1. The Revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave Him to show unto His servants the things which must quickly come to pass, and signified, sending by His angel, unto His servant John.
2. Who bare witness to the Word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, whatsoever things he saw.
3. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear, the words of the prophecy, and keep the things which are written therein; for the time is near.
4. John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you, and peace, from Him who is, and who was, and who is to come; and from the seven spirits which are in sight of His throne;
5. And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the Firstborn from the dead, and the Prince of the kings of the earth. Unto Him that loveth us, and washeth us from our sins in His blood;
6. And hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father: to Him be the glory and the might unto the ages of the ages. Amen.
7. Behold, He cometh with the clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth shall lament over Him. Even so; Amen.
8. I am the Alpha and the Omega, Beginning and End, saith the Lord, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.
9. I, John, who also am your brother and partaker in the affliction and in the kingdom and patient expectation of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos,* for the Word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
10. I was in the spirit on the Lord’s day; and I heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,
11. Saying, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last; and what thou seest write in a book, and send to the churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and Smyrna, and Pergamum, and Thyatira, and Sardis, and Philadelphia, and Laodicea.
12. And I turned to see the voice which spake with me. And having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands,
13. And in the midst of the seven lampstands one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about at the paps with a golden girdle.
14. And His head and hairs white as white wool, as snow: and His eyes as a flame of fire.
15. And His feet like unto burnished brass, as if glowing in a furnace; and His voice as the voice of many waters.
16. And having in His right hand seven stars; and out of His mouth a sharp two-edged sword going forth; and His face as the sun shineth in his power.
17. And when I saw Him I fell at His feet as dead. And He laid His right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the First and the Last;
18. And the Living One; and I became dead; and behold I am alive unto the ages of the ages, Amen: and I have the keys of hell and of death.
19. Write the things which thou sawest, and the things which are, and the things which are to be hereafter.
20. The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches; and the seven lampstands which thou sawest are the seven churches.
* The Photolithograph has in every case “Parmos” for “Patmos.”
1. Many have expounded this prophetical book called Revelation, but none of them understood the internal or spiritual sense of the Word. They have therefore applied the particular things in the book to the successive states of the church, which they have learned from histories; many things, moreover, they have applied to civil affairs. For this reason those expositions are for the most part conjectures, which can never appear in such light that they can be affirmed as truths. As soon, therefore, as they are read, they are put aside as speculations. The expositions of Revelation now extant are of this character, because, as has been said, their authors had no knowledge of the internal or spiritual sense of the Word. Yet, in fact, all things recorded in Revelation are written in a style similar to that of the Old Testament prophecies, and to the style, in general in which everything in the Word is written. The Word in the letter is natural, but in its bosom it is spiritual; and being such, it contains within it a sense that is not at all apparent in the letter. How the one sense differs from the other may be seen from what is said and shown in the small work on the White Horse and in the appendix there from the Arcana Coelestia.
Verses 1-3. The revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave Him to show unto His servants the things which must quickly come to pass, and signified, sending by His angel, unto His servant John, who bare witness to the Word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, whatsoever things he saw. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear, the words of the prophecy, and keep the things which are written therein; for the time is near. 1. “The revelation of Jesus Christ,” signifies predictions from the Lord respecting the last times of the church (n. 5); “which God gave Him to show unto His servants,” signifies for those who are in truths from good (n. 6); “the things which must quickly come to pass,” signifies which will certainly be (n. 7); “and signified, sending by His angel, unto His servant John,” signifies which are revealed out of heaven to those who are in the good of love (n. 8, 9); 2. “who bare witness to the Word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ,” signifies to those who in heart acknowledge Divine truth, and the Divine of the Lord in His Human (n. 10); “whatsoever things he saw,” signifies having their understanding enlightened (n. 11); 3. “Blessed,” signifies those in whom is heaven (n. 12); “is he that readeth” signifies that they have perception (n. 13); “and they that hear the words of the prophecy,” signifies that they live according to the doctrine of heaven (n. 14); “and keep the things which are written therein,” signifies from the delight of the love of truth (n. 15); “for the time is near,” signifies such an interior state (n. 16).
They see that “quickly” means certainly, because quickly involves time, and time is proper to nature; thus quickly is a natural, not a spiritual expression; and in the Word, all natural expressions signify the spiritual things that correspond to them; for the Word in its bosom is spiritual, while in the letter it is natural. Thence it is that “quickly” signifies what is certain. (That time is proper to nature, and, in the spiritual world, corresponds to state of life, may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, in the chapter on Time in Heaven, n. 162-169.)
[2] The things revealed out of heaven are said to be for those who are in the good of love, because it is said, “sending by His angel to His servant John,” and by “John” those who are in the good of love are represented and meant. For by the twelve apostles are represented and signified all in the church who are in truths from good; consequently, all truths from good, from which is the church; and by each of the apostles in particular something special; thus by “Peter” faith; by “James” charity; and by “John” the good of charity or the good of love. Because John represented this good, the revelation was made to him; for revelation out of heaven, such as this, can be made only to those who are in the good of charity or of love. Others, indeed, can hear the things that are from heaven, but they cannot perceive them. Only those who are in the good of love have spiritual perception. This is because they receive heavenly things not only with the hearing, but also with the love; and to receive with the love is to receive fully, since the things so received are loved; moreover, those who thus receive, see these things in their understanding, where the sensation of their internal sight is. That this is so has been proven to me by much experience. It might also be elucidated by much rational argument; but the subject cannot just now be amplified so far.
It is here only necessary to say, that all names mentioned in the Word signify not persons but things; that “John,” for instance, signifies such as are in the good of love, thus in the abstract the good of love itself. (That all names in the Word signify things may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia, n. 768, 1888, 4310, 4442, 10329. That the names of persons and places in the Word cannot enter heaven, but that they are changed into the things that they signify, n. 1876, 5225, 6516, 10216, 10282, 10432. How exquisite the internal sense of the Word is, even where mere names are mentioned, illustrated by examples, n. 1224, 1264, 1888. That the twelve disciples of the Lord represented, and thence signified, all things of faith and love in the complex, in like manner as the twelve tribes of Israel, n. 2129, 3354, 3488, 3858, 6397. That “Peter,” “James,” and “John” represented, and thence signified, faith, charity, and the good of charity, in their order, see preface to Genesis 18, and 22, and n. 3934, 8581, 10087.)
The Lord gave the name Peter to Simon, and to James and John the name Boanerges, which means sons of thunder (Mark 3:16-17).
For “Peter,” like petra [rock], signifies the Lord as to truth from good, or faith from charity; and “sons of thunder” signify those who from affection, which is of love, receive the truths of heaven. (That “rock” signifies the Lord in respect to truth from good, or faith from charity, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 8581, 10580; in like manner the “stone of Israel,” n. 6426; and that “thunders” signify Divine truths from heaven, n. 7573, 8914; and “lightning” the splendors thereof, n. 8813; whence thunders were also called “voices,” n. 7573, 8914.)
[2] I will here mention some arcana that may be seen by those who are aware that “Peter” signifies faith, and “John” the good of charity. First, why the Lord said to Peter:
I also say unto thee, Thou art Peter, and upon this rock will I build My church; and I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of the heavens (Matt. 16:18-19).
It appears from the letter, as if that power was given to Peter, when in fact no power was given to Peter; but it was so said to him because “Peter” signified truth from good, which is from the Lord; and truth from good, which is from the Lord, has all power, thus the Lord has all power from good through truth. (That this is so may be seen illustrated in the small work on The Last Judgment, n. 57.) A second arcanum that may be seen, when it is known that “Peter” signifies faith, is, why the Lord said to him, that:
Before the cock crowed, he would deny Him thrice; which also came to pass (Matt. 26:34 seq.).
By these words is signified, that in the last time of the church there would be no faith in the Lord, because no charity; for “cock-crowing,” as well as “twilight,” signifies the last time of the church (n. 10134); and “three” or “thrice,” signifies what is complete to the end (n. 2788, 4495, 5159, 9198, 10127. That the end of the church is when there is no faith, because no charity, see in the small work on The Last Judgment n. 33-39, seq.).
[3] A third arcanum that may be seen is what is signified by the following words concerning Peter and John:
Jesus saith to Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me? He saith unto Him, Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love Thee. He saith unto him, Feed My lambs. He saith to him again a second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me? He saith unto Him, Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love Thee. He saith unto him, Tend My sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me? Peter was grieved because He said unto him the third time, Lovest thou Me? And he saith unto Him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love Thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed My sheep. Verily, verily, I say unto thee, when thou wast younger, thou girdest thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest; but when thou shall be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and bear thee whither thou wouldest not. And when He had thus spoken, He saith unto him, Follow Me. Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved, following, and he saith, Lord, What shall this one [do]? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou Me (John 21:15-22).
What these things signify no one can know unless he knows the internal sense, and knows that “Peter” signifies faith, and “John” the good of charity, thus that “Peter” signifies those in the church who are in faith, and “John” those who are in the good of charity. That Jesus said to Peter three times, “Lovest thou Me?” and that Peter said three times. “Thou knowest that I love Thee,” and that Jesus then said, “Feed My lambs,” and “Feed My sheep,” signifies that those who are in faith from love, ought to instruct those who are in the good of love to the Lord, and in the good of charity towards the neighbor; for those who are in faith from love are also in truths, and those who from this are in truths, instruct concerning good, and lead to good; for all spiritual good that a man has, is gained and implanted by truths. (That “lambs” signify those who are in the good of innocence and of love to the Lord, may be seen in Arcana Coelestia, n. 3994, 10132; that “sheep” signify those who are in the good of charity towards the neighbor, n. 4169, 4809; and that “to feed” is to instruct, n. 5201, 6078.)
[4] Faith, as it was to be in the first period of the church and as it was to be in the last, is then described by the Lord. The first period of the church is meant by “when thou wast younger,” and its last by “when thou shalt be old.” That when Peter “was younger he girded himself and walked whither he would,” signifies that in the first period of the church men would imbibe truths from the good of charity and would act from freedom; for to act from freedom is to act from the affection of truth from good. “When thou shalt be old thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee and lead thee whither thou wouldest not,” signifies that in the last period of the church they would no longer imbibe truths from the good of charity, thus would not know them in any other way than as declared by another; and thus would be in a servile state; for a servile state ensues when good does not lead. (That “garments” signify truths, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1073, 2576, 5319, 5954, 9212, 9216, 9952, 10536; and that therefore to “gird oneself” denotes to imbibe and perceive truths, n. 9952. That to “walk” is to act and live; to act from freedom is to act from love or affection, since what a man loves that he does freely, n. 2870, 3158, 8987, 8990, 9585, 9591. That every church begins from charity, but that in process of time it turns aside to faith, and at length to faith alone, n. 1834, 1835, 2231, 4683, 8094.)
[5] Since, in the last period of the church, faith becomes such that it rejects the good of charity, saying that faith alone constitutes the church and is saving, and not the good of life which is charity, Jesus said to Peter, by whom such faith is here meant, “Follow Me; and Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved, following; and he saith, Lord, what shall this one [do]?” By this is signified that faith, in the last period of the church, would turn itself away from the Lord; for it is said of Peter, by whom such faith is signified, that “turning about, he saw;” also that he said of the disciple whom Jesus loved, or of John, by whom is signified the good of charity, “what shall this one [do]?” that is, that he is not anything. But Jesus said to him, “If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou Me.” By this is signified that the good of charity will follow the Lord, and will acknowledge Him, even to the last period of the old church, and the first of the new. (That the last period of the old church is called “the consummation of the age,” and the beginning of the new church “the coming of the Lord,” see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4535, 10622.) A fourth arcanum that may be seen is, why the Lord loved John above the rest of the disciples, and consequently why John lay on the breast or in the bosom of the Lord (John 13:23; 21:20); namely, because the good of love was what the Lord saw when He beheld John, who represented and signified that good; since it is that good that constitutes heaven and the church (see the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 13-19). A fifth arcanum is manifest when it is known that John represented the good of love, namely, what is signified by the words of the Lord from the cross to the mother Mary and to John:
When Jesus therefore seeth His mother, and the disciple standing by whom He loved, He saith unto His mother, Woman, behold thy son. Then He saith to the disciple, Behold thy mother. And from that hour the disciple took her unto his own home (John 19:26, 27).
By “mother” and by “woman” is here meant the church, and by “John” the good of charity; and by the things here said, that the church will be where the good of charity is. (That by “woman,” in the Word, is meant the church, may be seen in Arcana Coelestia, n. 252-253, 749, 770, 3160, 6014, 7337, 8994; that the like is signified by “mother,” n. 289, 2691, 2717, 3703, 4257, 5581, 8897, 10490. That to “take her unto his own home” is that these should dwell together, is evident.) From this it can now be seen how great arcana lie concealed in the Word, which are laid open to those only who know its internal or spiritual sense. Apart from that sense it cannot be known, moreover, what is signified when it is said:
That the apostles shall sit upon twelve thrones, and shall judge the twelve tribes of Israel (Matt. 19:28; Luke 22:30).
By “apostles” here are meant not apostles, but all truths from good, which are from the Lord; thus by these words is signified that the Lord alone will judge all from truths that are from good, thus that everyone will be judged according to those truths.
[2] That the Lord’s Divine is in His Human, and that together they are one person, the doctrine received throughout the Christian world teaches; which teaching is as follows: “Although Christ is God and Man, yet they are not two, but one Christ; one, but not by a change of the Divine into the Human, but the Divine took the Human to Itself. Altogether one, not by confusion of the two natures, but by unity of person; for as soul and body make one man, so God and Man are one Christ” (Athanasian Creed). From this it is manifest, moreover, that those who separate the Divine into three persons, when they think of the Lord as a second person, ought to think of both together, the Human and the Divine; for it is said that they are a single person, and that they are one, as soul and body are. Therefore those that think otherwise do not think of the Lord; and those that do not think of the Lord in that way are unable to think of the Divine that is called the Father’s, for the Lord saith:
I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one cometh unto the Father but through Me (John 14:6).
Since this acknowledgment is signified by the “testimony of Jesus Christ,” it is said that:
The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy (Rev. 19:10).
“The spirit of prophecy” is the life and soul of doctrine (that “spirit” in the internal sense of the Word, signifies life or soul, may be seen Arcana Coelestia n. 5222, 9281, 9818; and that “prophecy” signifies doctrine, n. 2534, 7269); and the acknowledgment of the Lord is the very life or soul of all doctrine in the church. But of this more will be said in what follows.
[3] To “bear witness” is to acknowledge in heart, because spiritual things are treated of; and no one can bear witness respecting spiritual things except from the heart, because from no other source does he perceive that they are so. To bear witness of things that have existence in the world is to bear witness from knowledge, or from memory and thought, because the man has so seen or heard; but it is otherwise with things spiritual, for these fill the whole life and constitute it. The spirit of man, in which his life primarily resides, is nothing else than his will or his love, and his understanding and faith therefrom, and “heart” in the Word signifies the will and love, and understanding and faith therefrom. From this it is evident whence it is that by “bearing witness” in the spiritual sense, is meant to acknowledge in heart. Since by the “heart” is signified the good of love, and this alone is what acknowledges Divine truth, and the Divine of the Lord in His Human, and since that good is signified by “John,” it is also said by John that he “bears witness to the Word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ.” So also in another place:
And he that hath seen hath borne witness, and his witness is true; and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye may believe (John 19:35);
and in another place:
This is the disciple that beareth witness of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his witness is true (John 21:24).
There are two senses given to man which serve as means of receiving the things whereby the rational is formed, and also the things by which man is reformed; these are the sense of sight and the sense of hearing; the other senses are for other uses. The things that enter by the sense of sight enter into man’s understanding and enlighten it, for which reason by “sight” is signified the understanding enlightened, for the understanding corresponds to the sight of the eye, as the light of heaven corresponds to the light of the world. The things, however, that enter by the sense of hearing enter both into the understanding and into the will, and for this reason by “the hearing” is signified perception and obedience. Consequently, in human language, to “hear” anyone, and to “give ear to” anyone, also to “listen to,” and “hearken to,” are common expressions; and by “hearing anyone” is meant to perceive, and by “giving ear to,” as also by “listening to” is meant to obey; while “hearkening to” means either perceiving or obeying. These expressions flowed down into human language out of the spiritual world, where man’s spirit is. Their origin in the spiritual world shall also be explained.
[2] Those there who are in the province of the ear are obediences from perception. (That all who are in the spiritual world are in some province that is named from the members, organs, or viscera of man, because they correspond thereto, may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 87-102.) Moreover, the province of the ear is in the axis of heaven; into it, therefore, or into those who are there, the whole spiritual world flows in, with the perception that “thus must it be done;” for this is the reigning perception in heaven; from this it is that those who are in that province are obediences from perception. That the things that enter by hearing enter immediately through the understanding into the will, may be further illustrated by the way in which angels of the celestial kingdom, who are most wise, are instructed. These angels receive all their wisdom by hearing, and not by sight; for whatsoever they hear about Divine things, they receive in the will from veneration and love, and make it of their life; and because they receive these things not first in the memory, but immediately in the life, they do not speak about matters of faith, but when these are mentioned by others, they answer, “Yea, yea,” or “Nay, nay,” according to the Lord’s words in Matthew 5:37. From this it is evident that hearing is given to man chiefly for the reception of wisdom, and sight for the reception of intelligence. Wisdom is to perceive, to will, and to do; and intelligence is to know and to perceive. (That the celestial angels imbibe wisdom by hearing, not by sight, may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 270, 271; and more concerning those angels, n. 20-28.)
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you (Matt. 28:20);
in Luke:
Blessed are they that hear the Word of God and keep it (Luke 11:28);
in John:
Verily, verily, I say unto you, if anyone keep My word he shall never see death (John 8:51);
in the same:
If any one love Me he will keep My word: He that loveth Me not, keepeth not My words (John 14:15, 23-24);
and in the same:
If ye keep My commandments ye shall abide in My love. Ye are My friends if ye do the things which I command you (John 15:10, 14).
To do is to will, and to will is to do; because in deeds the will is everything.
Jesus said, He that loveth Me keepeth My word, and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him (John 14:23);
and in the same:
Ye know the Comforter, the Spirit of truth; for He abideth with you, and shall be in you (John 14:17);
“the Comforter, the Spirit of truth” is Divine truth going forth from the Lord; therefore it is said, “He shall be in you.”
4. “John,” signifies the Lord in respect to doctrine (n. 19); “to the seven churches,” signifies to all who are in truths from good, or in faith from charity (n. 20); “in Asia,” signifies those who are in the light of intelligence (n. 21); “Grace to you, and peace,” signifies the delight of truth and good (n. 22); “from Him who is, and who was, and who is to come,” signifies from Him who is the All in all things of heaven and of the church from eternity to eternity (n. 23); “and from the seven spirits,” signifies the Divine in heaven (n. 24); “which are in sight of His throne,” signifies presence and providence (n. 25). 5. “And from Jesus Christ,” signifies from the Lord in respect to the Divine Human (n. 26); “the faithful witness,” signifies from whom is all truth in heaven (n. 27); “the Firstborn from the dead,” signifies from whom is all good in heaven (n. 28); “and the Prince of the kings of the earth,” signifies from whom is all truth from good in the church (n. 29); “Unto Him that loveth us, and washeth us from our sins in His blood,” signifies His love, and regeneration from Him through truths that are from Him (n. 30). 6. “And hath made us kings and priests,” signifies that from Him we are in His spiritual and celestial kingdom (n. 31); “unto God and His Father,” signifies by Divine truth and Divine good (n. 32); “to Him be the glory and the might unto the ages of the ages,” signifies that these things are from Him alone to eternity (n. 33); “Amen,” signifies Divine confirmation (n. 34).
These are meant by “churches,” because such truths constitute the church with everyone; for those who are not in truths from good, though born within the church, yet are not of the church, because there is no church in them. From this it is that the Lord’s church consists of all those, wheresoever they are, who are a church, that is, who are in truths from good. (That the church, like heaven, is in man, and not outside of him, consequently that man who is in truths from good is a church, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3884; and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 53, 54, 57.) It is also said, who are in faith from charity, since this is similar; for truth is of faith, and good is of charity; for in fact, everything that man believes is called truth, and everything that man loves is called good. (That every truth is from good, and that everything of faith is from charity, see in The small work, The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 84-107, 108-122; and The Last Judgment n. 33-39; also Heaven and Hell, n. 364, 424, 482, 526.) He who knows nothing of the internal sense of the Word, when he reads these things believes no otherwise than that by “seven churches” are meant the seven churches afterwards named (verse 11); whereas churches are not meant, but all who are of the church; because this is the spiritual sense of the Word.
(That the Lord’s church exists also among the Gentiles, although specifically where the Lord is known and the Word is read, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 318-328; and on The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 244, 246.)
[2] This in particular is what is meant by “grace” in the Word; as in John:
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt in us, and we beheld His glory, a glory as of the only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth, of His fullness we all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1:14, 16-17).
It is said “grace and truth,” because grace is the affection and the delight of truth. And in Luke, after the Lord had explained in the synagogue the prophesy of Isaiah respecting Himself, that is, the Divine truth, it is said:
All wondered at the words of grace proceeding out of His mouth (Luke 4:22).
the Divine truths that the Lord spoke are called “words of grace proceeding out of His mouth,” because they are acceptable, grateful, and delightful. In general, Divine grace is all that is given from the Lord; and as all that is so given has relation to faith and love, and faith is the affection of truth from good, this is meant in particular by Divine grace: for to be gifted with faith and love, or with the affection of truth from good, is to be gifted with heaven, thus with eternal blessedness.
If, indeed, man could think of eternity as the angels of heaven do, he might arrive at some idea of it, and thus might comprehend what from eternity is, which is signified by “who was;” also what the Divine foresight is, that it is in the most particular things from eternity; and what Divine Providence is, that it is in the most particular things to eternity; consequently, that whatsoever proceeds from the Lord is from eternity to eternity; and unless it were so heaven and the universe would not subsist. But there is no time to go further into this arcanum as yet (something may be seen respecting it in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 167); only let it be known, that the like is meant by “Jehovah” as by “who is, who was, and who is to come,” since “Is,” which is the meaning of Jehovah, involves what precedes, that is, “who was,” and also what is future, that is, “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 the Psalm of David, where it is said:
I will declare of the decree; Jehovah said unto me; thou art My son; this day have I begotten thee (Ps. 2:7);
it is known that these things are said of the Lord, and that by “today” is meant from eternity. (That by “tomorrow,” also in the Word, where the Lord is treated of, is signified to eternity, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3998.) That the words “who is,” “who was,” and “who is to come,” signify also the All in all things of heaven and the church is because they signify eternity; and in heaven eternity can be expressed by no other word than Divine, for the reason that what is infinite cannot fall into the angelic idea, and still less into a human idea; and eternity is infinite Existere from infinite Esse; but only this enters the idea, that eternity, which is the Divine in respect to Existere, is the All in all things of heaven and of the church. For the whole heaven is heaven not from the angels’ proprium [selfhood, or what is their own], 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 it is the good of love and the truth of faith that make heaven and the church. Angels and men are only recipients, and so far as they receive, heaven and the church are in them. (These things may be seen illustrated by many things in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 7-12, where it is shown that the Divine of the Lord makes heaven, and that the Divine that makes heaven is the Divine Human, which is the Divine Existere from the Divine Esse, n. 78-86.)
Abide in Me, and I in you; he that abideth in Me and I in him, the same beareth much fruit (John 15:4-5).
In the same:
He that loveth Me keeps My word; and the Father and I will come unto him, and make Our abode with him (John 14:23).
In the same:
Jesus said to His disciples, Ye know the Paraclete, the Spirit of Truth; for He abideth with you, and shall be in you (John 14:17).
The “Paraclete, the Spirit of Truth,” is the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord; or what is the same, it is the Lord as to Divine truth; and “disciples” are all who are in goods and thence in truths; it is therefore said, “He shall be in you.” In the same:
The Word became flesh and dwelt in you* (John 1:14).
The Word, too, is Divine truth; and that the Word is the Lord is clear, since it is said that “the Word became flesh.” (That the “Word” signifies Divine truth, and signifies the Lord, see Arcana Coelestia n. 4692, 5075, 9987.) “Look” here also signifies providence, because all presence of the Lord is providence (as may appear from what is said and shown in the small work on The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 267-279; and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 9, 12, 143, 145).
* The Greek has “us,” as found also in Apocalypse Explained, n. 43.
[2] Because such a separate idea is in their thought, they pray to the Father to have compassion for the sake of the Son; when, nevertheless, the Lord Himself ought to be prayed to that He may have compassion, in whom, according to the universal doctrine of the church, the Divine is such as the Father has; for that doctrine teaches, that as the Father, so also the Son, is uncreate, infinite, eternal, almighty, God, and Lord; and neither is before or after the other, nor greater or less than the other (from the Athanasian Creed). This also is in accordance with the doctrine given by the Lord Himself, which is: That He and the Father are one; and that he who seeth Him seeth the Father, because He is in the Father and the Father in Him; that He is the way, the truth, and the life; and that no one cometh to the Father but by Him. From this it is clear how much they turn aside from the way and the truth who pass by the Lord and approach the Father. But as I have conversed much on this subject with angels, and also with spirits, who, when they lived as men in the world, were of the Reformed Church and of the Papal religion, I shall be pleased to relate these conversations in the following pages; from which it will appear in what light the church would be respecting the Divine, which is the first and primary principle of the church, if it would acknowledge and believe in the Divine Human of the Lord.
This testimony is universally in the Divine truth in heaven; as may be seen from this, that angels of the interior heaven can think of the Divine in no other way than under a human form, thus as the Divine Human, and for the reason that the Divine Human of the Lord fills the universal heaven and forms it, and the thoughts of angels proceed and flow according to the form of heaven (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 59-102, 200-212, 265-275). From this it is that “the testimony of Jesus Christ” (see n. 10) signifies the acknowledgment of the Divine of the Lord in His Human.
[2] From this can be seen what is meant in the spiritual sense by “bearing witness” and by “testimony” in the following passages:
John [that is, the Baptist] came for a witness, that he might bear witness of the Light, that all might believe through him. He was not the Light, but came that he might bear witness of the Light. It was the true Light, which lighteth every man. And I have seen and have borne witness (John 1:7-9, 34).
“Light” signifies Divine truth; therefore the Lord is here called “the true Light, which lighteth every man,” and to “bear witness of the light” signifies an acknowledgment of His Divine Human, from which Divine truth proceeds. (That “light” signifies Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, in the chapter on The Light of Heaven, n. 120-140.)
[3] In the same:
Ye sent unto John, and He bare witness unto the truth; but I receive not testimony from man (John 5:33-34).
In the same:
Jesus said, Verily I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and bear witness of what we have seen. He that cometh from heaven is above all. What He hath seen and heard, of that He beareth witness (John 3:11, 31-32).
In the same:
Jesus said, Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true; for I know whence I came and whither I go (John 8:14).
By this is signified that He bears witness concerning Himself from Himself, because He was Divine truth. In the same:
When the Comforter is come, the Spirit of Truth, He shall bear witness of Me (John 15:26).
“The Comforter, the Spirit of Truth,” is the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 9818, 9820, 10330; and above, n. 25).
[4] In the same:
Pilate said, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest it, because I am a king. For this have I been born, and for this am I come into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Everyone that is of the truth heareth My voice. Pilate said, What is truth? (John 18:37-38).
The Lord thus answered when He was asked whether He was a king, because the Lord, as king, is Divine truth, for this is the royalty of the Lord in heaven, while His Divine good is the priesthood there. This is why the Lord said that He was a king, that to this end He was born, and to this end He came into the world, that He should bear witness unto the truth; and that everyone that is in truth heareth His voice; and therefore Pilate asked him, “What is truth?” thus whether that was king. (That Divine truth is the royalty of the Lord in the heavens, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3009, 5068; and that “kings,” therefore, in the Word, signify those who are in Divine truths, or abstractly from persons, signify Divine truths, see n. 1672, 2015, 2069, 4575, 4581, 4966, 5044.) That “kings” signify those who are in Divine truths, will appear more clearly in the explanation of what follows in Revelation, where kings are mentioned; and just below, where it is said, “He hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father.” From this it can be seen that by the words, “from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness,” is signified the Lord as to the acknowledgment of His Divine Human, from which is all truth in heaven.
I will make Him the Firstborn, high above the kings of the earth (Ps. 89:27).
What is meant by His being “high above the kings of the earth” will be seen in a subsequent article. (That the Lord, when He departed from the world, made His Human Divine good, see Arcana Coelestia n. 3194, 3210, 6864, 7499, 8724, 9199, 10076; thus that He came forth from the Father and returned to the Father, n. 3194, 3210; and that after the union, the Divine truth, which is the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, proceeds from Him, n. 3704, 3712, 3969, 4577, 5704, 7499, 8127, 8241, 9199, 9398, 9407. But this arcanum may be seen more fully explained in the small work on The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 293-295; and in the passages there cited from the Arcana Coelestia, n. 303-305.) As the Lord in respect to the Divine Human is called “the Firstborn,” for the reason that all good proceeds from Him, so all the firstborn in the Israelitish church were holy to Jehovah; so also the Levites were received in place of all the firstborn in Israel; for by the sons of Levi were represented those of the church who are in the good of charity: therefore also a double portion of inheritance was allotted to the firstborn; all this for the reason that the firstborn signified the good that is from the Lord, and in the highest sense, the Lord Himself in respect to the Divine Human from which is all good. For all things that were commanded in the Israelitish church were representative of Divine things, spiritual and celestial.
[3] That all the firstborn in the Israelitish church were holy to Jehovah appears from Moses, in the following passages:
Sanctify unto Me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the sons of Israel, both of man and of beast: it is Mine (Exod. 13:2).
Thou shalt cause to pass over unto Jehovah all that openeth the womb, and every firstling that cometh of a beast, as many as thou hast, the males shall be Jehovah’s (Exod. 13:12).
Thou shalt not delay to offer the firstfruits of thy produce, and the firstfruits of thy wine. The firstborn of thy sons shalt thou give unto Me. Likewise shalt thou do with thine oxen and with thy sheep; seven days it shall be with its dam: on the eighth day thou shalt give it Me. And ye shall be men of holiness unto Me (Exod. 22:29-31).
They were to give also the firstborn of beasts, because these, too, were representative; and because they represented they were also made use of in burnt-offerings and sacrifices. (What the various beasts in these services represented, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1823, 3519, 9280, 10042. Why the Levites were accepted in place of all the firstborn in Israel, see Num. 3:12, 13, 41, 45; 8:15-20, was, as was said above, because the “sons of Levi” represented, and therefore signified, the good of charity, and “Levi,” in the highest sense, signified the Lord as to that good, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3875, 3877, 4497, 4502, 4503, 10017. A double portion of the inheritance was given to the firstborn, Deut. 21:17, because a “double portion” signified the good of love, Arcana Coelestia, n. 720, 1686, 5194, 8423.)
That the “new heaven and the new earth” signify the church in the heavens and on earth, n. 1733, 1850, 2117, 2118, 3355, 4535, 10373. That by the creation of heaven and earth, in the first chapters of Genesis, in the internal sense, is described the establishment of the Most Ancient Church, see n. 8891, 9942, 10545. That to “create” is to establish and regenerate, see n. 10373. That “ground,” too, signifies the church; “ground” from the reception of seeds, which are truths, but “earth” from the nations therein, and their worship, see n. 566, 1068, 10570. Moreover, “earth,” as it signifies the church, signifies also the religious principle, consequently also such as is idolatrous; as the land of Egypt, the land of the Philistines, the land of Chaldea, and of Babel, and many others. That “earth” signifies the church is also briefly shown in the small work on The Last Judgment, n. 3, 4.)
