Part 4

Publication #8

"Where are thy wise men?...let them know what the Lord of hosts hath purposed. The Lord of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand: That I will break the Assyrian in My hand, and upon My mountains tread him under foot: then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off his shoulders. This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth: and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations. For the Lord of hosts hath purposed and who shall disannul it? And His hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?" For "...Every purpose of the Lord shall be performed" (Isa. 19:12, 14:24-27, 15:29). And likewise, "Shall My word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion" (Isa. 55:11 & Gen. 1:26).

Before continuing, it is essential to have this one understanding that God emphatically, always works ALL THINGS according to His will, His pleasure, and His immutable purpose! (rf. Eph.1:9, II Cor. 5:18, & I Cor. 8:6). When this is seen, it becomes increasingly clear that all the many purposes of God work toward His ULTIMATE PURPOSE — "that GOD MAY BE ALL IN ALL" (I Cor. 15:28).

Never, to my knowledge, has there been such a vehement rage against such a wonderful and August purpose as we see today. And as it was in the days of old, we are again seeing history repeat itself, for it is not the world that is warring against the Word of Reconciliation — it is those of the religious order. They are the ones who are the instigators of the stonings of those who have been commissioned to carry this Word of Truth. This anger would be more understandable if God’s Infinite Grace to All was something new and the scriptures were vague about it; but the doctrine is not new and from the very first chapter of the Bible to the end of it, this Truth has clearly been declared. Again, WHERE ARE THE WISE MEN? Are there any left today that have eyes that see? Pray with me Brethren, that we will all soon have our eyes opened to the dawning of this new day of our Lord and King, as He is revealed in us and to the world in all His resplendent glory.

RECONCILIATION OF ALL — IS IT A LICENSE TO SIN?

There are some who believe in the doctrine of Reconciliation of All who use it as a license to sin, saying, "If all are going to be saved anyway, we might as well do we please, even if it involves adultery, drinking to excess, or any other of those things that are contrary to the word of God and His Spirit." If this is what they see in God’s Grace to mankind, then they are either not Christians at all, or they are very blind, deceived, carnal Christians to say the least, who have not had GRACE worked in their hearts. (Grace means, "a divine influence upon the heart and its reflections in the life" Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance). Anyone who is gullible enough to believe we can willingly sin, thinking that it doesn’t matter, since they will be saved eventually anyway, is openly putting Christ to shame and they stand guilty of mocking God; but "be not deceived; GOD IS NOT MOCKED: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap Life everlasting" (Heb. 6:6 & Gal. 6:7-8). Saint or Sinner, let it be known and understood in your hearts this day — IF YOU SIN TODAY, YOU WILL PAY TOMORROW or in the AGE TO COME. If there is not a true repentance and a cleansing by the precious blood of the Lamb of God, you will not be tortured in fire forever if you go to the grave a sinner and without Christ, but to your finite, mortal being it might as well be forever, for it may seem to be that long.

How long, may I ask, do you have to have a bursting earache or headache to feel like it has been forever — two hours, twelve hours, or more? Or how about a throbbing toothache, or the racking pain from cancer? — It does not take long to feel like it has been an eternity, and to even remember how it was, when all was well is clouded by the intense pain. It is the same when the pain is felt by the soul. When a loved one dies or one’s husband or wife commits adultery with another, the pain is insurmountable and seems to endure forever. But spiritual torment is the most painful of them all, and it is the most corrective as well.

The most severe agony I have ever known was a spiritual torment, when the Father’s presence seemed to be withdrawn from me for disobeying His direct command. I know that this was a mild form of chastisement; but to me it was a never ending torment, and it very effectively worked repentance in my heart. If I should knowingly disobey again, I am afraid the "hell fire", or fires of Gehenna, will last more than twelve hours — perhaps unto the grave and beyond, something that would be unbearable. I know of no greater torment.

