G. Campbell Morgan is one of the most well-known and respected Bible teachers and preachers in history. He worked as an associate of D. L. Moody in the Northfield Bible conferences, and he served as pastor of Westminster Chapel in London from 1904-1917 and again from 1933-1945. During his second term at Westminster Dr. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones served as his associate.

Morgan has become known as the

In his book

word 'eternity.' We have fallen into great error in our constant use of that word.

There is no word in the whole Book of God corresponding with our 'eternal'

which as commonly used among us means absolutely without end. The strongest

Scripture word used with reference to the existence of God is- 'unto the ages

of the ages,' which does not literally mean eternally.

Mr. Morgan was a serious student of the Bible, and he served within a very

While Mr. Morgan was a life-long student of the Bible, we should not take his opinion on this matter without further study. The most important thing we learn from him is that not all qualified Bible teachers are in agreement on the issue of must be translated

You can buy a Greek study book, and depending on the author you may find that

Or ... you can look at the Bible and see for yourself!

You don't need to be a Greek scholar. Read on!

In most cases our common English translators have taken the Greek word

But the translators encounter many difficulties, because in a fair number of cases the same word is used (

To give you a quick summary, the words

How could God, who is wanting to reveal things to us through the Bible, confuse us by using a single word that sometimes means

Compare the following passages. Note that in the Concordant Literal New Testament (CLNT) translation when the word

ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace...

ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace...

eons, He should be displaying the transcendent riches...

ages and from generations, but now is

made manifest to his saints:

ages and generations, but is now

disclosed to the saints.

eons and from the generations,

yet now was made manifest to His saints...

but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven

him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age

or in the age to come.

pardoned him, yet whoever may be saying aught against the holy spirit,

it shall not be pardoned him, neither in this eon nor in that which is

impending.

world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word...

life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it...

eon and the seduction of riches are stifling the word...

world...

world...

eon...

In these cases the NIV and KJV translators recognize from the context that same Greek word:

ever

forever.

eon.

never die.

never die.

dying for the eon.

ever/

forever...

you for the eon...

world, according to the will of

God and our Father: To whom be glory for ever and ever.

age, according to the will of our God and

Father, to whom be glory for ever and ever.

eon, according to the will

of our God and Father, to Whom be glory for the eons of the eons. (CLNT)

NOTE: This passage is very interesting, since the same Greek word (aion) is used

Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever.

reigning for the eons of the eons!

NOTE: Here is another interesting passage. Take the NIV for instance, where we

a contradiction, for if Christ reigns for ever and ever how can he reign until

ever and ever.

ever and ever.

eons of the eons.

It is clear what has happened. The translators saw the passages referring to God, and Christ's reign, and the torment of the wicked, and the

But even when after the end of the ages. The translators chose to change the meaning of certain words found in Scripture to give you their opinions. Where they felt

This is not intended to be a comprehensive analysis of every occurrence of

But from these few passages we can see:

1. There is inconsistency in how the word

2. There are at least some cases within the Bible where the word cannot possibly

mean

translations, since they were forced to use a different word in these cases.

Let's consider a few other things!

If

If before eternity?

If

Actually, look at 1 Corinthians 15, because that talks about what happens at

Look very closely at each word ...

If

If

The first beginning when Christ returns to the earth and sends Satan

to the

The second beginning when the current heaven and earth pass away

Revelation 21.

Incidentally, the structure of these phrases, speaking of an

In each case, a specific place within the tabernacle is described as it relates to the other portions of the tabernacle. Likewise in the

The idea of

If you think about it from our school days we remember the word

I once had a well-meaning friend tell me that I should consult with the seminary professors who were Greek experts, and who would inform me that

Furthermore, because our translators and the churches of our day insist upon arguing for an

When talking about the

We get a glimpse of this grand purpose in the following passages:

heavens and that on the earth ... operating

all in accord with the counsel of His will...

bowing, celestial and terrestrial and subterranean,

and every tongue should be acclaiming that

Jesus Christ is Lord, for the glory of God, the Father.

The Bible tells us about the time period known as

and an end, and complete in itself ... The word always carries the notion

of time, and not of eternity. It always means a period of time. Otherwise

it would be impossible to account for the plural, or for such qualifying

expressions as this age, or the age to come. It does not mean something

endless or everlasting ... The adjective ... in like manner carries the idea

of time. Neither the noun nor the adjective, in themselves, carry the sense

of endless or everlasting ... Words which are habitually applied to things

temporal or material cannot carry in themselves the sense of endlessness.

Even when applied to God, we are not forced to render (the word) everlasting.

Of course the life of God is endless; but the question is whether, in

describing God (by this Greek word), it was intended to describe the

duration of His being, or whether some different and larger idea was not

contemplated.

As we have seen in our brief look at a few selected passages of Scripture, these are some very astute observations relative to the words

Dr. F. W. Farrar said,

Even Augustine admits that in Scripture

Webster's New World Dictionary provides the following definition for

thousands and thousands of years.

From

aeonial by eternal, and

would be right again could we reinstate the original significance of the

word: for, strangely enough, the word 'eternal' originally meant aeonial

or age-long. It comes to us from the Latin aeternus, the older and longer

form of which is aeviternus: and the word aevum, which is the root of

it, is simply the Latin form of the Greek aion and the English aeon.

(page 119)

Cox notes in this work a quotation from Charles Kingsley:

of endlessness (vulgarly called eternity). It always meant, both in

Scripture and out, a period of time. Else how could it have a plural-

And how could you talk of the aeons, and aeons of aeons, as the

Scripture does? Nay, more, how talk of 'outos o aion' (this age),

which the translators, with laudable inconsistency, have translated

'this world', i.e., the present state of things, age, dispensation, or

epoch. Aionios therefore means, and must mean, belonging to an

epoch, or the epoch; and

the punishment allotted to that epoch.

William Barclay, well known Greek expert and author of the popular

Plato (who may have invented the word) plainly says that a thing may

be everlasting and still not be aionios. The simplest way to put it is

that aionios cannot be used properly of anyone but God; it is the

word uniquely, as Plato saw it, of God. Eternal punishment is then

literally that kind of remedial punishment which it befits God to

give and which only God can give.

I once had a man argue that God would not have allowed our translations to become filled with error. He determined from this that

First, there are reliable translations and other Bible study materials that will allow you to study the Scriptures if you are willing to dig deeper. If you are willing to look beyond the common translations, you can find the truth.

Second, if you use a modern English translation you will still see the way to salvation (through Jesus Christ, the Son of God) and you will still see many of the principles and truths pertaining to God. But the deeper truths God has revealed will be hidden!

I have faith that the Bible is indeed the very Word of God. I have considered the evidence and have settled this matter through my personal study. But I do not have faith in the modern English translations when it comes to a detailed study of God's Word. If I want to study to learn the deeper truths of God's revelation, I will use some of the books and reference materials noted in the final chapter, and would highly recommend them to you.

Once, as I explained my views pertaining to God's

If eternity is really eternity (as we would define the word today) it would be impossible for there to be anything which came after. The fact of the matter is that the modern English translators have mis-translated the words

As we have seen,

I have tried to keep this short study basic, recognizing that you can study from other sources if you are interested in learning more. I did want to be complete enough to show you why, beyond a shadow of doubt, I have been convinced that

If you would like to do more study on the various occurrences of