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

"eternity" as we understand the word "eternity" today. CAN "OLAM" OR "AION" EVER MEAN ETERNAL AS THE WORD IS USED TODAY? Endless is not inherent in either of the two words and in over 90% of the times they are used it is unquestionably that they mean a limited time - a time that has ended or will end. When they are applied to God [as in Exodus 3:15; Genesis 21:33] and things that are intrinsically endless, some say it takes on a meaning not inherent in the word itself but from the thing that is endless, but it is more likely that God was speaking to them using the only words that they would understand, words with nearest concept the early Hebrew people had to an eternity without beginning or end. The concept we have of eternity was is not in the Old Testament and may not have came about unto after the New Testament.
Marvin R. Vincent, "Word Studies In The New Testament" Note On Olethron Aionion (eternal destruction). "The word always carries the notion of time, and not of eternity. It always means a period of time. Otherwise it would be impossible to account for the plural, or for such qualifying expressions as this age, or the age to come. It does not mean something endless or everlasting. To deduce that meaning from its relation to aei is absurd; for, apart from the fact that the meaning of a word is not definitely fixed by its derivation, aei does not signify endless duration. When the writer of the Pastoral Epistles quotes the saying that the Cretans are always (aei) liars (Tit. 1:12), he surely does not mean that the Cretans will go on lying to all eternity. See also Acts 7:51; 2 Cor. 4:11; 6:10; Heb 3:10; 1 Pet. 3:15. Aei means habitually or continually within the limit of the subject's life. In our colloquial dialect everlastingly is used in the same way. 'The boy is everlastingly tormenting me to buy him a drum.' In the New Testament the history of the world is conceived as developed through a succession of aeons. A series of such aeons precedes the introduction of a new series inaugurated by the Christian dispensation, and the end of the world and the second coming of Christ are to mark the beginning of another series. Eph. 1:21; 2:7; 3:9,21; 1 Cor 10:11; compare Heb. 9:26. He includes the series of aeons in one great aeon, 'o aion ton aionon, the aeon of the aeons (Eph. 3:21); and the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews describe the throne of God as enduring unto the aeon of the aeons (Heb 1:8). The plural is also used, aeons of the aeons, signifying all the successive periods which make up the sum total of the ages collectively. Rom. 16:27; Gal. 1:5; Philip. 4:20, etc."
AIONIOS the adjective of aion is used 71 times in the New Testament and in the King James Version is translated (1) age, (2) eternal, (3) for ever and ever, (4) course, (5) for ever, (6) evermore, (7) everlasting, (8) world, (9) beginning of the world, (10) world began, (11) world without end.
FOREVER - UNTO THE AGES
[A] "Unto the ages" eiv touv aiwnav Wigram ("The Englishman's Greek Concordance" Page 19), Footnote in American Standard Version "Gr. unto the ages." Alfred Marshall in "Parallel New Testament In Greek And English" translates eiv touv aiwnav "unto the ages."
1. Luke 1:33 "Over the house of Jacob FOREVER (eiv touv aiwnav-unto the ages)."
2. Romans 1:25 "Who is blessed FOREVER (eiv touv aiwnav-unto the ages)."
3. Romans 9:5 "God blessed FOREVER (eiv touv aiwnav-unto the ages)."
4. Romans 11:36 "To whom be glory FOREVER (eiv touv aiwnav unto the ages)."
5. Romans 16:27 "Through Jesus Christ FOREVER (eiv touv aiwnav unto the ages)."
6. 2 Corinthians 11:31 "Which is blessed FOR EVERMORE (eiv touv aiwnav unto the ages)."
7. Hebrews 13:8 "Yesterday, and to day, and FOR EVER (eiv touv aiwnav-unto the ages)."
[B] "Unto the ages of [the] ages" eiv touv aiwnav twn aiwnwn is used twenty-one times in the New Testament, seventeen times it is applied to God or Christ, one time to Satan, one time to worshipers of the beast, one time to the great harlot, and one time to those who are in the book of life.
• Alfred Marshall translates it "Unto the ages of the ages," "Parallel New Testament In Greek And English" Page 747. "To whom [be] the glory unto the ages of the ages. Amen" Galatians 1:5.
• Adam Clarke translates it "To the ages of ages."
• Robert Young translates it "To the ages of [the] ages." Young's Analytical Concordance to the Bible, Page 310, and in "Young's Literal Translation."
• Ashley S. Johnson “Ages of ages, or ages upon ages” Founder and president of the Johnson Bible College.
• Jamieson, Fausset and Brown "Unto ages of ages."
• The Amplified Bible "Through all the ages of the ages" Galatians 1:5.
• The Christian Bible "For the remaining ages of the ages" Galatians 1:5.
• American Standard Version "The consummation of the age" Matthew 28:20 and in many other passages.
