Romans – God’s Timeline XXVIII: Eonian Life, Part 2

 

‘Eonian’ Life in John

We read, in John 3:36–

“The Father is loving the Son and has given all into His hand. He who is believing in the Son has life eonian, yet he who is stubborn as to the Son shall not be seeing life but the indignation of God is remaining on him.”

In the previous article, we learned that eonian life is something to be witnessed in the following two eons for the Israelite. Yet here, in John 3:36, we read for the first time that one who is believing has life eonian (the verb is indicative, in the present tense.)

We must begin to tread carefully, here, as the prior texts concerning eonian life (which, from the context of the modern reader, would be the foundational texts concerning ‘eonian life,’) are very clear that such a gift is to be realized in the coming eon (Mark 10:30, Luke 18:18.) As such, we cannot immediately subscribe to tradition’s happy-go-lucky claim that believers are given life that magically continues in death (for the two are irreconcilable opposites, thank you, Rev. 20:4.) That Jesus undeniably speaks of a believer both having life eonian, yet receiving it at a future time, indicates that one as intellectual as He has used a figure in one case, and not in the other.

How do we discern which is the figure and which is the fact? We may simply grasp these things in relation to the eonian calendar which we can now grasp, having studied each use of the noun aion! It is evident that Jesus speaks time and time again of eonian life being given to individuals specifically after resurrection, in the next eon (John 11:25-26.) This is even demonstrated in the next passage concerning eonian life – take a look at John 5:24.

Verily, verily, I am saying to you that he who is hearing My word and believing Him Who sends Me, has life eonian and is not coming into judging, but has proceeded out of death into life.

If we ripped this out of its context, and ignored every other passage in which Jesus explicitly tells us that eonian life is given in the following two eons, then many of the verses we have considered so far will be thrown into utter confusion. Yet by reading John 5:25, the nature of “having” eonian life is revealed in full:

Verily, verily, I am saying to you that coming is an hour, and now is, when the dead shall be hearing the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear shall be living.

This aptly clarifies the confusion – a circumcision believer has eonian life insofar as the following eon, when the resurrection of the dead occurs (Rev. 20:4.) It follows that the “having” eonian life is, in truth, a figure of association with the expectation of life eonian. This figure is popularly called “hypocatastasis,” but that’s a very long and rather unnerving title for the super scholars. It refers to one thing giving an implied representation of another thing, so I like to call it, “implied representation.”

That the second verse contextualizes the ‘having’ eonian life greatly helps us in almost every remaining passage in John. The use of ‘eonian life’ as it is figured in John 4 demonstrates the process from expectation into reality. First, observe John 4:14–

Jesus answered and said to [the woman at the well,] “Everyone who is drinking of this water will be thirsting again, yet whoever may be drinking of the water which I shall be giving him, shall under no circumstances be thirsting for the eon, but the water which I shall be giving him will become in him a spring of water, welling up into life eonian.”

Note that life eonian is, once again, said to be actually imparted for an individual during the fourth eon. The spring of water is a beautiful representation of the expectation which “wells up” into the reality present in those fourth and fifth eons.

Observe also this scene just after the woman at the well leaves, in 4:31-36, Jesus speaking–

Now in the meantime the disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.”

Yet He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you are not aware.”

The disciples, then, said to one another, “No one brings Him aught to eat.”

Jesus is saying to them, “My food is that I should be doing the will of Him Who sends Me, and should be perfecting His work. Are you not saying that, ‘Still four months is it, and the harvest is coming’? Lo! I am saying to you, Lift up your eyes and gaze on the countrysides, for they are white for harvest already. And he who is reaping is getting wages and is gathering fruit for life eonian, that both the sower and the reaper likewise may be rejoicing.”

Here “life eonian” is presented as the foundation, and the wages and fruit are the blessings into life eonian which will be reaped at the harvest (cf. Matt. 13, remember?)

We find the present tense once again in John 5:39, Jesus speaking to the Jews–

Search the scriptures, for in them you are supposing you have life eonian, and those are they which are testifying concerning Me, and not willing are you to come to Me that you may have life.

