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Many of the false doctrines of today are based on mistranslations of the scriptures. The mistranslations often create obscurity, and deviate from their original meanings, creating much confusion as to what was really being said in the original language. One of these mistranslations is what we see in most English bibles of today rendered as "forever and ever", and also "eternal". Did it ever occur to you, how can you add "ever" to something that is already "forever"? Its nonsensical. And even though it can be said that it was perhaps trying to add emphasis to forever, when going into study of the original words, does it become obvious that it was not. The problem of "forever and ever" does not necessarily exist in other translated languages, as even the Spanish Reina Valera 1960, commonly used in most Spanish speaking countries renders the original words in closer meaning to the original words,
So what is "los siglos de los siglos" mean in Spanish? It means the "the centuries of the centuries". But even so, we know that the scriptures do not operate in periods of one hundred, but instead, operate in much longer periods of time, more accurately conveyed by the word "age", or preferably "eon", as the noun eon can be used as an adjective much easier than the noun age can in the English language, just as the original language interchangeably uses the same word in both noun and adjective forms in the Greek language. So what was the original word? It was the root word "aion", which is a noun indicating a long time with beginning and end, usually in the thousands of years. And this noun has a family of noun words in the Greek which vary depending on singular or plural and other circumstances in the context, which are mainly these other nouns, "aionas", "aioni", "aionon", "aionos", "aiosin", "aiona", "aionos". You can view the family of words here. The first scripture we will study is Luke 16:8, and you can see the interlinear of this scripture here, lets quote the verse,
This is the King James rendering of it. Notice how it translates it as "world". This is incorrect, as "world" has its own Greek word, which is "kosmos", as we see evident in this other scripture in John 1:10, and you can look at the interlinear for that verse here, lets quote that scripture,
Again, causing confusion. So how do we know that "aion" is dealing with time and not world? Lets look at these scriptures the first being Colossians 1:26 and you can look at the interlinear for that here,
This is the same King James Version, now rendering the same root word "aion", now correctly as "ages", since having translated it as "worlds" would not have made sense, since there has only been one world in existence since creation. So what should the Luke 16:8 verse have been translated as? Like this,
The word should've been translated as "eon", as it is more accurately translated in this version called the Apostolic Bible Polyglot. So what are some more usages of the word "aion" that make more sense with the beginning and ending of a set time, lets look,
See, now that we have a better understanding of the word "aion", does it start giving more clarity to these verses. We have an understanding that we are in an "eon" that is evil, and that this "eon" ends, and a new "eon" begins with a resurrection of those worthy to attain that next "eon" when this current one ends.
So now that we have concludes that the Greek word "aion" means a specific time with beginning and end, what about its adjective form? The adjective form of "aion" is "aionion", which in English would be "eonian". This is why using the word eon is better than age, because trying to age as an adjective is difficult, "age life", "age punishment", makes no sense in English, however, if you use the root word eon as an adjective, then you can properly render it as "eonian life", and "eonian punishment", which makes more sense in English. So if eon is a very long time with beginning and end, then what is eonian? Eonian is an adjective that describes whatever it is describing as lasting a very long time. Can it describe something that is endless? Yes, and I will demonstrate examples where it does. Can it also describe something that ends? Yes, and I will demonstrate examples where it does there as well. Lets study first where it describes things that end. There is a Hebrew word equivalent to "eonian", and it is "olam", and its definition and usages can be seen in this interlinear here. "olam" is also rendered as "eternal" from the Hebrew scriptures just as they are from the Greek scriptures, and lets look at this first example,
Are any hills everlasting? No, we even see in the new heaven and new earth that the earth will be made new, so how could these hills then be said to be everlasting? However, can they be very ancient hills or hills that last a very long time? Yes. Hence they can be said to be "eonion hills", meaning hills that last a long time or have existed a long time. Lets look at another scripture,
Was this ordinance to observe the feast of unleavened bread in fact an ordinance that must be followed forever? No, it was observed for a long time until Jesus brought forth the new covenant, as even Paul says,
So that ordinance was in fact an eonion ordinance. An ordinance to be followed for a very long time, and it that case until the coming forth of the new covenant under Jesus Christ. So what we see here is the same conveyance of "eonian", that although it pertains to something that lasts a very long time, it can pertain to something that ends. Lets look at examples where eonian pertains to something that doesn't end,
So this should have been translated as eonion kingdom. So what does eonian kingdom convey? That it is a kingdom that lasts a very long time, in fact, it never ends, as we know in this other scripture,
So we know that this kingdom does not end because this scripture says it does not, not because eonian means endless, as we showed in those other scriptures that eonian things can also end. So in this sense, eonian speaks of something that does not end, but it itself does not define the thing that it describes as endless. Eonian describes something as lasting a very long time, so then we must look at other scriptures to try to determine how long it will last. In this case, it never ends, because we have another scripture telling us how long it lasts, so although "eternal" could be used to describe this kingdom, its not what the original word means, because eonian things can end. So if we render the word "eternal" here, then we are forced to render it in other passages where it may not be referring to things that do not end.
