Changes of State of the Angels in
Heaven.
154. By changes of state of angels,
their changes in respect to love and faith,
and wisdom and intelligence are meant, thus their changes in respectto
states of life. States are predicated of life and of what belongs tolife;
and as angelic life is a life of love and faith, and of wisdom andintelligence
therefrom, states are predicated of these and are called states
of love and faith, and states of wisdom
and intelligence. How with angelsthese states are changed shall now be
told.
155. Angels are not constantly in
the same state in respect to love, and in consequence
[not] in the same state in respect to wisdom; for all theirwisdom is from
their love and in accordance with their love. Sometimes theyare in a state
of intense love, sometimes in a state of love not so intense.The
state decreases by degrees from its greatest degree to its least. Whenin
their greatest degree of love they are in the light and warmth of theirlife,
or in a clear and delightful state; but in their least degree they are
in shade and cold, or in an obscure
and undelightful state. From this laststate they return again to the first,
and so on, these alternations
following one after another with
variety. There is a sequence of these states
like the varied states of light and shade, or of heat and cold, orlike
morning, noon, evening, and night, day after day in the world, withunceasing
variety throughout the year. There is also a correspondence,morning corresponding
to the state of their love in its clearness, noon to the
state of their wisdom in its clearness, evening to the state of theirwisdom
in its obscurity, and night to a state of no love or wisdom. But it
must be understood that there is
no correspondence of night with the states of
life of those in heaven, although there is what corresponds to the dawnthat
precedes morning; what corresponds to night is with those in hell[17.1].
From this correspondence, "day" and "year" signify in the Wordstates of
life in general; "heat" and "light" signify love and wisdom;
"morning" the first and highest degree
of love; "noon" wisdom in its light;"evening" wisdom in its shade; "dawn"
the obscurity that precedes themorning; and "night" the absence of love
and wisdom [17.2].
156. Together with the state of
the angels' interiors which pertain to their love
and wisdom, the states of various things that are outside of them andthat
they see with their eyes are changed; for the things outside of themtake
on an appearance that is in accord with the things within them. Butwhat
things these are, and what kind of things they are, shall be told
presently in the chapter on Representatives
and Appearances in Heaven.
157. Every angel undergoes
and passes through such changes of state, and also
every society in general, and yet each one differently, for the reasonthat
they differ in love and wisdom, those in the middle being in a moreperfect
state than those round about even to the circumference (see above,n. 43,
128). But it would be tedious to specify the differences, since the
changes each one undergoes are in accord
with the quality of his love andfaith. From this it happens that
while one may be in clearness and delight,another may be in obscurity and
lack of delight, and this at the same timewithin the same society. So,
too, the state differs in different societies; it
is different in the societies of the celestial kingdom from what it is
in
those of the spiritual kingdom.
These differences in the changes of state are
in general like the variations of the states of days in differentclimates
on the earth, for with some it is morning when with others it isevening,
and with some it is hot when with others it is cold.
158. I have been taught from heaven
why there are such changes of state there.
The angels said that there are many reasons -- first, the delight oflife
and of heaven - which they have from love and wisdom from the Lord
- would gradually lose
its value if they were in it continually, as happenswith those that are
in allurements and pleasures without variety. A second reason
is that angels, as well as men, have what is their own (proprium),which
is loving self; and all that are in heaven are withheld from what istheir
own, and so far as they are withheld from it by the Lord are in loveand
wisdom; but so far as they are not withheld they are in the love of
self; and because every one loves what
is his own and is drawn by [17.3] itthey have changes of state or successive
alternations. A third reason isthat they are in this way perfected, for
they thus become accustomed tobeing held in love to the Lord and withheld
from love of self; also that by alternations
between delight and lack of delight the perception and sense ofgood becomes
more exquisite [17.4]. The angels added that their changes ofstate are
not caused by the Lord, since the Lord as a sun is unceasinglyflowing in
with heat and light, that is, with love and wisdom; but the cause
is in themselves, in that they love
what is their own, and this continually
leads them away. This was illustrated
by comparison with the sun of the world,
that the cause of the changes of state of heat and cold and of lightand
shade, year by year and day by day, is not in that sun, since it standsunchanged,
but the cause is in the earth.
