FOREWORD
"THE UNDERWORLD, though not sharing in the universal reconciliation,
will be powerless to prevent and impotent to infringe upon that perfect bliss."
Such, in substance, were the words which closed a chapter on
"The Reconciliation of the Universe," in the manuscript of "THE MYSTERY OF
THE GOSPEL."
But such a terrible thought as is popularly understood by
"the underworld"--a seething, surging sea of tormented humanity -- seemed far
too frightful for the close of a chapter on universal reconciliation. It would be better
to say nothing at all, than this. And so the sentence was omitted.
But such a cowardly evasion of so important an issue gave
still less satisfaction. So the entire subject was reconsidered with sevenfold
thoroughness. Nothing but the Word of God in the original languages was given any place.
The facts which were gathered from the inspired writers were arranged and cataloged for
study and comparison. The effect, as the following pages show, was to throw entirely new
light upon the subject, such light, too, as could not possibly be obtained from the
current versions.
God is conciliated to man. This, however, is a one-sided
conciliation, except in such cases where men receive it. Universal reconciliation,
however, as the following pages show, is mutual; it is enjoyed by both God and
man.
If this be true, then what about "eternal
torment?" A thorough search into the words which are supposed to furnish us with the
thought of eternity revealed many startling facts, a few of which are presented here.
The conclusion that there would be an actual, mutual,
universal reconciliation was so astounding, so overwhelming, so glorious, that I
cannot contain it; it must overflow. I cannot even wait until the larger work is
published.
I do not appeal to prejudice, or to human reasoning, but
only and solely to the Word of God. If I go past versions to the original, I trust that
all is made so plain that the most ordinary spirit can follow and apprehend.
To discover such a glorious consummation to God's dealings
with mankind has immeasurably heightened the glory of His power and wisdom and truth and
love. Sin is but His handmaid, not His master; and shall not mar His work when it is
finally finished.
It is usual to view this subject from the depths of the
sinner's doom. But let us rather view it from the heights of God's glory, and rejoice that
He who was made sin for us, will yet, by the power of His cross, undo all the Devil has
done, and sweep every sign of sin from Gods universe.
UNIVERSAL RECONCILIATION
...through Him to reconcile the universe
unto Him (having made peace through the blood
of His cross) whether that upon the earth or that in the
heavens.
It may be new to many to know that conciliation, as viewed
in the Word of God, is one-sided. When we are spoken of as "conciliated to
God by the death of His Son" God receives us into favor. It implies no change on our
part. That comes when we "receive the conciliation." Likewise when we
are exhorted to be "reconciled to God" we are not to look for any change in Him.
He was conciliated when His Son died; we are reconciled when we believe Him. Usage, which
alone can establish the current value and significance of any expression, shows us dearly
that the word ordinarily translated reconciliation katallassoo does not
infer a mutual friendliness.
If this be true of our text, then universal reconciliation
means no more than what has already been so fully considered: the truth that God has laid
aside all enmity and is most favorably inclined towards all of Adam's sinful sons. But if
we examine the text more closely we will find that the word katallassoo has, in
this case, been strengthened by the addition of the prefix apo- which must mean
more than katallassoo alone. God cannot, however, be more
reconciled than He is as set forth in those passages where the ordinary word is used.
Immediately following our text we read that the Colossians
once were alienated and enemies. This they were years after they had been conciliated to
God at the cross. "But now," says the apostle, "you have been apokateellaxen
reconciled." Once the estrangement had been laid aside on God's part, but now that they
had entered into that grand truth, the conciliation had become mutual. When both
parties to an estrangement are conciliated the result is complete reconciliation.
The reconciliation of the universe cannot be confined to the
peace made by the blood of the cross, for it is only after having made this
peace, that we read the added truth that, through Him (not His cross), the
universe is to respond to that peace and share its blessed fruits (Col.1:20).
So then, mutual, complete, universal reconciliation is based
upon the work of the cross and God's attitude as a consequence. But it does not stop short
here. It includes also the actual and complete blotting out of the estrangement on man's
side also.
This meaning is confirmed by the only other place where it
occurs. In Eph.2:16 we read: "And that He might reconcile apokatallaxee both
unto God in one body through dia the cross, having slain the enmity
thereby." Here we are taught that the enmity had been slain at the cross;
and this becomes the channel through which mutual reconciliation is to be
effected. In view of the tremendous issues involved, it behooves everyone who treasures
God's revelation, to search this matter to the core. We believe that those who do will
come to the same conclusion to which we have been compelled, namely, that there is to be,
at some future time, a condition of affairs in which the entire universe will be at
perfect peace with God.
Glorious as such a prospect is, magnificent as such a
consummation of God's mighty administrations must seem, and however passionately
perfection pleads for some such an ultimate Utopia, it will not be an easy task for most
of us, who have been nursed in the lap of Tradition, to believe, much less to comprehend,
truth so glorious and so grand.
The many objections which present themselves have been
examined with great care and labor. The results of this investigation, though not in line
with our main subject, are necessary to an acceptance and understanding of its marvelous
message, and shall have the benefit of a separate chapter.
OBJECTIONS TO UNIVERSAL
RECONCILIATION
The host of objections against the
possibility of a universal reconciliation narrow themselves down to those scriptures which
speak of "everlasting" punishment, or torment "forever and ever."
A right division of the word of truth in regard to the doom
of the lost is just as necessary as when considering the destiny of the saved. The fact
that Satan, the Beast, the False Prophet, and the worshippers of the Beast are to be
"tormented" does not give us liberty to say that all the lost will be tormented.
Neither does the fact that their torment extends to "the eons of the eons" allow
us to extend the duration of others' punishment to a like length.
Nor are we at liberty to dislocate a passage (Matt.25:46)
dealing with the judgment of living nations gathered before the Son of Man, based upon
their treatment of His Jewish brethren, and assume that their "everlasting"
punishment may be transferred to those who live today. Such is not reading, but rather,
wresting the word of God.
The truth as to the present day unbeliever is not obscure
nor hard to determine. God's present intentions are clearly set forth in the opening
argument of the epistle to the Romans: "Who will repay each one according to his
deeds; those indeed, who, with consistent endurance in good deeds, are seeking glory and
honor and incorruption, eonian life, but to those who are of faction, and, are refusing
the truth but persuade themselves to injustice, wrath and rage, affliction and distress,
upon every human soul that carries evil into effect," (Rom.2:6-9). It is most
significant that there is no reference here to the duration of the doom inflicted
whatever. Let us not be wise above what is written.
The statements which do deny the possibility of
such a thing are those which speak of torment "forever and ever." We could
probably prove that only Satan, the Beast, his Prophet, and his Israelitish worshippers,
are included in this terrible doom. But if Satan alone were to suffer such a fate, and
even if he be consigned to the remotest corner of the universe, his single case would not
allow us to speak of the reconciliation as universal. We need to consider most carefully,
then, the words which seem to teach the endlessness of Satan's doom.
"FOR EVER" AND
"EVERLASTING"
How do we get the thought of
"everlasting" in the Word of God?
It is acknowledged by all that the Greek word aion
(which we will call eon) did not mean "for ever" until after it came in contact
with Hebrew in the Greek version of the Scriptures. Then, because it was applied to God in
such phrases as Psalm 90:2, "even from everlasting to everlasting Thou art God."
it acquired, it is said, its new meaning of endlessness. Since it is used thus of
God, consistency requires, we are told, that the same meaning be attached to it when it is
applied to men.
In order to test the truthfulness of this deduction it will
be absolutely necessary for us to get our facts directly from the original languages. It
is quite easy, however, after these facts have been gathered, for anyone to satisfy
themselves as to the real meaning of the original terms which we translate "for
ever."
