The Ages.
It is a conspicuous fact that the comparatively few errors and
inconsistencies in translation, found in the English Authorized Version
of the New Testament, serve to hinder, directly or indirectly, any clear
understanding of the teachings of Scripture in regard to the conditions
and relationships of the world at the present time. Even the revision
did not greatly relieve this confusion beyond the addition of some
helpful marginal renderings. It would seem, if it were possible, that
Satan, the author of confusion and the only one advantaged by it, had
been able in some subtle way to keep in darkness that which would
otherwise be light; thus preventing a revelation of his own projects.
The continuation of these misleading translations is most evident in the
unqualified use of the English word "world." The word which, in common
usage, has a limited meaning is used, by the translators, as the one
English rendering for at least four widely differing ideas in the
original. So that, if the truth contained in this important body of
Scripture is to be understood, the student must not only know the
various meanings which are expressed by the one word, but also be able
to determine the correct use of the word in any single instance. This
necessary effort to understand the real meaning of many passages has,
therefore, placed the simple truth they contain beyond the average
reader of the Bible.
The English word "world" as used in the New Testament may mean a
distinct period of time, commonly known as an age (as its original is a
few times translated); or it may refer to the things created: the earth,
its inhabitants, or their institutions. Two of these original meanings
are used in connection with this present time. First, as to an age, or
period of time:
The ages are often referred to in Scripture, and the study of the exact
conditions and purposes of each of them is not fanciful: but is rather
the only adequate foundation for any true knowledge of the Bible. Not
all the ages can be taken up in this Chapter, but only such as may be
confused with the present one.
The age of law, which began with the giving of the law at Mount Sinai
and ended, approximately, with the death of Christ, is mentioned by
Zacharias in his prophecy at the birth of John: "As he spake by the
mouth of his holy prophets which have been since the _age_ began" (Lu.
1:70). The same period is referred to by Peter in Acts 3:21: "Whom the
heavens must receive until the restitution of all things, which God hath
spoken by the mouth of all his prophets since the _age_ began." These
references, it will be seen, are not to the creation of the world, as
the English rendering would indicate; but to the beginning of that
particular period in which the prophets spake.
The present age of grace, in which the grace of God has had its
appearing unto salvation, began where the age of law ended, or with the
death of Christ; and will continue until He comes again. The duration of
this age is suggested by the communion table, which, being peculiar to
this age, will continue to its end. Of this sacrament it is said: "As
oft as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's
death till he come" (I Cor. 11:26).
As a distinct period of time this age is mentioned by the word "world"
no less than forty times in the New Testament. A few of these passages
follow: "And whosoever speaketh a word against the son of man, it shall
be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Spirit, it
shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world (age), neither in the
world (age) to come" (Matt. 12:32). "And as he sat upon the Mount of
Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall
these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the
end of the world (age)?" (Matt. 24:3). "The field is the world (men);
the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the
children of the wicked one; the enemy that sowed them is the devil; the
harvest is the end of the world (age); and the reapers are the angels"
(Matt. 13:38, 39). "And, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of
the world (age)" (Matt. 28:20). "For the children of this world (age)
are in their generation wiser than the children of light" (Lu. 16:8).
"And set him at his own right hand in the heavenlies, far above all
principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is
named, not only in this world (age), but that which is to come" (Eph.
1:20, 21). "We should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this
present world (age)" (Titus 2:12). By these and many other passages, it
may be seen that the present age is a particular limited period of time
in which special conditions are to prevail, and definite purposes are to
be realized.
Judging from the mass of Christian writings and from utterances in
public address and prayer, this age is assumed by many, without
question, to be the Kingdom of Christ; though no Scripture is found to
warrant that conclusion.
There is a kingdom of God which embraces the entire universe, over which
God is enthroned, and to this kingdom every enemy must finally be
brought back to original subjection and adjustment, or be banished
forever. This final victory is described in I Cor. 15:24, 25: "Then
cometh the end, when He (Christ) 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."
There is a still more extensive body of Scripture which anticipates a
literal kingdom of righteousness and peace upon the earth; this theme
being the burden of the Old Testament prophets, and was announced by
John Baptist, by Christ and His disciples. This announcement was simple
and plain: "The kingdom is at hand." The expression "at hand" here used
is significant; indicating not necessarily the immediate future, though
the kingdom was definitely offered to that generation; but that the
earthly kingdom was the next event which had been clearly announced by
the prophets. When the Messiah had been positively rejected by the Jews,
He began, alone, without even the sympathy of His disciples, to unfold
this forthcoming mystery-age, which had been kept secret in the councils
of God, and which was more perfectly revealed to Paul, the first
messenger to the Gentiles. Of this revelation of a hitherto unknown age,
Paul writes in Eph. 3:1-11: "For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of
Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, if ye have heard of the dispensation of
the grace of God which is given to me to you-ward: how that by
revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few
words, whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the
mystery of Christ) which in other ages was not made known unto the sons
of men, as it is now revealed unto His holy apostles and prophets by the
Spirit; that the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs, and of the same body,
and partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel: whereof I was made
a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by
the effectual working of His power. Unto me, who am less than the least
of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the
Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; and to make all men see what
is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world
hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: to the
intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly _places_
might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, according to
the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord."
