(Continued-Eternity Or The Plan Of The Ages)

Again the same writer spoke of certain ones who tasted the good Word of God and "the powers of the age to come" (Heb. 6:5). Our Lord promised to those who will forsake their mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, houses and lands, a hundredfold at the present time and eternal life in the age to come (Mark 10:30). In these and other passages which could be cited, we see that our word also refers to the Millennial Age; but let us always remember that the facts of the context must determine its meaning in any given place.

IT IS next in order for us to study some of the phrases built around this word. We shall examine the simplest form of expression and then proceed to the more complicated ones. (Let us always remember that the word translated in these phrases forever is the term which we are studying.) In Matthew 21:19 we have this sentence, literally translated, "And seeing a fig tree beside the way he [Jesus] came to it and he found nothing on it except leaves only, and he said to it, Never again from you shall there be fruit into the age." In the original the negative combined with this special phrase under consideration is rendered in the Revised Version as "no. . henceforth forever." No one could expect, regardless of how long the fig tree might live, to get any fruit from it.

We again find another occurrence of this idiom in John 8:51: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, If anyone keep my word, he shall not see death into the age [forever]." By examining all instances where the double negative appears in the original, followed by this special phrase, one can see that it carries the idea of never throughout all eternity. In Luke 1:55 we have this same phrase which modifies the promise that God made to Abraham and his seed after him. Here, doubtless, it is to be limited to the Millennial Age, for such are the natural implications of the original promise. The Apostle in I Peter 1:24,25 quoted from Isaiah 40 a passage which asserts that the Word of God abides into the age. We know that, since the Word of God is settled for time and eternity in the heavens and can never be altered, our phrase can and often does mean literally forever--throughout all eternity. Another excellent example of this usage is found in I John 2:17. Here we learn that the world with its pleasures passes away, but in contrast with these things the one who does the will of God abides into the age, or forever. We know from Revelation 20:11 that the earth is destroyed at the end of the Millennium, when the great white throne is set up. Thus will pass away everything that pertains to this earth, but the one who does the will of God continues on after that-- forever and ever; and that thought is expressed by our phrase in its simplest form. Another example of this usage will further illustrate this point. In Hebrews 6 and 7 we are told that Christ is a priest after the order of Melchizedek "into the age" or forever. What is the significance of our phrase in this connection? According to Hebrews 7:24, Christ abides into the age or forever, because He has a priesthood which does not pass away. This last clause explains unmistakably that into the age here means what we understand by the word forever--never ceasing. In verse 28 He is said to be a Son who is perfected into the age. Is His perfection just for the Millennial Age? The question is ridiculous. He is perfected forever. Thus our expression often means exactly what our English phrase indicates--never ending. The facts of each context determine its meaning in a given case.

IN ADDITION to the simple phrase into the age, we have aion in several compound expressions. Of course, the fundamental idea inherent in the word itself and in the expression just discussed is strengthened and modified in the stronger and fuller phrases. Some scholars are of the opinion that these compound terms are the result of the combination of different formulas that existed in the first century. There is, however, no positive proof for this theory. Yet there seems to be a definite idea that the biblical writers wished to convey when they used these expanded forms of our formula. For instance, in Ephesians 3:21 we have our phrase in compound form in the doxology (literally translated): "To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus into all the generations of the age of the ages. Amen." Let us analyze this expression by noticing first the simple term, of the age. This is the phrase which is under consideration and which looks forward to a definite, specific period of time. This age is often called "the age of the ages." In various languages we have this idiom, which is equivalent to a superlative and which means the greatest of the ages. Speaking figuratively in terms of a mountain range and comparing the age under consideration to a mountain peak, we would say that it is the culmination of all. Of all the ages of the earth the Millennium, the last one, is to be the greatest, for during that time God will head up all things in Christ. It will indeed be the dispensation of the fullness of the times (Eph. 1:10). Christ will have the preeminence. The curse will be lifted, The glory of God will encircle the earth as the waters cover the sea. Thus, that will be the age of the ages of the earth's existence. The Apostle's prayer is that there may be glory to the one God in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all the generations of the millennial kingdom. People will be born by natural generation during that era. Thus, one generation will follow another; but to God will be given the glory in Christ and in the church throughout all of those generations. There is a little modification of this formula appearing in the translation taken from the Greek version of the Old Testament (Ps. 45) and quoted in Hebrews 1:8, "Thy throne, 0 God, is into the age of the age" (literal translation). Nowhere in the Greek Testament do we have this type of formula, but it is of frequent occurrence in the Greek translation of the Old Testament from which this quotation is taken. It is clearly the translation Greek of the expression to the age and age. An examination of Psalm 45, from which Hebrews 1:8 was taken, shows that the inspired writer was speaking of Christ's millennial reign. Hence, the age of which he is writing is the millennial period and is equivalent to the expression in Ephesians 3:21, just discussed.

