JBTM_10-2_Fall_2013

JBTM
R. Larry Overstreet
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that fills them.” 82 These ages were “prepared” by God, using the term katartizō. In this text the
term means “to create, with the implication of putting into proper condition.” 83
Other Scripture texts which indicate a beginning to an age, or to ages, include: (a) “As He
spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old (ap’ aiōnos, “from the age”) (Luke 1:70);
(b) “Since the beginning of time (aiōnos, “age”) it has never been heard that anyone opened
the eyes of a person born blind” (John 9:32); (c) “whom (Christ) heaven must receive until the
period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets
from ancient time (ap’ aiōnos, “from the age”)” (Acts 3:21); (d) “so that the rest of mankind may
seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by My name, says the Lord, who makes these
things known from long ago (ap’ aiōnos, “from the age”)” (Acts 15:17–18); and (e) “and to bring
to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages (apo tōn aiōnōn, “from the
ages”) has been hidden in God who created all things” (Eph 3:9). Concerning this verse Hoehner
argues that the word aiōn “refers to time,” meaning that “the mystery was hidden since the ages
began or from the beginning of time.” 84
Ages come to an end
The Bible declares that ages have a beginning. In addition, numerous Scripture texts refer to
an age, or ages, coming to an end. This indicates a terminal time point for them. Verses which
indicate this include the following: (a) In His explanation of the parable of the tares, Jesus said
that “the harvest is the end of the age (synteleia aiōnos); and the reapers are angels. So just as
the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age (synteleia tou
aiōnos)” (Matt 13:39–40). The noun synteleia refers to “a point of time marking completion
of a duration.” 85 At the point of time when Jesus returns in glory, this current age comes to
its completion, and closes. Jesus gave a similar thought a few verses later in the parable of the
dragnet, “So it will be at the end of the age (en tē synteleia tou aiōnos); the angels will come
forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous” (Matt 13:49). (b) While the texts in
Matthew 13 look at the end of this age as one of judgment, the book of Matthew concludes
with positive words for believers as Jesus said, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age
(heōs tēs synteleias tou aiōnos)” (Matt 28:20). Turner observes that this “expression (13:39–40,
49; 24:3) clearly refers to the time of eschatological judgment at the conclusion of the present
82 Homer A. Kent Jr, The Epistle to the Hebrews: A Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1974), 218. Similarly,
David L. Allen, Hebrews, The New American Commentary (Nashville: B&H, 2010), 111, writes that
“aiōnas includes the space-matter-time continuum that is the universe, the totality of all things existing in
time and space. It seems best to include both the temporal and spatial idea in the term.” Peter T. O’Brien,
The Letter to the Hebrews, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2010), 52,
likewise asserts that this refers to “the whole created universe of time and space.”
83 Johannes P. Louw and Eugene A. Nida, eds., Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on
Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1988), 514.
84 Harold H. Hoehner, Ephesians: An Exegetical Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2002), 456–57.
85 A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 974.