“For the LORD has a day of vengeance, a year of recompense for the cause of Zion. Its streams will be turned into pitch, and its loose earth into brimstone, and its land will become burning pitch. 9 It will not be quenched night or day. Its smoke will go up forever. From generation to generation it will be desolate. None will pass through it forever and ever,” (Isaiah 34:8-10).

Conditionalists often use these verses in Isaiah to reinterpret verses that support God’s eternal conscious damnation of the wicked in Revelation. They say that the eternal smoke of Edom’s destruction (v. 6) which was said to be forever, does not really go up forever. It stopped. Therefore, the fire that is “not quenched night or day,” was quenched and should not be taken literally. They then apply this Old Testament contextual interpretation to New Testament verses where similar phraseology is used in reference to the judgment of the wicked. They then say that there is no eternal conscious torment of the wicked. Two New Testament verses that conditionalists apply this principle to are as follows.

• Revelation 14:11, “And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”” (See article on Rev. 14:9-11)
• Revelation 19:3, “And a second time they said, ‘Hallelujah! HER SMOKE RISES UP FOREVER AND EVER.'”

So, if the smoke did not literally ascend forever in the Isaiah 34:9, does it then mean that the smoke in Rev. 14:11 and 19:3 will not ascend forever, which in turn means that there is no eternal conscious torment? The conditionalists say yes. But, not so fast. Different contexts often require different interpretations. We have to be careful not to transfer the meaning of a word or phrase from one place over to another. The verses in the New Testament need to be examined in their context first. Of course, this does not mean we don’t look at the grammatical usages of similar phrases or quotes in the Old Testament. Obviously, the Old Testament quotes shed light on the meaning of all Scripture. But, it is the New Testament interprets the Old Testament, not the other way around.  And, it is this interpretive principle adopted by the annihilationists, that has so often led them astray.

Context

The context of Isaiah 34 is about the judgment of the world. God’s indignation is against all the nations and that he has destroyed their armies (v. 2). Their slain will be a stench, (v. 3). There is a coming judgment where the sky will be rolled up like a scroll, and their hosts will wither like a leaf on the vine (v. 4). God’s sword is satiated in heaven and upon the earth (vv. 5-7) that will manifest in vengeance (vv. 8-10). He goes on to talk about desolation (vv. 11-15). Finally, the text says to seek the Lord (vv. 16-17). Obviously, in the Isaiah 34 context, we see judgment language used in varying degrees.

Did Isaiah know?

Why did God say that the smoke of Edom would ascend forever (Isaiah 34:6,10) if he knew that the smoke would not ascend forever? The answer is simple. God used the imagery of continuous burning to signify the severity of the permanent judgment to come. He used a common illustration of the perpetuity of burning pitch, which seemingly does not end and is also associated with perpetual smoke, to illustrate his permanent judgment.

But the conditionalists make a mistake when they jump from recognizing God’s figurative usage in Isaiah to requiring a literal interpretation in Revelation.  Or, as they like to say, both are figurative and so neither should be taken literally.  Is that warranted?  It is if you’re a conditionalist!  But, it is exegetically risky since the New Testament context must be understood in its own context first and, as I’ve said before, the New Testament interprets the Old Testament, never the other way around.

Undoubtedly Isaiah was aware that the pitch would not burn forever, yet he chose to write those words in the way he did. Therefore, he is using these words to express the idea that the severe judgment of God is eternal. At this point, the conditionalists would agree and say that the eternal judgment of God is nonexistence, not eternal conscious torment. Of course, in this, they are begging the question and they are mistakenly conflating eternal punishment with nonexistence.

Nevertheless, in the Jewish mind there were figurative uses of the term “forever” and “never” that illustrated permanent actions and consequence.  Here are some figurative examples of their usage from the Old Testament.

• Deut. 15:17, “then you shall take an awl and pierce it through his ear into the door, and he shall be your servant forever. Also, you shall do likewise to your maidservant.”
• 2 Sam. 2:26, “Then Abner called to Joab and said, “Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that it will be bitter in the end?”
• Job 36:7, “He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous; But with kings on the throne He has seated them forever, and they are exalted.”
• Psalm 74:1, “O God, why have You rejected us forever? Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture?”
• Prov. 21:28, “A false witness will perish, But the man who listens to the truth will speak forever.”
• Lam. 5:20, “Why do You forget us forever? Why do You forsake us so long?”
• Hab. 1:4, “Therefore the law is ignored and justice is never upheld. For the wicked surround the righteous; Therefore justice comes out perverted.”

Here are some literal examples where “forever” means without end.  These are also from the Old Testament.

• Exodus 3:15, “God, furthermore, said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations.”
• Exodus 15:18, “The LORD shall reign forever and ever.”
• Psalm 9:7, “But the LORD abides forever; He has established His throne for judgment.”
• Psalm 52:5, “But God will break you down forever; He will snatch you up and tear you away from your tent, and uproot you from the land of the living. Selah.”
• Psalm 103:9, “He [God] will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever.”
• Isaiah 57:16, “For I will not contend forever, Nor will I always be angry; For the spirit would grow faint before Me, And the breath of those whom I have made.”
• Amos 1:11, “Thus says the LORD, ‘For three transgressions of Edom and for four I will not revoke its punishment, Because he pursued his brother with the sword, While he stifled his compassion; His anger also tore continually, And he maintained his fury forever.”

Conclusion

In Isaiah 34:8-10, God used the imagery of continuous burning to signify the severity of the permanent judgment on Edom. He used the symbolism of the perpetuity of burning pitch, which seemingly does not end and which is also associated with perpetual smoke, to illustrate his eternal judgment. However, the conditionalists make a mistake when they jump from recognizing God’s figurative usage in Isaiah, to requiring a literal interpretation in Revelation in order to invalidate God’s actual permanent judgment upon the wicked in the form of conscious torment. They do not allow the contexts to interpret themselves and instead transfer the meaning of one passage to that of another. This is why they arrive at their faulty conclusions.