"Forever" by Charles Welch, reprinted from The Berean Expositor
vol. 1

An examination of the words thus translated in A.V, and R.V.


Following upon the study of the Scriptures as to the question of
immortality, we instinctively turn to the following expressions
which so often occur, viz., "everlasting," " for ever," etc. In
the great majority of cases the word thus translated is the Greek
word aion, or the Hebrew olam. The A.V. has rendered the word aion
by the words " world," " course," " age," " eternal," and in
conjunction with the prepositions apo (from), ek (out of), and eis
(into), it gives " since the world began," " from the beginning of
the world," " for ever," " for evermore," " for ever and ever," "
while the earth standeth," " world without end"; while the
adjective aionios is rendered " eternal " and " everlasting."


If we have no theology to uphold, and if we count the judgment of
man as a " very small thing," it is possible that we may venture
to wonder how it comes about that one word can be translated "
since the world began," and also " world without end "; or again,
how the word can be rendered " world " (which certainly had a
beginning), and at the same time mean "for ever" and "eternal." It
has been forced upon us that in all these diverse renderings we
have had a good percentage of man's ideas instead of accurate and
unflinching translation.


Our space is too limited to give many examples, but we draw
attention to a few. In Matt. xxiv. 3 we read of " the end of the
world." This clearly shows that the word aion, translated
"world," may have an end. We turn to the very next chapter and
find that the word aion, when it becomes an adjective, aionios, is
translated by the words " eternal " and " everlasting," words
which admittedly allow of no end (Matt. xxv. 46). One thing seems
evident, that a true rendering is not found here. Again, there are
three important passages where the word aionios is found with the
word chronos (time), viz., Rom. xvi. 25; 2 Tim. i. 9, and Titus i.
2. The A.V. translates thus, "since the world began," and " before
the world began," while the R.V., going to the other extreme,
renders the words, " through times eternal," and " before times
eternal." What can we make of a word which can mean a limited
period and eternity?


There is no doubt whatever but that the word aion means " an age,"
and therefore to interpret it as " for ever " is not a
translation, but a human comment, which may be wrong. If the
Translators had rendered the word " age-times " instead of " times
eternal "; " this age " instead of " this world "; " unto the
ages" instead of "for ever," it would have been consistent, and
would have allowed each passage to speak for itself, instead of
saying just what traditional prejudice would make it say.


The mistranslation of the word aion is but another of the many
evidences of man's foolish pride. Man looks forward into the
future, or backward into the past. Age upon age stretch away on
either side, and seeing no end, and being unable to conceive of
one, he calls the space which exceeds his tiny
perspectiveDeternity! whereas to Him who sitteth in the heavens it
is but one link in the vast chain of the ages wherein He deals
with men, angels, and the universe. We may learn the meaning of
the Greek word aion by finding out the Hebrew equivalent. The
Septuagint Version uses the word aion to translate the Hebrew word
olam. Through the careful study of another labourer in the Word we
are enabled to give the following list of passages where the
Hebrew word olam occurs. First we consider the words me olam, as
translated in the A.V.:D


USED OF GOD.


"Ever of old" (Psa. xxv. 6)

"from everlasting" (Psa. xli. 13)

"from everlasting"  (Psa. xc. 2)

"from everlasting"  (Psa. xciii. 2)

"from everlasting"  (Psa. ciii. 17)

"from everlasting" (Isa. lxiii. 16)


USED OF MAN.


"Of old" (Gen. vi. 4)

"In old time"  (Josh. xxiv. 2)

"Of old" (1 Sam. xxvii. 8)

"Of old"  (Psa. cxix. 52)

"long time"  (Isa. xlii. 14)


"Since the beginning of the world"  (Isa. lxiv. 4)



These are but a few of the passages, but they are enough to help
us to see the fitness of the remark that " there is a startling
inconsistency here." When applied to God it is always "for ever,"
or " everlasting," but when applied to man it is never so
rendered. Why? Because in no case will the sense bear it. Man and
his history do not stretch back to a dateless past eternity. No
nation, no prophet has been " from everlasting." If a translator
would be guilty of tampering with the prerogatives of God should
he render me olam " from everlasting" when referring to the past
of man, why should he be labeled a heretic because he questions,
equally, the propriety of using the word olam to mean eternity
when applied to the future of man ? The case of the past is by the
nature of things impossible; the future lies before us, and man
has ventured his own opinion, tacked it on to the Word of God, and
usurping the solemn authority of that holy Word has swayed the
minds, influenced the faith, and stifled the consciences of
thousands. How many have been embittered by that dread whisper
"non-eternity" ? How many of God's most faithful witnesses have
been hounded down by these modern shibboleth-mongers ?


