As is our wont, we will simply present scriptures that have "presented themselves" to us in recent years of Bible Study. We will not present arguments on these pages nor will we present an in-depth discussion. There are others who have researched and have published far deeper this very subject and who, I feel, "say it" far better than we (we encourage you to access their pages for full treatment of this subject and we have provided you with links to their pages from our home page under "Additional Inspirational Sites", particularly "The Saviour of the World Series" and "The Shofar Letters" ). Our desire here is to share the scriptures that appear to contradict traditional teaching but which encourage the soul, increase faith in The Lord and which demonstrate the FULL measure of HIS love towards fallen humanity.
As a prelude to the scriptures we wish to present for your perusal, I'd like to use a portion of an article I recently received in a booklet published in THE PATHFINDER . I feel this article fully frames the accepted traditional thought and, therefore, the problem of the belief in eternal damnation:
"One side of modern Christendom has watered down His temper. They picture Him as a caring Father for several thousand years as He tries to persuade His fallen creation to come back to Him, but always failing. He is shown as being weak in the face of rebellious men, a God who can never change or control the work of His own hands, the "mighty" creature called man. Some say He can change him if He chooses to, but that would violate man's sacred "free will". Before He would do this, they say, He would rather burn them in hell forever. With thinking like this, they never give much consideration to what Paul said, "For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour WHO WILL HAVE ALL MEN TO BE SAVED, and to come to the knowledge of the truth," and "who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will" (1 Tim. 2:4 & Eph.1:11). Permit me to quote a dear brother in the Lord, Timothy Carroll of "Arise" magazine. He brings this point home very well:
"To think that if man wills, God Himself cannot withstand him, is a childish notion and should be discarded from our very thoughts. Such have a very small God and their thinking is aligned with humanism. Wouldn't you say that if God Almighty is inclined or determined, it would come to pass? I pray so. Wouldn't you agree that if God Omnipotent chooses or prefers, it will come into existence? I pray so. Wouldn't you think that if the God of absolute and unrestricted power has desire toward anything, it would be fulfilled? I pray so. Tell me, if the God of unlimited authority, subject to none other, is to be about, or delights in, or is to be willing to perform a task, wouldn't you pray He is capable of fulfilling it? I think so! So if God is inclined to save all of humanity, if God delights in saving all of humanity, if God desires to save all of humanity, if God be willing to save all of humanity, will all of humanity be saved? Will humanity be delivered from the bondage of corruption? Wouldn't you think the Will of God is greater than the puny, little, stubborn will of man?
"The sad part is, there are so many in the Church with the same mind-set of those ancient creators of pagan gods. A seemingly sweet lady, a devoted wife and mother of two children, who was the director of a Christian nursery school said this to me of her alcoholic father: "I hope he confessed Jesus as Lord before he died; but if he didn't he is burning in hell where he belongs. And this doesn't bother me, for that is the way it is. He deserves it.
"The thought of her father writhing in boiling lava and searing flames, with no possibility of ever escaping, does not bother her; but when I told her of God's ultimate plan of restoration for all, she got fire-eatin' mad. That bothered her! This is what happens when people take on the spirit and philosophies of heathen gods. They get mean. They can get real mean. You can curse God and spit on the cross, and they might roll their eyes and pity the poor fool; but touch any of their countless sacred cows, and they will nail you to the tree and damn you to the flames of everlasting hellfire. This we know by experience." - End Quote.
We offer now the scriptures and the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek to see if the doctrine of "hell without end" is a true one.
To us - concerning this subject - there appears to be bad news AND good news. The BAD news is that there IS a hell and our studies have shown us that there WILL be "HELL TO PAY". The GOOD news is that it is NOT without end. Herein the profound, unfathomable love of God Most High, the Father of Jesus the Christ - and of ALL!
Why do we make that last statement? Because of what happened to those who went to hell when they were destroyed in the flood while Noah and his family were saved. Traditional doctrine teaches that only one chance is afforded for the acceptance of God and that that MUST be BEFORE DEATH; that once a person dies "in sin", NO OTHER CHANCE IS AFFORDED!
