"Aion/Aeon" (World/Age)
The End of the 'World'
Physical Universe, or Historical Eras ?

Matthew 13:39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels."

Greek: Aion | Matthew 13:39 | Five Greek Words | Rabbis and Aion

Milburn Cockrell (1998)
"The translators of our English version did a very poor job in translating the Greek word "aion." It occurs a little over 100 times in the Greek New Testament. In our King James Version it is translated 'world' 32 times, 'for ever' 27 times, 'for ever and ever' 20 times, and by a few other words some-times. Only two times out of a little over 100 is it properly translated 'age' (Eph. 2:7; Col 1:26). In my honest opinion, two out of a hundred is a very poor record." (Berea Baptist Banner August 5, 1998, page 1 - M.C. Editor)

Steve Duff
"The word “world” carries many meanings. It can mean the terrestrial world. This is the meaning of, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36) If it’s important to you, the Greek word is kosmos, meaning world, including its inhabitants. We believe that context is sufficient to determine the meaning. This is probably the primary meaning of the word in the modern day. It can also mean a large amount of the terra firm, or the known world. This is the meaning of, “But I say, Have they not heard? Yes, verily their sound went into all the earth,” (Rom. 10:18) The Greek word (if you must have it) is oikoumene, meaning the known world at that time, the Roman Empire. In this verse (Matt. 24:3), the word “world” means a sphere, realm or kingdom. The Greek word (if you were wondering) is aion meaning “age”. We use the word this way when talking about the “world of fashion,” the “renaissance world” or the Greek “bronze age.” The disciples wanted to know when the Jewish kingdom or age would end.  It stands to reason that the destruction of the Temple would coincide with the end of the Jewish age. The Temple was the epicenter of their culture. And it stands to reason that the destruction would have been the result of God’s judgment. Israel universally believed that God himself would deliver them, as he has in Old Testament times. These are not, however, just inferences and conjecture based on obscure word meanings. Jesus had traveled with them for three years and taught the Old Testament prophecies to them. These events are foretold in Daniel, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Joel, Amos and Zechariah. All of the prophets touch on the subject in some manner. Their question was a logical inquiry based on the context of what they knew." (The Last Days)

Thomas Hewitt
"Some have understood the world to come, he oikoumene he mellousa, as having the same meaning as in the verse, ‘Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness’ (2 Pet.3:13). In 6:5 the expression occurs again, but instead of oikoumene (the inhabited earth) aion (age) is used. The expression most probably carries the same breadth of meaning as ‘at the end of these days’ (1:2,RV). Such terms as these have extensive meanings, embracing the entire divine activity to bring about the salvation of man. Calvin remarks that, ‘the world to come is not that which we hope for after the resurrection, but that which began at the beginning of Christ’s Kingdom, but it no doubt will have its full accomplishment in our final redemption.’ Whatever meaning is applied to the phrase it is not put in subjection to angels; it merely states that the new order will not be in subjection then but to Christ, the Son of man." ( Tyndale Commentaries, in loc.)

Robert Milligan
" The world to come (he oikoumene he mellousa) means, not the coming age (ho aion ho mellon) as in Matt.12:39, etc., but the habitable world under the reign and government of the Messiah (ch.1:6). It is the world in which we now live; and in which, when it shall have been purified from sin [emphasis added], the redeemed shall live forever. For man, it was first created (Gen.1:28-31); and to man, it still belongs by the immutable decree of Jehovah." (Epistle to the Hebrews)

Hugo McCord
"Scripturally, no age follows our present age: on "us" is "the fulfillment of the ages has come" (1 Corinthians 10:11, NIV), "the ends of the world are come" (KJV). Christ has appeared "at the end of the ages" (Hebrews 9:26, NIV), "in the end of the world" (KJV). After "the end of the age" is not another one on this planet, but then comes the "harvest," and "the harvesters are angels" (Matthew 13:39, NIV), when "the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age" (Matthew 13:40, NIV), "in the end of this world" (KJV). Jesus said, "This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous" (Matthew 13:49, NIV), "at the end of the world" (KJV).Because some might infer that there is to be another age after our present age before the end of the world, it is better to stick with the KJV and the ASV translations of Matthew 28:20." (2 Chronicles 25:29)

Moulton/Milligan
"In general, the word depicts that of which the horizon is not in view . . . (The Vocabulary of the Greek Testament;edited by James Hope Moulton and George Milligan, p.16).

Alan Richardson
".. in the later writings of the Old Testament we find the picture of the healing river, or living waters, which will flow out from Jerusalem in the Messianic Age (Ezek. 47.1-12; Zech. 14.8; Joel 3.18; cf. Isa. 12.3; 33.21), bringing life to the world. St. John, in whose writing Jewish eschatology is adapted to Christian ends with consummate skill, fastens on the idea and represents Christ as the fulfillment of the promise of 'living water' (John 4.10) in the latter days: 'The water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up into the life of the (new) Age' (John 4:14)... Thus, the conception of life, which the New Testament takes over from later Judaism, is thoroughly eschatological." (An Introduction to the Theology of the New Testament, pp.71, 72.)

The fact is that in the New Testament zoe, or more fully zoe aionios, is an eschatological conception; it is one of the characteristic marks of the Age to Come, like glory, light, etc. In the contemporary rabbinic conception, the Age to Come (cf. Mark 10.30, ho erchomenos aion; Heb. 6.5, ho mellon aion), as distinct from this age (ho nun aion or ho aion hou-tos), was to be characterized by zoe, that is, zoe aionios, the life of the (coming) aion. Thus, what appears in EVV as 'eternal life' or 'life everlasting' really means 'the life of the Age to Come'. The phrase zoe aionios need not necessarily imply ever-lasting life (e.g. Enoch 10.10), but the usual meaning is life after death indefinitely prolonged in the World to Come (Dan. 12.2; Test. Asher 5.2; Ps. 501. 3.16; II (4) Esd. 7.12f.; 8.52-54). (An Introduction to the Theology of the New Testament, pp.73,74)

"The real point is the CHARACTER of the punishment. It is that of the order of the Age to Come as contrasted with any earthly penalties" (An Introduction to the Theology of the NT).

R. Schnachanburg (1963)
"There is never a hint in (John's) gospel that the Greek idea of immortality, the mere survival of the soul, has replaced the Semitic concept of life" - that is to say, the life of the whole man in true creaturely existence (God's Rule and Kingdom, p.280; cited in George Eldon Ladd, The Pattern of New Testament Truth, p.72).

G.T. Stevenson
"Translation from one language to another is a notoriously difficult task, the expression of nuances felt to be present in one tongue being often practically impossible in another because of lack of appropriate vocabulary. Therefore it is to be expected that some discordance will arise.

