Romans – God’s Timeline XVII: The Purpose of the Eons, Part 1

 

The Point

It is now time for us to engage in the final few uses of “eons” in the plural, before we consider the adjective “eonian.” We will now be engaging in a broad review of the information we’ve learned. This will include a more comprehensive scope of the eons, concerning their number and relation to each world, as well as a pause of the “eon” word study to consider the twelve administrations which dispense specific bits of information to us.

This review will prepare us for the purpose of the eons. We will read how the eons begin, the prepared agenda beforehand, and the destination of all life.

The Eons in Christ

Let’s begin with Hebrews 1:2, where God gives us a wonderful revelation of Christ’s place in the eons (this will contribute to its purpose, which we will break down after the fact.)

By many portions and many modes, of old, God, speaking to the fathers in the prophets, in the last of these days speaks to us in a Son, Whom He appoints enjoyer of the allotment of all, through Whom He also makes the eons…

This wonderful passage is the beginning of the Hebrews epistle, which itself is a foundational epistle for the circumcision evangel. The Hebrew of the day, who had remained faithful even through the national rejection of Christ on Israel’s part, was in dire need of some good news, upon the revelation of Acts 28:28. As such, this epistle serves as an intimate introduction to the celestial Christ for the Hebrew perspective, apart from Paul’s evangel.

One of the first intimate revelations we receive of the Christ in the Hebrew epistle is that God makes the eons through Him. This is very much in line with the prior letters, both circumcision and uncircumcision. In John, we were told that Christ has descended out of heaven, and was dispatched into the world. We are told that the world (that is, the third world which knew Him not) had come into being through Him. We were further told by Paul that He was not merely the true “Expression” of God, but that He is the only “Image” of God (Col. 1:15.) In Paul’s letters, God does not limit His declaration of Christ’s place in creation to “the eons,” but instead says in 1 Cor. 8:6–

For us there is one God, the Father, out of Whom all is, and we for Him, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through Whom all is, and we through Him.

It has been claimed that this verse is limited to Christ on the cross, yet all cannot be said to be through Christ if He were merely a man born in Bethlehem, for He would have no affiliation to the celestial realm, with its thrones, lordships, or sovereignties.

This is, indeed, an assurance by the scriptures – there is a finality to the fact that God, the Father, is the Source of all things. All is said to be out of Him (as opposed to Christ, His Son, or as opposed to nothingness.) Any “beginning” cannot be speaking of God, but of a specific/notable point in time.

Though God is the source, with the phrase “out of Whom all is” (and, in Rom. 11:36, that “out of Him… is all,”) there is no intimation of this with Christ. Not once do the scriptures proclaim that “all is out of Christ.” This begs the question: what is Christ’s place in creation?

We may answer this by noting God’s foremost problem: though being present, omnipotent, and all-knowing, He is spirit (John 4:24,) and thus is not apparent to the soulish senses of man. He is invisible (2 Cor. 4:4,) and imperceptible (Rom. 1:20.) As such, He needs an Image by which to reveal Himself to all creation.

As such, we find ourselves face to face with the necessary resolve: Christ, being the Image, unfolds the Father (John 1:18.) Though all is said to be out of God, we may ask: where is creation placed, if it is now out of God? The answer is in Christ–

[Christ] is the Image of the invisible God, Firstborn of every creature, for in Him is all created, that in the heavens and that on the earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones, or lordships, or sovereignties, or authorities, all is created through Him and for Him, and He is before all, and all has been stood in Him.

Everything which is said to be created in Christ is merely a type of Him. They are only complemented by the Image of their Maker, the One Who can display the imperceptible power and divinity of the Father.

On this note, Christ is called “The Original of the creation of God,” in Revelation 3:14. This may also be translated as “Sovereignty,” but, as the word “sovereignty” in Greek is, literally, “ORIGINal,” it follows that any “sovereignty” spoken of in scripture, any “original,” is itself still a type of the great Original, the great Sovereignty of creation. This is notable by looking again at Colossians 1:16, where “originals,” the sovereignties of creation, in the heavens and on earth, are said to be created in Christ.

This, on its surface, would seem to be the conclusion of God’s problem; He had no Image, now He has an Image! Goo goo g’joob! Yet this does not mean that all can appreciate the One Who has created and provided all at His own expense and effort. Thus, the time aspect (which we can finally talk about) must be implemented, because a story to demonstrate the great faith, love, and wisdom of the Creator is due.