Since that particular experience, I am now able to look back on my life and can see that even before I was born from above, there was something of God that was always with me (Deut. 30:11-14) that kept me from the torment of the abyss. And in my darkest, driest wilderness experiences, after being awakened to His saving Grace and filled with His Holy Spirit, I can also see that I was continually in the Loving arms of my Father. But that twelve hours of chastisement — what torment! Therefore, dear people, sin if you want, but I would urge you to lead a clean and separated Life in Christ, "for if we sin wilfully after that we have known the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth NO MORE SACRIFICE FOR SINS, but a certain fearful looking for of JUDGMENT "and FIERY INDIGNATION, which shall devour the adversaries" (Heb.10:26-27}. It makes no difference whether it is in this short lifetime or in an age to come, at the second resurrection, there WILL BE JUDGMENTAL FIRES applied to the rebellious souls, and these corrections will not be counted lightly; but there will eventually be a salvation of some type, and so as by fire.

There are times when I hear reports of evil deeds that I personally would have a very difficult time in forgiving. One such case was of a man in California that had confessed to, and been convicted in court of, over one hundred and thirty child molestations and rapes. He was sentenced to have treatment in a new rehabilitation center, the only one of its kind, of which, the authorities were sure would work wonders. This demon possessed man was released after three years of this great, new psychological therapy, and deemed to be totally cured of his perverted desires. Six weeks later he began cruising a neighborhood looking for a victim. He found a beautiful blond-haired, blue-eyed, two and a half year old little girl playing in her front yard. The demonic carried her away, where she was force fed whiskey, raped, and sodomized. Her body was also beaten, cut all over, and pliers were used to unmercifully pinch areas of most of her little body — she was finally strangled to death. My God, my dear God, How can you ever forgive and redeem such a godless reprobate as this? In my humanity, not only do I feel that this diabolical fiend deserves an everlasting torment of "hell fire", but I would not hesitate to be the one to fan the flames to a roaring fervor. However, my humanity is not the end of the matter, for the Father of all creation has transended my natural, finite mind and has struck a living spark of understanding deep within my heart. This understanding of God’s Reconciliation of All has not in any way caused me to condone sin of any type, but it has given me a renewed hope for the multitude billions who have never known Jesus before going to the grave. I have no idea of what the exact process will be that God will use to redeem such people as child-raping murderers or how severe or how long the torment might be. But according to His Word "God will render to every man according to his deeds" (Rom. 2:6). One thing is certain, though, His Word assures us that "He is well able to save them to the uttermost...seeing He ever liveth" (Heb. 7:25). Regardless of the means that will bring them to a Godly repentance, Christ Jesus will always be the focal point of everyone’s salvation, for He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End — the First born of all creation (Rev. 1:8 & Cal. 1:15, Young’s).

OLAM

Let us now go back to the Hebrew manuscripts, commonly called the Old Testament, and examine a few of the scriptures that seem to suggest an everlasting torment. For clarity we will have to look into the Hebrew word OLAM, of which has been translated inconsistantly throughout the Bible. For example, a few of the twenty or more ways this word has been rendered are, ever, everlasting, eternal, forever, continuance, old, world, long, lasting, ancient time, etc. In this brief endeavor, perhaps we can get a more accurate view of God’s Purpose and the destiny of mankind. Before doing this, however, I believe it would be expedient to present the definition of this word in question, especially since it is used more than four hundred times in the scriptures.

OLAM: "a noun derived from the verb alam, universally accepted as meaning keep secret, veiled, or obscure. Something hidden from sight or comprehension; hence, the noun olam refers to a concealed, obscure age. A limited duration of time. A life time. An unspecified and hidden period of time of a particular purpose and character" (Strong’s and Young’s Concordances).