[2] “Flesh” and “blood” are mentioned in the literal sense of the Word, in order that corresponding spiritual things may be perceived in heaven; for all spiritual things terminate in natural things; in them they have their outmost plane, therefore the Divine passing through the heavens terminates in that plane, and thereon subsists, comparatively like a house on its foundation, and is then in its fullness. This is why the Word is such as it is in the letter, and why “flesh” and “blood” are there mentioned; the angels, however, are astonished that the man of the church, who might also be made spiritual from the Word, does not allow himself to be elevated above the sense of the letter, and thinks not spiritually but materially of the Lord, and of His flesh and blood. But because they so wondered, and it was told them that many, especially the simple, do think spiritually about these things, they explored whether it was so; and they discovered that many, and almost all the simple, when they come to the holy supper do not think at all about flesh and blood, but only of that which is holy which they then have from the Lord. The angels perceived that this is continually provided by the Lord, in order that the man of the church may then be in a spiritual and not in a material idea.
[3] The reason why material eating is understood and adopted in doctrines, is because men have thought of the Human of the Lord as of the human of another man, and have not then thought at the same time of the Divine in His Human, rejecting the expression, “Divine Human;” and they that so thought of the Lord’s Human could not think otherwise than materially of His flesh and blood. It would have been different if they had thought of the Lord according to the universal doctrine of the church, which is, that His Divine and Human is one person, the two being united as soul and body (see above, n. 10, 26). Moreover, “blood” is mentioned in many places in the Word, as also elsewhere in Revelation (as in 6:12; 7:14; 8:7-8; 11:6; 12:11; 14:20; 16:3-4, 6; 18:24; 19:2, 13). I purpose, therefore, in the following pages, to confirm fully that by “blood” is signified truth from the Lord, and in an opposite sense falsity that offers violence to that truth.
[2] That kings are not meant can be seen simply from its here being said that Jesus Christ “hath made us kings and priests”; and afterwards:
And hast made us to be unto our God kings and priests, and we shall reign upon the earth (Rev. 5:10);
and in Matthew:
The good seed sown in the field are the sons of the kingdom (Matt. 13:38);
the “seed of the field” are truths from good with man from the Lord (Arcana Coelestia, n. 3373, 10248, 10249). Everyone, moreover, may perceive that the Lord will not make all those here treated of to be kings, but that he calls them kings from the power and the glory which those have who from the Lord are in truths from good. From this it can now be seen that by “king,” in the prophetic Word, is meant the Lord as to Divine truth, and by “kings” and “princes,” those who from the Lord are in truths from good, and as most things in the Word have also an opposite sense, that “kings” signify in that sense those who are in falsities from evil.
[3] That by “King” in the Word is meant the Lord in respect to Divine truth, is clear from the words of the Lord Himself to Pilate:
Pilate said, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest it, because I am a king. For this have I been born, and for this am I come into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Everyone that is in the truth heareth My voice. Pilate said unto Him, What is truth? (John 18:37, 38).
From the question of Pilate, “What is truth,” it is clear that he understood that truth was called “king” by the Lord; but as he was a Gentile, and knew nothing from the Word, he could not be taught that Divine truth is from the Lord, and that He is Divine truth; therefore, immediately after his question:
He went out to the Jews, saying, I find no fault in him; and afterwards put upon the cross, This is Jesus, the king of the Jews. And when the chiefs of the priests said unto him, Write not, The king of the Jews, but that He saith I am the king of the Jews, Pilate answered, What I have written, I have written (John 19:4, 19-22).
[4] When these things are understood, it may be known what is meant by “kings” in the following passages in Revelation:
The sixth angel poured out his bowl upon the great river Euphrates, and the water thereof was dried up, that the way might be made ready for the kings that come from the sun rising (Rev. 16:12).
The great harlot that sitteth upon many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication (Rev. 17:1-2).
The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sitteth, and they are seven kings; the five are fallen, the one is, the other is not yet come. And the ten horns that thou sawest are ten kings, who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive power as kings with the beast for one hour. These shall war against the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them; for He is Lord of lords and King of Kings (Rev. 17:9, 10, 12, 14).
And the woman whom thou sawest is the great city, which hath the kingdom over the kings of the earth (Rev. 17:18).
Of the wine of the wrath of her fornication all the nations have drunk, and the kings of the earth committed fornication with her (Rev. 18:3).
And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together, to make war against Him that sat on the horse and against His army (Rev. 19:19).
And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it, and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it (Rev. 21:24).
In these passages by “kings” are not meant kings, but all who are either in truths from good, or in falsities from evil, as was said before. Likewise in Daniel:
By the king of the south and by the king of the north, who made war against each other (Dan. 11).
By “the king of the south” are there meant those who are in the light of truth from good, by “the king of the north” those who are in darkness from evil. (That “south” in the Word signifies those who are in the light of truth from good, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1458, 3708, 3195, 5672, 9642; and “north” those who are in the darkness of falsity from evil, n. 3708, and in general, in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 141-153, where The Four Quarters in Heaven are treated of.) [5] “Kings” are also frequently mentioned by the prophets in the Old Testament; and there likewise are meant those who, from the Lord, are in truths from good, and in a contrary sense, those who are in falsities from evil; as in Isaiah:
He shall disperse* many nations: kings shall shut their mouths upon Him; for that which had not been told them they have seen, and that which they have not heard they have understood (Isa. 52:15).
In the same:
The Zion of the Holy One of Israel, thou shalt suck the milk of the nations, and shalt suck the breast of kings (Isa. 40:14, 16).
Kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and the chief women thy nursing mothers; they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth (Isa. 49:23; and elsewhere, as in Isa. 14:9; 24:21; 60:10; Jer. 2:26; 4:9; 49:38; Lam. 2:6, 9; Ezek. 7:26, 27; Hos. 3:4; Zeph. 1:8; Ps. 2:10; 110:5; Gen. 49:20).
[6] Since “kings” signify those who, from the Lord, are in truths from good, it was a custom derived from ancient times for kings, when they were crowned, to receive such insignia as signify truths from good: as for the king to be anointed with oil, to wear a crown of gold, to hold a scepter in his right hand, to be clothed with a purple cloak, to sit upon a throne of silver, and to ride with the royal insignia upon a white horse; for “oil” signifies good from which is truth (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 886, 4638, 9780, 9954, 10011, 10261, 10268, 10269); a “crown of gold” upon the head has a like meaning (n. 9930); a “scepter,” which is a staff, signifies the power of truth from good (n. 4581, 4876, 4966); a “cloak” and a “robe,” Divine truth in the spiritual kingdom (n. 9825, 10005); and “purple,” the spiritual love of good (n. 9467); a “throne,” the kingdom of truth from good (n. 5313, 6397, 8625); “silver,” that truth itself (n. 1551, 1552, 2954, 5658); a “white horse,” the understanding enlightened from truths (see the small work on The White Horse, n. 1-5. That the ceremonies observed at the coronation of kings involve such things, but that the knowledge thereof is at this day lost, see also Arcana Coelestia, n. 4581, 4966).
[7] As it is known from these things what is meant by a “king” in the Word, I will add to the above:
Why the Lord, when He entered Jerusalem, sat upon the foal of an ass, and the people then proclaimed Him king, and also strewed their garments in the way (Matt. 21:1-8; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-40; John 12:14-16).
This is predicted in Zechariah:
Exult, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem; behold, thy king cometh unto thee, just and having salvation; riding upon an ass, and upon the foal of an ass (Zech. 9:9; Matt. 21:5; John 12:15).
The reason was, that to sit upon an ass and the foal of an ass was the distinctive mark of the highest judge and of a king; as can be seen from the following passages:
My heart is towards the lawgivers of Israel, ye who ride upon white asses (Judg. 5:9-10).
The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgivers from between his feet, till Shiloh come; who shall bind his ass’s foal to the vine, and the son of his she-ass to the noble vine (Gen. 49:10, 11).
As sitting on an ass, and the foal of an ass, was such a distinctive mark:
Judges rode upon white she-asses (Judg. 5:9-10);
And his sons upon asses’ colts (Judg. 10:4; 12:14);
And the king himself when crowned, upon a she-mule (1 Kings 1:33);
And his sons upon mules (2 Sam. 13:29).
One who does not know the signification of “horse,” “mule,” and “the foal of an ass,” in a representative sense, will suppose that the Lord’s riding upon the foal of an ass was significative of misery and humiliation. But it signified royal magnificence; for this reason the people then proclaimed the Lord king, and strewed their garments upon the way. This was done when He went to Jerusalem, because by “Jerusalem” is signified the church (as may be seen in the little work on The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 6; and that “garments” signify truths clothing and serving good, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia, n. 1073, 2576, 5248, 5319, 5954, 9212, 9215, 9216, 9952, 10536; and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 177-182).
[8] From this it is now clear what is signified by the “King” and by “kings,” in the Word, so also what by the “Anointed,” “Messiah,” and “Christ;” for “Anointed,” “Messiah,” and “Christ,” like “King,” signify the Lord as to Divine truth proceeding from His Divine good; for a king is called “anointed;” and “anointed” in the Hebrew is Messiah, and in the Greek Christ. But that the Lord, as to the Divine Human, was alone “the Anointed of Jehovah,” since in Him alone was the Divine good of Divine Love from conception, for He was conceived of Jehovah, but that all that were anointed were only representatives of Him (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 9954, 10011, 10268-10269). But “priests” signify such good as exists in the celestial kingdom (see in Arcana Coelestia, namely, that priests represented the Lord, as to Divine good, n. 2015, 6148; that the priesthood was representative of the Lord as to the work of salvation, since this was from the Divine good of His Divine Love, see n. 9809; that the priesthood of Aaron, of his sons, and of the Levites, was representative of the work of salvation, in successive order, see n. 10017; that from this “the priesthood,” and “priesthoods,” in the Word signified good of love, which is from the Lord, see n. 9806, 9809; that by the two names, “Jesus” and “Christ,” is signified both His priesthood and His royalty, that is, by “Jesus” is signified Divine good, and by “Christ” Divine truth, n. 3004, 3005, 3009; that priests and likewise kings who do not acknowledge the Lord signify the opposite, namely, evil, and falsity from evil, n. 3670).
* The Hebrew has “sprinkle,” as found also in Arcana Coelestia, n. 2015.
That the Father is in Him and He in the Father (John 10:38; 14:10, 11).
That the Father and He are one (John 10:30).
That He is not alone, but He and the Father (John 16:32).
(That the Lord called the Divine of Jehovah, which was in Him from conception, and which was the esse of His life in His Human, “the Father,” and the Divine truth which is from Divine good “the Son,” see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2803, 3704, 7499, 8328, 8897; that “the Son of man” is Divine truth, and “the Father” Divine good, see n. 1729, 1733, 2159, 2628, 2803, 2813, 3255, 3704, 7499, 8897, 9807. See also citations from Arcana Coelestia in New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 304, on the unition of the Divine which is called “Jehovah,” “the Father,” with the Divine Human of the Lord.)
If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask whatever ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit, and that ye be made My disciples (John 15:7-8).
(That the salvation of the human race is the glory of the Lord, see n. Arcana Coelestia 4347, 4593, 5957, 7550, 8263, 10646.)
[2] He who does not know that “clouds” have this signification, may suppose that the Lord is about to come in clouds for the Last Judgment, and to appear in glory; according to His words in the Evangelists, where He says:
Then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and much glory (Matt. 24:30; Mark 13:26; Luke 21:27).
“The consummation of the age” which is there treated of is the last time of the church; and the Lord’s coming at that time is the revelation of Himself, and of Divine truth which is from Him, in the Word, through the internal sense. Elsewhere than in the Word the Lord does not reveal Himself, nor does He reveal Himself there except through the internal sense. The Word in the internal sense is also signified by “power” and “glory.” (That this is fulfilled at this day, namely that the age is consummated, and the Last Judgment accomplished; and also that the Lord has come in the clouds of heaven, that is, has revealed the internal sense of the Word, may be seen in the small work on The Last Judgment, from beginning to end; also in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 1; also in New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 249-266.
That “the consummation of the age” signifies the last time of the church, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4535, 10622; that “the coming of the Lord” signifies the revelation of Divine truth through the internal sense, n. 3900, 4060; that “clouds” signify the sense of the letter of the Word, n. 4060, 4391, 5922, 6343, 6752, 8106, 8781, 9430, 10551, 10574; that “glory” signifies Divine truth in heaven, thus the internal sense, for this is Divine truth in heaven, n. 5922, 9429, 10574. The Lord is said to be “about to come in power,” because Divine truth, which is from the Lord has all power, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 228-233, 539.) The like is meant by the Lord’s words to the high priest:
Jesus said to the high priest, Henceforth ye shall see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven (Matt. 26:64; Mark 14:62).
“The Son of man” is the Lord as to Divine truth; “sitting at the right hand of power” is His omnipotence; “coming in the clouds of heaven” is the revelation of Divine truth respecting Him in the Word, for He has revealed Himself and has also fulfilled all things contained in the internal sense, which treats especially of the glorification of His Human.
[3] The same is signified by “clouds” in the following passages. In Daniel:
I saw in the night visions, and behold there came with the clouds of heaven, one like unto the Son of man (Dan. 7:13);
in Revelation:
I saw, and behold a white cloud; and on the cloud one sat like unto a man,* having on his head a crown (Rev. 14:14, 16);
in Isaiah:
Behold, Jehovah sitting upon a dense light cloud (Isa. 19:1);
in David:
Sing unto God, sing praises to His name, extol Him that rideth upon the clouds (Ps. 68:4);
in the same:
Jehovah appointeth the clouds His chariot; He walketh upon the wings of the wind (Ps. 104:3).
Who cannot see that these things are not to be understood according to the sense of the letter, that is, that Jehovah sits upon a cloud, that He rides upon the clouds, and that He makes the clouds His chariot? He who thinks spiritually may know that Jehovah is present in His Divine truth, for this proceeds from Him, consequently that this is what is meant by “clouds there;” so it is also said that Jehovah “appointeth the clouds His chariot;” because by “chariot” is signified the doctrine of truth (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2762, 5321, 8215).
[4] Likewise in the following places. In Isaiah:
Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the higher clouds [pour down] righteousness (45:8);
in Nahum:
The way of Jehovah is with cloud** and storm, and clouds are the dust of His feet (Nahum 1:3);
in David:
Ascribe ye strength unto God; His excellency is over Israel, and His strength is in the higher clouds (Ps. 68:34);
A faithful witness in the clouds (Ps. 89:37).
in Moses:
There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in thy*** magnificence upon the clouds (Deut. 33:26);
From this it can be seen what is meant by:
The cloud filling the inner court (Ezek. 10:3-4);
And the cloud resting upon the tent (repeatedly in Moses); also that:
Jesus when He was transfigured, was seen in glory, and a cloud overshadowed the three disciples, and it was said to them out of the cloud, This is my beloved son (Matt. 17:1-10; Mark 9:1-11; Luke 9:28-36.
(See also what is said about the Lord’s being in a cloud in the midst of angels, in the little work on The Earths in the Universe, n. 171.)
* The Greek has “the Son of man,” as found also in Apocalypse Explained, n. 906; Apocalypse Revealed, n. 642; Arcana Coelestia, n. 9807, 9930.
** The Hebrew has “storm and tempest,” as also found in Apocalypse Explained, n. 419, 594; Arcana Coelestia, n. 2162.
*** The Hebrew has “His,” as also found in Apocalypse Explained, n. 594.
[2] In the Word “tribes” are often mentioned, inasmuch as the Israelitish people were divided into twelve tribes, and one who does not know the internal sense of the Word supposes that by “tribes” are meant the tribes of Israel; but by “tribes” are not meant tribes, nor by “Israel” is Israel meant, but by “tribes” are meant all those who are in truths from good, and by “Israel” the Lord’s church. He who is ignorant of this will easily adopt the common belief that the sons of Israel were chosen in preference to all others on earth, and that they are also to be brought at last into the land of Canaan; indeed, that heaven also is to be formed chiefly from them; when, in fact, by their names they are not meant, but they who are in truths from good, thus those who are of the church; by the twelve tribes, all such, and by each tribe, some particular truth and good pertaining to those who are of the church.
[3] When this is understood, what is meant by these words in Revelation can be seen:
I heard the number of them which were sealed, a hundred and forty and four thousand sealed of all the tribes of the sons of Israel. Of the tribe of Judah were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Asher were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Naphtali were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasseh were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Zebulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand (Rev. 7:4-8).
Here those who are of the Israelitish nation are not meant, but all, how many soever, who are in the truths from good, for all such are sealed for heaven. Moreover, the numbers “one hundred and forty-four thousand” and “twelve thousand” signify all; and each tribe signifies all who are in that truth or good which is signified by its name, as may appear from what is shown in the Arcana Coelestia; as what good and truth are signified by “Judah,” n. 3881, 6363; what by “Reuben,” n. 3861, 3866, 4605, 4731, 4734, 4761, 6342-6345; what by “Gad,” n. 3934, 3935; what by “Asher,” n. 3938, 3939, 6408; what by “Naphtali,” n. 3927, 3928; what by “Manasseh,” n. 3969, 5351, 5354, 6222, 6234, 6238, 6267, 6296; what by “Simeon,” n. 3869-3872, 4497, 4502-4503, 5482, 5626, 5630; what by “Levi,” n. 3875, 3877, 4497, 4502-4503; what by “Issachar,” n. 3956, 3957; what by “Zebulon,” n. 3960, 3961, 6383; what by “Joseph,” n. 3969, 3971, 4669, 6417; and what by “Benjamin,” n. 3969, 4592, 5411, 5413, 5443, 5639, 5686, 5688, 5689, 6440. That all numbers in the Word signify things, see n. 482, 487, 647-648, 755, 813, 1963, 2075, 2252, 3252, 4264, 4495, 4670, 5265, 6175, 9488, 9659, 10217, 10253. That “twelve” signifies all, and all things in respect to truths from good, see n. 577, 2089, 2129, 2130, 3272, 3858, 3913, likewise the numbers “72,” “144,” “1200,” “144,000,” because they arise from the number 12 by multiplication, n. 7973. That composite numbers have a like meaning with the simple numbers from which they are produced by multiplication, see n. 5291, 5335, 5708, 7973).
[4] He who is not aware that numbers signify things, and what the numbers “twelve,” “one hundred and forty-four,” and “twelve thousand” signify, likewise what “tribes” and “apostles” signify, cannot know what is signified by these words in Revelation:
The holy city, New Jerusalem, had a wall great and high, having twelve gates, and in the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of Israel; and the wall had twelve foundations, and on them the twelve names of the apostles of the Lamb. The wall was a hundred and forty and four cubits, and the length and the breadth of the city twelve thousand furlongs (Rev. 21:12, 14, 16-17).
What is signified by all this you will see explained in the small work on The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine (n. 1); namely, that by “Jerusalem” is signified the church in respect to doctrine; by its “wall,” protecting truths; by the “gates,” introductory truths; by the” foundations,” the knowledges on which doctrine is based; by “twelve angels,” and by “twelve tribes,” all truths and goods in the complex; “the twelve apostles,” have a like signification, and the numbers “twelve,” “one hundred and forty-four,” and “twelve thousand,” signify all things and all persons.
[5] Furthermore, he who is aware that such things are signified by the twelve tribes can see the arcanum in this:
Why the names of the twelve tribes were engraved on the precious stones in the Urim and Thummim, likewise what that breastplate signified (Exod. 28:21; 39:10-15).
(This arcanum may be seen unfolded in Arcana Coelestia, n. 3858, 6335, 6640, 9863, 9865, 9873, 9874, 9905.) He can also see what is signified by this:
That the twelve apostles should sit upon twelve thrones, and are to judge the twelve tribes of Israel (Matt. 19:28);
namely, that the Lord alone will judge everyone by truths from good (n. 2129, 6397). Also what is meant by:
The predictions of Israel, the father, respecting his sons (Gen. 49:2-28);
as well as numerous other passages of the Word, where tribes are mentioned (as in Isa. 19:13; 49:6; 63:17; Jer. 10:16; Ezek. 48:1 seq.; Ps. 122:3-5; Deut. 32:8; Num. 24:2; Rev. 5:9; 7:4-9; 11:9; 13:7; 14:6; and elsewhere).
[6] Again, what is meant by the Lord’s Word respecting the consummation of the age and His coming:
After the affliction of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken; and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth lament; and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory (Matt. 24:29-30).
(These words can be seen explained in detail in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 1; and in the following passages in the Arcana Coelestia, namely, that the twelve tribes of Israel represented and thence signified all truths and goods in the complex, thus all things of faith and love, n. 3858, 3926, 4060, 6335; that like things are signified by the twelve apostles, n. 2129, 3354, 3488, 3858, 6397; and that their signification varies according to the order in which they are named, n. 3862, 3926, 3939, 4603, seq., 6337, 6640, 10335.)
See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; handle Me and see, for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye behold Me having (Luke 24:39).
By this Human, therefore, the Lord is in ultimates; and by making even these ultimates Divine, He put Himself into the Divine power of governing all things from firsts through ultimates. If the Lord had not done this, the human race on this earth would have perished in eternal death. But this arcanum is not carried further because more must be known whereby an idea of the Divine government from firsts through ultimates may be formed and acquired. (Yet some thing may come into the understanding from what is shown in the Arcana Coelestia, namely, that interior things flow in successively into external things, even into what is extreme or ultimate, and that there they have existence and subsistence, n. 634, 6239, 6465, 9216, 9217; that interior things not only flow in successively, but they also form what is simultaneous in the ultimate, and in what order, n. 5897, 6451, 8603, 10099; therefore, that all interior things are held together in connection, from what is first by means of what is ultimate n. 9828, and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 297; that from this there is strength and power in ultimates, n. 9836; that from this also what is ultimate is more holy than what is interior, n. 9824; that from this “the first and last [or ultimate]” signify all things, n. 10044, 10329, 10335. On the successive degrees into which the heavens are divided, and into which also the interiors of man are divided, see the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 38.) It is said also, that the Lord is “Beginning and End,” and by this is meant that He is from eternity to eternity; but neither can this be explained to the apprehension further than has been done above (n. 23) which see.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word. All things were made through Him; and without Him was not anything made that hath been made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt in us (John 1:1, 3-4, 14).
By “the Word” is meant the Divine truth which is in the heavens, and from which are all things there. That this is the Lord in respect to the Divine Human is evident, for it is said, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt in us.” And because all the life of the angels is therefrom, likewise all the light in the heavens, it is said, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” (But all these things may be seen more fully illustrated in the work on Heaven and Hell, namely, that the Divine of the Lord makes heaven, n. 7-12; that this is His Divine Human, n 78-86; that all the life of angels is therefrom, n. 9; and also all light in heaven, n. 126-140; that angels have all their power from the Lord, and none at all from themselves, n. 228-233.) From this it is clear that “Almighty” means to be, to live, and to have power, from Himself. That the Lord’s Divine Human has being, life, and power from Itself equally with His Divine in Himself, which is called the Father, the Lord also teaches:
As the Father hath life in Himself, so gave He to the Son to have life in Himself (John 5:26);
and that no one else has life in himself Jesus declares:
Without Me ye can do nothing (John 15:5).
One said unto Jesus, Behold, Thy mother and Thy brethren stand without seeking to speak with Thee: but He answered and said, Who is My mother, and who are My brethren? (Matt. 12:47-50).
My mother and My brethren are they who bear the Word of God and do it (Luke 8:18-21).
And in another place:
One is your Teacher, Christ, and all ye are brethren (Matt. 23:8).
From this it is evident what it is to be a “brother in the Lord.” (But see what has been shown before respecting this; as that all are consociated in heaven according to spiritual kinships, which are the kinships of the good of love and faith, and that such recognize each other as kindred, in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 205; and in the Arcana Coelestia, n. 685, 917, 2739, 3612, 3815, 4121; consequently by “brethren” in the Word are meant those who are conjoined by good, n. 2360, 3303, 3803, 3815, 4121, 4191, 4267, 5409, 6756, 10490; that the Lord calls those “brethren” who are in the good of love and of faith from Him, n. 4191, 5686, 5692, 6756; that they are called “brethren” also from spiritual kinship, n. 6756; that charity and faith, thus good and truth, are brethren, in what respect, n. 367, 3160, 9806; that good and truth are also brother and sister, in what respect, n. 2508, 2524, 3160; that good and truth are also married partners, in what respect, n. 3160; that “man with brother” means truth with good, n. 3459, 4725.)
He that was sown upon the rocky places hath no root in himself; when affliction and persecution ariseth because of the Word, straightway he is offended (Matt. 13:20-21).
And in the same:
In the consummation of the age they shall deliver you up into affliction. For then shall be great affliction, such as hath not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, nor shall be. Immediately after the affliction of those days the sun shall be darkened (Matt. 24:9, 21, 29; Mark 13:19, 24).
The “consummation of the age” is the last time of the church; and since falsities are then to prevail and fight against truths, it is said that they shall be in “affliction, and in so great a one as hath not been from the beginning of the world.” Such affliction is meant by the affliction in which John is said to be a “partaker,” and by John is here meant the doctrine respecting the Lord; for in Revelation the last time of the church is treated of (see above, n. 5).
The sons of the kingdom shall be cast forth into the outer darkness (Matt. 8:12);
the “sons of the kingdom” here are those of the church where truths do not prevail, but falsities. In the same:
He that heareth the Word of the kingdom, and giveth not heed to it, the evil one cometh, and snatcheth away that which hath been sown in his heart. This is he that was sown by the wayside. The field is the world; the seed are the sons of the kingdom (Matt. 13:19, 38).
“To hear the Word of the kingdom” is to hear the truths of the church; and because “seed” signifies truths, they who receive truths are called “sons of the kingdom.” (That “seed” is the truth of the church, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3038, 3373, 3671, 10248, 10249.) In the same:
Therefore the kingdom of God shall be taken away from you, and shall be given to a nation bringing forth fruit (Matt. 21:43).
It is evident that “the kingdom of God” here signifies the church in respect to truths, thus also the truths of the church, from its being said that “it should be taken away from them, and given to a nation bringing forth fruit;” “fruit” is good. Again in the same:
In the consummation of the age, nation shall be stirred up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom (Matt. 24:3, 7).
The consummation of the age” is the last time of the church, “nation against nation” is evil against good, and “kingdom against kingdom” is falsity against truth. (That “nation” is the good of the church, and in the opposite sense the evil there, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1059, 1159, 1258-1260, 1416, 1849, 6005.)
[3] From this it is plain what is meant by “kingdom” in the Lord’s prayer:
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so also upon the earth. Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory (Matt. 6:10, 13).
“Thy kingdom come” is a prayer that truth may be received; “Thy will be done,” that it may be received by those who do God’s will; “Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,” means Divine truth from God alone; it is also said “power and glory,” because Divine truth has all power and glory (see above, n. 33). From all this it can be seen what “the kingdom of God” signifies in very many passages in the Word, namely, the church in respect to truths, and also heaven, and in the highest sense the Lord in respect to the Divine Human. “Kingdom,” in the highest sense, signifies the Lord in respect to the Divine Human, because from Him all Divine truth proceeds; and “kingdom” signifies heaven, because heaven with the angels is from no other source than from the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord’s Divine Human (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 7-12, 78-86, 126-140).
The church that is at this day knows, indeed, that the Divine is in the Human of the Lord; for it knows that according to the accepted doctrine, the Divine and the Human are not two but one person; also that they are like soul and body in man (see above, n. 10, 26). And yet it does not know that the Lord’s Human is Divine, for it separates the one from the other, as is clear from this, that those who are of the church do not admit the expression “Divine Human;” also that they approach the Father, that He may have compassion for the sake of the Son when yet the Divine Itself in heaven is the Divine Human (see the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 78-86). And because this knowledge and acknowledgment have thus perished, and yet it is the chief thing of all things of the church, as it is the chief thing of all things in heaven, therefore a new church is being established by the Lord among the nations, where this is not only known but also acknowledged. This, then, is what is signified by “the expectation of Jesus Christ.”
All persons mentioned in the Word, and all by whom the Word was written, were led to places that were significant, in order that all things might be significative of spiritual things. Even the Lord Himself, for the same reason, went to places thus significative; as into Galilee, to Tyre and Sidon, to Jerusalem, and to the Mount of Olives there, and also, when an infant, He was carried into Egypt. It was similar with the prophets, and with many who are mentioned in the historical Word, as may be abundantly shown. For this reason, John also was commanded to betake himself into the isle of Patmos, that the things that are to be at the end of the church might there be revealed, because “island” signifies a nation about to accept truths of doctrine. This island, moreover, is in the archipelago, where there are numerous other islands; and from this also it is that by “Greece” in the Word such nations are signified. (Thus in Dan. 8:21; 10:20; 11:2; John 12:20-21; Mark 7:26 seq.) (That all names of places mentioned in the Word signify things, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1224, 1264, 1876, 1888, 4310, 4442, 10329.)
[2] That “islands” signify nations that are about to accede to the true worship of God, is evident from the following passages. In Isaiah:
Glorify Jehovah in Urim, the name of the God of Israel in the isles of the sea (Isa. 24:15).
In the same:
He shall not quench nor break, until He have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall hope in His law. Sing unto Jehovah a new song, His praises, ye ends of the earth: ye that go down to the sea, the isles, and the inhabitants thereof. Let them give glory unto Jehovah, and declare His praise in the islands (Isa. 42:4, 10, 12).
In the same:
Listen, O isles, unto Me, and hearken, ye peoples from afar (Isa. 49:1).
In the same:
The isles shall hope in Me, and on My arm shall they trust (Isa. 51:5).
In the same:
The islands shall trust in Me, and the ships of Tarshish (Isa. 60:9).
In Jeremiah:
Hear the words of Jehovah, O ye nations, and declare them in the isles afar off (Jer. 31:10).
And in Zephaniah:
Jehovah will make lean all the gods of the earth, that they may worship Him, everyone in his place, even all the isles of the nations (Zeph. 2:11).
(And elsewhere as in Isa. 23:2, 6; 41:1, 5; 42:15; 66:19; Jer. 2:10; 25:22; Ezek. 27:3, 7, 15, 35.) From these and other passages it is plain that “isles” signify nations, specifically nations in respect to the doctrine of truth, in other places in respect to the doctrine of falsity; for most things in the Word have also opposite significations.
[2] This desire is implanted in the simpleminded, and also with well-disposed Gentiles (see the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 82). All such therefore, if they have also lived a life of charity, are received by the Lord, and heaven is granted them. No others can be received, because they are not conjoined. (That all angels in heaven, also the most wise in ancient times, and all who have spiritual faith, that is, a living faith, both on this earth and on all the earths in the universe, see their Divine in thought, because they acknowledge the Divine Human, and are therefore accepted by the Lord, see Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 280-310; and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 79-86, 316, 321; and in the small work on The Earths in the Universe, n. 7, 40, 41, 65, 68, 91, 98, 99, 107, 121, 141, 154, 158, 159, 169.) Because this implanted desire, which is in everyone from heaven, has been almost wholly rejected among the learned of the world, and access to the Divine thereby debarred, therefore, a new church is now being established by the Lord, among the Gentiles that have not extirpated that idea, and faith along with it. The extirpation from the Christian world of this implanted desire had its first beginning with the Babylonish body, which separated the Lord’s Human from His Divine, in order that its chief might be acknowledged as the vicar of the Lord’s Human, and might thus transfer to himself the Lord’s Divine power, saying that the Lord received that power from the Father, when in fact it was from Himself, because it was from His Divine. Thus they are unwilling to hear anything about the Divine Human (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4738). But on this subject, as it is the chief thing of all things in the church, more will be said hereafter.
[2] While man is in the body he does not see such things as are in heaven, unless the sight of his spirit is opened; when this is opened, then he sees. In this way John saw the things described in Revelation; and in like manner the prophets saw; and they were therefore called Seers, and were said to have their eyes opened. In this way also angels were seen in ancient times, and the Lord also was thus seen by the disciples after His resurrection. This sight is the sight of the spiritual man; and because in this state all things appear representatively, John was in it. He who knows nothing about this sight, believes that angels, when seen by men, have taken on a human form, and that when they vanished from their sight they laid it aside; but this is not so; angels then appeared in their own form, which is the human form, not before the sight of men’s bodily eyes, but before the sight of their spirit, which sight was then opened. This is evident from the Lord’s being seen by the disciples [after His resurrection], when He Himself showed to them that He was a man in a complete human form (Luke 24:39; John 20:20-28); and yet He became invisible. When they saw Him the eyes of their spirit were opened, but when He became invisible those eyes were closed. That man has such a sight is clear to me from much experience, for all things I have seen in the heavens have been seen by that sight. At such times I was in the same state of wakefulness as when they were not seen. But at the present time that sight is seldom opened to anyone by the Lord, and for many reasons.