The Purpose of the Eons

Among the highest unfoldings of scripture, Paul tells us, in Ephesians 3:10-11, that there is indeed a purpose to the story in view–

[God] creates all, that now may be made known to the sovereignties and the authorities among the celestials, through the ecclesia, the multifarious wisdom of God, in accord with the purpose of the eons, which He makes in Christ Jesus, our Lord…

“The purpose of the eons,” is a wonderful phrase, and a key scripture. It shows that these eons have a specific purpose. It is bounded by them. It is thus contained within them, does not overspill them at either end, and is fulfilled by their conclusion.

This is the only passage in scripture that relates God’s purposes to “eons.” Otherwise, there are very few references to God’s purpose in His word. Paul is the only writer which speaks of any purpose of God – the “why” of the matters in view. In his thirteen letters, there are only five occurrences of the noun “purpose” in relation to the Divine program. It is mentioned twice in Romans (8:28 and 9:11), twice in Ephesians (1:11 and 3:11) and once in 2 Timothy 1:9. In addition, there are two usages of the verb form in Romans 3:25 and Ephesians 1:9.

Because God’s purpose is linked with the eons, it follows that it will be consummated at the completion of the eons. What good is a purpose if it is not fulfilled? If God’s purpose is upended or foiled, then how is He God? This should thoroughly remove the phrase from the idea presented in the King James Version – that God has an “eternal” purpose. What is that even supposed to be? Are we saying His purpose is to keep purposing and purposing? Sure, its effects may be permanent, but God’s purpose itself could not be “eternal” without becoming an oxymoron. When we translate the term aion properly, and recognize that “plural” is not some vague cause to interpret, but may simply mean “more than one,” we receive the idea of “multiple long periods of time” – eons.

We have briefly mentioned the three main portions of time – the time before the eons, the time during the eons, and the time after the eons. We cited a few verses to demonstrate that this perspective is valid, but I’d like to point at them once more to indicate the gifts which God has set out to demonstrate, which He is bringing to the forefront in the saint now, to complement (not compliment) Himself and effectually explain the true purpose of salvation – to reveal the blissful qualities of God. Notably,

-       Grace is given to us first in salvation (Rom. 3:21-4:25.)

-       Life is promised to the death-doomed, permanently (Rom. 5:1-6:14, 8:9-11.)

-       Wisdom is imparted to the mature in glory (Col. 1:28-29.)

This promise of life (Titus 1:2; 2 Tim. l:1), the gift of grace to the ecclesia in Christ Jesus (2 Tim.1:9), and the wisdom of God (1 Cor.2:6-8), are in conformity with decisions made by God before He put any part of His purpose into operation. They are the great pillars of truth around which God’s purpose is built. The promise of life will eventually be fulfilled in all; the gift of grace to the ecclesia ensures that the dominant factor in God's operations will be His saving grace; and His wisdom in the secret, which was concealed so long, shows, now that it is revealed, that His plan was determined to the very last detail before any part of it was put into operation.

It is this wisdom which this secret, in considering the purpose of the eons, which will be considered in this portion of the study. This wisdom, as was shown to be the case with grace and life, is unfolded through Christ. Indeed, Christ is the One through Whom God unfolds the eons, and has placed the purpose of these eons in Christ. He, being all creation’s Firstborn, being the Effulgence (glow, or ‘halo,’ in a scientific sense) of God’s glory, the Idol or Emblem of His assumption, is the Beloved of the Father’s bosom, and the Enjoyer of the allotment of the universe, which He is carrying on by His own powerful declaration (Matt. 11:27, 28:18, John 3:35, 13:3, Eph. 1:20-21.)

The revelation given in Eph. 3:10-11, then, shows us that each eon has a distinct and integral purpose which relates to the goal of the universe. As each unfolds, and we inspect each one, we gain a more intimate grasp of the mind of God, growing in wisdom – the discernment to apprehend these distinctions. We may look once more at the reason for this in Heb. 11:3–

By faith we are apprehending the eons, to adjust to a declaration of God, so that what s being observed has not come out of what is appearing.

