Appendix C — Glossary of Key Terms

This glossary defines the most important terms used throughout The Consuming Love. Many of these words come from Hebrew, Greek, or the history of Christian theology. Wherever a foreign word appears, I’ve included a simple pronunciation guide and a plain-English explanation. You don’t need to know any other language to follow the argument of this book—but understanding these terms will help you see how the pieces fit together.

How to use this glossary: Terms are listed alphabetically. Each entry includes the word, its language of origin (if relevant), a pronunciation guide, and a definition written at a 6th-grade reading level. Where a term is closely connected to another term in this glossary, I’ve noted that so you can look it up too.

This is the Greek word most English Bibles translate as “eternal” or “everlasting.” But the meaning is more complicated than it looks. Aionios comes from the word aion, which means “an age”—a long period of time. So aionios can mean “lasting for an age,” “belonging to the age to come,” or “of a quality fitting the coming age.” It does not always mean “never-ending.” When Jesus speaks of “eternal punishment” (kolasis aionios) in Matthew 25:46, the word aionios may describe the quality or finality of the punishment rather than its infinite duration. This distinction matters enormously for the debate between eternal conscious torment, conditional immortality, and universal reconciliation. See also: kolasis. Discussed in Chapters 10, 22, 23, 25.

The view that the final fate of the unrepentant wicked is total destruction—they cease to exist. God does not torment them forever; instead, He ends their existence. This term is often used interchangeably with “conditional immortality,” though technically annihilationism focuses on the outcome (destruction) while conditional immortality focuses on the reason (the soul is not inherently immortal). In this book, I generally use “conditional immortality” because it better captures the theological logic: immortality is a gift from God, not a natural property of the human soul. See also: conditional immortality. Discussed in Chapters 3, 12, 30.

A Greek word meaning “restoration of all things.” It comes from Acts 3:21, where Peter speaks of the time when God will restore everything. In the history of Christian theology, apokatastasis is the technical term for universal reconciliation—the belief that God will eventually bring every creature back into right relationship with Himself. Gregory of Nyssa (around 335–395 AD) is the most famous early Christian thinker to teach this idea openly. He believed that the fire of judgment is purifying and that eventually even the most stubborn hearts will yield to God’s love. This is a deeply hopeful vision, though it raises hard questions about human freedom. See also: universal reconciliation. Discussed in Chapters 13, 15, 30, 31.

The view that the people in hell are there because they chose it. On this view, God does not send anyone to hell against their will. The damned freely choose to reject God, and God respects that choice. C. S. Lewis made this view famous with his image of the doors of hell being “locked from the inside.” Jerry Walls developed it philosophically. The choice model has real strengths—it protects God’s character and takes human freedom seriously. But it also has problems: can anyone truly choose eternal misery with clear understanding? The divine presence model builds on the choice model’s insights but adds a crucial element: the role of self-deception in distorting the ability to choose rightly. Discussed in Chapters 3, 11, 16, 18.

The belief that the human soul is not naturally immortal. Only God is immortal by nature (1 Timothy 6:16). Human beings receive immortality as a gift through Christ (2 Timothy 1:10). Those who finally reject God do not live forever in torment—they are destroyed. Their existence ends. On this view, “eternal punishment” means a punishment whose results last forever (permanent destruction), not a punishment that is experienced forever (endless torment). In this book, CI is paired with the divine presence model: the mechanism of destruction is not a punitive act of God but the natural result of encountering God’s overwhelming love with a heart hardened against it. The fire of God’s love consumes those who cannot bear it—body and soul. See also: annihilationism; divine presence model. Discussed in Chapters 3, 12, 17, 29, 30, 31.

Short for Descensus ad Inferos—“the descent to the dead” (sometimes loosely called “the harrowing of hell”). This refers to the belief, stated in the Apostles’ Creed, that between His death and resurrection, Christ “descended to the dead.” First Peter 3:18–20 and 4:6 are the key biblical texts: Christ preached to the spirits in prison and the gospel was proclaimed even to the dead. In this book, the Descensus is important because it opens the door to a postmortem opportunity for salvation. If Christ preached to the dead, then the gospel extends beyond the grave. See also: postmortem opportunity. Discussed in Chapters 21, 28.

