Forever and Ever

How does Forever and Ever relate to God's judgment on the Church? Let's examine.

FOREVER: COMPLETENESS OF TIME?

Ge 13:15 For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.

Ex 12:17 And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever.

Ex 19:9 And the LORD said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the LORD.

Ex 27:21 In the tabernacle of the congregation without the vail, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the LORD: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.

Ex 28:43 And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they come in unto the tabernacle of the congregation, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place; that they bear not iniquity, and die: it shall be a statute for ever unto him and his seed after him.

Ex 32:13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.

Nu 10:8 And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow with the trumpets; and they shall be to you for an ordinance for ever throughout your generations.

De 23:3 An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the LORD for ever:

Jer 31:36 If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever.

Mt 21:19 And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for^1519 ever^165. And presently the fig tree withered away.

FOREVER: UNTO ETERNITY?

Ge 3:22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:

Ex 15:18 The LORD shall reign for ever and ever.

Re 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

Heb 7:3 (Melchisedek – King of righteousness) …Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.

Ps 45:6 Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.

Nu 24:24 And ships shall come from the coast of Chittim, and shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber, and he also shall perish for ever.

Ps 9:5 Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name for ever and ever.

Isa 51:8 For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation from generation to generation.

Mr 3:29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never^1519^165 forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation^2920:

Jude 1:9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation^2920, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.

Re 18:10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one HOUR is thy judgment^2920 come.

1Jo 4:17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the DAY of judgment <2920>: because as he is, so are we in this world.

Re 19:2 For true and righteous are his judgments^2920: for he hath judged^2919 the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.

Lu 1:33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for^1519 ever^165; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

Joh 4:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never^1519^165 thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

Joh 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for^1519 ever^165;

Heb 6:20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for^1519 ever^165 after the order of Melchisedec.

Heb 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for^1519 ever^165.

2Pe 2:17 These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for^1519 ever^165.

1Jo 2:17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for^1519 ever^165.

Re 1:18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for^1519 evermore^165, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

Re 14:11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for^1519 ever^165 and ever^165: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

Jude 1:7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

Re 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

Re 19:3 And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for^1519 ever^165 and ever^165.

Re 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented DAY and NIGHT for^1519 ever^165 and ever^165.

Re 22:5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for^1519 ever^165 and ever^165.

A THOUSAND YEARS AND FOREVER: JUDGMENT ON THE DAY OF THE LORD?

2Pe 3:8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

Isa 65:20 There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.

Re 20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, (Judgment)

Re 20:3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

Re 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (Salvation)

Re 20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

Re 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

Re 20:7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,

SUMMARY CONCLUSION

The Bible appears to be equating for ever and ever to completeness of time. Something is forever according to God’s appointed time for it. Because God is from everlasing, forever would transition into eternal life for the elect with God. On the judgment side however, forever appears to relate to the eternal separation of the unsaved from God. There seems to be no implication of a literal, eternal punishment since judgment is confined to the death of the church.