So lets move on to one of the big question, what then is eonion life? Eonian life is a life that lasts a very long time. But does it end? No. How do we know this? Because of these scriptures,
So even though eonion life does not in itself mean endless life because of the mean of eonion, we know that this eonian life does not end because of these other verses that indicate that death will be no more and that we will put on immortality. So these other verses are defining how long this eonian life is, it is endless. So in this case, it could also be accurate to call it "eternal life", but again, if you render that original word as "eternal", then you are forced to use it in other areas where it may not be referring to endless things, creating confusion.
So what then is the eonian fire men will be thrown into that is also commonly called as Hell? Lets look at a scripture mentioning this fire,
So here we have one verse saying that it is an "eonion fire", then in the other that this place is also called Gehenna, that it is a place where the worm does not come to and end, and that the fire is not extinguished. At first glance, it seems that this eonion fire will never end, but lets study more deeply to uncover the truth on the matter. That last verse in Mark where the worm does not die and fire is not quenched is actually an old prophecy in Isaiah, lets take a look,
The fire Jesus was referring to is the same fire this passage also speaks of. And what is the biggest thing to note about this passage? It says the "carcasses of men" will be visible that are thrown into this fire. Did you catch that? Carcasses. You can only have a carcass if you die. So in fact, those who are tossed into this fire of Gehenna, otherwise called Hell, are in fact killed by this fire. And what else can be noted about this fire? That it will be a sight to all flesh. Meaning this fire will exist on the earth and it will be seen by everyone living on the earth, hence "flesh". Do we have any other evidence of this? Yes, lets look,
So if the wicked become as ash, and those that are kept alive will be able to walk over their ashes under their feet after they are consumed, it stands to reason that this fire will be a place on the earth. So this fire exist yet on the earth? No. Notice that even this scripture says it is "prepared". Meaning it will come forth when it is time for it to come forth. But then what does "their worm shall not come to an end mean"? It certainly does not mean immortal worms as most ignorantly believe it to mean. It means that there will not be an end to worms in this place. Why? Because this is an eonian place. Meaning a place that will exist for a very long time. Hence why it is also said to be the place where the "fire is not extinguished". What this means is that it will not be like any other fire that merely burns and extinguishes once it consumes whatever it is burning. This will in fact be a lake of fire that will continue burning for a very long time, hence "fire that will not be extinguished". How long will this fire burn for then? It will burn for around a thousand years, which is indeed a very long time, hence eionan fire. Here we see the evidence of how long it burns,
So this event we know happens after the second coming of Jesus Christ, because it is he who causes them to be thrown into this fire when he wages war against them, as we see evident in this verse that precedes that,
So this eonian fire burns from the time of the second coming to the time of the final judgment. As we see evident in this scripture,
Here again, at the final judgment, the lake of fire still exists. And what occurs between the time of the second coming to the time of the final judgment? The thousand year reign of Christ and the saints,
So this is why it is called an eonian fire and the "fire that is not extinguished", because it is a fire that burns for around a thousand years. Going further, do we see other evidences that this fire destroys its subjects? Yes, in something Jesus said,
What this scripture is saying is, don't be afraid of someone who can just kill the body, but rather, be afraid of God who can kill the body and soul in Gehenna. And it doesn't just say kill, it says "destroy". Meaning completely eradicate. Who else will be eradicated and destroyed in this fire? Angels and demons. How do we know they will be eradicated as well? Lets look at this passage,
This scripture is talking about Satan, as it describes this being as being in Eden and as having been tossed upon the earth, as we even read here,
So what does the prophecy in Ezekiel say concerning the fate of Satan? That the fire will devour Satan and that he will no longer exist. Yes, that same fire of Gehenna that will devour those that are tossed into it. So the fate of eradication also applies to Satan.
