Grab yourself your favorite beverage, for this may take a little longer than usual. As promised yesterday, I want to tell you what I consider to be the most egregious of the “secretly introduced destructive heresies” which was introduced and remains in Church doctrine. I will use two different translations of Matthew 25:46 to help reveal this “heresy”...
“These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:45-46 NASB)
“And these shall go away to punishment age-during, but the righteous to life age-during” (Matthew 25:46 YLT)
So which is it - “eternal” punishment and life as the NASB has it, or “age-during” punishment and life as the YLT has it?
Once again I went to the concordance and the oldest original Greek manuscripts. I found that the Greek word translated “eternal” and “age-during” is “aionion” with the Strong’s Concordance number 166. So I used a research tool and called up all 71 verses in Scripture where “aionion” is used to find its meaning by it use. And I found that almost every time either “eternal” or “age-during” would fit and make sense, except for three times, one of which I will quote in this post…
“In hope of eternal (G166) life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world (G166) began” (Titus 1:2 KJV)
G166 refers to the Strong’s number and is the Greek word “aionian”. Notice that the same Greek word is translated IN THAT SAME VERSE both “eternal” and “world” in that English translation. But if the word really meant eternal why not translate it “eternal” in both places? Pretty obvious, because it would not make sense!
When God used the word it must have meant the same thing in both places because he is not a God of confusion. So I concluded that “aionion” must mean “age-during” as the YLT (and other translations) indicate, because it makes sense in all 166 places it is used. So the YLT is correct in my opinion and the verse correctly reads…
“Upon hope of life age-during, which God, who doth not lie, did promise before times of ages” (Titus 1:2 YLT)
Then I realized the word “aionion” is an adjective. An adjective describes its noun. And an adjective can never be greater than the noun it describes. (My High School English teacher Mary Jo Gurley would be so proud of me). So I looked up the noun and found it to be the Greek word “aion”, Strong Concordance number of 165. It is used 128 times in the NT. Again looking at all of those verses the only English translation that fits in all places is...drum roll...AGE.
So despite the fact that most English versions of the Bible translate“aion” and “aionion” use eternal or everlasting, they are wrong, and Young's Literal Translation – YLT is correct. It means AGE…IT HAS A BEGINNING AND AN END!
In my opinion, mistranslating the noun “aion” and its adjective “aionion” is the most egregious example of false teachers “secretly introducing destructive heresies”, which has the effect of “denying the Master who bought them”, or at least what he came to do...save sinners, not eternally condemn and punish them. Those mistranslated verses are used (out of context) to back up the horrible heretical doctrine of eternal conscious torment in hell...THE MOST EGREGIOUS “secretly introduced heresy” of all, that of course is only my opinion.
God indeed chastens both believers and unbelievers during this AGE in which we live. Good Fathers do that. And He will chasten (punish) unbelievers during the next two ages spoken about in the Scripture. But not forever, just for the AGE it refers to. And even then NOT in the torture chamber of Greek Mythology and Christian false doctrine. What Father would do that?
So back to Matthew 25 above. What age is Jesus referring to and to whom is Jesus speaking? Well this post is too long as it is so just read Revelation 20 in Young's Literal Translation...Jesus is speaking to Israel, and the age lasts 1000 years...followed by the age of the New Heaven and New Earth. And then read 1 Corinthians 15:20-28 where Paul “completes” the Word of God by assuring mankind that “as in Adam all die, even so in Christ ALL shall be made alive…and God will be ALL in ALL”.
So now, as Paul Harvey used to say, you have the REST of the Story!
“These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:45-46 NASB)
“And these shall go away to punishment age-during, but the righteous to life age-during” (Matthew 25:46 YLT)
So which is it - “eternal” punishment and life as the NASB has it, or “age-during” punishment and life as the YLT has it?
Once again I went to the concordance and the oldest original Greek manuscripts. I found that the Greek word translated “eternal” and “age-during” is “aionion” with the Strong’s Concordance number 166. So I used a research tool and called up all 71 verses in Scripture where “aionion” is used to find its meaning by it use. And I found that almost every time either “eternal” or “age-during” would fit and make sense, except for three times, one of which I will quote in this post…
“In hope of eternal (G166) life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world (G166) began” (Titus 1:2 KJV)
G166 refers to the Strong’s number and is the Greek word “aionian”. Notice that the same Greek word is translated IN THAT SAME VERSE both “eternal” and “world” in that English translation. But if the word really meant eternal why not translate it “eternal” in both places? Pretty obvious, because it would not make sense!
When God used the word it must have meant the same thing in both places because he is not a God of confusion. So I concluded that “aionion” must mean “age-during” as the YLT (and other translations) indicate, because it makes sense in all 166 places it is used. So the YLT is correct in my opinion and the verse correctly reads…
“Upon hope of life age-during, which God, who doth not lie, did promise before times of ages” (Titus 1:2 YLT)
Then I realized the word “aionion” is an adjective. An adjective describes its noun. And an adjective can never be greater than the noun it describes. (My High School English teacher Mary Jo Gurley would be so proud of me). So I looked up the noun and found it to be the Greek word “aion”, Strong Concordance number of 165. It is used 128 times in the NT. Again looking at all of those verses the only English translation that fits in all places is...drum roll...AGE.
So despite the fact that most English versions of the Bible translate“aion” and “aionion” use eternal or everlasting, they are wrong, and Young's Literal Translation – YLT is correct. It means AGE…IT HAS A BEGINNING AND AN END!
In my opinion, mistranslating the noun “aion” and its adjective “aionion” is the most egregious example of false teachers “secretly introducing destructive heresies”, which has the effect of “denying the Master who bought them”, or at least what he came to do...save sinners, not eternally condemn and punish them. Those mistranslated verses are used (out of context) to back up the horrible heretical doctrine of eternal conscious torment in hell...THE MOST EGREGIOUS “secretly introduced heresy” of all, that of course is only my opinion.
God indeed chastens both believers and unbelievers during this AGE in which we live. Good Fathers do that. And He will chasten (punish) unbelievers during the next two ages spoken about in the Scripture. But not forever, just for the AGE it refers to. And even then NOT in the torture chamber of Greek Mythology and Christian false doctrine. What Father would do that?
So back to Matthew 25 above. What age is Jesus referring to and to whom is Jesus speaking? Well this post is too long as it is so just read Revelation 20 in Young's Literal Translation...Jesus is speaking to Israel, and the age lasts 1000 years...followed by the age of the New Heaven and New Earth. And then read 1 Corinthians 15:20-28 where Paul “completes” the Word of God by assuring mankind that “as in Adam all die, even so in Christ ALL shall be made alive…and God will be ALL in ALL”.
So now, as Paul Harvey used to say, you have the REST of the Story!