[2] He who is aware that “trumpet” or “horn,” signifies Divine truth out of heaven can understand many passages in the Word where these are mentioned. As in Matthew:
He shall send forth His angel, with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together the elect from the four winds (Matt. 24:31).
In Isaiah:
All ye inhabitants of the world, and ye dwellers on the earth, when the sign of the mountains shall be lifted up, see ye; and when the trumpet is blown, hear ye (Isa. 18:3).
In Jeremiah:
Proclaim with the trumpet in the land. Set up a standard towards Zion. How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet? For my people are foolish, they are sottish sons, and they have no understanding (Jer. 4:5-6, 21-22).
In the same:
I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken. Therefore hear, ye nations (Jer. 6:17-18).
In Ezekiel:
He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him; whereas if he had taken warning he should have delivered his soul (Ezek. 33:5).
In Hosea:
[Set] the trumpet to thy mouth, because they have transgressed My covenant, and trespassed against My law (Hos. 8:1).
In Zechariah:
The Lord Jehovih shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with the whirlwinds of the south (Zech. 9:14).
In David:
God is gone up with a shout, and Jehovah with the sound of a trumpet (Ps. 47:5).
And also in Revelation (chap. 4:1; 8:2, 7-8, 13; 9:1, 13, 14; 10:7; 18:22). Because a “trumpet” signified Divine truth, therefore when Divine truth was first about to be revealed before the people of Israel:
Sounds of a trumpet were heard from Mount Sinai (Exod. 19:16).
For this reason sounding the trumpet became representative with them:
When they were to assemble, and when they went forward, and also in their solemnities, at the beginnings of months, at burnt-offerings and eucharistic sacrifices (Num. 10:1-10).
They also sounded trumpets when they went forth to battle against the Midianites (Num. 31:6).
And when they took the city of Jericho (Josh. 6:4-20);
for wars and battles signified spiritual combats, which are combats of truth against falsity, and of falsity against truth.
[2] That “lampstand” signifies heaven and the church is evident from the description of the lampstand which was in the tabernacle, for by the tabernacle the whole heaven in the complex was represented; and by the lampstand therein, the spiritual heaven, which is the second heaven (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3478, 9457, 9481, 9485, 9548-9577, 9783). That this is so is clearly evident from John’s seeing “in the midst of the seven lampstands one like unto the Son of man;” “the Son of man” is the Lord in respect to His Divine Human, from which is Divine truth, which is the All in all things of heaven and the church. In the spiritual heaven also lampstands appear in much magnificence; by these that heaven is represented. These it has been given me to see. From this it can be seen what is meant in the Word, in the spiritual sense, by “lampstands” and by “lamps,” in the following passages. In Revelation:
I will remove thy lampstand out of its place, except thou repent (Rev. 2:5).
“To remove thy lampstand” is to take away from them heaven or the church. In Zechariah:
The angel said to the prophet, What seest thou? And I said, I have seen, and behold a lampstand all of gold, its bowl on the top of it, and its seven lamps thereon, with seven pipes to the lamps (Zech. 4:2, 3).
Here Zerubbabel is treated of, who was to lay the foundation of the house of God, and to finish it. By Zerubbabel is represented the Lord, that He was about to come and restore heaven and the church: these are the “lampstands” and the holy truths there are “the seven lamps.”
[3] Because a lampstand takes its representative meaning from the lamps, and the lamps from light, which in heaven is Divine truth, so the Lord is also called “a lamp,” as in Revelation:
The holy Jerusalem hath no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it; the glory of God shall lighten* it, and the Lamb is the lamp thereof (Rev. 21:23; 22:5).
From this also it is that David, and the kings after him, are called:
Lamps of Israel (2 Sam. 21:17; 1 Kings 11:36; 15:4; 2 Kings 8:19);
for the Lord in respect to His royalty was represented by David, likewise by the kings of Judah and Israel. (For the representation by “David,” see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1888, 9954; and by “kings,” n. 31, above.) The lampstands that were seen were of gold; because “gold” signifies the good of love, and all that proceeds from the Lord is from Divine love; consequently the Divine of the Lord in the heavens is love to Him and love towards the neighbor, which is charity (as may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 13-19). This is why the lampstand here, as well as the lampstand in the tabernacle, was of gold.
* The Greek has “did lighten,” as also found in Apocalypse Revealed, n. 897, 919, 940; though elsewhere we also find “will lighten” and “lightens.”
[2] That the Son of man is the Lord in respect to the Divine Human, and also in respect to Divine truth, because Divine truth proceeds from His Divine Human, is evident from those passages in the Word where the Son of man is mentioned. Thus in John:
The multitude said to Jesus, How sayest Thou, The Son of man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of man? Jesus answered thee, Yet a little while is the light with you; walk while ye have the light, lest darkness overtake you. While ye have the light believe in the light, that ye may be sons of light (John 12:34-36).
From these words it is clear that “the Son of man” and “Light” have a like signification; for when the people asked, Who is the Son of man? the Lord answered that He was the Light in which they should believe. (That “light” is the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord’s Divine Human, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 126-140; and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 49; thus also the Son of man.)
[3] In Luke:
Blessed are ye when men shall hate you for the Son of man’s sake (Luke 6:2).
“For the Son of man’s sake” is for the sake of Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord. Divine truth is the All of faith in and of love to the Lord. Because the evil deny these things, and those who deny also hate them, while the good acknowledge them, therefore it is said that the good are blessed. [4] In the same:
The days will come when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, but ye shall not see it. Then they shall say to you, Lo here, or Lo there. Go not away, nor pursue after (Luke 17:22-23).
“To desire [to see] one of the days of the Son of man,” is to desire Divine truth, which is genuine truth, as to something thereof; the end of the church is here meant, when there will no longer be any faith, because there will be no charity, at which time all Divine truth will perish; and because Divine truth is signified by “the Son of man,” it is said, “Then shall they say, Lo here, or Lo there; pursue not after.”
[5] In the same:
When the Son of man cometh, shall He find faith upon the earth? (Luke 18:8);
which means that when Divine truth shall be revealed out of heaven it will not be believed. Here also, “the Son of man” is the Lord in respect to Divine truth; the coming of the Lord is the revelation of Divine truth at the end of the church (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3900, 4060).
[6] In Matthew:
As the lightning cometh forth from the east, and is seen even unto the west, so shall the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth lament, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and glory (Matt. 24:27, 30).
That by “the coming of the Lord in the clouds of heaven” is here signified the revelation of Divine truth at the end of the church, see above (n. 36).
[7] In the same:
I say unto you, Henceforth ye shall see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven (Matt. 26:64).
And in Luke:
From henceforth shall the Son of man be seated at the right hand of the power of God (Luke 22:69).
“The Son of man” is the Lord in respect to the Divine Human, and in respect to Divine truth proceeding from Him; “to sit at the right hand of power” means that He has omnipotence; its being said that they were now about to see this means that Divine truth was in its omnipotence when the Lord in the world had conquered the hells and reduced to order all things there and in the heavens, and that thus those who received Him in faith and love could be saved (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 9715. That to “sit at the right hand” means omnipotence, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3387, 4592, 4933, 7518, 8281, 9193; that all the power of good is by means of truth, n. 6344, 6423, 8304, 9327, 9410, 9639, 9643. That Divine power itself is by means of Divine truth proceeding from the Lord’s Divine Human, see n. 6948; that the “clouds” in which the Son of man is to come are the Word in the letter, which is Divine truth in the ultimate of order, see the preface to chapter 18 of Genesis, n. 4060, 4391, 5922, 6343, 6752, 8443, 8781; and that “glory” is Divine truth itself, such as it is in the internal sense of the Word, see n. 4809, 5922, 8267, 9429).
[8] From this it can now be seen what is signified by these words in Revelation:
I saw, and behold, a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on His head a golden crown (Rev. 14:14).
And in Daniel:
I saw in the night visions, and behold, there came with the clouds of the heavens one like unto the Son of man (Dan. 7:13).
Because all judgment is executed according to truth, therefore it is said, that it was given to the Lord:
To execute judgment, because He is the Son of man (John 5:27); and that:
The Son of man shall render unto every man according to his deeds (Matt. 16:27);
and that:
When the Son of man shall come, He shall sit on the throne of His glory, and shall judge (Matt. 25:31).
[9] In Matthew:
He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man, the field is the world, the seed are the sons of the kingdom, the tares are the sons of the evil one (Matt. 13:37-38).
“Good seed” is Divine truth; it is therefore said that the Son of man soweth it; “the sons of the kingdom” are Divine truths in heaven and the church; for “son” is truth (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623), and, in the contrary sense, falsity, which also is “the son of the evil one.”
[10] In the same:
The Son of man hath not where to lay His head (Matt. 8:20);
by which is meant that Divine truth had no place anywhere, that is, with any man at that time. That the Son of man was about to suffer and be put to death (Matt. 17:12, 22-23; 26:2, 24, 45; Mark 8:31; 9:12, 31) signifies that thus they were about to treat Divine truth, consequently the Lord, who was Divine truth itself. This He also teaches in Luke:
But first must the Son of man suffer, and be rejected of this generation (Luke 17:25).
[11] In Jeremiah:
No man [vir] shall dwell there; neither shall a son of man [hominis] sojourn there (Jer. 49:18, 33).
And in the same:
In the cities no man [vir] shall dwell, nor shall a son of man [hominis] pass through them (Jer. 51:43).
He who does not know the spiritual sense of the Word believes that by “cities” here are meant cities, and that by “man,” and “son of man,” are meant a man and a son; and that the cities were to be so desolated that no one should be in them, but it is the state of the church in respect to the doctrine of truth that is described by these words; for “cities” are the doctrinals of the church (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 402, 2449, 3216, 4492, 4493); and “man” is its very truth conjoined with good (see n. 3134, 7716, 9007); therefore a “son of man” is truth.
[12] As Divine truth proceeding from the Lord was signified by “the Son of man,” therefore the prophets by whom it was revealed were called “sons of man” (as Daniel 8:17; and Ezekiel 2:1, 3, 6, 8; 3:1, 3-4, 10, 17, 25; 4:1, 16; 8:5-6, 8, 12, 15; 12:2, 3, 9, 18, 22, 27). As most things in the Word have also a contrary sense, so “son of man” has a contrary signification, which is the falsity opposite to truth. Thus in Isaiah:
What art thou, that thou art afraid of man, that dies; and of the son of man, who shall be as grass (Isa. 51:12).
And in David:
Put not your trust in princes, in the son of man, with whom there is no salvation (Ps. 146:3).
“Princes” are primary truths (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2089, 5044); so, in the contrary sense, primary falsities; and “the son of man” is falsity itself.
[2] Of the Lord’s transfiguration it is thus written:
Jesus took Peter, James, and John, into a very high mountain, and He was transfigured before them; and His face did shine as the sun, and His garments became white as the light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah speaking with Him. And behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him (Matt. 17:1-6; Mark 9:2-8; Luke 9:28-36).
The Lord took Peter, James, and John, because by them the church in respect to faith, charity, and the works of charity was represented; He took them “into a high mountain,” because “mountain” signifies heaven; “His face did shine as the sun,” because “face” signifies the interiors, and it did shine as the sun because His interiors were Divine, for the “sun” is Divine love; “His garments became white as the light,” because “garments” signify Divine truth proceeding from Him; the like is signified by “light.” “Moses and Elijah” appeared, because the two signify the Word, “Moses” the historical Word, and “Elijah” the prophetical Word; “a bright cloud overshadowed them,” because “a bright cloud” signifies the Word in the letter within which is the internal sense; “a voice out of the cloud said, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, hear ye Him,” because “a voice out of the cloud” signifies Divine truth out of the Word, and “beloved Son,” the Lord’s Divine Human. And because Divine truth is from Him, and thence all truth of the church, it was said out of the cloud, “in whom I am well pleased, hear ye Him.”
[3] It was plainly the Divine Human of the Lord that was thus seen, for the Divine Itself cannot be seen by anyone, except through the Divine Human. This the Lord also teaches in John:
No man hath seen God at any time; the only-begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath brought Him forth to view (John 1:18).
And in another place:
Ye have neither heard the voice of the Father at any time, nor seen His shape (John 5:37).
(That such things are signified by these words in the Evangelists, can be seen in the Arcana Coelestia where the particulars are made known, namely, that by “Peter,” “James,” and “John,” in the Word, are signified faith, charity, and the works of charity, n. 3750, and above, n. 8, 9; by “high mountain” is signified heaven, n. 8327, 8805, 9420, 9422, 9434, 10608; by “face,” the interiors which are of the mind, n. 1999, 2434, 3527, 4066, 4796, 5102, 9306, 9546; and by “the face of the Lord,” mercy, peace, and every good, n. 222, 223, 5585, 9306, 9546, 9888; by “the sun,” Divine Love, n. 2495, 4060, 7083; and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 116-125; by “garments,” when the Lord is treated of, Divine truth, n. 9212, 9216; and the like by “light,” n. 3195, 3222, 5400, 8644, 9399, 9548, 9684; and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 126-140. That “Moses and Elias” signify the Word; “Moses,” see Arcana Coelestia, n. 5922, 6723, 6752, 6771, 6827, 7010, 7014, 7089, 7382, 9372, 10234; and “Elias,” see n. 2762, 5247. That “clouds” signify the Word in the letter, see above, n. 36; that “beloved Son” is the Divine Human of the Lord is evident.) From the fact that the “Lord’s garments” signify Divine truth, it may be known what is signified by the soldiers dividing the garments of the Lord among them, and casting a lot upon His tunic, of which it is thus written in John:
The soldiers took His garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part, also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top throughout. They said therefore one to another, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for whose it shall be; that the Scripture might be fulfilled which saith, They parted My garments among them, and upon My vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did (John 19:23-24).
[4] He who is not aware that in every particular of the Word there is an internal sense which is spiritual, cannot see any arcanum in these things; he knows only that the soldiers divided the garments and not the tunic; and beyond this he knows nothing; when not only in this fact is there a Divine arcanum, but also in every particular of what is recorded concerning the passion of the Lord. The arcanum in this fact is that the garments of the Lord signified Divine truth, thus the Word, because the Word is Divine truth; the “garments” that they divided, the Word in the letter, and the “tunic” the Word in the internal sense to “divide them” signifies to disperse and falsify; and “the soldiers” signify those that are of the church, who should fight in behalf of Divine truth. This is why it is said, “These things therefore the soldiers did.” From this it is clear that the meaning of these words in the spiritual sense is that the Jewish Church dispersed the Divine truth which is in the sense of the letter, but could not disperse the Divine truth which is in the internal sense. That the “garments of the Lord” signified Divine truth, thus the Word, was shown above; that His “tunic” signified Divine truth, or the Word, in the internal sense, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 9826, 9942; that to “divide” is to disperse and separate from good and truth, thus to falsify, see n. 4424, 6360, 6361, 9094; that “the soldiers” signify those that are of the church, here of the Jewish church, who should fight in behalf of Divine truth, is clear from the spiritual sense of “warfare” and of “war;” that “war” signifies spiritual combats, which are of truth against falsity, see n. 1659, 1664, 8295, 10455; it is therefore said of the Levites, whose function pertained to such things as are of the church, that they were discharging military duty and were serving in war, when they were exercising their ministry in the tent of the assembly (Num. 4:23, 35, 39, 43, 47; 8:23, 24).
[2] From this it can be seen that the “Lord’s garments” signify the proceeding Divine, which is Divine truth united to Divine good, which fills the universal heaven and enters into the interiors of the mind, and gives to him who receives it intelligence and wisdom. This is meant by being “clothed with white garments.” Because the proceeding Divine good is signified by “the girdle” with which the Lord was girded, therefore the girdle appeared golden, for “gold” signifies the good of love (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 113, 1551, 1552, 5658, 6914, 6917, 9510, 9874, 9881). The “paps” are mentioned instead of the breast, which was girt with the girdle, because “paps” signify spiritual love, and “breast” signifies the good itself of that love. This love is signified by “paps” in Isaiah:
I will make thee a magnificence of eternity, the joy of generation and generation. Thou shalt suck the milk of the nations, and shalt suck the paps of kings (Isa. 60:15-16).
“Kings” are truths out of good from the Lord (see above, n. 31); “paps” and “breast” are that good, which is the good of spiritual love.
[3] That “breast” signifies the good of spiritual love is from correspondence with heaven; for the whole heaven corresponds to all things of man; the inmost or third heaven corresponding to the head; the middle or second to the breast; and the outmost or first to the feet. Because there is this correspondence, heaven is also called the Greatest Man. And as the inmost or third heaven corresponds to the head, by “head” is signified the good of celestial love, which is the good of love to the Lord; because that good rules and makes that heaven; and as the middle or second heaven corresponds to the breast, by “breast” is signified the good of spiritual love, which is the good of love to the neighbor, because that good rules and makes that heaven; and as the outmost or first heaven corresponds to the feet, by “feet” is signified the good of natural love from spiritual love, which is the good of faith; because that good rules and makes that heaven. From this it is clear why “paps” signify spiritual love, and the “breast” its good. (But these things may be better understood from what is shown in the work on Heaven and Hell, especially in the following chapters: On the Three Heavens, n. 29-39; That the Divine of the Lord in the Heavens is Love to Him and Charity towards the Neighbor, n. 13-19; That the Universal Heaven represents one Man, n. 59-67; That there is a Correspondence of Heaven with all things of Man, n. 87-102; and in the Arcana Coelestia, n. 4938, 4939, 10087. It may be permitted to cite from that work, by way of illustration, this further reason why the “breast” signifies the good of spiritual love, namely, that within the breast are the heart and lungs, and the “heart” from correspondence signifies celestial love, while the “lungs” signify spiritual love, but the lungs fill the breast. That there is this correspondence, see in the Arcana Coelestia, n. 3883-3896, 9280, 9300. What celestial love is, and what spiritual love, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 23.)
[2] Anyone who knows that in spiritual things also “head” signifies first things and “hairs” ultimates, and that first things and ultimates signify all things (as shown in n. 41), can know many arcana of the internal sense where “head” and “hairs” are mentioned; as that:
A Nazarite should not shave the hair of his head, for this, as it is said, was the Nazariteship of God upon his head, and when the days were accomplished, he was to shave it off and consecrate it (Num. 6:1-21);
also that:
The strength of Samson was in his locks, and when they were shaven off he became weak, and when they grew again he came into his strength (Judg. 16:13 to the end);
also that:
Forty-two children were torn in pieces by bears because they mocked Elisha, calling him bald-head (2 Kings 2:23-24);
as also that:
Elijah was clothed with a garment of hair (2 Kings 1:8);
And John the Baptist with camel’s hair (Mark 1:6);
furthermore, what “head,” “hairs,” “beard,” and “baldness” signify wherever they are mentioned in the Word.
[3] That a Nazarite should not shave his hair, because this, as is said, was the Nazariteship of God upon his head; and that when the days were accomplished he should shave it off and consecrate it, was for the reason that the Nazarite represented the Lord in firsts and in ultimates, and His Divine in ultimates was His Human, which He made Divine even to the flesh and bones, which are ultimates. That He made it Divine even to the flesh and bones is evident from the fact that He left nothing in the sepulcher, and that:
He said to the disciples that He had flesh and bones, which a spirit hath not (Luke 24:39-40).
And when the Divine Itself is Divine even in ultimates, then it governs all things from firsts by means of ultimates (as can be seen from what was shown above, n. 41; especially from what was cited from the Arcana Coelestia, namely, that interior things flow in successively into exterior things, even into what is extreme or outmost, and there have existence and subsistence, n. 634, 6239, 6465, 9215, 9216; that they not only flow in successively, but also form what is simultaneous in the ultimate, in what order see n. 5897, 6451, 8603, 10099; that therefore all interior things are held together in connection from the first by means of the ultimate, n. 9828, and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 297; that from this the ultimate is more holy than the interiors, n. 9824; and therefore in ultimates there is strength and power, n. 9836). These then are the reasons why the Nazariteship was instituted. The Nazarite was finally to consecrate his hair by putting it into the fire of the altar, because it represented the Divine holiness, and the “fire of the altar” signified that holiness (n. 934, 6314, 6832).
[4] From this it can be seen, moreover, why the strength of Samson was in his hair (Judges 16:13 to the end), for it is said that:
He was a Nazarite from his mother’s womb (Judg. 13:7; 16:17).
Moreover, for the same reason:
It was not lawful for the high priest and his sons, nor for the Levites, to shave the head and make themselves bald (Lev. 10:6; 21:5, 10; Ezek. 44:20).
Likewise:
With the Israelitish people to cut off the beard (which had a like signification) was disgraceful (2 Sam. 10:4, 5).
The forty-two children were torn in pieces by the bears because they mocked Elisha, calling him bald-head, for the reason that Elijah and Elisha represented the Lord in respect to the Word, which is Divine truth, the sanctity and strength of which are in ultimates from firsts, as was said just above. Because “baldness” thus signified the deprivation of these, this took place. “Bears,” moreover, signify truth in ultimates. (That Elijah and Elisha represented the Lord in respect to the Word, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2762, 5247.) From this it is clear also why Elijah had a hairy garment and John one of camel’s hair; for John the Baptist, like Elijah, represented the Lord in respect to the Word; for this reason also he was called Elijah (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 7643, 9372).
[5] When these things are understood, it can be known what is signified in the Word by “head,” “hairs,” “beard,” and “baldness,” as in Isaiah:
In that time shall the Lord shave by the king of Assyria, the head, and the hairs of the feet, He shall also consume the beard (Isa. 7:20).
In the same prophet:
On all heads baldness, every beard cut off (Isa. 15:2).
In Jeremiah:
Truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth. Cut off thine hair and cast it away (Jer. 7:28-29).
In Ezekiel:
Take a razor and pass it over the head and beard (Ezek. 5:1).
Shame shall be upon every face, and baldness upon all heads (Ezek. 7:18).
Every head was made bald (Ezek. 29:18).
In Amos:
I will bring up baldness upon every head (Amos 8:10).
In David:
God shall bruise the head of His enemies, the hairy scalp of him that goeth on in his guilt (Ps. 68:21).
In these passages and in others, by “cutting off the hair of the head,” “shaving the beard,” and inducing baldness, is signified to deprive of all truth and good; since he that is deprived of ultimates is also deprived of things prior, for prior things have existence and subsistence in ultimates, as was said above. Moreover, in the world of spirits there are seen some that are bald, and I have been told that they are such as have abused the Word, and have applied the sense of the letter, which is Divine truth in ultimates, to wicked purposes, and therefore have been deprived of all truth. These are most malignant. Many of them are of the Babylonish body. Angels, on the contrary, appear with becoming hair.
His garments became glistening, exceeding white as snow, so as no fuller on earth can whiten them (Mark 9:3);
and of the “Ancient of Days” in Daniel:
I beheld till thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of Days did sit; His raiment was white as snow, and the hair of His head was white wool* (Dan. 7:9).
“Raiment” signifies the Divine in ultimates (see above, n. 64); and “the Ancient of Days,” the Lord from eternity.
[2] Because “wool” signifies good in ultimates, good is sometimes described in the Word by “wool,” and truth by “linen” and by “snow,” as in Hosea:
She said, I will go after my lovers, that give me my bread and my waters, my wool and my flax. Therefore will I return and take my corn in the time thereof, and I will pluck away my wool and my flax (Hos. 2:5, 9).
In Ezekiel:
Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool; ye slaughter that which is the best; ye feed not the flock (Ezek. 34:3).
In David:
Jehovah will send** out His word upon the earth; He giveth snow like wool (Ps. 147:15-16).
In Isaiah:
Though your sins be as scarlet they shall be white as snow; though they be red like purple they shall be as wool (Isa. 1:18).
“Snow” is predicated of sins that were as scarlet, and “wool” of sins that were red like purple, because “scarlet” signifies truth from good, and in a contrary sense, falsity from evil (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4922, 9468); and “red” and “purple” signify good, and in a contrary sense, evil of every kind (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3300, 9467, 9865).
* The Chaldee here has “like,” as also found in Apocalypse Explained, n. 504; Apocalypse Revealed, n. 47; Arcana Coelestia, n. 3301, 5313.
** The Hebrew has “sends.”
Incline thine ear, O Jehovah, and hear; and open thine eyes, O Jehovah, and see (Isa. 37:17).
In Jeremiah:
I will set Mine eye upon them for good, and I will bring them again to their land,* and I will build them (Jer. 24:6).
In David:
Behold the eye of Jehovah is upon them that fear Him (Ps. 33:18);
and in the same:
Jehovah is in the temple of His holiness, His eyes behold, and His eyelids prove the sons of man (Ps. 11:4);
and elsewhere. (What Divine Providence is, see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 267-279.)
* Hebrew: “this land,” as also found in Apocalypse Explained, n. 403; but Arcana Coelestia, n. 10569 has “their land.”
From this it is clear that by “His feet like unto burnished brass, as if glowing in a furnace,” is signified the ultimate of Divine order, which is the natural, full of Divine love. These things, as well as the preceding, are described by comparisons; as that “His head and His hairs were white as white wool, as snow,” and that “His feet were like unto burnished brass, as if glowing in a furnace;” but it is to be noted, that all comparisons in the Word are significative, for they are from correspondences in like manner as the things themselves (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3579, 4599, 8989).
[2] In reference to the Lord, “feet” signify the ultimate of Divine order, and this is the natural, because heaven is heaven from the Lord’s Divine Human, and from this it is that heaven in the whole complex represents one man; and as there are three heavens, that the highest heaven represents the head, the middle heaven the body, and the lowest heaven the feet. The Divine that makes the highest heaven is called the celestial Divine, but the Divine that makes the middle heaven is called the spiritual Divine, and the Divine that makes the lowest heaven is called the natural Divine from the spiritual and celestial. This makes it evident why the Lord is here described in respect to His Divine Human, which is the Son of man seen in the midst of the lampstands, not only as regards His garments, but also as to His head, breast, and feet. (That the Son of man is the Lord as to His Divine Human, see above, n. 63; and that the “lampstands” are heaven, see n. 62. But since these things are arcana hitherto unknown in the world, and yet must be understood in order that the internal sense of this and the following parts of this prophetical book may be comprehended, the particulars have been explained specifically in the work on Heaven and Hell; as That the Divine Human of the Lord makes Heaven, n. 7-12, 78-86, seq.; That on this account Heaven in the whole Complex represents one Man, n. 59-77; That there are Three Heavens, and that the highest refers to the head, the middle to the body, and the lowest to the feet, n. 2940.) When this is understood it can be seen what is signified in the Word by “the feet of Jehovah” or “of the Lord,” namely, the ultimate of Divine order, or the natural; and since the external of the church, of worship, and of the Word is the ultimate of Divine order in the church, and is the natural, this is specifically signified by “the feet of Jehovah” or “of the Lord.”
[3] Because of this signification of “the feet of Jehovah” or “of the Lord,” therefore when the Lord was seen as an Angel by the prophets elsewhere, He appeared in like manner. Thus by Daniel:
I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with gold of Uphaz; His body was like the tarshish stone, and His eyes as lamps of fire, and His arms and His feet like the brightness of polished brass (Dan. 10:5-6).
In like manner the cherubs, by which is meant the Lord in respect to providence and protection (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 9277, 9509, 9673), were seen by Ezekiel:
Their feet sparkled like the brightness of polished brass (Ezek. 1:7).
The Lord was seen in like manner as an Angel as described further on in Revelation:
I saw an Angel coming down out of heaven, arrayed with a cloud, and a rainbow was about His head, and His face was as the sun, and His feet as pillars of fire (Rev. 10:1).
As the Lord appeared in this manner as to His feet, therefore under His feet there was seen by some of the sons of Israel:
As it were a work of sapphire stone, and as it were the substance of heaven for clearness (Exod. 24:10).
Their vision of the Lord was not as to the feet, but “under the feet,” because they were not in, but under, the external of the church, of worship, and of the Word (see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 248).
[4] Since “the feet of Jehovah” or “of the Lord” signify the ultimate of Divine order, and this specifically is the external of the church, of worship, and of the Word, therefore this external is called in the Word “His footstool,” as in Isaiah:
The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, to beautify the place of My sanctuary; I will make the place of My feet honorable. And they shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet (Isa. 60:13-14).
In the same:
Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool (Isa. 66:1).
In Jeremiah:
God doth not remember His footstool in the day of anger (Lam. 2:1).
In David:
Worship Jehovah at His footstool (Ps. 99:5).
We will go into His tabernacles; we will worship at His footstool (Ps. 132:7).
In Nahum:
Of Jehovah, the clouds are the dust of His feet (Nahum 1:3).
“Cloud” is the external of the Word, or the Word in respect to the letter (see above, n. 36). Because “cloud” is the external of the Word, it is also the external of the church and of worship; for the church and worship are from the Word. “Clouds” are called “dust of His feet,” because those things that are in the sense of the letter of the Word, which is natural, appear scattered.
Metals have such significations from correspondence; for in heaven many things are seen shining as if from gold and silver, and also many things as if from brass and iron; and it is there known that by these the goods and truths mentioned above are signified. It was from this that the ancients, who had a knowledge of correspondences, named the ages according to these metals; calling the first age the “golden,” because innocence, love, and wisdom therefrom then ruled; but the second “silver,” because truth from that good, or spiritual good, and intelligence therefrom then ruled; the third age “brazen” or “copper,” because mere natural good, which is justness and sincerity of moral life, then ruled; but the last age they called “iron,” because mere truth without good then ruled, and when that rules, falsity also rules. All this was from the spiritual signification of these metals.
[2] From this it can be known what is signified by the image seen in a dream by Nebuchadnezzar:
The head of which was of gold, the breast and arms of silver, the belly and sides of brass, the legs of iron, and the feet partly of iron and partly of clay (Dan. 2:23, 33);
namely, the state of the church in respect to good and truth, from its first time to its last; its last time was when the Lord came into the world. When it is known that “gold” signifies celestial good, “silver” spiritual good, “brass” natural good, and “iron” natural truth, many arcana in the Word, where these metals are mentioned, can be understood. Thus what is signified by these words in Isaiah:
For brass I will bring gold, for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron; I will also make thy government peace, and thine exactors justice (Isa. 60:17).
[3] But as the signification of “brass,” as meaning natural good, is here treated of, I will cite only a few passages where “brass” is mentioned, as signifying that good. Thus in Moses:
Asher acceptable unto his brethren, and dipping his foot in oil. Thy shoe iron and brass, and as thy days thy fame (Deut. 33:24-25).
“Asher,” as one of the tribes, signifies the blessedness of life, and the delight of affections (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3938-3939, 6408); “to dip the foot in oil” signifies natural delight, “oil” is delight (see n. 9954), “foot” the natural (see just above, n. 69); “the shoe iron and brass” signifies the lowest natural from truth and good, “the shoe” is the lowest natural (see n. 1748, 1860, 6844), “iron” is its truth, and “brass” its good (as above). In the same:
Jehovah thy God will bring thee into a wealthy land; a land out of whose stones thou mayest hew out iron, and out of its mountains brass (Deut. 8:7, 9).
In Jeremiah:
I will give thee unto this people for a fortified wall of brass, that they may fight against thee and not prevail against thee (Jer. 15:20).
And in Ezekiel:
Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they were thy traffickers; with the soul of man and with vessels of brass they traded thy merchandise (Ezek. 27:13).
In this chapter the traffickings of Tyre are treated of, by which are signified the knowledges of good and truth; by the names “Javan,” “Tubal,” and “Meshech,” are signified such things as are of good and truth, of which knowledges treat; the “soul of man” is truth of life; “vessels of brass” are scientifics of natural good. (What is signified by “Tyre” may be seen in Arcana Coelestia, n. 1201; what by “traffickings,” n. 2967, 4453; what by “Tubal and Meshech,” n. 1151; what by “Javan,” n. 1152, 1153, 1155; what by the “soul of man,” n. 2930, 9050, 9281; what by “vessels,” n. 3068, 3079, 3316, 3318.) In the same:
The feet of the cherubs sparkled like the appearance of polished brass (Ezek. 1:7).
