1502. The Age of This Cosmos
The Age of This Cosmos
This Cosmos Is Satan's Domain (Joh_14:30).
This Cosmos Is Composed of World-born Men (1Jn_4:5).
This Cosmos Is Only Evil (Gal_1:4).
This Cosmos Cannot Grow Better (Mat_7:16-17).
This Cosmos Possesses Glory (Mat_4:8).
The Glory of This Cosmos Passeth Away (1Co_7:31).
The Believer's Attitude toward this Cosmos (Joh_17:6).
The Attitude of the Cosmos toward the Believer (Joh_17:14).
There is a striking expression in Eph_2:2 which is not seen in the Authorized Version, it is this: "The age of this cosmos." The Authorized reads: "The course of this world." The word translated "course," however, is our common word "aeon," which means "age." The word translated "world" is "kosmos," which we have anglicised, in this lesson, to read "cosmos." The expression "cosmos," is quite common to the English-speaking world; it is a word which signifies "the present order of things;" "the world system," in which we daily move. From the word "cosmos," is formed the word "cosmopolitan," the name of one of our large magazines; this signifies a citizen of the world system. We have the word "cosmography," which is a description or writing of the world system. The word "cosmic" means, pertaining to the world system.
The word "cosmos" is easily differentiated from other Greek words translated "world." The other words should be translated "age," the "inhabited earth," and the "physical earth."
There were other ages; there is this present age, and there are the ages to come. There were also other world systems; there is the present world system, and there is a coming world system. The world system in which we are now living is specified in our key-passage as enduring an Age. It is the "age of this cosmos."
It will be most interesting for us to study God's vision of this cosmos. We will discover first of all who is the prince of the cosmos; next, we will discuss the conditions of the cosmos; later on we will ask whether the cosmos can, of itself, grow better; then we will take up the glory which distinguishes the cosmos. Finally, we will consider the attitude of the believer toward the cosmos, and the attitude of the cosmos toward the believer.
Autor: R.E. NEIGHBOUR