2906. The years of the lives of Sarah. That this signifies while any truth Divine remained, is evident from the signification of a “year,” as being an entire period of the church from beginning to end; thus from the signification of the “years,” as being periods (see above, n. 2905); and from the signification of the “lives of Sarah,” as being states as to truth Divine (of which also just above, n. 2904); thus denoting here the limit when there was no longer any truth Divine remaining; which also follows from what immediately precedes.

[2] That a “year” signifies the entire time of a state of the church from beginning to end, or what is the same, an entire period; and consequently that “years” signify times or periods within the general period, may be seen from the following passages in the Word.

In Isaiah:

Jehovah hath anointed Me to preach good tidings unto the afflicted; He hath sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and an opening of every kind to the bound, to proclaim the year of Jehovah’s good pleasure, and the day of vengeance to our God (Isaiah 61:1-2);

said of the Lord’s advent; the “year of Jehovah’s good pleasure” denotes the time of a new church. In the same:

The day of vengeance is in My heart, and the year of My redeemed is come (Isaiah 63:4);

this too is said of the Lord’s advent; the “year of the redeemed” denotes the time of a new church. In the same:

It is the day of vengeance to Jehovah; the year of retributions for the controversy of Zion (Isaiah 34:8); where the signification is similar.

[3] The same time is also called the “year of visitation” in Jeremiah:

I will bring evil upon the men of Anathoth, in the year of their visitation (Jeremiah 11:23).

In the same:

I will bring upon Moab the year of their visitation (Jeremiah 48:44).

Still more plainly in Ezekiel:

After many days thou shalt be visited; in the futurity of years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, that is gathered out of many peoples, upon the mountains of Israel, which shall be for a waste continually (Ezekiel 38:8);

“the futurity of years” denotes the last time of the church, which then becomes no church, those being rejected who before were of the church, and others received from elsewhere.

In Isaiah:

Thus hath the Lord said unto me, Yet within a year, according to the years of a hireling, and all the glory of Kedar shall be consumed (Isaiah 21:16);

here also is meant the last time.

[4] In Ezekiel:

Thou art become guilty in thy blood that thou hast shed, and art defiled in thine idols which thou hast made; and thou hast caused thy days to draw near, and art come even unto thy years; therefore have I made thee a reproach unto the nations, and a mocking to all the lands (Ezekiel 22:4);

“to come even unto the years” denotes to the end, when the Lord withdraws from the church.

In Isaiah:

Now hath Jehovah spoken, saying, “Within three years, as the years of a hireling, and the glory of Moab shall be brought into contempt, with all his great multitude, and the remnant shall be very small (Isaiah 16:14);

“within three years” also denotes the end of the former church. That “three” denotes what is complete, and a beginning, may be seen above (n. 1825, 2788).

[5] Similar is the signification of “seven,” and also of “seventy” (n. 720, 728, 901); and therefore it is said in Isaiah:

And it shall come to pass in that day that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king; after the end of seventy years it shall be to Tyre as in the song of a harlot. And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years that Jehovah will visit Tyre, and she shall return to her harlot hire (Isaiah 23:15-17);

“seventy years” denotes the entire period, from the time at which the church began even till it expires; which is also meant by “the days of one king,” for a “king” signifies the truth of the church (see n. 1672, 1728, 2015, 2069). The “seventy years” of captivity in which the Jews were, also involve something similar, of which likewise it is said in Jeremiah:

These nations shall serve the king of Babel seventy years; and it shall come to pass when seventy years are fulfilled, I will visit their iniquity upon the king of Babel, and upon this nation, saith Jehovah (Jeremiah 25:11-12; 29:10).

[6] That a “year,” and also “years,” denote the entire period of a church, or the time of its duration, may be seen still further in Malachi:

Behold I send Mine angel, and he shall prepare the way before Me; and the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to His temple, even the angel of the covenant whom ye desire; behold He cometh, said Jehovah Zebaoth; and who may endure the day of His coming? Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto Jehovah, according to the days of an age, and according to the ancient years (Malachi 3:1-2, 4); where the advent of the Lord is treated of; the “days of an age” denote the Most Ancient Church; “ancient years,” the Ancient Church; the “offering of Judah,” worship from celestial love; and the “offering of Jerusalem,” worship from spiritual love; that Judah is not meant here, nor Jerusalem, is plain.

In David:

I have considered the days of old, and the years of the ages (Psalms 77:5); where the “days of old” and the “years of the ages” denote the same churches. This is still more plain in Moses:

Remember the days of an age, understand the years of generation and generation; ask thy father, and he will show thee; thine elders, and they will tell thee. When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when He separated the sons of man (Deuteronomy 32:7-8).

[7] That a “year” and “years” denote the full time of a church, is also plain in Habakkuk:

O Jehovah, I have heard Thy fame, I was afraid; O Jehovah, revive Thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in anger remember mercy. God will come from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran (Hab. 3:2-3);

This is said of the Lord’s advent; “in the midst of the years” denotes in the fullness of times; and what is meant by the fullness of times” may be seen just above (n. 2905).

