3.
Eonian Life
According
to Paul, the apostle of the nations who was given revelation directly by the
risen and glorified Christ, this mortal
must put on immortality.
Immortality means one is never subjected to death again, which
is rightfully called eternal life or
a life that will have no end. When death is finally abolished, it will truly be
eternal life, for there will be no means to end life. Today, the only one who is beyond death and who has immortality is
our Lord Jesus Christ, the One who abolishes death.
Now,
for the observant reader, it should be apparent that in my writing on
immortality I made no mention of eternal
life. This is by design. The reason is that, concordantly speaking, the
term eternal life should be
translated as eonian life, a term
which moves the emphasis from the eternal (beyond the eons) to the eons. In
other words, eonian life refers to
life in the oncoming eons, and not necessarily to immortality and endless life
beyond the eons.
This
distinction is obscured in most translations because the Greek word aiōnion is translated as eternal rather than as eonian, which is an adjective related to
eon.
If
the concordant approach to translation is applied, then wherever the phrase eternal life or life eternal is
discovered in a translation, it should be substituted with the phrase eonian life or life eonian, respectively. A concordant search of the Greek
Scriptures reveals that eonian life
or life eonian appears forty-three
times (Matthew 19.16, 29; 25.46; Mark 10.17, 30; Luke 10.25; 18.18, 30; John
3.15, 16, 36; 4.14, 36; 5.24, 39; 6.27, 40, 47, 54, 68; 10.28; 12.25, 50; 17.2,
3; Acts 13.46, 48; Romans 2.7; 5.21; 6.22, 23; Galatians 6.8; 1 Timothy 1.16;
6.12; Titus 1.2; 3.7; 1 John 1.2; 2.25; 3.15; 5.11, 13, 20; Jude 21).
The
eonian God.
Before
considering the meaning of eonian life
there is one important point that needs to be addressed. There are some,
perhaps many, commentators that have a problem with the use of the word eonian, or any other word that implies
something other than eternal, because,
to them, God Himself becomes the eonian
God, as if He ceases to be the
eternal God. It seems strange to me that people are challenged that God can
be both the eternal and the eonian God without taking away the meaning and
significance of either term. God is eternal; nothing that we say or write can
ever change the very essence of who God is. He is outside of time, and He is in
time. As God, He created time, so how could He not be intimately engaged in
time? Even Jesus, the Son of God, entered this world and died and rose from the
grave at the foreordained time of God, and He is coming again in accord with
the time set by the authority of the Father (see Acts 1.7).
People
are probably challenged by this, for it also challenges the issues of life and
death, and heaven and hell, as well as what some call the eternal purpose of God.
Just
in case some might think that I am out on a limb all by myself and perhaps making
up the whole idea of the eonian God, consider
the following four translations of the same verses, recognizing that eonian, of the ages, age-during
and age-abiding are equivalent
expressions. [1]
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, yet manifested now and through prophetic scriptures, according to
the injunction of the eonian God being
made known to all nations for faith-obedience―to the only, and wise God,
through Christ Jesus, be glory for the
eons of the eons. Amen! (Romans 16.26-27 CV)
To Him who has it in His power to make you strong, as
declared in the Good News which I am spreading, and the proclamation concerning
Jesus Christ, in harmony with the unveiling of the Truth which in the periods
of past Ages remained unuttered, but
has now been brought fully to light, and by the command of the God of the Ages has been made known by the writings of the
Prophets among all the Gentiles to win them to obedience to the faith―to God, the only wise, through Jesus
Christ, even to Him be the glory through
all the Ages! Amen. (Romans 16.25-27 WNT)
And to Him who is able to establish you, according to my
good news, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the
secret, in the times of the ages having
been kept silent, and now having been made manifest, also, through prophetic
writings, according to a command of the
age-during God, having been made known to all the nations for obedience of
faith―to the
only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to him be glory to the ages. Amen. (Romans 16.25-27 YLT)
Now unto him who hath power to establish you
according to my glad-message―even the proclamation of Jesus Christ,
according to the revelation of a sacred secret in age-past times kept silent but now made manifest, and through means
of prophetic scriptures according to the command of the age-abiding God for obedience of faith unto all the nations
made known unto a God wise alone, through Jesus Christ, [unto whom] be glory unto the ages. Amen. (Romans 16.25-27 REB)
Paul
declared that God is the eonian God or the God of the Ages, which means that He has been, and continues to
be, actively engaged throughout the eons and has not been, and is not, like an
absent landlord. He has established the eons in His Son to work out His purpose
in His Son, and when the eons are complete, He will continue to be what He has
always been and will always be, the
eternal God. Further, if the eons are made through His Son, then the eons
are an essential and integral part of God’s purpose and plan. This thought is
so obvious that it is hard to imagine anyone being challenged by it.
