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The Ages

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lareli:
I was reading some of the emails and had a question... Here's what I read,

You have NOT committed the unpardonable sin against the Holy Spirit. Besides, those who DO, will also be SAVED! Yes they will! Not in this age, or the millennial age to follow, but at the resurrection of judgment, even those who have sinned against the Holy Spirit will be saved. There is no such thing as an "unforgivable sin". The ones that Christ said committed this sin, will not be pardon (and come up in the first resurrection), but they will be forgiven in the resurrection of judgment and be saved.

My question is how many ages are there and what is the order? What happens or what are the hallmarks, so to speak, of each age? When is the lake of fire and for how long is it? Will the length of time in the lake be different for everyone? What happens during the millennial reign of Christ?

I know that most of these questions can't be answered completely but what are your thoughts?

Thanks

rick:
My thoughts on your question is what Ray said about the Hebrew manuscripts, there is no such word as eternity in them so all we have left is age, and age after age.

That's my take on it, also Christ will reign untill all people have been saved, how many ages that will take I know not.

God bless.

indianabob:
Largeli and Rick,

I cannot be specific because I don't know. So I'm basing my thoughts on what we read in the whole Bible about God's character and how God has dealt with people over the previous ages..

My estimate of future events is that when the lord Jesus returns he will quickly begin to take charge, from a spiritual perspective, of the living , flesh and blood population that remains from the previous age. We can guess how that might be by the way God dealt with the children of Abraham, the twelve tribes or the so called children of promise that came later when Israel was under a theological government and was intended to be a living example of how to live in peace.
So then I suppose that the coming age will have flesh and blood humans continuing their lives much the same as they did in ages past. The main difference could be that there will be proper appointed leadership rather than having every man do what seemed right to themselves as in the past. War will be prevented, weapons of war will not be produced even though knowledge of how to produce them may exist, there will be rain in due season, pollution will not be generated, the earth will produce its bounty and people will be guaranteed a relatively safe existence with family values. People will I think still be sinners who sin but they will gradually know the truth about God's plan and that there is spiritual help for all of their emotional needs.
People will still have dreams and aspirations and a desire to explore and build and exercise their innate curiosity about the world and the Universe at large. We should have one pure language so that there will be no need for translations or miscommunication between people.
What we don't know is how long the transition may take. We just know that the Lord God is very patient and long suffering and loving.
Will the lord Jesus teach righteousness for a person's whole life? Will life spans increase? Will supernatural healing be available to those who seek it.
What we do know from scripture is that God's plan will be completed and we don't need to take unusual concern for ourselves or our children.
So just imagine a society without worry or having to determine which false church to attend and which incompetent politician to elect.

I do presume that people will be allowed to try their own ideas and make mistakes with consequences, I don't think we will be micro managed by our lord Jesus. So if you want to climb a mountain your adventure will not be prevented and if you fall and break a leg, natural healing will still be available. Maybe even supernatural healing if circumstances allow.

Personally I'm looking forward to learning how life will be for my unconverted children and relatives and to see all their hurts healed and meeting our ancestors from centuries past.

So keep a good thought, Indiana Bob

rick:
Hi Bob,

I don't presume to know what the next age will be like, I do know when His judgements are in the earth all will be learning righteousness and when Christ is done its all going to be very good.

When Christ hands the keys to the kingdom of man over to the Father and all are brought into the kingdom of God how awesome will thing's be then ? I can't even imagine but I pray for that and trust God it's going to be very good for all of Gods creation.

I hope Christ comes back before I get out of work today.


God bless.

Kat:
 
Hi largeli, here is the email you were referring to... note that it is on the BT site's front page meaning it was before the list of email on the forum which was started in 2006.

http://bible-truths.com/emails.html ------------

Your feelings are not that different from most people. Most, however, are not honest enough to admit they have such feelings.  Paul says that, "the carnal (natural fleshly) mind is enmity against God; it is not subject to the laws of God, neither is it able" (Rom. 8:7).

When God opens your understanding that there is as much evil in YOU as there is in the world, then you will begin to understand this scripture. EVERYONE sins, and EVERYONE is LOST before he can be SAVED!

You have NOT committed the unpardonable sin against the Holy Spirit. Besides, those who DO, will also be SAVED! Yes they will! Not in this age, or the millennial age to follow, but at the resurrection of judgment, even those who have sinned against the Holy Spirit will be saved. There is no such thing as an "unforgivable sin". The ones that Christ said committed this sin, will not be pardon (and come up in the first resurrection), but they will be forgiven in the resurrection of judgment and be saved.

God will deliver all creation from all evil. It is only here temporarily. It serves a needful purpose.
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Now there is a Scripture in Ravelation that does cause confusion about the age after this one, but it is determined to be spurious and not in the original manuscripts by Tischendorf ( http://forums.bible-truths.com/index.php/topic,6638.0.html ), so note that part of the verse was added sometimes later. It was not until the Mobile Conference 2007 'HOW WE GOT THE BIBLE' that Ray brings this out and here is where he discusses it.

http://forums.bible-truths.com/index.php?topic=5815.20 ---

Now for the last few years I’ve been looking at all these things, about the return of Christ, the millennium and the kingdom and all these things. I haven’t written to much about that yet. You know why? Because I don’t understand it! But now I’m getting there and here is a Scripture in Revelation.

Rev 20:2  And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him a thousand years.
v. 3  And he cast him into the bottomless pit (abyss), and shut him up and set a seal on him, that he should deceive the nations no more until the thousand years should be fulfilled. And after that he must be loosed a little season.