• New American Standard Version "Even to the end of the age" Matthew 28:20 and in many other passages.
• New Revised Standard Version "end of the age" Matthew 28:20 and others.
• New International Version "To the very end of the age" Matthew 28:20.
o Strong's word #165, Aion "An age" Comp 5550 "A space of time"
[1] - [17] The seventeen times "unto the ages of the ages" that are applied to God or Christ from Young's Literal Translation. In the same way that saying God is the God of Israel does not mean He is not also the God of the other nations, to say He is now the God of this age does not mean He was not the God of all the other ages that have been before, and the God of this age, and will not be the God of all ages that shall come after this age. He is the God of Abraham, the God of this age; God is the God of the ages, all the ages, past, present, and future. There are three main ages that covers all the time of this earth. (1) The Patriarchal Age: From Adam to the giving of the Law, when God spoke directly to men, mostly to the fathers. (2) The Law Age: From the giving of the Law to the death of Christ. (3) The Christian or Church Age: From Christ to the end of the world. These ages are often subdivided into smaller ages; for example, the Law is often divided into the Judges, the Untied Kingdom, and the Divided Kingdom. How many ages there might have been before the earth and how many there will be after it ends we have no way of knowing but the Bible speaks often of "ages to come" after this Christian Age. “And raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus: THAT IN THE AGES (aions) TO COME he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” [Ephesians 2:6-7]; after the end of the earth it seems that there may be more ages with God over them, He will always be the God of the age that is. The concept we have of eternity was is not in the Old Testament and may not have come about unto after the New Testament; if there is a word in the Greek that was used in the time of the New Testament with today’s meaning of eternity it was not aion – age.
Young's Literal Translation
[1] Galatians 1:5 "To whom is the glory to the ages of the ages. Amen."
[2] Philippians 4:20 "And to God, even our Father, is the glory to the ages of the ages. Amen."
[3] 1 Timothy 1:17 "And to the King of the ages, the incorruptible, invisible, only wise God, is honor and glory to the ages of the ages! Amen."
[4] 2 Timothy 4:18 "And the Lord shall free me from every evil work, and shall save me to his heavenly kingdom; to whom is the glory to the ages of the ages! Amen."
[5] Hebrews 13:21 "Make you perfect in every good work to do His will, doing in you that which is well-pleasing before Him, through Jesus Christ, to whom is the glory to the ages of the ages! Amen."
[6] 1 Peter 4: 11 "That in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom is the glory and the power to the ages of the ages. Amen."
[7] 1 Peter 5:11 "To Him is the glory, and the power to the ages and the ages! Amen."
[8] Revelation 1:6 "To him is the glory and the power to the ages of the ages! Amen."
[9] Revelation 1:18 "And he who is living, and I did become dead, and, lo, I am living to the ages of the ages. Amen! And I have the keys of the hades and of the death."
[10] Revelation 4:9 "And when the living creatures do give glory, and honor, and thanks, to Him who is sitting upon the throne, who is living to the ages of the ages."
[11] Revelation 4:10 "Fall down do the twenty and four elders before Him who is sitting upon the throne, and bow before Him who is living to the ages of the ages, and they cast their crowns before the throne."
[12] Revelation 5:13 "To Him who is sitting upon the throne, and to the Lamb, is the blessing, and the honor, and the glory, and the might to the ages of the ages!"
[13] Revelation 5:14 "And the four living creatures said, 'Amen!' and the twenty-four elders fell down and they bow before Him who is living to the ages of the ages."
[14] Revelation 7:12 "Saying, 'Amen! The blessing, and the glory, and the wisdom, and the thanksgiving, and the honor, and the power, and the strength, are to our God to the ages of the ages! Amen!'"
[15] Revelation 10:6 "And did swear in Him who doth live to the ages of the ages, who did create the heaven and the things in it, and the land and the things in it, and the sea and the things in it."
[16] Revelation 11:15 "And the seventh messenger did sound, and there came great voices in the heaven, saying, 'The kingdoms of the world did become those of our Lord and of His Christ, and he shall reign to the ages of the ages!'"
[17] Revelation 15:7 "And one of the four living creatures did give to the seven messengers seven golden vials, full of the wrath of God, who is living to the ages of the ages"
These passages may simply be saying, "as long as this creation (age) last, God will be it’s God." Christ will reign as king and priest in the kingdom unto He has abolished all rule and authority, unto he has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be abolished is death [1 Corinthians 15:20-28]. As long as this age lasts, He will reign "unto the ages of ages." At the end of this creation, Christ "shall deliver up the kingdom to God...then shall the Son also himself be subjected to him that did subject all things unto him, that God may be all in all" [1 Corinthians 15:24-28].
"The word always carries the notion of time, and not of eternity, it always means a period