Of
the four translations, the one that states the
God of the Ages should encourage our hearts. Why? Because knowing that God
is actively engaged in the ages or eons gives meaning to the eons and assurance
to us that everything is being worked out according to the counsel of His will,
just as Paul declared.
In Him in whom also we were appointed by lot [or, obtained
an inheritance], having been predestined
according to the purpose [or, plan] of the One supernaturally working all
[things] according to the counsel [or,
intention] of His will…. (Ephesians 1.11 ALT)
For the universe owes its origin to Him, was created by
Him, and has its aim and purpose in Him. To Him be the glory throughout the Ages! Amen. (Romans
11.36 WNT)
Simply,
God is in the eons (ages), and He abides or remains in the eons (ages). We
should rejoice that the eons, and in particular the last two eons, are by
design set to carry out God’s plan to fulfill His glorious purpose. He is the
eonian God, the God of the Ages, to His praise, honor and glory.
Now,
if we put aside the concept of eternal and think in terms of the oncoming eons
and our God being the eonian God,
then eonian life makes sense
according to Scripture.
Before
looking at a few Scriptures that refer to eonian life, there are three points
that need to be made.
Eonian
life and immortality are not always the same.
First, technically, eonian
life is not the same as immortality.
Eonian life is associated with life
in the eons and is not dependent on putting
on immortality. Immortality is not necessarily
associated with the eons or even time in general, for it is associated with
being beyond death. Immortality is promised to all who believe, but all will
not put on immortality at the same time. Some will put on immortality at the
first resurrection, others will put it on at the second resurrection, and yet
others will put it on at the consummation of the eons. Those who put on
immortality in the first resurrection will also be enjoyers of eonian life, a
life in the oncoming eons.
Not
to confuse the issue; please note that the above caption states that eonian
life and immortality are not always
the same, which implies that there are times that they are the same in
Scripture. Simply, context is always important and there are times in which
eonian life and immortal life mean the same thing.
Eonian
life refers to life in the oncoming eon.
Second, eonian life
is associated with life in the coming eon as a time of marvelous blessing and
glory. We could say that it represents a quality of life beyond one’s most
fertile imagination. For the conquering saints (overcomers) throughout the
preceding centuries, eonian life
simply means that they are promised life in the oncoming eon, or another way of
stating it, they are promised to become an enjoyer of an allotment
(inheritance) in the next eon when Christ manifestly heads up all in the
heavens and on the earth.
Paul
described it as the riches of the glory
of the enjoyment of His allotment among the saints (Ephesians 1.18 CV). The allotment refers to sharing in the coming kingdom in which
Christ will continue to head up all in the heavens and on the earth.
Can
you imagine anything greater than being part of what Christ will be doing? Just
the thought of the glory to come to this earth should bring shouts of joy from
the hearts of all who have been given the faith to believe in Jesus in our
present eon. There is nothing greater than to join our Lord in heading up all in
the heavens and on the earth, which will bring all creation into harmony with
God.