ANOTHER expression which is found frequently in the New Testament is "into the ages." Paul, in discussing the idolatrous practices of the nations, declared that they served the creature rather than Him who creates, who is blessed "into the ages" (Rom. 1:25). This formula occurs in the Greek Old Testament and in the Apocalyptical writings very often. What is the significance of this passage? Since God is the blessed one and the one who does bless, and since this is His condition throughout all eternity--both in the future as well as in the past--our expression can mean nothing but all eternity of the future. The facts of this context, therefore, demand that the ages here are the ages of the future of all eternity. The same formula is found in Romans 9:5, and is applied to Christ who is "over all, God blessed into the ages, Amen." What is said about God's being blessed throughout all the ages of the future is here asserted of Christ. This formula, therefore, can and does mean throughout all the eternity of the future. Again, the Apostle used this same phrase in 11:36 in his prayer that "to him [God] be glory into the ages, Amen." Glory will be ascribed to the Almighty throughout all future eternity. This formula does, therefore, mean endless eternity in the future. In II Corinthians 11:31 we have the same statement concerning God who "is blessed into all the ages." Here it has the same significance. In speaking of the unchangeable Christ, who is none other than God, as is affirmed by numerous passages of scripture, the Apostle asserted that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and into the ages." Unquestionably our phrase here signifies eternity of the future. Once more the Apostle spoke of the ages of the future eternity in Ephesians 2:7. Here he asserted that it is God's purpose to show forth the abundance of His grace in Christ Jesus "in the ages which are coming."


WE HAVE still a different phrase occurring very frequently in doxologies, which is into the ages of the ages. The Apostle Paul was especially fond of using this expression. In these petitions he prayed that there may be given to God glory and honor into the ages of the ages. The fundamental conception of this formula is that eternity of the future is divided into various ages, which, in turn, are subdivided into smaller units of time. These he calls ages. Eternity for him was so very vast, as it is for all of us that he used this strong expression to indicate the endless continuity of the future; and, at the same time, he let us know that there is to be a development as these great epochs and subdivisions are unfolded before the startled gaze of the redeemed. This formula may be found in Romans 16:27; Galatians 1:5; Philippians 4:20; I Timothy 1:17; II Timothy 4:18; and Hebrews 13:21. The Apostle Peter likewise used this same formula in his doxology, employing, however, the word power (I Pet. 5:11).