The same truth is emphasized in Rom. 16:25: "Now to him that is of power
to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus
Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept
secret since the world began."
This new age of the Gentiles was also to have its hope centered in Jesus
Christ, but in His sacrificial death rather than His kingly reign. It
was to be an age in which the Gentiles were to be visited and a people
called out from them for His own Person (Acts 15:14); and these people,
who are the real Church, were to be built together upon a rock (Matt.
16:18); their glorious salvation and final heavenly perfection were to
rest only on His perfect and finished work for them. By this Divine
transformation, He would secure, out of all nations, both Gentiles and
Jews, a heavenly people; wholly fitted in quality to be His own body,
His heavenly bride, and a kingdom of priests unto God.
All this, though not revealed in past ages, was known in the councils of
God (Acts 15:18) and is parenthetical in the history of the Jew. It is a
delay of their earthly kingdom and in no way its fulfillment or
substitute.
Want of knowledge of the right divisions of truth is also evident in the
general impression that God has cast off His people, the Jews, and that
the Gentiles are their rightful successors and the recipients of the
blessings of their unfulfilled prophecies. This confusion is due to a
failure to distinguish between this and the following age.
Two distinct lines of seed were promised to Abraham. One, an earthly
seed, to be like the dust of the earth, without number (Gen. 13:16),
centered wholly in the earth by a relationship of physical generation:
the other seed were likened to the stars of heaven, without number
(Gen. 15:5), centered wholly in the heavenlies by a relationship of
Spirit regeneration, which is the present answer of God to all true
Abrahamic faith (Rom. 4:1-5). The earthly people found their origin in
the physical fatherhood of Abraham: while the heavenly people find
theirs in the shed blood of Christ. One had an earthly history from
Abraham to their dispersion among the Gentiles--a history which will yet
be resumed and the everlasting covenants fulfilled in the faithfulness
of God: the other has a transient earthly pilgrimage from the Cross to
their completion; when they will be caught up to meet and marry their
Bridegroom, and be forever with the Lord (I Thes. 4:13-17).
To one, Christ is the coming glorious Messiah, who will actually sit
upon the throne of His father, David (Lu. 1:31-33), in a literal earthly
kingdom (else all Scripture language fails): to the other, He is the
glorious Head of the Body, and coming Bridegroom. One of these lines of
seed are the favored subjects in the earthly kingdom: while the other is
to be in His bosom as a bride, and be associated with Him in His reign
(I Cor. 6:2; Rev. 3:21).
As these two lines of seed are everywhere distinct, there must be at
least two separate ages for the accomplishment of these ends. What,
then, are these ages?
If it is believed that an earthly kingdom, with Messiah as King, is
promised the Jew, it must also be admitted that the Jew is not now
enjoying that kingdom; nor has he had any semblance of a kingdom in all
the centuries since his dispersion among the Gentiles. This age cannot,
therefore, be the predicted earthly kingdom of Christ. Turning to Acts
15:13-18, a description of the present age and that which will follow is
found. The passage is here given: "And after they had held their peace,
James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me: Simeon hath
declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of
them a people for his name. And to this agree the words of the prophets;
as it is written, after this I will return, and will build again the
tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the
ruins thereof, and I will set it up; that the residue of men might seek
after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith
the Lord, who doeth all these things. Known unto God are all His works
from the beginning of the world."
It is recorded that, after His resurrection, Jesus was seen for forty
days by His apostles whom He had chosen; and during this time He was
speaking to them concerning the _Kingdom_. It was natural, therefore,
for them to inquire, at the end of those days, "Lord, wilt Thou at this
time restore again the kingdom unto Israel?" (Acts 1:6) and they had
full warrant from the prophets to expect that great event when their
Messiah came. They had not, however, grasped the meaning of the then
dawning age of the gathering out of the Bride, and in this passage they
are seen adjusting themselves to the newly revealed Divine program, and
recognizing the God-appointed delay in the predicted earthly kingdom.
In Acts 15: just referred to, the purpose and order of two distinct
ages is set forth. The first age is described as the "visiting of the
Gentiles," that from among them a heavenly people may be called out, and
is a description of this present age, which had its beginning in the
very generation in which this passage was written; for no previous age
could meet these conditions. The second age, here described, is that of
a distinct rebuilding of the Davidic order, which is clearly separated
from the former age by the return of Christ. This same order of events
is also carefully maintained wherever these events are referred to in
Scripture, and any confusion of the order is a positive violence to the
truth. The revealed consummation of this Gentile age is always the
return of Christ, who comes first to receive His own; and then to render
judgment upon all the nations and to bind the enemy and place him in the
pit. The same return of Christ is the necessary preliminary event before
any kingdom of righteousness and peace can be realized upon the earth.
No amount of enlightened sentiment can establish a kingdom without a
king; and no universal blessedness can be experienced in this world
until the enemy is dethroned and banished. Sadly has the world failed to
include these two necessary Divine movements, in its vain dream and
godless attempt at a perfected universe!
