Foundation of the World
This Is Appendix 146 From The Companion Bible.
To arrive at the true meaning of this
expression, we must note that there are two words translated "foundation"
in the New Testament: (1) themelios, and (2)
katabole.
The Noun, themelios, occurs in Luke
6: 48-49, 14:29, Acts
16:26, Romans
15:20, 1Corinthians
3:l0-12, Ephesians
2:20, 1Timothy
6:19, 2Timothy
2:19, Hebrews
6:1, 11:10, Revelation
21:14,19. It is never used
of the world (kosmos) or the earth (ge). The
corresponding Verb (themelioo) occurs in Matthew
7:25, Luke
6:48, Ephesians
3:17, Colossians
1:23, Hebrews
1:10 and 1Peter
5:10. The verb is only
once used of the earth (ge). Hebrews 1:10.
A comparison of all these passages will show that
these are proper and regular terms for the English words "to
found", and "foundation".
The Noun, katabole, occurs in Matthew
13: 35, 25:34, Luke
11:50, John
17:24, Ephesians
1:4, Hebrews
4:3, 9:26 , 11:11, 1Peter
1:20, Revelation
13:8, 17:8 and the
corresponding Verb (kataballo) occurs in 2Corinthians
4:9, Hebrews
6:1 and Revelation
12:10.
A comparison of all these passages (especially
2Corinthians
4:9 and Revelation
12:10) will show that
kataballo and katabole are not the proper
terms for founding and foundation, but the correct meaning is
casting down, or overthrow.
Consistency, therefore, calls for the same
translation in Hebrews 6: 1, where, instead of
"not laying again", the rendering should be "not
casting down". That is to say, the foundation already laid, of
repentance, etc., was not to be cast down or overthrown, but was to be
left and progress made unto the perfection.
Accordingly, the Noun katabole, derived
from, and cognate with the Verb, ought to be translated
"disruption", or "ruin".
The remarkable thing is that in all occurrences
(except Hebrews 11: 11) the word is
connected with "the world" (Greek
kosmos. Appendix 129.1), and therefore the expression
should be rendered "the disruption (or ruin) of the world",
clearly referring to the condition indicated in Genesis 1:2, and described in
2Peter
3:5-6. For the earth was
not created tohu (Isaiah
45:18) but
became so, as stated in the Hebrew of Genesis
1:2 and confirmed by
2Peter
3:6, where "the
world that then was by the word of God" (Genesis
1:1), perished and
"the heavens and the earth which are now, by the same word"
were created (Genesis 2:4), and are
"kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of
judgment" (2Peter
3:7) which shall usher
in the "new heavens and the new earth" of 2Peter
3:13.
"The disruption of the world" is an
event forming a great dividing line in the dispensations of the ages. In
Genesis 1: 1 we have the
founding of the world (Hebrews 1:10 = themelioo), but
in Genesis 1:2 we have its
overthrow.
This is confirmed by a further remarkable fact, that
the phrase, which occurs ten times, is associated with the Preposition
apo = from (Appendix 104.
iv) seven times, and with pro = before (Appendix 104.
xiv) three times. The former refers to the kingdom, and
is connected with the "counsels" of God; the latter refers
to the Mystery (or
Secret; See Appendix 193) and is connected with the
"purpose" of God (see John 17: 24, Ephesians
1:4, 1Peter
1:20).
Ample New Testament testimony is thus given to the
profoundly significant fact recorded in Genesis 1: 2, that "the
earth became tohu and bohu (i.e. waste end
desolate); and darkness was on the face of the deep", before the
creation of "the heavens and the earth which are now"
(2Peter
3:7).
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