The ekklesia, the saints of God will give God glory for ever and ever unto all generations, world without end. Generations come and go, but the earth abides forever. The Lord laid the foundations of the earth so it should not be moved forever. The Lord promised to bless Abraham for a thousand generations which he repeated to David.
The end of the age that Jesus is referring to here is the end of that Jewish World in 70 AD when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem killing most of the Jews there and in all of Judea, Samaria and Israel. The righteous are gathered into vessels (congregations) and the evil (those who rejected Jesus) are cast into the furnace of fire (70 AD).
The Lord created the world to be inhabited; he saves us with an everlasting salvation world without end. The Lord will remove the wicked leaving the meek to inherit the land in peace. When we trust in the Lord we are like mount Zion which cannot be moved, but abides forever.
Eph 3:20-21 KJV
(20) Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
(21) Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
The same verses in the Revised Version
Eph 3:20-21 RV
(20) Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
(21) unto him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus unto all generations for ever and ever. Amen.
Church, G1577
ekklēsia ; ek-klay-see’-ah
From a compound of G1537 and a derivative of G2564; a calling out, that is, (concretely) a popular meeting, especially a religious congregation (Jewish synagogue, or Christian community of members on earth or saints in heaven or both): – assembly, church.
Total KJV occurrences: 115
(notice that “church” does NOT mean building, service, or organization)
Ecc 1:3-5 RV
(3) What profit hath man of all his labour wherein he laboureth under the sun?
(4) One generation goeth, and another generation cometh; and the earth abideth for ever.
(5) The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he ariseth.
Generations come and go, but the earth abides forever.
Psa 104:4-6 RV
(4) Who maketh winds his messengers; his ministers a flaming fire:
(5) Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be moved for ever.
(6) Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a vesture; the waters stood above the mountains.
The Lord laid the foundations of the earth so it should not be moved forever.
Deu 7:6-9 RV
(6) For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all peoples that are upon the face of the earth.
(7) The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all peoples:
(8) but because the LORD loveth you, and because he would keep the oath which he sware unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
(9) Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God; the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;
Psa 105:7-9 RV
(7) He is the LORD our God: his judgments are in all the earth.
(8) He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations;
(9) The covenant which he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac;
The Lord promised to bless Abraham for a thousand generations which he repeated to David. At 40 years for a generation I make that out to be 40,000 years; by the Jewish calendar it is only 6,000 years since Adam.
A note about the translation, I am here using Young’s Literal Translation which has the better translation of ‘age’ instead of ‘world’ and ‘messengers’ instead of ‘angels’
Mat 13:36-43 YLT
(36) Then having let away the multitudes, Jesus came to the house, and his disciples came near to him, saying, ‘Explain to us the simile of the darnel of the field.’
(37) And he answering said to them, ‘He who is sowing the good seed is the Son of Man,
(38) and the field is the world, and the good seed, these are the sons of the reign, and the darnel are the sons of the evil one,
(39) and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is a full end of the age, and the reapers are messengers.
(40) ‘As, then, the darnel is gathered up, and is burned with fire, so shall it be in the full end of this age,
(41) the Son of Man shall send forth his messengers, and they shall gather up out of his kingdom all the stumbling-blocks, and those doing the unlawlessness,
(42) and shall cast them to the furnace of the fire; there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of the teeth.
(43) ‘Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the reign of their Father. He who is having ears to hear—let him hear.
The end of the age that Jesus is referring to here is the end of that Jewish World in 70 AD when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem killing most of the Jews there and in all of Judea, Samaria and Israel. Before that fiery judgement Jesus sent His messengers, His apostles and disciples, to witness and harvest that Jewish World. Armed with Jesus prophecy, all the early Christians escaped that fiery judgement that came upon the children of Israel who rejected their Messiah.
Mat 13:47-50 YLT
(47) ‘Again, the reign of the heavens is like to a net that was cast into the sea, and did gather together of every kind,
(48) which, when it was filled, having drawn up again upon the beach, and having sat down, they gathered the good into vessels, and the bad they did cast out,
(49) so shall it be in the full end of the age, the messengers shall come forth and separate the evil out of the midst of the righteous,
(50) and shall cast them to the furnace of the fire, there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of the teeth.’
Isa 45:17-18 RV
(17) But Israel shall be saved by the LORD with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end.
(18) For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; he is God; that formed the earth and made it; he established it, he created it not a waste, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.
Psa 37:10-11 RV
(10) For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and he shall not be.
(11) But the meek shall inherit the land; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
The Lord will remove the wicked leaving the meek to inherit the land in peace. .
Psa 125:1 RV
(1) They that trust in the LORD are as mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abideth for ever.
When we trust in the Lord we are like mount Zion which cannot be moved, but abides forever.
Image by The New York Public Library on Unsplash.com