The central thesis of this book. The divine presence model holds that hell is not a place of separation from God. Hell is the experience of God’s inescapable, all-consuming love by those who have hardened their hearts against Him. In the new creation, God will be “all in all” (1 Corinthians 15:28)—there will be no place hidden from His presence. The righteous experience this presence as paradise. The wicked experience the same presence as torment. The fire is the same—God’s love. The difference is in the human heart, not in God. As Saint Isaac the Syrian put it, “Those who are suffering in hell are suffering in being scourged by love.” The model draws on three primary sources: R. Zachary Manis (the philosophical case), Sharon L. Baker (the theological case), and the Eastern Orthodox tradition as expressed by Alexandre Kalomiros and the Church Fathers. See also: natural consequence model. The model is introduced in Chapter 14 and developed throughout Chapters 15–20.

A Hebrew word meaning “faithfulness,” “truth,” or “reliability.” In the Old Testament, emeth describes God’s absolute trustworthiness—He keeps His promises and never lies. Emeth often appears alongside hesed (steadfast love) and tsedaka (saving justice), as in Psalm 85:10 and Hosea 2:19–20. Together these three words paint a picture of a God whose justice, love, and faithfulness are all expressions of the same character. You cannot set God’s justice against His love, because they are the same reality seen from different angles. See also: hesed; tsedaka. Discussed in Chapter 6.

The traditional Western Christian view that the unsaved will suffer conscious punishment in hell forever—without end, without relief, and without hope of escape. On this view, hell is an actual place (or state) of everlasting suffering, and the wicked are kept alive by God specifically so they can be punished for all eternity. ECT has been the dominant view in Western Christianity since Augustine (354–430 AD), and it was held by Thomas Aquinas, John Calvin, Jonathan Edwards, and most of the major Reformers. This book argues that ECT, whatever the intentions of its defenders, makes God the author and sustainer of infinite suffering for finite sins—and that this is incompatible with the biblical revelation of God as love. See also: kolasis; timoria; aionios. Presented in Chapter 9; critiqued in Chapter 10.

The Greek form of the Hebrew Ge-Hinnom, meaning “Valley of Hinnom.” This was a real valley on the south side of Jerusalem where, in ancient times, children had been sacrificed to the pagan god Molech (Jeremiah 7:31; 19:2–6). God Himself condemned these practices as something He “did not command, nor did it come into my mind.” By Jesus’s time, the valley had become a garbage dump and a place associated with burning and disgrace. Jesus used “Gehenna” as His primary term for the final state of the wicked—not the intermediate state. Gehenna is where God can “destroy both soul and body” (Matthew 10:28). It is critical to distinguish Gehenna (the final state after judgment) from Hades (the intermediate state between death and resurrection). They are not the same. See also: Hades; Lake of Fire; second death. Discussed in Chapters 21, 22, 24.

The Greek word for the realm of the dead—the place (or state) where souls go between death and the final resurrection. Hades is roughly equivalent to the Hebrew Sheol. It is NOT the same as Gehenna or the lake of fire. Hades is the waiting room; Gehenna is the final destination. In Jesus’s parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19–31), the rich man is in Hades—the intermediate state—not in the lake of fire. He is conscious and in distress, but the final judgment has not yet happened. Revelation 20:13–14 makes the distinction clear: at the end, death and Hades give up their dead and are themselves thrown into the lake of fire. Hades is temporary; the final state is permanent. See also: Sheol; Gehenna; intermediate state. Discussed in Chapters 21, 26, 27, 29.

One of the most beautiful words in the Old Testament. Hesed means “steadfast love,” “lovingkindness,” “mercy,” or “loyal love.” It describes God’s covenant faithfulness—the unshakable, unfailing love that He has committed to His people. Hesed is not a feeling; it is a commitment. God’s hesed endures forever (Psalm 136). In this book, hesed is one of three Hebrew words (along with tsedaka and emeth) that together define what God’s “justice” really means. God’s justice is not cold, calculating fairness. It is hesed—steadfast, pursuing, saving love. See also: tsedaka; emeth. Discussed in Chapters 4, 6.

