Grotheer-Beachy Correspondence
From Adventist Laymen
Smyrna Gospel Ministries
Present Truth Department
SGM: 304-732-9204 HC 64 Box 128B bercan@presenttruth.info Secretary: 304-294-8424 Welch, West Virginia 24801 www.presenttruth.info USA
August 18, 2004
Dear Brother Wm. H. Grotheer,
"Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love." (2 John 3)
Greetings, I pray that you are doing well. I would like to share with you my condolences for the loss of your wife. Someone shared this with me, and I was very sad to hear about it. I pray that the Lord will give you strength and comfort to help you at this time.
Please forgive me for the long delay in responding to your letter. I appreciate you sharing your concerns with me. You mentioned that the term "everlasting Father" in Isaiah 9:6 should have been translated, "Father of eternity." Thank you for sharing these thoughts. I found two additional translations that render it in this way, i.e. Darby and Young's Literal Translation. The Dowry Rheims Version translates it similarly as "the Father of the world to come." I believe these are good alternate translations of the Hebrew אבי-עד ('abi-`ad), which is a compound word of Father and Eternity. John Gill says, "Some render the words, 'the Father of eternity'; the author of eternal life, who has procured it for his people, and gives it to them;..." (John Gill's Expositor on Isaiah 9:6) This is a good biblical explanation of this term. The Bible says, "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith." (Hebrews 12: 2) Jesus is the author, or Father, of our faith and our eternal life.
The Theological Word Book of the Old Testament has some interesting thoughts on this as well. Here is a portion of what they say about the Hebrew Word אב ('ad):
It should be noted that there is no general word for time in Hebrew, neither are there special terms for the past, present, future, and eternity. The word
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