You see, then, why I wished to dwell on Romans 1-5 before considering the eons, for faith (belief/trust) and peace (lack of enmity) toward God are vital to desiring a true heart understanding of His declaration. We may apprehend the eons to learn Who God is, figured by Light and Love. Each eon unfolds various attributes of His character which directly relate to these prospects, and can only be contrasted relationally by darkness and hatred.

By observing the purpose of each eon, the whole will become apparent. It is my humble recommendation that you read this series of articles twice – once as a read-through, and once more upon recognizing the purpose which will be unfolded when we finally consider their purpose, and realize the goal of the universe.

The First Eon and Its Disruption

That takes us to the disruption again. As we considered at the beginning of this study, the creation of the first heavens and earth at Genesis 1:1 was a flawless creation (Deut. 32:4, Is. 45:18.) Its inception, which was out of God and placed in, thus channeled through, His Son, would have been a glory to behold. Though man did not yet exist (nor the living soul, being made in Gen. 1:24-27,) the celestials assuredly would have had every reason to glorify Him.

So what happened? From whence came sin and evil, and why did God permit them to enter creation? Why the disruption of the primeval world? What is its purpose within the eons? And how does Christ and His glory factor into any of this? Surely, if the eons are created in Him, and the purpose of these eons are in Him, He must play some role in the story, yes?

While I have laughed heartily (many times, whilst sipping tea) at the foolish translation of “forever” instead of “eon,” which is founded on unproven supposition, I cannot laugh in the same way at these questions. They are far more pressing, and immediate to us today. We can only attain to this answer with a spirit of wisdom, in a realization of God (Eph. 1:18,) to grasp the purpose of these eons, to understand their answer.

As has become abundantly clear if you’ve been following along in my Romans series, sin and evil did not enter the universe “by accident.” He graciously unveils this to the modern reader at the lowest level, of the human, back in Romans 1, where He repeatedly states that He makes men stupid (1:22,) “gives [men] over” to the uncleanness of dishonoring their bodies (1:24,) dishonorable emotions (1:26,) a disqualified mind (1:28,) and thus a retribution which must be: death (1:27, 32.) We have further seen that God, at the beginning of the second eon, set up a perfect catch-22 with Adam: he could reject Eve’s offering and do good, but never know it, or accept Eve’s offering and do wrong, only to realize his wrongdoing after the fact. This was, undeniably, the perfect and necessary bait to draw His new creation, mankind, into sin and evil. He Himself attributes the creation of evil (Is. 45:7,) and all (Rom. 11:36,) to Himself.

We have further verified that this evil was critical to God’s purpose of the eons, though we may not have known we were proving this until now, through verses such as 1 Pet. 1:19, where Christ’s bloody sacrifice (the evilest affliction) was “foreknown, indeed, before the disruption of the world.”

Thus the disruption of the world was not an accident. It was not an occurrence which God had not foreseen. It was not a crisis in the ways of God which had befallen Him unawares. The disruption had its essential place in the counsel of God’s will, in accord with which He is operating all (Eph.1.11), and also in the purpose of the eons which God makes in Christ Jesus, our Lord (Eph.3:11). The disruption of the world was in accord with God's intention and necessary to the revelation of Himself as love, as it could not be understood without its relational lack.

As such, we may apprehend that creation, in all its perfection and glory, could reveal God’s power and wisdom, and the celestials very well may have grasped this! But the purpose of their creation was undoubtedly lacking, and Satan was just the necessary figure to challenge, not the power or wisdom (we see, even in Job, that he remains subject to God – Job 1:5-6,) but the love of God, by enabling him to harm His flawless creation (and further challenge God’s ability to call Satan’s rebellion a “flawless” story point.)

How does Satan rebel and create a disruption? A rebellion requires bucking authority, and the only Image of authority is Christ. The Headship of Christ as Firstborn of every creature has been disputed since the first eon, and to this day, it is even disputed among the elect. It is often asked, “What does it matter if Christ existed before His physical birth?” The answer: the disruption of the world would not have even occurred if His headship were not questioned from the start.