The state of a person between physical death and the final bodily resurrection. If you are a believer and you die today, you do not immediately enter the new heavens and new earth. You enter the intermediate state—a conscious existence in the presence of Christ, which Paul calls “far better” (Philippians 1:23). For the unsaved, the intermediate state is Hades—a conscious waiting, not the final judgment. The intermediate state is temporary. It ends when Christ returns, the dead are raised, and the final judgment takes place. At that point, Hades is emptied and destroyed (Revelation 20:13–14). The intermediate state requires substance dualism—the belief that the soul can exist apart from the body. See also: Hades; substance dualism; soul sleep. Discussed in Chapters 21, 27, 28, 29.

The Greek word Jesus uses in Matthew 25:46 for “punishment” (“these will go away into eternal kolasis”). This word is enormously important. In classical Greek, kolasis means corrective punishment—punishment aimed at improving or reforming the one being punished. It is the kind of discipline a parent gives a child to help them grow. This is different from timoria, which means retributive punishment—punishment aimed at giving the offender what they deserve, with no reforming purpose. Aristotle himself made this distinction. The fact that Jesus chose kolasis and not timoria strongly suggests that the “eternal punishment” of Matthew 25:46 is corrective in nature, not vindictive. This fits the divine presence model perfectly: God’s fire is always aimed at purification, not at payback. See also: timoria; aionios. Discussed in Chapters 10, 23, 25.

An image found only in the book of Revelation (19:20; 20:10, 14–15; 21:8). The lake of fire is where the beast, the false prophet, the devil, death, Hades, and the unrepentant wicked are ultimately cast. Revelation 20:14 identifies the lake of fire as “the second death.” This identification is crucial: the lake of fire is defined as death, not as ongoing life in torment. Death and Hades themselves are thrown into it—meaning the lake of fire destroys death itself. On the divine presence model, the lake of fire is not a separate torture chamber. It is the overwhelming, consuming presence of God’s love, experienced as destruction by everything that cannot endure it. Compare Daniel 7:9–10, where a river of fire flows from God’s throne, and Revelation 22:1, where a river of the water of life flows from the same throne. Same throne, same river—life to the redeemed, consuming fire to the rebellious. See also: Gehenna; second death. Discussed in Chapters 21, 22, 26, 29.

The understanding that the suffering of hell is not a punishment God imposes from the outside but the natural result of what happens when a sinful heart encounters the holiness and love of God. Think of it this way: the sun does not punish a blind person—but the blind person cannot see the sun. The sun has not changed; the eye is damaged. In the same way, God does not punish the wicked with specially designed torments. The wicked are tormented because their own hatred, self-deception, and rebellion make it impossible for them to receive God’s love as the gift it is. They experience love as fire. This is a core component of the divine presence model, developed primarily by R. Zachary Manis. See also: divine presence model. Discussed in Chapters 16, 19.

The Hebrew word most often translated as “soul” or “life” in the Old Testament. Nephesh has a wide range of meanings: it can mean a living being, a person, one’s life, or one’s inner self. Some scholars (especially physicalists) argue that nephesh does not refer to an immaterial soul—it simply means “a living creature” or “the whole person.” Substance dualists reply that while nephesh can refer to the whole person, it can also refer to the inner, immaterial part of a person that survives death (see Psalm 16:10; Genesis 35:18). In this book, nephesh is understood as referring to the real, immaterial soul that can exist apart from the body by God’s sustaining power. See also: ruach; psyche; pneuma; substance dualism; physicalism. Discussed in Chapter 27.

The philosophical view that a human being is entirely physical—there is no immaterial soul or spirit. On this view, the person IS the body (or, more precisely, the body organized in a certain way). When the body dies, the person ceases to exist until God raises them at the final resurrection. Some Christian physicalists affirm the resurrection but deny a conscious intermediate state, holding instead to soul sleep or simple cessation until the resurrection. This book rejects physicalism because it cannot account for the biblical evidence for a conscious intermediate state (Luke 23:43; Philippians 1:23; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Revelation 6:9–11) and because it undermines the metaphysical space needed for the postmortem opportunity. See also: substance dualism; soul sleep; intermediate state. Discussed in Chapter 27.

The Greek word for “spirit,” “breath,” or “wind.” In the New Testament, pneuma can refer to the Holy Spirit, to the human spirit, or to the breath of life. When used of the human person, pneuma refers to the innermost, God-oriented dimension of our being. In some passages (like 1 Thessalonians 5:23, “spirit, soul, and body”), pneuma is distinguished from psyche (soul), suggesting different aspects of the inner person. In this book, pneuma and psyche are both understood as referring to the immaterial part of the person, though pneuma often carries the sense of the part that relates most directly to God. See also: psyche; ruach; substance dualism. Discussed in Chapter 27.