First let us consider the Hebrew word olam, which
lies at the root of the matter. It is used in reference to the past in a number
of passages. It is much easier for us to grasp things which have become history than those
which are still future.
The following are the passages in which me-olam, or
"from everlasting" occurs. They are arranged under two heads, first
those which refer to God, then those concerned with mankind.
USED OF DEITY
1 Chron. 29:10 for (from) ever.
Psa. 25: 6 ever of old.
41:13 from everlasting.
90: 2 even from everlasting.
93: 2 from everlasting.
103:17 from everlasting.
8:23 from everlasting.
63:16 from everlasting.
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USED OF MEN
Gen. 6: 4 of old.
Joshua 24: 2 in old time.
1 Sam. 27: 8 of old.
Psa. 119:52 of old.
Isa. 42:14 long time.
46: 9 of old.
57:11 even of old.
63:19 (n) ever.
64: 4 For since the beginning of the world.
Jer. 2:20 of old.
5:15 ancient.
Ezek. 26:20 old time.
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There is a startling
inconsistency here. When applied to God it is always "ever" or
"everlasting," but when applied to men it is never so rendered. Why? Because in
no case will the sense bear it. Man and his history do not stretch back to a dateless past
eternity. No nation, no prophets, have been "from everlasting."
The translators, when referring to the past, saw fit to use entirely
different language for God than that for man. They were sure that the
passages referring to man could not mean everlasting. A false sense of reverence
led them to depart from the consistent usage of the original and the example of the Greek
translators, whose rendering received the stamp of Divine approval in the later breathings
of the holy Spirit. The possibility that these passages might not refer to God simply as
existent in eternity past, but to His revelation of Himself under various titles which
describe His relationships to His creatures during the eons or age-times, does not seem to
have suggested itself to them. We will follow this hint a little later.
Other passages make it still more manifest that olam
does not necessarily mean endless when applied to the past. Here are some with their
renderings:
Deut.32:7 old; Job 22:15 old; Psa.77:5 ancient
time; Prov.22:28 ancient; 23:10 old; Ecc.1:10 of old time;
Isa.44:7 ancient; 51:9 of old; 58:12 old; 61:4 old;
63:9 old; Jer.5:15 ancient; 6:16 old; 18:15 ancient;
28:8 old; 1 Sam.27:1 old; Ex.25:15 old; 26:20 of old;
36:2 ancient; Amos 9:11 old; Micah 7:14 old; Mal.3:4 old.
Now we are ready to raise the question, Does olam
mean "for ever" when it refers to the future? The Authorized version is no
authority in this matter. They have rendered it by about twenty-five different terms. Even
in the future we find eternal, ever, lasting, long, and world.
To be consistent they should have rendered Psa.73:12:
"Behold these are the ungodly who prosper FOREVER (in the world, AV)."
The mere statement will be denied by everyone.
There are some things which we know are not
eternal. Rev.21:22 reads: "And I saw no sanctuary therein: for the Lord God Almighty
and the Lambkin are its sanctuary." Thus, in that blessed eon, when God is once more
with men (Rev.21:3) there is no need of the temple with its ceremonial. The very
perfectness and freedom of access to God make a temple obsolete. The sanctuary and its
service and priesthood are not to last eternally. In conflict with these facts we
are asked to believe that the sanctuary (Ezek.37:26,28), its ministrations (Ex.30:21;
Lev.6:18,22), the priesthood (Ex.29:9; 40:15; Num.25:13; Psa.110:4), the offerings
(Ex.29:28; Lev.7:34,36; 10:15; 17:7; Num.18:8,11,19), are to continue "forever."
Our Lord could say "Heaven and earth shall
pass away" (Matt.24:35). And concerning the law and the prophets "Till heaven
and earth pass, one jot or tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all be
fulfilled." It is evident that He expected the passing of the law and this
present earth, both at the same time. But in the earlier revelation we read that the earth
(Psa.78:69; Ecc.1:4) and its hills (Gen.49:26; Deut.33:16; Hab.3:6) are to endure
"for ever."