So, this eonian fire consumes its subjects and is itself also called the eonian punishment,
So why is it an eonian punishment? Because it results in endless death, just as eonian life results in endless life. Those that are tossed into this fire are never brought back to life, they are obliterated. The final resurrection occurs at the very end of the eon, and even death and hades are destroyed in this fire, so therefore it stands to reason if no more resurrections occur ever, and that death and hades are also destroyed, that this destruction is indeed endless. So even in this scripture, can "eternal" punishment and "eternal" life be used, but as I said earlier, doing so would force you to render the usage of the word in other areas where it may not be endless. Lets look at these scriptures pertaining to the final destruction of death and hades,
So, are death and hades completely eradicated in this fire as well? Absolutely. Because in further reading, we read that death is no more. But will this fire end? Yes, it will become a former thing in the new heaven and new earth, as it has suited its purpose in the complete destruction of all the wicked and even in the destruction of death and hades. Here we read,
These things will in fact no longer exist at all in the new heaven and new earth. And Isaiah also affirms the same thing,
If indeed this fire existed endlessly, wouldn't it stand to reason that those seeing it on the new heaven and earth would then call to memory what happened in it? Or if even the wicked kept burning on endlessly wouldn't it then also violate this scripture since then it would indicate that there is still suffering? So no, the eonian fire will also become a former thing. Lets look at another scripture that is known to also cause much confusion on the matter,
The first thing to note is that those thrown into this fire are indeed tormented. Have you ever considered dying being burned alive? It is extremely painful. I know because I've burned myself with something hot, and even that was extremely painful. So imagine being burned alive with fire. Its terrifying. So the eonian fire, although it does consume its subjects, does also inflict excruciating pain and torment. Next, notice how the verse then says "day and night". This indicates a gradual tossing of the wicked into the fire, not a tossing of all the wicked at once. Each is tossed into it as each is judged, hence "day and night" the wicked are tormented as they are tossed into it for the time it will take to judge all of them. Do we see other examples of "day and night"? Yes.
In this scriptures its not referring to and endless action, but rather, something that happened continually for as long as it happened. The same with the "day and night" time of torment, the wicked will be each gradually tossed into the fire as each is first judged, then punished, to be tormented and consumed by it. So if for example, one hundred men were appointed to be tossed into the fire, and ten were thrown into it each day for ten days as each was judged, here we would have a "day and night" continuance until the ten days of the consummation of all the one hundred was complete. So who does the judging? Those that are raised in Jesus Christ and partake in the first resurrection, as it is said,
And in what manner are all those that are tossed in the fire judged? Each according to works,
So it could very well indicate that each may be tormented differently or "varying time of torment" before they are consumed by the fire. The other thing to note is that scripture also mentions the "eons of the eons". What are the eons of the eons? The eons of eons refers to the commencement of the eons of the new heaven and new earth, that are "the great eons of the eons". Why are they great? Because they are the eons where only righteousness will dwell,
So in fact, the torment that is carried through "day and night" until the complete consummation of the wicked, will carry through until the eons of the eons, meaning the commencement of the new heaven and new earth. And in the new heaven and new earth it is said that there will be no night,
So therefore, if the tossing of the wicked into the fire carries through "day and night" for however long it carries through, it stands to reason that it will end because all the wicked will finally be destroyed, and that there is also no night in the new heaven and new earth, therefore the "day and night" continuance will also stop by mere virtue of there being no night in the new heaven and new earth.
