LESSON TWELVE
ETERNITY

A.	TIME AND ETERNITY.
•	God dwells in the eternity.
•	He is the omnipresent One who fills the universe with His presence and with Him the past, present and future is one eternal present.
•	One day time will be no more and man will be taken into Eternity. 
•	Revelation 10:6.

B.	THE IDEA OF ETERNITY.
To get some idea of eternity we shall compare it with space. 
1.	SPACE.
•	Light travels at 186,000 miles per second. One light year is about 6,000,000,000,000 miles. Man now is peering out into space some 38,000,000,000 light years away and more.
•	It is impossible to measure it with a yard stick, it is necessary to have a larger unit of measurement, which is a light year.
2.	ETERNITY.
•	Just as it is foolish to measure space with a yardstick so it is foolish to measure eternity with years. We must have a larger unit of measurement, which is known as an eon or age.
C. EON OR AGE.
•	This Greek word "aion" or the English equivalent "eon" has been used in the New Testament some 124 times. 
•	It has been translated "world" 35 times (Matthew 12:32; Matthew 13:39-40; Matthew 24:3; Mark 10:30). 
•	It is used to refer to the past, Colossians 1:26; it is used to refer to the future, Ephesians 2:7.

C.	EONS OF EONS (AGES OF AGES). 

•	Ephesians 3:21.
•	The period of time that the Bible deals with in which is recorded God's dealings with man over some 7,000 years is an EON of EONS.
Eden
-	Eon of Innocence
Antediluvian
-	Eon of Conscience
-	1,655 years.
Post-diluvian
-	Eon of Human Government
-	431 years.
Patriarchal
-	Eon of Promise
-	427 years.
Mosaic
-	Eon of Law
-	1,491 years.
Church
-	Eon of the Holy Ghost
-	???
7.
Millennium
-	Eon of Manifestation
-	1,000 years.
TOTAL
-	Eon of Eons - Approximately 7,000 years.	

E.	EONS OF EONS.
•	Eon of eons is translated as “for ever and ever,” Revelation 19:3, Revelation 20:10 and Revelation 22:5.
•	This term is used for both the final destiny of the wicked and the righteous.
F.	ETERNITY.
•	There will be a new heaven and a new earth, and there is the lake of fire where the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched, Mark 9:46; Revelation 21:1; II Peter 3:13.
•	This life is very brief compared with eternity. 
G. THIS AGE OF AGES CLOSES WITH ETERNITY.
Summary of events that will take place at the close of this age of ages.
1.	Calvary.
2.	The Burial of Christ.
3.	The Resurrection of Christ (First Fruits, I Corinthians 15:23, Matthew 27:52).
4.	The Ascension of Christ.
5. The Upper Room; Pentecost; The Church Born. The Church - Mystical Body of Christ (Ephesians 1:22-23); Bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:21-23); The Kingdom of God, Christ reigning by His Spirit in the hearts of His saints.
6.	Resurrection of the dead in Christ (I Thessalonians 4:16).
7.	Rapture - Translation of the living saints (I Thessalonians 4:17).
8.	The Meeting in the Air; Marriage of the Lamb (Revelation 19:7-8).
9.	The Great Tribulation (Daniel 12:1; Matthew 24:21; Luke 21:25-26).
10.	The Resurrection of the Tribulation Saints (Revelation 20:4-6).
11.	The Revelation of Christ and His Saints (I Thessalonians 3:13); in flaming fire (II Thessalonians 1:7-10), to execute judgment (Jude 14, 15).
12.	Armageddon; Judgment of the nations or the quick.
13.	The Millennium; Christ's glorious reign on earth for 1000 years.
14.	Satan loosed for a little season.
15.	The General Resurrection
16.	(Revelation20:12-15; Daniel 12:2.)
17.	The White Throne Judgment
18.	(Revelation 20:11-15).
19.	New Heaven, New Earth.
20.	The Lake of Fire.

21. Eternity, the ages to come.

LESSON TWELVE
SELF HELP TEST

A.	Explain clearly the difference between time and eternity.
B.	Explain why eternity cannot be measured by years.
C.	What is the difference between these two terms: eon of eons and eons ?
D.	Write in proper sequence TWENTY events which have or will take place beginning at Calvary and ending with Eternity.