The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-08-24

l
the transition has been supposed to
occur. If this discourse really treated
of two such different subjects, there
would probably be no difficulty in
discovering the line of division be-
tween them. The real reason why
the commentators cannot locate the
division is simply because there is
none to be located.
The whole trouble arises from a
misunderstanding of the question of
the disciples which Jesus was answer
ing, and that misunderstanding has
its origin in the false rendering which
has been given to the original word
aion. 1t does not mean world. 1t
means period of time, an age, or an
era. The Greek word which means
world is either kosnaos or oitoumene.
Kosmos means the material world,
the globe which we live upon; and
oikoumene means the inhabited part
of it especially that which, in the
time of Jesus, was included in the
Roman Empire. Aion is the word
rendered world in l Cor. x. II, where
the apostle says, according to our
Authorized Version, "Now all these
things happened unto them for en-
samples: and they are written for our
admonition, upon whom the ends of
the world are Gomez" and in Hebrews
tx. 26, where we are told that snow
once in the end of the world hath he
appeared to put away sin by the sac
rifice of himself" In both of these
cases the Revised Version uses the
word cages" instead of "world." Christ
did appear at the end of the age, .. e.,
of the Mosaic age, and the ends of
the ages did come upon st. Paul and
his fellow Christians. They lived at
time when one age was expiring
and another age was beginning
That was what the disciples ques-
toned Jesus about, not about the
end of the bosnsos, but about the end
of the oion; and he answered them
accordingly.
First, as to the time when the great
event should take place, he warned
them not to expect it too soon, nor to
be deceived by impostors who would
lead many astray; for the end would
not come until the Gospel should
have been preached in all the inhab-
tied earth-or, in all the world, as our
Version says,-for witness unto all
the nations Matt. xiv: Ia. The Greek
word which is here translated world
is oikoumene. AS previously stated,
it meant at that time the countries
embraced in the Roman Empire. 1t
is the same word which is used in
Luke 81, where we read that "there
went out a decree from Caesar Au-
gustus that all the world should be
taxed" This saying of Jesus, that
the end should not come till the Cos
pei had been preached in all the
world, has been often used to support
the theory that the end which he re-
ferred to has not yet arrived; for, it
is said, the Gospel has not yet been
preached in all the world. But that
argument loses all of it's force when
we consider the real meaning of the
word which Christ used, and espec-
tally when we turn to the Epistle to
the Colossians, and find the apostle
saying to the church in Colosse, "The
word of the truth of the gospel is
come unto you; even as it is also in
all the world, bearing fruit and in
creasing" (Col. i: 5, g.; for in this
passage the apostle even uses the
word kosnaos. In the sense in which
Jesus made use of the expression, the
Gospel had been preached in all the
world before the death of st. Paul.
In that sense it had been preached in
all the world before the destruction
of Jerusalem,-which accords with
what Jesus told his disciples; for al
though he warned them not to ex-
pect his coming and the end of the
age until the Gospel should have had
such wide proclamation, he also
told them that the event would occur
in their lifetime.
AS to the signs of its coming, he
said that it should be preceded by
wars and rumors of wars and such
great tribulation as had not been since
the beginning of the world; the sun
should be darkened, and the moon
should not give her light, and the
stars should fall from heaven, and
the powers of heaven should be
shaken, and all the tribes of the
earth should mourn; and then should
they see the Son of Man COM
ing on the clouds of heaven with
\