The purpose of this age is then clearly defined as the visiting of the
Gentiles to call out of them a people for His name; the called out
people being the true Church (as that word signifies), which is made up
of all the saved ones who have been saved since the Day of Pentecost, at
which time the Spirit came to unite them into one body and to indwell
them. They are the heavenly people, regenerate and complete in Christ,
their Bridegroom and living Head.
When this age is considered as the Kingdom of Christ it is usually
thought of as in a state of development. This is a necessary conclusion
in view of the presence of sin and failure in the world. But the setting
up of the earthly kingdom is never described as the result of a process.
Scripture deals conclusively with this question.
In Dan. 2:34-35, an image is described, which is defined as being a
symbol of the then dawning Gentile world power (which is still
continuing, Lu. 21:24). The image is here made to represent both the
development of world rule and its terrible and final ending. The image
is seen to be gradually developing from one world government to another
until the form of the image is wholly completed. Its ending is then
precipitated by a shattering blow from a Stone, "cut out without hands."
By the same inspired interpretation, the "Stone" becomes both a symbol
of superhuman power, being "cut out without hands;" and a type of
Christ, the Ancient of Days, in His coming to the earth as a resistless
Monarch; banishing all rule and authority. A portion of the whole
passage reads thus: "Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without
hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay,
and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the
silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the
chaff of the summer threshing-floor; and the wind carried them away,
that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image
became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth" (Dan. 2:34-35).
This being a Divinely interpreted prophecy as to the extent and ending
of the present Gentile age, it should be noted that the Stone (Christ)
strikes the image (the world power) with one destructive blow, and at
the time when it has become fully developed. The blow is struck on the
part of the image which is last formed. The great image is thus
instantly and violently broken to pieces and is even blown away "like
the chaff of the summer threshing-floor." In like manner, according to
this prophecy, the whole Gentile rule will suddenly be broken and will
vanish.
It should also be noted from these symbols that the Stone does not
"become a mountain and fill the whole earth" until the great image has
been scattered to dust. From this it is certain that there can be no
development of the Kingdom of Christ on the earth before the final
breaking of the kingdoms of the earth. This same order is recognized
throughout all prophecy. The king suddenly returns as lightning shining
from one part of heaven to the other; Satan is violently seized and cast
into prison; and a nation is born at once. The second Psalm connects the
kingly reign of Christ--the time when He is set upon the holy hill of
Zion--with the time when He shall claim the nations of the earth and
"break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces as a potter's
vessel." Also in Matt. 25:31, "when He sits on the throne of His glory"
the "blessed of the Father" are called to enter the kingdom prepared for
them from the foundation of the world. And in Rev. 12:7-12, where Satan
is cast out into the earth and the execution of his sentence is begun,
the announcement is made by a great voice in heaven, "Now is come
salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of
His Christ." There is no evidence of a gradual process here; all is
sudden and decisive.
Again, this age is not the coming earthly kingdom for nowhere are the
promised conditions of that kingdom now to be found. The Old Testament
prophecies contain long and detailed descriptions of that glorious time;
God's ancient people shall become the chosen nation, restored to their
own land; the enemy shall be banished; the earth shall be purified, and
blossom as a rose. "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the
leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and
the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow
and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together, and
the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play
on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the
cockatrice den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain:
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters
cover the sea" (Isa. 11:6-9). "And in that day will I make a covenant
for them with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven, and
with the creeping things of the ground: and I will break the bow and the
sword and the battle out of the earth, and will make them to lie down
safely" (Hos. 2:18). "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the
mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk,
and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain
shall come forth of the house of the Lord, and shall water the valley of
Shittim" (Joel 3:18). "Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I
come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord. And many
nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people:
and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the Lord
of hosts hath sent me unto thee" (Zech. 2:10, 11). "Thus saith the Lord
of hosts; in those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take
hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the
skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have
heard that God is with you" (Zech. 8:23). "For behold, I create new
heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor
come into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice forever in that which I
create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a
joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the
voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.
There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that
hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old;
but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed. And they
shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards,
and eat the fruit of them" (Isa. 65:17-21). "Then the eyes of the blind
shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall
the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in
the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert" (Isa.
35:5, 6). "But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the
house of Israel. After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in
their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God
and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his
neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they
shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them,
saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember
their sins no more" (Jer. 31: 33, 34). "For unto us a child is born,
unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder:
and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The
everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His
government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David,
and upon the kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and
with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts
will perform this" (Isa. 9:6, 7). "He shall be great, and shall be
called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto Him the
throne of His Father David: and He shall reign over the house of Jacob
forever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end" (Lu. 1:32, 33). "And
He shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the
outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the
four corners of the earth" (Isa. 11:12). "And He shall judge among many
people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their
swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation
shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war
any more. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig
tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the Lord of
hosts hath spoken it" (Micah 4:3,4).
Though blessings abound in the individual heart where Christ is
enthroned, yet not one trace of this glorious transformed earth can be
found in the present Gentile age.