Romans – God’s Timeline VIII: The Eonian Times

We will now begin a methodical consideration of each and every use of aion and aionios in the New Testament. As a brief summary of the first six articles, we have:

-       Firmly established that there are, consecutively, three heavens and three earths, one of which has already passed by, and the other of which is described to pass by at a later date.

-       We have established the proper concordant use of the word “world” as an order of affairs, a “SYSTEM.”

-       We have shown that there are, consecutively, five of these worlds which take place on each of these heavens and earths – one operating through the first heavens and earth, three operating through the second heavens and earth, and another operating through the third heavens and earth.

-       We have established that the etymology of the word aion and aionios do not inherently suppose “eternity,” either grammatically or historically.

-       We have witnessed to the fact that the lexicographers over the course of history explicitly attribute the definition of “eternal” to the theologian, and confusion compounds from philosophical debate, as opposed to resting in a set meaning of the word.

-       We have seen the theological opinion of the word contaminate our various lexicons like gangrene over the course of the last thousand years.

With all of these points in mind, we will now use the concordant method that we have been employing all throughout this study of Romans (which was explained back in the prologue to the study, as well as the beginning of The Concordant Greek Text,) to establish how neither this word aion, nor its derivative aionios, can possibly mean “eternal.” And, for many of these citations, I will likely supplant the word “eternal” into the text, to demonstrate that you must logistically bend over backward to give this force to the word.

Times Eonian

We may first begin by considering the entire scope of the eons. At this point, I will be making explicit claims, which are only being made in light of the evidence which will follow. I am only sharing these claims now so that you, dear reader, can see how I will structure the following portion of the study, and will have an easier time apprehending its framework.

In short, there are three grand divisions of time:

1)    Before the eons

2)    The Eonian Times

3)    After the eons

Very little is said of the times before and after the eons. The vast bulk of scripture deals with the eonian times themselves. There are five specific eons which comprise “the eonian times.” I will show that each eon corresponds to the worlds previously mentioned, using scripture. Thus we may chart a brief overview of God’s calendar as is shown to the side, by our brother A.E. Knoch. Each eon is divided by a great cataclysm which brings about a different world, or order.

We see, in this, a total of seven blocks of time, with three subdivisions. We will be distinguishing between all of these eons as we proceed, but first, the macro-scale must be shown.

Before Times Eonian

We find a few references which consider times before the eons, during the eons, and after the eons. The first explicit reference in the New Testament to a time “before” the eons is 1 Cor. 2:7, where Paul writes to Corinth,

…we are speaking God’s wisdom in a secret, wisdom which has been concealed, which God designates before – before the eons, for our glory…

We face a critical problem if we were to translate this word aion as “eternity” here in the passage. If aion means a “lack of beginning and end,” as eternity is defined, how can there be anything before it? To this day, there has been no answer to this problem from the zealous religionist.

Evidently, the King James translators saw an issue with this logistical problem as well, for they translate the word aion as “world,” here! The problem, of course, is that we already have a word for “world,” which we discussed in the fourth and fifth article: kosmos. While these two terms, as we will show shortly, are indeed connected, they are undeniably two distinct concepts, and to conflate the two is to assume that the author – God, ultimately, and Paul, relatively – simply misspoke, and the translator knows better as to what they actually said. This takes the word which, per the clause of the above verse, demands a time value, not an order of affairs.

We further see an immediate issue with the plurality of the word. Have you ever heard of a “plural” eternity?? How can you have two eternities? Is it doubly lacking time, or what?? We will go further into detail on the plural aion, often aionon, when we get there. As it stands, however, common sense demands that this word be referring to at least more than one duration. To translate it “eternity” here would deny all sensibility.

But the noun aion is not the only one used in conjunction with the word “before” (pro,) for aionios, the adjective form, also finds itself in a similar phrasing. We may observe 2 Tim. 1:9–

[God] saves us and calls us with a holy calling, not in accord with our acts, but in accord with His own purpose and the grace which is given to us in Christ Jesus before times eonian.

As well as Titus 1:2–

Paul, a slave of God, yet an apostle of Jesus Christ, in accord with the faith of God’s chosen, and a realization of the truth, which accords with devoutness, in expectation of life eonian, which God, Who does not lie, promises before times eonian…

In that, we see two more phrases which undeniably refer to a time before the eons. “Eternal,” here, could not possibly be the translation, for there is no rational way to explain how there may be a time “before” eternity, as eternity has no beginning and no end.

In Times Eonian

Yes, the “times” of the eons in which we live now! We receive one declaration of these times, in Romans 16:25–

Now to Him Who is able to establish you in accord with my evangel, and the heralding of Christ Jesus in accord with the revelation of a secret hushed in times eonian…

We will be covering this verse in far more detail at the end of the Romans series (of course,) but for now it may be noted that Paul is writing. The evangel referred to was revealed back in Rom. 3:21-4:25, and the secret in view is the ultimate conciliation God has toward mankind thanks to the death of His Son, which we apprehend through the lens of this evangel, which was revealed to us in Romans 5(:1-2, 9-10, 18-21.)

