life. For the wicked, it is the fire of judgment. Chapters 15, 26, 29, 32