What “cherubs” and “feet” signify, see above (n. 69).
[4] In the same:
I saw and behold there was a man, whose appearance was like the appearance of brass, and a line of flax was in his hand; and he was standing in the gate (Ezek. 40:3).
It was because this angel measured the wall and the gates of the house of God, which signify the externals of the church, that his appearance was seen as the appearance of brass. He who knows that “brass” signifies the external of the church, which in itself is natural, can in some measure know why:
The altar of burnt-offering was overlaid with brass, and the grating about it was of brass, and the vessels of brass (Exod. 27:1-4);
as also why:
The great vessel, which was called the sea, with the twelve oxen under it, and the ten lavers with the bases, and also all the vessels of the tabernacle for the house of God, were made by Solomon of polished brass (1 Kings 7:43-47).
[5] He who knows what “brass” signifies may also enter into the arcanum why it was commanded that a serpent of brass be set up for the people to look at, of which it is thus written in Moses:
Jehovah sent serpents among the people, and they bit the people. And He said unto Moses, Make thee a serpent, and set it upon a standard, and it shall come to pass that everyone that is bitten, and looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and set it upon a standard; and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, and he looked unto the serpent of brass, he lived (Num. 21:6, 8-9).
That this “serpent” signified the Lord, He Himself teaches in John:
As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in Him may not perish, but may have everlasting life (John 3:14-15).
By the “serpent” is signified that which is the ultimate of life with man, and is called the external sensual, which is the natural. Because this ultimate in the Lord was Divine, a serpent of brass was made among the sons of Israel, with whom all things were representative; and this signified that if they would look to the Divine Human of the Lord they would live again, that is, if they would believe in Him they would have eternal life, as the Lord Himself also teaches. (That to “see” is in the spiritual sense to believe, see above, n. 37, 68; and that the “serpent” is the external sensual, which is the ultimate of man’s life, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 195-197, 6398, 6949, 10313.) That “brass” and “iron” in the Word also signify what is hard (as in Isa. 48:4; Dan. 7:19; and elsewhere), will be seen in what follows.
[2] But I will cite some passages from which it may be known that “waters” signify the truths of faith, likewise the knowledges of truth. Thus in Isaiah:
The earth is full of the knowledge of Jehovah, as the waters cover the sea (Isa. 11:9).
In the same:
Then with joy shall ye draw waters out of the fountains of salvation (Isa. 12:3).
In the same:
He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly, bread shall be given him, and his waters shall be sure (Isa. 33:15-16).
In the same:
The poor and the needy seek water, but there is none; their tongue faileth for thirst. I will open rivers upon the heights, and will place fountains in the midst of the valleys. I will make the wilderness into a pool of waters, and the dry land into a going forth of waters; that they may see, and know, and consider, and understand (Isa. 41:17, 18, 20).
In the same:
I will pour waters upon him that is thirsty, and streams upon the dry ground; I will pour My spirit upon thy seed, and My blessing upon thine offspring (Isa. 44:3).
In the same:
Thy light shall arise in the darkness, and thy thick darkness be as the noonday; that thou mayest be like a watered garden, and like a going forth of waters, whose waters shall not prove false (Isa. 58:10-11).
In Jeremiah:
My people have committed two evils; they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to hew out for themselves pits that hold no water (Jer. 2:13).
In the same:
Their nobles sent their little ones for water; they came to the pits and found no waters; they returned with their vessels empty; they were ashamed and confounded (Jer. 14:3).
In the same:
They have forsaken Jehovah, the fountain of living waters (Jer. 17:13).
In the same:
They shall come with weeping,* and with supplications will I lead them; I will lead them unto fountains of waters, in the way of right (Jer. 31:9).
In Ezekiel:
I will break the staff of bread, and they shall eat bread by weight and with carefulness; and they shall drink water by measure and with astonishment; that they may want bread and water, and be desolated, a man and a brother, and pine away for their iniquities (Ezek. 4:16-17; 12:18-19; Isa. 51:14).
In Amos:
Behold the days come, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but for hearing the Word of Jehovah. They shall wander from sea to sea, they shall run to and fro, to seek the Word of Jehovah, and shall not find it; in that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst (Amos 8:11-13).
In Zechariah:
In that day living waters shall go out from Jerusalem (Zech. 14:8).
In David:
Jehovah is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He will lead me to the waters of rest (Ps. 23:1-2).
In Isaiah:
They shall not thirst, He will cause waters to flow out of the rock for them, and He will cleave the rock, that the waters may flow out (Isa. 48:21).
In David:
O God, early will I seek Thee; my soul thirsteth, I am weary without waters (Ps. 63:1).
In the same:
Jehovah sendeth His word, He maketh the wind to blow, that the waters may flow (Ps. 147:18).
In the same:
Praise Jehovah, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens (Ps. 148:4).
In John:
When Jesus came to the fountain of Jacob, a woman of Samaria came to draw water; Jesus said to her, Give Me to drink. If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith unto thee, Give Me to drink, thou wouldest ask of Him, and He would give thee living water. The woman said unto Him, From whence hast Thou living water? Jesus said to her, Everyone that drinketh of this water shall thirst again; but whosoever shall drink of the water that I shall give him shall not thirst for ever; and the water that I shall give him shall become in him a fountain of water, springing up unto everlasting life (John 4:7-15).
In the same:
Jesus said, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture saith, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (John 7:37-38).
In Revelation:
I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely (Rev. 21:6).
And in another place:
The angel showed unto him a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb (Rev. 22:1).
And again:
The spirit and the bride say, Come. He that heareth, let him say, Come. And he that is athirst, let him come. And he that wisheth, let him take the water of life freely (Rev. 22:17).
[3] These passages have been cited that it may be known that in the Word “waters” signify the truths of faith, consequently what is meant by the water of baptism, about which the Lord thus teaches in John:
Except a man be born of water and of the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God (John 3:5).
“Waters” here are the truths of faith, and “spirit” a life according to them (see New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 202-209 seq.). Because it had not been known that “waters” signified the truths of faith, and that all things that were instituted among the sons of Israel were representative of spiritual things, it was believed that by the washings that were prescribed for them their sins were wiped away; yet this was not at all the case; those washings only represented purification from evils and falsities by means of the truths of faith and a life according to them (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3147, 5954, 10237, 10240). From this it is now clear that by “the voice,” which was “as the voice of many waters,” is meant Divine truth; as likewise in Ezekiel:
Behold the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east, and His voice was like the voice of many waters; and the earth was enlightened by His glory (Ezek. 43:2).
And in David:
The voice of Jehovah is upon the waters, Jehovah upon many waters (Ps. 29:3).
And in the following words in Revelation:
I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters (Rev. 14:2).
[4] I know that some will wonder why “waters” are mentioned in the Word, and not the truths of faith, since the Word is to teach man about his spiritual life; and since, if the expression the truths of faith had been used, instead of “waters,” man would have known that the waters of baptism and of washings contribute nothing to the purifying of man from evils and falsities. But it is to be known, that the Word in order to be Divine, and at the same time useful to heaven and the church, must be wholly natural in the letter, for if it were not natural in the letter there could be no conjunction of heaven with the church by means of it; for it would be like a house without a foundation, and like a soul without a body, for ultimates enclose all interiors, and are a foundation for them (see above, n. 41). Man also is in ultimates, and upon the church in him heaven has its foundations. For this reason the style of the Word is such as it is; and as a consequence, when man from the natural things that are in the sense of the letter of the Word thinks spiritually, he is conjoined with heaven, and in no other way could he be conjoined with it.
* The Latin has “weeping and with weeping,” the Hebrew “weeping and with supplication,” as also found in Apocalypse Explained, n. 239, 483; Arcana Coelestia, n. 3325.
[2] That “stars” signify the knowledges of good and truth, thus goods and truths, is from the appearance in the spiritual world; for there the Lord appears as a sun, and angels from afar off as stars. Angels appear thus from their reception of light from the Lord as a sun, thus from their reception of Divine truth, which is from the Lord, for this is the light of heaven. From this it is that it is said in Daniel:
The intelligent shall shine as the brightness of the expanse; and they that justify many, as the stars for ever and ever (Dan. 12:3).
The “intelligent” are they that are in truths, and “they that justify” are those that are in good (see the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 346-348).
[3] When it is known to any that the “sun” signifies the Lord in respect to Divine love, thus also Divine love from the Lord, and that “stars” signify the truths of the church and knowledges thereof, these can also know what is signified in the Word where it is said that “the sun shall be darkened,” and that “the stars shall not give light,” also that they “shall fall from heaven;” and also what “stars” signify when mentioned elsewhere in the Word, as in the following passages. In Isaiah:
I will make the land a waste, and destroy the sinners thereof out of it; the stars of the heaven and the constellations thereof shall not shine forth with their light; the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not make bright her light (Isa. 13:9-10).
The vastation of the church is here treated of, which is when there is no good of love any more, nor any truths of faith. The “land” that shall be laid waste is the church; the “land” is the church (as may be seen above, n. 29).
[4] In Ezekiel:
When I shall extinguish thee I will cover the heavens, and will make the stars dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not make her light to shine; all the luminaries of light will I make dark over thee, and I will set darkness upon the land (Ezek. 32:7-8).
“Darkness upon the land” means falsities in the church. In Joel:
The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars withdraw their brightness (Joel 2:10-11; 3:15).
In Matthew:
In the consummation of the age, after the affliction of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken (Matt. 24:29; Mark 13:24).
In Daniel:
From one of the horns of the he-goat went forth a horn, a little one, and it waxed exceeding great towards the south, and towards the east, and towards splendor; and it waxed great towards the host of the heavens; and some of the host and of the stars it cast down and trampled upon them. Yea, it magnified itself even to the Prince of the host (Dan. 8:9-11).
By the “host of the heavens” the goods and truths of the church in the complex are meant (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3448, 7236, 7988, 8019); in particular, such as combat against falsities (see n. 7277). From this Jehovah is called “Jehovah Zebaoth,” that is, Jehovah of Hosts (see n. 3448, 7988).
[5] In Revelation:
The dragon with his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven to the earth (Rev. 12:4).
The “stars” here also are the goods and truths of the church, and the knowledges thereof; the “third part” is the greater part; but what is signified by the “dragon” will be told in what follows. In the same:
The stars of heaven fell unto the earth (Rev. 6:13).
In the same:
A star from heaven is fallen unto the earth (Rev. 9:1).
In the same:
There fell from heaven a great star burning as a torch; it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters (8:10).
As “stars” signify the goods and truths of the church and the knowledges thereof, by their “falling from heaven” is signified that these perish. In David:
Jehovah telleth the number of the stars, He calleth them all by names (Ps. 147:4).
In the same:
Praise ye Jehovah, sun and moon; praise Him, all ye stars of light (Ps. 148:3).
In the book of Judges:
The kings came, they fought from heaven; the stars in their courses fought (Judg. 5:19-20).
Since the angels in the spiritual heaven shine as stars, and since all the truths and goods that are with the angels are from the Lord, therefore the Lord, as He is called an “Angel,” is likewise called a “Star,” as in Moses:
There shall arise a star out of Jacob, and a Scepter shall arise out of Israel (Num. 24:17).
In Revelation:
Jesus, the bright and morning Star (Rev. 22:16).
From this it can be seen:
Why the wise men from the east saw a star, and followed it, and why it stood where Jesus had been born (Matt. 2:1-2, 9).
From this it can now be known what is signified by the “seven stars” that were in the right hand of the Son of man, who there is the Lord in respect to the Divine Human (see above, n. 63).
When man is in this acknowledgment from the heart he comes as it were out of himself, and thence falls upon his face, and when he is thus out of himself he also is removed from the proprium [what is his own], which in itself is wholly evil; when this is removed, the Divine fills him and raises him up; not that the Divine desires such humiliation on its account, but because evil is then removed, and so far as evil is removed with man so far the Divine flows in; for evil alone stands in the way. (An example of such humiliation may be seen in the little work on the Earths in the Universe, n. 91.) Man’s state when the Divine presence with him removes proprium [what is his own], and afterwards infills him, is thus described in this verse: “When I saw Him I fell at His feet as dead; and He laid His right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not.” This state is more fully described in Daniel:
I lifted up mine eyes and looked, and behold a Man clothed in linen, His face as the appearance of lightning, and His eyes as lamps of fire, and His feet like the splendor of burnished brass. I alone saw the vision; but the men that were with me saw it not; but great fear fell upon them, and they fled. And there remained no strength in me; and I came into a deep sleep, and my face upon the ground. But lo, a hand touched me, and set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands, and He said, Fear not (Dan. 10:5-12).
This state is also described in Ezekiel, when he saw the cherubs, by which is signified the Lord in respect to Providence:
When I saw the glory of Jehovah, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of One that spoke. And He said unto me, son of man, stand upon thy feet, that I may speak to thee. And the spirit entered into me when He spoke unto me, and set me upon my feet, and I heard Him that spake unto me (Ezek. 1:28; 2:1-2; 3:24).
Likewise also, when Jesus was transfigured before Peter, James, and John, of which it is thus written in Matthew:
While Peter was yet speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and behold, a voice out of the cloud saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him. And when the disciples heard these things they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes they saw no one save Jesus only (Matt. 17:5-8).
From this it is apparent of what nature is the presence of the Divine Human of the Lord with man, when man is in a state of humiliation of heart, namely, that he falls upon his face, and by the touch of the Lord’s hand is raised upon his feet. It was plainly the presence of the Lord in respect to the Divine Human; since it was the “Son of man” who was in the midst of the lampstands that appeared in this way before John; and the “Son of man” is the Lord as to the Divine Human, see above (n. 63). It was similar with the disciples when the Lord was transfigured; it is therefore also said that “when they lifted up their eyes they saw no one save Jesus only.” That it was also the Lord as to the Divine Human who was seen by Daniel and Ezekiel, is evident from the words of the Lord himself, that:
No one hath heard the Father’s voice at any time, nor seen His form (John 5:37; see also John 1:18).
Moreover, that men worshiped the Lord when He was in the world, by falling upon the face at His feet, may be seen in Matt. 28:9; and in Mark 7:25-26; Luke 8:41; 17:15-16, 18; and in John 11:32.
Thou canst not see My faces; for man shall not see Me and live (Exod. 33:20);
Moses, therefore, because he desired to see, was placed in a cleft of a rock and was covered until the Lord had passed by. Furthermore, it was known to the ancients that man cannot see God and live, as is evident from the book of Judges:
Manoah said unto his wife, Dying we shall die, because we have seen God (Judg. 13:22);
and this was also attested to the sons of Israel, when the Lord was seen from Mount Sinai, of which it is thus written in Moses:
Be ready against the third day; for the third day Jehovah will come down in the eyes of all the people, upon Mount Sinai. And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the extremity of it; whosoever toucheth the mount dying he shall die. And because terror seized upon them, they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us and we will hear; but let not God speak with us lest perchance we die (Exod. 19:11-12; 20:19).
(That by “Mount Sinai” is signified heaven, where the Lord is, and that by “touching” is signified to communicate, to transfer, and to receive, and for this reason it was forbidden to touch the extremity of that mountain, see in the explanation of those chapters in the Arcana Coelestia.) Jehovah has been seen by many, as recorded in the Word, but this was because they were encompassed at the time by a column of spirits, and thus were preserved, as was said above. In this way the Lord has also been seen at different times by me. But the state of spirits in the Divine presence is different from the state of men; spirits cannot die, consequently if they are evil they die a spiritual death in the Divine presence, the nature of which will be spoken of presently; but those who are good are conveyed into societies, where the sphere of the Divine presence is tempered and accommodated to reception. On account of this there are three heavens, and in each heaven many societies, and those who are in the higher heavens are nearer to the Lord, and those who are in the lower are more remote from Him (see the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 20-28, 29-40, 41-50, 206-209). What the spiritual death is that evil spirits die in the Divine presence, shall be briefly stated. Spiritual death is a turning away and removal from the Lord. When evil spirits, however, who have not yet been vastated, that is, have not yet become fixed in their ruling love, enter any angelic society, then because the Divine of the Lord is there present they are direfully tormented, and not only turn away but even cast themselves down into the depths, where no light from heaven enters; some into dark caverns of rocks; in a word, into the hells (see what is shown in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 54, 400, 410, 510, 525, 527). This turning away and removal from the Lord is what is called spiritual death; and with such the spiritual of heaven is dead.
But this power is natural power, and communication thereby is an exertion of the bodily forces; but spiritual power is to will the good of another, and to will to convey to another as far as possible what is with oneself. This power is what “hand” in the spiritual sense signifies, and its communication and transference are signified by “touching with the hand.”
From this it can be seen what is signified by this, that the Lord, who is here called the “Son of man,” laid His right hand upon John, when John lay as dead, namely, that He communicated and transferred to him life from Himself (see above). “To touch,” and “to touch with the hand,” has a similar signification in many passages in the Word, as in the following. In Daniel:
The Lord, who there appeared to him as a man clothed in linen, whose appearance was as the appearance of lightning, and His eyes as torches of fire, and His feet as the brightness of polished brass, touched him; and restored him to his standing; and lifted him upon his knees; and touched his lips, and opened his mouth; and still again touched him, and strengthened him (Dan. 10:4 to the end).
In Jeremiah:
Jehovah put forth His hand, and touched my mouth, and said, I put My words into thy mouth (Jer. 1:9).
And in Matthew:
Jesus stretching forth His hand to the leper, touched him, saying, I will; be thou made clean. And straightway his leprosy was cleansed (Matt. 8:3).
In the same:
Jesus saw Peter’s wife’s mother sick of a fever, and he touched her hand, and the fever left her (Matt. 8:14-15).
In the same:
Jesus touched the eyes of the two blind men, and their eyes were opened (Matt. 9:29-30).
In the same:
When Peter was yet speaking, behold a bright cloud overshadowed the disciples, and behold, a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him. And when the disciples heard these things they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. Then came Jesus and touched them, and said, Arise, be not afraid (Matt. 17:5-8).
In Luke:
Jesus came and touched the bier of the dead, and said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. Then he that was dead sat up, and began to speak (Luke 7:14-15).
In the same:
Jesus touched the ear of the deaf one,* and healed him (Luke 22:51).
In Mark:
And they brought [to Jesus] little children, that He should touch them; and He took them in His arms, put His hands upon them, and blessed them (Mark 10:13, 16).
In the same:
They brought unto Jesus those that were ill, that they might touch if it were but the border of His garment; and as many as touched were made whole (Mark 6:56; Matt. 14:35, 36).
In Luke:
A woman suffering from an issue of blood touched the border of His garment; and immediately the issue of her blood stanched. Jesus said, Who is it that touched Me? Some one did touch Me; I knew that power went forth from Me (Luke 8:43-46).
Because “touching” and “laying on of hands” signify communicating and transferring to another what pertains to oneself, therefore it has been customary in the churches from ancient times to lay hands upon the head of those who are inaugurated and blessed:
This Moses also was commanded to do to Joshua (Num. 27:18-23; Deut. 34:9).
As all things among the sons of Israel were representative and significative of spiritual things, so also was touch; wherefore those who touched what was holy were sanctified, and those who touched what was unclean were polluted; for “touch” signified communication and transference to another, and reception from another, as can be seen from the following passages in Moses:
Whosoever shall touch the tent of meeting; the ark of the Testimony; the table, and all the vessels thereof; the lampstand and the vessels thereof; the altar of incense; the altar of burnt-offering, and all the vessels thereof, and the laver and the base thereof, shall be holy (Exod. 30:26-29).
Whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy (Exod. 29:37).
Everything that toucheth the remainder of the meal-offering, and the remainder of the flesh from the sacrifice, shall be holy (Lev. 6:18, 27).
Whosoever toucheth the dead, and purifieth not himself, defileth the tabernacle of Jehovah; and that soul shall be cut off from Israel. And whosoever in the open field toucheth one that is slain with a sword, or the bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days. He that toucheth the waters of separation shall be unclean until even. And whatsoever the unclean person toucheth shall become unclean, and the soul that toucheth it shall be unclean until even (Num. 19:11, 13, 16, 21-22).
He that toucheth unclean beasts and unclean reptiles shall be unclean. Everything upon which they shall fall shall be unclean, whether it be a vessel of wood, raiment, water, an earthen vessel, food, drink, an oven, (but not a fountain, pit, or receptacle of water) shall be unclean (Lev. 11:31-36, besides other places, as Lev. 5:2, 3; 7:21; 11:37, 38; 15:1 to the end; 22:4; Num. 16:26; Isa. 52:11; Lam. 4:14, 15; Hos. 4:2, 3; Hag. 2:12, 13, 14).
* In the Greek we have “servant”; but Arcana Coelestia, n. 10130 also has “deaf one.”
Fear not (Dan. 10:12, 19; Luke 1:12, 13; 2:8-10; Matt. 28:5, 9-10).
Renewal of life, that comes by accommodation to reception, appears in the spiritual world, when it is presented to view, as a cloud. All societies there are encompassed by such a cloud, denser or rarer according to reception. (That angels are encompassed by a thin correspondent cloud, lest they should be hurt by a nearer influx of the Divine of the Lord, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 6849. What “clouds” are in the spiritual world, and therefore in the spiritual sense, see above, n. 36.)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt in us (John 1:2-4, 14).
That the Lord is here meant by the “Word” is clear, for it is said, “the Word became flesh, and dwelt in us.” In the same:
As the Father hath life in Himself, even so gave He to the Son to have life in Himself (John 5:26).
In the same:
Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life (John 11:25).
And in the same:
Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).
It is believed in the world that man has life implanted in him, and that it does not therefore flow in unceasingly from Him who alone has life in Himself, and who thus alone is Life. But this belief is a belief in what is false (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 9).
The Son of man must suffer many things, and be repudiated by the elders and chief priests and scribes (Luke 9:22).
In the same:
The Son of man must suffer many things, and be repudiated by this generation (Luke 17:25).
In Mark:
It is written of the Son of man, that He should suffer many things and be set at naught (Mark 9:12).
In Luke:
Jesus took unto Him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all the things that are foretold through the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For He shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and shamefully entreated, and spit upon; and after they have scourged Him, they shall put Him to death; but the third day He shall rise again (Luke 18:31-33).
The way in which the Jews treated Divine truth, which was from the Word, is signified by these particulars. “Jerusalem” here is the Jewish Church; “to be delivered unto the Gentiles, to be mocked, to be shamefully entreated, to be spit upon, to be scourged, to be put to death,” are the wicked ways in which the Jews treated Divine truth; and as the Lord was Divine truth itself, because He was the Word (John 1:14), and as it was foretold in the prophets that Divine truth would be so dealt with in the end of the church, therefore it is said, “that all things may be accomplished that have been foretold through the prophets concerning the Son of man.” So elsewhere in the same Gospel:
These are the words which I spoke unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must needs be fulfilled which are written in the law of Moses, and in the Prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning Me (Luke 24:44).
That all things were accomplished when Jesus was crucified He Himself said, when He was upon the cross:
Jesus, knowing that all things were accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, I thirst (John 19:28).
He then said, “I thirst,” because He longed for a new church that would acknowledge Him. (That to “thirst,” in the spiritual sense, signifies to long for, and that it is predicated of the truths of the church, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4958, 4976, 8568.) These are also the things that were predicted by Daniel concerning vastation and desolation:
After sixty and two weeks shall the Messiah be cut off, but not for Himself; then the people of the Prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary, so that its end shall be with a flood. At last upon the bird of abominations shall be desolation, and even to the consummation and decision it shall drop upon the devastation (Dan. 9:26-27).
“Desolation” and “vastation” signify repudiation and rejection of Divine truth with those that are of the church (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 5360, 5376). That Divine truth, which is the Word, was so repudiated by the Jews, is also meant by these words in Matthew:
I say unto you that Elias is come already, and they have not acknowledged him, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Even so shall the Son of man suffer of them (Matt. 17:12).
By “Elias” the Word is signified (see Arcana Coelestia, preface to chapter 18 of Genesis, and in n. 2762, 5247), and also by “John the Baptist;” therefore he was called “Elias” (n. 7643, 9372). From this it can be seen what is signified by “Elias has come,” and that “they have done to him whatsoever they listed,” and that “the Son of man is to suffer of them.” How the Jews explained and thus rejected the Word is clear from many passages in the Gospels, where the Lord makes this manifest. From this it can now be seen that “I became dead,” signifies that He was rejected. Moreover, that the Lord, by the passion of the cross, also glorified His Human, that is, made it Divine, see New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 294, 295, 302, 305.
As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in Him may not perish, but may have eternal life. He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life; but he that believeth not on the Son shall not see life (John 3:14-16, 36).
In the same:
The water that I shall give shall become in him a fountain of water, springing up unto eternal life (John 4:10-11, 14).
Water is the truth of faith (see above, n. 71).
In the same:
Everyone that beholdeth the Son, and believeth on Him, hath eternal life. The words that I speak unto you are spirit and are life (John 66:40, 63).
The “words” that the Lord speaks are also the truths of faith. In the same:
I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in Me, though he die, yet shall he live (John 11:25-26).
In the same:
Work for the food which abideth unto eternal life, which the Son of man giveth (John 6:27).
The “food” which the Lord gives is also the truth and good of faith, because spiritual food is meant (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3114, 4459, 4792, 5147, 5293, 5340, 5342, 5410, 5426, 8562, 9003). It was said that the life of the Lord is in faith in Him and love to Him with man; this is because everything of faith and love is from Him, and that which is from Him is also Himself, for it is His proceeding Divine, which is called “the Spirit of Truth” and “the Holy Spirit;” and as the Lord is therein, and it is Himself, therefore it is said that they should abide in the Lord, which means in faith in Him and love to Him, from Him; as in John:
Jesus said, Abide in Me, and I in you. If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask whatever ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Abide in My love. If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love. He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit; for without Me ye cannot do anything (John 15:4-10).
From this it may be known what is meant by these words in John:
Ye see Me; because I live ye shall live also (John 14:19).
(That to “see” the Lord is to believe in Him, see above, n. 14, 25, 37; and that “to have faith,” or “to believe” in the Lord, is to be in love and charity, see the little work on The Last Judgment, n. 33-39; and New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 108-142.)
The Lord here says that He “has the keys of hell and of death,” because it is said immediately before that He is “alive unto the ages of the ages,” by which is meant that from Him is eternal life; and so far as the Lord is received in faith and in love so far as He is in man, and so far as He is in man so far He removes evils, thus the hells and eternal death. This the Lord alone does, and for this reason He ought to be received, as is evident also from the passages from the Word cited just above (n. 83). By “hell” evils of every kind are signified, because all evils are from hell. Whatever man thinks and wills is either from hell or from heaven. If he thinks and wills evil it is from hell, but if he thinks and wills good it is from heaven. There is no thought and will in man from any other source. The man who supposes that he thinks and wills from himself is not aware of this; but I can assert from all experience on this subject that every thing that a man thinks and wills is either from one or the other of these sources. For this reason, moreover, the man who thinks and wills evil is actually in hell; and where one actually is while he lives in the world thither will he come after death.
He can come into no other place because man’s spirit is formed and composed of those things that he thinks and wills. When, therefore, he thinks and wills evil, the whole man is formed and composed of evil, so that he is his own evil in form. From this it is that infernal spirits are altogether images of their own evil, and are monstrosities, horrible according to the kind of evil. Furthermore, the only means whereby a spirit can be formed and constituted for heaven is receiving the Lord in faith and love; for the Lord alone, by His presence in faith and love with man, removes evils, and forms man into an image of heaven, which is an angel. From this it can be seen what is signified by “having the keys of hell and of death.” The word “keys” is used because all the hells are closed up, and are opened only when evil spirits are cast into them, and when any are taken out of them, which occurs when evils increase with men. The openings that are then made are called “gates,” and as they are called “gates,” so also “keys” are mentioned, and these signify the power to open and to shut, since the opening and shutting of gates is effected by means of keys.
The keys given to Peter (Matthew 16:18, 19) have a like signification; for by “Peter” is there signified truth from the good which is from the Lord, thus it is meant that the Lord alone, from whom is all the truth of faith and the good of love, has that power (see the little work on The Last Judgment, n. 57).
By “angels” are here signified those who in heaven are in like correspondent good and truth with those in the church, because the universal heaven is divided into societies, and the societies are arranged according to the affections of good and truth in general and in particular. These societies correspond to those on earth who are in like affections of good and truth. All these societies are called “angels,” and each one is called an “angel;” and a society also when viewed from a distance, and when so presented as to be seen as a one, appears as a single angel (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 62, 68-72). Moreover, there is a complete correspondence of heaven with the church, or of the angels of heaven with the men of the church; through this correspondence heaven makes a one with the church. From this it is clear what is here signified by the “angels of the seven churches,” and in the following chapter by the “angel” of each church, where it is said, “Write to the angel of the Ephesian church,” “to the angel of the church of the Smyrneans,” “to the angel of the Pergmean church,” “to the angel of the church of Thyatira,” “to the angel of the church in Sardis,” “to the angel of the Philadelphian church,” and “to the angel of the Laodicean church;” the command evidently was to write, not to angels but to churches, that is, to those who are in such good and truth from the Lord and who are described by each church (of whom we shall treat in what follows). (That in the Word by “angel” nothing else is meant but good and truth which are from the Lord with angel and man, will be more fully shown in the following pages; in the meantime see what is shown concerning the heavens and the angelic societies in the work on Heaven and Hell, since without knowledge of these things from that source, what is said of angels in the following pages can be but little understood; for knowledge must precede if the understanding is to be illustrated.)
All things in Revelation have regard to that which is signified by the “seven golden lampstands,” that is, to the new heaven and the new church, as to their end and conclusion; consequently, these are treated of in the final chapters. The remaining things that come between are such things as stand in the way, and are to be removed, as what is said of the “dragon” and of the “beasts of Babylon.” When these no longer oppose, or when they are removed, the new heaven and the new church come forth and are manifest.
Revelation 2
1. To the angel of the Ephesian Church write: These things saith He that holdeth the seven stars in His right hand; He that walketh in the midst of the seven golden lampstands;
2. I know thy works, and thy toil, and thy endurance, and that thou canst not bear the evil, and hast tried them that say that they are apostles, and they are not, and hast found them liars;
3. And hast borne and hast endurance, and for My name’s sake hast toiled, and hast not failed.
4. But I have against thee, that thou hast left thy first charity.
5. Be mindful, therefore, of whence thou hast fallen, and repent, and do the first works; but if not, I will come unto thee quickly, and will move thy lampstand out of its place, except thou repent.
6. But this thou hast, that thou hatest the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
7. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
8. And to the angel of the church of the Smyrneans write: These things saith the First and the Last, who was dead and is alive:
9. I know thy works, and affliction, and poverty, but thou art rich;** and the blasphemy of them who say that they are Jews, and they are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
10. Fear not the things which thou art to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have affliction ten days: be thou faithful even till death, and I will give thee the crown of life.
11. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. He that overcometh shall not be hurt by the second death.
12. And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These things saith He that hath the sharp two-edged sword,
13. I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, where Satan’s throne is; and thou holdest My name, and didst not deny My faith, even in the days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
14. But I have against thee a few things: that thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumbling-block before the sons of Israel, to eat idol-sacrifices, and to commit whoredom.
15. So thou also hast then that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.
16. Repent; or else I will come to thee quickly, and will fight against thee with the sword or My mouth.
17. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. To him that overcometh, to him will I give to eat of the hidden manna; and will give him a white stone, and upon the stone a new name written, which no one knoweth except he that receiveth.
18. And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These things saith the Son of God, that hath His eyes as a flame of fire, and His feet like burnished brass.
19. I know thy works and charity, and ministry and faith, and thine endurance, and thy works, and the last to be more than the first.
20. But I have against thee a few things; that thou, sufferest the woman Jezebel, that calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce My servants to commit whoredom, and to eat idol-sacrifices.