The belief that God provides a genuine chance for salvation to people after they die—especially to those who never had an adequate opportunity to hear and respond to the gospel during their earthly lives. This view is grounded in 1 Peter 3:18–20 and 4:6 (Christ preaching to the dead), the Descensus clause of the Apostles’ Creed (“he descended to the dead”), and the theological conviction that a just and loving God would not finally destroy people who never had a real chance to hear. In this book, the postmortem opportunity is understood as extending up to and including the final judgment—the moment when God’s presence is fully unveiled and every person stands face-to-face with divine love. On conditional immortality, those who respond receive life; those who finally refuse are destroyed. On universal reconciliation, God’s love eventually prevails over every resistance. See also: Descensus; conditional immortality; universal reconciliation. Discussed in Chapters 21, 28, 29.

The Greek word for “soul” or “life.” Psyche is the New Testament equivalent of the Hebrew nephesh. In Matthew 10:28, Jesus says to fear the one who can destroy both psyche (soul) and body in Gehenna. This verse is enormously important for conditional immortality: it shows that the soul CAN be destroyed—it is not indestructible. In everyday Greek, psyche meant the life-force, the self, or the inner person. In the New Testament, it often refers to the whole person, but it can also refer specifically to the immaterial part that survives bodily death. See also: nephesh; pneuma; substance dualism. Discussed in Chapters 12, 27.

The Hebrew word for “spirit,” “wind,” or “breath.” Like the Greek pneuma, ruach has a wide range of meanings. It can refer to the Spirit of God (Genesis 1:2, “the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters”), to the breath of life that God gives to all creatures (Genesis 2:7), or to the human spirit—the inner, God-oriented dimension of the person. Ecclesiastes 12:7 says that at death, “the spirit (ruach) returns to God who gave it.” This verse supports the belief that the immaterial part of the person continues to exist after the body dies. See also: nephesh; pneuma; substance dualism. Discussed in Chapter 27.

A term found only in the book of Revelation (2:11; 20:6, 14; 21:8). The second death is identified with the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14). The first death is physical death—the separation of the soul from the body. The second death is the final, irreversible end for those who reject God. Notice: it is called a death, not a life of torment. On the conditional immortality view, the second death means the complete destruction of the person—body and soul. On the divine presence model, the second death is what happens when a heart that has been permanently hardened encounters the full blaze of God’s unveiled love. The fire of love consumes everything that cannot receive it. See also: Lake of Fire; conditional immortality. Discussed in Chapters 12, 26, 29, 30.

The Hebrew word for the realm of the dead. In the Old Testament, Sheol is where all the dead go—righteous and wicked alike. It is a shadowy, quiet place of waiting. Sheol is not hell in the modern sense. It is not a place of punishment. It is simply the place of the dead. The Greek equivalent is Hades. As the biblical revelation develops, the picture of Sheol becomes more nuanced: by the time of Jesus, the Jewish understanding included a distinction between a place of comfort (Abraham’s bosom) and a place of distress within Hades (as in Luke 16:19–31). The crucial point: Sheol/Hades is the intermediate state, not the final state. The final state comes after the resurrection and the last judgment. See also: Hades; intermediate state; Gehenna. Discussed in Chapters 21, 27.

The belief that at death, the soul enters an unconscious state—like dreamless sleep—until the final resurrection. On this view, there is no conscious intermediate state. The dead are simply “asleep” until Christ returns and raises them. Martin Luther and some Adventist traditions have held this view. This book rejects soul sleep because it cannot account for passages like Luke 23:43 (“today you will be with me in paradise”), Philippians 1:23 (Paul’s desire to depart and be with Christ), 2 Corinthians 5:8 (absent from the body, present with the Lord), and Revelation 6:9–11 (the conscious souls of the martyrs). See also: intermediate state; physicalism; substance dualism. Discussed in Chapter 27.

