468. Be unto our God unto the ages of ages, signifies unto the Lord to eternity; for "our God" means "He who sitteth upon the throne, and the Lamb," and these two mean the Lord alone; "who sitteth upon the throne" meaning the Lord in relation to Divine good, and "the Lamb," the Lord in relation to Divine truth (as was said and shown above, n. 460); and "unto the ages of ages" in reference to the Lord signifies eternity. The expression "unto the ages of ages" is used, and not "to eternity," because "ages of ages" is a natural expression, but "to eternity" a spiritual expression, and the sense of the letter of the Word is natural, while the internal sense is spiritual, and the latter is contained within the former. It is the same elsewhere in the Word. Thus in Daniel:
To the Son of man there was given dominion, and glory, and a Kingdom; His dominion is a dominion of an age, which shall not pass away (7:14). In Isaiah:
Trust ye in Jehovah, for in Jah Jehovah is the rock of ages (26:4). In the same:
Israel hath been saved by Jehovah with a salvation of ages; ye shall not be ashamed to the everlasting ages (45:17). My salvation shall be for an age, and My righteousness shall not be broken. My righteousness shall be for an age, and My salvation for generation and generations (51:6, 8). In David:
Before the mountains were brought forth, and before the earth and the world were formed, even from age to age, thou art God (Ps. 90:2). The mercy of Jehovah is from age to age upon them that fear Him (Ps. 103:17). In Revelation:
To Him be the might unto the ages of the ages. Behold I am alive unto the ages of the ages (1:6, 18). Again:
Unto Him that sitteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb be the blessing, and the honor, and the glory, and the strength, unto the ages of the ages; and they worshiped Him that liveth unto the ages of the ages (5:13, 14). Again:
And sware by Him that liveth unto the ages of the ages, who created heaven (10:6). And again:
The kingdoms of the world are become our Lord's and His Christ's; and He shall reign unto the ages of the ages (11:15). And many other passages. Moreover, "age" in the Word signifies the time from antiquity, as well as time even to the end; it also has a similar signification as world; but these significations of "age" will be treated of elsewhere.
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