Romans – God’s Timeline XIV: Eternities…?

 

Now Hold On a Sec…

So let me understand this. This whole time, the word aion could be used in the plural form?? And we are still trying to claim that it means “eternity,” though the notion of “multiple” eternities makes no rational sense?? I just don’t get it. The lengths people will go to deny that this word refers to multiple durational lengths (though it is the only definition which makes complete sense across every single one of its uses,) is absolute insanity.

Look, take the phrase “eis ton aion.” If this phrase in the singular meant “everlasting,” or “forever,” then what on earth should its plural form mean? Extra-lasting?? Super-lasting?? What about the phrase “apo ton aion!?” If the phrase in this singular meant “everlasting” or “eternal,” then what does its plural form mean? “Doubly-eternal?” “Superdy-duperty eternal??” “Eternal Squared?” “Eternal Duplex?” “Et-

*sigh* Yeah, you get it.

In the next few articles, we will discuss the word aion in the plural. We will begin by covering the phrase “for the eons,” and then consider each double uses of the term. This will end with a consideration of the purpose of the eons, including an assessment of the “administrations” which will further complement our understanding of the purpose of the five eons, which will deepen our understanding of the phrase “the conclusion of the eons,” as we read in Heb. 9:26.

“Eons”

Let us ease our way in to the plural form by considering one of the only passages in scripture which uses both the singular and plural in the text – not in the same phrase (we’ll get to those in the next two articles,) but in the same verse. Observe Jude 1:25–

Now to Him Who is able to guard you from tripping, and to stand you flawless in sight of His glory, in exultation, to the only God, our Saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, might and authority before the entire eon, now, as well as for all the eons. Amen!

We receive, yet again, a clear intimation that there can be a singular eon, in this passage, and that there are many eons. This further confirms our study thus far, that there are five different eons in view, with their corresponding worlds, heavens and earths, and administrations. Such a God Who shows such superhuman ability to predict the future and convey the past, with such accuracy in a book written over the course of 1,500 years, is nothing to scoff at. I’m even on this journey with you, and I’m simply dumbfounded at His ability to do this.

This is a brief aside, but I wish to share my experience here. These doxologies, concerning God’s greatness, might, authority, majesty… when you’re in a church growing up, it’s habit to say this. It’s something I feel I heard so often that my brain was lulled, with a sort of brainwashing. I knew God was great, simply on account of His power and omnipotence, but religion spends a lot of time disguising His intellect in order to propel such horrific fear-mongering doctrines – doctrines so bad that I cannot help but pity the atheist who would understandably seek any alternative than the emotionally unstable Christian god. To find that His heart and mind are far more nuanced, thought provoking, and carefully laid out for us to learn from is nothing short of true majesty. Dwelling on each use of this term aion, properly translated, these praises in His word are so much more weighty and meaningful.

“Eon,” Plural: For the Eons

Speaking of “obscured intellect,” let’s turn our attention to one of the most cited, yet completely misunderstood, verses, Luke 1:33. The messenger Gabriel says to Mary–

[Jesus] shall be great, and Son of the Most High shall He be called. And the Lord God shall be giving Him the throne of David, His father, and He shall reign over the house of Jacob for the eons. And of His kingdom there shall be no consummation.

It has often been supposed that, because eis ton aion is used here, and since it parallels with a statement that there shall be no consummation to the kingdom in view, that this automatically means that eis ton aion refers to eternity, or “everlasting.” However, I can briefly provide plenty of evidence which expresses that just the opposite is true.

First, the words used in the phrase are “eis,” “ton,” and “aion,” but the manuscript, with the inflections, reads eis tous aionas. This is important, for it demonstrates quite clearly that the plural form of aion is in view. That it is “plural,” again, denotes more than one, not a “never-ending amount.” It is simply irrational to claim that “plural” magically means no amount is in view. If it is plural, then there is a number of future aion which we may read on and learn of.

Second, if we were to take the KJV rendering of the passage, that Christ reigns “forever,” then we would be face to face with a blatant contradiction in the text, as Paul later says, in 1 Cor. 15:25, that Christ “must be reigning until He should be placing all His enemies under His feet.” Not only does the 1 Cor. 15:25 conversely limit His reign, but expresses the purpose for it, which, when accomplished, would no longer have a useful function within the purpose of the eons (for, when all are justified and thus conciliated to God, no enemies will remain.)

Third, though the idea of parallelism is prominent in the thought, it is silly to presume that this means the two objects being paralleled are simply restating the same thought. The second point, that the kingdom shall have no consummation, is fundamentally different from giving a timeframe for the Messiah’s rule in the kingdom. The former thought is typically a stepping stone to some greater and higher revelation, amplifying it and developing it to its highest expression. In the first line, we have the duration of His reign, which is not only verified by 1 Cor. 15:25 (which I cover in greater context in the study of Romans 8,) but which we will consider when we discuss Revelation 11:15.