21. And I gave her time that she might repent of her whoredom; and she repented not.
22. Behold, I cast her into a bed, and those that commit adultery with her into great affliction, except they repent of their works.
23. And her sons I will kill with death; and all the churches shall know that I am He that searcheth the reins and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your works.
24. But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and who have not known the depths of Satan, as they say; I put upon you no other burden.
25. Nevertheless, that which ye have, hold fast till I come.
26. And he that overcometh and keepeth My works unto the end, I will give him power over the nations.
27. And he shall rule them with an iron rod; as earthen vessels shall they be shivered, as I also have received from My Father.
28. And I will give him the morning star.
29. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
* “Golden” is not found in the Greek, nor in the text.
** “But thou art rich,” is crossed out by the author, but is found in n. 118 below. It is omitted in Apocalypse Revealed, n. 95.
That this is so anyone can see from this alone, that if anyone knows all the laws of moral and civil life, and does not live according to them, he still is not a moral and civil man; he may indeed talk about them more learnedly than others, but still he is rejected. It is the same with one who knows the ten precepts of the Decalogue, so as to be able even to explain and discourse about them with intelligence, and yet does not live according to them. Those, therefore, within the church who are in the knowledges of such things as pertain to the church, that is, who are in knowledges of truth and good from the Word, but are not, or not yet, in a life according to them, are here first treated of, and these are described by the things written to the angel of the Ephesian church.
Verses 1-7. To the angel of the Ephesian church write: These things saith He that holdeth the seven stars in His right hand; He that walketh in the midst of the seven golden lampstands; I know thy works and thy toil, and thy endurance, and that thou canst not bear the evil, and hast tried them that say, that they are apostles and they are not, and hast found them liars: and hast borne and hast endurance, and for My name’s sake hast toiled, and hast not failed. But I have against thee that thou hast left thy first charity. Be mindful therefore of whence thou hast fallen, and repent, and do the first works; but if not I will come unto thee quickly, and will move thy lampstand out of its place, except thou repent. But this thou hast, that thou hatest the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He that hath an ear let him hear what the spirit saith unto the churches. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God. 1. “To the angel of the Ephesian church write,” signifies for remembrance to those within the church who are in the knowledges of truth and good from the Word (n. 95); “these things saith He that holdeth the seven stars in His right hand,” signifies from whom are all the knowledges of good and truth (n. 96); “He that walketh in the midst of the seven golden lampstands,” signifies from whom is life to all in the new heaven and the new church (n. 97). 2. “I know thy works, and thy toil, and thy endurance,” signifies all things that they think, will, and do, thus all things of love and faith in the spiritual and in the natural man (n. 98); [“and that thou canst not bear the evil,” signifies that they reject evils (n. 99)] and hast tried them that say they are apostles and they are not, and hast found them liars,” signifies also falsities, so far as they are able to search them out (n. 100). 3. “And hast borne, and hast endurance,” signifies resistance against those who assail the truths of faith, and diligence in instructing (n. 101); “and for My name’s sake hast toiled,” signifies acknowledgment of the Lord and of the knowledges of truth that have respect to Him (n. 102); “and hast not failed,” signifies so far as they could (n. 103). 4. “But I have against thee that thou hast left thy first charity,” signifies that they do not make such a life as those lived who were in the church at its beginning the essential of knowledges (n. 104). 5. “Be mindful therefore of whence thou hast fallen, and repent, and do the first works,” signifies the remembrance of former things, and thus the remembrance of having deviated from the truth, and this in order that the good of life of the church at its beginning may come into mind (n. 105); “but if not I will come unto thee quickly, and will move thy lampstand out of its place, except thou repent,” signifies that if not, it is certain that heaven cannot be given (n. 106). 6. “But this thou hast, that thou hatest the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate,” signifies an aversion, derived from the Divine, towards those who separate good from truth, or charity from faith, from which separation there is no life (n. 107). 7. “He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches,” signifies that he who understands should hearken to what Divine truth proceeding from the Lord teaches and says to those who are of His church (n. 108); “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life,” signifies that he who receives in the heart shall be filled with the good of love, and with heavenly joy therefrom (n. 109); “which is in the midst of the paradise of God,” signifies that all knowledges of good and truth in heaven and in the church look thereto and proceed therefrom (n. 110).
That the Lord is the common center from whom is all direction and determination in heaven, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 123-124. That the extension of the light of heaven, which is Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, from which angels have intelligence and wisdom, is effected also from the midst into those who are round about, see the same, n. 43, 50, 189.) That “walking” signifies living, and in reference to the Lord, Life itself, is from appearances in the spiritual world, where all walk according to their life, the evil in no other ways than those that lead to hell, but the good in no other ways than those that lead to heaven; consequently all spirits are known there from the ways wherein they are walking. Moreover, ways actually appear there; but to the evil, the ways towards hell only, and to the good, the ways towards heaven only; and thus everyone is brought to his own society. From this it is that “walking” signifies living. (Of these ways, and walking therein, in the spiritual world, see what is shown in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 195, 479, 534, 590; and in the small work on The Last Judgment, n. 48.) That in the Word “ways” signify truths or falsities, and “walking” signifies living, may be seen from many passages therein; I will cite only a few here by way of confirmation. In Isaiah:
We have sinned against Jehovah; they would not walk in His ways, neither have they heard His law (Isa. 42:24).
In Moses:
If ye shall keep the commandments, by loving Jehovah your God, by walking in all His ways (Deut. 11:22).
In the same:
Thou shalt keep all this commandment to do it, by loving Jehovah thy God, and walking in His ways all the days (Deut. 19:9; 26:17).
In the same:
I will set My tabernacle in the midst of them,* and I will walk in the midst of you, and I will be to you for a God (Lev. 26:11, 12).
In the same:
Jehovah thy God walketh in the midst of your** camp, and therefore shall your** camp be holy (Deut. 23:14).
In Isaiah:
Remember, O Jehovah, how I have walked before Thee in truth (Isa. 38:3).
In the same:
He entereth into peace, walking in uprightness (Isa. 57:2).
In Malachi:
He walked with Me in peace and in uprightness (Mal. 2:6).
In David:
Thou hast delivered my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living (Ps. 56:13).
In John:
Jesus said, I am the light of the world; he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life (John 8:12).
In the same:
Yet a little while is the light with you; walk while ye have the light, that darkness overtake you not; and he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have the light believe on the light (John 12:35, 36).
In Mark:
The Pharisees and Scribes ask Him, Why walk not Thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders? (Mark 7:5).
In Moses:
If ye walk contrary to Me, and will not hearken to My voices, I will also walk contrary to you (Lev. 26:21, 23, 24, 27).
In Isaiah:
This people that walk in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwell in the land of the shadow, upon them hath the light shined (Isa. 9:2).
In Micah:
All the peoples walk in the name of their god, and we will walk in the name of Jehovah our God (Micah 4:5).
In Isaiah:
Who among you feareth Jehovah? He that walketh in darkness, who hath no brightness (Isa. 50:10);
besides many other passages (as in Jer. 26:4; Ezek. 5:6; 20:13, 16; Zech. 10:12; Micah 4:5; Luke 1:6). From these passages it can be seen that “walking,” in the spiritual sense, signifies living; and as it signifies living, so in reference to the Lord, as in this passage, it signifies Life itself, for the Lord is Life itself, and the rest are recipients of life from Him (see above, n. 82, 84).
* The Hebrew has “you.”
** In both instances of “your,” the Hebrew has “thy,” as also found in Arcana Coelestia, n. 10039.
[2] But leaving these matters, as being, perhaps, too little known about and therefore too obscure to be clearly apprehended, let us advance to this point only, that by “works,” in the spiritual sense, are meant all things that are of man’s will or love; and this, for the reason that in what follows as to the seven churches, it is everywhere said first, “I know thy works;” as in these verses:
To the angel of the church of the Smyrneans write: These things saith the First and the Last, I know thy works, and affliction, and poverty (Rev. 2:8-9);
To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These things saith He that hath the two-edged sword, I know thy works, and where thou dwellest (Rev. 2:12-13);
To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These things saith the Son of God, I know thy works and charity (Rev. 2:18-19);
To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These things saith He that hath the seven spirits of God, I know thy works, that thou art said to live (Rev. 3:1);
To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These things saith He that is holy, He that is true, I know thy works (Rev. 3:7-8);
To the angel of the Laodicean church write: These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, I know thy works (Rev. 3:14-5).
[3] As it is here said everywhere, “I know thy works,” it is clear that “works” signify, in general, all things of the church; and as all things of the church have reference to love and faith, therefore these are what are meant in the spiritual sense by “works.” These are meant in the spiritual sense by “works,” because every work or deed or act, that to appearance is done from the body, is not done from the body, but is done by means of the body from man’s will and thought, for not a particle of the body moves itself except from the will and thought. From this it is that “works” signify, not the things that appear in outward form, but the things of will and thought. That this is so is known to everyone who reflects. Who that is wise regards a man from his deeds alone, and not from his will? If the will is good he loves the deeds; but if the will is evil he does not love the deeds. He sees the deeds also, but interprets them according to the intention of the will. He who is spiritual attends still less to the deeds, but explores the will; for the reason already given, that deeds in themselves are nothing, but all that they are is from the will, for deeds are the will in act. It is said “will,” but in the spiritual sense love is meant, for a man wills what he loves, and he loves what he wills. Man’s will is only the receptacle of his love. (See what is said and shown in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, on that faculty of man, n. 28-35; and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 358, 470-484.)
[4] Because “works” or deeds in the Word signify specifically the things that proceed from man’s love or will, it is often said in the Word that a man shall be judged and it shall be rendered unto him according to his works; and the meaning is according to works in the internal form, not in the external; as in the following passages:
The Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then shall He render unto everyone according to his works (Matt. 16:27).
Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; their works do follow them (Rev. 14:13).
I will give unto each one of you according to his works (Rev. 2:23).
I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened; and the dead were judged out of the things which were written in the books, according to their works. The sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell gave up those that were in them; and they were judged everyone according to their works (Rev. 20:12, 13).
Behold I come, and My reward is with Me, to render to each one according to his works (Rev. 22:12).
In Jeremiah:
I will recompense them according to their work, and according to the doing of their hands (Jer. 25:14).
Jehovah, whose eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men, to give everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his works (Jer. 32:19).
Elsewhere:
I will visit upon him his ways, and will render unto him for his works (Hosea 4:9).
According to our ways and according to our works Jehovah hath done with us (Zech. 1:6).
Where the Lord prophesies respecting the Last Judgment He makes mention of works only, and declares that:
Those who have done good works shall enter into life eternal, and those who have done evil works into condemnation (Matt. 25:32-46).
[5] That “works” signify the things that are of love and faith the Lord also shows in these words:
They said to Jesus, What shall we do that we may work the works of God? Jesus answered, This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom [the Father] hath sent (John 6:28, 29).
The night cometh, when no man can work (John 9:4).
“Night” signifies the last time of the church, when there is no faith, because there is no charity. (That “night” signifies this time, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2353, 6000.) “Works” are so frequently mentioned, because the sense of the letter of the Word is made up solely of things external, which are in nature and which appear before the eyes: and this in order that there may be a spiritual sense in each particular, as a soul in a body, for otherwise the Word would not be a means of communication with the angels, for it would be like a house without a foundation (see above, n. 8, 16).
From this also it is that when “works” are mentioned, angels, because they are spiritual, do not understand works, but the things from which works spring, which are, as was said above, the will or love, and thought therefrom which is of faith. (This subject you will find more clearly explained in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 470-483, where it is shown that man is after death such as his life was in the world.) “Toil,” in the spiritual sense, means all things that man thinks, because spiritual toiling is thinking. And “endurance” signifies all things that man does, because “to endure” here means to be assiduous, and to put away the obstructions in the natural man that are continually rising up and hindering.
[2] By “apostles” those who teach the truths of the church are signified, because the apostles [those sent] were so called from their having been sent to teach and to preach the Gospel concerning the Lord and the drawing nigh of the kingdom of God through Him; thus to teach the truths of the church, by which the Lord is known and the kingdom of God is brought nigh. The kingdom of God on the earth is the church. From this it is evident what is meant by “apostles” in the spiritual sense of the Word, namely, not the twelve apostles who were sent by the Lord to teach concerning Him and His kingdom, but all who are in the truths of the church, and in a sense abstracted from persons, the truths themselves. For in the Word it is customary to speak of persons; but those who are in its spiritual sense, as angels are, do not think of persons at all, but their thought is abstracted from persons, and has respect therefore solely to things. The reason is, that it is material to think of persons, but spiritual to think apart from the idea of persons; for instance, where the “disciples” are mentioned in the Word, or “prophets,” “priests,” “kings,” “Jews,” “Israel,” “the inhabitants of Zion,” and of “Jerusalem,” and so on. (Moreover, the very names of persons and places are changed with angels into things, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 768, 1224, 1264, 1876, 1888, 4310, 4442, 5095, 5225, 6516, 10216, 10282, 10329, 10432; and that the thought of angels is abstracted from persons, n. 8343, 8985, 9007.)
[3] That the disciples of the Lord were called apostles from their having been sent to teach concerning Him and His kingdom is clear in Luke:
Jesus sent His twelve disciples to preach the kingdom of God. And the apostles, when they were returned, declared unto Him what things they had done. And Jesus spake to them of the kingdom of God (Luke 9:1, 2, 10, 11).
In the same:
When it was day, Jesus called His disciples; and He chose from the twelve, whom also He named apostles (Luke 6:13).
In the same:
I will send unto them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall kill and persecute (Luke 11:49).
They are called “prophets and apostles,” because by “prophets,” as well as by “apostles,” are meant those who were sent to teach truths; but by “prophets” those of the Old Testament, and by “apostles” those of the New. (That “prophets” in the Word signify those who teach truths and in a sense abstracted from persons the truths themselves, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2534.) As the “twelve apostles” signify the truths themselves of the church, it is said in Revelation:
The wall of the New Jerusalem had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb (Rev. 21:14).
(That by the “New Jerusalem” is meant the church in respect to doctrine, see in The small work on The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 6; that by its “wall” are signified the truths of doctrine for defense, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 6419; by the “foundations of the wall” are signified the knowledges of the truth, on which doctrine is founded, n. 9643; by “twelve” are signified all truths in the complex, n. 577, 2089, 2129, 2130, 3272, 3858, 3913. From this it is clear why it is said that in the foundations of the wall were the “names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.”)
[2] That “Jehovah’s name” or the “Lord’s name” does not mean the name itself, but all things of love and faith, is from the spiritual world. There the names used on the earth are not uttered; but the names of the persons who are spoken of are formed from the idea of all things known about them combined into a single word. In this way names in the spiritual world are expressed; consequently names there, like all the other things, are spiritual The names “Lord” and “Jesus Christ,” even, are not uttered there as on the earth, but in place of those names a name is formed from the idea of all things known and believed respecting Him; and this idea is made up of all things of love to Him and faith in Him. This is because these in the complex are the Lord in them; for the Lord is in everyone in the goods of love and of faith that are from Him. As this is so, the quality of everyone there, in respect to love to the Lord and faith in the Lord, is immediately known if he only utters “Lord” or “Jesus Christ” by a spiritual expression or spiritual name; and for the same reason also, those who are not in any love to Him or faith in Him are unable to speak His name, that is, to form any spiritual name of Him. From this it is now clear why by the “name” of Jehovah, of the Lord, or of Jesus Christ, name is not meant in the Word, but everything of love and of faith whereby He is worshiped.
[3] Lest, therefore, the opinion that is entertained by many should prevail, that the mere name Jesus Christ, without love to Him or faith in Him, thus without the knowledges by which love and faith exist, contributes something to salvation, I will introduce some passages from the Word in which the expressions “for His name’s sake” and “in His name” are used, from which those who think more deeply may see that name alone is not meant:
Jesus said, Ye shall be hated of all for My name’s sake (Matt. 10:22; 24:9, 10).
Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them (Matt. 18:20).
As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become sons of God; even to them that believe in His name (John 1:12).
When Jesus was in Jerusalem many believed in His name (John 2:23).
He that believeth not hath been judged already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God (John 3:17, 18).
These are written that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye may have life in His name (John 20:31).
Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord (Matt. 21:9; 23:39; Luke 13:35; 19:35).
Everyone that hath left houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or fields, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundred-fold, and eternal life (Matt. 19:29).
(What is here signified by “houses, brethren, sisters, father, mother, wife, children, and fields,” which are to be left for the name of the Lord, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 10490.)
Jesus said, Whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that I will do (John 14:13, 14);
“to ask in My name” is to ask from love and faith.
Many shall come in My name, saying, I am He; go ye not therefore after them (Luke 21:8; Mark 13:6);
“to come in My name” and “to say that I am He” is to proclaim falsities and to say that they are truths, and thus to lead astray. The like is signified by saying that they are the Christ, when they are not, in Matthew:
Many shall come in My name, saying, I am the Christ, and shall lead many astray (Matt. 24:5, 11, 23-27);
for by “Jesus” is meant the Lord in respect to Divine good; and by “Christ” the Lord in respect to Divine truth (Arcana Coelestia, n. 3004-3005, 3009, 5502), and by not being Christ, truth not Divine, but falsity.
[4] The “name of the Lord,” in the New Testament means the like as the “name of Jehovah” in the Old, because the Lord there is Jehovah. Thus in Isaiah:
And in that day shall ye say, Confess ye to Jehovah, call upon His name (Isa. 12:4).
In the same:
O Jehovah, we have waited for Thee; to Thy name and to Thy memorial is the desire of our soul. By Thee will we make mention of Thy name (Isa. 26:8, 13).
In the same:
From the rising of the sun shall My name be called upon (Isa. 41:25).
In Malachi:
From the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same My name is great among the nations; and in every place incense is offered unto My name; for My name is great among the nations (Mal. 1:11).
In Isaiah:
Everyone that is called by My name I have created for My glory, I have formed him (Isa. 43:7).
In Micah:
All peoples walk in the name of their god, and we will walk in the name of Jehovah our God (Micah 4:5).
In Moses:
Thou shalt not take the name of thy God in vain; for Jehovah will not hold him guiltless that hath taken His name in vain (Deut. 5:11).
In the same:
Jehovah separated the tribe of Levi, that they should minister and bless in the name of Jehovah (Deut. 10:8).
In the same:
They shall worship Jehovah in one place, where He shall place His name (Deut. 12:5, 11, 13, 14, 18, 26; 16:2, 6, 11, 15, 16).
“Where He shall place His name” means where there shall be worship from the good of love and the truths of faith. This was done at Jerusalem; and therefore by “Jerusalem” the church in respect to doctrine and worship is signified (see in the small work on The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 6).
[5] Since by the “name of Jehovah” or the “name of the Lord” is signified in the spiritual sense all worship from the good of love and the truths of faith, therefore in the highest sense by “name of Jehovah” is meant the Lord in respect to the Divine Human, for the reason that from His Divine Human everything of love and of faith proceeds. That by “name of Jehovah,” in the highest sense, the Lord is meant, is evident in John:
Jesus said, Father, glorify Thy name. There came a voice out of heaven, saying, I have both glorified and will glorify again (John 12:28).
In Isaiah:
I will give thee for a covenant to the people, for a light of the nations. I am Jehovah, this is My name, and My glory will I not give to another (Isa. 42:6, 8);
the coming of the Lord is here treated of. In Jeremiah:
Behold the days come that I will raise unto David a righteous shoot, and He shall reign as King, and this is His name, by which they shall call Him, Jehovah, our righteousness (Jer. 23:5, 6).
From this it is clear what is meant in the Lord’s prayer by the words:
Hallowed be Thy name (Matt. 6:9);
namely, that the Divine Human of the Lord is to be accounted holy, and to be worshiped.
[6] As this is meant by “the name of the Lord,” the meaning of the following passages can be seen. In John:
The shepherd of the sheep calleth his own sheep by their name (John 10:3).
In Luke:
Rejoice that your names are written in heaven (Luke 10:20).
And in Revelation:
Thou hast a few names in Sardis (Rev. 3:4).
He who does not know what “name” signifies in the Word cannot possibly know how these words are to be understood, in Matthew:
He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he that receiveth a righteous one in the name of a righteous one shall receive a righteous one’s reward; and whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold [water] in the name of a disciple only, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward (Matt. 10:41, 42).
“To receive a prophet in the name of a prophet,” “a righteous one in the name of a righteous one,” and “to give drink in the name of a disciple,” signifies to love truth for the sake of truth, good for the sake of good, and to exercise charity from the faith of truth; for by “prophet” is signified truth, by “righteous one” is signified good, and by “disciple” good from truth; and “to give to drink of cold [water]” is to exercise charity from obedience; “in the name” of these is for the sake of what they are, thus for their sake. Who could ever understand these things unless he knew what “name” signifies?
[7] To love and to do truth for the sake of truth, and good for the sake of good, is to have affection for truth and good for their sake, and not for the sake of one’s own reputation, honor, or gain. Such affection of truth and good is a truly spiritual affection; but the affection of truth and good for the sake of one’s own reputation, honor, or gain, is a merely natural affection. And as those who love truth and good for the sake of truth and good, or because they are truth and good, are in the spiritual affection of truth and good, therefore it is said that they shall receive “a prophet’s reward” and “a righteous one’s reward;” which means that they are in the spiritual affection of truth and good, and this affection has reward in itself, because it has heaven in itself. (That the happiness of heaven is in the affection of loving and doing truth and good, without regard to reward as an end, thus for the sake of truth and good, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 6388, 6478, 9174, 9984. That “prophet” signifies one who teaches truth, thus also, in the abstract, truth that is taught, see n. 2534, 7269. That a “righteous one” signifies the good of love to the Lord, n. 2235, 9857. That “disciple” signifies good from truth, which is the good of charity, n. 2129, 3354, 3488, 3858, 6397. That “to give drink” is to instruct in the goods and truths of faith, and thus to exercise charity, n. 3069, 3772, 4017, 4018, 8562, 9412; and that “name” signifies the quality of a thing, n. 144, 145, 1754, 1896, 2009, 3237; hence “the name of Jehovah,” or “the name of the Lord,” signifies every quality by which He is worshiped, n. 2724, 3006, 6674, 9310.)
[2] The whole spirit of man is nothing but his will; when, therefore, man becomes a spirit, he is unable to resist anything that is favored by his will, for the whole man strives after it. That this is so is well known in the spiritual world; and I have occasionally seen the trial made, whether a spirit could do anything contrary to his will, from which he exists, and it was found that he could not. From this it was clear that man’s will is what gives form to his spirit, and that man’s spirit after it has left the body is his will. Whether you say will or love it is the same, for what a man loves he wills; so whether you say that the spirit of man cannot resist his will, or that it cannot resist his love, it is the same. The knowledges of good and truth, before they enter a man’s will or love, contribute nothing whatever to his salvation, because they are not within the man: but out of him. But still knowledges are necessary, for without them man can know nothing of spiritual life, and he who knows nothing of spiritual life cannot become spiritual; for that which a man knows he can think, can will, and can do, but not that which he does not know. But yet if knowledges enter no deeper than into the memory and into thought therefrom, they do not affect him, and consequently do not save him.
[3] It is believed by many in the world at this day, especially by those who make faith alone the essential of the church, that to know doctrinals and from mere knowing to believe that they are true, saves man, however he may live; but I can affirm that no one is saved by these alone. I have seen many, even the most learned, cast into hell; but on the other hand, those who have lived according to the knowledges of truth and good from the Word I have seen raised up into heaven. From this it is clear that knowledges are of no avail, but a life according to them; and that knowledges merely teach how man ought to live. To live according to the knowledges of truth and good is to think that one must do thus and not otherwise because it is commanded by the Lord in the Word. When man thus thinks and thus wills and does, he becomes spiritual. Yet it is necessary for those within the church to believe in the Lord, and when they think of Him to think of His Divine in the Human, since from His Divine Human everything of charity and faith proceed.
[2] It is true that there are many in the church who say that charity is the essential of the church, and not faith separate; but to say this and believe it, and not to live a life of charity, is not to make it the essential, but only to say that it is. Such, therefore, are in the same position as those who say that faith is the essential, for to them charity is a matter of faith alone, and not of life; consequently they cannot be illustrated. About such in the spiritual world something snow-like, as if of light, appears; but the light from which the snow-like appearance is derived is natural; and this light is such that when light from heaven, which is spiritual light, flows in, it is changed into darkness. Such dwell there towards the left, almost in the angle of the north and west. These are intelligent only so far as they have applied the knowledges of truth and good to life.
[3] All who are in the knowledges of truth and good, but not, conformably to these, in the good of life, may live a moral life equally with those who are in knowledges and through these in the good of life; yet their moral life is not spiritual but natural, because in their life they do not live sincerely, justly, and well from religion; and those who do not live well from religion cannot be conjoined with heaven; for it is religion that makes a man spiritual and conjoins him with the angels, who are purely spiritual. To live well from religion is to think, to will, and to do because it has been so enjoined in the Word, and because the Lord has commanded it; but to live not from religion is to think, to will, and to do from a regard solely to civil and moral laws. Such as these, since they have regard only to these laws, conjoin themselves to this world alone, for which these laws are; but the former have regard to the Lord, and thereby conjoin themselves to Him. Gentiles are saved solely by this, that in their life they have regard to religion, thinking and saying that they ought to do thus and not otherwise, because to do otherwise would be contrary to the laws of their religion, thus contrary to the Divine; and when they thus think, and act accordingly, they are endowed with spiritual life, which with them is of such quality that afterwards, in the spiritual world, they receive truths more readily than those Christians who, in what they do, give no thought to the Word, or to the doctrine of the church, which is from the Word.
[4] Those who do not think from religion do not have conscience, because they are not spiritual; consequently, if their external bonds, which are fears respecting the law and reputation, should be loosened with them, they would rush into every wickedness; while on the other hand, if external bonds, which are fears respecting the law and reputation, should be taken away from those who think from religion, they would still act sincerely, justly, and well; for they fear God, and are kept in a life of obedience and charity out of heaven from the Lord, to whom they are conjoined. Those who separate charity from faith are called “Nicolaitans” chiefly from the sound of that word in heaven, for its sound is from truth or faith, and not from good or charity. (That from the expressions in the Word it may be known whether they involve good or truth, thus also whether they involve the one separate from the other, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 241.)
He that hath an ear to hear let him hear (as in Matt. 11:15; 12:43; Mark 4: 9, 23; 7:16; Luke 8:8; 14:35).
In Revelation it is added, “what the Spirit saith unto the churches;” since by this is signified what Divine truth teaches and says to those who are of the church, or what is the same, what the Lord teaches and says, for all Divine truth proceeds from Him (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 13, 133, 137, 139); for this reason the Lord did not Himself say, “what the Spirit saith,” because He who spoke was the Divine truth.
[2] That knowing and understanding Divine truths does not make the church and form heaven with man, but knowing, understanding, and doing, the Lord teaches plainly in many passages; as in Matthew:
He that heareth these words of Mine and doeth them, is likened unto a prudent man, but he that heareth and doeth them not, is likened unto a foolish man (Matt. 7:24, 26).
In the same:
He that was sown upon good land, this is he that heareth the Word, and taketh heed and thence beareth fruit (Matt. 13:23).
In Luke:
Everyone that cometh to Me and heareth My words, and doeth them, I will show to whom he is like. He is like a man building a house, who laid the foundation on a rock. But he that heareth and doeth not is like a man that built a house upon the earth, without a foundation (Luke 6:47-49).
In the same:
My mother and My brethren are they who hear the Word of God and do it (Luke 8:21);
and in many other places. In these passages, “hearing” signifies simply hearing, which is knowing and understanding. “Hearing,” in common discourse, has this meaning when one is said “to hear” a thing; but it means both understanding and doing when it is said “give ear to,” or “hearken to,” also “listen to.” Moreover, those who have separated life from faith are like those of whom the Lord speaks in Matthew:
Seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand (Matt. 13:13-15; Ezek. 12:2).
[2] “The tree of life” signifies the good of love and heavenly joy therefrom, because “trees” signify such things as are with man in his interiors, which are of his mind [mens] or disposition [animus]; “boughs” and “leaves” signifying those things that are of the knowledges of truth and good, and “fruits” the goods of life themselves. This signification of trees draws its origin from the spiritual world; for in that world trees of every kind are seen, and the trees that are seen correspond to the interiors of the angels and spirits which are of their mind; the most beautiful and fruitful trees to the interiors of those who are in the good of love and thence in wisdom; trees less beautiful and fruitful to those who are in the good of faith; but trees bearing leaves only, and without fruits, to those who are only in the knowledges of truth; and horrible trees, with noxious fruits, to those who are in knowledges and in evil of life. To those, however, who are not in knowledges, and who are in evil of life, no trees appear, but stones and sands instead. These appearances in the spiritual world really flow from correspondence, for the interiors of the minds of those there are by such effigies presented actually before their eyes. (These things may be better seen from two chapters in the work on Heaven and Hell; first, where the Correspondence of Heaven with all things of Earth is treated of, n. 103-115; and the other, where Representatives and Appearances in Heaven are treated of, n. 170-176, and in what follows there, n. 177-190.)
[3] It is from this that “trees” are so often mentioned in the Word, and by them are signified the things with men that belong to their minds; and from this it is also that in the first chapters of Genesis: two trees are said to have been placed in the garden of Eden, one called “the tree of life,” and the other “the tree of knowledge.” “The tree of life” there signifies the good of love to the Lord, and heavenly joy therefrom, which were with those who were then of the church, and who are meant by the “man” and his “wife;” and by “the tree of knowledge” is signified the delight of knowledges apart from any other use than to be accounted learned and to acquire repute for erudition solely for the sake of honor or gain. “The tree of life” also signifies heavenly joy, because the good of love to the Lord, which is specifically signified by that tree, has heavenly joy in it (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 395-414, and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 230-239).
[4] That “trees,” which are so often mentioned in the Word, signify the interiors of man which belong to his mind and disposition, and the things that are on trees, as leaves and fruit, signify such things as are from these interiors, can be seen from the following passages:
I will give in the desert the cedar, the shittah tree,* and the myrtle, and the oil tree; I will set in the wilderness the fir tree, the pine, and the box tree (Isa. 41:19).
The establishment of the church is there treated of:
The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir tree, the pine, and the box tree together, to deck the place of My sanctuary (Isa. 60:13).
All the trees of the field shall know that I, Jehovah, humble the high tree, exalt the low tree, dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree to bud (Ezek. 17:24).
Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour the green tree in thee, and every dry tree (Ezek. 20:47).
The vine is withered, and the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, all the trees of the field are withered: joy is withered away from the sons of men (Joel 1:12).
When the angel sounded, there followed hail and fire, which fell upon the earth; and the third part of the trees was burnt up (Rev. 8:7).
Beltshasar** saw in a dream a tree in the midst of the earth, and the height thereof was great. The leaves thereof were fair, and the flowers many, and in it was food for all (Dan. 4:10-12).
(Because “trees” in general signify such things as are with man and constitute the interiors of his mind, and so also the spiritual things that are of the church; and because both are of various kinds, therefore there are so many kinds of trees mentioned, each signifying something different. What the various kinds signify is shown in the Arcana Coelestia, as what is signified by the “oil tree,” n. 9277, 10261; what by the “cedar,” n. 9472, 9486, 9528, 9715, 10178; what by the “vine,” n. 1069, 5113, 6375, 6378, 9277; what by the “fig,” n. 217, 4231, 5113, etc.)
[5] Moreover, the things that are on trees, as leaves and fruit, signify such things as are with man; “leaves,” the truths with him, and “fruits,” the goods, as in the following passages:
He shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and shall spread out his roots by the river; his leaf shall be green; neither shall he cease from yielding fruit (Jer. 17:8).
By the river flowing out from the house of God, upon the bank on this side and on that, ascendeth the tree of food, whose leaf falleth not off, nor is its fruit consumed; it is renewed in its months, because its waters issue out of the sanctuary, whence its fruit is for food, and its leaf for medicine (Ezek. 47:12).
In the midst of the street and of the river (flowing out from the throne of God and of the Lamb), on this side and on that, was the tree of life, bearing twelve fruits, yielding its fruit every month, and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations (Rev. 22:1, 2).
