Death Defeats the Man of this World
The world may mock the child of God, and the world may despise the believer's life of humbly desiring to do the will of God; but in the end, when death comes (as it will for everyone) it is the (true) Christian that is victorious through the Lord Jesus Christ. Death defeats the man of this world. It conquers him and turns his entire life into a vain thing, an empty thing that comes to nothing. Death destroys the atheist, and the agnostic, and death destroys the secularist, and death destroys the Christian in name only, and death destroys those that don't even want to think about these things but just live their lives.
Finally, death destroys everyone, except for that lowly, that despised (true) Christian. Death does not destroy him but rather exalts him. Death lifts him up and shows him to be victorious in the end of the matter. Death proves that the action of humbly serving Christ during our short days upon the earth was the wisest thing after all.
Philippians 1:20 According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.
21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
22 But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.
23 For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:
# 2014.10.21 - Gaining a Better Understanding of the Greek Word Aion (Strong's no. 165)
Revelation 14:11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night…
Remember the reference “to ever and ever.” The Greek word translated as “ever and ever” is aion, Strong’s #165, and it is translated in some interesting ways in the New Testament. Let us start with 1 Corinthians 10. In the previous verses God was describing Israel’s history and the spiritual significance of it, and then he says
1 Corinthians 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
It says, “The ends of the world,” and it is very interesting that it does not say “the end of the world” (singular), and it is as if there is more than one end. It does not make sense until we understand that the English word “world” is also a translation of the Greek word aion. This word is translated as “world,” on occasion and it is also translated as “course” or “ages.” Let us go to Ephesians 1:21:
Ephesians 1:21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
The word “world” is aion. So there is a present world and there is a world to come and we recognize that because the Bible says that there is this present earth, but there will be a “new earth.” It says in Ephesians 2:2:
Ephesians 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world…
Our word is “course.” The word “world” here is a different word, kosmos. Here, it speaks of “the course of this world,” and aion is translated as “age” in a couple of places and that really helps me to understand this word better. Substitute that in Ephesians 2:2: “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the age of this world.” It is not the world itself, but an “era” or “epoch.” It says in Ephesians 2:6-7:
Ephesians 2:6-7 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
The word “ages” is our word aion. So God speaks of “ages” that are to come. He says there is the “ends” of this age, in 1 Corinthians 10:11, and there are “ages” to come. This is a rather difficult word to grasp, so I want us to get a feel of it. It says in Hebrews 9:26:
Hebrews 9:26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
The word “world” is aion. It is actually plural there, so it is saying that he appeared “once in the end of the ages.” Now Christ was made manifest in 33 AD to demonstrate what He had done from the foundation of the world. God is indicating that in 33 AD, when Jesus appeared, it was the “end of the ages.” Why would the Lord say that 33 AD was the “end of the ages”?
I think when we look at Biblical history, we see the creation of the world and then there was a period of time to the flood – that was a distinct period of time, 6,023 years from creation, until the flood in 4990 BC. Then from the flood, there was general history unfolding until the formation of Israel, as God began to deal with the family of Abraham; that was another distinct period of time from the flood to Abraham. Then from the formation of national Israel to Christ was another different era or period of time. From Christ, in 33 AD, we have the beginning of the Church Age and it lasted for 1,955 years. And notice that we call it the “Church Age” and this word aion can be translated as “age.” We can look back at Biblical history and we can see that God had an entirely different program for the “Church Age” than He did for the age of “national Israel.” Prior to the formation of the nation of Israel, He dealt with individuals from the flood to Abraham. And even before that, there was a different period from creation until God destroyed the world with the flood. So we can see “eras” or “ages,” and I think that “ages” is what this word points to, more correctly.
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