John frequently used the same formula in Revelation. For instance, there appears a doxology in 1:6 in which he ascribed glory and power to Christ into the ages of the ages. When Christ appeared to John on the island of Patmos, the Apostle fell down as one dead. To him Jesus said that He was at one time dead but that now He lives into the ages of the ages. Certainly Christ will never die but is living into all eternity; therefore, this formula means all future eternity. According to Revelation 4:9,10, both the living creatures and the four and twenty elders fall down and render worship to the Almighty, who is seated on the throne and who lives into the ages of the ages. This statement affirms that God lives throughout all eternity in the future, which idea is expressed by our formula. Then in 5:13 we see a universal chorus in which all beings in the heavens above, on the earth beneath, and underneath the earth are rendering worship and praise to God who sits upon the throne and to the Lamb to whom they ascribe their worship into the ages of the ages. We see a similar throng worshiping God to whom they also ascribe all majesty and power and worship into the ages of the ages. In 10:6 the angel swears by the Almighty who is living into the ages of the ages. From 11:15 we see that the Lord will reign into the ages of the ages. The Lord will never surrender His authority and turn it over to anyone else. This formula, into the ages of the ages, therefore means forever. In 15:7 we see it again affirmed that God lives into the ages of the ages. Our phrase appears again in 22:5, where we are told that the saved will reign into the ages of the ages. In all of these places there can be no doubt concerning the proposition that our expression means the ceaseless ages of all eternity, or endless time. No one with any reason can question this conclusion.

THERE are three other occurrences of this formula in the Book of Revelation, which I have purposely reserved to consider last. The first is found in 14:11, which refers to the punishment of those who worship the beast. The language is as follows: "and the smoke of their torment goeth up into the ages of the ages; and they have no rest day and night, they that worship the beast and his image, and whoso receiveth the mark of his name." We have seen that John uses this expression to indicate the ceaseless eternity of the future. Unless there is something in this context which limits its meaning, we are forced by the irresistible logic of facts to believe that it has the same significance here. One will seek in vain in this context to find anything that would seem to indicate a limitation of time. We must therefore conclude that John here speaks of endless punishment for the worshipers of the beast--throughout the ceaseless cycles of eternity. The only thing that could force one to put limitations upon this passage would be a clear statement by some other biblical writer that the punishment of the wicked is to be limited to a certain period of time and not to all eternity in the future. One will seek in vain for such divine utterances.

The second of these instances is found in Revelation 19:1-3: "After these things I heard as it were a great voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, Hallelujah; Salvation, and glory, and power, belong to our God: 2 for true and righteous are his judgments; for he hath judged the great harlot, her that corrupted the earth with her fornication, and he hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. 3 And a second time they say, Hallelujah. And her smoke goeth up for ever and ever." In this passage we see the judgment of God upon "the great harlot, her that corrupted the earth with her fornication." This great harlot is the one described in the seventeenth chapter of Revelation. This is that false system of religion that has led people away from God and corrupted His ways and teachings. Concerning this stroke of judgment we are told that "her smoke goes up into the ages of the ages" (literal translation). Since this is the same formula which is used with reference to God and Christ and which, when thus employed, refers to all eternity, we are to understand that it has the same significance with reference to the judgment upon the great harlot--unless there is something in this context or in some other passage which shows that it is not to be taken literally. But we shall hunt in vain for negative evidence. It therefore here means never ending eternity. The punishment of these who constitute the great harlot is to last throughout all the ages of eternity.

The third and last occurrence of our formula when applied to punishment is to be found in Revelation 20:10: "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where are also the beast and the false prophet; and they shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever." From Revelation 19:20 we see that the beast and the false prophet are cast into the lake of fire and brimstone before the thousand years of Christ's reign begin. According to the verse under consideration, they are in the same place of punishment after the thousand years have ended. Added to their company is the Devil, who, at the end of a little space of time following the thousand years' reign of Christ is cast into the lake of fire. He, the false prophet, and the Antichrist will be tormented into the ages of the ages both day and night. What has been said about the force of this expression in the two preceding passages also applies to its significance here. Without a doubt it refers to endless punishment.

No one delights in the thoughts of never-ending punishment;--even for his worst enemies. No Christian delights in preaching about eternal punishment. But, if he is to be faithful to God's Word, he must proclaim it from the housetops, for such is its teaching. When, however, we have laid aside this mortal coil, as the poet calls our bodies, we shall see things from God's standpoint and shall say with the angels and others, "Holy and righteous are thy judgments, 0 Lord God the Almighty." We shall understand everything that God does--even to His consigning the wicked and lost to their place of eternal banishment from the presence of God and the glory of His might.

