THE PECULIARITIES AND INCONSISTENCIES

Apokatastasis (a Greek word meaning restitution, restoration), the doctrine of the final restoration of all sinful beings to God and to the state of blessedness,¹ was the prevailing belief of the Christian Church during its first 500 years. Referred to as Universal Reconciliation today, it was what the early church believed and taught, as opposed to eternal torment.²

For as long as Greek, the language of the New Testament, was the common language of the church, widespread understanding of the classic Greek word aion to mean an “age” would have made it difficult to attribute to it a meaning of endlessness. This is the word rendered “forever”, “everlasting”, and “eternal” in the earliest English translations of the Bible, including the King James Version, published in AD 1611.

It was among the Latin speaking church fathers, of the 5^th century, that the doctrine of hell and eternal punishment began to take hold, as Latin became the language of the church. Latin copies of the Greek manuscripts (MSS) began to treat the Latin aeon with a sense of eternity.

In AD 382, Pope Damascus commissioned St Jerome to “bring order out of” the proliferation of old Latin manuscripts of the Bible which were in circulation. The Latin Vulgate became the standard version of the Bible for the Western Latin-speaking Church³ and was so for more than a thousand years. It was one of the foundational versions for the translation of early English Bibles.

It stands to reason that, with a large-scale attempt to consolidate the Latin MSS into one work, an effort to address variances would have to have been made, after all, there were thousands of these documents. Peculiarities and inconsistencies, created as a result of the translator’s rendering of aion/aeon, have been identified as well. I am including a few here, but I am working on a more in-depth treatment of the subject.

The Magically Appearing Conjunction

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;

2 Corinthians 4:17

This text would read, “a far more exceeding eternal weight of glory” had the translators not inserted “and” in the English between “exceeding” and “eternal”. The conjunction is not found in the original and appears in italics in those English versions that practice the use of them on words inserted by translators. There cannot be a far more exceeding eternal anything. If something is eternal, it isn’t one day made more exceedingly eternal. Endless cannot be exceeded. Therefore, aiónios, the adjective form of the noun aion, cannot mean eternal here.

…for the momentary light matter of our tribulation, more and more exceedingly an age-during weight of glory doth work out for us–

2 Corinthians 4:17 (Young’s Literal Translation)

Another Comforter

And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever.

John 14:16

The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost (John 14:26), is not intended to abide with us forever, as it is only the earnest of our inheritance, a surety, or a pledge. (Ephesians 1:13-1-4; 2 Corinthians 1:22; 5:5) Christ said that He is with us always, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20 NKJV). The Greek aion, rendered here as “forever” causes an inconsistency in the scriptural narrative. However, translated “to the age”, that inconsistency vanishes, and the context of the passage supports the rendering.

And I will ask the Father, and another Comforter He will give to you, that he may remain with you — to the age;

John 14:16 (YLT)

God’s Unfulfilled Purpose

According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:

Ephesians 3:11

In English, an eternal purpose is one that will never be fulfilled, never be completed. The King James offers an inappropriate translation of the Greek aion. The following is a literal English rendering from the New Greek / English Interlinear New Testament (United Bible Societies, 5th Edition):

According to the plan of the ages which he made in Christ Jesus the Lord of us.

Ephesians 3:11

An Absurd Thought

Even if mishandled, the word aion still delivers a sense of finite duration in such texts as Romans 16:25 where the mystery was kept “since the world [aion] began”, in 2 Timothy 1:9 where grace is given us “before the world [aion] began”, and in Titus 1:2 where eternal life was promised “before the world [aion] began”. If aion, translated in these three verses as “world”, carries with it a sense of eternity, then we are stuck with “since the eternity began” and “before the eternity began”, and that is just absurd.

Trouble with “Forever” and “Everlasting”

For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

1 Corinthians 15:22-28

Then the end will come (v24) – where there is an end, there is no “everlasting”.

Christ must reign “until” (v25) – tells us His reign will end.

Christ hands over the kingdom to the Father – bringing His reign and priesthood to an end. Once all things are subdued under Him, once Jesus Christ has put down all opposing rule, authority, and power, His mediatorial role is no longer needed and comes to an end. All things are then placed under subjection to the Father and God becomes all in all.