So we've identified the eons of the eons referring to the new heaven and new earth, but it is itself not the next eon to come after the current one we are in. Here are a few verses describing the end of this eon,
This is what will happen shortly after the coming of Jesus Christ. That the wicked will be gathered by angels to then be thrown into this great fire. But even before this other things will occur, here the disciples ask,
So Jesus answered,
So at his second coming, he will again send angels, but this time to gather the elect as opposed to the other time where he sends angels to gather the wicked. Do we see an affirmation related to the gathering of the elect in other scriptures? Yes,
Those that are alive, will be changed into immortal bodies in an instant, and those that are dead in Christ, will be raised from the dead, and all will be collected by angels to meet the Lord in the air as he descends upon the clouds. Will this powerful second coming and this great collection of the elect be evident to the people of the earth? Yes.
Jesus is said to come upon the clouds, and that he will be visible to all men, and event the elect that have been gathered by angels will be behind him and will also be visible, even this scripture affirms the same,
So at the end of this eon, the dead in Jesus Christ are raised into immortal bodies, those that are alive in him are changed into immortal bodies in an instant, and then these two groups of believers are gathered together by angels and taken to the meet the Lord in the air, and also comes the outpouring of the wrath of Jesus upon the earth, as he also brings war upon nations and begins to take control and possession of the earth. These are things concerning the conclusion of this eon. So what happens in the new eon about to be? The eon pertaining to the 1,000 years reign of Jesus Christ. Lets start off with an old prophecy in the Psalms concerning it,
Notice first how the kings of the earth are gathered against the "annointed one". This is talking about the great battle to come at the coming of Jesus Christ that we find in Revelation,
So at his second coming, the dead are raised and they are collected by angels to meet the Lord in the air, and also in this same time frame are the kings of the earth and their militaries gathered together to war against Jesus. So what happens next?
The nation that the vision of the "beast of the sea" points to, and the nation that the "false prophet" points will both be destroyed and tossed in the great fire of gehenna. And the militaries of these two beasts are said to be destroyed by the "broadsword", which is by the very words of the Lord that they will die. The death of these militaries and kings are then said to be the great supper of God, because the birds of the air will feast on the dead bodies of kings and military men,
So after these things occur in this new eon that starts, what happens next? The thousand year reign of the saints with Jesus Christ on there earth. There are many who believe that the saints will ascend into heaven, but this is not so. They will remain on the earth to govern the earth with Jesus Christ, as powerful and immortal beings. Lets read a couple verses indicating this,
The rulership will be on the earth, because even in further reading, when Satan is let loose to deceive the nations again, we read this,
The nations that exist then will encircle the saints that have been ruling on the earth for that thousand year reign. It is an earthly rulership and a kingdom that will exist on the earth that will be inhabited by the saints and by Jesus Christ. This goes along with other prophecies concerning the this rulership on the earth. In fact, the true promised land and inheritance of the people of God is the earth,
Finally, based on all these scriptures we can conclude the following things,
May God bless you and open your understanding. You can also view this teaching on my blog http://www.wisdomofgod.co/2015/12/1...translations-of-eternal-and-forever-and-ever/ .