In the translation of 'aion' in well-known English versions,the following forty different renderings appear: Age, eon, time, period, today, the future, universe, course, world, worldly, world without end, since the world began, from the beginning of the world, ever, evermore, for ever and ever, end of my days, eternal, everlasting, always, permanently, constantly, of old, ancient times, all time (since) time was, (since) time began, (before) time began, all time, (since) the beginning of time, eternal ages, eternal life, eternity, course of eternity, utter (darkness), (the son) does (remain), ages of the eternities, (in and through) the eternities of the eternities, etc.

For 'aionios" the English versions use:- everlasting, eternal, eonian, age lasting, age during, age duringly, age abiding, (in) the time of the ages, age times, (before) the ages of time, of the ages, (in) the periods of past ages, (before) the ages began, for the ages of time, (before) the beginning of time, since the world began, (before) the times of the world, (before) times eternal, from eternity, from all eternity, for ever, unfailing, final, unending, permanent, immemorial, enduring, lasting, eternally, long, perpetual, an immeasurable eternity, last, heavenly.

The above lists, compiled by J. Kirk, Eonian, Everlasting or Age-lasting? (Sacred literature Concern, Los Angeles, undated) have been gathered from The Douay Version (1582), The King James Version (1611), Wilson's Emphatic Diaglott (1881), Rotherham's Emphasized Bible (1872), The English Revised Version (1881), The American Standard Version (1901), Young's Literal Translation, The Modern Reader's Bible (1898), The Numerical Bible (1899), The Twentieth Century New Testament (1901), The N.T. in Modern Speech (Weymouth) (1903), The Complete Bible in Modern Speech (Fenton) (1906), Moffat's N.T. (1922), Goodspeed's N.T. (1923), The Centenary N.T. (Montgomery) (1924), Darby's W.T., The Concordant N.T. (1930), The Numeric English N.T. (Ivan Panin) (1935), The N.T. or Covenant (Cunnington) (1935)." (Time and Eternity: A Biblical Study)

G.F. Taylor (1907)
"THE old idea that this earth is to be destroyed is very erroneous.  There is not a line of Scripture when properly viewed to support this theory.  Men are too prone to jump at certain conclusions about the Scriptural doctrines without properly considering them.  A great routine of false teachings on the Scriptures have been handed down to us from the dark ages.  The sad thing is that the most of us accept them as true without ever investigating for ourselves.  A greater heresy never prevailed in the world than the one that this earth is to be destroyed.  There is an abundance of Scripture to prove that the earth will stand forever.

This erroneous idea concerning the earth has grown from mistranslation of certain words in the original Greek of the New Testament.  There are three different words in Greek all translated by our word “world.”  1st, “kosmos,” the ma­terial universe; 2nd, “oikoumenee,” the inhabitants of the world; 3rd, “aion,” an age.  The Authorized Version makes no distinction between these different words.  For the use of the first word, “kosmos,” see Luke 11: 50.  For the use of the second word, “oikoumenee,” see Heb. 2: 5. For the use of the third word, “aion,” see Matt. 28: 20.  It should be noted that the expression, “end of the world,” in Matt. 28: 20, should be; “the end of the age.”  Moreover, there are a great number of passages in the New Testament that refer to the “end of the world, but in each and every case the Greek is “aion,” or the “end of the age.”  Time is divided into many different ages, and that this present age will come to a close is sure; but there is no Scripture to teach that this earth will ever be de­stroyed.  It is a calamity that such an idea is inferred from a mistranslation of certain Greek terms. " (The Second Coming of Jesus, Chapter 34)

Tittman (1835)
"(Greek - coming), as it occurs in the New Testament, does not denote the end, but rather the consummation, of the aeon, which is to be followed by a new age. So in Matt. xiii. 39, 40, 49; xxiv. 3; which last passage, it is to be feared, may be misunderstood in applying it to the destruction of the world."  (Synonyms of the New Test. vol. i. a. 70; Bib. Cab. No. iii.)

Earl Traut
"THE PERIOD FROM CREATION THROUGH JESUS' GENERATION: This includes the time period in which Jesus lived in a physical body and in which both the AM (OT) and the FCM were written. This period is described by the expression "from the age" (ap' aionos). For Example, Lk.1.69-70: "and raised a horn of rescue for us in David's house; as he spoke through [the] mouth of his pure spokesmen from the age (ap' aionos)." Also Act.3.21: "...whom it is necessary for heaven to receive until [the] times of restitution of all things which God spoke through [the] mouth of his pure spokesmen from the age (ap' aionos).  Translation:

AGE (4) Lk.1.70. Jn.9.32. Act.3.21; 15.18. AGES (2) Eph.3.9. Col 1.26." (NTWords.com)

W.E. Vine
"The force attaching to the word is NOT so much that of the ACTUAL LENGTH of a period, but that of a period marked by spiritual or moral characteristics" (An Expository Dictionary of NT Words).

Charles Wright
"The passing away of the dispensation of the law of Moses, which as limited in great part to Israel after the flesh, might well be called the Jewish dispensation, was justly regarded as "the end of the age" ( Matt. xxiv. 3). The Messiah was viewed as the bringer in of a new world. The period of the Messiah was, therefore, correctly characterised by the Synagogue as "the world to come." In this signification our Lord used that expression when he uttered the solemn warning that the sin against the Holy Ghost would be forgiven "neither in this world (the then dispensation), neither in the world to come" (Matt. xii. 32), or the new dispensation, when, "having overcome the sharpness of death," Christ "opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers."  (Commentary on Zechariah)

Spiros Zodhiates, Th.D. (1990)
165. Aion; age, refers to an age or time in contr. to kosmos (2889), referring to people or space. Derived from aei (104), always, and on, being. Denotes duration or continuance of time, but with great variety. (1) Both in the sing. or pl. it signifies eternity whether past or to come (Mt. 6:13; Mk. 3:29; Lk. 1:55; Jn. 4:14; 6:51; Acts 15:18; Eph. 3:11, etc.); for ages, of ages (Rev. 1:6,18; 5:14; 10:6; 14:11; 15:7; 20:10). (2) The duration of this world (Mt. 28:20; Jn. 9:32; Acts 3:21); since the beginning of the world (Mt. 13:39, etc.). (3) Pl. hoi aiones, the ages of the world (1 Cor. 2:7; Eph. 3:9; Col. 1:26). (4) Ho aion houtos, this age, generation (Lk. 16:8; 20:34, cf. Mt. 13:22; 1 Cor. 1:20; 2:6; Gal. 1:4; Eph. 2:2; 1 Tim. 6:17; 11 Tim. 4:10; Tit. 2:12). (5) Ho aion ho erchomenos, the age, the coming one, meaning the next life (Mk. 10:30; Lk. 18:30, cf. Lk. 20:35) (6) An age or dispensation of providence (Mt. 24:3, cf. Mt. 12:32; 1 Cor. 10:11; Heb. 1:2; 6:5; 9:26). (7) Aiones, ages, in Heb. 11:3 refers to the great occurrences which took place in the universe. Aion primarily has physical meaning (time) but also ethical. Signifies time, short or long in its unbroken duration, all of which exists in the world under conditions of time, ethically, the cause and current of this world's affairs. It has acquired, like kosmos (2889), an unfavorable meaning (Lk. 16:8; 20:34; Eph. 2:2; Gal. 1:4). (New American Standard Bible Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible [AMG Publishers; Chattanooga, TN], p. 1801)

 

Abbo of Fleury (c.945-c.1004)  
“When I was a young man I heard a sermon about the end of the world preached before people in the cathedral of Paris.  According to this, as soon as the number of a thousand years was completed, the Antichrist would come and the Last Judgment would follow in a brief time.  I opposed this sermon with what force I could from passages in the Gospels, the Apocalypse and the Book of Daniel” (Apologetic Work)

George Wesley Buchanan (2005)
"Jews believed there were large temporal units called "ages" that followed each other..  Each cycle had two halves, just as each day had two halves -- night and day.  One half of the cycle was the dark age, and the other was the age of light.. The end for which pious Jews and Christians longed was the end of the dark age -- not the end of the world, the cosmos, or of time.  When the dark age came to an end, there would be a new age of light with a Jewish messiah ruling the Kingdom of God from his throne at Jerusalem." (The Book of Revelation: Its Introduction and Prophecy, p. 10)

Jonathan Edwards (1739)
"And the dissolution of the Jewish state was often spoken of in the Old Testament as the end of the world. But we who belong to the gospel-church, belong to the new creation; and therefore there seems to be at least as much reason, that we should commemorate the work of this creation, as that the members of the ancient Jewish church should commemorate the work of the old creation." ("The Perpetuity and Change of the Sabbath" (The Works of Jonathan Edwards, vol 2).

W.B. Godbey
"The popular idea of the end of the world is unscriptural. Matthew 24:3, which reads, "end of the world," should read, "end of the age." The Greek word is not cosmos (world), but aeon (age, or time)."

James Patrick Holden
"There were various views about what this age would constitute; not all views involved a Messianic figure, and the disciples themselves show some confusion when they ask if the kingdom will be restored to Israel (Acts 1:6). They are in line with certain Messianic expectations when they ask this; they are expcecting that now that the Age of the Messiah has dawned, Israel will be restored properly again. It boils down to this: the "end of the age" refers back to the destruction of the Temple and the end of the covenant, and the beginning of the new covenant. "The age to come, the end of Israel's exile, [was seen] as thhe inaugration of a new covenant between Israel and her god." [NTPG, 301] (Cf. Matt. 12:32, "And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come." "World" in both cases is aion.) The verse 39 example has the same theme, only it uses the analogy of a harvest. (One other use, Matt. 28:20, offers no contextual clues.) This would sensibly fit in with Matt. 24:31, a later part of the discourse ("And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.") How could this refer to the "end of the age" in 70 AD? I think rather easily. Dispensational commentators see here a reference perhaps to the "Rapture" and/or final judgment. But neither a harvest nor a fishing expedition is such a quick event. Harvests took days to process in the age before tractors. Fishermen stayed out fishing for extended periods (as Peter and co. stayed out all night, until Jesus leant a hand). No commentator would disagree that upon death the wicked, and the justfied in Christ, are encountering their final judgment (Heb. 9:27) -- and the "field" here is the "world" (kosmos), the entire world. The seed sown by Jesus is sown over the entire kosmos." (Olivet Discourse and Prophetic Fulfillment)

B.W. Johnson
"Literally, ‘the inhabited earth of the future.’ The Jewish dispensation was called by the Jews ‘the present world.’ A dispensation following it would be the world to come.’ The reference is rather to the future gospel ages than to the eternal world." (B. W. Johnson, People’s New Testament with Notes)

John Locke (1705)
(On Galatians 4:25,26) "The He might take us out of this present evil world, or age, so the Greek words signify. Whereby it cannot be thought that St. Paul meant that Christians were to be immediately removed into the other world. Therefore enestwtoj aiwnoj (gk.) must signify something else than present world in the ordinary import of those words in English. Aiwnoj toutou, 1 Cor. ii. 6,8, and in other places, plainly signifies the Jewish nation under the Mosaical constitution; and it suits very well with the apostle's design in this epistle that it should do so here. God has in this world but one kingdom and one people. The nation of the Jews were the kingdom and people of God whilst the law stood. And this kingdom of God under the Mosaical constitution was called aiwnoj toutou, this age, or, as it is commonly translated, this world, to which aiwnoj enestwtoj, the present world, or age, here answers. But the kingdom of God which was to be under the Messiah, wherein the economy and constitution of the Jewish Church, and the nation itself, that in opposition to Christ adhered to it, was to be laid aside, is in the New Testament called aivwvn mevllwn, the world, or age, to come; so that Christ's taking them out of the present world, may, without any violence to the words, be understood to signify His setting them free from the Mosaical constitution." (Paraphrase and Notes on Galatians)

(On Ephesians 2:2 and the word 'aeon' - gr. ai,w.n) "aivw./n (aeon) may be observed in the New Testament to signify the lasting state and constitution of things in the great tribes or collections of me, considered in reference to the kingdom of God: whereof there were two most eminent, and principally intended, if I mistake not, by the word aivw./nej, when that is used alone, and that it is o.. nu/n aivw./n, this present world, which is taken for that state of the world wherein the children of Israel were His people and made up his kingdom upon earth; the Gentiles, that is, all the other nations of the world, being in a state of apostasy and revolt from Him, and aivwvn mevllwn, the world to come, that is, the time of the Gospel, wherein God, by Christ, broke down the partition wall betwee jew and Gentile, and opened a way for the reconciling the rest of mankind and taking the Gentiles again into His kingdom under Jesus Christ, under whoe rule He had put it." (Notes on Eph. ii.2)

(On I Corinthians 10:11, Ephesians 1:21 and the word 'aeon' - gr. ai,w.n) "It may be worth while to consider whether aivw./n (aeon) hath not ordinarily a more natural signification in the New Testament by standing for a considerable length of time, passing under some one remarkable dispensation." (Notes on I Cor 10:11)

James Macknight (1763)
"The gospel dispensation is called ainos milloutos, the age to come, Heb.6:5, but never oikoumene millousan, the inhabitable world to come. The phrase, if I mistake not, signifies the heavenly country promised to Abraham and his spiritual seed. Wherefore, as oikoumene, the world, Lk.2:1, and elsewhere, by a usual figure of speech, signifies the inhabitants of the world, the phrase oikoumene millousan may very well signify the inhabitants of the world to come, called [in] Heb.1:14 ‘Them who shall inherit salvation.’" (Apostolical Epistles)

Thomas Newton (1754)
"'The coming of Christ' is also the same period with the destruction of Jerusalem, as may appear from several places in the Gospels, and particularly from these two passages; 'There are some standing here,' saith our blessed Lord, 'who shall not taste of death till they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom,' Matt xvi. 28, that is, evidently, there are some standing here who shall live, not till they end of the world, to the coming of Christ to judge mankind, but till the destruction of Jerusalem, to the coming of Christ in judgment upon the Jews. In another place, John xxi.22, speaking to Peter concerning John, he saith, 'If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?' what is that to thee, if I will that he live till the destruction of Jerusalem? as in truth he did, and long. 'The coming of Christ,' and 'the conclusion of the age,' being therefore only different expressions to denote the same period with the destruction of Jerusalem, the purpose of the question plainly is, when shall the destruction of Jerusalem be, and what shall be the signs of it?'" (Newton, p. 374)

N. Nisbett (1787)
Upon this assertion, his disciples very naturally asked him, when these things should be, and what would be the sign of his coming? St. Matt. alone has this addition, and of the end of the world; which Bishop Pearce has, I think, more justly translated, the end of the age, during which the Jewish state was to last, and which age, the disciples imagined, would be at an end, when the Christ came, and visited the Jewish nation." (An Attempt to Illustrate..)

Stafford North (1985)
"Actually, their phrase in Matthew may more precisely be translated from the Greek as "the end of the age."  The RSV, in fact, translates it as "close of the age."  The destruction of the temple was, in fact, the means God used to mark the "end of the age" of His dealings with the Jews as His chosen people.. The terms "thy coming" and "end of the age" in Matthew were their way of describing what, in their minds, was the cataclysmic event Jesus had spoken about and not a reference to the "end of the world" as we think of it." (Armageddon Again?, OK, 1991, p. 42)

Reverend Abel C. Thomas (1843)
"The phrase 'the end of the world,'" he wrote, "occurs seven times in the New Testament. The Greek term rendered world is not kosmos (which signifies material world), but aion, which signifies era or age. Its meaning is well expressed when we speak of the Christian era, the Jewish era, the Elizabethan era - or Golden Age - the Dark Ages, and the like. The Disciples asked our Lord in a private interview, 'What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?' (aion.) In the reply of our Saviour he speaks thrice of the end - namely, the end of the world inquired for, and He assures His Disciples that the end would be before that generation passed away.. ..There is not a place in Scripture where the end of kosmos is mentioned, but the end of aion is seven times spoken of in the New Testament. 'The Harvest is the end of the world' (aion). Matt. XIII - verse 48. 'So shall it be at the end of the world' (aion)." [A Complete Refutation of Miller's Theory of the End of the World in 1843. Published in 1843. Appendix, pp. 263-64.]

N.T. Wright (1995)
"The present age was a time when the creator god seemed to be hiding his face; the age to come would see the renewal of the created world. The present age was the time of Israel's misery; in the age to come she would be restored. In the present age wicked men seemed to be flourishing; in the age to come they would receive their just reward. In the present age even Israel was not really keeping the Torah perfectly, was not really being YHWH's true humanity; in the age to come all Israel would keep Torah from the heart." (New Testament and the People of God, 299-300)

"Within the mainline Jewish writings of this period, covering a wide range of styles, genres, political persuasions and theological perspectives, there is virtually no evidence that Jews were expecting the end of the space-time universe.  There is abundant evidence that they knew a good metaphor when they saw one, and used cosmic imagery to bring out the full theological significance of cataclysmic socio-political events.   There is almost nothing to suggest that they followed the Stoics into the belief that the world itself would come to an end; and there is almost everything to suggest that they did not." (NTPG 333)

"To the list of sources there in favour of the position advanced should be added Horslet 1987, 138f., 337; and (cited by Horsley) Wilder 1959.  Among many passages which could be cited, the three which Allison 1985, 89 quotes, against the drift of his own argument (on which see above, 209 n. 38, and the next note, below), will do for a start: Ps. - Philo 11.3-5; 4 Ezra 3.18-19; and bZeb. 116a." (Jesus and the Victory of God, p. 321f.)

"If Jesus and the early church used the relevant language in the same way as their contemporaries, it is highly unlikely that they would have been referring to the actual end of the world, and highly likely that they would have been referring to events within space-time history which they interpreted as the coming of the kingdom.  It will not do to dismiss this reading of 'apocalyptic' language as 'merely metaphorical'.   Metaphors have teeth; the complex metaphors available to first-century Jews had particularly sharp ones."  (Jesus and the Victory of God, p. 321)

John Brown (1858)
" 'Heaven and earth passing,' understood literally, is the dissolution of the present system of the universe, and the period when that is to take place, is called the 'end of the world.' But a person at all familiar with the phraseology of the Old Testament Scriptures, knows that the dissolution of the Mosaic economy, and the establishment of the Christian, is often spoken of as the removing of the old earth and heavens, and the creation of a new earth and new heavens" (Discourses and Saying, vol. 1, p. 170)

"The period of the close of the one dispensation and the commencement of the other, is spoken of as "the last days," and "the end of the world," and is described as such a shaking of the earth and heavens, as should lead to the removal of the things which were shaken (Hag. ii.6, Hen xiv. 26,27).

(On I Peter 4:7) "After some deliberation I have been led to adopt the opinion of those who hold that "the end of all things" here is the entire end of the Jewish economy in the destruction of the city and temple of Jerusalem, and the dispersion of the holy people. That was at hand; for this epistle seems to have been written a very short while before these events took place, not improbably after the commencement of the "wars and rumours of wars" of which our Lord spake. This view will not appear strange to any one who has carefully weighed the terms in which our Lord had predicted these events, and the close connection which the fulfillment of these predictions had with the interests and duties of Christians, whether in Judea or in Gentile countries.

It is quite plain that in our Lord's prediction the expressions "the end," and probably "the end of the world," are used in reference to the entire dissolution of the Jewish economy. The events of that period were very minutely foretold, and our Lord distinctly stated that the existing generation should not pass away till all things respecting "this end" should be fulfilled, This was to be a season of suffering for all; of trial, severe trial, to the followers of Christ; of dreadful judgment on His Jewish opposers, and of glorious triumph to His religion. To this period there are repeated references in the apostolical epistles. "Knowing the time," says the Apostle Paul, "that now it is high time to awake out of sleep, for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand." "Be patient," says the Apostle James; "stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh." "The Judge standeth before the door." Our Lord's predictions must have been very familiar to the minds of Christians at the time this was written. They must have been looking forward with mingled awe and joy, fear and hope, to their accomplishment: "looking for the things which were coming on the earth;" and it was peculiarly natural for Peter to refer to these events, and to refer to them in words similar to those used by our Lord, as he was one of the disciples who, sitting with his Lord in full view of the city and temple, hears these predictions uttered. (Expository Discourses on 1 Peter, vol. ii. pp.292-294)

Gary DeMar
"Notice that the disciples did not ask about the dissolution of the physical heaven and earth or the judgment of the "world" (kosmos). After hearing Jesus pronounce judgment on the temple and city of Jerusalem (Matthew 23:37­39), His disciples ask about the end of the "age" (aion). When did the "end" occur? The only proximate eschatological event that fits the "end of the age" framework is the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. The disciples knew that the fall of the temple and the destruction of the city meant the end of the Old Covenant order and the inauguration of a new order. As Jews who were familiar with Old Testament imagery, the disciples recognized the meaning of this restructuring language. Jesus nowhere corrects or modifies the multi-faceted question of the disciples..  The "age to come," therefore, is simply a designation for the Christian era, an era that was long ago prophesied by the prophets. Abraham, for example, "rejoiced in order to see [Jesus'] day; and he saw it, and was glad" (John 8:56). The old covenant with its attendant animal sacrifices and earthly priesthood passed away when God's lamb, Jesus Christ, took away the sins of the world." (The Passing Away of Heaven and Earth)

F.W. Farrar
"Since aion meant "age," aionios means, properly, "belonging to an age," or "age-long," and anyone who asserts that it must mean "endless" defends a position which even Augustine practically abandoned twelve centuries ago." (The Eternal Hope, page 198)

Bishop Pearce (18th Century)
(On I Corinthians 10:11) "St. Paul did not imagine, that the end of the world was at hand (as some commentators have, much to his prejudice, supposed): He only alluded to the Jewish distinction of time."

(On Hebrews 9:26) "which phrase of the 'end of the world; relates, not to the end of the world, strictly speaking, but to the preceding ages, being ended."

James Stuart Russell (1878)
(On Matthew 13:39) "We find in the passages here quoted an example of one of those erroneous renderings which have done much to confuse and mislead the ordinary readers of our English version. It is probable, that ninety-nine in every hundred understand by the phrase, 'the end of the world,' the close of human history, and the destruction of the material earth. They would not imagine that the ' world ' in ver. 38 and the 'world' in ver. 39 40, are totally different words, with totally different meanings. Yet such is the fact. Koinos in ver. 38 is rightly translated world, and refers to the world of men, but aeon in ver. 39, 40, refers to a period of time, and should be rendered age or epoch. Lange translates it aeon. It is of the greatest importance to understand correctly the two meaning of this word, and of the phrase 'the end of the aeon, or age.' aion is, as we have said, a period of time, or an age. It is exactly equivalent to the Latin word aevum, which is merely aion in a Latin dress; and the phrase, (Greek- coming), translated in our English version, 'the end of the world,' should be, 'the close of the age.' Tittman observes: (Greek - coming), as it occurs in the New Testament, does not denote the end, but rather the consummation, of the aeon, which is to be followed by a new age. So in Matt. xiii. 39, 40, 49; xxiv. 3; which last passage, it is to be feared, may be misunderstood in applying it to the destruction of the world.' (8) It was the belief of the Jews that the Messiah would introduce a new aeon: and this new aeon, or age, they called 'the kingdom of heaven.' The existing aeon: therefore, was the Jewish dispensation, which was now drawing to its close; and how it would terminate our Lord impressively shows in these parables. It is indeed surprising that expositors should have failed to recognize in these solemn predictions the reproduction and reiteration of the words of Malachi and of John the Baptist." (p.21)

"Nothing can be more misleading to the English reader, than the rendering, 'the end of the world;' which inevitably suggests the close of human history, the end of time, and the destruction of the earth -- a meaning which the words will not bear. . . . What can be more evident than that the promise of Christ to be with his disciples to the close of the age implies that they were to live to the close of the age ? That great consummation was not far off ; the Lord had often spoken of it, and always as an approaching event, one which some of them would live to lice. It was the winding up of the Mosaic dispensation; the end of the long probation of the theocratic nation; when the whole frame and fabric of the Jewish polity were to be swept away, and the kingdom of God to come with power. This great event, our Lord declared, was to fall within the limit of the existing generation." (The Parousia, p. 121.)

George Booker
“The harvest is the end of the world (Greek aion: age, era, dispensation)” (v. 39). Some brethren suggest that this means A.D. 70, and the related overthrow of Israel is the fulfillment of this parable, but this seems to involve more than a minor dislocation of several related references. In the first place, such an interpretation would imply that the “sowing” or gospel proclamation must also have ceased in A.D. 70, and this is far from the case. Furthermore, the end of the aion means generally in the Bible the full and final end of Gentile times, marked by the resurrection and the judgment of the responsible. In this very same chapter (Matthew 13), in v. 49, the phrase has that obvious meaning. In the world (aion) to come, ye shall receive eternal life, Jesus said (Luke 18:30)." (Biblical Fellowship, chapter 14: The Wheat and the Tares)

Dave Ramey
"The subject of this Chapter 10 of Isaiah continues with God trying to get His People to listen to and follow Him, instead of our own ways, sytems, and creeds. This Message God is giving through Isaiah is not just for his era, but for us today also. In the last Chapter 9, God gave many references to the 'evil day', that is to say, the time when the 'spurious Messiah', i.e., Satan, will cause the 'abomination of desolation' in God's Temple. These events recorded here in Isaiah are but types, or as Paul would say in I Cor.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." The word 'world' Paul used in the Greek is 'aion', and it means an 'age', or earth age, similar to 'eon', not a literal destruction of all things which God created; only those 'elements', or properly 'rudiments' spoke of in II Peter 3. It specifically applies to the events written in God's Word which happen upon Christ's second coming. Now we know that the return of Jesus Christ at the second Advent had not happened during Paul's time, so even what Paul was writing there in I Cor.10 was for our 'admonition', or learning, even today. 'No worries mate', if you're in Christ Jesus and are trying to do what our Father has written for us to follow." ("Isaiah 10:1 - 10:11")

Earl Traut
"Prior to the Twentieth Century, aion was often rendered "world" in some translations. This has caused confusion between events which occurred in 70 A.D. and those to occur on "judgment day." For example, in Mt.24.3, Jesus' disciples asked him, "Tell us when these things will be, and what [will be] the sign of your presence and the end of the age (aion, not kosmos)?" Their inquiry was not about "the end of the world" (kosmos) or "the end of the Earth" or the Day of Judgment, but concerning things that would happen within their own generation such as Jesus' presence, and the event when "not one stone would be left upon another." (NTWords.com)

Tony Warren (2000)
"Of course we are well aware of the Preterist claim that the end of the age was in 70 A.D., but that is a Biblically untenable position. The proponents of this theory come to this conclusion by selectively interpreting age/world [aion], and then arbitrarily making the supposition that there was an end of the age in 70 A.D. This, despite the fact that there is absolutely no Biblical warrant for declaring 70 A.D. the end of an Age. Not one scripture makes that claim! And while they insist Matthew 24 (the end of the world) is a mistranslation of the word [aion], which means age, they are still unable to coherently explain verses like: Luke 18:30 "Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting". This is the exact same Greek word [aion], meaning world/age. If that present time Jesus spoke in was before 70 A.D., (Jesus spoke this before the cross) is when they received manifold more, and the age to come is Eternal life for them, then obviously 70 A.D. being the coming next age (according to their theory), must have been the age of eternal life Jesus spoke of. But did Life Everlasting start in 70 A.D? No, not at all. The theory is bankrupt! Jesus is obviously speaking not about an alleged age to come in 70 A.D., but about the end of the world/age when He would return and "all" would be fulfilled. That is that world or age to come when we would receive the everlasting life." (This Generation)

Aionos - Eternal or Not?