Since “eons” is plural, the phrase cannot solely refer to the fourth eon, the millennial kingdom, which we affirmatively know Christ will rule. It must refer to another eon following the fourth. The only time period we know of which follows the thousand year millennial rule (per the first three articles in this study,) is the new heaven and the new earth, which is the fifth and final world in the “eonian times.” Thus it follows that Christ will rule for the duration of these two eons, thus ruling to the conclusion of the eons, fulfilling His role as the Priest in the order of Melchizedek, fully repudiating sin (Heb. 9:26.)

During these final two eons, Jesus (and His body) will finally reap the benefits of His long-suffering – His denial in the first eon, the disintegration of the race in the second eon, His rejection and murder in the third eon, and the endurance of Him and His body which followed. These are, literally, the eons in which Christ (and thus, His Father,) will finally be blessed (Greek: eulegetos, “WELL-SAY”) among the masses. We read of this specifically in regards to God’s conquest over sin–

God gives [men] over, in the passions of their hearts, to the uncleanness of dishonoring their bodies among themselves… and are venerated, and offer divine service to the creature rather than the Creator, Who is blessed for the eons! Amen!

We read of this again in His relationship to Israel (who, remember, is the nation specifically supposed to be Christ’s chosen nation to bring blessing to all the other nations during His rule,) in Rom. 9:5–

…out of [my relatives according to the flesh] is the Christ according to the flesh, Who is over all, God be blessed for the eons. Amen!

We read of this yet again in God’s great and comprehensive conclusion to the first eleven chapters of Romans, which displays the One Who powers the eonian times–

Who knew the mind of the Lord? Or, who became His adviser? Or, who gives to Him first, and it will be repaid him? seeing that out of Him, and through Him, and for Him is all: to Him be the glory for the eons! Amen!

And, finally, we read of His blessing through the lens of the apostle’s ministry, 1 Cor. 11:31–

The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, Who is blessed for the eons, is aware that I am not lying.

Contextually, these three passages could, in theory, refer to all five eons, but they make the most sense in regards to the final two eons, so I’m considering them in this light. The suffering and shame of the Head of the universe brings about a beautiful effect: sure, God is upset at the circumstance, but let us not forget that this sacrifice was foreknown before the disruption of the world. This was planned beforehand – thus there is no “alteration” of any plan that has yet commenced. All is still in accord with the counsel of God’s will, and without this sacrifice, these two eons would not be realized, and the world would have remained stuck in this current system permanently. This sacrifice specially brings about the blessing, the glory, and the goal of the universe (which we will consider in the purpose of the eons portion of the study.)

There is only one final inspired use of “for the eons,” found in Heb. 13:8–

Jesus Christ, yesterday and today, is the Same One for the eons also.

There is much depth to this thought, but let us appreciate the simple thought of the passage. The term “same One” is a pronoun, referring to His Identity. This is important, for it is said that He changes forms over the course of His existence (Matt. 17:2, Mark 9:2, 16:12, Phil. 2:6-7.) These changes of form do not alter His identity, but are different roles which He assumes to reveal the Father (Heb. 1:3.) Though He has appeared to the Israelites in many different ways over the course of their history, He remains the same, and will still be the same Lord for the eons also. Reading of Him on a personal level in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are vital for the saint of Paul’s evangel – not because His words are inherently directed at us, but because they identify for us His personality. We, in turn, are graced to know this Same One, Whose heart will not change or waver in the oncoming eons.

“Eon,” Plural: the Oncoming Eons

There is one special use of the phrase “the oncoming eons.” This is the word eperchomai, literally “ON-COMING,” literally referring to the subject of a sentence immediately following the direct or indirect object (Luke 1:35, 21:35, Acts 1:8, 14:19, etc.) In this instance, the term is used in connection with aion, inferring that a this ‘aion’ will directly be followed by another. Yet the word aion is plural in this use, further signifying that there is more than one eon to follow this present one. The phrase is found in Ephesians 2:7–

[God] vivifies us together in Christ (in grace are you saved!) and rouses us together and seats us together among the celestials, in Christ Jesus, that, in the oncoming eons, He should be displaying the transcendent riches of His grace in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

Here we read of our vivification, our rousing, and our seating together in Christ. This will be true of every saint in due time. Our home is among the celestials, not here on earth, but in the kingdom of the Son of His Love, above. Thus the Head of Christ and the body of Christ will be vivified, roused, and seated together for the oncoming eons.

Many in Christ’s body will be given a place of authority during this time, having been given the justification and the conciliation, that they may endure and reign (Rom. 5:17, 2 Tim. 2:12.) Others will not, for, if they are not enduring, or, disowning, they cannot be expected a place of rule in the future (2 Tim. 2:12.) These “oncoming eons” directly coincide with Jesus’ reign, which is “for the eons.” In the oncoming eons, we especially will be a display of the transcendent riches of His grace to us. We have these riches at present, but they are not realized until our vivification, rousing, and seating are apparent to all the sovereignties of the universe. Only then will the Christ be complete, and only then can the two following eons be truly effected.

