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Recently
a friend of mine brought an interesting, but unsettling idea to me. "An
age" he said, "Means a length of time with a start and a finish,
therefore, when the Bible speaks about the "age to come" it means that
it will have an end. Then what?"
Rather
than suggest what I thought might happen, I waited for his idea, which he was
bursting to tell me.
"When
the age after the second advent is finished, God will give the people who
rejected the gospel another chance!"
I
have come across this idea before, but in different guises.
There
are some well-meaning, kindly Christians who wishfully believe that God will
eventually bring all sinners into His kingdom. These dear folk cannot accept
that God could ever 'condemn a man to hell', and the thought of 'everlasting
punishment' is too much for their sensibilities.
So
they clutch at straws.
They
suggest that "everlasting" does not mean "for ever", or,
they say God is too kind and too loving to make someone suffer
eternally, or, they suggest that the glorified saints could never really enjoy
heaven when they knew their loved ones - the ones who 'missed out' - were in a
lake of fire, or some such torment.
From
the eastern religions we get similar thoughts. One religion has no hell
at all, but rather an endless upward climb to perfection and oneness with the
universe and all life (nirvana - Buddhism). Another eastern idea is based on
karma - a cycle of returning and gradual perfection (karma - Hinduism). Another
idea is based on reincarnation (ancient Egypt, Greece, Pythagoras, Plato,
Buddhist, Hindu, Jainism, Christian heretics such as the Cathars, and
theosophy).
Some
cults teach the transmigration of souls, while others believe in a
'spirit world' beyond the grave, where life continues on another plane.
So
my friend was in good company. His version of ultimate glory for all was based
on the idea that sinners (however recalcitrant, unrepentant, stubborn, wicked,
and rebellious) would all one day be shouting praise to God. Genghis Khan,
Hitler, and all the butchers of history now have a chance to share in the
eternal kingdom - surely a cause for great joy amongst the saints.
But
do the Scriptures actually support this idea?
W.E.Vine's
Expository Dictionary of New Testament words tells us that "age" (aion)
means "an era" or "a period of indefinite duration".
The force attached to this word is not so much that of actual duration, or
length, but of a general time which is marked by a certain
characteristic. We use the expression ourselves when we speak of 'the industrial
age' or the 'golden age'.
According
to Vine, the word "should not be rendered literally, but consistently with
its sense of indefinite duration. Thus 'eis ton aiona' does not mean
"unto the age" but "for ever".
The
adjective form 'aionios' means 'eternal'. It is set in contrast with 'proskairos'
which means 'for a season', as in 2Cor.4:18 - "While we look not at the
things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things
which are seen are temporal (temporary - proskairos); but the things which are
not seen are eternal.
So
what things are 'aionios' meaning eternal, never ending, or
everlasting?
God's
power : "Who only has immortality, dwelling in the light which no
man can approach unto; whom no man has seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power
everlasting." 1 Timothy 6:16
God's
glory : "But the God of all grace, who has called us to his eternal
glory by Christ Jesus, after that you have suffered a while, make you
perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you". 1 Peter 5:10
The
Holy Spirit : "How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through
the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your
conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" Hebrews 9:14
Redemption
: "Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he
entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption
for us". Hebrews 9:12
Salvation
: "And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation
to all them that obey him" Hebrews 5:9
Life
in Christ
: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life".
John 3:16
The
resurrection body : "For we know that if our earthly house of this
tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with
hands, eternal in the heavens". 2 Corinthians 5:1
The
future rule of Christ : "For so an entrance shall be ministered to
you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ". 2 Peter 1:11
The
kingdom of God : "And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for
ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end". Luke 1:33
The
judgement of God :
"Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of
resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgement". Hebrews 6:2
"Wherefore
if your hand or your foot offend you, cut them off, and cast them from you: it
is better for you to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two
hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire". Matthew 18:8
"Then
shall he say also to them on the left hand, Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting
fire, prepared for the devil and his angels" Matthew 25:41
"Even
as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving
themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for
an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire". Jude 1:7
From
the above verses, it is clear from the meaning of the word 'aionios' that there
is no limit to the length of time given for these things. Eternal life lasts as
long, in a manner of speaking, as the judgement of God. Redemption lasts as long
as the kingdom of God.
But
there is a certain illogicality about the idea that some things which are
called eternal are actually limited in duration. If we applied the idea to redemption,
we might wonder of God might have to make a further sacrifice to keep the
saints preserved, or perhaps the whole process of creation, sin and salvation
might need to be repeated for ever? Satan, after all, might repent and go back
to heaven, and then rebel again?
As
soon as we put a limit on the duration of "everlasting" or
"eternal" we begin to doubt what God means. Has God been playing a
linguistic joke on us for the last 2000 years? What other words has God been
using which do not mean what they seem to mean? Is the gospel reliable? Is the
Bible reliable? If we allow the word 'age' to mean something other than what the
context and Greek usage define it as, we may open the flood gates and let every
word change its meaning.
And
what do we make of the fact that through the last 2000 years many people have
studied the Word and yet almost none of them (except the Cathars, called
heretics by the Church) have discovered the 'true' meaning of the word 'age'?
The Reformers, for example, were giants in Bible Study, labouring with lexicons
and translations literally for years, learning, checking, compiling massive
works of exposition, yet none of them ever 'discovered' the hidden meaning of
the word 'age'. How could they have missed it?
Much
as I too would like to think that somewhere in the future, those who I have
witnessed to but who rejected the gospel, will one day be saved, I cannot find
sufficient support for this in the Bible.
One
good reason why it would not be there is because the whole work of the Church
would fall into the 'predestination' trap. Christians would say "Well,
so-and-so is dead against becoming a Christian, but one day, in the future ages,
God will win her over."
Or
we might decide to forget about preaching, because ultimately all will be
saved, so why bother people with awkward messages about hell and judgement? The
Church could avoid a lot of unpleasantness if it really believed that God has a
succession of ages, in which, ultimately, even the toughest customer will
finally buckle. In fact, there's hardly any point in being a Christian, because,
ultimately, all will be saved anyway. Might as well relax and enjoy life,
because God will win us all over eventually, whether we like it or not.
It
seems to me that this sort of thinking is very similar to the words spoken by
the great enemy of God . . .
"And the serpent said to the woman, You shall not surely die" Genesis 3:4