341. Verse 13. And every created thing which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, unto ages of ages.

"And every created thing which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying," signifies the acknowledgment and thence the glorification of the Lord by the angels who are in the lowest parts of heaven; "be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb," signifies the Lord as to Divine good and Divine truth; "blessing," signifies acknowledgment, glorification, and thanksgiving, that all good and truth, and thence heaven and eternal happiness, are given to those who receive them; "and honour, and glory," signify that to Him alone belong all Divine good and Divine truth, and hence all the good of love, and the truth of faith, from which are all the wisdom and intelligence which angels and men possess; "and power [for ever and ever]," signifies that to Him alone belongs Omnipotence to eternity.

269. People who think about divine providence in worldly terms come to the conclusion that it applies only on the largest scale, but that the details are left to us. But people who think this way do not know the mysteries of heaven. They draw their conclusions solely on the basis of self-love, love for the world, and the things that give pleasure to these loves. So when they see evil people raised to high rank, making more money than good people, and skillfully and successfully accomplishing evil things, they say in their hearts that none of this would be happening if divine providence were operative in all the details. They fail to take into account, though, that the goal of divine providence does not concern what is momentary and transient, what comes to an end when our lives in this world cease. Rather, its goal concerns what lasts to eternity, what therefore does not have an end. Whatever has no end is real, while what comes to an end is relatively unreal. Consider, if you will, whether a hundred thousand years are anything next to eternity, and you will see that they are not. What then are the few years of our lives in this world?