[8] As a “year” and “years” signify the full time between its two limits, which are the beginning and the end when predicated of the Lord’s kingdom on earth (that is, the church) so they signify what is eternal when predicated of the Lord’s kingdom in heaven. As in David:

O God, Thy years are to generation and generation; and Thou art He, and Thy years shall not be brought to an end. The sons of Thy servants shall continue, and their seed shall be established before Thee (Psalms 102:24, 27-28).

In the same:

Thou wilt add days to the days of the king, his years shall be as generation and generation; he shall dwell before God forever (Psalms 61:6-7); where “years” denote what is eternal, for this treats of the Lord and His kingdom.

[9] The lambs which were offered for burnt-offering and sacrifice being “sons of their year” (see Leviticus 12:6; 14:10; Numbers 6:12; 7:15, 21, 27, 33, 39, 45, 51, 57, 63, 69, 75, 81, and other places), signified the celestial things of innocence in the Lord’s kingdom, which are eternal. And for this reason also the burnt-offering of calves that were “sons of a year” is mentioned as being most grateful (Micah 6:6).

[10] That in the internal sense a “year” does not signify a year, is also evident from the fact that the angels, who are in the internal sense of the Word, cannot have an idea of any year; but because a year is a full period of time in nature, which belongs to the world, therefore instead of a year they have an idea of what is full in respect to states of the church, and of what is eternal in respect to states of heaven; times with them are states (see n. 1274, 1382, 2625, 2788, 2837).

2838. As it is said to this day. That this signifies what is perpetual, is evident from the signification of “today” in the Word explained in what follows. We read in several places in the Word, “even to this day,” or “to today;” as in what goes before, “He is the father of Moab even unto this day; and the father of Ammon unto this day” (Genesis 19:37-38); and later in the same book, “The name of the city is Beersheba, even to this day” (Genesis 26:33). Also this, “The sons of Israel eat not the sinew of the part put out of place, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, even to this day” (Genesis 32:32). And also this, “This is the pillar of Rachel’s grave even unto this day” (Genesis 35:20). “Joseph made it a statute even to this day” (Genesis 47:26). In the historical sense these things regard the time when Moses lived; but in the internal sense by “this day” and by “today” there is signified perpetuity and eternity of state. That “day” is state may be seen above (n. 23, 487, 488, 493, 893); and thus “today” also, which is time present. That which is of time in the world, is eternal in heaven. That this might be signified, “today” is added, or “to this day,” although it appears to those who are in the historical sense as if it involved nothing further. The like is said elsewhere in the Word (as Josh. 4:9; 6:25; 7:26; Judges 1:21, 1:26; other places).

[2] That “today” signifies perpetuity and eternity may be seen in David:

I will tell of the decree: Jehovah hath said unto Me, Thou art My Son, this day have I begotten Thee (Psalms 2:7); where “this day” manifestly denotes what is eternal. In the same:

Forever O Jehovah Thy Word is settled in the heavens, Thy truth is unto generation and generation; Thou hast established the earth, and it abideth; they abide this day according to Thy judgments (Psalms 119:89-91); where also “this day” manifestly denotes what is eternal.

In Jeremiah:

Before I formed Thee in the belly, I knew Thee; and before Thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified Thee; I gave Thee for a prophet unto the nations; I have set Thee this day over the nations and over the kingdoms, and I have made Thee this day a defensed city, and an iron pillar, and walls of brass (Jeremiah 1:5, 10, 18);

here in the sense of the letter Jeremiah is treated of, but in the internal sense the Lord is meant; “I have set Thee this day, or today, over the nations and over the kingdoms, and I have made Thee this day a defensed city” means that it was from eternity. Of the Lord nothing else than what is eternal can be predicated.

[3] In Moses:

Ye are standing this day all of you before Jehovah your God, to enter into the covenant of Jehovah thy God, and into His oath, which Jehovah thy God maketh with thee this day, that He may establish thee this day unto Himself for a people; and He will be a God unto thee; and not with you only, but with them who stand here with us this day before Jehovah our God, and with them who are not with us this day (Deuteronomy 29:10, 12-14).

In the sense of the letter here “this day” is the time present when Moses spoke to the people; but that it nevertheless involves the time to come and what is perpetual, is evident; for to make a covenant with anyone, and with those who were there, and not there, involves perpetuity, and the perpetuity itself is what is meant in the internal sense.

[4] That “daily” and “this day” signify what is perpetual, is also evident from the sacrifice which was made every day. This, on account of the signification of “day,” “daily,” and “this day,” was called the continual or perpetual sacrifice (Numbers 28:3, 23; Deuteronomy 8:13; 11:31; 12:11). This is still more plainly evident from the manna which rained from heaven, of which it is thus said in Moses:

Behold I will rain bread from heaven; and the people shall go out and gather a portion day by day; and let no man leave of it till the morning. What they left till the morning bred worms, and putrefied, except what was kept the day before the Sabbath (Exodus 16:4, 19-20, 23).

This was because the manna signified the Lord’s Divine Human (John 6:31-32, 49-50, 58). And because it signified the Lord’s Divine Human, it signified heavenly food, which is nothing else than love and charity together with the goods and truths of faith. This food is given by the Lord in the heavens to the angels every moment, and thus perpetually and to eternity (see n. 2493). This also is what is meant in the Lord’s Prayer by “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11; Luke 11:3); that is, every instant to eternity.