The position that olam does not mean endless is
much strengthened by the fact that the va-ed, meaning "and still,"
is added to it in about a score of cases. In English it is usually rendered "for ever
and ever." Even in English we can get a glimmering of the true thought if we
render the added Hebrew word va-ed by the meaning which it ordinarily bears in
hundreds of passages, and change the phrase to "for ever and still"
further. And this would have the right effect of limiting "for ever" to a period
of time. This combination is probably the most comprehensive expression which the Hebrew
Scriptures know relative to duration. If we can fix its meaning we shall have the key to
our problem.[1]
A most important and interesting occurrence of this phrase
is Psa.45:6: "Thy throne, O Elohim, is for ever and ever." This is quoted by the
Holy Spirit in Heb.1:8:
May we dare suggest that the kingdom of the
Son of God is to have an end? Some there are, and we heartily sympathize with them, who
may turn from such an inquiry as traitorous and unworthy of those for whom He died. But we
beg them to bear with us a little further. His glory is more dear to us than the hand that
pens these lines. This pen would never have taken upon itself to write of these things
unless, first of all, His highest glory had been set beyond question. Yet it will never do
for us to decide what glorifies Him and what dishonors. God alone knows that. In
1 Cor.15:24-28, we read: "Afterwards the consummation, whenever He may hand over the
kingdom to God, even the Father, when all suzerainty and all delegate authority and power
will be abolished. ...Yet whenever the universe may be subordinated to Him, then the Son
Himself shall be subordinated to Him who subordinated the universe to Him, that God may be
All in ALL."
Few things are more evident in holy writ than the perfect
subjection of the Son of God to His Father. "Not My will but Thine" was His
constant motto. It sustained Him in the darkest hours of earthly sorrow. Such subjection
will always be one of His perfections, but is not the subject of our text. The subjection
here spoken of follows the giving up of the throne of that universal kingdom which God
will yet make His.
Earthly kingdoms last until some disorder disrupts them.
What a contrast is His rule! His Kingdom lasts until all is brought into such perfect
subjection and harmony that His administration and that of His delegates, is no longer
needed. It becomes a dead letter because of its perfection. His power, too, lacking any
further exercise, fails through its very forcefulness.
Just as priesthood cannot exist where there is perfect and
unhindered access to God by all His creatures, so government, too, in the hands of
intermediaries, becomes unnecessary where there is perfect reconciliation between God and
man. Indeed, the eons will have failed of their object unless mankind learns not only that
God's is the only will, but that all true blessing issues from the Heart that moves it.
So then, the pinnacle of excellence is reached by the
Kingdom of God's Son in its consummation. The rule spoken of in Heb.1:8 ceases
when this "end" telos or consummation is reached. Here it the key
to our problem.
Just as mankind for the present is confined by physical
limitations to this comparatively small sphere, we call "the earth" so also, it
has pleased God to limit man's present temporal[2] boundaries by the horizon of the
eons.
God has been pleased to reveal Himself under various titles
corresponding to the character and purpose of the theophany. Cosmic relationship is
connected with Elohim, eonian relationship with Jehovah, and confined to Israel; Adonai is
the All Ruler, corresponding to "Lord" in the epistles when used in connection
with the other nations. Each is applied to the Son of God in His work of revealing the
Divine excellencies.
So it is during the eons, but in the final consummation,
when the dignities and activities which gave rise to these titles will have reached a full
fruition, they will lay aside their force and aptness.
There will be no special covenants for Israel then with
Jehovah, for that would deny the reconciliation. He will be the God of all the
nations, which Jehovah never could be.
Why at that time call Him Adonai -- the ALL Ruler
-- when all rule will have retired from the scene?
Such considerations as these will solve all those difficult
passages which seem, by their connection with the names of God, to imply
endlessness.
That keystone passage, to which all point in order to show
that "everlasting means everlasting," Psa.90:2, should be read in this light.
Who is spoken of here? The opening of the Psalm tells us that it is Adonai, the All-Ruler.
But how could he sustain such a title in the eras before creation, when there was
nothing to rule? And how can he continue to wear it in the consummation when all rule
will have become a dead letter? The glories it has gathered down the eons must ever adorn
His praise, but when it has become merely titular, its very retirement will call for added
applause.
Is it not clear that this title applies to Him in his
present manifestation of Himself in government and that it will yield to the Father's
gentle eye, when all will be members of His great family.
The fact that "forever and ever" does not mean
everlasting in the original is enough to satisfy our argument. But well may we turn aside
a moment and ask, "What does it mean, then?" In about twenty-six
instances olam is not associated with time. Then it is allowed its ordinary sense
of secret (Psa.90:8; Ecc.12:14; Lev.4:13; 5:2,3,4, etc.) It speaks then, of secret,
unrevealed duration, but not unlimited. The Greek translators so understood
it when they changed the simple word olam to a phrase "unto the eon."
The horizon of the early prophets was limited to this
present earth. Time prior to its making or after its destruction was outside the realm of
that revelation. It was secret, i.e., olam.
Later unfoldings unwrap purposes before the eons (2
Tim. 1:9) or before olam.
They also carry us beyond olam in the description
of the new heavens and the new earth, and the subsequent consummation.
This is confirmed by the uniform addition of "and
still" va-ed whenever rule or government is in question, because that
still continues in the new earth all the way up to the consummation.
"For ever," in the original, means up to the
secret eon which commences with the new creation. "For ever and ever"
leads still further, to the very consummation. "For ever" is applied to this
earth, the temple, the priesthood, the sacrifices -- in fact to those things which endure
till the last great conflagration -- but never to those things which emerge from it.
"For ever and ever" is used of
government, because the universal kingdom of our Lord will not cease with the new earth
but continue to the consummation.
His priesthood passes with the earth, but His dominion
continues beyond it, hence it is olam va-ed, for ever and still.
Then will the Kingdom be handed over to God in His character
as Father. This filial relationship, this changing of the great God from Creator
to Father, is the ripened fruit of the eons. Then will come to pass that daydream of the
present, the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man, for then all will be one vast
family linked together by the close fellowship of a Father's love.
Priests may be appointed for men in things Divine, and
rulers delegated by God to wield His authority during the course of the eons, but in that
ideal, that perfect, that eternal consummation, they would but deny the fullness and
infinite perfection of the universal reconciliation.
If we could but fix this vision of the glorious ultimate,
and enlarge our hearts to receive it, much that seems to intercept our sight will become
transparent. For instance, in Eph.1:10 we read of the "dispensation of the fullness
of times," that is, the harvest season of the eons, when Christ will again be Head of
everything in heaven and upon earth. Not a word here, you say, as to the
underworld or the lake of fire. This is quite true. But this scripture does not speak of
the final state. Here is a question of Christ's headship, His rule. Then it will
be a question of His abdication, the first and only Ruler who brings rule to
ripened perfection.
This subject has been so long divorced from the glory of God
and sunk to the level of an inquiry as to the doom of the impenitent that some will be
impatient to know what becomes of them.
Since God does not associate everlasting or any period of
time with the doom of sinners today, we, too, refrain from doing so. But there still
remains the "everlasting" punishment of the nations who are gathered before the
Son of Man when He appears in His glory, and also the torment "for ever and
ever" of those (Israelites) who worship the Beast and his image (Rev.14:10-11), and
the Beast and False Prophet themselves with the Accuser who deceived them (Rev.20:10). It
has been pointed out that the word "are" in the phrase, "where the beast
and the false prophet are" is in italics, having no authority in the Greek.
