Matthew 24:3

This is one verse I've always wondered if end-times biases found their way into the translation. You see, the KJV translators were not premill. Amill and postmill teach that when Christ returns, the "world" is destroyed and made new. Thus, Christ's return would be at the "end of the world" as per the KJV. However, premill (at least the 20th century, common form) teaches that only the "age" ends at Christ's return, the end of the "world" doesn't happen until 1000 years later.

It would seem to me that "age" can apply equally well to any end-time viewpoint, but "world" favors the amill and postmill viewpoints. To the KJV translators, who lived in a time when the premill viewpoint was virtually non-existant (and even considered heresy by some, when it did surface), the word difference would have been irrelevant because the end of the age and the end of the world were one in the same. In premill thought, they are different.

 

Surely the "world" refers not to the physical earth, but to man's sphere of influence upon the earth? (see 1 Sam 2:8, Job 37:12, Is 23:17, Jer 25:26, Rev 3:10, Rev 12:9). Therefore, premillennialists can equally believe that Christ's return marks the end of this world, and the beginning of a new.

 

Look up the Greek word and tell me what it means. With all due respect, it really doesn't matter what you or I think. What does the word mean? It means age, duration, time period, or possibly world system. It is not the physical world. (Now don't try to say I don't believe the physical world won't be made new. That is clear from other Scriptures. However, this word is not referring to the physical world.)

Neal

 

Amen, Brother Neal4christ -- Preach it.

Is the Greek "aion" for age
or is the Greek "kosmos" for world?

 

Thank-you for clarifying. I thought you were taking it to mean the physical world. This was a short thread!

Neal

 

There is a german translation that tries to solve this problem (Schlachter Version). In Matthew it reads: until the end of this world-age . When the term "world" has a different meaning (Romans 12:2 for example) it reads: be not conformed to this world-pattern .
Fact is that the Greek word here means "age" but that is the "end of the world as we know it".

Is it true that the word "aion" is sometimes translated as eternity ?