Matthew 28:20 … To the End of the Age (02/06/17)
“And remember that I am with you always;
even to the End of the Age.”
~ Jesus (Matthew 28:20)
First of all, it is important to note that this verse is traditionally translated as “I am with you always, even to the end of the world.” That having been said, the final Greek word used here in the ancient manuscripts is actually “aionos” (Strong’s #165), a word that means not “world”, but “Age” – a term referring to a specific “cycle of time; one that seemingly stretched to infinity.”
So, seeing as how Jesus was always speaking of a God who is internal (John 14:20), a Heaven that is already inside us (Luke 17:20-21), and a Salvation that comes in this lifetime via selflessly sacrificing for others (John 13:15-17), in all likelihood when Jesus said “the end of the age” he meant the end of our individual & uniquely personal lifetimes.
In addition, in all likelihood he did not mean by this verse that he would literally be with his listeners forever, but rather that his teachings – the embodiment of The Way he was living – would remain with them until their dying days (see John 12:47-48, John 14:20-26, John 15:26, Matthew 12:36-37 & Matthew 7:21-24 et al) … In essence, he was saying that if we choose to act accordingly, we will call forth the Christ within us. And if we do not act not in accordance with his teachings, then this same internal Christ Essence will retreat and wait to possibly be summoned by the selfless choices we might make in the future … And it is this potent dynamic that remains fully viable in every moment of our lives; even to the End of our Ages.
Amen … Know that it is so.
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