{"id":11704,"date":"2016-04-29T15:11:30","date_gmt":"2016-04-29T19:11:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordstudy.newchurch.org\/?page_id=11704"},"modified":"2016-04-29T15:11:30","modified_gmt":"2016-04-29T19:11:30","slug":"forever","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/societies.newchurch.org\/wordstudy\/bible-keywords\/forever\/","title":{"rendered":"Forever"},"content":{"rendered":"

It is hard for us to conceive this, but according to Swedenborg<\/a>, time does not exist in spiritual<\/a> reality. Time is an aspect of physical<\/a> reality that no longer constrains us when we are in a fully spiritual life<\/a> in heaven<\/a>, just as we are no longer constrained by our physical bodies. Swedenborg says we experience something akin to time, but it is created by our changing spiritual states<\/a>, the patterns and flow of our loves<\/a> and the thoughts<\/a> that come from our loves.<\/span><\/p>\n

So when the word \u201cforever\u201d is used in the Bible<\/a>, it\u00a0doesn\u2019t just mean \u201cfor a long time,\u201d \u201cfor the rest of your life\u201d or even \u201cuntil the sun expands and destroys the earth and all life here.\u201d Swedenborg uses the phrase “to eternity,”\u00a0a constant state without end.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Passages from Swedenborg<\/strong><\/p>\n

Apocalypse Revealed (Rogers) n. 374<\/b><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. “Be to our God\u00a0forever\u00a0and ever.” That this symbolically means, these being in the Lord and emanating from the Lord to eternity, is apparent from what we have already said above. Also that\u00a0forever\u00a0and ever means to eternity.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Apocalypse Revealed (Rogers) n. 22<\/b><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. To Him be glory and might\u00a0forever\u00a0and ever. This symbolically means, to whom alone belong Divine majesty and Divine omnipotence to eternity.<\/span>
      \n<\/span>When glory is mentioned in the Word in relation to the Lord, it means His Divine majesty and is predicated of His Divine wisdom, and might means His Divine omnipotence and is predicated of His Divine love. “Forever\u00a0and ever” means to eternity.<\/span>
      \n<\/span>That these are the meanings of glory, might and\u00a0forever\u00a0when said of Jehovah or the Lord can be confirmed by many passages in the Word.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 8991<\/b><\/p>\n

        \n
      1. ‘And he shall serve him\u00a0forever’ means into eternity. This is clear from the meaning of ‘serving’ as obeying, for slaves are those who obey and masters those who give orders (the fact that those represented by ‘slaves’ are those who did what was good from obedience, not from charitable affection, is clear from things stated previously); and from the meaning of ‘forever’ as into eternity. In the sense of the letter ‘forever’ here means servitude with his master to the end of his life; but in the internal or spiritual sense it means into eternity, because it refers to the state after death.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

         <\/p>\n

        Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 8783<\/b><\/p>\n

          \n
        1. ‘And also will believe in you\u00a0forever’ means in order that a faith composed of truth may exist, a faith that is going to be permanent. This is clear from the representation of ‘Moses’ as the truth from God, dealt with in 6771, 6827, 7014; from the meaning of ‘believing’ as faith; and from the meaning of ‘forever’ as that which is going to be permanent.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

           <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          It is hard for us to conceive this, but according to Swedenborg, time does not exist in spiritual reality. Time is an aspect of physical reality that no longer constrains us when we are in a fully spiritual life in heaven, just as we are no longer constrained by our physical bodies. Swedenborg says we […]<\/p>\n

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