So what is "los siglos de los siglos" mean in Spanish? It means the "the centuries of the centuries". But even so, we know that the scriptures do not operate in periods of one hundred, but instead, operate in much longer periods of time, more accurately conveyed by the word "age", or preferably "eon", as the noun eon can be used as an adjective much easier than the noun age can in the English language, just as the original language interchangeably uses the same word in both noun and adjective forms in the Greek language. So what was the original word? It was the root word "aion", which is a noun indicating a long time with beginning and end, usually in the thousands of years. And this noun has a family of noun words in the Greek which vary depending on singular or plural and other circumstances in the context, which are mainly these other nouns, "aionas", "aioni", "aionon", "aionos", "aiosin", "aiona", "aionos". You can view the family of words here. The first scripture we will study is Luke 16:8, and you can see the interlinear of this scripture here, lets quote the verse,
This is the King James rendering of it. Notice how it translates it as "world". This is incorrect, as "world" has its own Greek word, which is "kosmos", as we see evident in this other scripture in John 1:10, and you can look at the interlinear for that verse here, lets quote that scripture,
Again, causing confusion. So how do we know that "aion" is dealing with time and not world? Lets look at these scriptures the first being Colossians 1:26 and you can look at the interlinear for that here,
This is the same King James Version, now rendering the same root word "aion", now correctly as "ages", since having translated it as "worlds" would not have made sense, since there has only been one world in existence since creation. So what should the Luke 16:8 verse have been translated as? Like this,
The word should've been translated as "eon", as it is more accurately translated in this version called the Apostolic Bible Polyglot. So what are some more usages of the word "aion" that make more sense with the beginning and ending of a set time, lets look,
See, now that we have a better understanding of the word "aion", does it start giving more clarity to these verses. We have an understanding that we are in an "eon" that is evil, and that this "eon" ends, and a new "eon" begins with a resurrection of those worthy to attain that next "eon" when this current one ends.
So now that we have concludes that the Greek word "aion" means a specific time with beginning and end, what about its adjective form? The adjective form of "aion" is "aionion", which in English would be "eonian". This is why using the word eon is better than age, because trying to age as an adjective is difficult, "age life", "age punishment", makes no sense in English, however, if you use the root word eon as an adjective, then you can properly render it as "eonian life", and "eonian punishment", which makes more sense in English. So if eon is a very long time with beginning and end, then what is eonian? Eonian is an adjective that describes whatever it is describing as lasting a very long time. Can it describe something that is endless? Yes, and I will demonstrate examples where it does. Can it also describe something that ends? Yes, and I will demonstrate examples where it does there as well. Lets study first where it describes things that end. There is a Hebrew word equivalent to "eonian", and it is "olam", and its definition and usages can be seen in this interlinear here. "olam" is also rendered as "eternal" from the Hebrew scriptures just as they are from the Greek scriptures, and lets look at this first example,
Are any hills everlasting? No, we even see in the new heaven and new earth that the earth will be made new, so how could these hills then be said to be everlasting? However, can they be very ancient hills or hills that last a very long time? Yes. Hence they can be said to be "eonion hills", meaning hills that last a long time or have existed a long time. Lets look at another scripture,
Was this ordinance to observe the feast of unleavened bread in fact an ordinance that must be followed forever? No, it was observed for a long time until Jesus brought forth the new covenant, as even Paul says,
So that ordinance was in fact an eonion ordinance. An ordinance to be followed for a very long time, and it that case until the coming forth of the new covenant under Jesus Christ. So what we see here is the same conveyance of "eonian", that although it pertains to something that lasts a very long time, it can pertain to something that ends. Lets look at examples where eonian pertains to something that doesn't end,
So this should have been translated as eonion kingdom. So what does eonian kingdom convey? That it is a kingdom that lasts a very long time, in fact, it never ends, as we know in this other scripture,
So we know that this kingdom does not end because this scripture says it does not, not because eonian means endless, as we showed in those other scriptures that eonian things can also end. So in this sense, eonian speaks of something that does not end, but it itself does not define the thing that it describes as endless. Eonian describes something as lasting a very long time, so then we must look at other scriptures to try to determine how long it will last. In this case, it never ends, because we have another scripture telling us how long it lasts, so although "eternal" could be used to describe this kingdom, its not what the original word means, because eonian things can end. So if we render the word "eternal" here, then we are forced to render it in other passages where it may not be referring to things that do not end.