BUT IS THAT TRUE? Here is what we found to be contrary evidence:
PSALMS 68:18:
"Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, FOR THE REBELLIOUS ALSO, that THE LORD GOD MIGHT DWELL AMONG THEM."
EPHESIANS 4:8-10:
"Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, HE LED CAPTIVITY captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is but that HE ALSO DESCENDED FIRST INTO THE LOWER PARTS OF THE EARTH? "He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill ALL things)."
1 PETER 3:18-22:
"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the the Spirit: BY WHICH ALSO HE WENT AND PREACHED UNTO THE SPIRITS IN PRISON" [CONSIDER: Christ, BEFORE ascending to The Father, PREACHED TO THE DEAD! AND WHO WERE THEY?]:
"WHICH SOMETIME WERE DISOBEDIENT, WHEN ONCE THE LONGSUFFERING OF GOD WAITED IN THE DAYS OF NOAH, WHILE THE ARK WAS A PREPARING, WHEREIN FEW, THAT IS, EIGHT SOULS WERE SAVED BY WATER."
1 PETER 4:4-6:
"Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you: who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead. FOR THIS CAUSE WAS THE GOSPEL PREACHED ALSO TO THEM THAT ARE DEAD, THAT THEY MIGHT BE JUDGED ACCORDING TO MEN IN THE FLESH, but LIVE ACCORDING TO GOD IN THE SPIRIT."
Perhaps those who believe hell to be eternal (neverending) are not to be blamed but Bible translations are. Perhaps those who believe hell to be eternal (neverending) are only believing what they have read in the translations or are not reading the whole counsel of scripture, depending instead upon traditional denominational thinking to inform them.
Perhaps we should look at the original manuscripts and the Hebrew/Greek for ACCURATE understanding:
The word in the Greek manuscript for eternal, everlasting found in Bible translations is G165 "aion" (see also STRONG'S CONCORDANCE). Here is the ACCURATE meaning of that word:
G 165 AION: from the same as g104; properly, AN AGE; by extens. perpetuity (also "past"; by impl. THE WORLD; spec., (Jewish) a Messianic period (present or future):--age, course, eternal, (for) ever(-more), [n-]ever, (beginning of the, while the) world (began, without end). Compare G5550.
G5550 CHRONOS: of uncertain der.; a space of time (in gen., and thus properly distinguished from g2540, which designates a fixed or special occasion; AND FROM G165, "AION" [which we gave the meaning for prior to this one] , WHICH DENOTES A PARTICULAR PERIOD).
There! You have it - ACCURATELY: "A PARTICULAR PERIOD"! For those not saved in the Ark, that "particular period" extended from the time of Genesis to Christ's death and descent. That was quite a long period.
It would seem that the word "FAITH" takes on a fuller and deeper meaning: Earth life affords that opportunity to decide for The Lord BY FAITH while life AFTER death affords the opportunity BY SIGHT. FAITH IS MORE BLESSED.
John 20:24-27:
"But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: AND BE NOT FAITHLESS, BUT BELIEVING."
So...what happens to those who did not believe BEFORE DEATH?:
REVELATION 1:7:
"Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him [CENTURIES BEFORE HIS COMING AGAIN. Can you imagine THEIR anguish? Their SHAME?]: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
If any scripture convinces us that the word "aion" CANNOT mean "eternal" or "eternity", it should be this one:
2 Corinthians 4:3,4 (KJV):
"But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: in whom the god of this world ("aion") hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."
CONSIDER: the
god of this world ("aion") is none other than SATAN! If "aion" means
"eternal", "everlasting", "eternity", then Satan is the god of eternity!
We know that he is not. He is the god of THIS PRESENT AGE, OF THIS
WORLD ("aion"). But even he no longer holds the keys of Hell and
Death!
FROM AN ARTICLE:
J.
Preston Eby ("Saviour of the World Series") writes:The follow is an
excerpt from The Saviour of the World series:
"AION" - AN AGE
by J. Preston Eby
Let us consider the wonderful
Kingdom parable Jesus told of the sheep and the goats. "When the Sonof
man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall
He sit upon the throne of His glory: and before Him shall be gathered all
nations: and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth
his sheep from the goats: and He shall set the sheep on His right hand,
but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on His right
hand, Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you
from the foundation of the world: for I was an hungered, and ye gave Me
meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave Me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took
Me in: naked, and ye clothed Me: I was sick, and ye visited Me: I was in
prison, and ye came unto Me.
