Immortality or Resurrection by William West (philippa perry book txt) 📕

only one eternity.
In the Bible there is the Patriarchal dispensation (age), and the Law of Moses dispensation (age) [Luke 1:70; Romans 12:2; Colossians 1:26], and the Christian dispensation (age). Age (aion) is applied to the Jewish dispensation (age) that has ended. See Hebrews 9:26; 1 Corinthians 10:11; Matthew 24:3; Luke 1:70. In this age the good seed and the weeds are together, but at the end of this age (the Christian dispensation) the weeds will be "collected and burned up with fire" [Luke 13:40 New Revised Standard Version]. This age will end at the coming of Christ. Eternal life will be given in the age to come [Mark 10:30; Luke 18:30; 20:35; Ephesians 1:21; 2:7; Hebrews 6:5].
AION and AIONIOS: When both the singular and plural are used together in one passage there must be more than one aion (age). A plural eternity or forever is impossible; aionios refer to periods of time (ages). Unless an age means all of time, there must be another part(s) of time (another age or ages); an age is not forever or eternity as the English word "eternity" is used today.
The word "eternal" was first put into the Bible when the Latin Vulgate Version of Jerome was translated into English; there is no word in the Hebrew or Greek Bible that corresponds to the English word "eternal"; Jerome translation give aion two difference meaning. If the first English translation had come directly from the Hebrew and Greek, it is unlikely that "eternal" would have ever been in it. Jerome was inconsistent in the way he put eternal into his translation by translating aion into eternal twenty-seven times out of about one hundred twenty-five times that aion is used, nevertheless, his inconsistencies were translated into English and most later translations copied them.
"TO or UNTO the ages of [the] ages"
[1] “The smoke of their torment doth go up UNTO the ages of ages” [Revelation 14:11]. If, as some believe, the ages of the ages is eternity after the judgment, then the smoke of their torment, the torment of the devil, and the reigning last UNTO the end of time, but nothing is said about after the judgment.
[2] “Her smoke doth come up UNTO the ages of [the] ages” [Revelation 19:3].
[3] “They (the devil, the beast and the false prophet) shall be tormented day and night UNTO the ages of [the] ages” (20:10). "Day and night" belongs to time, not eternity [Revelation 22:5]. We do not know what is going on in the mind of Satan, but it is only reasonable to believe that he knows his time will come to an end. Would this not be torment to him? "The Lord knows how to...keep the unrighteous under punishment unto the Day of Judgment" [1 Peter 2:9]. UNTO the ages of ages could only mean the time that is before the ages to come, BEFORE ANY ONE WILL BE IN HEAVEN, not forever. NOT DURING OR THROUGHOUT ETERNITY. This torment, whether it is literal or figurative torment, IS ONLY SAID TO BE "UNTO THE AGES OF AGES" WHICH IS BEFORE MANY BELIEVE ANYONE WILL BE IN HELL. IT ENDS AT THE TIME THEY SAY HELL WILL BEGIN (“UNTO the ages of ages”). IT SAYS NOTHING ABOUT TORMENT NEITHER LITERAL TORMENT OR FIGURATIVE TORMENT IN THE "AGES OF AGES." When the Greek says, "unto the ages of ages," it is not "forever and ever." This is just another attempt of the translators to put an eternal place of torment in the Bible where there is not one.
The superlative degree:
• The song of songs - the best of all songs
• The book of books - the best of all books
• The party of parties - the best of all parties
• The lie of lies - the biggest of all lies
• The king of kings and lord of lords [1 Timothy 6:15] - the greatest of all kings and lords
• The ages of ages - does this mean the best age of all ages?
o “Ages” (plural – more then one age) “of the ages” (plural – also more then one age).
THE AGES TO COME: "UNTO the ages of [the] ages" [Revelation 1:6; 2 Timothy 4:18; etc.] Does eternity have ages? "Who shall not receive manifold more in this time, and in the world to come (aion, - the AGE to come) eternal (aionios, the adjective form of aion) life" [Luke 18:30; Mark 10:30]. Life that will have no end will be given at the judgment after the end of the Christian Age [Romans 6:22; Galatians 6:8; Titus 1:2]. Christ was speaking of life after the judgment when He said, "and in the age to come." Paul speaking to those in the Christian Age, those that were saved by grace when he say, “THAT IN THE AGES (aions) TO COME (ages to come after the Christian Age) he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” [Ephesians 2:6-7].
There may be no way we can know, but it is possible that there was a time before God made anything, where there was just God, was one age. Then after He made Heaven and all was perfect was another age. After Satan and other angels sinned was another age, and things we know nothing about could be the beginning and ending of ages. There is no way we can know something God has not revealed to us, and it is unreasonable to think that we with our limited knowledge could know even the hem of the garment when it comes to knowing what an infinite God has done before He made this world and will do throughout all eternity. "Unto the ages of the ages" may mean that eternity after the judgment will have "ages." God does not change, but there is no reason to believe that after the judgment He will just sit and do nothing that could be the end of one age and the beginning of another. In all of time we know anything about, God has used ages that had begins and ends, and there is no reason to believe He cannot or will not always use them. There is no man in Heaven now but the saved will be in Heaven after the judgment; when all the saved of mankind are in Heaven will that not be one change from what Heaven is now, maybe the beginning of a new age? And there could be others changes later that would be the beginning and ending of ages. I do not believe He is a sleeping God who woke up one day and made the world in six days and went back to sleep. What He has done and will do throughout eternity is beyond my imagination and as He has not revealed it, no one can know, but eternity is a long time and it is not reasonable to believe He is now sleeping and will not frequently do many things as great or greater than making the earth; things that will be the beginning of an endless number of new ages. Angels are not self-existing being as God is, they were created by God; therefore, their creation may have been the beginning of an age in Heaven. Heaven itself was created; only God is self-existing, unchanging and without a beginning, not created things. All the things that God created that we know about and all the beings, angels and mankind, were not created at the same time there is no reason to believe that God will not go on creating both new things and new beings.
PAST AGES, A PRESENT AGE, FUTURE AGES: If, as many teach, "aion" did means "forever" or "eternity" then there would be past eternities, present eternities, and future eternities to come, both singular and plural.
SINGULAR
• A PAST AGE, NOT A PAST ETERNITY [singular] Acts 15:18 "From the beginning of the aion" Ephesians 3:9; Colossians 1:26; Luke 1:55.
• A PRESENT AGE, NOT A PRESENT ETERNITY [singular] Galatians 1:4 "From this present evil aion" Matthew 12:32; 13:22; 13:39; 13:40; 24:3; 28:20; Mark 4:19; Luke 1:70; Luke 16:8; 20:34; John 9:32; Acts 3:21; 15:18; Romans 12:2; 1 Corinthians 2:6; 2:8; 3:18; 8:13; 10:11; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Galatians 1:4; Ephesians 1:21; 2:2; 6:12; 1 Timothy 7:17; 2 Timothy 4:10. The present aion (age) is clearly distinguished from a past aion or a future aion, not a past or future eternality.
• A FUTURE AGE, NOT A FUTURE ETERNITY [singular] Luke 20:35 "Worthy to obtain that aion." Matthew 12:32; Mark 10:30 "In the aion to come." Luke 18:30; 20:35; Ephesians 1:21; 2:7; Hebrews 6:5.
PLURAL Of the one hundred twenty four times aion is used in the New Testament sixty six are in the plural, more than one age, not more than one eternality and in twenty one others that there is more than one age, the plural is implied by “this aion” or “that aion,” this age or that age, not this or that eternality.
• PAST AGES, NOT PAST ETERNITIES [plural] Colossians 1:26 "Hid from aions" Luke 1:33; Hebrews 1:2; 11:3.
• PRESENT AGES, NOT PRESENT ETERNITIES [plural] Hebrews 1:2 "By whom also he made the aions" Romans 1:25; 9:5; 11:36; 16:27; 2 Corinthians 11:31; Hebrews 13:8.
• FUTURE AGES, NOT FUTURE ETERNITIES [plural] Galatians 1:5; Philippians 4:20; 1 Timothy 1:17; 2 Timothy 4:18; Hebrews 13:21; 1 Peter 4:11; 5:11; Revelation 1:6; 1:18; 4:9; 4:10; 5:13; 5:14; 7:12; 10:6; 11:15; 14:11; 15:7; 19:3; 20:10; 22:5. It may be that what we think of as eternality as being one endless time period will be an infinite number of aions (ages).
• PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE AGES, not past, present and future eternities. "Throughout all ages" Ephesians 3:21 King James Version.
Singular/singular – age of the age (aiona tou aionos) Hebrews 1:8