So lets move on to one of the big question, what then is eonion life? Eonian life is a life that lasts a very long time. But does it end? No. How do we know this? Because of these scriptures,
So even though eonion life does not in itself mean endless life because of the mean of eonion, we know that this eonian life does not end because of these other verses that indicate that death will be no more and that we will put on immortality. So these other verses are defining how long this eonian life is, it is endless. So in this case, it could also be accurate to call it "eternal life", but again, if you render that original word as "eternal", then you are forced to use it in other areas where it may not be referring to endless things, creating confusion.
So what then is the eonian fire men will be thrown into that is also commonly called as Hell? Lets look at a scripture mentioning this fire,
So here we have one verse saying that it is an "eonion fire", then in the other that this place is also called Gehenna, that it is a place where the worm does not come to and end, and that the fire is not extinguished. At first glance, it seems that this eonion fire will never end, but lets study more deeply to uncover the truth on the matter. That last verse in Mark where the worm does not die and fire is not quenched is actually an old prophecy in Isaiah, lets take a look,
The fire Jesus was referring to is the same fire this passage also speaks of. And what is the biggest thing to note about this passage? It says the "carcasses of men" will be visible that are thrown into this fire. Did you catch that? Carcasses. You can only have a carcass if you die. So in fact, those who are tossed into this fire of Gehenna, otherwise called Hell, are in fact killed by this fire. And what else can be noted about this fire? That it will be a sight to all flesh. Meaning this fire will exist on the earth and it will be seen by everyone living on the earth, hence "flesh". Do we have any other evidence of this? Yes, lets look,
So if the wicked become as ash, and those that are kept alive will be able to walk over their ashes under their feet after they are consumed, it stands to reason that this fire will be a place on the earth. So this fire exist yet on the earth? No. Notice that even this scripture says it is "prepared". Meaning it will come forth when it is time for it to come forth. But then what does "their worm shall not come to an end mean"? It certainly does not mean immortal worms as most ignorantly believe it to mean. It means that there will not be an end to worms in this place. Why? Because this is an eonian place. Meaning a place that will exist for a very long time. Hence why it is also said to be the place where the "fire is not extinguished". What this means is that it will not be like any other fire that merely burns and extinguishes once it consumes whatever it is burning. This will in fact be a lake of fire that will continue burning for a very long time, hence "fire that will not be extinguished". How long will this fire burn for then? It will burn for around a thousand years, which is indeed a very long time, hence eionan fire. Here we see the evidence of how long it burns,
So this event we know happens after the second coming of Jesus Christ, because it is he who causes them to be thrown into this fire when he wages war against them, as we see evident in this verse that precedes that,
So this eonian fire burns from the time of the second coming to the time of the final judgment. As we see evident in this scripture,
Here again, at the final judgment, the lake of fire still exists. And what occurs between the time of the second coming to the time of the final judgment? The thousand year reign of Christ and the saints,
So this is why it is called an eonian fire and the "fire that is not extinguished", because it is a fire that burns for around a thousand years. Going further, do we see other evidences that this fire destroys its subjects? Yes, in something Jesus said,
What this scripture is saying is, don't be afraid of someone who can just kill the body, but rather, be afraid of God who can kill the body and soul in Gehenna. And it doesn't just say kill, it says "destroy". Meaning completely eradicate. Who else will be eradicated and destroyed in this fire? Angels and demons. How do we know they will be eradicated as well? Lets look at this passage,
This scripture is talking about Satan, as it describes this being as being in Eden and as having been tossed upon the earth, as we even read here,
So what does the prophecy in Ezekiel say concerning the fate of Satan? That the fire will devour Satan and that he will no longer exist. Yes, that same fire of Gehenna that will devour those that are tossed into it. So the fate of eradication also applies to Satan.