Blessed is the man whose delight is in the law; he shall be like a tree planted by the streams of waters, that bringeth forth its fruit in its time, whose leaf also doth not wither (Ps. 1:3).
Be not afraid, for the tree shall bear fruit, the fig tree and the vine shall yield their strength (Joel 2:22).
The trees of Jehovah are satisfied, the cedars of Lebanon which He hath planted (Ps. 104:16).
Praise Jehovah, ye fruit trees, and all cedars (Ps. 148:7, 9).
[6] Because “fruits” signified the goods of life with man, therefore it was commanded in the Israelitish church, which was a representative church, that the fruits of trees, like men themselves, should be circumcised, concerning which it is thus written:
The fruit of the tree serving for food in the land of Canaan shall be uncircumcised; three years shall they be uncircumcised. But in the fourth year all the fruit thereof shall be holy, praises to Jehovah. And in the fifth year shall ye eat [of the fruit thereof] (Lev. 19:23-25).
Because the “fruits of the tree” signified the goods of life, it was also commanded:
That in the feast of tabernacles they should take the fruits of the tree of honor, and the boughs, and be glad before Jehovah, and thus should keep the feast (Lev. 23:40, 41).
For by “tabernacles” were signified the goods of heavenly love, and holy worship therefrom (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 414, 1102, 2145, 2152, 3312, 4391, 10545); and by the “feast of tabernacles” was signified the implantation of that good or love (n. 9296). Because “fruits” signified the goods of love which are goods of life:
It was amongst the blessings that the tree of the field should give its fruit, and among the curses that it should not bear fruit (Lev. 26:4, 20).
So also it was a command that when any city was besieged:
They should not lay the axe to any tree of good fruit (Deut. 20:19, 20).
From all this it can be seen that “fruits” signify the goods of love, or what is the same, the goods of life, which are also called “works,” as likewise in these passages in the Evangelists:
The axe lieth unto the root of the tree; every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be hewn down and cast into the fire (Matt. 3:10; 7:16-21).
Either make the tree good and the fruit good, or else make the tree corrupt and the fruit corrupt; for the tree is known by its fruit (Matt. 12:33; Luke 6:43, 44).
Every branch that beareth not fruit shall be taken away; but every branch that beareth fruit shall be pruned, that it may bring forth more fruit (John 15:2-8).
A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came seeking fruit thereon, but found none. And he saith unto the vine dresser, Behold, for three years I come seeking fruit from the fig tree, and find none; cut it down; why should it make the ground unfruitful? (Luke 13:6-9).
Jesus saw a fig tree by the way; He came to it, and found nothing thereon but leaves only; and He said, Nevermore from thee shall there be fruit. And immediately the fig tree withered away (Matt. 21:19; Mark 11:13, 14, 20).
The “fig tree” signifies the natural man and its interiors, and “fruits” signify his goods (Arcana Coelestia, n. 217, 4231, 5113); but “leaves” signify knowledges (n. 885). From this it is clear what is signified by the fig tree’s withering away because the Lord found on it leaves only and no fruit. All these passages are cited that it may be known what is signified by the “tree of life in the midst of the paradise of God,” namely, the good of love proceeding from the Lord, and heavenly joy therefrom.
* This is translated “the cedar of Shittah” in Arcana Coelestia, n. 9472, 9780, Apocalypse Explained, n. 294, 375, 730.
** In the Chaldee this is related of Nebuchadnezzar.
[2] From this it can be seen not only what is signified by the “paradise” or “garden in Eden,” but also by the “paradises” or “gardens of God” elsewhere in the Word, as in Isaiah:
Jehovah shall comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places, even that He may make her wilderness into Eden, and her desert into a garden of Jehovah; joy and gladness shall be found therein (Isa. 51:3).
In Ezekiel:
Thou hast been in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering (Ezek. 28:13).
These things are said of Tyre, because by “Tyre” in the Word a church that is in the knowledges of truth and good and in intelligence therefrom is signified (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1201); its intelligence therefrom is “Eden, the garden of God,” likewise “the precious stone” from which is its “covering” (see n. 114, 9863, 9865, 9868, 9873). In the same:
Behold Asshur a cedar in Lebanon. The cedars have not hid it in the garden of God; nor was any tree in the garden of God equal to it in beauty. I have made it beautiful by the multitude of its branches; and all the trees of Eden in the garden of God envied it (Ezek. 31:3, 8, 9).
By “Asshur” in the Word those who have become rational by the knowledges of good and truth, thus whose minds are illustrated from heaven, are meant. (That “Asshur” is the rational of man, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 119, 1186.)
[3] Something shall now be said to explain how it is to be understood that all knowledges of good and truth look to the good of love to the Lord and proceed therefrom, which is the significance of these words: “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God.” The good of love to the Lord is the Lord Himself, since the Lord is in the good of His love with man, spirit, and angel. That all knowledges of good and truth look thereto, or to the Lord, is known in the Christian church; for the doctrine of the church teaches that there is no salvation apart from the Lord, and also that all salvation is in the Lord.
The knowledges of good and truth, or doctrinals from the Word, teach how man can come to God and be conjoined to Him. (That no one can be conjoined to God except from the Lord and in the Lord, see Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 283, 296.) From this it can be seen that all things taught by the church from the Word look to the Lord and to love to Him, as the end to which [ad quem]. That all knowledges of good and truth, or all doctrinals from the Word, proceed from the Lord is also known in the church, for it is there taught that everything of love and everything of faith is from heaven, and that nothing is from man; and that no one can love God and believe in Him from himself. To love God and to believe in Him involve all things that the church teaches, called doctrinals and knowledges, since from these is God loved and believed in. There is no love and faith without previous knowledges; for without knowledges man would be empty.
[4] From this it follows that as everything of love and of faith proceeds from the Lord, so do all knowledges of good and truth which make and form love and faith. Because all knowledges of good and truth look to the Lord, and proceed from Him, and this is what is signified by “the tree of life in the midst of the paradise of God,” therefore all the trees in paradise are called “trees of life” and “trees of Jehovah;” in Revelation “trees of life”:
In the midst of the street and of the river (flowing out from the throne of God and of the Lamb) on this side and on that was the tree of life, bearing twelve fruits (Rev. 22:2).
In David they are called “trees of Jehovah”:
The trees of Jehovah are satisfied, the cedars of Lebanon which He hath planted (Ps. 104:16).
From this also it is clear that by the “tree of life in the midst of paradise” is meant every tree there, in other words, every man in the midst of whom, that is, in whom is the Lord. From what has been shown here and in the preceding article, what is signified by the words, “The Lord will give to him that overcometh to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God,” may be learned.
[2] In the things written to the angel of the Ephesian church, explained just above, those are described who are in the knowledges of truth and good, and not also, or not yet, in a life according to them. Here now those are described who are in the knowledges of truth and good, and at the same time in a life according to them; these, therefore, are in the affection of truth from a spiritual source; but the former are those who are in the affection of truth from a natural source. In general, there are affections of truth from two sources, namely, from a natural and from a spiritual source. Those who are in the affection of truth from a natural source look first to self and the world, and thence are natural; but those who are in the affection of truth from a spiritual source look first to the Lord and to heaven, and thence are spiritual. Man’s affection or love looks either downwards or upwards; those who look to self and the world look downwards, but those who look to the Lord and to heaven look upwards. A man’s interiors, which are of his mind, actually look in the same direction as his love or affection does, for love determines them; and such as is the determination of man’s interiors, which are of his mind, such after death does the man remain to eternity. Looking downwards or upwards is looking from love through the understanding, thus through the things that form and make the understanding, which are the knowledges of truth and good.
[3] In what is written to the angel of the Ephesian church, those within the church who are in the knowledges of truth and good, and not also, or not yet, in a life according to them, thus those who are in the affection of truth from a natural source, are described; and now in what is written to the angel of the church of the Smyrneans, those who are in the knowledges of truth and good, and also in a life according to them, thus those who are in the affection of truth from a spiritual source are described; and this because the former is the first [state] of the church, and the latter is the second. For no one can be introduced into the church and formed for heaven, except by knowledges from the Word. Without these man does not know the way to heaven, and without these the Lord cannot dwell with him. It can be seen that without the knowledges of truth and good from the Word no one can know anything of the Lord, of the angelic heaven, or of charity and faith; and that which a man does not know he cannot think, thus cannot will, and accordingly cannot believe and love. It is evident, therefore, that by means of knowledges man learns the way to heaven. It can also be seen that without the knowledges of truth and good from the Word the Lord cannot be present with man and lead him, for when man knows nothing of the Lord, of heaven, of charity and faith, his spiritual mind, which is the higher mind, and is intended to see by the light of heaven, is empty, and has nothing from the Divine in it. But the Lord cannot be with man except in His own with man, that is, in the things that are from Him. For this reason it was said that unless a man is in the knowledges of truth and good from the Word and in the life thereof, the Lord cannot dwell with him. From this, taken together, it follows that the natural man can by no means become spiritual without the knowledges of good and truth from the Word.
[4] By “the angel of the church of the Smyrneans” are meant those within the church who wish to understand the Word, but do not yet understand, and therefore are as yet but little in the knowledges of truth and good, which nevertheless they desire because they are in the spiritual affection of truth; and those who are in the spiritual affection of truth are also in the life of charity, for from that they have spiritual affection. The spiritual comes to man from no other source than from charity. Those who are in spiritual affection are interested in the Word, and desire nothing more earnestly than to understand it. But as there are innumerable things therein that they do not understand, because the Word in its bosom is spiritual and the spiritual includes infinite arcana, therefore, so long as man lives in the world and then sees from the natural man, he can be but little in the knowledges of truth and good, and in generals only, in which, however, innumerable things may be implanted when he comes into the spiritual world or heaven.
[5] A man who is in the affection of truth from a spiritual origin knows many more things than he knew before; for the general knowledges that he has are like vessels that can be filled with many things, and they are also actually filled when he comes into heaven. That this is so can be seen merely from this, that all the angels in heaven are from the human race, and yet they possess wisdom such as could be described only by what is unutterable and incomprehensible, as is well known. (That the angels of heaven are from no other source than the human race, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 311-317:, and in the small work on The Last Judgment, n. 14-22.) This fullness of intelligence and wisdom is what is meant by the words of the Lord in Luke:
Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, shall be given into your bosom (Luke 6:38);
and in Matthew:
Whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundantly (Matt. 13:12; 25:29);
and in Luke:
The lord said to the servant who from the pound given him gained ten pounds, Because thou hast been faithful in a very little, thou shalt have authority over ten cities (Luke 19:16, 17).
By “ten” is here signified much and full, and by “cities” intelligence and wisdom. (That “ten” signifies much and full, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1988, 3107, 4638; and the “cities” signify those things that are of intelligence and wisdom, n. 2449, 2712, 2943, 3216, 3584, 4492, 4493, 5297.)
In the midst of the golden lampstands, having in his right hand seven stars (Rev. 1:13, 16).
These same things introduce what is written to the angel of the Ephesian Church in these words, “These things saith He that holdeth the seven stars in His right hand, that walketh in the midst of the seven golden lampstands” (verse 1 of this chapter).
[2] In the preceding chapter the Son of man is described thus:
I am the First and the Last; and the Living One; and I became dead; and behold I am alive unto the ages of the ages (Rev. 1:17-18).
These things here introduce what is written to the angel of the church of the Smyrneans, in these words; “These things saith the First and the Last, who was dead and is alive” (verse 8). In the preceding chapter the Son of man is described, that there was seen:
Out of His mouth a sharp two-edged sword going forth (Rev. 1:16).
This introduces what is written to the angel of the church Pergamum, in these words:
These things saith He that hath the sharp two-edged sword (Rev. 1:12).
In the preceding chapter the Son of man is described, that He was seen to have:
Eyes as a flame of fire; and feet like unto burnished brass, as if glowing in a furnace (Rev. 1:14-15).
These things introduce what is written to the angel of the church in Thyatira, in these words:
These things saith the Son of God, that hath His eyes as a flame of fire, and His feet like unto burnished brass (Rev. 1:18).
[3] Similar things introduce what is written to the angels of the other three churches (of which in the following chapter). From this it can be seen that it is the Son of man who says the things that are written to the churches; and as by the “Son of man” the Lord in respect to the Divine Human is meant (as was shown above, n. 63), it follows that all that is written to the churches is from the Lord’s Divine Human; and from this it also follows that the Divine Human is the All in all things of the church, as it is the All in all things of Heaven. So here by His being “the First and the Last” is signified that the Lord from His Divine Human governs all things from firsts by means of ultimates. (That the Lord in respect to the Divine Human is the All in all things of heaven, may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 7-12 and n. 78-86, and the rest there. And as the Lord is the All in all things of heaven, He is also the All in all things of the church, for the church is the kingdom of the Lord on the earth.) This I can affirm, that no one who is within the church, and does not acknowledge the Divine of the Lord in His Human, can enter heaven. To acknowledge the Divine of the Lord in His Human is to think of His Divine when thinking of His Human. That it must be so thought of is because the whole heaven is from His Divine Human (as may be seen shown in the work on Heaven and Hell, from beginning to end; and above in the explanation of Revelation, n. 10, 49, 52, 82).
[2] But the Divine Human of the Lord does come into the idea of the thought and thus into faith, and from that into the affection of the will, that is, into love. From this it is clear that there is no conjunction with the Father except from the Lord, and in the Lord. This the Lord Himself teaches with the utmost clearness in the Evangelists, as in John:
No one hath seen God at any time; the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He hath brought Him forth to view (John 1:18).
In the same:
Ye have neither heard the Father’s voice at any time, nor seen His shape (John 5:37).
In Matthew:
No one knoweth the Father save the Son, and he to whom the Son willeth to reveal Him (Matt. 11:27).
In John:
I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no man cometh unto the Father but through Me (John 14:6).
In the same :
If ye know Me ye know My Father also; he that seeth Me seeth the Father. Philip, believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? Believe Me, that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me (John 14:7-11).
And that the Father and the Lord are one (John 10:30, 38).
I am the vine, ye are the branches; apart from Me ye can do nothing (John 15:5).
[3] From this it can be seen that the Lord has been rejected by those within the church who approach the Father immediately and pray to Him to have compassion for the sake of the Son; for these cannot do otherwise than think of the Lord’s Human as they think of the human of another man, thus they cannot think at the same time of His Divine as being in the Human, still less of His Divine as conjoined with His Human as the soul is conjoined with the body, according to the doctrine received throughout the universal Christian world (see above, n. 10, 26). Who is there in the Christian world, acknowledging the Divinity of the Lord, that is willing to be one who would place the Lord’s Divine outside of His Human? When yet to think of the Human only, and not at the same time of His Divine in the Human, is to view the two as separated, which is not to view the Lord, nor the two as one person; and yet the doctrine received throughout Christendom is, that the Divine and the Human of the Lord are not two persons but a single person.
[4] It is true that men of the church at this day, when they speak from the doctrine of the church think of the Divine of the Lord in His Human; but when they think and speak by themselves aside from doctrine, it is altogether otherwise. But be it known, that man is in one state when he is thinking and speaking from doctrine, and in another when he is thinking and speaking aside from doctrine. When man is thinking and speaking from doctrine, his thought and speech are from the memory of his natural man; but when he is thinking and speaking aside from doctrine, his thought and speech are from his spirit; for to think and speak from the spirit, is to think and speak from the interiors of one’s mind, from which is his real faith. Moreover, man’s state after death becomes such as were the thought and speech of his spirit by himself aside from doctrine, and not such as they were from doctrine, if the latter was not one with the former.
[5] Man does not know that he has two states in respect to faith and love; one when in doctrine and another aside from doctrine; but that the state of his faith and love aside from doctrine is what saves him, and not the state of his speech respecting faith and love from doctrine, unless the latter state makes one with the former. Yet to think and speak from doctrine respecting faith and love is to speak from the natural man and its memory, as is evident merely from this, that the evil, when with others, can think and speak thus equally with the good. For the same reason also evil preachers equally with good, or preachers that have no faith equally with those that have faith, can preach the Gospel, and, to appearance, with similar zeal and affection. This is because the man, as has been said, then thinks and speaks from his natural man and its memory. But to think from one’s spirit is not to think from the natural man and its memory, but from the spiritual man, and from its faith and affection. Merely from this it is clear that man has two states, and that it is the latter state, not the former, that saves him; for man after death is a spirit; therefore such as he was in the world in respect to his spirit, such he remains after his departure out of the world.
[6] Moreover, it has been given me to know from much experience that the man of the church has these two states. For after death, man can be let into either state, and is also actually let into both. Many of these, when they have been let into the former state, have spoken like Christians, and from such speech have been believed by others to be Christians; but as soon as they were remitted into the latter state, which was the real state of their spirit they spoke like devilish spirits, and altogether in opposition to what they had spoken before (see the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 491-498, 499-511).
[7] From this it can be seen how the statement is to be understood that the Lord has been at this day rejected by those within the church; namely, that although it is held from doctrine that the Divine of the Lord must be acknowledged and believed in the same degree as the Divine of the Father, for the doctrine of the church teaches that “As is the Father so also is the Son, uncreate, infinite, eternal, omnipotent, God, Lord, and neither of them greater or less, before or after the other” (see the Creed of Athanasius); yet they do not approach and worship the Lord and His Divine, but the Divine of the Father; this they do when they pray to the Father to have mercy for the sake of the Son; and when they say this they do not think at all of the Divine of the Lord, but they think of His Human as separated from the Divine, thus of His Human as similar to the human of any other man; and then they also think not of one God, but of two, or three. To think in this way of the Lord is to reject Him; for by not thinking of His Divine at the same time that they think of His Human, by the separation they thrust out the Divine. Yet these are not two, but one person, and make one as soul and body do.
[8] I once spoke with spirits who when they lived in the world were of the popish religion, and I asked whether in the world they ever thought about the Divine of the Lord? They said that they thought about it whenever they saw from doctrine, and that they then acknowledged His Divine to be equal with the Divine of the Father, but that apart from doctrine, they thought of His Human only, and not of His Divine. They were asked why they say that the power which His Human had was given to it by the Father and not by Himself, since they acknowledged His Divine to be equal with that of the Father? At this they turned away, making no answer. But it was said to them, that it was because they transferred to themselves all His Divine power, and that they could not have done this unless they had separated the Divine from the Human. That with them the Lord has been rejected, everyone may conclude from this, that they worship the pope instead of the Lord, and that they no longer attribute any power to the Lord.
[9] I will here also mention a great scandal heard from the pope called Benedict XIV. He openly declared that when he lived in the world he believed that the Lord had no power, because He had transferred it all to Peter, and after him to his successors; adding his belief that their saints have more power than the Lord, because they hold it from God the Father, while the Lord resigned it all and gave it to the popes; yet that He is still to be worshiped, because otherwise the pope is not worshiped with sanctity. But because this pope even after death claimed the Divine for himself, after a few days he was cast into hell.
The will of man is spiritual, but works therefrom are natural; therefore here by “works,” in the spiritual sense, the will is meant. By “works” is meant also the love, because what a man loves that he wills, and what in heart he wills that he loves; and if you look more deeply you will see that all things of man’s interior will are of his love. Yet in common discourse we speak of man’s love, not of his will, because the loves are manifold, and there are many in one man, and all are together in the will, which is perceived by man as a one, because he distinguishes between will and understanding. The will, therefore, is man’s spiritual itself, because love is spiritual. “Works” are mentioned in the Word, and not the will or love (as here and in what follows, to the angels of the churches, “I know thy works,” and not “I know thy will,” or “thy love”), because all things that are in the sense of the letter of the Word are natural, and contain within them things spiritual; to bring out, therefore, the spiritual sense of the Word, the spiritual, which is in the natural or from which the natural proceeds, is to be explored.
[2] They have such anxiety when they read the Word and do not well understand it, because all the truths of heaven and the church are from the Word, and lie concealed therein in its spiritual sense, and are not opened to any except such as are conjoined to heaven, since that sense of the Word is in heaven. Yet the spiritual sense itself of the Word does not flow in with man out of heaven, but it flows into his affection, and through this into the knowledges that he has, and thus kindles his longing, and he then receives the genuine truths of the church so far as he can see them from the literal sense of the Word. Everyone who is in the spiritual affection of truth is conscious that the things that he knows are few, and the things that he does not know are infinite. He is aware, moreover, that knowing and acknowledging this is the first step towards wisdom; and that those who pride themselves on the things they know, and believe themselves on account of these to be most intelligent, have not reached this first step. Such persons also commonly glory more from falsities than from truths, for they have regard to their own reputation, and are affected by that alone, and not by truth itself. Such are they who are in natural affection only and in longing from that (see above, n. 115).
[2] From this it can be known what “poverty” in the spiritual sense means. He who is spiritually poor is nevertheless rich, because he is in the spiritual affection of truth; for into this affection intelligence and wisdom from the Lord flow; for everyone’s affection receives and imbibes things congenial to it, as a sponge does water; therefore the spiritual affection of truth receives and imbibes spiritual truths, which are the truths of the church, from the Word. The spiritual affection of truth has no other source than the Lord, because the Lord is Divine truth in heaven and in the church, for Divine truth proceeds from Him. And as the Lord loves to lead everyone to Himself, and to save him, and this He can do only by the knowledges of good and truth from the Word, so the Lord loves to impart these to man, and make them of his life, for in this way and no other can He lead man to Himself and save him. From this it is manifest that all spiritual affection of truth is from the Lord, and that no one can be in that affection unless he acknowledges the Divine of the Lord in His Human, for by such acknowledgment there is conjunction, and according to conjunction there is reception. (On this more may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, where it treats of The Wisdom of the Angels of Heaven, n. 265-275; and of The Wise and the Simple in Heaven, n. 346-356, and elsewhere in the same work, n. 13, 19, 25, 26, 133, 139, 140, 205, 297, 422, 523, 603; and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 11-27; and above, in the explanation of Revelation, n. 6, 59, 112, 115, 117.
[3] In the Word, “the poor and needy” are mentioned here and there, also the “hungry and thirsty.” By “the poor and needy” are signified those who believe that of themselves they know nothing; and also those who are destitute of knowledge because they have not the Word; and by the “hungry and thirsty” are signified those who continually long for truths, and long to be perfected by means of truths. These two classes are meant by the “poor,” the “needy,” the “hungry,” and the “thirsty,” in the following passages:
Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled (Matt. 5:3, 6).
Blessed are the poor; for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens. Blessed are ye that hunger; for ye shall be filled (Luke 6:20, 21).
To the poor the Gospel shall be preached, and the poor hear the Gospel (Luke 7:22; Matt. 11:5).
The master of the house said to the servant that he should go out into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor (Luke 14:21).
Then the firstborn of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down with confidence (Isa. 14:30).
I was an hungered and ye gave Me to eat; I was thirsty, and ye gave Me to drink (Matt. 25:35).
The poor and the needy seek water, and there is none, their tongue faileth for thirst, I, Jehovah, will answer them. I will open rivers on the heights, and fountains will I place in the midst of the valleys (Isa. 41:17-18).
From this last passage it is clear that the “poor and needy” are those who long for the knowledges of good and truth, for the “water” that such seek is truth. (That “water” is the truth of faith, see above, n. 71.) Their longing is here described by “their tongue fainting for thirst,” and the abundance they are to have by “rivers being opened on the heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys.”
[4] Those who do not know that by the “rich” are signified those who have the Word and who thence can be in the knowledges of truth and good, and that by the “poor” are signified those who have not the Word, and yet long for truths, know no other than that by the “rich man” in Luke (16:19 seq.) “who was clothed in purple and fine linen,” are meant the rich in the world, and that by the “poor man” who “was laid at his gate, and desired to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table,” are meant the poor in this world. But by the “rich man” there the Jewish nation is meant, which had the Word, and might from it have been in the knowledges of truth and good; and by the “poor man” are there meant the Gentiles that had not the Word and yet longed for the knowledges of truth and good. The rich man is described as “clothed with purple and fine linen,” because “purple” signifies genuine good (Arcana Coelestia, n. 9467), and the “fine linen” genuine truth (Arcana Coelestia, n. 5319, 9469, 9596, 9744), both from the Word. The poor man is described as “laid at the rich man’s gate, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table,” because by “to be laid at the gate” is meant to be rejected, and to be deprived of the opportunity to read and understand the Word; and “wishing to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table” means to long for some truths from the Word, for “food” signifies the things of knowledge, intelligence, and wisdom and in general, good and truth (Arcana Coelestia, n. 3114, 4459, 4792, 5147, 5293, 5340, 5342, 5410, 5426, 5576, 5582, 5588, 5655, 8562, 9003); and “table” signifies a receptacle for these (Arcana Coelestia, n. 9527). As the poor man was in that longing, which is the same as the spiritual affection of truth, it is said of him that “he was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom,” by which is signified to be raised into an angelic state in respect to intelligence and wisdom; “Abraham’s bosom” is the Divine truth that is in heaven, for those who are in that are with the Lord. (That “Abraham” in the Word signifies the Lord, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2010, 2833, 2836, 3245, 3251, 3305, 3439, 3703, 6098, 6185, 6276, 6804, 6847.)
[5] The like that is signified here by the “rich man” and the “poor man who hungered” is signified by the “rich” and the “hungry” in Luke:
The hungry He hath filled with good, and the rich He hath sent empty away (Luke 1:53).
(That by “riches” in the Word are meant spiritual riches, which are the knowledges of truth and good from the Word, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1694, 4508, 10227; and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 365; and in a contrary sense, the knowledges of what is false and evil, which are confirmed from the sense of the letter of the Word, Arcana Coelestia, n. 1694.) That “riches” in the Word signify the knowledges of truth and good, and intelligence and wisdom therefrom, is from correspondence; for with the angels in heaven all things appear as if refulgent with gold, and silver, and precious stones; and this so far as they are in the intelligence of truth and in the wisdom of good. Also with the spirits who are below the heavens there are riches in appearance according to the reception of truth and good from the Lord with them.
[2] Those who know nothing of the internal sense of the Word cannot know otherwise than that by “Judah” and “Jews,” in the prophetical parts of the word, are meant Judah and the Jews; these, however are not there meant by their names, but all who are in the true doctrine of the church, thus who are in the knowledges of good and truth from the Word; and in the contrary sense, those who are in false doctrine, thus who have adulterated the truths and goods of the Word. That Judah and the Jews are not meant can be seen merely from this, that there is an internal sense in every particular of the Word, and also in the names of persons and places; and that nothing is treated of in this sense except what pertains to heaven and the church; such things, therefore, must also be signified by the names “Judah” and “Israel.” And as with them a church was instituted in which all things were representative and significative of things heavenly, so by their names was signified that which essentially makes the church, namely, in the highest sense, the Lord Himself; in the internal sense His Word; and in the external sense doctrine from the Word, as was said above. From this it is clear how greatly those are mistaken who believe, according to the letter, that the Jews are to be brought back into the land of Canaan, and that they have been chosen and destined for heaven in preference to others; when yet but few from that nation are saved, since none are saved except those who believe in the Lord; and he who believes in the Lord in the world, believes in Him after death; but that nation has altogether rejected Him from its faith.
[3] That by “Judah” is meant the Lord in respect to His kingdom and the Word can be seen from the prophecy of Israel regarding his sons; when this is unfolded by the internal sense it is clear what each tribe represented in the church. It is clearly evident that the tribe of Judah represented the Lord’s kingdom, or the church where the Word is; for it is said of Judah:
Judah is a lion’s whelp; from the prey, my son, thou art gone up. The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and upon Him shall the clinging of the people be; who shall bind to the vine the foal of His ass, and to the noble vine the son of His she-ass; whilst He shall have washed His garment in wine, and His vesture in the blood of grapes (Gen. 49:9-11).
That these particulars signify the Lord’s kingdom or the church, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia, where they are explained.
[4] He who knows that by “Judah” is meant in the highest sense the Lord, and in the internal sense His kingdom and the Word, and in the external sense doctrine from the Word, also in a contrary sense those who deny the Lord and adulterate the Word, can know what is signified by “Judah” in very many passages of the Word, as in the following:
Hear ye, O house of Jacob, called by the name of Israel, and who are come forth out of the waters of Judah (Isa. 48:1).
The “house of Jacob” and “Israel” is the church; “to come forth out of the waters of Judah” signifies out of doctrine from the Word, for the church is from that. That “waters” denote the truths of doctrine out of the Word, see above (n. 71).
The sons of Judah and the sons of Jerusalem have ye sold unto the sons of the Grecians, that ye may remove them far from their borders. It shall come to pass in that day that all the brooks of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall go forth out of the house of Jehovah, and Judah shall sit to eternity (Joel 3:6, 18, 20).
“To sell the sons of Judah and the sons of Jerusalem to the sons of the Grecians” is to falsify the goods and truths of the church; “in that day” means when there is an end of that church and a new church has been established among the Gentiles; “all the brooks of Judah shall flow with waters” signifies the abundance of truth and good from the Word, for those who are in the new church; that these are from the Word is signified by the “fountain going forth out of the house of Jehovah.” From this it is evident that by “Judah,” who “shall sit to eternity,” is not meant Judah or the Jewish nation, but all those who are in good by means of truths from the Word.
[5] Like things are meant by “Judah” in the following passages:
I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them. And the sons of Judah and the sons of Israel shall be gathered together, and they shall put over themselves one head, and they shall go up from the land; for great is the day of Jehovah* (Hos. 1:7, 11).
Then many nations shall join themselves to Jehovah in that day; they shall be to Me for a people, for I will dwell in thee; then Jehovah shall make Judah an heritage in Himself, His portion upon the land of holiness, and shall again choose Jerusalem (Zech. 2:11, 12).
Jehovah Zebaoth shall visit His flock, the house of Judah, and shall make them a horse of glory in war; I will render the house of Judah powerful (Zech. 10:3, 6).
God shall save Zion, and will build the cities of Judah; and they shall dwell there, and inherit it; the seed also of His servants shall inherit it; and they that love the name of Jehovah shall dwell therein (Ps. 69:35, 36).
I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of My mountains; that My chosen may possess it (Isa. 65:9);
besides very many other places. That the Jewish nation is not meant in the Word in these and other places, where they are called “chosen” and “heirs,” may be seen from what is cited respecting that nation from the Arcana Coelestia, in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem (n. 248). From this now can be seen what is signified by the “blasphemy of them who say that they are Jews, and they are not.”
* In Hebrew “Jezreel,” instead of “Jehovah”; in Doctrine of the Lord, n. 4, we have “Israel,” cf. Arcana Coelestia, n. 3580.
[2] Let it be known, moreover, that as all goods and truths are from the Lord out of the heavens, so all evils and falsities are out of the hells. He is greatly deceived who believes that goods and truths have any other source than out of the heavens from the Lord, or that evils and falsities have any other source than out of the hells. Man is simply a receptacle of these, and to whichever he turns himself of that he is a recipient. If he turns himself towards heaven, which is effected by the goods of love and the truths of faith, he receives goods and truths from the Lord; but if he turns himself towards hell, which is effected by the evils of love and falsities of faith, he receives evils and falsities from the hells. Now as all evils and falsities are from the hells, and as the hells are called, in one word, either Devil or Satan, it follows that by Devil are also signified all evils, and by Satan all falsities. From this it is that by a “synagogue of Satan” the doctrine of all falsities is signified.
[3] By “synagogue” doctrine is signified, because in the synagogues there was instruction, and differences in matters of doctrine were also adjusted. That there was instruction in the synagogues is evident from Matt. 4:23; 9:35; 13:54; Mark 1:21, 22, 29, 39; 6:2; Luke 4:15, 16, 44; 13:10, 14; John 18:20. That differences in matters of doctrine were adjusted in the synagogues may be inferred from what is said in Matt. 10:17; Mark 13:9; Luke 12:11; 21:12; John 9:22; 12:42; 16:2, 3. That with the Jewish nation there was the doctrine of all falsities can be seen from many things known as to that nation; namely, that they denied the Lord; that they wish for a Messiah whose kingdom will be upon the earth, and who will exalt them above all other nations in the world; that they place all worship in externals, and reject the internals of worship, which are of faith in the Lord and of love to Him; that they apply all things in the Word to themselves; and falsify it by traditions of their own invention (see Matt. 15:6-9; Mark 7:1-13). Again, what the quality of that nation in respect to their interiors has been from the beginning can be seen from the song of Moses (Deut. 32), and elsewhere in many passages (see also the quotations from the Arcana Coelestia, in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 248).
