Dictionary of Theological Terms

8. Eternal, eternality

Eternal means lasting forever, never coming to an end. God is eternal in both the past and the future, having no beginning or no end. The New Testament phrase "eternal life" uses the Greek word for "age," and can be translated as "age life," or "life appropriate to the age [to come]." But since the age to come (the age brought about by the return of Christ) will never end, that life will never end, either. The emphasis is more on the quality of the life, but length is also included.