So, this eonian fire consumes its subjects and is itself also called the eonian punishment,
So why is it an eonian punishment? Because it results in endless death, just as eonian life results in endless life. Those that are tossed into this fire are never brought back to life, they are obliterated. The final resurrection occurs at the very end of the eon, and even death and hades are destroyed in this fire, so therefore it stands to reason if no more resurrections occur ever, and that death and hades are also destroyed, that this destruction is indeed endless. So even in this scripture, can "eternal" punishment and "eternal" life be used, but as I said earlier, doing so would force you to render the usage of the word in other areas where it may not be endless. Lets look at these scriptures pertaining to the final destruction of death and hades,
So, are death and hades completely eradicated in this fire as well? Absolutely. Because in further reading, we read that death is no more. But will this fire end? Yes, it will become a former thing in the new heaven and new earth, as it has suited its purpose in the complete destruction of all the wicked and even in the destruction of death and hades. Here we read,
These things will in fact no longer exist at all in the new heaven and new earth. And Isaiah also affirms the same thing,
If indeed this fire existed endlessly, wouldn't it stand to reason that those seeing it on the new heaven and earth would then call to memory what happened in it? Or if even the wicked kept burning on endlessly wouldn't it then also violate this scripture since then it would indicate that there is still suffering? So no, the eonian fire will also become a former thing. Lets look at another scripture that is known to also cause much confusion on the matter,
The first thing to note is that those thrown into this fire are indeed tormented. Have you ever considered dying being burned alive? It is extremely painful. I know because I've burned myself with something hot, and even that was extremely painful. So imagine being burned alive with fire. Its terrifying. So the eonian fire, although it does consume its subjects, does also inflict excruciating pain and torment. Next, notice how the verse then says "day and night". This indicates a gradual tossing of the wicked into the fire, not a tossing of all the wicked at once. Each is tossed into it as each is judged, hence "day and night" the wicked are tormented as they are tossed into it for the time it will take to judge all of them. Do we see other examples of "day and night"? Yes.
In this scriptures its not referring to and endless action, but rather, something that happened continually for as long as it happened. The same with the "day and night" time of torment, the wicked will be each gradually tossed into the fire as each is first judged, then punished, to be tormented and consumed by it. So if for example, one hundred men were appointed to be tossed into the fire, and ten were thrown into it each day for ten days as each was judged, here we would have a "day and night" continuance until the ten days of the consummation of all the one hundred was complete. So who does the judging? Those that are raised in Jesus Christ and partake in the first resurrection, as it is said,
And in what manner are all those that are tossed in the fire judged? Each according to works,
So it could very well indicate that each may be tormented differently or "varying time of torment" before they are consumed by the fire. The other thing to note is that scripture also mentions the "eons of the eons". What are the eons of the eons? The eons of eons refers to the commencement of the eons of the new heaven and new earth, that are "the great eons of the eons". Why are they great? Because they are the eons where only righteousness will dwell,
So in fact, the torment that is carried through "day and night" until the complete consummation of the wicked, will carry through until the eons of the eons, meaning the commencement of the new heaven and new earth. And in the new heaven and new earth it is said that there will be no night,
So therefore, if the tossing of the wicked into the fire carries through "day and night" for however long it carries through, it stands to reason that it will end because all the wicked will finally be destroyed, and that there is also no night in the new heaven and new earth, therefore the "day and night" continuance will also stop by mere virtue of there being no night in the new heaven and new earth.
So we've identified the eons of the eons referring to the new heaven and new earth, but it is itself not the next eon to come after the current one we are in. Here are a few verses describing the end of this eon,
This is what will happen shortly after the coming of Jesus Christ. That the wicked will be gathered by angels to then be thrown into this great fire. But even before this other things will occur, here the disciples ask,
So Jesus answered,
So at his second coming, he will again send angels, but this time to gather the elect as opposed to the other time where he sends angels to gather the wicked. Do we see an affirmation related to the gathering of the elect in other scriptures? Yes,
Those that are alive, will be changed into immortal bodies in an instant, and those that are dead in Christ, will be raised from the dead, and all will be collected by angels to meet the Lord in the air as he descends upon the clouds. Will this powerful second coming and this great collection of the elect be evident to the people of the earth? Yes.
