SPECIAL TOPIC: THE BIBLICAL CONCEPT OF "FOREVER"

OT PERSPECTIVE ('olam)
The etymology of the Hebrew term 'olam, עולם (BDB 761, KB 798) is uncertain (NIDOTTE, vol. 3, p. 345). It is used in several senses (usually determined by context). The following are only selected examples.
1. ancient things
  1. peoples, Gen. 6:4; 1 Sam. 27:8; Isa. 34:10; Jer. 5:15
  2. places, Isa. 58:12; 61:4; Jer. 18:16
  3. things, Josh. 4:7; Isa. 34:10; Jer. 17:4
  4. God, Ps. 93:2; Pro. 8:23; Isa. 63:16
  5. Gen. 49:26; Job 22:15; Ps. 24:7,9; Isa. 46:9
  6. time, Deut. 32:7; Isa. 51:9; 63:9,11; Jer. 28:8
2. future time
  1. one's life, Exod. 21:6; Deut. 15:17; 1 Sam. 1:22; 27:12
  2. hyperbole of respect for a king, 1 Kgs. 1:31; Ps. 61:7; Neh. 2:3; Dan. 2:4; 3:9; 6:21
  3. continuous existence
    1. earth, Ps. 78:69; 104:5; Eccl. 1:4
    2. heavens, Ps. 148:5
  4. existence of God
    1. Gen. 21:33
    2. Exod. 15:18
    3. Deut. 32:40
    4. Ps. 90:2; 93:2
    5. Isa. 40:28
    6. Jer. 10:10
    7. Dan. 12:7
  5. the covenant
    1. Gen. 9:12,16; 17:7,13,19
    2. Exod. 31:16
    3. Lev. 24:8
    4. Num. 18:19
    5. 2 Sam. 23:5
    6. Ps. 105:10
    7. Isa. 24:5; 55:3; 61:8
    8. Jer. 32:40; 50:5
  6. special covenant with David
    1. 2 Sam. 7:13,16,25,29; 22:51; 23:5
    2. 1 Kgs. 2:33,45; 9:5
    3. 2 Chr. 13:5
    4. Ps. 18:50; 89:4,28,36,37
    5. Isa. 9:7; 55:3
  7. God's Messiah
    1. Ps. 45:2; 72:17; 89:35-36; 110:4
    2. Isa. 9:6
  8. God's laws
    1. Exod. 29:28; 30:21
    2. Lev. 6:18,22; 7:34; 10:15; 24:9
    3. Num. 18:8,11,19
    4. Ps. 119:89,160
  9. God's promises
    1. 2 Sam. 7:13,16,25; 22:51
    2. 1 Kgs. 9:5
    3. Ps. 18:50
    4. Isa. 40:8
  10. Abraham's descendants and the Promised Land
    1. Gen. 13:15; 17:19; 48:4
    2. Exod. 32:13
    3. 1 Chr. 16:17
  11. covenantal feasts
    1. Exod. 12:14,17,24
    2. Lev. 23:14,21,41
    3. Num. 10:8
  12. eternity, everlasting
    1. 1 Kgs. 8:13
    2. Ps. 61:7-8; 77:8; 90:2; 103:17; 145:13
    3. Isa. 26:4; 45:17
    4. Dan. 9:24
  13. what the Psalms say believers will do forever
    1. give thanks, Ps. 30:12; 79:13
    2. abide in His presence, Ps. 41:12; 61:4,7
    3. trust in His mercy, Ps. 52:8
    4. praise the Lord, Ps. 52:9
    5. sing praises, Ps. 61:8; 89:1
    6. declare His justice, Ps. 75:7-9
    7. glorify His name, Ps. 86:12; 145:2
    8. bless His name, Ps. 145:1
  14. used in Isaiah to describe the new age
    1. everlasting covenant, Isa. 24:5; 55:3; 61:8
    2. YHWH an everlasting Rock, Isa. 26:4
    3. everlasting joy, Isa. 35:10; 51:11; 61:7
    4. the Everlasting God, Isa. 40:28
    5. an everlasting salvation, Isa. 45:17
    6. everlasting lovingkindness (Hesed), Isa. 54:8
    7. everlasting sign, Isa. 55:13
    8. an everlasting name, Isa. 56:5; 63:12,16
    9. an everlasting light, Isa. 60:19,20
      A negative-oriented use related to the eternal punishment of the wicked is found in Isa. 33:14, "an everlasting burning." Isaiah often uses "fire" to describe God's wrath (cf. Isa. 9:18,19; 10:16; 47:14), but only in Isa. 33:14 is it described as "everlasting."
3. both backward and forward in time ("from everlasting to everlasting")
  1. Ps. 41:13 (praise to God)
  2. Ps. 90:2 (God Himself)
  3. Ps. 103:17 (the lovingkindness of the Lord)
4. For a good brief discussion of "forever" in an OT context, see
  1. Brent Sandy, Plowshares and Pruning Hooks, pp. 98-101
  2. Robert B. Girdlestone, Synonyms of the Old Testament, pp. 316-317
5. Remember, context determines the extent of the term's meaning. The everlasting covenants and promises are conditional (i.e., Jeremiah 7, see SPECIAL TOPIC: COVENANT). Be careful of reading your modern view of time or your NT systematic theology into every OT usage of this very fluid word. Remember, too, the NT universalized OT promises
  (see SPECIAL TOPIC: OT PREDICTIONS OF THE FUTURE vs. NT PREDICTIONS).
NT CONCEPT OF ETERNITY
1. SPECIAL TOPIC: ETERNAL (aiōnios)
  Robert B. Girdlestone, in his book Synonyms of the Old Testament, has an interesting comment on the word "eternal":
  "The adjective aiōnios is used more than forty times in the N.T. with respect to eternal life, which is regarded partly as a present gift, partly as a promise for the future. It is also applied to God's endless existence in Rom. 16.26; to the endless efficacy of Christ's atonement in Heb. 9.12; 13.20; and to past ages in Rom. 16.25; 2 Tim. 1.9; Titus 1.2." See full note on pp. 317-319.
  This word is used of
  1. Israel's God as eternal
    1. OT ‒ Deut. 33:27; Ps. 90:1-2
    2. NT ‒ Rom. 16:26; Rev. 10:6; 15:7
  2. Jesus as eternal ‒ Heb. 13:8; Rev. 1:18; 11:15
  3. the Spirit as eternal ‒ Heb. 9:14
  4. New Age, resurected, eternal life
    1. Gospels
      (1)
      Matt. 19:16,29; 25:46
      (2)
      Mark 10:17,30
      (3)
      Luke 10:25; 18:18,30
      (4)
      John 3:15,16,36; 4:14,36; 5:24,39; 6:27,40,47,54,68; 10:28; 12:25,50; 17:2,3
    2. Acts ‒ 13:46,48
    3. Paul ‒ Rom. 2:7; 5:21; 6:22,23; Gal. 6:8; 1 Tim. 1:16; 6:12; Titus 1:2; 3:7
    4. 1 John 1:2; 2:25; 3:15; 5:11,13,20
    5. Jude v. 21
  5. salvation ‒ Heb. 5:9
  6. redemption ‒ Heb. 9:15
  7. believers' inheritance ‒ Heb. 9:15
  8. God's covenant ‒ Heb. 13:20
  9. eternal judgment ‒ see SPECIAL TOPIC: ETERNAL PUNISHMENT
2. New Testament
  The same term (aiōnios) that describes heaven as everlasting is applied to hell as everlasting (cf. Matt. 18:8; 19:16; Mark 3:29; 9:48; 10:17; Luke 18:18; Jude v. 7; Rev. 20:10; also with "eternal judgment" in 2 Thess. 1:9 and Heb. 6:2). Daniel 12:2; John 5:29; and Acts 24:15 describe a resurrection of both the righteous and wicked. Josephus states that the Pharisees believed in the immortality of all "souls" (cf. Antiq. 18.1,3), but only the resurrection of the righteous into a new body, while the wicked have eternal punishment (cf. Jewish Wars 2.8,14). The eternality and finality of the lostness of those without Christ is the impetus and urgency of gospel preaching, teaching, and witnessing! Hell was not created for humanity but for a holding place for Satan and his angels (cf. Matt. 25:41).
  An eternal hell is not only a tragedy for rebellious mankind, but also for God! God created humans as the apex of His creative event. We were made in His image and likeness for fellowship with Him (cf. Gen. 1:26-27; 3:8). God's choice to allow mankind a choice resulted in a significant percentage of God's creation being separated from Himself! Hell is an open, bleeding sore in the heart of God that will never be healed.
  Surprisingly it is Jesus, Himself, who speaks of hell (i.e., Gehenna). Jesus' usages of Gehenna:
  1. fire, Matt. 5:22; 18:9; Mark 9:43
  2. permanent, Mark 9:48 (Matt. 25:46)
  3. place of destruction (both soul and body), Matt. 10:28
  4. paralleled to Sheol, Matt. 5:29-30; 18:9
  5. characterizes the wicked as "son of hell," Matt. 23:15
  6. result of judicial sentence, Matt. 23:33; Luke 12:5
  7. the concept of Gehenna is parallel to the second death (cf. Rev. 2:11; 20:6,14) or the lake of fire (cf. Matt. 13:42,50; Rev. 19:20; 20:10,14-15; 21:8). It is possible the lake of fire becomes the permanent dwelling place of humans (from Sheol) and evil angels (from Tartarus, 2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 1:6 or the abyss, cf. Luke 8:31; Rev. 9:1-11; 20:1,3).
  8. it was not designed for humans, but for Satan and his angels, Matt. 25:41
    The word is used only one other time in the NT, in James 3:6. God will finally isolate intransigent evil and unbelief and reestablish the world He intended it to be. The biblical imagery is:
    1. a new garden (cf. Genesis 1-2, i.e., paradise restored, cf. Luke 23:43; 2 Cor. 12:14; Rev. 2:7)
    2. a new city (i.e., "new Jerusalem," cf. Rev. 3:12; 21:1-4)
    3. a house with many rooms (cf. John 14:2-3)
SPECIAL TOPIC: WHERE ARE THE DEAD?

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