So the purpose unfolds, ever revealing more and more the central place that the Son of

God holds in its development, until we read of its fruition and full accomplishment when

the Son, having brought the purpose of the ages to a glorious consummation, hands over

to God a perfected kingdom, that God may be all in all (I Cor. 15: 24-28).

Not only have we the fact, the fulfilment, and the glorious centre of this purpose, but

we further learn that all creatures are in some way agents in the mighty plan. So far as

mankind is concerned it is divided into three classes, two of them racial and one spiritual.

First, we have the two national divisions of Jew and Gentiles. Israel's agency in the great

purpose may be summed up in three particulars:  (1) a chosen people,  (2) a city

(Jerusalem), and (3) a king (David typically, but Christ really). The Church, the spiritual

agency, made up of an election from Jew and Gentile, constitutes the third agency. These

three divisions run along the appointed ways without fusing, but draw near together by

two great outstanding events, namely, the first and second coming of Christ.

Satan works along lines that closely resemble the working of God in some particulars,

and his activities constitute a great opposing feature, overruled and made to contribute

finally to the outworking of the purpose of the God of all grace.

After we have made clear, in another paper, the meaning of the purpose of the ages,

we shall then be able to take up a little in detail the dispensations into which it is

Much has been written regarding "eternity." Some teachers and preachers give one

the impression, by their emphasis and repetition, that the soundness of their doctrine,

their estimate of salvation, and their abhorrence of sin, will be largely gauged by the

frequency and the vehemence with which the words eternity and eternal are employed.

We have not only of eternal life, eternal punishment, eternal gospel, eternal purpose,

etc., which, as they are quoted from the A.V. may in some degree be excused, but we

hear also of eternal sin, eternal death, and other phrases which find no warrant even in the

A.V. Those for whom these papers are written should acquaint themselves with the fact

that the words rendered eternal, everlasting, for ever, etc., signify a period or periods of

time, which have had or will yet have a beginning, and which have had or will yet have

an end; which are not only spoken of in the singular, but in the plural. In Volume I,

pages 82-86, we touched just briefly upon the meaning of the Hebrew word olam, and

the Greek word aiõn, words translated as of eternity, but words which by meaning and

usage are limited to time.  Our object then was a consideration of the teaching of