159. I have been shown how the Lord
as a sun appears to the angels of the
celestial kingdom in their first
state, in their second state, and in their third
state. I saw the Lord as a sun, at first glowing and brilliant with asplendor
that cannot be described; and I was told that such is theappearance of
the Lord as a sun to the angels in their first state. Afterwards
there appeared a great obscure belt about the sun, and by thisits first
glow and brilliancy which gave it such splendor began to be
dulled, and I was told that such
is the appearance of the sun to them in their
second state. Then the belt seemed by degrees to grow darker, and thesun
to appear less glowing, and this by degrees until at length it took on
a shining whiteness;
and I was told that such is the appearance of the sun tothem in their third
state. After this, that shining whiteness was seen to move
to the left towards the moon of heaven, and to add itself to her light;and
in consequence the moon shone forth with unwonted splendor; and I wastold
that such is the fourth state of those in the celestial kingdom and thefirst
state of those in the spiritual kingdom, and that in both kingdoms
changes of state have such alternations;
yet not in the whole kingdom at
once, but in one society after
another. Furthermore, I was told that these alternations
are not fixed, but come upon them sooner or later without their
knowledge. And it was added that the
sun in itself is not thus changed or moved;
but it takes on this appearance in accord with their successiveprogressions
of state, since the Lord appears to every one in accord withwhat his state
is, thus glowing when one is in intense love and less glowingand finally
shining white as his love subsides; and the quality of each
one's state was represented by the
obscure belt that induced upon the sunthese apparent variations in its
glow and light.
160. When angels are in the last
of these states - which is when they are in
what is their own - they begin to be sad. I have talked with them
when they were in that
state and have seen their sadness; but they said that theyhoped to return
soon to their former state, and thus into heaven again, asit were; for
to them it is heaven to be withheld from what is their own.
[17.1] In heaven there is a state
corresponding to "the dawn" that precedes "morning",
but no state corresponding to "night" (n. 6110).
The "dawn" signifies a middle state
between the last and the first (n. 10134).
[17.2] Alternations of state in
respect to enlightenment and perception occur
in heaven, like the times of day in the world (n. 5672, 5962, 6110,8426,
9213, 10605).
In the Word "day" and "year" signify
all states in general (n. 23, 487, 488, 493,
893, 2788, 3462, 4850, 10656).
"Morning" signifies the beginning
of a new state, and a state of love (n. 7218,
8426, 8427, 0114, 10134).
"Evening" signifies a state of declining
light and love (n. 10134, 10135).
"Night" signifies a state of no
love or faith (n. 221, 709, 2353, 6000, 6110.
7870,7947).
[17.3] Man's own (proprium) is loving
self (n. 694, 731, 4317, 5660).
The Lord cannot be present unless
what is man's own is set aside (n. 1023, 1044).
It is actually set aside when one
is held in good by the Lord (n. 9334- 9336,
9447, 9452-9454, 9938).
161. There are also changes of state
in the hells.
Rev 1: 18: "I am he that liveth,
and was dead; and, behold, I am alive forevermore,
Amen; and have the keys of Hell and of death." To understandthis passage
literally, with the popular view of Hell added, would be torepresent Jesus
as the Devil's gate keeper. If Hell is a realm of torment,and the devil
is its king, and Jesus keeps the keys, what is he but the
devil's janitor, or turnkey? The idea
is that Jesus defies death and thegrave, evil, destruction, and all that
is denoted either literally or
figuratively by Hades, the under-world.
Its gates open to him.
We now consider the word Tartarus:
"For if God spared not the angels that sinned,
but cast them down to Hell (Tartarus), and delivered them intochains of
darkness, to be reserved unto judgment." II Peter 2: 4. The wordin the
Greek is Tartarus, or rather it is a very form of that noun. "Castdown
to hell" should be tartarused, (tartarosas). The Greeks held Tartarus,
says Anthon, in his Classical Dictionary
to be "the fabled place ofpunishment in the lower world."
