“Eternal” is a poor translation for αἰώνιον (eye-OWE-nee-own) despite how many lexicons stick to that. It indicates “age-wise”, i.e. pertaining to an age, and an age is not a specific period of time; an age lasts as long as necessary for something to be complete(d).
So let’s read it this way:
“And they will go away into age-wise punishment, but the righteous into age-wise life.”
Now ask how to determine those periods: God is just, and there is no conceivable way in which torture by fire for an unlimited amount of time is just, even for Stalin or Muslim terrorists – the Old Testament is clear that the punishment must fit the crime, so we must expect this torment to last just long enough to fit people’s worst sins.
As for the righteous, God has said He wants to live with His people. God being infinite, we can expect that His desire for this is infinite, so for the righteous we should expect that there will be no end to their age (unless God surprises us with something better).
Actually the plain reading of the words would be that it’s destruction there’s no return from.
Besides which we’re back to the Greek αἰώνιον, “age-wise”, which means it lasts until it’s completed, which in this case would be suitable to the sins involved.
= - = + = - = † = - = + = - =
No, it’s a number of different forms of ancient literature. On the other hand, if you want to default to some modern view of literature, allegory isn’t a bad choice.
Nope; at most three times: Aramaic => Greek => variant reading => English.
Good point: “annihilation” doesn’t necessarily mean “turned off” like someone flips a switch, it may mean immense suffering that eventually leaves no trace.