Some will
enjoy eonian life without putting on immortality.
Third, eonian life is not restricted to those who will
put on immortality as the next eon commences. In the oncoming eon, there will
be people on earth that will be enjoyers of eonian life, and yet they will not
put on immortality; that is, they will remain mortal, at least for the eon.
Consequently, some who enter eonian life will also be immortal; however, others
who enter eonian life will remain mortal.
To
make this point surer, consider the sheep nations that will be judged by the
King of Glory at the commencement of His 1000-year reign over this earth.
“Now, whenever
the Son of Mankind may be coming in His glory, and all the holy messengers
with Him, then shall He be seated on the throne of His glory, and in front of
Him shall be gathered all the nations.
And He shall be severing them from one another even as a shepherd is severing
the sheep from the kids. And He shall be standing the sheep, indeed, at His
right, yet the kids at the left. (Matthew 25.31-33 CV)
It
is most unfortunate that these prophetic words of Jesus are often misinterpreted
as referring to the saved and the lost. However, Jesus spoke these words in
reference to the nations that are on earth when He comes and sits on His throne
of glory. The sheep and the kids deal with judgment of the nations and their entrance
into the millennial kingdom on earth.
“Then shall the King be declaring to those at His
right, ‘Hither, blessed of My Father! Enjoy
the allotment of the kingdom made ready for you from the disruption of the
world. For I hunger and you give Me to eat; I thirst and you give Me drink; a
stranger was I and you took Me in; naked and you clothed Me; infirm am I and
you visit Me; in jail was I and you come to Me.’ “Then the just will be
answering Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we perceive Thee hungering and nourish
Thee, or thirsting and we give Thee drink? Now when did we perceive Thee a
stranger and took Thee in, or naked and we clothed Thee? Now when did we
perceive Thee infirm, or in jail, and we came to Thee?’ “And, answering, the
King shall be declaring to them, ‘Verily, I am saying to you, In as much as you
do it to one of these, the least of My brethren, you do it to Me.’ (Matthew
25.34-40 CV)
“And these [kid nations] shall be coming away into
chastening eonian, yet the just [sheep nations] into life eonian.” (Matthew 25.46 CV) [2]
The
just from among the nations will enter into life eonian to be enjoyers of the
allotment of the kingdom; however, there is no indication that any of the
worthy nations (sheep) will be beyond death at this point. They will enjoy life
eonian, but they will not be immortal. This supports the thought that eonian
life refers to entering the blessing of life in the coming eon and does not
necessarily equate to immortality for all, at least at this point in the
oncoming eon.
We
need to keep in mind that during the millennial reign of Christ there will continue
to be mortals on earth, and that death will also continue to be operative for
these mortals, as revealed by Isaiah the prophet. Besides, procreation [3]
will continue during the Messianic kingdom on earth.
And no longer shall there be thence a child of a
few days, or an old man who is not filling his days, for the youth will be a
hundred years old, yet the one dying
will be a sinner, a hundred years old; he shall be made light of. (Isaiah
65.20 CV)
This
verse alone indicates that death will still be in action during the next eon,
for sin will still be operative for all who have not put on immortality. Mortal
earth dwellers will be living as in the days before the great deluge when the
life span of mankind reached nearly 1,000 years. Perhaps most will live for the
full thousand years, with the notable exception of the nations that are
deceived by Satan, the adversary (Revelation 20.7-9). Many will be enjoyers of
the allotment of the kingdom on earth, and many will be enjoyers of eonian life
on earth.
Now,
let us look at a few passages of Scripture that refer to eonian life from the
perspective of the Jews in Jesus’ day who were looking for the kingdom of the
heavens or the reign of the heavens to come upon the earth with Messiah as the
King of Israel. They were looking for their Rescuer to come and deliver them
out of the rule of the nations and to establish His kingdom over the earth.
This was the expectation given to them through the Hebrew prophets.