That verse gives me a problem, it would take a long time to explain why. Believe me most people that teach and write books on these prophecies, don’t have a clue. Not only do they not have the answers, they don’t even know what the problems are.   
But these verses here;

Rev 20:4  …And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
v. 5  But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

Both of these verses can not be true, there is a problem here. I racked my brain, in my spare time, but I kept it in the back of my mind for a long time. There is a problem, that won’t work and I can’t make it work. It doesn’t fit, there is no way to make this thing fit. Then some months ago, now I know why it, “But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished” won’t fit. It’s not Scripture! Tischendorf has it right there.

Rev. 20:5  But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished...

It’s not in the Sinaiticus. So I said, okay now we’re moving again. We’re a little closer to the Truth. 
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So we can figure we are presently in the church age, that's now when "the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God" (1 Peter 4:17). I won't try and speculate on the number of ages there have been before now. The next age begins when Christ returns and resurrects His elect who are given 'thrones,' meaning authority and power to judge.

Rev 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
Rev 20:5  But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished (spurious). This is the first resurrection.

Rev 3:21  To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

Dan 7:18  But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever (for the age), even forever and ever (for the age of the ages).'

Rev 2:25  Nevertheless that which ye have, hold fast till I come.
v. 26  And he that overcometh, and he that keepeth My works unto the end, to him will I give authority over the nations:

Rev 5:10  And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth."

All those Scripture show that the elect will reign and rule and judge the nations under Christ, which is the "great white throne" when the world is judged, "anyone not found written in the Book of Life."

Rev 20:11  Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.
v. 12  And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.
v. 13  The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.
v. 14  Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
v. 15  And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

There is a Scripture that Christ says some will not be forgiven in that next age of the great white throne judgement of the world.

Matt 12:32  Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.

So we can only assume there will be an age after the next age for further judgment for those to repent and be forgiven. Because we know every person that ever lived will eventually bow the knee to Christ in true worship and praise.

Php 2:9  Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,
v. 10  that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, (the dead, in their grave)
v. 11  and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Isa 45:22  "Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.
v. 23  I have sworn by Myself; The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, And shall not return, That to Me every knee shall bow, Every tongue shall take an oath.
v. 24  He shall say, 'Surely in the LORD I have righteousness and strength. To Him men shall come, And all shall be ashamed Who are incensed against Him.

So that gives us 3 ages for certain that I can see in Scripture.

Here are some excerpts from an article where Ray speaks on 'Is "Everlasting" Scriptural?'

http://bible-truths.com/aeonion.htm ------------------

The next great event in prophecy is not eternity, but rather the END of this eon and the BEGINNING of the next—the one in which the very elect will reign with Christ.
There is no sense in jumping into eternity when as yet, we have numerous ages to yet live and administer God’s government and His Great Judgment. And so, what is not yet seen, is "eonian" (pertaining to the eons), and not "eternity" as you and the King James suggests in this verse.

Our glorious reign with Christ on the earth over the nations is for the AGES, not for eternity. The reign of Christ COMES TO AND END, just as aionios comes to an end (I Cor 15:25-26).

the glory that will be ours IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD on this earth ruling and reign with Christ THROUGH THE AGES, not for eternity. Not even Christ rules as "King" for eternity. it means eonians—pertaining to the oncoming AGES.
v
The concept of "eternity" is foreign to the Holy Scriptures. There is virtually nothing that is outside of the time periods known asaions. There are just a couple of hints regarding life beyond the ages of time.
v
The chosen elect saints CAN TOO rule and reign with Christ for thousands of years (eons/ages) as a special reward from God. Why can’t they? They are given immortality SO THAT THEY CAN live and not die during the thousands of years with Christ. They, along with Christ, bring about the consummation of the ages when ALL ENEMIES are subjected and death itself is abolished.
v
Paul also speaks of a time in which God will be "ALL in all." That is the extent to which the Scriptures even hint of eternity or anything beyond the ages of time.
v
The reign of Jesus is for the "eons of the eons." First it behooves us to know that this phrase means. They are specific eons of time. This phrase does not heap eons upon eons for all eternity, hence "everlasting eons" or any other such unscriptural nonsense. But the point to be made is, what happens when the consummation of all the ages [I Cor 10:11] arrives? Let’s ask the Scriptures:

"Then comes the END [the ‘end’ of WHAT? The end of life? The end of Christ? NO], when He [Jesus] shall have delivered up the kingdom of God, even the Father; when He shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. [His reigning has fully and completely accomplished its purpose. THEN what?] For He [Jesus] must reign, TILL [Webster’s ‘till, until, up to the time…’] He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death" (I Cor. 15:25-26).
v
2Cor 4:18  While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

II Cor. 4:18 is neither speaking of "deathless" or "everlasting," as you suggest. It is speaking of what is happening now, in our life of flesh, and what will happen during the ages of our reign with Christ in the kingdom of God. The things of this life, we SEE daily. The things pertaining to the Kingdom of God are as yet "NOT seen." Again, it is not even speaking of what is "visible" and "Invisible," but rather what is NOW SEEN as compared with things "eonian" and NOT YET SEEN, which when seen will not be temporary, but will last through whole eons of time. And all that is perfected through the Kingdom of God and the reign of Christ bringing all enemies into subjection, will last on PAST the eons, and will have NO END.
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Hope this helps.
mercy, peace and love
Kat

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