Can Aionios Ever Mean Perpetual or Eternal?

Updated October 2, 2023

Hey, Mike,

Your site has really been a great tool for me in learning the nature and purpose for God and Life. Thanks so much. I was reading up on a bit of Greek words, and I came upon this website and saw this commentary on the words aion and the adjective form aionios.

This does conflict a bit with your paper on “What is Life Aionios?”, but I would really like to hear what you think. I’ve copied the text below. God bless you Mike!

M____

Hi M____,

I am pleased to know you have benefited from the site.

Thank you for your question. You have sent me a link that disagrees with the letter entitled What Is Life Aonios? and you ask what I think of what he says. What I think is that this person is more of an historian than he is a student of the bible, the name of his website notwithstanding.

I could not help but notice that I was over three-quarters of the way down the page before I encountered the first and the last scripture which was:

Mat 25:46 Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.

The story of the laws of Sparta was very interesting, but it all amounted to human reasoning as opposed to allowing the scriptures to interpret themselves.

Here are all the various English translations for the Greek noun G165, ‘aion’ in the King James Version of the New Testament:

Total KJV Occurrences: 101
ages, 2
Eph_2:7; Col_1:26

began, 3
Luk_1:70; Joh_9:32; Act_3:21

course, 1
Eph_2:2

end, 2
Eph_3:21(2)

eternal, 2
Eph_3:11; 1Ti_1:17

ever, 44
Gal_1:5(2); Php_4:20(2); 1Ti_1:17(2); 2Ti_4:18(2); Heb_1:8(2); Heb_7:24; Heb_13:21(2); 1Pe_4:11(2); 1Pe_5:11(2); Jud_1:25; Rev_1:6(2); Rev_4:9(2); Rev_4:10(2); Rev_5:13(2); Rev_5:14(2); Rev_7:12(2); Rev_10:6(2); Rev_11:15(2); Rev_14:11(2); Rev_15:7(2); Rev_19:3(2); Rev_20:10(2); Rev_22:5(2)

forever, 20
Luk_1:33; Luk_1:55; Joh_12:34; Rom_1:25; Rom_9:5; Rom_11:36; Rom_16:27; 2Co_9:9; Heb_5:6; Heb_6:20; Heb_7:17; Heb_7:21; Heb_13:8; 1Pe_1:23; 1Pe_1:25; 2Pe_2:17; 2Pe_3:18; 1Jn_2:17; 2Jn_1:2; Jud_1:13

forevermore, 2
2Co_11:31; Heb_7:28

never, 2
Joh_8:52; Joh_13:8

standeth, 1
1Co_8:13

world, 20

Mat_24:3; Act_15:18; Rom_12:2; 1Co_1:20; 1Co_2:6(2); 1Co_2:7; 1Co_2:8; 1Co_3:18; 1Co_10:11; 2Co_4:4; Gal_1:4; Eph_1:21; Eph_3:9; Eph_6:12; 1Ti_6:17; 2Ti_4:10; Tit_2:12; Heb_6:5; Heb_9:26

worlds, 2
Heb_1:2; Heb_11:3

Here are all the various English translations for the Greek adjective, G166, ‘aionios’ in the King James Version of the New Testament:

Total KJV Occurrences: 47

began, 3
Rom_16:25; 2Ti_1:9; Tit_1:2

eternal, 31
Mat_19:16; Mar_10:17; Luk_10:25; Luk_18:18; Joh_6:68; Act_13:48; Rom_2:7; Rom_5:21; Rom_6:23; 2Co_4:17; 2Co_4:18; 2Co_5:1; 1Ti_6:12; 1Ti_6:19; 2Ti_2:10; Tit_1:2; Tit_3:7; Heb_5:9; Heb_6:2; Heb_9:12; Heb_9:14; Heb_9:15; 1Pe_5:10; 1Jn_1:2; 1Jn_2:25; 1Jn_3:15; 1Jn_5:11; 1Jn_5:13; 1Jn_5:20; Jud_1:7; Jud_1:21

everlasting, 12
Joh_3:36; Act_13:46; Rom_6:22; Rom_16:26; Gal_6:8; 2Th_1:9; 2Th_2:16; 1Ti_1:16; 1Ti_6:16; Heb_13:20; 2Pe_1:11; Rev_14:6

forever, 1
Phm_1:15

I will demonstrate with the scriptures below that this Greek noun, ‘aion’ and its Greek adjective, ‘aionios’ have both a beginning and an end… “What will be the sign of they coming and the END of the world” [Greek: G165, ‘aion’ (Mat 24:3) ‘Eternity’ has no “end”.] “We were called in Christ before the world [aion] began” [G165: ‘aion’ – ‘Eternity’ has no beginning]

This man doesn’t take the time to discuss the fact that Christ refers to this life as “the dead.”

