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Sat, Nov 13, 21.

Foundation of the World (kosmos)

The laying of the foundation of the world (kosmos) lasted from the creation of light up to the division of nations.

Word Definitions

Words Often Translated “World” in the New Testament

Κόσμος, kosmos, G2889:

  1. Strong’s Definition: Probably from the base of G2865; orderly arrangement, that is, decoration; by implication the world (in a wide or narrow sense, including its inhabitants, literally or figuratively [morally]): - adorning, world.
  2. G2865—κολυμβάω, kolumbaō: From a primary word κολυμβος kolumbos (to tend, that is, take care of); properly to provide for, that is, (by implication) to carry off (as if from harm; generally obtain): - bring, receive.
  3. Peter describes the beautification of a woman as her kosmos—“Whose adorning (kosmos) let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;” [1Pe 3:3]. This confirms kosmos as an arrangement, an ordering of things.
  4. Use Examples
    1. Satan showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the kosmos [Mat 4:8]
    2. “…neither in this aeon nor in the kosmos to come” [Mat 12:32]—the age to come is another kosmos
    3. “…mysteries hidden from the foundation of the world.” [Mat 13:35]
    4. “…sin entered the kosmos through one man and death through sin…” [Rom 5:12]
    5. The kosmos is to be reconciled to God [Rom 11:15]
    6. Jesus is not from this kosmos [Joh 8:23]
    7. Satan is the prince of this Kosmos [Joh 12:31]
    8. Jesus left the kosmos when he ascended to heaven [Joh 17:11; 16:28]
    9. God loved Jesus before the foundation of the kosmos [Joh 17:24]
    10. Jesus’ kingdom is not of this kosmos [Joh 18:36]

Αἰών, aiōn, G165:

  1. Strong’s Definition: From the same as G104; properly an age; by extension perpetuity (also past); by implication the world; specifically (Jewish) a Messianic period (present or future): - age, course, eternal, (for) ever (-more), [n-]ever, (beginning of the, while the) world (began, without end). Compare G5550.
  2. Use Examples
    1. “…the cares of this aiōn…” [Mat 13:22]
    2. “…the harvest is the end of the aiōn…” [Mat 13:39]
    3. “mystery of Christ hidden since the aiōn began” [Rom 16:25]
    4. God promised us eternal life before the aiōn began [Tit 1:2]

Οἰκουμένη, oikoumenē, G3625

  1. Thayer Definition:
    1. the inhabited earth
      • the portion of the earth inhabited by the Greeks, in distinction from the lands of the barbarians
      • the Roman empire, all the subjects of the empire
      • the whole inhabited earth, the world
      • the inhabitants of the earth, men
    2. the universe, the world
  2. Part of Speech: noun feminine
  3. A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: feminine participle present passive of G3611 (as noun, by implication of G1093)
  4. Use Examples
    1. This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the oikoumenē [Mat 24:14]
    2. “…a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the oikoumenē should be taxed.” [Luk 2:1]
    3. “And the devil …shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the oikoumenē in a moment of time.” [Luk 4:5]
    4. God brought his firstborn into the oikoumenē [Heb 1:6]
    5. It is not to angels that God has subjected the oikoumenē to come [Heb 2:5]
    6. Satan deceives the oikoumenē [Rev 12:9]

γῆ, gē, G1093

    1. Strong’s Definition: Contracted from a primary word; soil; by extension a region, or the solid part or the whole of the terrene globe (including the occupants in each application): - country, earth (-ly), ground, land, world.
    2. Use Example
      1. “…all the earth wondered after the beast.”[Rev 13:3]
    3. See also
      1. Παλιγγενεσία, paliggenesia, G3824:
        1. “In the regeneration…” [Mat 19:28]

“Foundation”--Καταβολή, katabolē, G2602

The word translated in as “foundation” in the phrase, “foundation of the kosmos” is καταβολή, katabolē.

    1. Strong’s Definition: From G2598; a deposition, that is, founding; figuratively conception: - conceive, foundation.
    2. Thayer Definition:
      1. A throwing or laying down
        1. the injection or depositing of the virile semen in the womb
        2. of the seed of plants and animals
      2. A founding (laying down a foundation)

Foundation of the World (kosmos) vs. Foundation of the Earth

Below I will like to demonstrate and lay out some facts showing that “the foundation of the earth” and “the foundation of the world” are different.

The Earth and the World (kosmos) are not the Same

First, the world (kosmos) is not the earth, rather the earth is a part of the world (kosmos).

  1. The laying of the foundation of the world speaks of the creation of heaven and earth, it is about the ordering of the heavens and earth created in Genesis 1. Therefore, the earth is only a part of the world (kosmos) and not all that the world is.
  2. The word ‘world’ in the New Testament is κόσμος, Kosmos in Greek. In the Greek language (and mythology), (and, more importantly, as used in the Bible) kosmos refers to the universe, i.e., the earth and the stars, and includes the inhabitants of the earth. This is equivalent to what was created in Genesis 1 in the beginning—the heavens and earth.