Let us look at some of the uses of the word olam: "If the servant
shall say .... I will not go out free .... he shall serve him for
ever" (Exod. xxi. 5, 6). Of the same class of Hebrew servant we
read in Lev. xxv. 40, " He shall serve thee unto the year of
jubilee " (when his service ends and he is free to go out not
merely alone, but with his wife and children). Hannah, speaking to
Samuel, says, " I will bring him that he may appear before the
Lord, and there abide for ever" (1 Sam. i. 22). In verse 11 she
interprets these words thus, " I will give him unto the Lord all
the days of his life." There is no room for an " until " in our
words " for ever," yet in Isa. xxxii. 14, 15 we read, " The forts
and towers shall be for dens for ever .... until the Spirit be
poured upon us." Here the for ever has an end, yet if we dare to
suggest that it may be so elsewhere, what a shaking of heads and
holy indignation we arouse! Scripture never contradicts itself. If
our renderings make inconsistencies, let us alter our renderings a
thousand times, but let us not tamper with the Scriptures of
truth.


Rev. xxi. 22 tells us of a future period when there shall be no
temple, yet the A.V. teaches that both the temple, priesthood, and
sacrifices were to be for ever (see Ezek. xxxvii. 26; Exod. xl.
15, and Numb. xviii. 8). We have not finished yet. The word olam
is followed many times by the word va ed. The word ed is rendered
" till," " to," " unto," " yet," &c., e.g.:D


"Till thou return unto the ground" (Gen. iii. 19).


"Since that time even until now" (Ezra v. 16, &c.).


Va is the Hebrew equivalent for " and." Thus, if we retain the
A.V. rendering, the words le olam va ed would mean " for ever and
still," " for ever and yet further " ! That the Hebrew does
contain some idea of a period beyond that covered by olam is
clear, for the Hebrew Translators of the Septuagint render the
words by ton aiona kai ep aiona kai eti (Exod. xv. 18), which
literally translated is, "the age, and upon the age, and still"!
Fifty-one times the A.V. translates eti by the word " yet,"
besides " further," " any longer," and " still." Surely these
facts should make us stop and reconsider this tremendous subject.
There is a further consideration which throws its weight against
the idea that aion or olam mean eternity, and that is that aion is
frequently found in the plural and the Genitive case. If the
singular can mean " for ever," what can the plural mean ? (we
cannot speak of " for evers " D- we never shall arrive at the end
of eternity, let alone start another). If we keep to the rendering
" age " all is clear. We can then have the expressions " unto the
age," " unto the ages," and " unto the ages of the ages " without
any interference with the divine words, but " eternities of
eternities " is absurd.


The root idea of the word olam is something secret or hidden (see
Psalm xc. 8, " secret sins "; Eccles. xii. 14, " secret thing ").
Because the period is hidden or secret, is undefined or
unrevealed, man in his arrogance has jumped to the conclusion that
because he cannot see the end, therefore there is none, forgetting
that he has limited knowledge and exceedingly limited vision. Olam
and aion signify a period of time whose end is undefined, or which
is hidden from man but which is by no means " everlasting," for
instances such as the Aaronic priesthood, &c., have been given of
such periods coming to an end, which were " for ever " according
to the A.V. Added to this we have the twenty passages which speak
of " unto the age of undefined limits and yet further " translated
" for ever and ever " by the English, in spite of both Hebrew and
Greek.


Let none imagine that the eternal security of the believer is by
any means weakened by these facts. This glorious truth is
unquestionably settled by such emphatic words as "incorruptible,"
"immortal," and by the words, "Because I live, ye shall live
also," and " Your life is hid with Christ in God".  Let us believe
and love the truth, and the truth will make us free; free from the
shackles of the traditions of the elders which make void the Word
of God, free from the nightmare of Christendom; free from the
clogs of error to proclaim "Life to the dead" in the gospel of the
glory of Christ.


It is possible that some may be tempted to write to us, and we
would anticipate one thing. We have stated facts; we do not hold
ourselves responsible for the " words which the Holy Ghost
teacheth," neither do we proffer any apology for upsetting
anyone's theological beliefs, whatever they may be. We would say
in the words of one servant of God to another, " You have your
Bible, you have your knees, use them."