HAVING discussed the main phrases built around the word aion, let us now notice some three or four others that demand a further explanation. In Luke 1:33 we have the language of the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary, one clause of which is: "And he shall reign over the house of Jacob into the ages, and of his kingdom there shall be no end." It is evident from the context that Gabriel was talking about Christ's millennial reign. If this passage were the only one which we have, we should immediately conclude that our Lord shall reign over the Jews throughout all eternity. But there are statements which tell us that this kingdom over which Christ will reign in Jerusalem shall have an end. This fact is emphasized by the further predictions that the present heavens and earth shall pass away. Since the Jerusalem in which Christ will reign will pass away at the destruction of the universe (Rev. 20:11), that phase of His reign will then pass away--that about which Gabriel was talking. But it seems that this passage which is under consideration is a contradiction to Revelation 20:11. Knowing that this reign shall terminate, we must not read into the phrase, into the ages, the idea of the ceaseless ages of all eternity in the future, for by so doing we have a contradiction. In all probability, this special prediction should be viewed in the light of Ephesians 3:20, 21. In this latter passage, we see that Christ is to have glory in the church throughout all generations of the age of the ages. Each of these generations in the formula would in this case correspond to an age in the phrase now under consideration. Each generation therefore would be a short age or period of time. This seems to be the only logical explanation of this difficult passage, if we are to examine all the facts entering into the case.

We have a very peculiar expression in Hebrews 9:26: "But now once for all at the consummation of the ages he [Christ] has been made manifest in order to take away sin by the sacrifice of himself" (literal rendering). When Christ was sacrificed nineteen hundred years ago, the generation then living was in the "consummation of the ages." Since he speaks of the winding up of the ages in connection with his discussion of Christ's death in the first century, we must conclude that there have been many ages through which this old earth has passed. The Christian Era and the Millennial Age--the last two--are in this language the consummation of the ages which preceded them. This point will become more apparent when we discuss the expression times eternal.

There is a rather strange doxology in II Peter 3:18: "To him [Christ] be glory both now and into the day of the age." The Apostle is not discussing all eternity but the present era and that one which he designates as "the day of the age." Jesus and the Apostle Paul spoke of this age and the one to come. Undoubtedly these expressions refer to the Christian Dispensation and to the Millennial Age. When we lay Peter's doxology down beside these statements, it becomes evident that Peter means by the phrase, "the day of the age," the Millennial Era.

Jude, in his doxology (vss. 24 and 25), included all eternity past, present, and future--in his meditation with reference to God to whom "glory, majesty, power, and might are before every age, and now, and into all the ages." This statement is sufficiently clear that it needs little explanation. I shall, however, simply call attention briefly to the three tenses. "Before every age" points to the ages prior to the creation of the world. The time expressed by "now" refers to the period of the existence of the world. The final phrase, "and into all the ages," undoubtedly indicates the ceaseless cycles of all eternity in the future.

In this investigation we have learned that the word translated forever and the phrases built around it inherently mean continuity. The limits are to be understood from the facts of each context. If there are no modifying conditions, either in a given context or in parallel passages, one is to understand that the word connotes perpetuity without any limit.

We have also investigated the word in the Greek rendered forever and the phrases built around it. We discovered that it had a meaning similar to that of the Hebrew term.

We have likewise learned that eternity falls into three principal divisions: In the beginning (eternity before time); time (that part of eternity during which the material universe is in existence); and the ages of the ages (eternity of the future).

