It is on the time to closely scrutinise the text and it's wording. At close examination it appears that
the greater portion of the ancient Hebrew scriptures shows no awareness of any more than one age in time. By far the most common use of the Hebrew word עולם and its Greek translation αιων is in expressions of eternity, to say forever [1]. The usual expression for eternity past is מעולם (from the age). The usual expression for eternity future is לעולם (to the age) or עד־עולם (until the age). And the term is almost always singular in the Hebrew scriptures. ... More to the point, nowhere in the preexilic and early postexilic books do we read any apocalyptic speculation on the two ages. So far as we can tell, only one age was ever in view throughout this most ancient period. [2]It appears that the pre-exilic hebrew scripture is demonstratively unaware of any division in ages. The question than is: what caused the eschatological view of two ages to emerge?
Now as the story goes, the god of the old testament had made a promise to Abraham to give him land for his descendants, which will be theirs for ever (Genesis 13.15). God also found king David to his liking, therefore he promised to him an everlasting kingdom (2 Samuel 7.16). But obviously this did not come to pass as history tells us, and the Israelis were taken captive and exiled (2 Kings 25.1-30;2 Chronicles 36.15-21).
What solution does a deep religious mind comes up with to resolve such cognitive dissonance? The solution is stunningly simple.
God is going to fulfil his promise of everlasting land and kingdom in the age to come, and repay all injustices done in the present age.
Post-exilic writers had two separate events in mind that should occur when that age comes:
- The Israelis will return from exile, and the everlasting possession of the land and it's everlasting kingdom are going to be established (Tobit 14.5; Luke 1.67-77), while god will rejuvenate the earth and make even the carnivores harmless (Isaiah 11.6-9).
- Those who died in struggle for the kingdom of god are going to be brought back to life (Daniel 12:2;Daniel 12:13)
The blasphemy of the holy spirit was not to be forgiven "either in this age or in the age to come" (Matthew 12.32). The phrase "this age" references the present age of Jesus' generation.
Jesus has promised his disciples that anyone who abandon his earthly wealth and family "for the sake of the kingdom of God" will "receive a hundredfold now in the present age" but "in the age to come" even "eternal life" (Mark 10.29-30; Luke 18.29-30).
The phrase “this time” with its counterpart “the age to come” reflects the teaching of the rabbis about the two-tiered present evil age and the future age of the Messiah. [3]When Jesus was debating the Saducees about the resurrection, he clearly told them that the sons of "this age marry", "but those deemed worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor give in marriage" (Luke 20.34-36). The accent is put on the current age, to contrast the one to come, the age of resurrection, to which Jesus is the first fruit according to Paul (1 Corinthians 15:23).
In short, the present age is at it's end, and the next age is on the verge to come, the age when eternal life is the rewarded to the faithful. But closer look reveals that the gospel writers have some kind of transitional period between the two ages, when both are in place.