Jesus is said to come upon the clouds, and that he will be visible to all men, and event the elect that have been gathered by angels will be behind him and will also be visible, even this scripture affirms the same,
So at the end of this eon, the dead in Jesus Christ are raised into immortal bodies, those that are alive in him are changed into immortal bodies in an instant, and then these two groups of believers are gathered together by angels and taken to the meet the Lord in the air, and also comes the outpouring of the wrath of Jesus upon the earth, as he also brings war upon nations and begins to take control and possession of the earth. These are things concerning the conclusion of this eon. So what happens in the new eon about to be? The eon pertaining to the 1,000 years reign of Jesus Christ. Lets start off with an old prophecy in the Psalms concerning it,
Notice first how the kings of the earth are gathered against the "annointed one". This is talking about the great battle to come at the coming of Jesus Christ that we find in Revelation,
So at his second coming, the dead are raised and they are collected by angels to meet the Lord in the air, and also in this same time frame are the kings of the earth and their militaries gathered together to war against Jesus. So what happens next?
The nation that the vision of the "beast of the sea" points to, and the nation that the "false prophet" points will both be destroyed and tossed in the great fire of gehenna. And the militaries of these two beasts are said to be destroyed by the "broadsword", which is by the very words of the Lord that they will die. The death of these militaries and kings are then said to be the great supper of God, because the birds of the air will feast on the dead bodies of kings and military men,
So after these things occur in this new eon that starts, what happens next? The thousand year reign of the saints with Jesus Christ on there earth. There are many who believe that the saints will ascend into heaven, but this is not so. They will remain on the earth to govern the earth with Jesus Christ, as powerful and immortal beings. Lets read a couple verses indicating this,
The rulership will be on the earth, because even in further reading, when Satan is let loose to deceive the nations again, we read this,
The nations that exist then will encircle the saints that have been ruling on the earth for that thousand year reign. It is an earthly rulership and a kingdom that will exist on the earth that will be inhabited by the saints and by Jesus Christ. This goes along with other prophecies concerning the this rulership on the earth. In fact, the true promised land and inheritance of the people of God is the earth,
Finally, based on all these scriptures we can conclude the following things,
- that Jesus Christ comes again and will descend on the clouds with great glory and will be seen by all men,
- the first resurrection of the dead occurs and those that are in him are raised and changed into immortal and glorious bodies,
- and those that are alive in him are changed in an instant into immortal and glorious bodies,
- and both of these are gathered together by angels and taken to meet the Lord in the air as he descends upon the clouds,
- the Lord will then wage war against the the nations coming against him, which includes the beast and the false prophet nations, and will take possession and control of the earth,
- some will be thrown into the lake of fire and others will die by the "broadsword" of the Lord, which is by his very words will they be killed,
- the wicked will be continued to be gathered by angels from the ends of the earth to be judged by the saints, and also thrown into this lake of fire, and very few will be left alive,
- satan will be bound around this time,
- the saints and Jesus Christ will continue to rule and govern the earth for one thousand years,
- satan will then be set free and will deceive nations again,
- the nations that have been deceived will come against the saints and Jesus Christ, but they will be destroyed by a fire that comes down from heaven,
- the final judgment happens with the last resurrection where the rest of the dead come to life,
- each will be judged according to works, and those not written in the book of life are tossed into the fire,
- satan, his angels, and his demons will also be destroyed in this fire,
- all the wicked are finally judged and destroyed and every knee would have bowed to Jesus,
- death and hades are also destroyed in this fire,
- then begins the new heaven and new earth.
May God bless you and open your understanding. You can also view this teaching on my blog http://www.wisdomofgod.co/2015/12/1...translations-of-eternal-and-forever-and-ever/ .
