10497. And it came to pass on the day after. That this signifies the duration of such worship even to the end of the church, is evident from the signification of “on the day after,” as being what is perpetual and eternal, but when said concerning the Jewish nation as being even to the end of the church. The reason why “the day after” denotes what is perpetual and eternal, is that by “the morrow,” when said of such things as signify Divine, celestial, and spiritual things, is signified what is perpetual and eternal (n. 3998, 9939); but the reason why it denotes duration even to the end of the church, is that it is said of the Jewish nation and its worship, which worship came to an end when the Lord came into the world, according to the prediction in Daniel:

Seventy weeks have been decreed upon thy people and upon thy city of holiness, to consummate the transgression, and to seal up sins, and to expiate iniquity, and to bring in the righteousness of the ages, and to seal up vision and prophet, and to anoint the holy of holies. In the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease; finally upon the bird of abominations shall be desolation; and even with the consummation and the decree, it shall drop upon the devastation (Daniel 9:24, 27).

And that the residue of the worship of that nation will come to an end together with the end of the present church in Europe, is foretold by the Lord in Matthew:

Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass away until all these things come to pass (Matthew 24:34).

The subject treated of in this chapter is the consummation of the age, which is the end of this church, as can be seen shown in the introductions to Genesis, chapters 26 to 40.