Kingdom
life in the oncoming eon.
To
begin, there are three sets of similar Scriptures in Matthew, Mark and Luke
that refer to the expectation of eonian life. Because of their similarities, it
is only necessary to look at the verses in Matthew.
Starting
in Matthew 19.16, we are told that a rich young man approached Jesus to inquire
what he had to do to enter the kingdom, that is, to have life eonian.
And lo! one coming to Him said, “Teacher, what good
shall I be doing that I should be having
life eonian?” Yet He said to him, “Why are you asking Me concerning good?
One is good. Yet if you are wanting to be entering into life, keep the
precepts.” He is saying to Him, “Which?” Now Jesus said, “These: ‘You shall not
be murdering.’ ‘You shall not be committing adultery.’ ‘You shall not be
stealing.’ ‘You shall not be testifying falsely.’ ‘Be honoring father and
mother,’ and ‘You shall be loving your associate as yourself.’” The youth is
saying to Him, “These all I maintain. In what am I still deficient?’ Jesus averred
to him, “If you are wanting to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and be
giving to the poor, and you will be having treasure in the heavens. And hither!
Follow Me.” Now, hearing this word, the youth came away sorrowing, for he had
many acquisitions. Now Jesus said to His disciples, “Verily, I am saying to you
that the rich squeamishly will be entering into the kingdom of the heavens. Yet again, I am saying to you that it
is easier for a camel to be entering through the eye of a needle than for a rich
man to be entering into the
Passages
like this are used by some to preach to the lost; however, the primary
application has everything to do with those that believed in God. Notice that
it was not a question of believing in the finished work of the cross, for
Christ had not died for the sin of the world, and Jesus did not inject this
into the conversation. The question was in reference to entering the kingdom
of the heavens, which, to the Jew of Jesus’ day, referred to the expectation of
the Hebrew prophets that the
The
rich young man knew exactly what Jesus meant when He told him to sell his
possessions and give to the poor. The only way for a Jew to have accumulated
great wealth was at the expense of his brethren. Wealth was measured in terms
of property or land (see Mark 10.22). Each was allotted a portion of the land;
however, it was possible to acquire the land of others who might have fallen on
hard times. Consequently, one acquiring riches meant that someone else
suffered. Jesus was not telling the man to give up what was his rightful allotment
but to give up what he had acquired at the expense of others, namely, the poor.
According to God’s law, the land was allotted among the Israelites, and all
that had been acquired beyond their original allotment would revert back to the
ones originally allotted the land during the year of jubilee. This undoubtedly
will occur when the kingdom comes, which will be the first millennial Sabbath,
so he would lose all right to the extra accumulation of land anyway. Thus, if
he gave up his extra wealth, he would be storing up for himself treasure in the
heavens for when the heavens do rule on earth in the next eon.
Now,
this conversation caught the attention of Jesus’ disciples.
Now, hearing it, the disciples were tremendously
astonished, saying, “Who, consequently, can be saved?” Now, looking at them,
Jesus said to them, “With men this is impossible, yet with God all is
possible.” Then, answering, Peter said to Him, “Lo! we leave all and follow
Thee. What, consequently, will it be to us?” Yet Jesus said to them, “Verily, I
am saying to you, that you who follow Me, in the renascence whenever the Son of Mankind should be seated on the
throne of His glory, you also shall sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve
tribes of
The
question was about being saved. To most believers today, the word saved is thought of only in terms of the
salvation of the unbeliever and “eternal life,” but being saved must be viewed
in light of the text. In this case, it referred to those who believed in God
and would enter the Messianic kingdom on earth, which meant receiving life
eonian in the coming eon.
The
phrase the renascence whenever the Son of
Mankind should be seated on the throne of His glory proves the point.
First, the title Son
of Mankind refers to when Christ comes to this earth to reign, which is
when He will sit upon His throne of glory (compare Matthew 16.28; 25.31).
