870. Having an eternal gospel. That this signifies concerning His Advent, and concerning the salvation of those who believe in Him, is evident from the signification of gospel, as denoting the Advent of the Lord, and, in such case, the salvation of those who then believe in Him. That the Advent of the Lord has taken place, and also is about to take place, at the Consummation of the Age, that is, at the end of the old church and the beginning of the new; and that at the same time, also, the Last Judgment, may be seen above (n. 612); and from the signification of eternal, as denoting the Divine as to Manifestation (existere). There are two universals by which the Divine is expressed - "Infinite" and "Eternal." Infinite is the Divine as to its Being (esse); and eternal is the Divine as to its Manifestation (existere); and each is to be understood apart from space and time. He who thinks from space and time of the infinite and eternal falls into errors; for space and time are proper to nature, in which man's ideas are, while he lives in the natural world. But this is not the case when he leaves this world and comes into heaven. Spaces and times appear, indeed, in heaven, in a way quite similar to their appearance in the world; but they are only appearances of the states of the angels; for the states of their affection and thought therefrom takes on the appearances before their external senses of spaces and as times; yet they are not spaces and times such as pertain to the natural world. The nature of spaces and times in heaven will be evident from two articles in the work concerning Heaven and Hell, where this subject is treated of.

Because the Divine is infinite and eternal, therefore in all things in general and particular which come from the Divine, there is the Infinite and Eternal. This is why the gospel, by which is signified the Advent of the Lord and the salvation of the faithful, is called eternal. That "infinite and eternal" are said of the Lord alone may be seen above (n. 23, 286).

That the gospel signifies the Advent of the Lord, and the salvation of the faithful which then takes place, is clear from the passages in both Testaments where it is mentioned; these have been adduced above (n. 612). But as to the Advent of the Lord, it is believed by some that the Lord will come again in person, and, indeed, to carry out the Last Judgment, because it is said in Matthew:

The disciples drew near, saying unto Jesus, "Tell us what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the consummation of the age" (24:3).

And after the Lord had foretold to them the states of the church, successively decreasing even to its devastation and consummation, He said,

"Then shall appear the sign of the Son of man; and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. Watch therefore, because ye know not the hour in which your Lord will come" (Matthew 24:30, 39, 42). Also in John (21:22).

His Advent does not there mean His Advent in person; but that He will then reveal Himself in the Word, that He is Jehovah, the Lord of heaven and earth; and that He alone is to be worshipped by all who shall belong to His New Church, which is meant by the New Jerusalem. To this end also He has now opened the internal or spiritual sense of the Word, in which sense the Lord is everywhere treated of. This is also what is meant by His coming in the clouds of heaven with glory;

See Matthew 24:30; 26:64; Mark 13:26; 14:62; Luke 21:27.

That the clouds of heaven signify the Word in the letter, and the glory its spiritual sense, may be seen above (n. 36, 594). Because He Himself is the Word, as He is called in John (1:1, 2, 14); therefore the revelation of Himself in the Word is His Advent.

23. From him who is, and who was, and who is to come. That this signifies, from Him who is the All in all of heaven and of the church from eternity to eternity, is evident from the signification of who is, and who was, and who is to come, as being from eternity to eternity; and also, that He is the All in all of heaven, and of the church. The reason why from eternity to eternity is signified by these words is, because all times, in the Word, signify not times, but states of life (as may be evident from what is said and shown concerning time in heaven, in the work, Heaven and Hell 162-169); and because all times signify states of life, therefore, when the Lord is treated of, they signify infinite state, and infinite state, in reference to time, is eternity. That all times are embraced in the expressions, "who is, and who was, and who is to come," is manifest. Much might be said about eternity, as a term applicable to the Lord alone; but it would not be understood by the natural man, whose thoughts are chiefly based on time, space and matter, although eternity does not involve such things. If a man could think of eternity as the angels of heaven think, he might possibly have some idea of it, and be able to comprehend what "from eternity" means, which is signified by the expression "who was"; also what the Divine foresight is, that it embraces the most particular things from eternity; and what the Divine providence is, that it extends to the most particular things, to eternity; consequently, that whatever proceeds from the Lord is from eternity to eternity, and that unless such were the case, heaven and the universe could not subsist.

But at present we cannot enter further into this arcanum. (Something may be seen respecting it in the work,Heaven and Hell 167.) Here let it be observed only that the same is understood by "Jehovah" as by, "who is, who was, and who is to come," because the word Is, which is JEHOVAH, involves the past, which is meant by "who was," and the future, which is meant by "who is to come," and thus signifies from eternity to eternity.

[2] That Is signifies from eternity is also known in the Christian world from that Psalm of David, where it is said,

"I will declare concerning the decree; Jehovah hath said unto me. Thou art my son; this day have I begotten thee" (2:7).

It is known that these things are said of the Lord, and that by to-day is meant from eternity. (That to-morrow, in the Word, where the Lord is treated of, also signifies to eternity, may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 3998.) The reason why who is, who was, and who is to come signifies also the All in all of heaven and the church is, because it signifies eternal, and eternal cannot be expressed by any other word in heaven than by Divine. The reason of this is that Infinite cannot fall into an angelic idea, still less into a human idea; and by eternal is meant the infinite Manifestation (Existere) from the infinite as Being (Esse); but the only idea that can be formed of this is, that, the Eternal, which is the Divine as to Manifestation, is the All in all of heaven and the church. For the whole heaven is not heaven from the proprium of the angels, but from the Divine of the Lord; nor is the church the church from the proprium of men, but from the Divine of the Lord; for all the good of love and the truth of faith are from the Lord; and the good of love and the truth of faith constitute heaven and the church; angels and men are only recipients, and in proportion to their reception, heaven and the church dwell in them. (These things may be seen fully illustrated In the work. Heaven and Hell 7-12, where it is shown that the Divine of the Lord constitutes heaven, and that the Divine which constitutes heaven is the Divine Human, which is the Divine Manifestation (Existere) from the Divine as Being (Esse), n. 78-86.)