The passages that will be examined are : 2 Corinthians 4:18 ; 1 John 1:2 ; 5:11,20 ; Romans 16:26 ; Philemon 1:15 ; 1 Timothy 6:16 ; Hebrews 9:15 ; 2 Corinthians 5:1 ; and 2 Peter 1:11
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2 Corinthians 4:18 : “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary (proskaira), but what is unseen is eternal (aiōnion).”
Proskaira means something that is temporary or that lasts for a season and will end. Paul can’t be contrasting temporary with temporary or something that has an end with something that also has an end. The contrast is with something that’ll end (proskaira), with something that never has an end (aiōnion) and the word he chose for that is aiōnion.
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1 John 1:2 ; 5:11,20 :
“the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal (aiōnion) life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—
“And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal (aiōnion) life, and this life is in his Son.”
“and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal (aiōnion) life.”
Aiónion here cannot mean anything other than eternal since Jesus Christ is identified as Eternal Life. Also Jesus is God and the life he gives is in him. Since Jesus is God he is uncreated and is eternal by his very nature. Therefore, cannot be temporary or have an end as Universalists claim that aiōnion has an end. If aiōnion has an end than so does Jesus Christ which would make him not God.
Is the life that was with the Father in the beginning age long? Is Jesus just a temporary being?
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Romans 16:26 : “but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal (aiōnion) God, to bring about the obedience of faith—”
Well clearly God is eternal. He doesn’t have an end, if he did then he wouldn’t be God. God is the first and the last, the beginning and the end, the creator of all things. Aiōnion here cannot mean anything else except eternal. However, we can demonstrate that aiónion does indeed mean eternal simply by looking at other verses that show that God can’t be temporary or not endure forever.
Romans 1:23 : “and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.”
1 Timothy 6:16 : “who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.”
So aiónion is translated correctly as eternal.
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2 Peter 1:11 : “For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal (aiōnion) kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
Aiónion here is translated correctly as confirmed by other passages that Jesus’ kingdom is eternal :
Luke 1:33 : “and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
Daniel 7:14 : “And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.”
If Jesus’ kingdom has no end and cannot be destroyed or pass away than it is eternal.
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1 Timothy 6:16 : “who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal (aiōnion) dominion. Amen.”
We know that aiōnion is translated correctly as eternal based on other passages like :
Daniel 7:14 : “And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.
Daniel 6:26 : “I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God, enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end.”
If God’s dominion never comes to an end then that means it lasts forever and is eternal just like 1 Timothy 6:16 states and is correctly translated.
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Hebrews 9:15 : “Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal (aiōnion) inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.
We know that aiōnion is correctly translated as eternal because :
1 Peter 1:3-4 : “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you”
If the inheritance that is reserved for believers is unfading and imperishable then it is eternal just like Hebrews 9:15 says and is correctly translated.
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Philemon 1:14-15 : “but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord.For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever (aiōnion)”
a while = hōran which means a temporary amount of time.
Do you think that Paul meant to tell Philemon that he was away from him for a temporary amount of time so that he might have him back for a temporary amount of time? No, the contrast is on the temporary to eternal. They will be with each other as brothers forever from this life and into the next.
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2 Corinthians 5:1 : “For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal (aiōnion) in the heavens.”
Our earthly home is destroyed which means that it is temporary and won’t last forever. But in the heavens is the building from God also temporary or is it eternal? Is Paul contrasting the temporal with the temporal or the temporal with the eternal? It is clear that Paul is saying while our earthly home is destroyed the one that is made by God won’t be destroyed but it will be eternal.
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2 Corinthians 4:18 : “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary (proskaira), but what is unseen is eternal (aiōnion).”
Proskaira means something that is temporary or that lasts for a season and will end. Paul can’t be contrasting temporary with temporary or something that has an end with something that also has an end. The contrast is with something that’ll end (proskaira), with something that never has an end (aiōnion) and the word he chose for that is aiōnion.__________________________________________________________________________
1 John 1:2 ; 5:11,20 :
“the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal (aiōnion) life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—
“And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal (aiōnion) life, and this life is in his Son.”
“and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal (aiōnion) life.”
Aiónion here cannot mean anything other than eternal since Jesus Christ is identified as Eternal Life. Also Jesus is God and the life he gives is in him. Since Jesus is God he is uncreated and is eternal by his very nature. Therefore, cannot be temporary or have an end as Universalists claim that aiōnion has an end. If aiōnion has an end than so does Jesus Christ which would make him not God.Is the life that was with the Father in the beginning age long? Is Jesus just a temporary being?
__________________________________________________________________________
Romans 16:26 : “but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal (aiōnion) God, to bring about the obedience of faith—”
Well clearly God is eternal. He doesn’t have an end, if he did then he wouldn’t be God. God is the first and the last, the beginning and the end, the creator of all things. Aiōnion here cannot mean anything else except eternal. However, we can demonstrate that aiónion does indeed mean eternal simply by looking at other verses that show that God can’t be temporary or not endure forever.Romans 1:23 : “and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.”
1 Timothy 6:16 : “who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.”
So aiónion is translated correctly as eternal.
__________________________________________________________________________
2 Peter 1:11 : “For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal (aiōnion) kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
Aiónion here is translated correctly as confirmed by other passages that Jesus’ kingdom is eternal :Luke 1:33 : “and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
Daniel 7:14 : “And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.”
If Jesus’ kingdom has no end and cannot be destroyed or pass away than it is eternal.
__________________________________________________________________________
1 Timothy 6:16 : “who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal (aiōnion) dominion. Amen.”
We know that aiōnion is translated correctly as eternal based on other passages like :Daniel 7:14 : “And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.
Daniel 6:26 : “I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God, enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end.”
If God’s dominion never comes to an end then that means it lasts forever and is eternal just like 1 Timothy 6:16 states and is correctly translated.
__________________________________________________________________________
Hebrews 9:15 : “Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal (aiōnion) inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.
We know that aiōnion is correctly translated as eternal because :1 Peter 1:3-4 : “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you”
If the inheritance that is reserved for believers is unfading and imperishable then it is eternal just like Hebrews 9:15 says and is correctly translated.
__________________________________________________________________________
Philemon 1:14-15 : “but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord.For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever (aiōnion)”
a while = hōran which means a temporary amount of time.Do you think that Paul meant to tell Philemon that he was away from him for a temporary amount of time so that he might have him back for a temporary amount of time? No, the contrast is on the temporary to eternal. They will be with each other as brothers forever from this life and into the next.
__________________________________________________________________________
2 Corinthians 5:1 : “For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal (aiōnion) in the heavens.”
Our earthly home is destroyed which means that it is temporary and won’t last forever. But in the heavens is the building from God also temporary or is it eternal? Is Paul contrasting the temporal with the temporal or the temporal with the eternal? It is clear that Paul is saying while our earthly home is destroyed the one that is made by God won’t be destroyed but it will be eternal.