Second, in most Bibles, the word regeneration is used rather than the word renascence, which means “again-becoming” or, according to Webster’s
dictionary, “to be born, a new birth, rebirth, revival.” Thus, according to
Jesus’ own words, when He comes and establishes His kingdom, there will be a
new birth. This lines up perfectly with the promise made through the Hebrew
prophets about receiving new hearts and new spirits. All who will be counted
worthy will receive life eonian. We see a further confirmation of this in the
similar verses as recorded in Mark and Luke.
Who should not be getting back a hundredfold now,
in this era, houses and brothers and sisters and mother and father and children
and fields, with persecutions, and in
the coming eon, life eonian.
(Mark 10.30 CV)
Who may not by all means be getting back manyfold
in this era, and in the coming eon, life
eonian. (Luke 18.30 CV)
A
similar conversation occurred between Jesus and a lawyer, with Jesus
essentially telling him the same thing.
And lo! a certain lawyer rose, putting Him on
trial, and saying, “Teacher, by doing what should I enjoy the allotment of life eonian?” Now He said to him, “What is written
in the law? How are you reading?” Now he, answering, said, “You shall be loving
the Lord your God out of your whole heart, and with your whole soul, and with
your whole strength, and with your whole comprehension, and ‘your associate as
yourself.’” Now He said to him, “Correctly have you answered. This be doing and
you shall be living.” Yet he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And
who is my associate?” (Luke 10.25-29 CV)
The
lawyer knew that entering the coming kingdom meant having an allotment of life
eonian. Again, Jesus referred the man to the law, particularly the need to love
one another. As a lawyer, the man was accustomed to defending people and rationalizing
behavior. In this case, he sought to defend or justify himself. Jesus saw
through this self-centeredness and spoke a parable to him about the good
Samaritan.
Thus
God loves the world.
Now,
let us look at one of the most quoted verses of Scripture.
Starting
at the beginning of John 3, we discover Nicodemus, a devout Pharisee, a ruler
or chief of the Jews, a man highly taught in the Hebrew Scriptures and, as
such, well-versed in the matter of the kingdom of God. In other words, Jesus
was not talking to a sinner, one that the Jews in that day called a dog or one whom many today call the lost. Nicodemus was a believer in
the God of Moses.
Nicodemus
approached Jesus and acknowledged that He must have come from God to be able to
teach or do signs as He did. Undoubtedly, to Nicodemus the signs and the
teaching all pointed to the coming of the kingdom. However, as learned as
Nicodemus was, he was actually quite ignorant on the matter of entering the
Messianic kingdom, that is, entering eonian life.
Other Jews had
approached Jesus to inquire what they had to do to enter the kingdom, and considering
what they saw Jesus doing and heard Him speak, it was a very appropriate
question. Unfortunately, the Jews often failed to understand what was necessary
to enter the kingdom. They looked at it as a matter of doing something. They
knew they had to follow the law, so in their minds, all they had to do was add
something to do, and they would be in the kingdom. After all, they had the sign
of circumcision. But in each case, Jesus’ answer canceled out any outward act
or work and pointed to the need for a changed heart and for faith, which was
The words spoken through
the Hebrew prophets should have been enough to make them realize that the flesh
profits nothing. “Circumcise yourselves to the LORD and remove the foreskins
of your heart” (Jeremiah 4.4 NASB). It was
and still is an issue of the heart.
Nicodemus
was no exception in this regard. Jesus knew what this chief of the Jews wanted,
and He put His finger on the pulse of the matter.
Jesus answered and said to him, “Verily, verily, I
am saying to you, If anyone should not
be begotten anew, he can not perceive the
For
the Jews to understand or perceive the kingdom required (still requires) a
rebirth or, as some translations put it, a new birth or a birth from above, and
all that believed the message of Jesus and the evangel that followed through
the apostles were born again. [4]
True
to his Jewish roots that were stuck in the physical realm, Nicodemus took this
to mean that he had to enter the womb again, to be born again. He missed the
spiritual truth that Jesus was putting forth, but he should have understood,
for this is what is required for those qualified to enter the kingdom.
