UNDERSTANDING HEBREWS 9:26 AND THE END OF THE AGES
by Tom Logan
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UNDERSTANDING HEBREWS 9:26 AND THE END OF THE AGES
 

Heb 9:26-28
26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world:  but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. (KJV)

Let us first note the passage speaks of the time of Christ's manifestation.

Christ was manifested in the end of the ages.

This corresponds to:

1 Pet 1:18-20
18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,  (KJV)

Christ was manifested in the last times.

Gal 4:4
4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, (KJV)

...and in the fulness of time.

Heb 1:2
2 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 ages.

 ...and in the last days as well.  It is important we realize the term end of the ages corresponds to the last days not only had the end of the ages come upon the early believers.

1 Cor 10:11
11 Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. (NAS)

...but so had the last days.  (See Heb 1:2 above). These last days will be terminated on the last day:

John 6:39-44
39 And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
41 The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.
42 And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?
43 Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.
44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him:  and I will raise him up at the last day.
54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. (KJV)

 John 11:24
 24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. (KJV)

 John 12:48
 48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. (KJV)

The last days and the ages of this earth will terminate when Christ raises the believers and judges the wicked.

This happens at the second advent of Christ where we see judgment:

2 Timothy 4:1  I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
Matthew 16:27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
Acts 17:31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.
2 Pe 3:4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
1 Corinthians 4:5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.

And resurrection:

1 Cor 15:22-23
 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
 23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. (KJV)

1Thes 4:15-17
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (KJV)

Thus we see the time period known as the end of the ages terminate's with the second advent just as Heb  9:26-28 seems to imply:

Heb 9:26-28
26 Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
27 And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this {comes}judgment,
28 so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time for salvation without {reference to} sin, to those who
eagerly await Him. (NAS)

So Christ by his first advent introduced the last age the christian age or dispensation. This terminates with the second advent of Christ as Matthew shows:

Matt 13:39-49
39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels.
40 "Therefore just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age.
41 "The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness,
42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
43 "Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
44 "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field.
45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls,
46 and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
47 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering {fish} of every kind;
48 and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down, and gathered the good {fish} into containers, but the bad they threw away.
49 "So it will be at the end of the age; the angels shall come forth, and take out the wicked from among the righteous, (NAS)

At that time (the end of the ages of this earth) believers recieve eternal life.

Yet beyond this there remains a age to come:

Mark 10:30
30 But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life. (KJV)

Luke 18:30
30 who shall not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come, eternal life." (NAS)

This age does not end.

John 6
49 your fathers did eat the manna in the wilderness, and they died;
50 this is the bread that out of the heaven is coming down, that any one may eat of it, and not die.
51 `I am the living bread that came down out of the heaven; if any one may eat of this bread he shall live--to the age; and the bread also that I will give is my flesh, that I will give for the life of the world.'
52 The Jews, therefore, were striving with one another, saying, `How is this one able to give us his flesh to eat?'
53 Jesus, therefore, said to them, `Verily, verily, I say to you, If ye may not eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and may not drink his blood, ye have no life in yourselves;
54 he who is eating my flesh, and is drinking my blood, hath life age-during, and I will raise him up in the last day;
55 for my flesh truly is food, and my blood truly is drink;
56 he who is eating my flesh, and is drinking my blood, doth remain in me, and I in him.
57 `According as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, he also who is eating me, even that one shall live because of me;
58 this is the bread that came down out of the heaven; not as your fathers did eat the manna, and died; he who is eating this bread shall live--to the age.' (YLT)

Christ promises those who eat of the bread which is himself will not die.  That means they have eternal unending life. Further this life transpires in an age. It is age during or abiding.  Since the life does not end the age does not end.

Dan 4:3
3 His signs how great! and His wonders how mighty! His kingdom is a kingdom age-during, and His rule is with generation and generation. (YLT)

Luk 1
33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. (KJV)

Here there is a kingdom which has no end. It is also age during i.e. it transpires in an age. Since the kingdom does not end the age it ocurrs in does does end.

There is a sin which is never forgiven:

Luke 12:10
10 And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven.

This is absolute, i.e. blasphemy of the Spirit will never be forgiven:

Matt 12:31
31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.

 ...the sin which is not forgiven is forgiven not in this age or the age to come:

Matt 12:32
32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

...since the sin is never forgiven the age to come does not end.

The bible view is that of endless time or ages:

Psalm 102:27
27 But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.

God's years have no end. Years are durations of time. If years do not end time does not end. Since time and durations of time do not end, then aions which also are durations of time cannot end either!

Surveying the usage of the word aion, aeon, and the connected eschatology, one can establish that, with all the varied accentuations, the NT speaks of eternity in the categories of time.

     All ages do not end.