All spirits there are either conjoined with the hells or conjoined with the heavens. Those who are conjoined with the hells, as soon as they perceive anyone to be in the spiritual affection of truth begin to burn with hatred, and strive to destroy him; they cannot endure the sight of him. Very many of them, if they only perceive for a moment the delight of the spiritual affection of truth, which is the delight itself of heaven, become as if insane, and nothing is then more delightful to them than to destroy that delight. From this it is evident that all the hells are opposed to the spiritual affection of truth, and that all the heavens are in it. It would be similar among men on the earths if they were in the perception in which spirits are; but as they are not in such perception, and therefore do not know who are in spiritual affection, they remain quiet and act in a friendly manner towards each other, in accordance with the delights of the world. But this disposition displays itself in the churches, among those who are zealous in religious matters. It also becomes evident with those who are in that spiritual affection, in this way, that falsities break in upon their thoughts, endeavoring to extinguish their longing and the delight thence; these falsities that break in upon their thoughts are from hell; for everything that a man thinks is either from hell or from heaven (as was said above, n. 120).
[2] This is meant, in the spiritual sense, by “being cast by the devil into prison;” for as the devil is hell, and out of hell every evil arises, and as the influx from hell is into the natural man, and not into the spiritual, so the devil affects all who are in the delights of these loves, and subjects them to himself and makes them his crew; for all who are in the hells are in evils and the falsities thence from the loves of self and of the world (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 551-565; but that the delights of those loves are changed into correspondences, the character of which may be seen there, n. 485-490).
This casting into prison by the devil is described in the Word, where it is said that the Jews and the evil will persecute the Lord’s disciples, and will evil entreat and kill them; for by the “disciples of the Lord” are meant all who are in truths from good, thus who are in truths from the Lord; and as these are meant by the Lord’s disciples, so in a sense abstracted from persons, which is the spiritual sense itself of the Word, truths and goods themselves, which are from the Lord through His Word, are meant. (That by the Lord’s twelve disciples all things of faith and love in the complex, thus all the truths and goods of the church, are meant, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2129, 3354, 3488, 3858, 6397; that the Word in heaven is understood in a sense abstracted from persons, see above, n. 99, 100.)
[3] When one knows that by the “disciples of the Lord” all those who are in truths from good from the Lord are meant, and in an abstract sense truths themselves from good; and that by their being “cast into prison by the devil” is meant the endeavor of those who are in falsities from evil to deprive them of truths, and in a sense abstracted from persons, the detention or imprisonment of truths by falsities, as described above, he can understand what is signified in each of these senses in the following passages:
They shall lay hands on you and shall persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, for My name’s sake (Luke 21:12).
That “for the sake of the Lord’s name” signifies for the sake of the goods of love and the truths of faith, from Him, see above (n. 102).
Then shall they deliver you up to affliction, and shall kill you, and ye shall be held in hatred for My name’s sake (Matt. 24:9, 11).
They will deliver you up to councils and to synagogues, and they will scourge you for My sake (Matt. 10:17, 18; Mark 13:9).
Behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes; and some of them ye shall kill and crucify, and some of them ye shall scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city (Matt. 23:34).
A man that was a householder planted a vineyard, and let it out to husbandmen. When the season of the fruits drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, to receive the fruits of it. But the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants, and they did unto them likewise. At length he sent unto them his son. But the husbandmen, when they saw the son, said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and possess his inheritance. And they took him, and cast him forth out of the vineyard, and killed him (Matt. 21:33-44).
The wisdom of God said, I will send unto them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall kill and persecute (Luke 11:49).
(That by “prophets” in the Word are meant those who teach truths, and in a sense abstracted from persons the doctrine of truth, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2534, 7269; and that “apostles” have a similar signification, see above, n. 100.)
Blessed are ye, when men shall reproach you, and persecute you, and shall say every evil word against you falsely, for My sake; rejoice and exult, for great is your reward in the heavens; for so persecuted they the prophets that were before you (Matt. 5:10-12).
Blessed are ye when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you, and shall reproach you and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake; for in the same manner did their fathers unto the prophets (Luke 6:22, 23).
[4] Similar to this is the signification of the words of the Lord, that they should follow Him and take up their cross; as in the following passages:
Jesus said unto His disciples, If anyone will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me (Matt. 16:24; Mark 8:34);
“to deny oneself” is to put away evils that are from proprium [the self-life].
Whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after Me, cannot be My disciple (Luke 14:27).
Jesus said to the young man who was rich, One thing thou lackest; go, sell whatsoever thou hast, and come, follow Me, bearing the cross (Mark 10:21).
By this is meant, in the spiritual sense, that he should put away the falsities that were of the Jewish doctrine, and accept the doctrine of truth from the Lord, and should undergo assaults and temptations from falsities. Those, therefore, are deceived who believe that those who wish to follow the Lord are to sell their goods and suffer the cross. Since the Lord was Divine truth itself, which in John 1:1-3, 14, is called the “Word,” the Lord’s suffering Himself to be scourged and crucified signifies that Divine truth which is in the Word was so treated by the Jews. (That all things related of the Lord’s passion in the Evangelists involve and signify that the Jews so treated Divine truth, see above, n. 83.) Wherefore the Lord says:
Remember My word, if they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you (John 15:20).
[5] That the Jews in particular are meant by the “devil” who was to cast the disciples of the Lord into prisons, and that, in general, all that call themselves “Jews, and are not, but are a synagogue of satan,” are meant (according to the passages cited above, n. 119, 120), is clear from the Lord’s words in John:
Ye do not understand My speech because ye cannot hear My word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and stood not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie he speaketh from his own, for he is a liar and the father thereof (John 8:43, 44).
That “their father was a murderer from the beginning,” “and the truth was not in him, but a lie,” signifies that from the beginning they had been against truths and in falsities from evil. For a “murderer” is a destroyer of the truth of the church, and “father” means predecessors. (Of the quality of the Jewish nation formerly and at present, see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 248; that the “bound in prison” signify those who are in falsities from evil, see the Arcana Coelestia, n. 4958, 5096; “to be overcome* in prison” signifies to be detained and separated from truths, n. 5037, 5038, 5083, 5086, 5096; and also to be tempted, n. 5037, 5038.)
[6] The Jews were such as are here described because they were in the love of self and the world more than other nations; and persons of that character, when they read the Word, apply all things of the Word to their own loves; and especially the Jews, because they are so frequently mentioned. It is similar with others who are in these loves, for the love that is dominant turns the mind of him who reads to those things only that favor the love; for love is like a fire, which lights up the things that favor it, while the rest are either passed by as if not seen, or drawn over to one’s side by perverse explanation and thus falsified. Both infest those who are in the spiritual affection of truth, and both are meant by the “devil” who “casts into prison” those who are of the Lord’s church; from them, indeed, all falsities from the spiritual world flow into those that long for truths, and hold them as if bound in confinement. The same are meant by those of whom the Lord says:
I was in prison and ye visited Me not (Matt. 25:43).
* Some of the Latin editors read vinciri for vinci, “bound” for “overcome.”
The exterior mind is called the natural mind, but the interior is called the spiritual mind. The former or natural mind is opened by means of the knowledges of the things that are in the world; but the latter or spiritual mind by means of the knowledges of the things that are in heaven, which the Word teaches, and the church from the Word; by means of these man becomes spiritual when he knows them and lives according to them.
[2] This is meant by the Lord’s words in John:
Except a man has been born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God (John 3:5).
“Water” signifies the truths of faith, and “spirit” a life according to them (see above, n. 71; and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 202-209). Most people at this day believe that they are to come into heaven solely by virtue of holy worship in temples and by adorations and prayers; but such of them as do not care for the knowledges of truth and good from the Word, and who fail to imbue with these the life, as well as the memory, remain natural as before, and do not become spiritual; for their holy worship, adorations, and prayers, do not proceed from any spiritual origin; since their spiritual mind has not been opened by the knowledges of spiritual things and a life according to them, but is empty; and worship that proceeds from what is empty is merely natural gesture, with nothing spiritual in it. If such persons are insincere and unjust in respect to moral and civil life, their holy worship, adorations, and prayers have within them what repels heaven from them, instead of opening heaven to them as they believe; for their holy worship is like a vessel containing things putrid and filthy, which are oozing forth, or like a splendid garment investing a body covered with ulcers. I have seen many thousands of such cast into hell. But wholly different are holy worship, adorations, and prayers with those who are in the knowledges of truth and good and in a life according to them; with such these acts are pleasing to the Lord, for they are the effects wrought by their spirit in the body, or the effects of their faith and love, thus they are not merely natural gestures, but spiritual acts.
From this it can be seen that the knowledges of truth and good from the Word, and a life according to them, alone make man spiritual; and that in him who is thereby made spiritual, angelic wisdom from the Lord can be implanted together with eternal happiness. Angels derive happiness from no other source than from wisdom.
[3] A “crown” signifies wisdom, because all things by which man is clothed or distinguished derive their signification from the part of man that they clothe or distinguish (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 9827), and “crown” signifies wisdom, because it is a sign upon the head, and “head” in the Word signifies wisdom, for there wisdom resides. So in Ezekiel:
I decked thee with ornaments, I put bracelets upon thy hands; and a chain upon thy throat. And I put a jewel upon thy nose, and earrings in thine ears, and a crown of adorning upon thy head (Ezek. 16:11, 12).
Jerusalem, which signifies the church, is here treated of, such as it was when it was established by the Lord; by these various insignia are meant, in the spiritual sense, such things as are of the church; and each one takes its signification from the part to which it is applied, and “the crown of adorning” here means wisdom. (But what is meant by “ornament,” may be seen in Arcana Coelestia, n. 10536, 10540; by “bracelets,” n. 3103, 3105; by “chain” n. 5320; by “jewel,” n. 4551; by “earrings,” n. 4551, 10402.) Wisdom, which is from the knowledges of truth and good from the Word and from a life according to them, is likewise signified by “crown” in many other passages in the Word (as in Isa. 28:5; Jer. 13:18; Lam. 5:15, 16; Ezek. 21:25, 26; 23:42; Zech. 6:11-14; Ps. 89:38, 39; Ps. 132:17, 18; Job 19:9; Rev. 3:11; 4:4). The crowning of kings is from ancient times, when men were familiar with representatives and significatives, and it was known that “kings” represented the Lord in respect to Divine truth, and that a “crown” was intended to signify wisdom (that “kings” represented the Lord in respect to Divine truth, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1672, 2015, 2069, 3009, 4581, 4966, 5068, 6148); that those that are in truths are called “kings” and “king’s sons” see above (n. 31); and as these are called “kings” in the Word, and kings have crowns, so here where these are treated of it is said that they were to receive “the crown of life.”
The rest of the dead shall not live again until the thousand years be finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the second* resurrection; over these the second death hath no power; but they shall be priests of God and of Christ (Rev. 20:5-6).
Their part shall be in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death (Rev. 21:8).
From this it is clear that the “second death” is damnation; to be hurt by it, therefore, is to be damned, and on the other hand, not to be hurt by it is to be saved; and as all that are saved come into the new heaven, to come into the new heaven is signified by “not being hurt by the second death” (of which heaven, and of whom it consists, see in the small work on The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 2-6).
* The Greek has “first” for “second,” as we also find in Apocalypse Revealed, n. 851.
That these are meant by the “church in Pergamum” is clear from the things written to that church, which follow. From no other source can it be known what is signified by each of the seven churches. For as was shown before, what is meant is not any church in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, or Laodicea, but all who are of the Lord’s church, and by each of these churches something that constitutes the church with man is meant. And as the first things of the church are the knowledges of truth and good, and the affections of spiritual truth, these are first treated of, namely, in what is written to the angel of the Ephesian church and of the Smyrnean church; of the knowledges of truth and good to the angel of the Ephesian church, and of the spiritual affection of truth to the angel of the Smyrnean church. And as no one can be imbued with the knowledges of truth and good in respect to life, and be steadfast in the spiritual affection of truth, unless he undergoes temptations, so temptations are now treated of in what is written to the angel of the church in Pergamum. From this it appears in what order the things follow that are taught under the names of the seven churches.
[2] It is said “To the angel of the church, write,” and not, To the church, because by “angel” is signified Divine truth, which makes the church; for Divine truth teaches how man is to live that he may become a church. That “angel” in the Word, in its spiritual sense, does not mean any angel, but in the highest sense, Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, and in a respective sense, he that receives it, can be seen from this, that all the angels are recipients of Divine truth from the Lord, and no angel is of himself an angel; but he is so far an angel as he receives Divine truth; for angels more than men know and perceive that all the good of love and all the truth of faith are from the Lord, not from themselves, and as the good of love and the truth of faith constitute their wisdom and intelligence, and as these constitute the whole angel, they know and say that they are merely recipients of the Divine proceeding from the Lord, and thus are angels in the degree in which they receive it. On this account they desire that the term “angel” should be understood spiritually, that is, in a sense abstracted from persons, and as meaning Divine truths. By Divine truth is meant at the same time Divine good, because these proceed from the Lord united (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 13, 140 [? 133-140].
[3] And as Divine truth proceeding from the Lord constitutes the angel, by “angel” in the Word in the highest sense is meant the Lord Himself, as in Isaiah:
The angel of the faces of Jehovah delivered them, in His love and His pity He redeemed them, and took them up, and carried them all the days of eternity (Isa. 63:9).
In Moses:
The angel who hath redeemed me from all evil, bless them (Gen. 48:16).
In the same:
I send an angel before thee to keep thee in the way; take ye heed of His faces, for my name is in the midst of Him (Exod. 23:20-23).
[4] As the Lord in respect to Divine truth is called an “angel,” so also Divine truths are meant by “angels” in the spiritual sense, as in the following passages:
The Son of man shall send His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that cause stumbling. In the consummation of the age the angels shall come forth and sever the wicked out of the midst of the just (Matt. 13:41, 49).
In the consummation of the age the Son of man shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and shall gather together the elect from the four winds (Matt. 24:3, 31).
When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory (Matt. 25:31).
Jesus said, After this ye shall see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man (John 1:51).
In these passages, in the spiritual sense, by “angels” Divine truths and not angels are meant. So when it is here said that, in the consummation of the age, “the angels are to gather out all things that cause stumbling,” “are to sever the wicked from the midst of the just,” “are to gather together the elect from the four winds with a great sound of a trumpet,” and that “the Son of man with the angels is to sit upon a throne of glory,” it is not meant that angels, together with the Lord, are to do these things, but that the Lord alone will do them by means of His Divine truths; for angels have no power of themselves, but all power is the Lord’s through His Divine truth (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 230-233). That “ye shall see the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man,” means the like, namely, that Divine truths should be in Him and from Him.
[5] Moreover, in other places also “angels” mean Divine truths from the Lord, consequently the Lord in respect to Divine truths, as:
To the seven angels were given seven trumpets, and the angels sounded on the trumpets (Rev. 8:2, 6-8, 10, 12, 13; 9:1, 13, 14).
It is said that to the angels were given trumpets, and that they sounded thereon, because “trumpets” and their “sound” signify Divine truth to be revealed (see above, n. 55). Similar things are also meant:
By the angel warring against the dragon (Rev. 12:7, 9);
By the angel flying in the mid-heaven, having the eternal
gospel (Rev. 14:6);
By the seven angels pouring out the seven bowls (Rev.16:1-4, 8, 10, 12);
By the twelve angels upon the twelve gates of the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:12).
That this is so will also be seen in what follows.
[6] That by “angels” are meant Divine truths which are from the Lord is clearly manifest in David:
Jehovah maketh His angels winds, and His ministers a flaming fire (Ps. 104:4);
by which words are signified Divine truth and Divine good; for the “wind” of Jehovah in the Word signifies Divine truth, and His “fire” Divine good (as can be seen from what is shown in The Arcana Coelestia, as that the “wind of the nostrils” of Jehovah is Divine truth, n. 8286; that the “four winds” are all things of truth and good, n. 3708, 9642, 9668; consequently “to breathe” in the Word signifies the state of the life of faith, n. 9281; from which it is evident what is signified by Jehovah’s “breathing” into the nostrils of Adam (Gen. 2:7); by the Lord’s “breathing” upon His disciples (John 20:22); and by these words, “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the voice thereof, but knowest not whence it cometh” (John 3:8); concerning which see n. 96, 97, 9229, 9281; and also n. 1119, 3886, 3887, 3889, 3892, 3893; that “flaming fire” is Divine love, and therefore Divine good, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 133-140, 566-568; and above, n. 68).
[7] That “angel” signifies Divine truth proceeding from the Lord is clearly manifest from these words in Revelation:
He measured the wall of the New Jerusalem, a hundred and forty-four cubits, the measure of a man, which is that of an angel (Rev. 21:17).
That the wall of the New Jerusalem is not the measure of an angel anyone can see, but that all protecting truths are there meant by an “angel” is evident from the signification of the “wall of Jerusalem,” and of the number “one hundred and forty-four.” (That the “wall” signifies all protecting truths, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 6419; that the number “one hundred and forty-four” signifies all things of truth in the complex, n. 7973; that “measure” signifies the quality of a thing in respect to truth and good, n. 3104, 9603, 10262. These things may also be found explained as to the spiritual sense, in The small work on The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 1.)
[8] Because by “angels” in the Word Divine truths are signified, therefore the men through whom Divine truths are made known are sometimes called “angels” in the Word, as in Malachi:
The priest’s lips ought to guard knowledge, and they shall seek the law at his mouth, because he is the angel of Jehovah (Mal. 2:7).
He is said to be the “angel of Jehovah,” because he teaches Divine truth; not that he is the angel of Jehovah, but the Divine truth that he teaches is. Moreover, it is known in the church that no one has Divine truth from himself. “Lips” also here signify the doctrine of truth, and “law” Divine truth itself. (That “lips” signify the doctrine of truth, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1286, 1288; and that “law” signifies Divine truth itself, see n. 3382, 7463.)
[9] From this it is that John the Baptist also is called an angel:
Jesus said, This is he of whom it is written, Behold, I send Mine angel before Thy face, who shall prepare Thy way before Thee (Luke 7:27).
John is called an “angel,” because by him, in the spiritual sense, is signified the Word, which is Divine truth, in like manner as by Elias (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 7643, 9372, and what is signified; this is what is meant by the persons mentioned in the Word, see n. 665, 1097, 1361, 3147, 3670, 3881, 4208, 4281, 4288, 4292, 4307, 4500, 6304, 7048, 7439, 8588, 8788, 8806, 9229).
[10] It is said that by “angels” in the Word, in its spiritual sense, Divine truths proceeding from the Lord are meant, because these constitute the angels; when angels utter these truths, they speak not from themselves, but from the Lord. The angels not only know that this is so, but they also perceive it. The man who believes that nothing of faith is from himself, but that all faith is from God, also knows this, indeed, but he does not perceive it. That nothing of faith is from man, but all faith is from God, is the same as saying that nothing of truth that has life is from man, but all truth is from God, for truth is of faith and faith is of truth.
Out of the mouth of the Son of man, walking in the midst of the seven lampstands, a sharp two-edged long sword was seen going forth (Rev. 1:10).
and by the “Son of man” is meant the Lord in respect to Divine truth (as may be seen above, n. 63). (That the Lord alone combats in temptations, and not man at all, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 195-200.) By “long sword” or by “sword [romphaeam seu gladium]” is signified the combat of truth against falsity, and of falsity against truth, because by “wars” in the Word are signified spiritual wars, and spiritual wars are wars of truths against falsities and of falsities against truths; and as “wars” in the Word have such a signification, all weapons of war, as “sword,” “spear,” “bow,” “arrows,” “shield,” and many others, signify each some special thing pertaining to spiritual combat; especially the “sword,” because in wars they fight with swords. (That “wars” signify spiritual combats, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1659, 1664, 8295, 10455; consequently that each weapon of war signifies something pertaining to spiritual combat, see n. 1788, 2686.)
[2] That “sword” in the Word signifies truth combating against falsity, and falsity against truth, and therefore the dispersion of falsities, and also spiritual temptation, can be seen from very many passages, of which I will introduce here only a few by way of confirmation. Thus in Matthew:
Jesus said that He came not to send peace on earth, but a sword (Matt. 10:34).
Here by “sword” is meant the combat of temptation. It was so said, because men at that time were in falsities, and the Lord uncovered interior truths, and only by combats from such truths can falsities be cast out.
[3] In Luke:
Jesus said to His disciples, Now he that hath a purse let him take it, likewise a wallet; and he that hath no sword let him sell his garments and buy one (Luke 22:35-38).
By “purse” and “wallet” spiritual knowledges, thus truths, are signified; “garments” signify what is their own; and by “sword” combat is signified.
[4] In Jeremiah:
A sword against the Chaldeans, and against the inhabitants of Babylon, and against her chiefs, and against her wise men. A sword against liars that they may become foolish; a sword against her mighty men that they may be dismayed; a sword against her horses and against her chariots; a sword against her treasures that they may be spoiled; a drought upon her waters that they may be dried up (Jer. 50:35-38).
By “sword” here dispersion and vastation of truth are signified; by each in particular against which the sword shall be, as the “Chaldeans,” the “inhabitants of Babylon,” her “chiefs” and “her wise men,” “liars,” “mighty men,” “horses,” “chariots,” and “treasures,” are signified the persons or things that will be vastated: as by “horses,” things intellectual; by “chariots,” doctrinals; and by “treasures,” knowledges; it is said, therefore, “a drought upon her waters, that they may be dried up,” for “waters” are the truths of the church, and “a drought that they may be dried up” is vastation. (That “drought” and “drying up” are where there is no truth, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 8185; that “waters” are truths of the church, see above, n. 71; that “treasures” are knowledges, Arcana Coelestia, 1694, 4508, 10227; that “horses” are things intellectual, and “chariots” doctrinals, see White Horse, n. 2-5.)
[5] In Isaiah:
Jehovah will plead, and with His sword with all flesh, and the slain of Jehovah shall be multiplied (Isa. 66:16).
In Jeremiah:
Upon all the heights in the desert the devastators are come, because the sword of Jehovah devoureth from the end of the land even to the end of the land (Jer. 12:12).
In Ezekiel:
Prophesy and say, a sword sharpened and also furbished, it is sharpened to slay a slaughter, it is furbished that it may have luster; let the sword be doubled for the third time; the sword of the slain, the sword of great slaughter entering into the secret chambers that the heart may melt, and stumblings be multiplied; against all their gates will I set the point of the sword: Ah! It is made into lightning (Ezek. 21:9-15, 28).
In Isaiah:
Bring waters to meet him that is thirsty, with bread prevent him that wandereth; for before the sword shall they wander, before the drawn sword, and before the bended bow, and for the grievousness of war (Isa. 21:14, 15).
In Ezekiel:
They shall quake with fear when I shall make my sword to fly before their faces, that they may tremble every moment, a man for his own soul; by the swords of the mighty casting down their multitude (Ezek. 32:10-12).
In David:
Let the saints exult in glory; let them sing upon their beds. Let the exaltations of God be in their throat, and a two-edged sword in their hand (Ps. 149:5, 6).
In the same:
Gird thy sword upon the thigh, O mighty one, in thy honor ascend the chariot, ride on the Word of truth, thy right hand shall teach thee wonderful things. Thine arrows are sharp (Ps. 45:3-5).
In Revelation:
There was given unto him that sat on the red horse a great sword (Rev. 6:4).
In another place:
Out of the mouth of him that sat on the white horse went forth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations. The rest were killed with the sword of him that sat upon the horse (Rev. 19:15, 21).
By “sword” in these passages is signified truth combating and destroying; this destruction is especially apparent in the spiritual world; there those that are in falsities cannot sustain the truth; when they come into the sphere of light, that is, where Divine truth is, they are in anguish, like those who are struggling with death; and thus also they are deprived of truths and are vastated.
[6] As most expressions in the Word have also a contrary sense, so also has “sword;” in that sense it signifies falsity combating against truth and destroying it. The vastations of the church, which take place when there are no longer any truths, but only falsities, are described in the Word by a “sword,” as in the following passages:
They shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led captive into all nations; Jerusalem shall finally be trodden down by all nations, until the times of the nations shall be fulfilled (Luke 21:24).
The consummation of the age, which is here treated of, is the last time of the church, when falsities are to prevail. “To fall by the edge of the sword” denotes that truth will be destroyed by falsity; “nations” here are evils and “Jerusalem” is the church.
[7] In Isaiah:
I will make a man more rare than fine gold. Everyone that is found shall be thrust through; and everyone gathered in shall fall by the sword (Isa. 13:12, 15).
“A man who is rare” for those that are in truths; “to be thrust through” and “to fall by the sword” means to be consumed by falsity.
[8] In the same:
In that day they shall cast away every man the idols of his silver and the idols of his gold, which your own hands have made unto you. Then shall Asshur fall by the sword, not of a man [viri]; and the sword not of a man [hominis] shall devour him; but he who fleeth for himself before the sword, his young man shall be for tribute (Isa. 31:7, 8).
“The idols which the hands have made” are falsities from self-intelligence; “Asshur” is the rational by which [per quod]. “To fall by the sword not of a man” [viri], and “not of a man” [hominis], is not to be destroyed by any combat of truth against falsity. “He who fleeth for himself before the sword, his young man shall be for tribute,” means that the truth which is not destroyed shall be subservient to falsities. That this is the meaning of these words does not appear in the sense of the letter, which shows how far distant the spiritual sense is from the sense of the letter.
[9] In Jeremiah:
In vain I have smitten your sons; they accepted not correction; your own sword hath devoured your prophets (Jer. 2:30).
Behold, the prophet say, Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine. By sword and by famine shall the prophets be consumed. If I go forth into the field, behold the slain with the sword; and if I enter into the city, then behold the sickness of famine (Jer. 14:13-18).
Both these passages treat of the vastation of the church in respect to truth; “prophets” are those who teach truths; and “the sword that consumes them” is falsity combating and destroying; “the field” is the church; “the city” is doctrine; “the slain with the sword in the field” are those in the church with whom truths are destroyed; “the famine” that is in the city is dearth of all truth in doctrine.
[10] In the same:
They have denied Jehovah when they have said, It is not He; neither shall evil come upon us; neither shall we see sword and famine (Jer. 5:12).
In the same:
The young men shall die by the sword; and their sons and their daughters shall die by famine (Jer. 11:22).
“Young men” are those who are in truths, and in the abstract, truths themselves; “to die by the sword” is to be destroyed by falsities; “sons and daughters” are the knowledges of truth and good; “famine” is a dearth of these.
[11] In Lamentations:
We get our bread with peril of our souls, because of the sword of the wilderness (Lam. 5:9).
“The wilderness” is where there is no good because there is no truth; its “sword” is the destruction of truth; “bread” is good, which is got with “peril of souls,” because all good is implanted in man by means of truth.
[12] In Ezekiel:
The sword is without, and pestilence and famine within; he that is in the field shall die with the sword; and he that is in the city, famine and pestilence shall devour him (Ezek. 7:15).
“The sword” is the destruction of truth; “pestilence” consequent extermination; and “famine” complete dearth. Similarly in other places (as in Jeremiah 21:7; 29:17, 18; 34:17).
[13] In Zechariah:
Woe to the shepherd of nought forsaking the flock; a sword upon his arm, and upon his right eye; his arm in drying up shall dry up, and his right eye in growing dim shall grow dim (Jer. 11:17).
“A sword upon the arm” is the destruction of the voluntary in respect to good; “a sword upon the right eye” is the destruction of the intellectual in respect to truth; that all good and all truth are to perish is signified by “the arm in drying up shall dry up; and the right eye in growing dim shall grow dim.”
[14] In Isaiah:
Thus shall ye say to your lord, Fear not for the words that thou hast heard, wherewith the lads of the king of Asshur have blasphemed Jehovah. Behold, I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land. And Senacherib, king of Asshur, returned; and it came to pass, when he bowed himself in the house of Nisroch his god, his two sons smote him with the sword (Isa. 37:6, 7, 37, 38).
As it is the rational that acknowledges and that denies the Divine, and when it denies seizes upon every falsity instead of truth, and thus perishes, there was this representative occurrence, namely, that the king of Asshur, because he blasphemed Jehovah, was smitten with the sword by his sons, in the house of Nisroch his god. “Asshur” signifies the rational in either sense (Arcana Coelestia, n. 119, 1186); the “sons” of that king signify falsities, and the “sword” signifies destruction by falsities.
[15] In Moses:
[It was commanded that] the city that worshiped other gods should be smitten with the sword, and burned up with fire (Deut. 13:12-16).
This was decreed because at that time all things were representative; “to worship other gods” is to worship from falsities; “to be smitten with the sword” is to perish by falsity; and “to be burned up with fire” is to perish by the evil of falsity.
[16] In the same:
Whosoever in the field toucheth one that is slain with the sword shall be unclean (Num. 19:16, 18, 19).
“One in the field slain with the sword” represented those within the church who destroyed truths with themselves; “the field” here is the church.
[17] That “sword” signifies falsity destroying truth is manifest in David:
The sons of man are set on fire; their teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword (Ps. 57:4).
Behold, they belch out with their mouth, swords are in their lips (Ps. 59:7).
Workers of iniquity sharpen their tongues like a sword; they hurl their arrow with a bitter word (Ps. 64:3).
From this it is clear what is signified by the Lord’s words to Peter:
All they that take the sword shall perish by the sword (Matt. 26:51-52);
namely, that those who believe falsities will perish by falsities.
[18] From this it is now evident what is signified in the Word by “the long sword,” “the short sword,” or the “sword” [romphaea, macharera, seu gladius] in both senses. Such things are signified by “sword” by reason also of appearance in the spiritual world. When spiritual combats take place there, which are combats of truth against falsity and of falsity against truth, various weapons of war, as swords, spears, shields, and the like are seen; not that the combats are maintained by these, but they are mere appearances, representative of spiritual combats. When falsities are fiercely combating truths, there sometimes appears from heaven the brightness or flashing of a sword vibrating every way, and causing great terror, by which those who are combating from falsities are dispersed.
[19] This makes clear what is meant by these words in Ezekiel:
They shall be horribly afraid when I shall brandish My sword before their faces, that they may tremble every moment for their soul (Ezek. 32:10-12).
And in the same:
Prophesy and say, a sword, it is sharpened and also furbished, that it may have luster, that the heart may melt. Ah! It is made into lightning (Ezek. 21:9-10, 15).
The sword causes so great terror because “iron,” of which a sword is made, signifies truth in ultimates, and the brightness and flashing are from the light of heaven and from vibration of this light upon the sword. The light of heaven is Divine truth proceeding from the Lord. Divine truth thus falling upon those who are in falsities strikes terror.
[20] This also makes clear what is signified by this, that:
Cherubim, after Adam had been driven out, were made to dwell at the east of Eden, and the flame of a sword turning and vibrating every way, to guard the way to the tree of life (Gen. 3:24).
By the “tree of life” is signified celestial love, which is love to the Lord; by “cherubim” a guard; by the “flame of a sword turning every way” the terrific driving off and rejecting of all who are in falsities; the “east of Eden” is where the Lord’s presence is in celestial love; by these words, therefore, is signified that every approach to the acknowledgement of the Lord alone is closed to him who does not live a life of love. That “sword” signifies falsity is clearly evident in Ezekiel, where it is said of the prince of Tyre:
They shall unsheathe the swords upon the beauty of thy wisdom (Ezek. 28:7).
“The prince of Tyre” signifies intelligence from the knowledges of truth; because that is extinguished by falsities it is said that they should unsheathe their swords “upon wisdom,” which could not have been said unless by “swords” falsities were meant.