IT IS for us now to give attention to what the Lord has revealed concerning the creation of the universe. The first statement of the Scriptures reveals volumes of information regarding that mighty, divine act. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." From this sentence we learn that there was a time when God alone, who is a spirit, existed. He then put forth the act which is expressed by the word create, the result of which was the coming into existence of the material heavens and the earth. An examination of every occurrence of this word in the Hebrew Text of the Old Testament, when it is used in the active voice, shows that the Almighty is the one who performed the act thus designated. Never is any being except God said to accomplish this act. The reason for this fact is that He alone can call into being or bring into existence that which had no form or substance prior to that time. He alone is the Creator. It is in Him that we live, move, and have our continual being. What is true of mortals is also true of the material universe, for it is by the power of the Son of God that all things consist or hold together (Col. 1:17).

IN OUR English translations God is in the singular number; but in the Hebrew this noun is plural. Thus the literal rendering of Genesis 1:1 is, "In the beginning Gods created the heavens and the earth." In order to guard against polytheism, the sacred writer used this plural noun with a verb in the singular number. By so doing he has preserved to us the correct teaching regarding both the plurality of divine personalities and their constituting a unity. From this first statement we learn that there is more than one person in the Godhead, to which reference is made in Acts 17:29 and Colossians 2:9. There is perfect harmony between the facts just noted in Genesis 1:1 and the great confession of Israel, which is, "Hear, 0 Israel, Jehovah our Gods is Jehovah a unity" (Deut. 6:4, literally rendered). From this declaration we see that there are more than one of the Divine Personalities, who at the same time constitute a unity. From other passages we learn that there are three of them: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Moses and the prophets were all Trinitarians. In fact, the Jewish nation held to the Trinitarian position until it was pressed by the Christians in the second century of our era to accept Christ upon the basis of His being one of the Divine Personalities, who entered the world by virgin birth. Rather than accept Him as Lord and Messiah, the Hebrew people veered from the Trinitarian position to that of the unitarian. The New Testament abundantly proves that there are three Divine Personalities constituting the one true God, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe.

IN GENESIS 1:1 we are told that "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Somewhere in that part of eternity which antedates time, God created the heavens and the earth. How He did it and what methods or means were employed, the Bible does not say. It is therefore mere speculation for us to insist on any particular theory of creation.

The phrase, "in the beginning," of Genesis 1:1 conveys the same idea as the like expression found in John 1:1: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

Nothing is known about the length of time God consumed in His creating the universe. He, being all-powerful, could have created it in a moment of time--if He had chosen to do so. On the other hand, if He had elected to create it over long periods of time, He could have done so. It is futile, idle speculation to state anything in regard to the time used in bringing the universe into existence.

When God created the heavens and the earth, they were in a perfect condition. "The Rock, his work is perfect" (Deut. 32:4). When the Lord created the earth, it was not made a desolation. "For thus saith Jehovah that created the heavens, the God that formed the earth and made it, that established it and created it not a waste, that formed it to be inhabited: I am Jehovah; and there is none else" (Isa. 45:18). Since God does things perfectly and since the earth was not in a condition of waste and desolation at the time of creation, evidently the statement in Genesis 1:2, which tells us that the earth was without form and void, refers to some calamity that wrecked it. From this conclusion there can be no escape.

IN VIEW of the facts which we have just studied, we see that there is a period of time which intervened between God's creation of the earth (Gen. 1:1) and its being reduced to a state of desolate waste (Gen. 1:2). How long was this period? Some tell us that it extended over vast ages of ages. Others think that it was not that long. There are no facts that are given in the Scriptures which intimate the length of this time so that we could make a definite statement that the earth has existed so many thousands, millions, or billions of years.

