When Will God Be All In All?

DEAR CLAY GIRL,
Your question: when, oh when, will God be all in all? Before or after the Great White Throne?
ANSWER:
You seemed to have studied the word IN in the bible… as in “in Christ” etc.
But you’ve not really considered the AIONS in God’s word.
The AIONS are said to come to an end.
Note: aions PLURAL… will come to an end.
But since there is a load of confusion regarding the AIONS as the KJV slaps the word “ever”, “forever”, “forever and ever”, “never”, “age”, “world”, etc. for that word… it’s no wonder why it’s little understood.
So, let me tell you “when God will be all in all”… as I understand it.

1. There are 5 eons of time referenced in the scriptures.
2. Two eons are in the past. We are currently in “this wicked eon” and there are two more to come.
3. The “eon to come” is the 1,000 year reign of Christ. But there is still one more eon after that one.
4. God will not be all in all until the eons come to an end.
5. The Great White Throne Judgment/lake of fire is an event that happens between the 4th and 5th eon.
6. The last eon of time is so glorious, that’s it’s called “the eon of the eons” — this kind of phrase is called a polyptyton. (sp?)– it’s an old Hebrew kind of idiom like “Lord of lords”, “King of kings”, Holy of holies” … to where one word is describing the other word. So, the EON OF THE EONS would be the best of all the eons bar none.
7. We don’t know much about this final eon of time. One verse mentions that there will be “generations” in that eon, but little else is said about it.
8. John’s book of Revelation clearly does not go into that eon, nor does he tell us anything about it.
9. The closest thing we can learn about it, is from I COR 15:20-28… especially the verses promising that RULERSHIP, AUTHORITY and POWER will be abolished, along with DEATH.
10. When John closes his Revelation, those 4 things (enemies of God, really) are still active and on the earth.
11. It is in this 5th eon of time that RULE, AUTHORITY, POWER and DEATH WILL BE ABOLISHED.
12. The Lake of Fire is a major event that happens during the 4th eon (the 1,000 year reign of Christ) but there is still much to do before God can be all in all.
13. The KJV word “forever” is a reference to the 4th eon of time (depending on whether or not the word is plural)
14. The KJV word “forever and ever” is a reference either the final two eons or the final eon itself (depending on which word of the polyptyton (sp?) is plural… “the eon of the eons” … or… “the eons of the eons”.
15. The Lake of Fire is an event along the way. It serves the purpose of God for His eonian plan. It is not to eclipse the work of God in the cross of Christ. THAT is where we need to begin and end our journey of faith.
16. As long as RULE, AUTHORITY, AND POWER are around — even Christ’s rule, authority and power, then God cannot be all in all. And it seems to me, from I Cor 15:20-28 that those three things (rule, authority and power) will be eliminated BEFORE death is eliminated.
17. Keep in mind, that John’s book of Revelation is short-sighted compared to Paul revelation of the end (I Cor 15:20-28). John never sees the end of rule, the end of power, the end of authority. And thus, he does not see the end of death.
18. John never says the words “then comes the end”… yet Paul’s revelation does… Paul said “then comes the end”…(V.24) one must ask, “the end of what?”… we might infer that it’s the end of God’s eonian purpose, but we can clearly see that it’s the end of the making alive process (by abolishing death itself) which has begun in Christ, and the end of rule, and the end of authority, and the end of power, and the end of death.
19. When death comes to an end, all who are dead must be made alive. — Unable to die again, for death has ended. And of course it all happens “in Christ” as you are fond of saying. The thing is, “in Christ” is a bigger concept than you let on.
20. Yes, there is an “eonian salvation” (a special salvation) which is reserved for those who believe and for faithful Israel… but we’re talking about something beyond the eons. — as clearly the eons come to an end. Even your beloved KJV hints that “the ages come to an end”.
21. I know that you fancy that I’m in error, and have “warned” me… and thus, I might be consigned to the lake of fire, and I have concluded that if God does toss me into the lake of fire, I trust it is for His purpose. You see, I rely on the living God who is the savior of all. Human destiny relies entirely on the purpose of God.
22. You also infer that the lake of fire is endless. But I assure you, it’s eonian. Not endless. It’s an event between the 4th and the 5th eon of time.
23. I used to be in a Christian church that made much of “God’s eternal purpose” (ref: Eph 3:11)… How relieved I was, to discover that the verse actually discusses “God eonian purpose”… instead of “eternal purpose”. — you see, Stacy, the word “purpose” puts a limit on the matter. You cannot have an “eternal purpose”… a PURPOSE that has no beginning and no end. But you can have an eonian purpose… for the eons have a beginning and an end.
24. So to answer your question, God won’t become all in all, until the event we know as the lake of fire-Great White Throne Judgment, is long past, and undone.
25. For even as in Adam, all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive. — That God may be all in all.