"Then shall the righteous answer
Him , saying, Lord, when saw we Thee an hungered, and fed Thee? or
thirsty, and gave Thee drink? When saw we Thee a stranger, and took Thee
in? or naked, and clothed Thee? Or when saw we Thee sick, or in prison,
and came unto Thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily
I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of one of these
MY BRETHREN, ye have done it unto Me. Then shall He say also unto them
on the left hand, Depart from Me, ye cursed, into EVERLASTING FIRE prepared
for the devil and his angels: for I was an hungered, and ye gave Me no
meat ... then shall they also answer Him, saying, Lord, when saw we Thee
an hungered, or a thirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison,
and did not minister unto Thee? Then shall He answer them, saying, Verily
I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not unto one of the least of these,
ye did it not unto Me. And these shall go away into EVERLASTING PUNISHMENT:
but the righteous into LIFE ETERNAL" (Mat. 25:31-46).
There are many precious and important
truths contained in this parable, but we must restrain ourself from pursuing
them at this time in order to deal briefly with two points. First, it is
important to note that this separation of the sheep from the goats was
brought about, not on the basis of whether one had accepted Jesus Christ
as his personal saviour, but solely on the basis of WORKS. Everything depended
entirely upon what the sheep or goats had DONE or had NOT DONE. There was
nothing of faith or a spiritual experience connected with this separation.
The sheep were set on God's right
hand because of the fact that they had done something - given meat and
drink to the LORD'S BRETHREN, clothed them, visited them, and comforted
them. All these things the Lord said they had DONE TO HIM. But the sheep
confessed that they had never seen Him, so how could they have done these
things to the Lord? He answered, "Inasmuch as ye have done it to the least
of THESE MY BRETHREN, ye have done it unto Me." All of this is a kind of
ministry unto the Lord Himself and it brought all these people into a separation
unto blessings of the right hand of God! This had nothing whatever to do
with how the sheep treated the Jews, or the orphans in foreign
lands, or the destitute masses
or the poor drunk in the gutter. None of those are the Lord's brethren!
Paul identifies the Lord's brethren
in Rom. 8:29, "For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be
conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among
many brethren." The Lord's brethren are the sons of God, the members of
His body, of His flesh, of His bone, of His spirit and nature. The sheep
had responded in a positive way to these brethren in their time of testing
and preparation during their sojourn in the flesh, and now there
is rich reward!
This meant an entrance into a
kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world. This kingdom
was not to be some far-off land of ivory palaces, golden streets, beautiful
mansions, white nightgowns, wings and harps, where there is nothing to
do and all eternity to do it in. THIS IS A KINGDOM. And because it is a
kingdom it denotes rulership and advancement of all kinds. It indicates
the bringing of a great many people into a higher realm in the Spirit than
they have ever known before. It means WORK and RESPONSIBILITY and
a place of ministry and authority to bless.
But the people who had never
done all these things mentioned by the Lord were separated unto the
left hand of God! They received no kingdom. There were no rewards for work
done or attainments reached. Rather, they were set on the dark side of
God, they were put under a kingdom and under authority and they were placed
in a process of fiery judgment to receive correction. There is much subtle
truth in these words of Jesus: "These shall go away into everlasting punishment."
The word punishment is from the
Greek KOLASIS which means simply that - punishment. But it comes from the
root KOLAZO which sheds precious light upon the nature of the punishment.
KOLAZO, according to Strong's Concordance, bears only two shades of meaning,
namely, "to curtail" or "to chastise." To "curtail" means to restrain as
a person is restrained in ail or a child is restrained when he is "grounded"
for a week because of some disobedience. "Chastise" has one simple meaning
according to Webster's New World Dictionary: to punish in order to correct,
usually by beating. It should be clear to any thoughtful mind that the
subject here is not meaningless, sadistic, unending torture, but PURPOSEFUL
CORRECTION.