There are, however, a few passages in the New Testament which speak of "times eternal." This very expression occurs in Romans 16:25; II Timothy 1:9; Titus 1:2. What is the meaning of this expression? Sometimes our attention is called to the fact that it implies eternity; and yet we are told that grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before eternity began. If this is its meaning, eternity does not connote what we understand by that English word. Eternity in the past had no beginning; yet, according to these passages, grace was given us in Christ before "times eternal." Since God chose us in Christ and gave us grace in Him before times eternal, and since it is impossible for us to think of eternity in the past as having a beginning, we are convinced that this expression in these passages does not mean what is usually understood by the word eternal. Let us remember that we were chosen in Christ before times eternal and that this grace was also given before these times. What do these expressions mean? We have other phrases which throw light upon this difficult question. For instance, in Ephesians 1:3,4 we are told that God chose us in Christ "before the foundation of the world." He elected us in Christ and gave us this grace in that part of eternity prior to the foundation of the world--the creation of the earth. The Apostle Peter declared that we are saved by the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ "who was foreknown indeed before the foundation of the world, but was manifested at the end of the times for your sake." In these two passages the giving of God's grace and the election of the individual to eternal life according to the foreknowledge of God took place before the foundation of the world; but in the other passages which have already been discussed we see that these very same things were given to us before "times eternal." A careful study and a comparison of these different statements show that the biblical writers in these passages had the same thing in mind. In one group of verses they say that this grace was given to us before the foundation of the world. This statement is clear and unmistakable. In the others, they say that this same grace was given us before times eternal. When we take these facts into consideration, we see that the expressions, "before the foundation of the world" and "before times eternal" are synonymous. The period of time thus referred to by "times eternal" began with the foundation of the world or the creation of the universe.

God created the heavens and the earth in that part of eternity called "in the beginning." When He accomplished that task the period known as "times eternal" began. Since we have seen there was a period of time which intervened between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2, and since times eternal began with the creation of the world, the logical conclusion is that the period of time between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2 is that which is referred to by Paul as "times eternal." One cannot avoid this conclusion.

When all of these facts are taken into consideration, we logically arrive at the conclusion that the expression "times eternal" refers to the time during which the earth was in its perfect condition--before it was wrecked by Satan.

How long then were these "times eternal"? As before stated, no one knows. There is, however, another statement in the Word which may throw light upon this difficult problem. This expression is found in Hebrews 9:26. In this passage the Apostle speaks of Christ's having offered himself once for all "at the end of the ages." It seems, when all the facts are considered, the ages here referred to are the ages of the history of the world. Christ was crucified approximately 2,000 years ago. The writer of Hebrews says that that event occurring then was in the consummation or the conclusion of the ages. Christ was as a lamb slain from the foundation of the world; but, in actuality, He was crucified in the end of the ages. Since that tragedy which occurred approximately 2,000 years ago was in the end of the ages, we are to conclude that the ages of the world prior to this time were these "times eternal." From the time that He was crucified to the present we have been in the conclusion of the ages of the world. Therefore there must have been vast ages after God created the universe intervening between the original creation and the wrecking of the same (Gen. 1:2).

WE KNOW very little of the conditions which existed upon the earth during that period. Figuratively speaking, God has erected an impenetrable screen just before the calamity of Genesis 1:2, which hides from our vision the world and the things therein during those undescribed ages. There are, however, hints here and there in the sacred Scriptures, which are quite illuminating, and which give us a faint idea of those times.

For instance, God's command to Adam: "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth" (Gen. 1:28) carries a certain implication which is clarified by the same exhortation given in the exact words to Noah (Gen. 9:1). We know the force of this language when spoken to him. There were people, as we learn from the historical record, on the earth prior to the Flood. In fact, the object of that judgment was to purge the earth of a wicked and adulterous generation. God's command to Noah to be fruitful and replenish the earth certainly implied the fact of man's prior existence, which is asserted by the biblical account. If the command to Adam has the same significance as it did when spoken to Noah, we must conclude that there was a pre-Adamic race living upon the earth prior to the great catastrophe of Genesis 1:2. This inference may be strengthened by the statement of Isaiah: "For thus saith Jehovah that created the heavens, the God that formed the earth and made it, that established it and created it not a waste, that formed it to be inhabited ..." (Isa. 45:18).

While these statements carry the possible inference that there may have been a pre-Adamic race, we cannot be positive on this point. The evidence is insufficient to warrant any degree of dogmatism.