Therefore, say to the house of
A
spiritual birth is required not only to perceive the kingdom but to enter it.
There is no other way! The water represents cleansing from sins, just as the
priest had to do in order to enter the holies of the holies. But the Lord
Jehovah is the one who cleanses and also gives a new heart and a new spirit. In
other words, no one can do this on his own; only the Lord Jehovah can and will do
it.
Nicodemus
thought he could enter the kingdom based on the flesh; that is, he thought that
merely being of the
Jesus
continued educating Nicodemus by revealing the way to receive eonian life or
life in the kingdom.
And no one has ascended into heaven except He Who
descends out of heaven, the Son of Mankind Who is in heaven. And, according as
Moses exalts the serpent in the wilderness, thus must the Son of Mankind be
exalted, that everyone believing on Him should not be perishing, but may be
having life eonian. (John 3.13-15 CV)
Again,
the Son of Mankind is one of Christ’s titles in relation to His kingdom in the
next eon. Jesus referenced an event that Nicodemus surely knew, and that was
when the afflicted Israelites in the wilderness were commanded to look at the
serpent on a stick that was held by Moses. If they looked off unto the bronze serpent
they lived; if they did not look they died. Consequently, Jesus was telling
Nicodemus that if he expected to live in the eon he had to look off unto the
Son of Mankind, who is the Way into
the kingdom. He had to believe on the Son to have eonian life in the coming
kingdom. It was not a matter of works but a matter of faith. The Jews that did
not believe that Jesus is the Son of Mankind were disqualified to enter into
the life of the eons or life eonian. In that day, they would perish without
this hope. Perish meant that they
would die and not be part of the first resurrection. It does not mean that they will be cast into a
fiery lake to be tormented forever and ever. The fate of those that perish will
be to appear before the great white throne and be cleansed in the spiritual
fire of God, for our God is also a
consuming fire (Hebrews 12.29 CV). They will
miss out on the joy of the eon to come, but eventually they will be reconciled
and receive immortality. [5]
Now,
it is within this context that Jesus spoke these oft-quoted words.
For thus God
loves the world, so that He gives His only-begotten Son, that everyone who
is believing in Him should not be perishing, but may be having life eonian. For God does not dispatch
His Son into the world that He should be judging the world, but that the world
may be saved through Him. (John 3.16-17 CV)
Notice
that it is God loves. It is not God loved, as if it is a love of the past. It is a love that never ends, and it
extends particularly to the eons of the eons. The world is a reference to the kosmos
or the orderly arrangement or system in which mankind lives. This is the same
world that the Hebrews epistle refers to as the impending inhabited earth or
the coming world (Hebrews 2.5). The Son was dispatched to this orderly arranged
system to save it, not to judge it, and this is exactly what the Son of Mankind
will do when He takes the scepter of the kingdom of this earth and rules with
an iron club.
In
the coming eon, the Son of Mankind will save the kosmos. An orderly arrangement does not mean that the system is
good or bad. A kosmos could be
systematized, and yet its core is evil. Who can disagree with the conclusion
that the orderly system in which we live today needs saving? Although it
appears civilized at times, and it has some semblance of order, it is corrupt
in its core. It is
John’s
writings contain many references to life eonian. Eonian life in the impending eon as recorded in his evangel is the
same as the renascence in the coming
eon as recorded in Matthew’s evangel. Those entering the next eon on earth will
enter either by way of the first or former resurrection (immortality and eonian
life), or by the fact that they are alive on earth when Christ comes (eonian
life).
