Sidney Wilson on aeons

Originally posted on October 01, 2008 – by Andre Piet

Sidney Wilson (1911–1986) was a Bible teacher who exerted an indelible influence on well-known figures such as Anne van der Bijl and Henk Binnendijk. For some time now there has also been a website on which, among other things, material from his legacy is being published. Around 1963, a series of articles was published in the magazine Kracht van Omhoog about the coming world crisis, the return of Christ, and the coming Kingdom. In this series, Wilson addresses, among other things, the concepts of “eternity” and “aion” (Greek αἰών). I am glad to pass on a few quotations from it below — if only to hear it once more from another voice…

How long does eternity last?
“Infinitely long, of course!” someone will say. “Eternity has no end, does it?”
“But if ‘eternity’ is infinite, why does Scripture then speak of ‘eternities’ in the plural? (…) Are we dealing here with a kind of poetic manner of expression, or is there more behind it?

After a few explanations, the following conclusion:

If these expressions were used merely ‘poetically,’ then one would expect them to be mixed up indiscriminately. But the opposite is the case! The Bible is very consistent in its use of them!

Concerning “the coming aeons,” Wilson says:

… the Bible does not speak only of “THE coming aeon,” but also of “coming AEONS.” In the plural, therefore! (…)
That means that “the coming aeon” (…) is not the end of everything, is not the final aeon, but that still more aeons will follow!

The ‘eternal’ Priesthood of Christ is not endless, according to Wilson:

Let us now consider for a moment the issue of the ‘eternal’ priesthood of Christ. When we examine all the texts in which this Priesthood is spoken of, we discover the following:
a) That it is said ONLY that He is Priest “UNTIL THE AEON”
b) That it is NEVER said that He is Priest “until the AEONS” or “until the AEONS OF THE AEONS”.

That aeon is the coming aeon: the time of the Kingdom of Peace. And as has already been stated earlier, in that Kingdom of Peace sin and death will still occur, although they will then be the exception. It is therefore entirely consistent with this that Christ will be Priest “UNTIL THE AEON”.

The not receiving of forgiveness for the blasphemy of the Spirit is likewise not definitive, according to Wilson:

The Greek word “aion” means: an age. When Jesus said: “it will not be forgiven him, neither in this age nor in the coming,” He meant (…): it will not be forgiven him, neither in this era, in this administration, nor in the future era.

Wilson illustrates the difference between “eternity” and “aeons” as follows:

In the sketch we have drawn these “coming aeons” as a series of circles following one another. Usually, “eternity” is conceived as a long line, a line that continues infinitely and therefore never ends. In biblical times one had a completely different conception: the future was not seen as an infinite duration, as one long line, but as a series of periods, a series of “aeons” or “eons”…
Where we have become accustomed to a particular way of thinking, it is by no means easy for us to switch to this, to us so unfamiliar, way of thinking. But if we do not do so, we remain entangled with all kinds of expressions, such as the aforementioned “unto all eternities”.

And then the question…

… is all this really so important? Are we not making the matter unnecessarily complicated?
We must answer: it is indeed important! When we understand this subject even a little, we receive much new light on the Bible and thereby on the future.

Delen: