This is what the apostle Paul calls God's purpose of saving men through the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is called in the common version "the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord." Eph. 3:11. It is, literally, "the purpose of the ages which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord." See Revised Version, margin. The original word aiōn (plural, aiōnios), means "a period of time of significant character; life; an era; an age; hence a state of things marking an age or era; the present order of nature."—Bagster. Liddell and Scott's standard lexicon defines: "A period of existence; one's lifetime, life; an age, generation; a long space of time; a space of time clearly defined and marked out; an era, epoch, age, period of a dispensation; this present world." It came to denote not only the time of the age or dispensation but all things connected with it, as, for instance, "this present evil world" (Gal. 1:1), "having loved this present world" (2 Tim. 4:10), "cares of this world" (Mark 4:19); but the primary idea is time, era, dispensation. They cover the whole purpose of God, but, so far as our consideration of the question is concerned, we will confine it to this earth and God's purpose concerning it, both past and future. In Col. 1:26 we are told that this mystery in its fullness had been hidden from the ages in the past, and the same thought is expressed in Eph. 3:5, where the term "generations" is used in the Greek. Rom. 16:25 states the same thought: "According to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began," literally, "from the times of the ages." "But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world [before the ages] unto our glory." 1 Cor. 2:7. See also 2 Tim. 1:9, "before the world began," literally, "before the times of the ages." See Young's translation, Emphatic Diaglott, and Rotherham's Emphatic Translation. So much for the past. The ages appointed reach forward to the perfect future of God, and in glorious revolution of sinless harmony throughout all eternity. So that "in the ages to come" God will "show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus." Eph. 2:7. The plan of the ages was laid by Jesus Christ. This is stated in Heb. 1:1, 2: "God . . . hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds," literally, "ordained the ages." See Revised Version, margin. Young translates, "Did make the ages;" the Diaglott, "Constituted the ages." The word translated "made" in Heb. 1:2 is from the Greek word poieō, which is rendered in the common version by thirty-five different English words, among which are "appoint" (Heb. 3:2), "bring" (Luke 3:8, 9), "cause" (John 11:37; Acts 15:3), "ordained" (Mark 3:14). The text therefore declares that God through Jesus Christ "caused," "brought forth," "ordained," or "appointed" the ages; and the texts which we have already examined declare that they were appointed away back in those eternal times when in the wisdom of the Godhead "the purpose of the ages" was formed. In that purpose was God's infinitely wise plan, in which Jesus Christ marked off the various ages, periods, dispensations, and steps in the great scheme of salvation and progressive revelation, and out of which ages he brings all the various developments of the manifestations of his gracious providence. God's purpose, in brief, comprehended the following: The creation of the earth to abide forever, to be inhabited by a definite number of definite character; this character to be formed by obedience to the law of love, the moral law, through faith; the service to be purely voluntary; sin to be forever destroyed; and a holy and happy race of beings exist upon a sinless earth to all eternity. All this is taught in the Scriptures. It has been the purpose of the great deceiver and adversary to thwart God's plan in every particular; to turn blessing to blasting, light to darkness, truth to falsehood, righteousness to sin, faith to presumption, happiness to misery, bloom to blight, life to death. He deceives and opposes, and God has suffered him to work out his own counsels in order that his loyal subjects might see the exceeding sinfulness of sin, and that those who were rebellious might have their choice of evil, though not unwarned by Infinite Love. Yet in all of Satan's workings, deceivings, seeming triumphs, Jesus Christ has brought good to his people and the certain triumph of the gospel "according to the purpose of the ages." The wicked and faithless walk by sight. The seeming appears the real. They judge by the things before them, not by what God has declared and promised. Faith walks by the light of God's word. It judges the future by the "more sure word of prophecy." It rests in Him, as Paul declares, "that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began [from the time of the ages], but now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets." Rom. 16:25, 26. It is upon the scriptures that faith rests; for "through [by] faith we understand that the worlds [ages] were framed [adjusted] by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear." Heb. 11:3. Young renders: "By faith we understand the ages to have been prepared by a saying of God, in regard to the things seen not having come out of things appearing." Rotherham translates: "By faith we understand the ages to have been adjusted by declaration of God; to the end that not out of appearances should that which is seen have come into existence." See also Emphatic Diaglott, Revised Version, margin. It all rests upon the word, declaration, saying, fiat (Syriac) of God, not on appearances. The Greek word (kartatizō), rendered "framed," is defined, "To adjust thoroughly; to knit together, unite completely (1 Cor. 1:10)." It was Jesus Christ who by his word adjusted the ages, who declared this by his prophets; and faith rests upon the declaration, not upon appearances. Its Working Out in the Past.
When our first parents were placed in Eden, the possibilities of an eternity of happiness lay before them. All that was required of them was simple faith in God—complete submission to his will. This would have resulted in the development of characters of love. But unbelief came in; the prince of the earth surrendered to the prince of darkness, and was expelled from his Eden home. Man could not see just how death could come by disobedience, but God's word had declared it, and misery and death followed, as the Lord had said. God's plan seemed to be defeated, his purpose annulled. But Omniscience could not be surprised. He had foreseen the evil418and all its possibilities, and the potent panacea against all ills lay in his word, open ever to faith. The second Being in the Godhead gave himself; the word declared the offering to the sinful race. It could not be seen; it did not appear to human vision just how this could fulfill God's purpose, and, therefore, Cain, in his wisdom of earth, rejected it; but Abel, in simple faith, accepted it and triumphed in his death. God gave a pledge to his servant in the acceptance of his sacrifice, and to that generation in the translation of Enoch. But the race went on from bad to worse, the very center of "the purpose," the earth, drinking deeper of the curse, till God declared its destruction because of its iniquity. Here again it appeared to human wisdom that Satan triumphed when but "eight souls were saved." How could the earth be peopled according to God's plan? But faith laid hold of the promise, and the great work went on. Satan's cohorts were destroyed, the faithful were saved, and the earth came forth from the age of seeming defeat to begin another. When the Israelites were doomed to slavery in Egypt, the proudest and most powerful of earth's dominions, there was another seeming triumph for Satan and for blind unbelief, which could rest only upon what appeared. But out of the things unseen—the mighty power of God's word—deliverance came, the Red Sea was opened, and God's people freed. Another age begins, fraught with trouble, perplexity, darkness, trial, seeming defeat, unbelief, backsliding, and rebellion. But in one of the darkest times of the chosen people, when the faithful are indeed few, the voice of Inspiration rings out: "But Israel shall be saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation; ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end [unto the ages of eternity]." For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord; and there is none else." Isa. 45:17, 18. And of Him through whom salvation should come the prophet declares: "He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till He have set judgment in the earth." Isa. 42:4. In "the fullness of the time" comes John the Baptist, followed by his Master, with "no form, nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him." Yet he works the works of God, and faith greets him as the Saviour of the world. He pursues the blood-stained path to the cross, and dies, confessed by faith, but defamed, maltreated, crucified by unbelief, while all hell rang in triumph. But out of the seeming defeat God's word brought the mightiest victory known in the universe, and the Lord had his enemies in derision. Faith understood, and, amid the agonies of the cross, it triumphed in both Saviour and sinner. Out of the death, Christ came forth a mighty Conqueror, and the salvation of the race and the triumph of truth were assured to all as never before. (See Eph. 3:9-11; Rev. 12:10.) This age is about to end; the people of the age, even in their mad unbelief and blind optimistic selfishness, feel the throes of coming dissolution, and tremble. Science predicts it. "The perils of the last days are upon us." Evils increase. Preparations for war, anarchy, pillage, and treason are augmented, and the end of the gospel age draws on apace. Will it be triumph? Faith says, "Yes, not in man's way, but in God's way." Christ is coming according to his word. He will save his people according to his word. He is now waiting, pleading with a half-hearted people, with a sinful world, to turn from their evil ways, and not die, to look unto him and live. But his word stands, and faith accepts it. The "more sure word of prophecy" is light to the heart of faith; and out of all the seeming, God will bring his glorious and eternal triumph according to his word. The past is to the Christian a blessed record of God's providence and dealing with man, but his faith sees the present deliverance in the now still present truth of God. The appearances may be what they will now, as they have been in the past; appearances are not our guide. God reigns, and his word is all-potent. By faith we understand the ages to have been adjusted by him, and he shall not out of the things which do appear, but by the power of his own word, bring certain and eternal triumph to his people.