The Jews were (still are) very prideful in the fact that they were entrusted with the oracles of God. That they are the channel through which God unfolded His word would give anyone a swelled head. It follows, however, that the studious were intentionally choosing not to recognize Him as the promised Messiah, as well as the One Who spoke with Abraham (John 8:57-58) and Moses (Ex. 33:11.) Instead, they would search with a pre-supposed agenda to disprove his claims (John 7:52,) much like those who seek to disprove Paul’s claims in Romans.

In the context, Jesus has been discussing that the life He brings will not begin with or end in judgment (John 5:29,) but defers to the scriptures here to expose the hypocrisy of those supposing that they had life eonian. Question time: how can one be given life eonian if they are presently rejecting the One Who gives life eonian?

Right. Such was Jesus’ qualm. They could indeed recognize that, by following the precepts laid out in the Old Testament, they would be enjoying the allotment of life eonian! It is quite easy to look at all the blessing that believers receive in scripture and then attach whatever pre-supposed doctrine to it in order to receive it. Such a tactic has kept religious institutions in check for thousands of years, now! The problem, of course, is that choosing a doctrine that “feels right” beforehand is an emotionally rooted decision which takes yourself into account, sure, but not all into account, as a Creator of the universe would. Thus most statements presented by this God are ignored, while all the blessings He offered are fawned over. Everyone wants to hear what’s in it for them, yet ignore the role He plays, or that all play, in the story being told (Rom. 1:21.)

Eternal…?

Goodness, should you even need to ask anymore?

Well, if you’re seeking to be contrarian and irrational, sure. Keep asking! But no, “eternal” life is not in view here. The Jews were not promised eternal life in the Hebrew scriptures, but life “for the eon and further” (Ps. 48:14, 119:44, cf. Lev. 18:5,) beginning with their resurrection (Dan. 12:4.) Once again, it must be stressed: if a time stamp must be placed on the beginning of their life, it cannot be eternal, but a life which fills the eons in view – the fourth and fifth, and, again, since the fifth eon ends with the abolition of death (1 Cor. 15:26,) the eonian life coming to an end will not end the life of the individual, but bring them into the blissful permanent life of which all will therein partake.

In the meantime, even the way Jesus figures life eonian doesn’t really give the idea of “eternality.” That John 4 passage we just observed? The one where the works the believer sowed would lead to fruits that they subsequently reaped? Pray, tell: how does this figure work if the life is eternal? Does the one act lead to a never-ending fruitfulness? If so, please, show me the fruit tree that does this so that Jesus’ figure can adequately parallel this eternal life!

Furthermore, if this were ‘eternal’ life, thus an eternal reaping, how would anyone keep from getting a swell head?? The pride which would inevitably grip anyone who thinks this way (as, again, evidenced by our favorite religion) would poison the mind of its victim. No, I don’t think you understand – the idea that doing anything you personally perceive as good for anyone will give you eternal, unlimited blessing would instead give you a raging case of “Pick me, God!” It’s the very mindset that God shunned among His people, and if He didn’t accept it while dealing with Israel, He will certainly not accept it from you (Rom. 10:1-4.)

Having grasped eon, and having grasped many uses of “eonian” up until this point which could not sanely refer to “no beginning and no end,” or even “beginning and no end,” it becomes more apparent that a time-related definition is due. The term is not a mix-and-match term to shove “eternal” into the context wherever it fits in the eye of the beholder. Such an idea does not keep a “pattern of sound words,” as Paul claimed that we should keep (2 Tim. 1:13,) nor would this contingency on human inference make Yahweh’s words “clean” (Ps. 12:6-7.) So, no, eternal is an ever-nauseating idea for the term aionios, and it is increasingly apparent that anyone shoving this meaning into the term has alternative motives – whether it be to excuse eternal torment, or to find a way to excuse those who maintain the religion which teaches eternal torment. These are terrible ideals to attain to, and we should not be forcing it.

- GerudoKing