The philosophical and theological view that a human being is made up of two real substances: a physical body and an immaterial soul (or spirit). The soul is not just a way of talking about brain activity or bodily functions—it is a real, distinct thing that can exist apart from the body. When the body dies, the soul continues to exist because God sustains it. This is different from saying the soul is inherently or automatically immortal. On the view held in this book, the soul depends on God for its continued existence. God gives the soul life, and God can also withdraw that life (Matthew 10:28). Substance dualism provides the metaphysical foundation for the conscious intermediate state: if the soul is real and can exist apart from the body, then persons can be conscious between death and the resurrection. See also: physicalism; soul sleep; intermediate state; nephesh. Discussed in Chapters 27, 28.

A Greek word used only once in the New Testament (2 Peter 2:4), where it describes the place where God confined the angels who sinned. In Greek mythology, Tartarus was the lowest region of the underworld, reserved for the worst offenders. Peter borrows the term to describe a holding place for fallen angels, distinct from Hades (the waiting place of human dead), Gehenna (the final state for the wicked), and the lake of fire. The use of Tartarus for angels shows that the New Testament uses different terms carefully to describe different realities. Not all “hell” words mean the same thing. See also: Hades; Gehenna; Lake of Fire. Discussed in Chapter 21.

A term from Eastern Orthodox theology meaning “deification” or “divinization”—the process by which human beings are drawn into the very life of God. This does not mean we become God in the sense of losing our identity or becoming a separate deity. It means we participate in God’s nature (2 Peter 1:4) and are transformed by His love until we reflect His character. Athanasius said, “God became man so that man might become god.” Theosis is the positive goal of the divine fire: for those who yield to God’s love, the fire purifies and transforms them into the image of Christ. The same fire that destroys the resistant perfects the willing. See also: divine presence model. Discussed in Chapters 15, 29, 32.

The Greek word for retributive punishment—punishment whose purpose is to give the offender what they deserve. Timoria is payback. It is punishment for the sake of the one punishing, to satisfy justice or to vindicate honor. Aristotle distinguished timoria from kolasis (corrective punishment), and this distinction is critical for the theology of hell. In Matthew 25:46, Jesus uses kolasis (corrective), not timoria (retributive). This strongly suggests that the “eternal punishment” Jesus describes is aimed at correction or restoration, not at payback. ECT requires a timoria-style punishment—but Jesus chose the other word. See also: kolasis. Discussed in Chapters 10, 23, 25.

The Hebrew word for “righteousness” or “justice.” But here is the crucial insight: tsedaka in the Hebrew Bible does not mean cold, impartial fairness. It does not mean “giving people what they deserve.” Tsedaka means saving justice—the action by which God sets things right, delivers the oppressed, and restores what is broken. When the psalmist cries out for God’s tsedaka, he is not asking for punishment. He is asking for salvation (see Psalm 72). This completely changes how we understand God’s “justice” in relation to hell. God’s justice is not the opposite of His mercy—it IS His mercy in action. The Western tradition, influenced by Roman legal concepts, turned justice into a courtroom idea: God as the offended judge who demands payment. But the Hebrew concept is richer and more beautiful: God as the rescuer who makes all things right. See also: hesed; emeth. Discussed in Chapters 4, 6, 10.

The belief that God will eventually bring every human being (and perhaps every creature) into right relationship with Himself. On this view, hell is real—but temporary. The fire of God’s love purifies even the most stubborn hearts, and in the end, every knee bows and every tongue confesses not out of terror but out of joy (Philippians 2:10–11). Gregory of Nyssa, one of the most respected early Church Fathers, taught this openly. Modern defenders include Thomas Talbott and David Bentley Hart. This book takes universal reconciliation seriously and presents it fairly, while leaning toward conditional immortality. The divine presence model is compatible with either outcome: if UR is true, God’s love eventually wins every heart. If CI is true, some hearts harden beyond recovery, and the fire of love consumes them. See also: apokatastasis; conditional immortality. Discussed in Chapters 3, 13, 30, 31.

A broader term that can mean different things depending on the context. In its narrowest sense, “universalism” is the same as universal reconciliation: the belief that all will eventually be saved. In a broader sense, “universalism” can refer to a vague belief that everyone goes to heaven regardless of what they believe or how they live. This book is NOT defending that kind of universalism. When this book discusses universalism, it means the theologically serious, biblically grounded hope that God’s love will eventually triumph over all resistance—the kind of universalism argued by Gregory of Nyssa, Talbott, and Hart. This is a view that takes sin, judgment, and the fire of God’s presence very seriously. See also: universal reconciliation; apokatastasis. Discussed in Chapters 3, 13, 30.