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The End.
(Telos and Sunteleia).
pp. 127, 128
The attention of many is directed at this time to the study of prophecy, and we have
found, when speaking with brethren here and there, that the distinction made in the
inspired Word between the two words translated "end" is not clearly perceived. The
following illustration, though somewhat crude, has enabled some to appreciate the
distinction, and we venture to use it here, trusting that it may be of similar service.
Telos may be represented by the terminus of a railway, while sunteleia may be
represented by the junction just before the terminus is reached.
GENTILE.
Sunteleia.
Telos.
JEW. ---------------------------
¤
------------------------ ¤
(Junction).
(Terminus).
CHURCH.
Quoting from The Companion Bible Note on Matt. 24: 3 we read, "Sunteleia =
meeting together of all that makes the consummation of the age; not telos = the actual
end". It will be remembered that the disciples asked, "What shall be the sign of Thy
coming, and of the end of the age?". This is the word sunteleia, the "junction", the point
where the separate lines of purpose touching the Jew, Gentile, and Church meet together.
In Matt. 24: 6 we have the "terminus" mentioned, "And ye shall hear of wars and
rumours of wars; see that ye be not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but
the end (telos) is not yet". The true "end" lies beyond this point. Verses 13 and 14
speak of this end.
If the reader does not already know, let him say which of these two words he would
expect the Lord to have used in Matt. 13: 39, 40, "The harvest is the end of the world".
The majority have reckoned that the harvest would be the telos, the terminus. It is not so,
however; it is the sunteleia, the junction. It will be readily seen that a clear conception of
these terms will be an advantage to all who seek rightly to divide the Word of truth, and
these words have been penned with the desire that some may be helped in this direction.
The complete list of occurrences of sunteleia is as follows:--Matt. 13: 39, 40, 49;
24: 3; 28: 20; Heb. 9: 26.
It would be a helpful exercise to tabulate the
differences that are observable in the events and statements under the two headings, telos
and sunteleia.