Given the fact that the priesthood and reign of Christ comes to an end, how can the following passages, that speak of His eternal reign and priesthood, be aligned with 1 Corinthians 15?

Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.

Hebrews 13:8

And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

Revelation 5:13

And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

Revelation 11:15

But unto the Son he saith, “Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.”

Hebrews 1:8

Our Greek friend, aion, has been misunderstood in other ways. It is translated “forever” or “everlasting” over one hundred times leaving us with critical contradictions I have never heard anyone address. There are no passages more poignant in this assertion than those describing the priesthood of the King of Salem and Priest of the Most-High God, Melchizedek.

Melchizedek was special for at least one reason; he was both king and priest. In Israel, the priest descended from Levi and the king from Judah. They were never the same man. We are told emphatically throughout the epistle to the Hebrews that Christ is a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek and that the priesthood of Christ is unchangeable and that He is consecrated (set apart) for evermore.

As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.

Hebrews 5:6 KJV (See also Hebrews 5:10; 6:20; 7:1,10,11,15,17,21)

But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.

Hebrews 7:24

For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.

Hebrews 7:28

While Christ is certainly both king and priest, He is not a priest forever. His reign is not an everlasting one, having the passage from Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth in view.

I am sure you recognize the incredible problem presented here – Christ is not a priest forever. The rendering of aion as “forever” in these priestly passages creates a series of monumental inconsistencies in scripture and paints a picture for us that is inconsistent with the truth of God’s Word. However, appropriately rendering aion as “unto the age”, alleviates the contradiction entirely. Consider these passages from Young’s Literal Translation:

As also in another [place] He saith, `Thou [art] a priest — to the age, according to the order of Melchizedek;

Hebrews 5:6 YLT

and he, because of his remaining — to the age, hath the priesthood not transient, [Christ’s priesthood is not transient, it isn’t passed from one man to another.]

Hebrews 7:24 YLT

for the law doth appoint men chief priests, having infirmity, but the word of the oath that [is] after the law [appointeth] the Son — to the age having been perfected.

Hebrews 7:28 YLT

As you can see, these contradictions do not exist in the originals where aion means age(s).

This is what is at stake regarding the disposition of aion:

And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Matthew 25:46 KJV

Versus

And these shall go away to punishment age-during, but the righteous to life age-during.’

Matthew 25:46 YLT

Do not allow the cumbersome feel of the literal translation to throw you. Languages rarely line up nicely with each other. “Age-during” can be read “age-lasting” as well. What is important here is the contrast between “age” and “eternal”. Through my studies I have come to realize that God’s actions against the wicked in the end are not eternally punitive but are the corrective measures of a loving God that last only as long as required to effectively bring about repentance and surrender.

My perceptive readers will be quick to point out that limiting the time of punishment with the same word, limits the time of reward for the righteous. Indeed, it does!

An amazing thing happens when aion is rendered “age” throughout the New Testament. Not only do many contradictions, inconsistencies, and peculiarities vanish, but we are presented with a view of the consummation of all things that most have never seen. It is a magnificent event that represents the ultimate victory of God in reconciling all things to Himself. This event, where God becomes all in all, occurs at the very end of all the ages and nothing is in view past it. The narrative of the Bible, in the original, speaks only to the ages and never to eternity. It is certainly reasonable to assume something happens after that event, but the Bible is utterly silent about it. Consequentially, we are obliged to be as well. Scripturally speaking, there is no eternity.

This is Biblical Universal Reconciliation, and it is genuinely Apostolic.

¹Merriam-Webster (apokotastasis), https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apocatastasis, accessed 10/5/2022

²Hanson, J.W., D.D., Universalism, the Prevailing Doctrine of the Christian Church for the First Five Hundred Years, Boston & Chicago: Universalist Publishing House, ©1899

³Summary Descriptions of the Versions of the Bible, Princeton University Press, https://library.princeton.edu/departments/tsd/katmandu/bible/versions.html#:~:text=Greek%20New%20Testament-,Latin%20Vulgate,the%20Western%20Latin%2Dspeaking%20Church, (accessed 9/23/22)