THE BOOK OF ENOCH
Peter alludes to the subject just
as though it were well-known and understood
by his correspondents. "If the angels that sinned."-what angels?"were cast
down to Tartarus," where is the story related? Not in the Bible,but in
a book well-known at the time, called the Book of Enoch. It waswritten
some time before the Christian Era, and is often quoted by the
Christian fathers. It embodies a tradition,
to which Josephus alludes,(Ant. 1: 3) of certain angels who had fallen.
(Dr. T. J. Sawyer, in Univ.Quart.)
From this apocryphal book, Peter
quoted the verse referring to Tartarus Dr. Sawyer
says: "Not only the moderns are forced to this opinion, but it seemsto
have been universally adopted by the ancients. 'Irenaeus, Clement ofAlexandria,
Origen and Hilary,' say Professor Stuart, 'all of whom refer tothe book
before us, and quote from it, say nothing which goes to establish
the idea that any Christians of their
day denied or doubted that a quotationwas made by the apostle Jude from
the Book of Enoch. Several and in factmost of these writers do indeed call
in question the canonical rank orauthority of the Book of Enoch; but the
apologies which they make for the quotation
of it in Jude show that the quotation itself was, as a matter offact, generally
conceded among them."
There are it is true some individuals
who still doubt whether Jude quoted the
Book of Enoch; but while as Professor Stuart suggests, this doubt isincapable
of being confirmed by any satisfactory proof, it avails nothing todeny
the quotation; for it is evident if Jude did not quote the Book ofEnoch,
he did quote a tradition of no better authority."
WHAT DID PETER MEAN?
Why did Peter quote from it? Just
as men now quote from the classics not sanctioning
the truth of the quotation but to illustrate and enforce aproposition.
Nothing is more common than for writers to quote fables: "Asthe tortoise
said to the hare," in Aesop. "As the sun said to the wind,"etc. We have
the same practice illustrated in the Bible. Joshua, after a
poetical quotation adorning his narrative,
says:
"Is not this written in the Book
of Jasher? Josh. 10: 13 and Jeremiah 48:
45 says: "A fire shall
come forth out of Heshbon," quoting from an ancient poet,says Dr. Adam
Clarke. Peter alludes to this ancient
legend to illustrate the certainty
of retribution
without any intention of teaching
the silly notions of angels falling from
heaven and
certainly not meaning to sanction
the then prevalent notions concerning
the heathen
Tartarus. There is this alternative
only: either the pagan doctrine is true
and the
heathen got ahead of inspiration
by ascertaining the facts before the authors
of the
Bible learned it-for it was currently
accepted centuries before Christ and
is certainly
not taught in the Old Testament-
or Peter quotes it as Jesus refers to Mammon
rhetorically to illustrate the
great fact of retribution he was inculcating.
If true, how
can anyone account for the fact
that it is never referred to in the Bible,
before or after this
once? Besides, these angels are not to be detained always inTartarus, they
are to be released. The
language is, "delivered them into chains ofdarkness, to be
reserved unto judgment." When their
judgment comes, they emerge from duress.
They only remain in Tartarus "unto
judgment." Their imprisonment is not
endless so that the language
gives no proof of endless punishment even if it be a literal
description.
But no one can fail to see that
the apostle employs the legend from the Book of
Enoch to illustrate and enforce his doctrine of retribution. As though
he had said: "If, as
is believed by some, God spared not the angels that sinned,
do not let us who sin, mortal men, expect to escape."
[17.4] The angels are being perfected
to eternity (n. 4803, 6648).
In the heavens one state is never
just like another, and from this there is
an unceasing process of perfection(n.10200).
E. Swedenborg
The following 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 Son of 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 a 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 jail 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 becauseof 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." Every 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 II 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."