Singular/plural – age of the ages (aionos ton aionon) Ephesians 3:21

Plural/plural – ages of the ages (aionas ton aionon) Revelation 20:10, 1 Peter 4:11
In the Bible there are:
1. Aion [age] in the SINGULAR. - - - 2. Aions [ages] in the PLURAL
3. Aions [ages] in the PAST. - - - - - - 4. Aion [age] in the PRESENT.
5. An aion [age] TO COME. - - - - - - 6. Aions [ages] TO COME.
7. The ENDS of the aions [ages].
The Greek is "unto the aions of the aions." It is not "ever + ever," not one "ever" added to another "ever" as in the King James Version. It is ages that last UNTO, not a plural of eternities which none can end. "Forever and ever" is a contradiction of itself. There cannot be more than one infinite eternity. Not more than one forever. There cannot be eternities after eternities. An age will fit into eternity, but eternity will not fit into an age. It is infinitely bigger. Neither can one eternity fit into another eternity, or two eternities exist at the same time. Neither can one eternity come after the end of another eternity.
“For ever (aionas) AND (ton) ever (aionon)” [Revelation 4:11]. Both Greek words are in the plural, “ever” that is used in the King James Version is singular; there is no plural of “ever” in English; it cannot be translated “for everS and everS.” The “and” between the two everS is from “ton” and never means “and” in the Greek. “For ever and ever” totally changes what the Greek says.
"Ages" long periods of time followed by more long periods of time might have been the nearest concept the early Hebrew people had to