While the King James version
states that these goats go into everlasting fire and everlasting punishment
and the sheep enter into life eternal, that is not quite the meaning of
the Greek. The Greek word here translated everlasting and eternal is AIONIOS
and AIONIOS is the adjective form of the Greek noun AION. Some have arrogantly
contended that the punishment must be everlasting because the same
word is used of the life of God - eternal life - and if the punishment
is not eternal then the life cannot be eternal. But that is an argument
put forth by the ignorant, the result of the shallow reasoning of men who
reach hasty conclusions not founded on the facts. "If the punishment ends
then God's life must end, if the life is eternal then the punishment must
be eternal," we are told!
In late years there has been
much controversy over the meaning of the little Greek word AION.
Certain deceivers, to further their unscrupulous ends and uphold their
blasphemous and Romanish doctrine of eternal damnation, have maintained,
contrary to and in spite of all revealed facts, that it means eternal.
And our King James version renders it, together with the adjective AIONIOS
as "age, course, eternal, for ever, evermore, for ever and ever, everlasting,
world, beginning of the world, world began, world without end." What
a horrible mixture!
But we need not remain in darkness,
for fortunately the Word of God tells us precisely what this Greek word
means. Too few have taken the time or energy to consider the real meaning
of AION. It is the word from which we get our English word eon. Eon, according
to Webster, means "a long period of TIME." Many attempts have been made
to prove that eons are eternal. But this is more than a grave error,
it is the height of stupidity, for the divine Author of the blessed Bible
has not Himself used them in that way. AION nowhere means eternal! Its
simple meaning is an age. In its plural form it means ages. This fact can
be unquestionably and incontrovertibly demonstrated from numerous New Testament
passages. A glance at any Greek concordance proves that the noun AION,
or AGE, is not the synonym of eternity. A study of each case would make
a library; so, leaving this task to the reader,
we must content ourselves with
adducing a few specimens to demonstrate the fact. It is usage that determines
meanings - THEIR usage, not ours; the meanings that the holy prophets and
apostles gave to their words rather than those that our English translators
may try to give. Let me illustrate.
The term forever (and its equivalents,
eternal and everlasting) often occurs when it cannot possibly mean unending.
In the story of Jonah one is surprised to hear him say while in the belly
of the fish, "I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with
her bars was about me for ever" (Jon. 2:6). But he was in the fish
only three days and three nights! When a Hebrew slave loved his master
and did not wish to go free at the end of the seventh year, we read, "...
His master shall bore his ear through with an awl; and he shall serve him
for ever" (Ex. 21:6). Of course, that couldn't be longer than his life
span. Again, when Solomon built the temple unto the Lord, he began his
prayer of dedication with the statement, "I have surely built Thee an house
to dwell in, a settled place for Thee to abide in for ever" (I Kgs.8:13).
And the Lord answered Solomon, "I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication,
that thou hast made before Me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast
built, to put My name there for ever" (I Kgs. 9:3). But Solomon's temple
lasted for only about 400 years! And it was never in God's mind to dwell
there for ever!
Here is something that ought
to be clear to any intelligent, honest man. A word that is used to mean
in one case three days and nights, in another case to mean a man's lifetime,
and in still another case to mean a period of about four centuries, surely
does not mean unending or eternal, no matter what English word is used
to translate it. USAGE DETERMINES MEANING. Another illustration is the
Aaronic priesthood. According to the King James version, Aaron and his
sons were anointed as priests for ever. It says, "Their anointing
shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations"
(Ex. 40:15). Yet we read in Heb. 7:11-18 that the Aaronic priesthood is
CHANGED to that of Melchizedek. "Now if perfection had been attainable
by the Levitical priesthood, for under it the people were given the Law,
why was it further necessary that there should arise another and different
kind of Priest, one after the order of Melchizedek, rather than one appointed
after the order of Aaron? For when there is a CHANGE
IN THE PRIESTHOOD, there is of necessity an alteration of the law concerning
the priesthood as well. For it is obvious that our Lord sprang from the
tribe of Judah, and Moses mentioned nothing about priests in connection
with that tribe. So, a previous physical regulation and command is CANCELLED
because of its weakness and ineffectiveness and uselessness" (Amplified
Bible).