John
was not alone in his understanding of eonian life, for eleven of the
forty-three references to eonian life or life eonian are attributed to Paul
(Acts 13.46, 48; Romans 2.7; 5.21; 6.22, 23; Galatians 6.8; 1 Timothy 1.16; 6.12;
Titus 1.2; 3.7).
Turning
to the nations.
Paul
is the apostle of the nations (gentiles), and the first indication of life
eonian for the nations is discovered as Paul and Barnabas reached a turning
point in their service as they turned to the nations.
Being bold, both Paul and Barnabas say, “To you
first was it necessary that the word of God be spoken. Yet, since, in fact, you
are thrusting it away, and are judging yourselves not worthy of eonian life,
lo! we are turning to the nations. For thus the Lord has directed us: I have
appointed Thee for a light of the nations; for Thee to be for salvation as far
as the limits of the earth.’” Now on hearing this, the nations rejoiced and
glorified the word of the Lord, and they believe, whoever were set for life eonian. (Acts 13.46-48 CV)
It
was at this time that the evangel entrusted to Paul began to go forth.
Salvation by grace through faith, justification by faith and reconciliation is
the evangel that leads to life eonian and immortality.
For even as, through the disobedience of the one
man, the many were constituted sinners, thus also, through the obedience of the
One, the many shall be constituted just. Yet law came in by the way, that the
offense should be increasing. Yet where sin increases, grace superexceeds,
that, even as Sin reigns in death, thus Grace also should be reigning through
righteousness, for life eonian,
through Jesus Christ, our Lord. (Romans 5.19-21 CV)
Yet, now, being freed from Sin, yet enslaved to
God, you have your fruit for holiness. Now the consummation is life eonian. For the ration of Sin is
death, yet the gracious gift of God is life
eonian, in Christ Jesus, our Lord. (Romans 6.22-23 CV)
These
verses are examples of ones in which eonian life and immortal life should be
viewed as one and the same.
The
key to eonian life is in Christ
Jesus, our Lord. Let us be ever mindful that Jesus declared that He is the Way. The only way into eonian life
in the oncoming eons is through
Christ and is not based on one’s bloodline. Christ is the Way into eonian life.
For those of us who believe in this present eon, it is His life that we receive,
and it is His life that will raise us up to meet Him. Let us never lose sight
of Christ who is our Life and our Expectation. By God’s grace, the conquering
saints from all eras will enter eonian life and receive immortality, and we pray this day will come soon. This
is in accord with the purpose of the eons.
[1] The King James incorrectly
translates the word aiōnion into
world in the following: Now to him that is of power to establish you
according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the
revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began [aiōnion]…. (Romans 16.25 KJV)
[2] Contextually, chastening eonian means that the kid nations will be chastened during the millennial kingdom. It does not mean that they will be tormented in the modern-day hell or annihilated altogether. They will be ruled over with a rod or club of iron for the purpose of restoration and to learn righteousness.
[3] Consider this fact: It is estimated that during
1999, the world population passed the 6 billion mark and during 2006 it passed
the 6.5 billion mark. At this rate, the world population is projected to reach
7 billion people during the spring of the year 2010.
[4] Peter, an apostle of the circumcision, also made
this point in his first epistle: For you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable (1
Peter 1.23 NASB).
[5] Many commentators state that all who appear before
the great white throne will suffer the second death; however, Scripture might
indicate otherwise. Consider the Pharisees that blasphemed the Holy Spirit.
Jesus declared that they would not be forgiven for this eon and the eon to
come, which means the present wicked eon and the Messianic eon, but does not
include the last eon or God’s day (see Matthew 12.31-32). Scripture also gives
a further indication that judgment that leads to death will be only for a
season (see Matthew 5.26; 18.34). Perhaps, those who miss out on life in the
next eon will receive life in the last eon. In John 10.27-28 (CV), Jesus spoke about His sheep hearing His voice: And I am giving them life eonian, and they should by no means be
perishing for the eon. In this case, the eon is the coming eon of Christ.
Notice that He did not state eons.