10. The "fulness of time" also signifies consummation and desolation: the reason is that "time" signifies the state of the Church (see Revelation 10:6; and in Ezekiel). The same also is signified by "a time, times, and half a time" [see Revelation 12:14; Daniel 7:25; 12:7]. Times in the world are spring, summer, autumn; and the fulness of them is winter. Times as to light are morning, noon, evening; and the fulness of these is night, etc. , etc. This is meant by the Lord's coming being in "the fulness of time" or of "times;" that is, when there is no longer any truth of faith and good of charity remaining. (Concerning "the fulness of time," see Romans 11:12, 25; Galatians 4:4, and, especially, Ephesians 1:9, 10; Genesis 15:16).

Generally speaking, people who are at lower levels of an organization serve those at higher levels. Bosses boss and their employees serve; coaches devise strategy and players do what the coach tells them to do; engineers design car parts and workers assemble them according to the engineers' instructions. Ideally, of course, it's a two-way street: A good boss knows he is really there to help his employees succeed; a good coach creates strategies based on his players' strengths. Even there, though, the boss and coach are really working in service of a higher goal, seeking organizational success. The same is true in the spiritual sense of the Bible. When someone serves another, they are in a lower state, serving a higher state (or a deeper evil, if they are being enslaved by people who represent evil). This can take many different forms, depending on the circumstances. In many cases, this creates a connection between "service" and intellectual things. This is because who we are is determined by what we love; our loves are the deepest part of us. What we think, our reasoning and intellect and the things we learn about, come from those loves and serve those loves.