Amazing, isn't it, that the priesthood
which was ordained for ever has been CANCELLED! There would be no contradiction
if the statement in Exodus were translated as it should be, "to the age
throughout their generations." That is, throughout their generations AS
LONG AS THAT AGE LASTED. In the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the
Hebrew Scriptures which Jesus and His disciples used, the Greek word AION
was the word used for the Hebrew OLAM. According to Hebrew and Greek usage,
therefore, these words mean a period of time, a period of unknown length,
the duration of which is determined by the fact or condition or person
to which the term is applied.
Furthermore, Lev. 24:8 states
that the covenant given to Israel was an "everlasting covenant." Yet, it
was conditional and based on Israel's obedience (Ex. 19:5-6). And the inspired
writer of the book of Hebrews declares, "For if that first covenant had
been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. For
finding fault with them, He saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord,
when I will make a NEW COVENANT with the house of Israel and with the house
of Judah... in that He saith, A new covenant, He hath made the first old.
Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to VANISH AWAY" (Heb. 8:7
8, 13). Ah, did you notice? The everlasting covenant has been DONE AWAY!
What a wonder, that! We are told that the "earth abideth forever" (Eccl.
1:4), but Jesus said, "Heaven and earth shall pass away.. (Mat. 24:35).
The Lord announced through the
prophet Isaiah, "Upon the land of My people shall come up thorns and briers;
yea upon all the houses of joy in the joyous city: for the palace shall
be forsaken; the populous city shall be deserted; the hill and the watch-tower
shall be dens for ever; a joy of wild asses, a pasture for flocks; UNTIL
the Spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the WILDERNESS BECOME a
fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest" (Isa. 32:13-15).
Verse 15 limits the use of the word in verse 14, for the desolations of
the land are "for ever" only UNTIL the Spirit is poured out from on high
bringing glorious RESTORATION!
As regards animal sacrifices,
dietary laws, ceremonial observances and sabbaths, each was to be "observed
as a statute for ever" (Ex. 31:16-17; 11 Chron. 2:4; Lev. 16:31). But the
New Testament clearly shows that these were, one and all, but "carnal ordinances
imposed UNTIL the time of reformation" (Heb. 9:10). It is clear - if "for
ever" really meant ETERNAL - we would still be offering sheep, bullocks,
and goats as sacrifices to God! But - more startling still - the idea of
endlessness does not adhere even to the reign of Christ. Heb.
1:8 says, "But unto the Son He saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and
ever..." Now turning to another Scripture bearing on the same subject,
we obtain additional light on this subject. "Then cometh the end, when
He shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when He
shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For He
must reign TILL He hath put all enemies under His feet. And when all things
shall be subdued unto Him, THEN SHALL THE SON ALSO HIMSELF BE SUBJECT UNTO
HIM that put all things under Him, that God may be all in all" (I Cor.
15:24-25,28). The Kingdom of the Son will have a conclusion. In some remote
time the Son delivers up the Kingdom to the Father, the Kingdom continues
no longer in the rule of Sonship, but in the rule of Fatherhood, that God
may be known no longer in and through the Son and the Sons, but transcendentally
as ALL IN ALL!
Dear reader, it is high time
to stop acting the fool. It is high time to cease from exalting ourselves
and our ignorant imaginings above the knowledge of God. It is high time
to bow in humble submission to His Word and cease our own blasphemous and
ignorant pratings. It is high time for a lot of people to curb their wagging
tongues and do some listening for a change, if perchance they might at
length learn something worth talking about. The Hebrew word OLAM and its
Greek equivalent, AION, mean a limited time, an age, and their plural means
ages. No one who is sane and reasonable can maintain otherwise. To do so
is to contradict all known facts and to contradict God's own Word. That
is precisely what all the "eternal damnation" people are guilty of. God
be merciful to them!
Let us look at how the word AION
is used in a number of passages. About 37 times in the New Testament it
is rendered "world," twice as "worlds," twice as "ages," and once as "course."
