English BlogIs aion an eternity?
26-08-2015 - Posted by Andre Piet
The vast majority of Bible translations employ the word “eternity” and “forever.” In the “New Testament” this is the rendering of the Greek word ‘aion’. Aion also has been translated as “age” in a number of places. According to Strong’s, ‘age’ is its proper meaning. The Greek words ‘aion’ and its adjective ‘aionios’ have been transliterated into the English language as ‘eon’ and ‘eonian; (Webster’s, Dictionary). The word eon and eonian simply refer to a long period of time, with a beginning and an ending. Translating it as ‘eternity‘ or ‘everlasting‘ creates a lot of unnecessary confusion, with drastic consequences (‘everlasting weal or everlasting woe’)… . Read the Scriptures below about ‘aion’ and ‘aionios’ (eonion) and discover how preposterous the word eternity and everlasting are as a translation of these Greek words.
| before the eons 1 Corinthians 2:7 | before the eternities? |
| makes the eons Hebrews.1:2 | makes the eternities? |
| the eon of this world Ephesians 2:2 | the eternity of this world? |
| the conclusion of the eon Matthew 28:20 | the conclusion of the eternity? |
| the coming eon Luke 18:30 | the coming eternity? |
| the oncoming eons Ephesians 2:7 | the oncoming eternities? |
| the eons of the eons Revelation 11:15 | the eternities of the eternities? |
| the conclusion of the eons Hebrews 9:26 | the conclusion of the eternities? |
Conclusion: since eons explicitly have a beginning and an end, “eternity” is NOT correct translation word.
| ‘everlasting’ | but not endless | |
| an everlasting covenant Leviticus 24:8 | … nevertheless, there will be a new covenant in its place. Jeremiah 31:31-34 | |
| the earth abideth forever Ecclesiastes 1:4 | … and yet she passes away. Matthew 24:35 | |
| The Aaronic Priesthood is forever. Exodus 40:15 | … but also endlessly?? Revelations 21:22 | |
| a slave for ever. Exodus 21:6 | … but also endlessly? | |
| an everlasting reproach on Israel Jeremiah 23:40 Jeremiah 25:9 | … but someday, the reproach shall not be remembered anymore. Isaiah 54: 4 | |
| Jerusalem to be a wasteland forever Isaiah 32:14 | … until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, . Isaiah 32:15 | |
| eternal fire on the cities of Sodom Judas:7 | … and yet these cities will return to their previous estate. Ezekiel 16:55 | |
| a perpetual sleep. Jeremiah 51:39,57 | … and yet: all that are in the graves shall awake, someday. John 5:28 | |
| Christ reigns forever and ever Revelation 11:15 | …and yet, UNTIL 1Corinthians 15:24,25,28 | |
| in other words, forever is NOT endless. | ||
Some reference works consulted: The Winkler Prins’ Encyclopaedia (1950, Part 7, p 797) says:
Aion, aeoon does not mean endless duration, but a period of time.
The Biblical Encyclopedia (pag.239) about “eternity”:
Except when it is used of God, it is usually intended to be temporary, a very long time.
And further:
The Hebrew ‘olam’ which in the OT is translated as “everlasting” and “forever”, is related to a verb that means “hide”. It suggests that something in the past or in the future is (still) hidden. … It, therefore, has the meaning of a very long time.
In “Korte Verklaring” (at Ecclesiates 1: 4), Professor Aalders:
Moreover, it should be remembered that the word “forever” in Hebrew, as a rule does not have the sense that we attach to it. It only expreses a long time, which can only, in a particular case, approach our understanding of eternity.
Delen:
