aiwnios

W A T E R

E A R T H

F I R E

P L A N T S

AIWNIOS (ahee-ó-nee-os) - the Greek word for eternity.

"... while we look not at the things which are seen,
but at the things which are not seen;
for the things which are seen are temporal,
but the things which are not seen are eternal."
(2 Corinthians 4:18)

Consider how dependent man is upon his five senses. Almost all of the information which is crucial for our physical existence arrives to our minds through sight, sound, touch, smell, or taste. It is from this information that we accumulate experiences and make the decisions which affect our immediate and future concerns. Those who have come to realise that there is more to man than an organism which processes external sensations often have difficulty finding physical references on which to base this knowledge. In every culture, many people are found who acknowledge an unseen world, a realm outside of our five senses, where the soul and spirit of man exists. Just as our existence in this world is dependent upon our senses, so also is much of our spiritual understanding. We have been created in this physical world and shown by it the concepts of constants and chaos. It is crucial that we make certain correlations between that which is physical and that which is spiritual. To do this, it is suggested that one consider the basic information in what is known today as God's Word, the Bible. If we turn to this Book for further study, we will find that the starting point for substantiating that which is beyond our senses is the spoken or written word :

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. (Romans 10:17)

The Scriptures go far beyond our ability to listen and understand language. Many of the Lord Jesus Christ's teachings were accomplished by the use of analogies, where the listeners were given references which were familiar to them on a daily basis. However, not everybody who heard the Lord wanted to make the necessary associations to understand the eternal nature of His message; on one occasion, the Lord was asked by His disciples the reason for His speaking in parables. In His answer, He stated :

"Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing, they do not see,
and while hearing, they do not hear, nor do they understand." (Matthew 13:13)

The stories and the situations that the Lord chose were experientially relevant to His audience, and this answer He made to his disciples made reference to the fact that there were those in the crowds who had already set their hearts against what He had to say. These people would never make the connections between the Lord's physical examples and the kingdom of heaven, nor would they understand that His speaking in parables was in itself a fulfillment of prophesy. (Matthew 13:34, 35)

On what basis do we establish the authority of the Bible and its information? What is the "faith" which comes by hearing, and this "hearing" which comes by the word of Christ? Believers who know God's agenda for those who are His have acknowledged the Bible as His communication to man regarding His Son, the Messiah. To more fully comprehend the Bible, we must take it in its entirety. We must realise that it is inspired or breathed by God, (2 Timothy 3:16) and that its essential message concerning the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ is not ambiguous, but concise and relevant to all. The word of God has much to teach us concerning what is to come not only upon the earth, but also what is in store for us when our time in this realm is over. If we read the Bible and acknowledge it as God's word without any preconceived notions that it is confusing or obsolete, and with open hearts, we will be shown through analogies and the Spirit's revelation that:

"The word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword,
and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow,
and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12)

The Scriptures, viewed by many to be myth, folklore, or merely historical, are too often misquoted and misunderstood. Few seem to realise the true intent and simplicity of the Bible's message. The purpose of the following studies on the simple subjects of water, earth, fire, and plants is to draw attention to the numerous Biblical analogies which provide physical reference points to which man can relate, thereby enabling him to comprehend "...the things which are not seen..." which are eternal. Select each of the four links above to read the related topic.

"The Lord has made everything for its own purpose..." (Proverbs 16:4)