Mat 8:22  But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.

Nor does he even consider that life aionios refers to being sealed with the spirit of life while in this aion, as opposed to receiving life in the lake of fire through aionios punishment. There are only two resurrections mentioned in scripture and Christ never revealed this while He was yet in the flesh. In fact just before His crucifixion He made it very clear that He had many things to reveal to His disciples but they were not yet capable of receiving those truths.

Joh 16:12  I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.

It wasn’t just one or two things, it was “many things” which he later reveals through the epistles of Paul, Peter, James, John and Jude.

This man is totally unaware of “the sum of thy word is truth” (Psa 119: 160 ASV).” He seems to think that history and human reasoning is where truth is to be found.

He does point out that an adjective is a word that describes a noun, but what he fails to point out is that his definition of the adjective ‘aionios’ defies the laws of grammar which state that no adjective can have a meaning greater than its derivative noun. Hourly refers to something that is concerned with an hour, daily with a day, weekly with a week, monthly with a month, yearly with a year, and aionios with and aion. You would never use the word hourly to describe a day, daily to describe a week, weekly to describe a month, etc., and you would never use the word aionios to talk about immortality.

In other words, it would make no sense at all to ever use an adjective to describe anything that is greater than it derivative noun, all the human reasoning to the contrary. It has no basis in scripture. That is the very reason you see so many scriptures used in that letter entitled What Is Life Aionios?” and so few scriptures used in his paper.

I hope this helps you to see the dire need to “let God be true and every man a liar.” God is His Word, and it is always “the sum of His word” that constitutes Truth. This paragraph is not based in scripture but it is based in unBiblical, fallacious and faulty human reasoning, which is full of self-contradictions.

Together, AIONIOS ZOE is Eternal Life, an unknown and unquantifiable duration of an immeasurable vast quality of life. Life perpetual. AIONIOS KOLASIS is Eternal Punishment, an unknown and unquantifiable duration of reformation and repentance. Since correction will end in Christ, and life begins in Christ, the duration of punishment will end, but the duration of life is perpetual.”

It is not history or human reasoning that make up Truth. It is only the sum of the Word of God,

Joh 17:17  Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

Psa 119:160 The sum of thy word is truth; And every one of thy righteous ordinances endureth for ever. (ESV)

It is “Thy Word” which demonstrates for us that this word ‘aion‘ has both a beginning and and end. It is this writer who is guilty of the very thing he is condemning, and that is reinventing the definition of this word ‘aion.’

Mat 24:3  And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world [Greek: aion]?

2Ti 1:9  Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, [Greek, before – chronos aionios]

Whatever this word means it has both a beginning and an end. Life aionios never means anything greater than its derivative noun. Life aionios has to do with receiving life (in downpayment form) while yet in this eon. Aionios life is only in downpayment form in this aion/eon, and while many may think they are partakers of life aionios, the truth is that it is very few who receive life aionios in downpayment form while yet in these vessels of clay in this eon.

Mat 22:14  For many are called, but few chosen.

Eph 1:13  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Eph 1:14  Which is the earnest [ Greek, downpayment] of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

“The redemption of the purchased possession” is immortality at a resurrection from among the dead. This particular resurrection is that of those who received life in downpayment form while in this aion, “ Until the redemption of the purchased possession.”

Here is how the apostle John expresses this same message:

1Jn 3:2  Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

We are “now sons of God” because we have received life in downpayment form of receiving the spirit of God while yet in these aionian vessels of clay. “But it does not yet appear what we will be… until the redemption of the purchased possession.”

I hope this helps to Biblically clarify the meaning of this word for you.

God bless you as you seek to know His mind and His thoughts.

Joh 17:3  And this is life eternal [Greek: zoe aionios], that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

“Zoe aionios” is “that they may know you” now. “ Now are we the sons of God.” This word ‘aionios‘ biblically has nothing to do with eternal or perpetual, as his paper purports.

Your brother in Christ,

Mike