Aristotle
"The period which includes the whole time of one's life is called the aeon of each one." (peri ouravou, i. 9,15)

Thomas Allin
"These are the originals of the terms rendered by our translators "everlasting," "for ever and ever:" and on this translations, so misleading, a vast portion of the popular dogma of endless torment is built up. I say, without hesitation, misleading and incorrect; for aion means "an age," a limited period, whether long or short, though often of indefinite length; and the adjective aionios means "of the age," "age-long," "aeonian," and never "everlasting" (of its own proper force), it is true that it may be applied as an epithet to things that are endless, but the idea of endlessness in all such cases comes not from the epithet, but only because it is inherent in the object to which the epithet is applied, as in the case of God. Much has been written on the import of the aeonian (eternal) life. Altogether to exclude, (with MAURICE) the notion of time seems impracticable, and opposed to the general usage of the New Testament (and of the Septuagint). But while this is so, we may fully recognize that the phrase "eternal life" (aeonian life) does at times pass into a region above time, a region wholly moral and spiritual. Thus, in S. John, the aeonian life (eternal life), of which he speaks, is a life not measured by duration, but a life in the unseen, life in God. Thus, e.g., God's commandment is life eternal. -- John 12:50. To know Him is life eternal, -- John. 17:3, and Christ is the eternal life. -- I John 1:2; 5:20. Admitting, then, the usual reference of aionios to time, we note in the word a tendency to rise above this idea, to denote quality, rather than quantity, to indicate the true, the spiritual, in opposition to the unreal, or the earthly. In this sense the eternal is now and here. Thus "eternal" punishment is one thing, and "everlasting" punishment a very different thing, and so it is that our Revisers have substituted for "everlasting" the word "eternal" in every passage in the New Testament, where aionios is the original word. Further, if we take the term strictly, eternal punishment is impossible, for the "eternal" in strictness has no beginning. " (Christ Triumphant)

Joseph Bonsirven (1964)
"What we have learned about man's fate after death helps us to see more clearly into the question of time and eternity. The ancient Semites had great difficulty in understanding this latter notion, to designate it, they had only the very imprecise term, olam. This word meant "time," considered as the mysterious mass of the past or future. By extending the meaning of the word, it was possible to come to a wider conception of time. At the eve of the Christian era and under the influence of Greek thought, olam had come to be understood not only in a temporal sense but also in spatial terms, corresponding to the Greek term, kosmos. The possibility of distinguishing between two periods, two kinds of time, was then considered. There would be the time of unhappiness and corruption in which humanity was living, and the "new age," a time in which unhappiness and corruption had been eliminated. This distinction appears first and above all in the Apocrypha; we find it mentioned by the rabbis from the first century on. The two ages succeed one another and prepare for one another; one is the vestibule, the other the main hall." (Palestinian Judaism in the Time of Jesus Christ, translated from the French by William Wolf. (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston), p. 169. From PALESTINIAN JUDAISM IN THE TIME OF JESUS CHRIST, Copyright 1963 Joseph Bonsirven. Reprinted by permission of Henry Holt and Company, Inc.)

Baker's Evangelical Dictionary
"The Greek aion [aijwvn] in the Septuagint and New Testament corresponds to the Hebrew olam ['l/[] of the Old Testament. Both words usually depend on a preposition (for example, ad olam and eis ton aionon are rendered "forever"). In some contexts olam ['l/[] and aion [aijwvn] are translated "age" ("world" in the av); the Greek chronoi [crovno"] may also mean "ages."

Ages as Epochs of Time Both Testaments speak of "ages" as undefined periods of history over which God rules (Psalm 90:2; 1 Tim 1:17; Jude 25 ). As with much intertestamental literature, the Apocalypse of Weeks goes farther, in this case dividing history into ten epochs of varying lengths (1 Enoch 91:12-17; 93:1-10). But the canonical writers do not try to calculate when successive ages will begin or end. The Bible may refer to past ages in order to exalt God's knowledge as Creator in comparison with human ignorance (Isa 64:4; cf. Deut 4:32). In the New Testament the hidden wisdom of God is repeatedly connected with the gospel, a mystery that he has chosen to reveal after long ages (aion [aijwvn] in 1 Col 2:7; Eph 3:9; Col 1:26; chronoi [crovno"] in Rom 16:25; 2 Tim 1:9; Titus 1:2). According to 1 Corinthians 10:11, Hebrews 9:26, and 1pe 1:20, the present era is the end of the ages. Even while the church anticipates the future consummation, it lives already in the time in which God's plan of redemption is being fulfilled (cf. 2 Col 1:20). The boundless future may also be regarded as a series of ages. Normally the "ages to come" are invoked by the prophets to underscore God's unending blessings for his people (Isa 45:17; Dan 7:18). This theme is later taken up by Paul in Ephesians 2:7: "that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus."

This Age and the Age to Come The Old Testament predicts the future coming of God or the Messiah; most forms of postbiblical Judaism (see esp. 2 Esdras) go further and differentiate this age from the age to come, which is also known as the kingdom of God. This two-age schema is echoed in Matthew 12:32 and Ephesians 1:21, but the New Testament transforms the traditional pattern: with the coming of Christ, the blessings of the future are manifested among God's people in the present age (cf. Heb 6:5). In terms of this age as a time of sin and darkness, aion [aijwvn] is sometimes synonymous with kosmos or "the world" (cf. Mark 4:19; Rom 12:2; 1 Col 1:20). During this time, Satan appears as the "god" of this age (2 Col 4:4) and sin prevails (Gal 1:4; 2 Tim 4:10; Titus 2:12). The citizens of this age are living in darkness and must rely on the devices of their own human wisdom (Luke 16:8; 1 Col 1:20; 2:6, 8; 3:18). But so long as Christians remain in the world, they are cheered by the spiritual presence of Jesus until the close of this age (Matt 28:20). Cataclysmic signs will signal the close of the present era (synteleia [tou]aionos, Matt 24:3). According to the New Testament, the end of the age will bring the return of Christ and the judgment of the wicked (Matt 13:39-40,49). When the age to come arrives, the dead will rise to inherit eternal life (Luke 20:34-35). Jewish and later Christian apocalypticists loved to speculate about the blessings of this future age, but the simple message of the Bible is that the coming age will bring a good inheritance (Mark 10:30; Luke 18:30). Paul's advice to Christians is to invest for the age to come by practicing generosity and good deeds in this present age (1 Ti 6:17-19). (Gary Steven Shogren)

R.H. Boll
"Distinctly does the word of God speak of the supremacy of Christ in the age to come, as well as in this present age. The clearness of the statement is somewhat affected by our English translation which often uses the word "world" to represent the Greek word "aion," ("age"). In Eph. 1:21 it is declared that God, when He raised Christ from the dead, made Him to sit at His right hand in the heavenly places: "far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world (Greek, age) but also in that which is to come." Thayer (Greek Lexicon of the N. T.) defines the Greek phrase, "ho nun aion" (the present age) mentioned in 1 Tim. 6:17; 2 Tim. 4:10; Tit. 2:12, as the "time before the appointed return or truly Messianic advent of Christ (i. e. the parousia, q. v.) the period of instability, weakness, impiety, wickedness, calamity, misery"; and "aion mellon" (the age to come) under which head he cites Eph. 1:21, "the age after the return of Christ in majesty, the period [6] of the consummate establishment of the Divine Kingdom and all its blessings." However anyone may question Thayer's phraseology, we must concede that this is not the effusion of some wild dreamer, but the sober dictum of a recognized scholar and a lexicographer of highest rank. And though we may disregard his comment as of only human authority, yet the statement of Eph. 1:21 speaks for itself, according to which there is an age to come in which Christ's name and dominion will still be supreme. He will not, therefore, when He comes again, "deliver up the kingdom" as yet, to God the Father (according to the mistaken exegesis of 1 Cor. 15:24, which disregards the difference between the word "then" (Greek, tote) meaning "at that time"; and the "then" which means "afterward," or "next in order" (Greek eita) which is used in 1 Cor. 15:24) but will reign supreme, until, at last, all things are completely subdued to Him. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death; and that is at the close of the Millennium. (1 Cor. 15:26; Rev. 20:14)." (The Millennium; Church of Christ)

Colin Brown
"a. If aion means duration of the world, and the plural occurs, the idea is obvious that eternity embraces a succession or recurrence of aeons (cf. Eccl. 1:9-10 though here the aeons are periods of the world, and the biblical concept of creation, and hence of the uniqueness of this aeon, ruled out the idea of an unending series).

b. Instead of recurrence the antithesis of time and eternity combined with the thought of plural aeons to produce the belief in a new and future aeon (or cosmos or kingdom) which will succeed this one but will be completely different from it. For the present and future aeons in the NT cf. Mk. 10:30; Lk. 16:8; Rom. 12:2; 1 Cor. 1:20; Gal. 1:4; 1 Tim. 6:17; Eph. 1:21; Heb. 6:5 (and with kairos instead of aion, Jn. 8:23 etc.).
c. The NT took over this concept from Jewish apocalyptic, e.g., Ethiopian Enoch.

Similar ideas occur in rabbinic writings and there is hope of a future age in Vergil. In the NT, however, the new aeon is not just future. Believers are already redeemed from this aeon (Gal. 1:4) and taste the  powers of the future aeon (Heb. 6:5 which Christ has initiated with his resurrection." (Theological Dictionary of the New Testament )

Christadelphians
"Epoch of Time.  "For enquire, I pray thee, of the former age, and prepare thyself to the search of their fathers: (For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, because our days upon earth are a shadow)" (Job 8:8-9, KJV).  (The NIV and other versions translate this word as 'generation', meaning the average life span of a man, or the time between his birth and the birth of the next 'generation').

The literal rendering of the passage is, "And these shall go (eis kolasin aionion) to the cutting off age-lasting; but the righteous (eis zoen aionion) to life everlasting" (Matthew 25:46). The Hebrew word "olahm" corresponds to the Greek words "aion," age, and "aionos," pertaining to the age. Parkhurst says, "It (aion) denotes duration or continuance of time with great variety." - Greek Lexicon. Liddell and Scott render the word aion thus: "A space or period of time, especially a life time: also one's time of life, age, generation, definite period, a long space of time, eternity," etc.: not once rendered "world" in their Greek Lexicon. In the Common Version, "everlasting, eternal, evermore, and for ever," are usually given as the equivalent of aion. While in most cases this translation is practically correct, it has to be observed, even these words do not always represent the idea of unlimited duration. Their scope is purely by the subject with which they are connected. A few examples will suffice to show this:

1 - Unlimited Duration:
The everlasting God (Romans 16:26).
The King eternal: the only wise God (1 Timothy 1:17).
Thou, Lord, art most high for evermore (Psalm 92:8).
The Lord shall endure for ever (Psalm 9:7)

2 - Limited Duration:
For their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations. Exodus 40:15;Numbers 25:13).
The priesthood being changed (Hebrews 7:12).
Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. Jude 1:7).
Ye shall observe to do for evermore; and ye shall not fear other gods. (2 Kings 17:37).
His master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever. (Exodus 21:6).
Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever. (Daniel 6:21).
Perhaps he (Onesimus) therefore departed for a season, that thou shouldest receive him for ever (Philemon 1:15).

3 - With Beginning, but without End:
And every one that hath forsaken houses... shall inherit everlasting life. (Matthew 19:29).
And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life. (1 John 2:25).
I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen (Revelation 1:18).

In the following texts, the phrase "end of the world" is literally "end of the aion, i.e., age" (referring to the Jewish dispensation in most cases). See Matthew 13:39; 24:3; 28:20; Hebrews 9:26; 1 Corinthians 10:11. Unto Him be glory in the ecclesia by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world (aion) without end (Ephesians 3:21). The earth which He hath established for ever (Psalm 78:69)." (Here)

The Companion Bible
"aion = an age, or age-time, the duration of which is indefinite, and may be limited or extended as the context of each occurrence may demand.   The root meaning of aion is expressed by the Hebrew 'olam (see Appendix 151. I.A and II.A) which denotes indefinite, unknown or concealed duration : just as we speak of "the patriarchal age", or "the golden age", etc. Hence, it has come to denote any given period of time, characterized by a special form of Divine administration or dispensation.    In the plural we have the Hebrew 'olamim and Greek 'aiones used of ages, or of a succession of age-times, and of an abiding from age to age. From this comes the adjective, aionios (Appendix 151. II.B), used of an unrestricted duration, as distinct from a particular or limited age-time. These age-times must be distinct or they could not be added to, or multiplied, as in the expression aions of aions.