Christ tells us that the Adversary had been a liar from the beginning. The disruption of the world (Matt. 25:34, John 17:24, Eph. 1:4, Rev. 13:8, etc.) the jurisdiction of darkness (Luke 22:53, Col. 1:13,) with its world-mights and wicked forces among the celestials (Eph. 6:12,) into the crucifixion of our Lord (John 19:19, Gal. 6:4, Phil. 2:8, etc.) all furnish adequate evidence of opposition to and rejection of the Headship of Christ. The rebellion among the celestial hosts which comprises the disruption of that perfect primeval “SYSTEM,” was followed by great repercussions on earth, culminating in the murder of this Head.

When you really think about it, there could be no other reason for such a rebellion. These celestials give Him up out of envy. Satan has, from the beginning, sought to usurp the great white throne. He had done so, but the cross was His chance to permanently stamp out the Alternative. Satan desired to be in control of all, and had no demonstration of love to operate with to understand his place and purpose. Even now, he doubts his purpose and confuses the religions of this eon as to his true nature.

You are The Father’s Promise

Bearing in mind, therefore, the active and persistent opposition to the Headship of Christ over all, how has God’s worthy Son been sustained in the face of such protracted hostility?

Well, as we showed earlier, God had originally transferred ‘the all’ into Christ, and ‘the all’ has its cohesion in Him (Col.1:17), so that the repudiation of His Headship (thus of His leadership) was a matter of utmost gravity for Him. The answer to the foregoing question, then, lies in the truth of God’s allotment to Christ among the saints (Eph. 1:18).

As God’s Son was, from the beginning, enjoyer of the allotment of all (Heb. 1:2,) then His tenancy among the saints is not an “additional” allotment, but a distinct and very special aspect of His allotment of all. It is that company of believers who were chosen by God, in Christ, before the disruption of the world (Eph. 1:4); and, although blessed with every spiritual blessing among the celestials (Eph.1:3), chosen, not from among the celestial hosts (amidst whom the opposition to Christ's universal Headship originated), but from among the nations, inhabitants of the earth and members of the human race. We were chosen before the disruption of the world (Eph. 1:4) and its reeling effects, when there was no apparent need for such a choice.

Let me tie all of this together, and we’ll take a break. A perfect universe, where creatures have no need of God and this gracious administration, may display glory and power and wisdom, yes. But the lack of responsive love would make us parrots – mindless and cold, like our modern day machinery. Love requires time to grow, and develop over the course of our lives. If God is to gain a responsive love from all of us, there must first be distance and distress, failure on our end, that we may, under no uncertain terms, realize that we fail, yet God loves us anyway. There is no greater way to show that love is the most powerful force in the universe – it cannot face weak opponents and fail, but it must face the strongest opposition to itself before it can be shown off as the true heart of God.

This is displayed in the ecclesia, which is His body (Eph. 1:22,) where God’s allotment resides (Eph. 1:18, Rom. 8:11.) By being chosen in Him before the disruption of the world, before sin, evil, condemnation, death, misery, or any other heartache, shows that love, true, unconditional love, does not require action, but draws forth glorification in its adamant qualities (1 Cor. 13:4-7.)

Thus Christ plays a very real role in the first eon. He is the Head Who must be challenged, tested, criticized, and forced to face His greatest foe. He must have been planned to die, and He must have had a chosen ecclesia, for it is through us that these rebellious celestials learn of the multifarious wisdom of God (Eph. 3:10.)

The ecclesia is God’s allotment “among the nations” to Christ (Eph. 1:18.) By it, God affirms to His Son, His Headship over all in face of all repudiation of that truth. He calls out us, the lowest of the low, the enemies (Rom. 5:10,) starting with the worst sinner, Paul, to show that His grace, life, and love will inevitably reach all. It is, in the most heartfelt sense, a Father telling His Son, that “everything will be okay.”

Because God chose the members of the ecclesia before the disruption of the world, Christ was, then, possessed of that affirmation from the first instant of the celestial rebellion against His Headship and from the first instant of the disruption. At that moment, His journey of faith was inaugurated. His descent in the third eon would culminate in the perfection of that journey of faith. Through His journey, He draws all to Himself (Rom. 5:18-19, John 12:32, Phil. 2:5-11,) ensuring a blissful consummation in which death is abolished (1 Cor. 15:26,) sin is firmly repudiated (Heb. 9:26,) all who are created in Christ are thus reconciled in Christ (Col. 1:15-20,) and all inevitably glorify Love (Phil. 2:9-11.)

- GerudoKing