This is what Paul means when He says that the “consummations of the eons have attained to us” (1 Cor. 10:11.) We will, indeed, be living for the end of this eon, the end of the next eon, and the end of the fifth eon. For us in Christ, we are now living to God – a topic that, again, we will be discussing in intimate detail when we survey Romans 6.

Eon Used Twice in the Same Phrase

Let it be clear, from the outset, that using the same evidently time-related word more than once in the same phrase does not suddenly mean that some “eternal” use is in view. If I say, “the day after this day,” the force of day is not suddenly lost, nor is some eternality suddenly in view. This is further apparent by the fact that some uses of this phrase mix a singular and plural use of aion, while others do not. In fact, the phrases under consideration now are three:

-       The Eon of the Eon

-       The Eon of the Eons

-       The Eons of the Eons

Each of these three phrases is poorly translated in practically every other English version, often translated “for ever and ever.” Even some who recognize that an aion has a beginning and an end will presume that the phrase is a figure for “eons succeeded by other ages,” or “ages following other ages.” The failure to note the genitive case in the second use of aion in the phrase keeps this phrase from being legitimately translated in English (genitive, as previously discussed in the Romans study, referring to that from which anything proceeds.) The phrase should contain an of in each use, given the preciseness of the Greek on the matter. This is shown on the Divine Calendar – a little “of” provided between eons 4 and 5.

As with the single use of aion in a phrase, the question arises: how, if the phrase sometimes refers to an “eon of the eons,” yet sometimes refers to an “eon of the eon,” yet sometimes refers to the “eons of the eons,” can we assert that this is some blanket phrase for “forever and ever” in every use? Furthermore, if forever is already… well, forever, then what could be the functional purpose of the extra “and ever” without God being redundant, thus disproving His claim to pure words (Ps. 12:6-7??)

The simple fact is that this is not a “figurative phrase,” but stands as yet another conclusive proof that the eons are limited in extent and character. These unique examples could hardly refer to an unlimited or perpetual period of time, and should not be used as proof of eternity when the word in view is undoubtedly time-oriented, and the function of the terms, once again, deny some “figurative” use. Considering what we now understand concerning each eon, their number, their dividing lines, and their general scope, let us take a closer look at each of these three phrases.

The Eons of the Eons

In every occurrence of this phrase, as mentioned previously, the second use of aion is in the “genitive” case. Each first use in the phrase is in the “accusative” case. The accusative tells us what is under consideration (the direct object, in English,) while the genitive tells us whence the preceding noun comes from (qualifies it, if you will.) This gives us a strong intimation as to how we should be reading the passage.

Let’s take a look at our first use with the grammatical information in mind. We will consider a back to back plural use of the term first, exploring both Revelation and Peter’s letters for this, as this is where the phrase appears most often. Let’s look at a most instructive use of the term, Revelation 11:15–

And the seventh messenger trumpets. And loud voices occurred in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of this world became our Lord and His Christ’s, and He shall be reigning for the eons of the eons! Amen!”

Here we read of the reign of Christ and His chosen. This continues the parallelism trend in that the book of Revelation indicates just when Christ’s rule specifically begins – which is, notably, at the end of the period of indignation. The first use of ‘eons’ are the direct object – the final two eons in which Christ is said to be reigning, both in the millennial kingdom and on the new earth. The second use of ‘eons’ are the qualifying term, which shows, again, from whence the first use stems from. It is because of Christ’s place in the first three eons, as God’s Image and Son, humiliated and ignored, which qualifies His place in the final two eons, commended and glorified.

We see here a practical demonstration of this term which is in accord with every prior use of the term which we have considered so far, translated in such a way which does not deny the plurality of the term, nor the grammatical case of the term! This is one of, if not the only, English translation which has properly translated this phrase in such harmony with the inspired Greek. The phrase accurately describes the two eons of Christ’s reign, and links them with the prior eons of Christ’s suffering, in which confusion over His place in the form of God and Son of God were paramount (this, too, will be elaborated on in the purpose of the eons study.)

This same mention of He and His chosen’s rule appears also in Rev. 22:5, under the perspective of the new earth:

And night shall be no more, and [His slaves] have no need of lamplight and sunlight, for the Lord God shall be illuminating them. And they shall be reigning for the eons of the eons.

It has been argued by objectors who disagree with this position that the future tense, “shall be,” seems to point at further eons beyond the new earth, which would shoot down the “five eons” claim and throw a little monkey ball into the story. But note that the tense actually commends the truth of the matter, for “shall be” indicates that we are now considering the vision from John’s place on Patmos (Rev. 1:9,) not figuratively in the vision with John, as we are so often throughout the prophecy. If we were in the vision with John, the passage would read “the night is no more,” and “they are reigning.” Since this is not the case, we have another example of that superhuman accuracy which highlights that the word of God is indeed harmonious in indicating five eons to us, followed by the consummation, in which the goal of the universe is attained (1 Cor. 15:22-28 – more on this in the “Purpose of the Eons” segment.)

- GerudoKing