There is a rule we should keep in mind concerning the usage of words...in all languages: An adjective, verb, noun, or any other type of word that is derived from another word cannot be stronger or mean something different than the parent word itself; such as, daily is no longer than a day, or yearly is not a span of time greater than a year, and lively living certainly does not go beyond one’s life. Just because the noun was changed to an adjective and a verb, and putting together in the same sentence does not indicate that they supersede a lifetime either. It is the same with OLAM (noun singular), OLAMIM (noun plural), and ALAM (verb). Regardless of how it is used, each word carries somewhat of the same meaning, differing only in the sense of being a noun, adjective, verb, adverb, etc. For example, runner is a noun derived from the verb to run. The verb tells us that a certain type of action is taking place, while the noun tells us what it is that is participating in the action referred to. We can say, "The runner is running," and we can see that the two words are interrelated by coming from the same primary root to run. We could also say, "The runners (plural) are really running fast," but does making the noun plural break the relationship of the noun and verb? Absolutely not! Or how about if we said, "Because of the running exercises, the runners are really running exceptionally fast," Would this change the meaning of word? Of course not! For no matter how many adjectives, plurals, verbs, or adverbs are used to modify and describe the noun, we know that this runner will never be anything but what the root word tells us. If he is to be something else he must do something else, and then he will be called whatsoever it is that he is doing. If he runs so fast that the air currents lift him into the air, he then becomes a flyer. No longer is he a runner, and no longer is he called a runner — but a flyer. Remember, the rule is this: The noun that is derived from a verb is in direct relationship to that verb. And if an adjective is used to describe a noun and it is derived from the same root word of the noun, it CANNOT carry a greater force or have a different meaning than the noun. Therefore, if we have a running (adj.) runner (noun) who runs (verb), he is certainly not a flyer just because the root word is used more than once in slightly varied forms. We should keep this thought in mind when we read scriptures using the Hebrew and Greek words OLAM and AION.

The verb ALAM is used fifty-eight times in the Old Testament, of which Psalms 10:1 and 55:1 are two: "Why standest thou afar off, 0 Lord? why HIDEST (ALAM) thou thyself in times of trouble?" And, "Give ear to my prayer, 0 God; and HIDE (ALAM) not thyself from my supplication." Isaiah 23:7 uses the noun OLAM to describe a TIME PERIOD that is no longer in view, that is, AN AGE THAT HAS CONE TO AN END. In the King James Version it is recorded as such: "Is this your joyous city, whose antiquity is of ANCIENT (OLAM) DAYS?" The word ANCIENT, or OLAM, has nothing to do with ETERNAL things in this verse, and likewise, neither is this word referring to a never ending state in Jonah 2:6, of which, the words FOR EVER are used in many of today’s translations. Notice, "I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me FOR EVER (OLAM): yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, 0 Lord my God." We know from the context of this verse and the rest of the book of Jonah, and other scriptures, that he is not confined there FOREVER! For only six verses prior to 2:6 the word declares that Jonah "was in the belly of the fish THREE DAYS and THREE NIGHTS" (1:17). If the more proper word had been used there would have been a little more harmony in the text, such as: "...The earth with her bars was about me FOR AN AGE." This tells us that his captivity was a corrective measure that caused him to repent and confess from his heart and with his mouth, "0 Lord my God" (2:6). And after the AGE-LASTING correction of THREE DAYS had worked its perfect work, his salvation was experienced by being delivered "out of the belly of hell" (2:2).

Genesis 49:26 is another verse that 0LAM seems to have been translated in somewhat of a careless manner. It refers to the EVERLASTING (OLAM) HILLS, yet there are other scriptures that contradict this statement as rendered in the Authorized Version of the Bible. Observe, "EVERY MOUNTAIN and hill shall be made low For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed And ALL the hills shall melt And the earth shall be burned up." (rf. Isa. 40:4, 54:10, Amos 9:13, and II Peter 3:10). On one hand the translators tell us that there are some hills that will remain FOREVER (Gen. 49:26), while on the other hand they translated scriptures that declare, all the hills shall be made low, removed, and burned up. With this we can see how a mistranslation can lead to contradictory views when studying the written Word of God.

It may not seem to be such a critical thing to have every little jot and tittle translated properly, for most of us could care less if all the mountains and hills of the earth are to be everlasting or not — as long as we know that we are saved from the tormenting fires of Gehenna, by being born of the Spirit and will enjoy the fulness of Christ in His Kingdom. However, let us consider a few scriptures that deal with mankinds destiny, and in this I believe we will see that it is very important to translate the scriptures as accurate as our modern languages permit.