But its force is, nevertheless implied in the plural form of "shall be
tormented," which should read "they shall be tormented." It is
well to see and acknowledge God's just and equitable sentence upon these, the most heinous
of all highhanded rebels against His throne. They ought to get the severest punishment,
for they have been guilty of such awful crimes against God as lie entirely outside the
capacity of ordinary men. Obsessed by the spirit of Satan and his associates, they have
attempted to wrench God's scepter from His hand.
But, if the torment of the Beast and his dupes ends at the
great consummation, surely, some will say, Satan and his angels can not die like men.
But upon what does such an objection rest?
In the ancient Greek pantheon the younger race of gods
delighted to be called the "Immortals." The history of Zeus and his train, as
the usurpers of the throne of their father Kronos, bears a most marked resemblance to the
career of Satan and his following and justifies us in concluding, (what could easily be
shown from other scriptures) that he was the ruler of the Olympian "Immortals."
But what says Elohim, while He judges among the gods? (Psa.
82:1,6,7). After rebuking them for their unjust rule of the earth He pronounces their
doom:
"I have said, Ye are gods;
And all of you are sons of the Most High,
But you shall die like mankind..."
Here we have Satan leveled, with humankind
in his death. He proclaims himself immortal. Men have eagerly accepted his falsehood but
God will yet feed him into the jaws which have devoured so many of Adam's sons, and Death
itself will at length be satisfied when it feasts upon the Prince of Death.
Thus when the final class are raised at the consummation,
all will have entered and emerged from the death state, which is then abolished.
But by this time our innate selfishness will assert itself
and we exclaim: "Is our `eternal life' only for a limited time, then? What security
have we for the future?" But even here, instead of robbing God of the glory due His
great Name, the truth only adds lustre to its effulgence. As a matter of fact, His word
guarantees life and blessing until the consummation -- until the eons of the eons, when He
will be All in All. Then we no longer have any prop to lean upon, no foundation whatever
upon which to rest, but -- GOD HIMSELF!
Who would not trust themselves to Him? As for me, now that
He has revealed Himself, I can repose upon Him in the utmost confidence, even when His
promises and His word have long since been fulfilled. What He IS, is sufficient
for me, and will suffice all to whom the eons have revealed Him.
And this I know most pleases Him.
Picture to yourself a perfect universe! Not a trace of sin
or of transgression to eclipse the effulgence of God's love! Not an impulse of His
affection but receives an instant and thrilling response from every heart. What a
marvelous harvest of redemption that will be! How potent the cross through which it comes!
How glorious the God who purposed and perfected such a reconciliation!
The travail of sin may well be borne exultingly if such a
birth impends. Even the eons of suffering and anguish which now dim our eyes will then
fade into a tiny speck upon the receding horizon and at last be swallowed up in the
distance and the joy and exultation of the glory eternal.
To us, a dreary day drags its length so slowly to a close;
toilsome years wear wearily away; but what are days or years, yes, what are eons compared
with an endless and unceasing eternity? All of the eons from the beginning to the
consummation of God's purposes are but a brief moment, a passing cloud, compared with the
ceaseless sunshine of cycles unending.
But, alas! If this is but a mirage, a dream which is denied
by the word of the God upon whom its fulfillment depends, why mock ourselves with it now
or embitter the bliss that surely will be the portion of all who are His favorites? For,
if an eternity of happiness will blot out the sorrows of the ages, it is no less true that
an eternity of suffering would infinitely transcend all the anguish which pales us now.
Why even the tiniest tinge of sin, rigidly confined that it cannot spread, would at length
amount to more than all the sins of all the eons. It would work worse woe from the mere
immensity of its duration. A mathematician will tell us that the minutest fraction
multiplied by infinity will produce a greater result than the highest power of the largest
number conceivable.
But if, instead of a slight trace of sin and its consequent
suffering, we imagine the sinner suffering the torment of the orthodox hell with its
unbearable bodily anguish, the pangs of conscience, the taunts of fiends, and the torture
of God Himself, one hour of which is more than all his earthly sorrows rolled in one --
lengthen this out to endlessness and season it with hopeless despair--and its horrors will
be absolutely inconceivable.
But this is far from all. Multiply this single case by the
vast majority (so we are told!) of humankind, who, age after age, have been huddled into
this horrid "hell" and imagine each one tortured and tormented while the ages
roll, and roll, and roll....without respite and without redress, and then imagine--but no,
we will imagine no more, for the heart grows sick even at the very thought.
Though our lips may be afraid to frame the words, our hearts
will whisper "Can such be the fruit of God's adventure?" Would that
serve as one of the jewels that He sought for His eternal diadem? Is that the response for
which He hungered when He allowed -- nay, when He purposed -- that sin should
estrange His creatures from Him?
Christ came to destroy the works of the Devil (1 John 3:8).
But, if orthodoxy is true, then Satan has not only the vast majority on his side, but his
work is not destroyed at all. Its results would mar the universe for ever and ever.
David was right when he preferred to fall into the hands of
God, for His very judgments show none of the cruelty which so often mars man's mercy.
But let us awake from the sickening nightmare of man's
imaginings and let us wing our spirits to God's glorious consummation. Here is a vision
worthy of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Sin, sorrow, suffering,
estrangement-all these are but memories which, in the divine alchemy of that blessed era,
will sweeten every sweet cup and illumine love itself. Not sin triumphant, with its bitter
fangs buried even in that blessedness. Ah, no. Sin will be absent, yet subservient -- the
chiefest condiment of sinless bliss.
Once all was perfect, ere Satan fell or man rebelled; and
all shall be perfect once again. Man has been God's enemy; yet through this very enmity He
will draw mankind far closer to Himself than otherwise could have been.
And the zenith of that sublime perfectness will be -- not
innocence or friendship's chain unbroken -- but reconciliation, perfect and
complete. A universe in harmony with God! O, who would not feast his eyes on such a sight.
This, this is our goal.
This, this is His grandest glory.
"Thus heavenward all
things tend. For all were once
Perfect, and all must be at
length restored.
So God has greatly purposed;
who would else
In His dishonour'd works
Himself endure
Dishonour, and be wronged
without redress.
Haste, then, and wheel away a
shatter'd world,
Ye slow-revolving seasons! we
would see
(A sight to which our eyes are
strangers yet)
A world that does not dread
and hate His laws
And suffer for its crime;
would learn how fair
The creature is that God
pronounces good,
How pleasant in itself what
pleases, Him." --Cowper
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[1]Its first occurrence Is Ex.15:18. The LXX (the Greek version of
the Hebrew Scriptures) renders this instance by "the eon and upon the eon and
still ton aioona kai ep' aioona, kai eti. That the last word means still
or longer or further is shown by its use in such passages as Luke 16:2;
Rom.6:2; Rev.22:11 (four times). This shows conclusively that, in ancient times, the
thought of endlessness was not ascribed to olam.
Other occurrences are: Psa.9:5; 10:16; 21:4; 45:6,17; 48:14;
52:8; 104:5; 119:44; 145:1,21; Dan.12:3; Micah 4:5; Psa.148:6; Isa.30:8 and Jer.1:7 must
not be confused with these, though rendered "forever and ever."
[2]The rendering "temporal" i.e., pertaining to time,
in 2 Cor.4:18 leads to serious misunderstanding. It should be rendered "for a
season" "for a while" "temporary" or "transient." A
reference to Matt.13:21, Mark 4:17 and Heb.11:25, the only other occurrences, will
substantiate this. The rocky ground hearer does not endure during the course of time, but
"for a while." And this reminds us that any superficial study of this subject in
the "Authorized" can only lead us back to the traditions which its translators
themselves help. They have colored the context with their opinions wherever possible. The
contrast in this passage is between temporary things and those which last through the
eons.