This is important, for, as we have previously considered, at no prior time could such a secret be unfolded, for Christ had both not died yet, and Paul had not yet been entrusted with the evangel. Thus, the conciliation of God toward mankind is a secret revealed to the Romans, which was hushed in “times eonian.” The secret that God is conciliated to the world is heavily rejected by supposed scholars, and as such, it remains a secret, and will continue to remain a secret, until the advent of the new heavens and the new earth, when this secret will become more widely known.

We may again briefly note how senseless the translation of “eternal” would be, here, for “time” and “eternal” are irreconcilable contrasts. It would be like asking me to make “hot cold” food, and is nothing less than doublespeak which would not reveal, but confuse. The KJV translators knew this, again translating aionios as “world” (which is to translate an adjective as a noun, MAKE IT MAKE SENSE.)

We may ask, what is the problem with confusing a “world” with a period of time, or the quality of a period of time? We may point at a clear and undeniable verse which distinguishes between the two.

The Eon of this World

In Ephesians 2:2, we receive this clause from Paul:

And you, being dead to your offenses and sins, in which once you walked, in accord with the eon of this world, in accord with the chief of the jurisdiction of the air, the spirit now operating in the sons of stubbornness…

This clause, it must first be said, cannot possibly mean “eternity,” for, as we considered in the previous part of this study, the world which we are currently a part of will end, giving way to Christ’s millennial kingdom, which begins when Satan is bound in the submerged chaos (Rev. 20:2-3.) To translate aion as “eternity” here would be to claim that this world is eternal. The only reason one would want to believe that this world is eternal is if they are loving the world. As we previously discussed, if anyone is loving the world, then the love of the Father is not in him (1 John 2:15.)

The King James translators evidently saw this problem, and translate aion as “course” in the above passage. While this is indeed close to the original thought, it is not a uniform translation of the word, and shows their hypocrisy, as they translate it “eternal” elsewhere. However, their butchering of the text is even more prevalent in light of the prior fact that they had translated aion as “world!” It is extremely dishonest to translate the word as “world” in one case, and then as “course” when directly confronted with the actual word for “world.”

Here’s my mini-rant. You can tell me I’m splitting hairs, but no – no, this is an actual fundamental flaw in this holier-than-thou translation! It has wreaked havoc on many a sane individuals’ understanding of Ephesians, the context in view, and the meaning of aion altogether! It further gives the idea that you don’t have to amend your view, but adjust the text to identify with whatever you’ve already supposed! How do you screw this up unless you do not have the reverence for God’s word that you claim you do?? I understand that these guys didn’t have three of the oldest manuscripts we have today, but even this does not excuse the shifting ground on which they stand, with the manuscripts they did have. This is adultery of the word of God (2 Cor. 4:2,) and we have seen at many junctions in our study of Romans that even the smallest alteration can lead to great and monumental lies.

With that said: note what the passage does say when it’s translated properly! With this verse, we can finally bridge the gap between the earlier portion of the study of the “worlds” with their corresponding length. There is, evidently, a direct correlation between an eon and a world. The two correspond: eon referring to the length of the world, or order, in view. As such, the two are close in thought – distinct, but conceptually related. When eon is used, the time aspect is in view, while, when world is used, the order of affairs is in view.

This interpretation becomes quite lofty when we consider the following statement from Paul, in 1 Cor. 10:11. Note that, in the context, he had spoken of Isreal’s failure, upon being baptized in the sea and the cloud (10:1-4,) to heed Yahweh’s instruction, fleeing from idolatry and temple prostitution (10:5-10,) leading to them being strewn about among the wilderness (10:6.) Observe–

Now all this befalls [Israel] typically. Yet it was written for our admonition, to whom the consummations of the eons have attained.

In this, we receive a strong intimation of what “life eonian,” or “eonian life,” consists of. The consummations, or conclusion (often translated “endings,”) of the eons have attained to us. Note, first, that once again the word aion is plural, here, and thus cannot possibly mean “eternity.” When it is translated properly, we see that the ends of these eons have attained to us, those select members of the body of Christ who have currently been justified, and recognize His conciliation (Rom. 5:17.)

This draws us into the startling conclusion that there is, at least, more than one “ending” to an eon in the future. If we consider Paul’s clause in Ephesians 2:2 and his claim in 1 Cor. 10:11 together, we find that there are three “consummations” of each world, or order, in future view. We are said to have life eonian, so we would be living for all three of these consummations.

Scope of the Eons

Thus, we may posit that the eons begin when the Then World, the first heavens and earth, are established, back in Gen. 1:1.

The first eon ends with the disruption of the world, Gen. 1:2.

The second eon begins with the establishment of the Ancient World, the second heavens and earth, and ends with the great flood upon the earth (2 Pet. 2:5-6.)

The third eon begins with the beginning of man’s day, This World, when Noah steps off the boat and the Tower of Babel is established shortly thereafter. The third eon ends with the destruction of the beast system, of which the Tower of Babel was a type.

The fourth eon begins with the Regenerated World, the millennial kingdom, and ends with the destruction of the second heavens and earth, into Judgment Day.

And the fifth eon begins with the New World, the creation of the third heavens and earth, and ends when all authority, all sovereignty, and all power are nullified, death is abolished, Christ gives up the kingdom to His Father, and God becomes All in all (1 Cor. 15:24-28.)

We will consider many phrases in the following articles which will elaborate and verify the prior statements in more detail.

- GerudoKing