Obadiah 10 makes mention that Edom "shalt be cut off FOR EVER (OLAM); however, Psalm 22:27-29 reads, "ALL the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord: and ALL the kindreds of the nations shall worship before Thee. For the kingdom is the Lord’s: and He is the governor among the nations. ALL they that be fat upon the earth shall eat and worship: ALL they that go down to the dust shall bow before Him: and none can keep alive his own soul," for it must be in and by the power of Christ’s Life that ALL shall live from the least to the greatest (Heb. 8:11).

The Authorized Version, again, seemingly has certain ones in a never ending condition of woe. In this translation it appears that there will be no hope for Moab FOREVER. "Moab shall be as Sodom...a PERPETUAL (OLAM) DESOLATION" (Zeph. 2:9). But if we will notice, Jer. 48:47 tells us that they will not remain in that neverending state of being, for "Yet will I bring again the captivity of Moab in the latter days, saith the Lord." And then the Prophet Ezekiel made it known that Sodom would be restored: "When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall RETURN TO THEIR FORMER ESTATE, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, then thou and thy daughtem shall return to your former estate" (Ezk. 16:55). First, it appears that, both, Moab and Sodom will be left to a NEVER ENDING DESOLATION, and then, we see that God has plans of restoring them — this is quite a contradiction to say the least! However, when the one word OLAM is translated properly harmony ensues. Young’s Literal translates Zeph. 2:9 correctly, and in doing so dispells some of the confusion. "Moab is as Sodom...a desolation — UNTO THE AGE."

THE EYES OF THE BLIND SHALL BE OPENED

It would be good for us to read and study chapters thirty-four and thirty-five of Isaiah in their entirety for more insight in this matter. But for now we will only notice a few of these verses. The context of these two chapters pertain to God’s judgment and restoration of all the nations of the world. Observe, "Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye people: let the earth hear, and all that is therein; the world and all things that come forth of it. For the indignation of the Lord is upon all nations, and His fury upon all their armies: He hath utterly destroyed them, He hath delivered them to the slaughter. And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved...and all their host shall fall down. For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down on Idumea (Edom), even upon the people of my curse, to judgment. And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch. It shall not be quenched night or day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever (OLAM): from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever (Heb., lanetsach, to preeminence). And thorns shall come up in her places...and it shall be an habitation of dragons, and a court of owls."

Because of this severe judgment "The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them (for them, not in original), and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it... they shall see the glory of the lord the excellency of our God. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped...for in the wilderness shall waters break out; and streams in the desert. And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes. And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called the way of holiness..." (Isa. 34:1,2,4,5,9,10 & 13, and Isa. 35:1,2,5-8).

In this passage of scripture we should take note that all the nations of the world are called Edom, the people to whom God will bring a curse. And this curse that is referred to as JUDGMENT should NOT be thought of as being ENDLESS, for if we will recall, Rev. 22:3 tells us that when the nations are healed by the Trees of Life "there shall be NO MORE CURSE." However, Edom, the world in a dry wilderness, and alone without the knowledge of God, does seem to be destined to an everlasting curse of a burning torment, that is, as recorded in verses nine and ten of chapter thirty-four of the King James Version. Everything is seen to be aflame and burning, and the smoke of the burning, as it was translated, "shall go up FOREVER." Considering natural things that point to spiritual realities; How will it be possible for the cormorant, the owl, the raven, the wild beasts of the desert, and the vultures to live where there is a never ending fire? and how can thorns, nettles, and brambles grow where the dust and the earth is a raging inferno? I will let the reader answer.

