http://www.freedominmessiah.com/outcome_of_grace.shtml

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The dictionary I have has AETOS for eagle (also a vulture), and it says that in Mt 24:28 and Lk 17:37 the vultures are probably intended.

It doesn’t seem to me that the # of resurrections is a very crucial issue. More telling: The events of I Thes 4:16-17 and I Cor 15 are clearly different from the events of Rev 19:11-21.

Re. the trumpets: The trumpet in I Cor 15:52 relates to the Church, whereas the trumpets in Revelation have to do with judgments during the Tribulation. Mt 24:31 includes the word ‘elect’ which we’ve already talked about.

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In some places, the word “eternal” is correctly translated, but not all. We will have life eternal with immortal bodies and with God following 1 Corinthians 15:28 when God is All in All. But, there are ages unknown that must happen according to God’s plan between now and then. (Believers will have those bodies before that when we are “changed” by Christ at his return.)

One reason I’m not very interested in the tribulation discussion also occurring in this thread is that God has worked it all out as He intends and I’m just to be an observer. Whether I understand how it all plays out in advance isn’t important to me or God would have plainly revealed it in His Word. Of course the possibility exists that God has done this and I’m not smart enough to figure it out as perhaps others here correctly have done, but I still believe it isn’t necessary for me to know the timing. All I need do is believe.

Another Bible translation you might be interested in is the Concordant Literal New Testament. It straightens out this word problem.

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Matty, this is for you as well.

It is confusing and the random translation of the Greek word “Aion” doesn’t help. Please forgive the KJV quoted below—it’s the text used by the author I’m using for this explanation.

Portions excerpted from: The Outcome of Infinite Grace by Dr. Loyal F. Hurley.

The Hebrew word “olam”: and the Greek word “aion” both mean age or eon. Evidence of this may be found in any analytical concordance. The Hebrew “olam”comes from a root meaning “hidden”. The word therefore means not only a period of time, but a period of unknown or hidden length. It was often used to speak of a man’s lifetime because it is of an unknown period of time. To show how confusing it is in the King James Version—often copied, repeated or used as the basis for other translations—let’s look at the word “aion”. In the Greek text the noun form is used 128 times and the adjective form “aionios” is used 71 times. In the King James “aion”is correctly translated “age” only twice. Thirty eight times it’s translated “world”. In the Scofield Bible we find 35 marginal corrections for the noun and three for the adjective leaving 160 passages where the translation is misleading and no corrections are made. Ephesians 3:21 correctly translated should read: “to the age of the ages”.

It’s interesting that we have no difficulty understanding “King of kings” or “Lord of lords”. Everybody knows that they mean the greatest King of all kings, and the highest Lord of all lords. It ought be equally clear that “the age of ages” means the greatest Age of all the ages, the great consummation of the ages when God brings to completion what He has been busily engaged in during all other ages or unknown periods of time in which specific things have and will happen, all according to God’s plan determined before the ages began.

* God was before the ages. “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory” (1 Cor. 2:7) The accurate translation is “foreordained before the ages”.

* “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ before the world began” (2 Tim 1:9) The accurate translation “before eonian times”.

* God made the eons or ages through Christ. “God, Who at sundry times and divers manners [many times and various ways] spake in times past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us in His son, Whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by Whom also He made the worlds” (Heb. 1:1-2) “Worlds”, accurately translated, should be “ages”.

* “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God” (Heb. 11:3) It should read: “the ages were framed [planned] by the Word of God”.

* Christ reigns for the eons. “And He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end” (Lk 1:33). That should read: “He shall reign over the house of Jacob for the eons”, because the time will come when Christ will no longer reign over this kingdom.” We know this because “Then cometh the end when He shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father” (1 Cor. 15:24) But [And] the kingdom will continue under the Father’s rule, and it will have no end [one place where the concept of eternity, or forever, actually fits].

Matty: I’m sorry Dr. Hurley didn’t use more “eternity” or “eternal” verses for examples, but if you read verses with those words in Greek (an Interlinear Greek translation which will put the Greek as another line of text between the English translation) you’ll find the words in question. BlueLetterBible.org will show the Strong’s numbers and Greek as well.

There are so many Biblical statements that become much more clear when one grasps the truth of the ages and how they are spoken of in the Bible. Throughout the eons there is sin and evil, condemnation and death (Rom. 2:1-16; Rom. 5:12; Heb. 6:2; Rev. 20:11-15). At the end of the eons, after Christ has returned and reigned and has put down all rule, all authority and all power, death will be destroyed at which point all will have been justified so that God may be all in all (1 Cor. 15:24-28 ). Only as one sees the Plan of the Ages does he see the beauty of God’s Program for the redemption of the race—the whole race.

I hope this helps and I encourage you to look into it further. It will take some study probably with resources you don’t currently have, but are available. The bulk of what I’ve said came from an old pamphlet: The Outcome of Infinite Grace by Dr. Loyal F. Hurley. Dr. Hurley presents a reasonably concise explanation of the entire study. I don’t know if it is still available as I found it in my Father-in-Laws library. I pray that it is.

Remember:

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:13-14

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It says Noah entered the ark and Lot went out of Sodom.

The word eagles seems to mean vultures to fit your interpretation of the passage. The word eagles seems to mean eagles and fits my interpretation. Where are they taken? Where the eagles are gathered – in the air. The Greek word is used to translate the Hebrew word for eagle in the Septuagint. There is another Greek word for vulture that Jesus could have used to be clear if that is what He meant to say.

TYCHICUS (#60) – You don’t like more than one resurrection of the dead? Is God not capable of doing this?

There are 2 general resurrections – one of the righteous and one of the unrighteous – in Rev 20. The resurrection of Jesus and the two witnesses are specific individuals for unique purposes. The resurrection of the many in Matt 27 doesn’t say the went up to heaven after they rose. They could have been resuscitations like Lazarus. The resurrection of the OT saints is prophecy of the future resurrection in Rev 20.

TYCHICUS (#64) – why do you think the saints will be raptured to meet the Lord in the air, and then immediately return to the earth to participate in the Millenium

See the second part of my post #29

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Check out the definitions. 1. without beginning or end, 2. without beginning, and 3. without end.

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Btw, in the post-trib view, why do you think the saints will be raptured to meet the Lord in the air, and then immediately return to the earth to participate in the Millenium?

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//bible.crosswalk.com/Lexicons/Greek/grk.cgi?number=166&version=nas

Add “http:” to the beginning, obviously.

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RonD, check out this:
http //bible.crosswalk.com/Lexicons/Greek/grk.cgi?number=166&version=nas

See the definitions: 1. without beginning or end, 2. without beginning, and 3. without end.

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RonD, check out this:

http://bible.crosswalk.com/Lexicons/Greek/grk.cgi?number=166&version=nas

See the definitions: 1. without beginning or end, 2. without beginning, and 3. without end.

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