   These ages or age-times were all prepared and arranged by God (see Hebrews 1:2; 11:3); and there is a constant distinction in the New Testament between "this age", and the "coming age" (see Matthew 12:32. Hebrews 1:2. Ephesians 1:21).    "This age" is characterized by such passages as Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43. Mark 4:19; 10:30. Romans 12:2. 1Corithians 2:8. 2Corithians 4:4. Galatians 1:4. Ephesians 2:2. (transl. "course"). 2Timothy 4:10. Titus 2:12.    The "coming age" is characterized in such passages as Matthew 13:39,40,49; 24:3; 28:20. Mark 10:30. Luke 18:30; 20:35. 1Corinthians 15:23. Titus 2:13.    The conjunction of these ages is spoken of as the sunteleia, marking the end of one age and the beginning of another.    Other indefinite duration are mentioned, but they always refer to some unknown and prolonged continuance, the end of which cannot be seen; such as the end of life (Exodus 21:6). Hence the Hebrew Priesthood was so characterized because its end could not be foreseen (see Exodus 40:15. 1Samuel 1:22. Hebrews 7:12). It is used in the same way in other connections (see Matthew 21:19. John 8:35). For further information see Appendix 151. II.A. " (Appendix 129, Companion Bible)

J.J. Dewey
"The signs therefore at the end of the Piscean age and the beginning of the Aquarian age would have reached their highest intensity around 1945 for that was the midpoint between the ages. Even though we shall continue to have growing pains as we move into the new age, the fact is that the end of the "world" (AION - age) has come and gone and the greatest Armageddon at the end of this world/age that Jesus talked about was World War II. Any other great conflicts (which are possible, but do not have to be) belong to the "world/age to come" as it was expressed in the scriptures."

J. Preston Eby
"In late years there has been much controversy over the meaning of the little Greek word AION. Certain deceivers, to further their unscrupulous ends and uphold their blasphemous and Romanish doctrine of eternal damnation, have maintained, contrary to and in spite of all revealed facts, that it means eternal. And our King James version renders it, together with the adjective AIONIOS as "age, course, eternal, for ever, evermore, for ever and ever, everlasting, world, beginning of the world, world began, world without end." What a horrible mixture!

But we need not remain in darkness, for fortunately the Word of God tells us precisely what this Greek word means. Too few have taken the time or energy to consider the real meaning of AION. It is the word from which we get our English word eon. Eon, according to Webster, means "a long period of TIME." Many attempts have been made to prove that eons are eternal. But this is more than a grave error, it is the height of stupidity, for the divine Author of the blessed Bible has not Himself used them in that way. AION nowhere means eternal! Its simple meaning is an age. In its plural form it means ages. This fact can be unquestionably and incontrovertibly demonstrated from numerous New Testament passages. A glance at any Greek concordance proves that the noun AION, or AGE, is not the synonym of eternity. A study of each case would make a library; so, leaving this task to the reader, we must content ourselves with adducing a few specimens to demonstrate the fact. It is usage that determines meanings - THEIR usage, not ours; the meanings that the holy prophets and apostles gave to their words rather than those that our English translators may try to give. Let me illustrate.

The term forever (and its equivalents, eternal and everlasting) often occurs when it cannot possibly mean unending. In the story of Jonah one is surprised to hear him say while in the belly of the fish, "I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever" (Jon. 2:6). But he was in the fish only three days and three nights! When a Hebrew slave loved his master and did not wish to go free at the end of the seventh year, we read, "... His master shall bore his ear through with an awl; and he shall serve him for ever" (Ex. 21:6). Of course, that couldn't be longer than his life span. Again, when Solomon built the temple unto the Lord, he began his prayer of dedication with the statement, "I have surely built You a house to dwell in, a settled place for You to abide in for ever" (I Kgs. 8:13). And the Lord answered Solomon, "I have heard your prayer and supplication that you have made before Me: I have hallowed this house, which you have built, to put My name there for ever" (I Kgs. 9:3). But Solomon's temple lasted for only about 400 years! And it was never in God's mind to dwell there for ever!

Any thinking person should clearly see that if you translate the word AION which means an age by the word eternal, which has nothing to do with time, you immediately get the wrong idea. The same thing applies when the word AION is translated by the word world. It is incorrect and brings nothing but confusion. That is why so many Christians have been worrying about "the end of the world" when they should have been understanding God's special dealing here at "the end of the age." There is a great deal of difference between the expression, "He      shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever," and the expression,  "He shall be tormented day and night unto the ages of the ages." For ever and ever has no end. The ages of the ages do have an end, and their end will see every knee bowing and every tongue confessing that Jesus Christ is the Lord to the glory of God the Father. (Phil. 2:10; Rom. 14:10-11). The first expression forbodes complete hopelessness for billions and makes the faith of God of none effect. The second  expression, which is completely correct, not only offers hope but expresses the ultimate fulfillment of the purpose which was purposed in  Christ Jesus before the world began or before the ages were framed." (Aion-An Age)

Walter A. Elwell
"Many modern interpreters believe that eschatology, the doctrine of the endtimes, is the center of the apostle Paul’s thought, beginning with his presupposition of the two-age structure. According to early Judaism, time is divided into two consecutive periods: this age and the age to come. The former is characterized by sin and suffering, due to Adam’s fall. The latter will be implemented when the Messiah comes and, with him, righteousness and peace. In effect, the age to come is synonymous with the kingdom of God. But according to early Christianity, the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ marked a paradigmatic shift resulting in the overlapping of the two ages. The age to come of the kingdom of God was inaugurated within this present age. In other words, the two ages are now coterminous, and the Christian lives in the intersection of the two. This idea is commonly referred to as the “already/not yet” eschatological tension.  That is, the age to come has already dawned because of the first coming of Christ but it is not yet complete; completion awaits the second coming of Christ."  (Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology)

"The Old Testament predicts the future coming of God or the Messiah; most forms of postbiblical Judaism (see esp. 2 Esdras) go further and differentiate this age from the age to come, which is also known as the kingdom of God. This two-age schema is echoed in Matthew 12:32 and Ephesians 1:21, but the New Testament transforms the traditional pattern: with the coming of Christ, the blessings of the future are manifested among God’s people in the present age (cf. Heb. 6:5).  In terms of this age as a time of sin and darkness, aion is sometimes synonymous with kosmos or “the world” (cf. Mark 4:19; Rom. 12:2; 1 Cor. 1:20). During this time, Satan appears as the “god” of this age (2 Cor. 4:4) and sin prevails (Gal. 1:4; 2 Tim. 4:10; Titus 2:12). The citizens of this age are living in darkness and must rely on the devices of their own human wisdom (Luke 16:8; 1 Cor. 1:20; 2:6, 8; 3:18). But so long as Christians remain in the world, they are cheered by the spiritual presence of Jesus until the close of this age (Matt. 28:20).   Cataclysmic signs will signal the close of the present era (synteleia [tou] aionos, Matt. 24:3). According to the New Testament, the end of the age will bring the return of Christ and the judgment of the wicked (Matt. 13:39–40, 49).  When the age to come arrives, the dead will rise to inherit eternal life (Luke 20:34–35). Jewish and later Christian apocalypticists loved to speculate about the blessings of this future age, but the simple message of the Bible is that the coming age will bring a good inheritance (Mark 10:30; Luke 18:30). Paul’s advice to Christians is to invest for the age to come by practicing generosity and good deeds in this present age (1 Tim. 6:17–19)." (Evangel