In many cases, according to Swedenborg, the use of “eternity” in the Bible is pretty literal, simple meaning forever. This is especially true when the text is referring to someone being condemned to hell or elevated to heaven.
In some cases, however, “eternity” or “days of old” refers to what Swedenborg calls the Most Ancient Church – the first church among the earliest people, innocent souls who acted directly out of love of the Lord. Because of this association, things called “eternal” or “everlasting” usually represent the desire for good that arises from love to the Lord.
If we love the Lord, then our desire will be to do the Lord’s will and love as the Lord loves. From that we will have a true desire to love and care for other people. That’s the feeling described by “eternal.”
Passages from Swedenborg
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 4926
[3] In Amos,
I will raise up the tent of David that is fallen down, and I will close up their breaches, and I will restore its destroyed places; and I will build it as in the days of old. Amos 9:11.
This refers to a Church where good is present. ‘The tent of David that is fallen down’ means the good of love and charity received from the Lord. For ‘a tent’ meaning that good, see 414, 1102, 2145, 2152, 3312, 4128, 4391, 4599, and ‘David’ the Lord, 1888. ‘Closing up the breeches’ stands for correcting falsities which have entered in through the separation of truth from good. ‘Building it as in the days of old’ stands for as the state of the Church was in ancient times. In the Word that state at that time is called ‘the days of eternity’, ‘the days of old’, and also ‘of generation upon generation’.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 6233
6233. ‘And I will give [this] land to [your] seed after you as an everlasting possession’ means the Lord’s kingdom belonging to those who have that goodness and truth within them. This is clear from the meaning of ‘land’, in this case the land of Canaan, as the Lord’s kingdom, dealt with in 1607, 3078, 3481, 3705, 4240, 4447; from the meaning of ‘seed’ as the truth of faith and the good of charity, dealt with in 1025, 1447, 1610, 1940, 2848, 3038, 3310 – ‘the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob’ being those who have forms of good and truths in themselves and are called ‘the sons of the kingdom’, 3373; and from the meaning of ‘an everlastingpossession’ as having life that is the Lord’s, since those who have that life are ‘the sons of the kingdom’.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 6239
[3] In Isaiah,
Awake as in the days of eternity, in the generations of eternity.*** Isa. 51:9.
‘The days of eternity’ stands for the state and time of the Most Ancient Church. The expression ‘eternity’ is used in reference to that Church because the good of love to the Lord reigned in it, and that good, since it flows directly from the Lord, is called eternal. ‘The generations of eternity’ stands for the forms of good that spring from that good.
[4] Something similar to this appears in Moses,
Remember the days of eternity, understand the years of generation after generation. Deut. 32:7.
‘The days of eternity’ stands for the state and time of the Most Ancient Church which existed before the Flood and was a celestial Church. ‘The years of generation after generation’ stands for the state and time of the Ancient Church which existed after the Flood and was a spiritual Church. Those Churches are the subject at that point in Moses.
[5] In Joel,
Judah will abide into eternity, and Jerusalem into generation after generation. Joel 3:20.
‘Eternity’ is used in reference to Judah because ‘Judah’ represents the celestial Church, 3881, and ‘generation after generation’ is used in reference to Jerusalem because by ‘Jerusalem’ is meant the spiritual Church, 402.
[6] In Isaiah,
My righteousness will exist into eternity, and My salvation into each generation.**** Isa. 51:8.
Here ‘eternity’ has reference to the good of love, for the word ‘righteousness’ is used in connection with that good, 612, 2235, and ‘generation’ has reference to the good of faith.
[7] In David,
Your kingdom is a kingdom to all eternity,***** and Your dominion to every generation after generation. Ps. 145:13.
Here the meaning is similar, for unless ‘eternity’ had had reference to what was celestial, and ‘generation’ to what was spiritual, one expression alone would have been used. The use of two would be pointless repetition.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 6435
6435. ‘Even as far as the desire of the everlasting hills’ means as far as celestial mutual love. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the everlasting hills’ as aspects of mutual love, dealt with below; for the vision that the spiritual Church may arrive at that love is meant by ‘even as far as the desire of the everlasting hills’. Before other places in the Word are introduced to show that mutual love is meant by ‘theeverlasting hills’ something must be said first about what one means by mutual love, a goal which the member of the spiritual Church represented by ‘Joseph’ has more than enough to do to reach. What has often been stated and shown already shows that there are two kingdoms constituting heaven – the celestial kingdom and the spiritual kingdom. The difference between those two kingdoms is that the internal good of the celestial kingdom is the good of love to the Lord, while its external good is the good of mutual love. Members of that kingdom are governed by the good of love, not by truth that is called the truth of faith; for such truth is so integrated into the good of that kingdom that it cannot be seen in isolation from good. This being so, members of that kingdom cannot even utter the word faith, 202, 103, 4448; for with them the good of mutual love stands in place of the truth of faith. But in the spiritual kingdom the good of charity towards the neighbour constitutes the internal aspect of it and the truth of faith the external aspect.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 6888
6888. ‘And this is My memorial from one generation to another means that It is to be worshipped perpetually. This is clear from the meaning of ‘memorial’ as that which should be called to mind, and – when used in connection with the Divine – as His essential nature called to mind in worship; and from the meaning of ‘one generation to another as perpetually. In the Word the expressions ‘forever’* and ‘to all generations’* are used, sometimes in the same verse. The reason for this is that ‘forever’ has reference to Divine Good, and ‘all generations’ to Divine Truth.