The World (kosmos) Does Not Include the Heaven of God

Second, the world (kosmos) does not include the heaven of God.

  1. Jesus often spoke of the heaven where he came from and where he was returning to as not being a part of this world (kosmos) [Joh 16:28].
  2. Also, from the fact that the world (kosmos) is sinful [Joh 1:29; 16:8; Rom 5:12], heaven, the heaven of God, cannot be a part of it because the will of God is done in heaven [Mat 6:9-10].
  3. This kosmos will pass away [1Co 7:31]
    1. The heaven of God will endure forever [Psa 89:29], yet there are heavens that will be changed [Heb 1:10-12; 2Pe 3:7,10].

The Heaven of God and the Kosmos

  1. There are heavens and not just one heaven.
  2. God dwells in heaven
  3. Jesus came from the heaven where God dwells
  4. God’s will is done in (God’s) heaven
  5. (Unlike God’s heaven) The kosmos is sinful
  6. The kosmos will pass away
  7. There is a heavens that will pass away, that will be renewed with fire (will God’s heaven be renewed with fire? God’s heaven is righteous, so why would it need renewal?)
    1. Paul speaks of Christ reconciling things in heaven [Col 1:20] (does the heaven of God need reconciliation?)
  8. The kosmos Peter describes that will be destroyed [2Pe 3:6] according to him includes the heavens and the earth [2Pe 3:7-13]

The World (kosmos) Includes the Principalities and Powers

Third, since the world (kosmos) includes the heavens of the earth, it therefore includes the principalities and powers.

  1. Satan is the prince of the power of the air [Eph 2:1-2]
  2. The heavenly bodies—the sun, moon and stars—were given over to the nations for idolatry [Deu 4:19]. The heavenly bodies are involved in the idolatry of men.
  3. The rulers of the darkness of this world are said to be in heavenly places [Eph 6:12]

Thus, we can see that the heavens of the kosmos are sinful.

Other Deductions

When The Foundation of the World (kosmos) Was Laid

The laying of the foundation of the world (kosmos) lasted from the creation of light up to the division of nations.

  1. Starting with the beginning of creation [Joh 17:5 cf., Joh 1:1-3; Gen 1]
    1. Jesus had glory with God before the world/kosmos “began” [Joh 17:5]
    2. God loved Jesus and gave him glory before the “founding” of the world [Joh 17:14]
    3. Deduction
      1. The beginning and founding of the world are the same things.
      2. God loved Jesus and gave him glory before the founding/beginning of the world.
  2. Including the seven days of creation [Gen 1; Heb 4:3]
  3. including the time of Adam’s transgression when sin entered the world [Heb 9:26 there would have been no need for the atonement if sin had not entered the world—sin entered the world through Adam’s transgression Rom 5:12. Jesus would have had to die many times since the laying of the foundation of the world]
  4. Up to the time of the death of Abel (since he was the first martyr) at the hands of Cain [Luk 11:50-51]
  5. Up to the division of men into nations.
    1. In Dan 12:1 we read of “the beginning of nations” but
    2. In Mat 24:21 we read of “the beginning of the world (i.e., kosmos)”.
    3. Therefore, the beginning of the world (kosmos) clearly includes the beginning of nations.

Some other Facts Related to the Laying of the Foundation of the World

  1. The kingdom of God was prepared since the foundation of the world (kosmos) was laid [Mat 25:34]
  1. God the Father loved Jesus before the foundation of the world was laid (the beginning of the world) [Joh 17:24]
  2. Christ was chosen before the foundation of the world [1Pe 1:20]
  3. We were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world [Eph 1:4]
  4. Names are written in the lamb’s book of life from the foundation of the world [Rev 17:8]
  5. We were destined for glory before time/the world (αἰών (aiōn G165) i.e., before this age) began [1Co 2:7]
  6. There are things that have been hidden, and only revealed in parables, since the laying of the foundation of the world/kosmos [Psa 78:1-2; Hos 12:10; Mat 13:34-35]
    1. The purposes and plans of God from the creation of the world are not plainly stated in scripture but mostly contained in parables
  7. Eternal life was promised us before the world began [Tit 1:2]

Time Before the Age Began and The Time of the Founding of the Kosmos

Apparently, time “...before the age began” corresponds to the foundation of the kosmos [cf., Eph 1:4].

  1. First, our glorification means that we are made sons of God—it is sons that God glorifies [Heb 2:7].
  2. Now, Paul here says that we were destined for glory before the “age began” [1Co 2:7]. Therefore, our choosing as sons was before the age began.
  3. In his letter to the Ephesians, however, Paul states that we were predestined for adoption as sons before “the foundation of the kosmos” [Eph 1:4].
    1. By choosing us in Christ, God had effectively predestined us to be adopted as His sons and thus had predestined us for glory [Eph 1:4-6 cf., Heb 2:7; Rom 8:29-30,21,23]—our Father is glorious [Eph 1:17] (and so we too must) and our inheritance as sons of God is “glorious” [Eph 1:18].
  4. Therefore, time “...before the age began” corresponds to the foundation of the kosmos—the age began with the founding of the kosmos.

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