It would be good to go on to read chapter thirty-five, as it was originally written in the Hebrew, without a chapter heading or break from chapter thirty-four. By doing this it would be much easier to keep the train of thought that this prophesy was given in. For after God’s corrective judgment has finished its perfect work, as seen in chapter thirty-four, we then begin to notice in chapter thirty-five the restoration work that His rod of chastisement has accomplished. Verse one begins with declaring that the DESERT WILDERNESS SHALL REJOICE, and BLOSSOM AS A ROSE rather than forever binging forth thorns, nettles, and brambles that were mentioned in 34:13. In verses six and seven of chapter thirty-five the wilderness that was burning forever is seen to be breaking out with waters and streams. Where the dragons had previously dwelt (34:13), a blessing of grass with reeds and rushes are seen to be prevailing. And finally, chapter thirty-four, verse ten says that none shall pass through this land FOR EVER and EVER, while thirty-five, verse eight assures us that in time "AN HIGHWAY SHALL BE THERE, AND IT SHALL BE CALLED THE WAY OF HOLINESS." Isaiah 40:3-5 also refers to this Highway when Christ becomes supreme in all: "...Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight IN THE DESERT a HIGHWAY FOR OUR GOD. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: AND THE GLORY OF THE LORD SHALL BE REVEALED, AND ALL FLESH SHALL SEE TOGETHER: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it."

Dear Holy Brethren of Christ Jesus, can you not see the August Glory of that day, and can you not hear the trumpeters of God heralding its dawning, even the trumpeter that is sounding within your own hearts? The voice streaming from the heavens is telling us that the firstfruits of God are the Highway by which He moves, and by which His magnificence is seen. And following suit the entirety of mankind will become the Highway of Jehovah, but everyone in their own order (I Cor 15:23). Glory and praises to His Name in this Age and all the Ages to come!

THE EVERLASTING GOD

If we can come to the realization that the Hebrew word OLAM has to do with an AGE of a particular QUALITY, rather than meaning eternal, we will see a lot more harmony in the scriptures, not to mention a much truer character of God. There has been a legitimate question which refers to GOD and OLAM that must be considered before continuing on. The question has been this: If OLAM does not mean ETERNAL, then what do we do with all the scriptures that relate to God and His Life as being ENDLESS or EVERLASTING? Such as, "the EVERLASTING (OLAM) GOD’, and "many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to EVERLASTING (OLAM) LIFE, and some to SHAME and EVERLASTING (OLAM) CONTEMPT", and "EVERLASTING (OLAM) JOY shall be unto them" (Gen 21:33, Dan. 12:2, and Isa.61:7). Since we know that God and His Life have no end, and that all who receives of that Life, which is through Christ, will likewise never see corruption throughout the Ages, it would certainly appear that these scriptures are speaking of EVERLASTING things. However, it is NOT scriptures that use the word OLAM that establishes God, and us in Him, as being ETERNAL or EVERLASTING (of which, there is a difference — ETERNAL things have no beginning and no end, while EVERLASTING things have a beginning but they have no end). These verses are merely telling us of how either God or man relate to the frame-work of the AGES.

It is interesting that in the context of the written word, God is almost always related to mankind in the scope of the AGES. Very seldom, if ever, does He break away from His creation into the vastness of eternity. Throughout the Bible His Word is continually referring to Himself and His relationship to man, and this relationship, whether positive or negative, is seen to depend directly upon man’s spiritual condition in relation to particular Ages. Not only has God been very vague about Himself in regards to eternity before the Ages began, but likewise, He does not reveal much about ETERNITY that is beyond the Ages either. A few references, however, of Him or His creation being EVERLASTING are these: "And there was given to Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages should serve Him: His dominion is a dominion of the Ages, which SHALL NOT PASS AWAY, and His Kingdom SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED" (Dan. 7:14). (Paraphrased). Also, "Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be NO END" (Isaiah 9:7). "And He shall reign over the house of Jacob to (eis, into) the ages; and of His reign there shall be no end (Grk, ouk telos), Who is made ...after the power of and ENDLESS LIFE (Grk. Akatalutou zoes, indissoluble life), and "Wherefore He is able to save to the uttermost...seeing He EVER LIVETH (pantote zon, always living) to make intercession for them." (Lk. 1:33, Heb. 7:16, and Heb. 7:25). These declarations are very clear that HIS LIFE and KINGDOM shall NEVER END, and we should notice that the Greek word AION is not used to denote this fact. And we should also see that when God’s judgment upon man (death, chastisement, and torment) are spoken of, it is always AION or OLAM that is used to describe the changing, AGE-LASTING situation, but never is ouk telos, akatalutou, or pantote used.

