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Prayer & SpiritualityEssentials

Does "world without end" mean there will be no end of the world?

Prayer & Spirituality

The short answer

No. "World without end" is an idiom meaning "forever," not a literal statement. It renders the Latin saecula saeculorum, "ages of ages."

An idiom

"World without end" means "forever" and isn't meant literally.

The Latin

The Latin saecula saeculorum means "ages of ages" — forever. The current Liturgy of the Hours translates it "and will be for ages unending."