Every place where the word "eternal" appears, with but one exception, it
is a translation of this word AION or its adjective form AIONIOS. Twice
it is rendered "evermore." Ever place where the word "everlasting" appears,
but one, it is this same word or its adjective form. With but thirteen
exceptions, every place where the word "ever" appears it is the same word
or its adjective form. And aside from all this confusion, the word also
appears in the plural, and in a number of confusing combinations, such
as "the
aion of the aion," "the aion
of the aions," and "the aions of the aions," etc.
Some of the passages where AION
is found will give us added information concerning it. In Eph. 2:7
we find, "in the ages (aions) to come." In Col. 1:26 we find, "the mystery
which hath been hid from ages (aions). " In Eph. 2:2 we find "ye walked,
according to the course aion of this world." In Heb. 1:2 we find, "by whom
also He made the worlds (aions)." In Heb. 11:3 we find, "the worlds (aions)
were formed by the Word of God." In about fifteen instances, such
as Mat. 12:32, 1 Cor. 1:20, etc., we find it rendered "this world (aion).
" Twice we find "this present world (aion). " In Gal. 1:4 we find, "deliver
us from this present evil world (aion)." In Eph. 6:12 we find, "the rulers
of the darkness of this world (aion)." In 11 Cor. 4:4 we find, "the god
of this world (aion)." In I Cor. 2:6 we find, "the wisdom of this
world (aion)." In Lk. 16:8 we find, "the children of this world (aion)."
In Mk. 4:19 we find, "the
cares of this world (aion)."
How much more understandable it would be if the translators had used the
word age instead of world!
In Mk. 10:30 we find that there
is not only this present aion, which is evil, but also "the world (aion)
to come." In Lk. 20:35 we find, "but they that shall be accounted worthy
to obtain that world (aion), and the resurrection from the dead, neither
marry nor are given in marriage." In Heb. 6:5 we find, "and have tasted...the
powers of the world (aion) to come." And in Lk. 1:70, Jn. 9:32, etc., we
find that the aion had a beginning: "since the world (aion) began."
And now in reviewing the Scriptures
we have just quoted we note that this aion is something which has a king;
it has princes; it is in darkness; it had a beginning; it has an ending;
it is evil; it has wisdom; it has children who marry; it has cares. The
aions we find were made by Christ, simply through His spoken Word,
and we also find in Col. 1:26 that the mystery of Christ in us, the hope
of glory, has been hidden from these aions.
Now, if AION means ETERNAL, consider
how ridiculous the Word of God would be! The Holy Spirit would be found
saying, "the mystery which has been hid from eternities;" "the mystery
of Christ which in other eternities was not made known;" "in the etemities
to come;" "Ye walked according to the eternity of this world;" "by whom
also He made the eternities;" "the rulers of the darkness of this eternity;"
"now once in the end of the eternities hath He appeared;" "the harvest
is the end of the eternity;" "since eternity began;" "in the eternities
to come," etc. etc. Let the scholars whose business it is delve into the
many intricacies of expression, and worry over the many grammatical combinations.
Suffice it to say here that there have been "aions" in the past, there
is this present "aion,"
and there are "aions" to come.
And these all combined make up TIME, encompassing the whole of the
progressive plan and program of God for the development of His creation.
Any thinking person should clearly
see that if you translate the word AION which means an age by the word
eternal, which has nothing to do with time, you immediately get the wrong
idea. The same thing applies when the word AION is translated by the word
world. It is incorrect and brings nothing but confusion. That is why so
many Christians have been worrying about "the end of the world" when
they should have been understanding God's special dealing here at "the
end of the age." There is a great deal of difference between the expression,
"He shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever," and the expression,
"He shall be tormented day and night unto the ages of the ages." For ever
and ever
has no end. The ages of
the ages do have an end, and their end will see every knee bowing and every
tongue confessing that Jesus Christ is the Lord to the glory of God the
Father. (Phil. 2:10; Rom. 14:10-11). The first expression forbodes complete
hopelessness for billions and makes the faith of God of none effect. The
second expression, which is completely correct, not only offers hope but
expresses the ultimate fulfillment of the purpose which was purposed in
Christ Jesus before the world began or before the ages were framed.
EVEN SO, COME LORD JESUS!
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