One of the most emphatic things that declare God as being ETERNAL is the name JEHOVAH itself. JEHOVAH means, THE ETERNAL SELF-EXISTENT ONE WHO REVEALS HIMSELF. This definition is not totally accurate, but it probably comes as close as possible, considering we are using finite words to describe the INFINITE GOD. However, this is not the only name that He has ascribed to Himself. There are at least twenty-one different names, including compound names, that God is called in the scriptures, and each name declares the character and relationship to His creation at certain points in TIME. Some of these names are listed below are as the King James translators rendered them, followed by the Hebrew names, and then their meanings (notice how they are in relationship to man):

1) God, El and Elohim (plural), The Strong One, Strong Ones, or Strong One’s attributes.

2) LORD, Jehovah, The Eternal Self-existent One who reveals Himself.

3) Lord Adonai, Master.

4) Almighty God, El Shaddai, Strong Breasted One

8) LORD God, Jehovah Elohim, The Eternal Self-existent One Manifesting His attributes of strength

To see how these names relate to man according to the way God deals with him at any given time we will only look at a couple of scriptures for now. "When Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD (Jehovah) appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God (El Shaddai); walk before me.. .and I will multiply thee exceedingly" (Gen 17:1-2). Here we can see that the Eternal One revealed Himself to Abram and let him know that He would be to him as a "Strong Breasted One" or a "NOURISHER OF STRENGTH" that would enable him to multiply himself exceedingly. The second reference is Judges 6:23-24. "And the LORD (Jehovah) said unto him, Peace be unto thee...Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovah-shalom." In this case the Eternal God revealed Himself and not only brought PEACE to Gideon, but through Gideon PEACE WAS ALSO RESTORED TO ISRAEL after he and his small band of three hundred chosen men destroyed the whole Midianite army.

We could run the whole gamut of scriptures, where God’s many names are used, and we could prove by much effort that His names are in direct reference to how He is dealing with man in the scope of the AGES. And also how He very remotely touches upon the subject of eternity at all, and certainly, we would find that ETERNAL PUNISHMENT is totally foreign to the scriptures. But we will not attempt to exhaust ourselves in the letter to prove anything. Furthermore, if the revelation of this truth is not being witnessed by the Spirit in your heart by now, perhaps it is best to lay aside these thoughts of Judgment of the Ages and Reconciliation of All, until God opens the truth of the matter to you personally.

It is neither good to struggle to believe it or disbelieve it — let it always be the anointing that abides within, the one who teaches you all things. For if this Truth, as well as any Truths of God, is not received by the Spirit of Christ, it will be nothing more than head knowledge, or ascending to a truth by the power of the mind. (See I Cor. Chapter 2). And let us not forget what Jesus said about things like this. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the DOOR (CHRIST) into the sheepfold, but climbeth up SOME OTHER WAY (such as by mental ascension), the same is a thief and a robber" (Jn. 10:1).

When we read the many verses in our English translations that refer to EVERLASTING (OLAM or AIONION) LIFE, it may be difficult to grasp the full impact of what is actually being said, especially with the shroud of Babylon’s dogmas covering our eyes. So let me quote from a dear brother, J. Preston Eby, who has so adequately expressed many Truths concerning this thought:

"...Men who should know better tell us that the Greek noun ‘aions’ means an age, or ages which is TIME, and then proceed to explain how the adjective form of the same word, ‘aionios’, means exactly the opposite — unending, everlasting, ETERNAL! A child of ten should be able to understand that is not so. The adjective aionios modifies two nouns in Mat. 25:46: punishment and life. It tells what kind of punishment and what kind of life Jesus is talking about. It is ages-lasting punishment and ages-lasting life, or the LIFE OF THE AGES. Now I can hear someone protesting, ‘But isn’t the life we have received from God ETERNAL LIFE?’ Certainly God’s life is eternal life. But we have received that life injected into TIME, so that the inworking of that life through the processings of God is experienced in relation to TIME rather than ETERNITY. Let me explain. Anything that is absolutely eternal is not only unending, but is also UNCHANGEABLE. Anything that changes in any way is not eternal, for in the change some characteristic is left behind and a new one acquired. In every change something ends and something else begins, at least in form. That which dwells in an eternal state knows NO CHANGE. Change is possible only in that which is limited, imperfect, or not fully developed. The Lord declares of Himself, ‘I am the LORD (Jehovah), I CHANGE NOT’ (Mal. 3:6), and the inspired apostle says of Him, ‘with Whom there is no VARIABLENESS, neither shadow of turning’ (James 1:17). But we, in our spiritual life, are STILL BEING CHANGED! ‘And all of us...are constantly BEING TRANSFIGURED (changed) into His very own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another’ (II Cor. 3:18, Amplified).

"Thank God! We are being changed! But that means that the life of God within is still in a limited, imperfect, underdeveloped stage. That life as to our condition and state of being is limited, imperfect, and in some measure immature. God has dispensed that life into us in time, that through a process of time with its experiences the spiritual life may be perfected and matured, brought to the fullness of that which HE HIMSELF IS. When the process is complete and we are fully like Him and see HIM AS HE IS, there will BE NO MORE CHANGE. We will then truly know what ETERNAL LIFE is! But as long as the life within is passing through the process of change, growth, and development, it is not viewed as eternal, unchangeable life, but as the LIFE OF THE AGES, life undergoing the dealings of God in TIME.

"The ‘eternal security’ of the believed is known only by the overcomers who have fully and forever conquered every vestige of the world, the flesh, and the devil, being conformed into the image of the Son. Of these triumphant one’s it is written, ‘To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the TREE OF LIFE,’ and again, ‘He that overcometh...I will NOT BLOT HIS NAME OUT of the Book of Life’ (Rev. 2:7; 3:5). The reference is clear...until this overcomer state is attained, it is possible to have one’s name BLOTTED OUT of the Book of Life. That could not be ETERNAL LIFE, for if it were absolutely eternal it could not be lost! Little wonder, then, that our Lord says to the church at Smyrna, ‘Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a CROWN OF LIFE’ (Rev. 2:10). It is my deep conviction that He speaks not of the death that takes this old body to the cemetery, but the death that comes by the INWORKING OF HIS CROSS until all that pertains to the realm of carnality has been completely and forever dealt with. Then, and only then, are we CROWNED WITH LIFE, His Life reigning within without interference of possibility of defeat.

"...I think I know why some become so enraged when we tell them that we do not now possess the absolutely eternal life. Is it not because they would rather ignore this ‘life of the ages’, somehow projecting themselves into that life which is eternal, claiming ‘by faith’ the finished product, while bypassing the tedious processing? Ah, dear ones, it does not work that way! God has graciously given unto us life ‘aionios’ — the life of the ages — and how I thank God that my present state of being is NOT ETERNAL? There is more! I would FOLLOW ON to know Him in all fullness, and it will take the age to unfold it all. We miss so much vital truth by our careless scanning of the Bible, and clinging tenaciously to the timeworn traditions of religious systems, mistaking them for the holy truths of God. It should be clear that if the ‘eternal life’ of Matthew 25:46 is really the ‘life of the ages’, then the ‘eternal punishment’ is likewise an age-lasting correction." End of quote.

Brethren, it would be good to take time and consider very prayerfully the above quote — if necessary reread it until it becomes so crystal clear that the life of God we now have ever changes, progresses, grows, and conquers all. It is an AGE-LASTING LIFE that brings us into total oneness with God from whom we came, the One who has ETERNAL LIFE. It is then that we will truly be in HIS FULL IMAGE and LIKENESS, which is — UNCHANGEABLE!