[2] “Antipas the faithful martyr” signifies those who are hated because of their acknowledgment of the Lord’s Divine Human, for the reason that at that time one Antipas was slain on that account; by “Antipas,” therefore, all who are hated on that account are meant; just as by “Lazarus,” who lay at the rich man’s gate and longed to be fed with the crumbs that fell from his table, are meant all whom the Lord loves because they long for truths from spiritual affection (see above, n. 118). That the Lord loved a certain one named Lazarus, whom also He raised from the dead, is manifest in John (chap. 11:3, 5, 36) and that he reclined with the Lord at table, (chap. 12), on which account he was called “Lazarus,” by the Lord, who longed to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table, whereby is signified a longing for truths from spiritual affection (as shown above, n. 118). As “Lazarus” was so named on that account, so was “Antipas” because he was made a martyr for the name of the Lord, that is, for the acknowledgment of His Divine Human.
[3] That such as he are hated by all who do not think of the Lord’s Divine and of His Human at the same time, cannot be known from those who are in the world; but it can be known from the same in the other life, where they all burn with such hatred against those who approach the Lord alone as cannot be described in a few words; they desire nothing more eagerly than to murder them. The reason is, that all who are in the hells are against the Lord, and all who are in the heavens are with the Lord; and those who are of the church and who do not acknowledge the Lord’s Divine in His Human act as one with the hells, and it is from the hells that they have such hatred. They have frequently been told that they are doing wrong, since they know from the Word:
That the Lord has all power in the heavens and on earth (Matt. 28:18);
thus that He is the God of heaven and earth; likewise:
That He is the way, the truth, and the life, and that no one cometh unto the Father but by Him (John 14:6);
Also that he who seeth the Lord seeth the Father, because He is in the Father, and the Father in Him (John 14:7-11);
And that no one hath seen the Father’s shape, nor heard His voice, and that it is the Lord alone, who is in His bosom, and who is one with Him (John 1:18; 5:37).(Besides many other places.)
When they hear these truths they turn away, for they cannot deny them; but they are offended, and breathe forth the murder of all who openly acknowledge the Lord, as was just said, because hatred is inrooted in them (see above, n. 114).
[4] That they will hate all such for the Lord’s sake, He has predicted in several passages; as in Matthew:
In the consummation of the age, they shall deliver you up unto affliction, and shall kill you; and ye shall be hated of all [the nations] for My name’s sake (Matt. 24:9-10).
In John:
Jesus said, If the world hateth you, know that it hated Me before it hated you. If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. All these things will they do unto you for My name’s sake (John 15:18-25).
(See besides the passages cited above from the Word, n. 122.) These things have been said that it may be known that by “Antipas My faithful martyr, who was slain among you,” those are meant who are hated because they openly acknowledge the Lord’s Divine Human.
The elders of Moab and the elders of Midian went to Balaam with the rewards of enchantment in their hand (Num. 22:7).
When Balaam saw that it was good in the eyes of Jehovah to bless Israel, he went not as in former times to meet with divinations (Num. 24:1).
And in Joshua:
Balaam also, the son of Beor, the diviner, did the sons of Israel slay with the sword upon their slain (Joshua 13:22).
That he was called by Balak, king of Moab, to curse the people of Israel, see Num. 22:5, 6, 16, 17; Deut. 23:3, 4; but that Jehovah prevented this, and granted him to speak prophetically, Num. 22:9, 10, 12, 20; 23:5, 16; the prophecies which he uttered may be seen Num. 23:7-15, 18-24; 24:5-9, 16-19, 20-24; all which things are truths, because it is said that:
Jehovah put a word into his mouth (Num. 23:5, 12, 16).
[2] That afterwards he counseled with Balak to destroy the people of Israel by craft, by leading them away from the worship of Jehovah to the worship of Baal-peor, is evident from these words in Moses:
In Shittim the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods; and the people did eat and bowed down to their gods. Especially did Israel join himself unto Baal-peor. Therefore there were killed of Israel twenty and four thousand (Num. 25:1-3, 9, 18).
They slew Balaam amongst the Midianites; and the sons of Israel led captive all the women of the Midianites; which was of the counsel of Balaam, to deliver them to prevarication against Jehovah, in the matter of Peor (Num. 31:8, 9, 16).
That by “Balaam” those are meant who have been illustrated in respect to the understanding, and who teach truths, follows from what has now been shown, for he spoke prophetically truths about Israel, and also about the Lord; that he spoke truths about the Lord also may be seen in his prophecy (Num. 24:17). To speak prophetically about Israel is to speak not about the Israelitish people, but about the church of the Lord, which is signified by “Israel.” The illustration of his understanding he himself describes in these words:
The saying of Balaam the son of Beor, the saying of the man whose eyes are opened, the saying of him who heareth the words of God, who falls prostrate, and has his eyes uncovered (Num. 24:3-4, 15-16).
“To have the eyes opened,” or “to have them uncovered,” is to be illustrated in respect to the understanding, for “eyes” in the Word signify the understanding (as may be seen in Arcana Coelestia, n. 2701, 4410-4421, 4523-4534, 9051, 10569).
[3] That “Balaam” also means those who love to destroy by craft those who are of the church is evident also from what has been shown above; moreover, when he rode upon the ass, he continually thought upon the use of enchantments for destroying the sons of Israel; and when he was not able to do this by curses, he counseled Balak to destroy them by calling them to the sacrifices of his gods, and by their committing whoredom with the daughters of Moab. By the “sons of Israel,” whom he wished to destroy, is signified the church, because the church was instituted among them (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 6426, 8805, 9340).
[4] The arcanum respecting the she-ass on which Balaam rode, which turned aside three times out of the way from the angel seen with a drawn sword, and its speaking to Balaam, I will here briefly explain. When Balaam rode upon the ass he continually meditated enchantments against the sons of Israel; the riches with which he should be honored were in his mind, as is evident from what is said of him:
He went not as in former times to meet with divinations (Num. 24:1).
In heart, he was also a soothsayer, therefore when left to himself, he thought of nothing else. By the “she-ass” upon which he rides is signified, in the spiritual sense of the Word, the intellectual illustrated; consequently to ride on a she-ass or a mule was the distinction of a chief judge or a king (see above, n. 31; and in Arcana Coelestia, n. 2781, 5741, 9212). The angel with the drawn sword signifies Divine truth illustrating and combating against falsity (see above, n. 131). Therefore that “the ass turned aside three times out of the way” signifies that the understanding when illustrated did not agree with the thought of the soothsayer; this also is meant by what the angel said to Balaam:
Behold, I went forth to withstand thee, because thy way is evil before me (Num. 22:32).
By “way,” in the spiritual sense of the Word, is signified that which a man thinks from intention (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 479, 534, 590; and in The small work on The Last Judgment, n. 48). That he was withheld from the thought and intention of using enchantments by the fear of death is manifest from what the angel said to him:
Unless the ass had turned aside before me, surely now I had even slain thee (Num. 22:33).
[5] It sounded to Balaam as if the ass spoke to him, yet she did not speak, but the speech was heard as if from her. That such was the case has often been shown me by living experience; it has been granted me to hear horses seemingly speaking, when yet the speech was not from them, but was seemingly from them. This actually occurred in Balaam’s case, that the story might be so related in the Word for the sake of the internal sense in every particular of it. That sense describes how the Lord protects those who are in truths and goods, that they may not be harmed by those who speak from seeming illustration, and yet have the disposition and intention to lead astray. He who believes that Balaam could harm the sons of Israel by enchantments is much deceived; for enchantments could have availed nothing against them; this Balaam himself confessed when he said:
Divination avails not against Jacob, nor enchantments against Israel (Num. 23:23).
Balaam could lead that people astray by craft, because that people were such in heart; with the mouth only they worshiped Jehovah, but in heart they worshiped Baal-peor, and because they were such this was permitted.
[6] It is to be noted, moreover, that a man can be in illustration in respect to the understanding, and yet in evil in respect to the will; for the intellectual faculty is separated from the voluntary with all who are not regenerated, and only with those who are regenerated do they act as one; for it is the office of the understanding to know, to think, and to speak truths, but of the will to will the things that are understood, and from the will, or from the love, to do them. The divorcement of the two is clearly manifest with evil spirits; when these turn themselves towards good spirits, they, too, understand truths, and also acknowledge them, almost as if they were illustrated; but as soon as they turn themselves away from good spirits, they return to the love of their will and see nothing of truth, and even deny the things they have heard (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 153, 424, 455).
[7] To be able to have the understanding illustrated is granted to man, for the sake of reformation; for in man’s will every evil resides, both that into which he is born and that into which he introduces himself; and the will cannot be corrected unless man knows, and by the understanding acknowledges, truths and goods, and also falsities and evils; in no other way can he turn away from the latter and love the former. (More may be seen on the will and the understanding in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 28-35.)
Israel abode in Shittim, where the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab; for he called* the people unto the sacrifices of their gods; and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. Especially did the people join themselves to Baal-peor; therefore the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel. And those that were slain were four and twenty thousand (Num. 25:1-3, 9).
It was among the statutes where sacrifices were instituted that some part of the sacrifices, especially of the thank-offerings, should be burnt from the altar, and some part eaten in the holy place. The “sacrifices” themselves signified worship from love and faith, and the “eating” of them signified appropriation of the good thereof. (That “sacrifices” signified all things of worship from the good of love and faith, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 923, 6905, 8680, 8936, 10042; and “eating” the appropriation of goods, n. 10109.) As the eating of things sanctified to Jehovah signified the appropriation of good, so the eating of the sacrifices offered to the gods of the nations, and which were called “idol-sacrifices,” signified the appropriation of evil.
[2] That to “commit whoredom,” in the spiritual sense, signifies to become imbued with falsities, so also to falsify truths, can be seen from many passages in the Word. The same was signified by the whoredoms of the sons of Israel with the daughters of Moab; for all historical parts of the Word involve spiritual things and signify them (as can be seen from the explanations of Genesis and Exodus, called Arcana Coelestia). And as the eating of idol-sacrifices by the sons of Israel and their whoredoms with the daughters of Moab involved such things (for what things signify they involve), therefore it was commanded that the heads of the people should be hung up to Jehovah before the sun; and for the same reason Phinehas the son of Eleazar thrust through a man of Israel and a Midianitish woman in the place of their lust, and for doing that he also was blessed; and for the same reason there were slain of Israel twenty and four thousand (as may be seen, Num. 25:1 to the end). Such punishments and such plagues merely because of the eating of idol-sacrifices, and committing whoredom with the women of another nation, would never have been commanded to be done, unless they had involved heinous offenses against heaven and the church, which do not appear in the literal sense of the Word, but only in its spiritual sense. The heinous offenses involved were the profanation at once of the goods and of the truths of the church, and this, as has been said above, was the appropriation of evil and falsity.
[3] That adulteries and whoredoms involve such things is evident from numerous passages in the Word, where they are recounted, which show clearly that they signify the adulterations of good and the falsifications of truth, as in the following. In Ezekiel:
Jerusalem, thou hast trusted in thy beauty, and hast committed whoredom because of thy renown, so that thou hast poured out thy whoredoms on everyone that passed by. Thou has committed whoredom with the sons of Egypt thy neighbors, great of flesh, and hast multiplied thy whoredom. Thou hast committed whoredom with the sons of Asshur, when there was no satiety to thee, with whom thou committedst whoredom. Thou hast multiplied thy whoredom even to Chaldea, the land of traffic. An adulterous woman receiveth strangers instead of her husband. All give reward to their harlots,** but thou hast given reward to all thy lovers, and hast rewarded them that they may come unto thee on every side in thy whoredoms. Wherefore, O harlot! hear the word of Jehovah (Ezek. 16:15, 26, 28-29, 32-33, 35 seq.).
Who cannot see that by “whoredoms” here are not meant whoredoms in the usual natural sense? For the church in which all the truths of the Word have been falsified is treated of; this is what is meant by “whoredoms;” for “whoredoms” in the spiritual sense, or spiritual whoredoms, are no other than falsifications of truth. “Jerusalem” here is the church; the “sons of Egypt,” with whom she committed whoredom, are scientifics and knowledges of every kind, perversely applied to confirm falsities; the “sons of Asshur” are reasonings from falsities; “Chaldea,” the land of traffic, is the profanation of truth; the “rewards” that she gave to her lovers are the vendings of falsities; and because of the adulteration of good by the falsifications of truth, that church is called a “woman adulterous while subject to her husband.”
[4] In the same:
Two women, the daughters of one mother, committed whoredoms in Egypt; they committed whoredoms in their youth. One committed whoredom while subject to me, and chose for lovers the Assyrians her neighbors; she bestowed her whoredoms upon them yet she hath not left her whoredoms in Egypt. The other hath corrupted her love more than she, and her whoredoms above the whoredoms of her sister; she increased her whoredoms, she loved the Chaldeans; the sons of Babel came to her to the bed of loves, and they defiled her with their whoredom (Ezek. 23:2-3, 5-8, 11, 14, 16-17 seq.).
Here also by “whoredoms” are in like manner meant spiritual whoredoms, as is evident from every particular. “Two women, the daughters of one mother, are the two churches, the Israelitish and the Jewish; “whoredoms” with “the Egyptians,” “the Assyrians,” “the Chaldeans,” signify the like as above; “the bed of loves with the sons of Babel” is the profanation of good.
[5] In Jeremiah:
Thou hast committed whoredoms with many companions, thou hast profaned the land with thy whoredoms, and with thine evil. Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? She hath gone away upon every high mountain, and under every green tree, and there committeth whoredom. Perfidious Judah also hath gone away and committed whoredom, so that by the voice of her whoredom she hath profaned the land; she hath committed adultery with stone and with wood (Jer. 3:1-2, 6, 8-9).
“Israel” is the church that is in truth, “Judah” the church that is in good, for they represented these two churches. The falsifications of truth are signified by the “whoredoms of Israel,” and the adulterations of good by “the whoredoms of Judah.” “To go away upon every high mountain and under every green tree and to commit whoredom” is to seek after all the knowledges of good and truth, even from the Word, and to falsify them; “to commit adultery with stone and wood” is to pervert and profane all truth and good; “stone” signifying truth, and “wood” signifying good.
[6] In the same:
Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man [vir], if there be any doing judgment, seeking truth. When I fed them to the full they committed whoredom and came by troops to the house of the harlot (Jer. 5:1, 7).
To “run to and fro through the streets, and to seek in the broad places of Jerusalem,” is to see and explore the doctrinals of that church; for “Jerusalem” is the church, and “streets” and “broad places” are doctrinals. “If ye have found a man, if there be any doing judgment, seeking truth,” means whether there be any truth in the church. “When I fed them to the full they committed whoredom,” means that when truths were revealed to them they falsified them. Such a church, in respect to doctrine, is the “house of the harlot,” into which they “came by troops.”
[7] In the same:
Thine adulteries, and thy neighings, the lewdness of thy whoredom, thine abominations on the hills in the field have I seen. Woe unto thee, O Jerusalem! thou wilt not be made clean (Jer. 13:27).
“Neighings” are profanations of truth, because a “horse” signifies the intellectual where there is truth; “the hills in the field” are goods of truth in the church, which have been perverted.
[8] In the same:
In the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible stubbornness in adulterating and in walking in a lie (Jer. 23:14).
They have wrought folly in Israel, and have committed adultery with their companions’ wives, and have spoken My*** word in My name falsely (Jer. 29:23).
To “adulterate” and to “commit adultery” here clearly mean to pervert truths; “the prophets” signifying those who teach truths from the Word; for it is said “in adulterating and walking in a lie,” and “they have spoken My word falsely.” A “lie” in the Word signifies falsity.
[9] In Moses:
Your sons shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years, and shall bear your**** whoredoms even till their carcasses are consumed in the wilderness (Num. 14:33).
The sons of Israel did not bear whoredoms and were not for that reason consumed in the wilderness, but because they spurned heavenly truths, as is evident from this, that it was so said to them because they wished not to enter into the land of Canaan, but to return to Egypt; “the land of Canaan” signifies heaven and the church, with the truths thereof; and “Egypt” signifies the same falsified and turned into magic.
[10] In Micah:
All her graven images shall be beaten to pieces, and all the rewards of whoredom shall be burned up with fire; and all her idols will I lay waste, for she hath gathered them from the hire of an harlot, therefore even to the hire of an harlot shall they return (Micah 1:7).
“Graven images” and “idols” signify falsities that are from self-intelligence; “the rewards of whoredom” are the knowledges of truth and good that they have applied to falsities and evils and have thus perverted.
[11] In Hosea:
Jehovah said to the prophet, Take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms, for whoring the land doth commit whoredom in departing from Jehovah (Hosea 1:2).
By this was represented what the quality of the church was, namely, that it was wholly in falsities.
[12] In the same:
They sinned against Me; I will change their glory into disgrace. They committed whoredom; because they have forsaken Jehovah. Whoredom, wine, and new wine, have occupied the heart. Your daughters commit whoredom, and your daughters-in-law commit adultery (Hosea 4:7, 10-11, 13).
“Whoredom, wine, and new wine,” are falsified truths; “whoredom” falsification itself; “wine” interior falsity; “new wine” exterior falsity; “daughters who commit whoredom” are the goods of truth perverted; “daughters-in-law who commit adultery” are evils conjoined with falsities therefrom.
[13] In Isaiah:
It shall come to pass after the end of seventy years that Jehovah will visit Tyre, that she may return to her meretricious hire, and commit whoredom with all the kingdoms of the earth upon the faces of the world; at length her merchandise [and her meretricious hire] shall be holiness to Jehovah (Isa. 23:17, 18).
“Tyre,” in the Word, is the church in respect to the knowledges of truth and good; “meretricious hire” the same knowledges applied, by perverting them, to evils and falsities; “her merchandise” the vending of these. “To commit whoredom with all the kingdoms of the earth,” is with all and every truth of the church. “Her merchandise and her meretricious hire shall be holiness to Jehovah” because these signify the knowledges of truth and good applied by them to falsities and evils; and by means of the knowledges themselves regarded in themselves, a man can gain wisdom; for knowledges are means of becoming wise, and they are also means of becoming insane. They are the means of becoming insane when they are falsified by being applied to evils and falsities. The like is signified where it is said that:
They should make to themselves friends of the unrighteous mammon (Luke 16:9);
and where it is commanded that:
They should borrow from the Egyptians gold, silver, and raiment, and take them away from them (Exod. 3:22; 12:35-36).
By the “Egyptians” are signified scientifics of every kind which they used to falsify truths.
[14] In Moses:
I will cut off the soul that looketh unto them that have familiar spirits and unto wizards, to go a-whoring after them (Lev. 20:5, 6).
In Isaiah:
He entereth into peace, he walketh in uprightness. But draw ye near, ye sons of the enchantress, the seed of the adulterer and the harlot (Isa. 57:2-3).
In Nahum:
Woe to the city of bloods, all in a lie, the horseman ascendeth, and the flaming of the sword, and the flashing of the spear, a multitude of the slain; for the multitude of the whoredoms of the harlot, of the mistress of sorceries, selling the nations through her whoredoms (Nahum 3:1, 3-4).
In Moses:
A covenant must not be made with the inhabitants of the land, lest the sons and daughters go a-whoring after their gods (Exod. 34:15-16).
In the same:
That ye may remember all the commandments of Jehovah, and do them; and that ye spy not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye are wont to go a-whoring (Num. 15:39).
In Revelation:
Babylon hath made all nations to drink of the wine of the wrath of her whoredom (Rev. 14:8);
The angel said, I will show thee the judgment of the great harlot that sitteth upon many waters; with whom the kings of the earth have committed whoredom (Rev. 17:1-2);
Babylon hath made all nations to drink of the wine of the wrath of her whoredom, and the kings of the earth have committed whoredom with her (Rev. 18:3);
He hath judged the great harlot, which did corrupt the earth with her whoredom (Rev. 19:2).
It is manifest that in these passages by “whoredoms” are meant the falsifications of truth.
[15] As such things are signified by “whoredoms” and “adulteries,” and as these have the same signification in heaven, therefore in the Israelitish church, which was a representative church, in which all things were significative, the following commands were given:
That there should be no harlot nor whoremonger in Israel (Deut. 23:17);
That the man that committed adultery with the wife of a man, and the man that committed adultery with the wife of his companion should be put to death (Lev. 20:10);
That the hire of a harlot should not be brought into the house of Jehovah for any vow (Deut. 23:18);
That the sons of Aaron should not take a harlot to wife, nor a woman put away by her husband. That the high priest should take a virgin to wife. That the daughter of a priest, if she profaned herself by committing whoredom, should be burned with fire (Lev. 21:7, 9, 13-14). (Besides many other passages.)
[16] That “whoredoms” and “adulteries” involve such things has been testified to me from much experience in the other life. The spheres from spirits who have been of such character have made these things evident; from the presence of spirits who have confirmed falsities in themselves, and have applied truths from the sense of the letter of the Word to confirm them, there exhales an abominable sphere of whoredom. Such spheres correspond to all the prohibited degrees (of which, see Lev. 20:11- 21) with a difference according to the application of truths to falsities and the conjunction of falsities with evils, especially with evils that gush out of the love of self (of which more may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 384-386).
* In Hebrew: “they called,” as also found in Apocalypse Explained, n. 140, 401; Apocalypse Revealed, n. 114; Arcana Coelestia, n. 10652.
** In Hebrew: “They give reward to all harlots,” as also found in Apocalypse Explained, n. 695; Arcana Coelestia, n. 8904.
*** In Hebrew: “the word,” as also found in Arcana Coelestia, n. 2466, 8904. “My” is found in Apocalypse Revealed, n. 134 and in True Christian Religion, n. 314.
**** In Hebrew: “your,” as also found in Apocalypse Explained, n. 633; Arcana Coelestia, n. 2466, 8904, but Apocalypse Revealed, n. 134 has “their.”
Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written, He gave them bread out of heaven to eat. The bread of God is He who cometh down out of heaven, and giveth life unto the world. I am the bread of life. Your fathers did eat the manna in the wilderness, and they are dead. This is the bread which cometh down out of heaven, that a man may eat thereof and not die. I am the living bread which came down out of heaven; if any man eat of this bread he shall live forever. The bread that I will give is My flesh (John 6:31-58).
That it is the Lord Himself who is meant by “manna” and by “bread,” He plainly teaches, for He says, “I am the bread of life which came down out of heaven.” That it is the Lord in respect to the Divine Human, He also teaches when He says, “The bread that I will give is My flesh.”
[2] The Lord taught the same when He instituted the Holy Supper:
Jesus took bread and blessed it, and gave to the disciples, and said, Take, eat, this is My body (Matt. 26:26; Mark 14:22; Luke 22:19).
“To eat of this bread” is to be conjoined to the Lord by love, for “to eat” signifies to be appropriated and to be conjoined (as above), and love is spiritual conjunction. The same is signified by “eating in the kingdom of God,” in Luke:
Blessed is he that eateth bread in the kingdom of God (Luke 14:15).
Ye shall eat and drink at My table in My kingdom (Luke 22:30).
In Matthew:
Many shall come from the east and the west, and shall recline to eat with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of God (Matt. 8:11).
(That by “Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,” the Lord is meant, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1893, 4615, 6095, 6185, 6276, 6804, 6847.) In John:
Work not for the food which perisheth; but for the food which abideth, which the Son of man shall give unto you (John 6:27).
That the “Son of man” is the Lord in respect to the Divine Human, see above (n. 63).
[3] It is called “hidden manna,” because the delight of heavenly love, which those receive who are conjoined to the Lord through love, is wholly unknown to those that are in a love not heavenly; and this delight no one is able to receive except he that acknowledges the Lord’s Divine Human; for from this the delight proceeds. Because this delight was unknown to the children of Israel in the wilderness, they called it “manna,” as appears in Moses:
Jehovah said unto Moses, Behold, I will cause bread to rain from heaven itself for you. And in the morning the dew lay round about the camp. And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold upon the face of the wilderness a small round thing; and when they saw it, they said, This is manna? (what is this)? Moses said unto them, this is the bread which Jehovah giveth you to eat. And the house of Israel called the name thereof manna (Exod. 16:3 to the end).
In the same:
Jehovah fed thee with manna which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that He might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by all that is uttered by the mouth of Jehovah doth man live (Deut. 8:3).
This delight, which is meant by “manna,” was unknown to the sons of Israel, because they were in corporeal delight more than other nations, and those who are in that delight are altogether incapable of knowing anything of heavenly delight. (That the sons of Israel were such, see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 248.) The term “delight” is used, and the delight of love is meant, for every delight of life is of love.
[4] As it is the delight of heavenly love that is signified by “eating of the hidden manna,” therefore it is called “the bread of the heavens” in David:
Jehovah commanded the skies from above, and opened the doors of the heavens; and He rained down upon them manna for food, and gave them corn of the heavens (Ps. 78:23, 24).
In another place:
Jehovah satisfied them with the bread of the heavens (Ps. 105:40).
It is called the “bread of the heavens,” because it rained down from heaven with the dew, but in the spiritual sense it is called the “bread of the heavens” because it flows down from the Lord through the angelic heaven. In that case no other heaven is meant, and no other bread than that which nourishes the soul of man. That it is in this sense that “bread” is to be understood here is evident from the words of the Lord Himself in John:
That He is the manna, or bread, that came down out of heaven (John 6:31-58).
And in Moses:
That Jehovah fed them with manna, that He might make them to know that man doth not live by bread only, but by all that is uttered by the mouth of Jehovah (Deut. 8:3).
“What is uttered by the mouth of Jehovah” is everything that proceeds from the Lord, and this, in a special sense, is Divine truth united with Divine good (see the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 13, 133, 139, 140, 284-290).
[5] This delight is also described by the correspondences in Moses:
The manna appeared like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like cakes made with honey (Exod. 16:31).
And in another place in the same:
They made cakes of it; and the taste of it was as the taste of the juice of oil (Num. 11:7, 8).
The appearance and taste of the manna was such because “Coriander seed, white,” signifies truth from a heavenly origin; “cake,” the good of heavenly love; “honey” its external delight; “oil” that love itself; and its “juice,” from which was the taste, its internal delight: and the “rain with dew,” in which the manna was, the influx of Divine truth in which that delight is. (That “seed” signifies truth from a heavenly origin, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3038, 3373, 10248, 10249; that “white” is predicated of that truth, n. 3301, 3993, 4007, 5319; that “cake” signifies the good of heavenly love, n. 7978, 9992, 9993; that “oil” signifies that love itself, n. 886, 3728, 9780, 9954, 10261, 10269; its “juice,” therefore, signifies the delight of that love, because the taste is therefrom, and the taste is the delight and pleasantness, see n. 3502, 4791-4805. But more about these matters may be seen in the explanation of chapter 16 of Exodus in The Arcana Coelestia.)
[6] The delight of heavenly love is signified by “eating of the hidden manna,” when yet by “the hidden manna” the Lord in respect to the Divine Human is signified, because it is the same whether you say the Lord’s Divine Human, or the Divine Love, for the Lord is Divine Love itself, and what proceeds from Him is Divine good united to Divine truth; both are of love, and are also the Lord in heaven; consequently “to eat of Him” is to be conjoined to Him, and this by love from Him. (But these things may be better understood from what is said and shown in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 13-19, 116-125, 126-140; also in Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 210-222, 307.)
[2] That “name” in the Word signifies quality of state is evident from many passages there, some of which I will here cite in confirmation. Thus in Isaiah:
Lift up your eyes on high and see; who hath created these? He that leadeth out the host in number; that calleth them all by name (Isa. 40:26).
“His calling them all by name” is knowing the quality of all, and giving to them according to the state of love and faith with them. In John the meaning is similar:
He that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out (John 10:2-3).
In Isaiah:
Thus saith Jehovah thy Creator, O Jacob, and thy Former, O Israel, Fear not; for I have redeemed thee, and have called thee by name; thou art Mine (Isa. 43:1).
In the same:
That thou mayest know that I am Jehovah, who had called thee by thy name. For Jacob My servant’s sake, and Israel My chosen, I have called thee by thy name, when thou didst not know Me (Isa. 45:3-4).
“I have called thee by thy name” means that He knew the quality of the state of the church; for “Jacob” and “Israel” are the church, “Jacob” the external church, and “Israel” the internal.
[3] In the same:
Israel, if thou hadst hearkened to My commandments, his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before Me (Isa. 48:18-19).
“The name being cut off and destroyed from before Jehovah” denotes the quality of the state by which conjunction is effected, which state is the spiritual state of him who is of the church signified by “Israel.” Again in the same prophet:
Jehovah hath called me from the womb, from the bowels of my mother doth He make mention of my name (Isa. 49:1).
here “making mention of the name” is knowing the quality. In the same:
For Zion’s sake I will not be still, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet. And the nations shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory; and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of Jehovah shall utter (Isa. 62:1, 2).
In the same:
He shall call His servants by another name (Isa. 65:15).
“To call by a new name,” and “by another name,” is to bestow another state of life, namely, a state of spiritual life. In Ezekiel:
The city of bloods, polluted by name (Ezek. 22:2, 5).
“The city of bloods” is the doctrine that offers violence to the good of charity; this is said to be “polluted by name” when it abounds with falsities and evils therefrom, which constitute its quality.
[4] In Moses:
Moses said unto Jehovah, Thou hast said, I know thee by thy name. And Jehovah said unto Moses, This word also that thou hast spoken I will do, for I know thee by name (Exod. 33:12, 17).
“His knowing Moses by name” is knowing his quality. In Revelation:
Thou hast a few names in Sardis which have not defiled their garments. He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white garments, and I will confess his name before My Father. He that overcometh, I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, and My new name (Rev. 3:4, 5, 12).
It can be seen that “name” here signifies the quality of state in respect to the good of love and the truth of faith. In another place:
Whose names have not been written in the book of life (Rev. 13:8; 17:8).
“Names written in the book of life” are the quality of all things of man’s love and faith, the all things of his spiritual life. In another place:
They shall see the face of God and the Lamb, and His name shall be in their forehead (Rev. 22:4).
“His name in their forehead” is a state of love, for “forehead” corresponds to love, and therefore signifies love.
[5] “Name” in the Word signifies the quality of man’s state, because in the spiritual world each one is named according to the state of life in which he is, thus variously; for spiritual speech is not like human speech; all things there are expressed according to ideas of things and of persons; and these ideas fall into words. (This can be seen more clearly from what is shown on The Speech of the Angels in Heaven, in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 234-245; also see above, n. 102, 135, where it is shown what “the name of Jehovah,” “of the Lord,” and “of Jesus Christ” signify in the Word.)
* In Greek: “Son of God,” as just above; but here the Latin has “Son of man,” as also in Apocalypse Explained, n. 98, 250; Apocalypse Revealed, n. 70, 125.
[2] Since there are these two in man, and each separately must be opened by means proper to it, it is clear that unless the internal is opened by its proper means man continues merely natural, and his internal in that case is closed. But those with whom the internal is closed are not men of the church; for the church with man is formed through communication with heaven: and there is no communication with heaven unless man’s internal is opened by its proper means, all which have reference, as was said above, to love and faith. It is to be known, moreover, that with the man of the church, that is, the man who has been regenerated by the Lord by means of truths called truths of faith and by means of a life according to them, the internal and external or the spiritual and natural man are conjoined, and that this conjunction is effected by correspondences. (The nature of correspondences, and therefore the nature of the conjunction effected by them can be seen from what is shown about them in The Arcana Coelestia, and cited from that work in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 261.)
[3] Now since a man does not become a man of the church until his internal or spiritual man has been opened and until this has been conjoined with the external or natural man, those within the church in whom this conjunction is effected are now treated of; for (as was said above, n. 20) by “the seven churches” are not meant seven churches, but all in general who are of the Lord’s church; consequently what is written to the angel of each church treats of such things as constitute the church; here, therefore, that is, “to the angel of the church of Thyatira,” the internal and external are treated of, and the conjunction of the two in those of the church. (But as hitherto it has not been known that these two are actually in man, and that they must be opened and conjoined that man may be a man of the church; and as these things cannot be made clear in a few words, therefore they have been treated of in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 36-53, 179-182.)
[2] It is otherwise with those who have thought of God under the human form; these have all their ideas determined to the Divine, nor do their thoughts, like the thoughts of those mentioned before, wander in every direction. And as the Divine under the Human form, is the Lord’s Divine Human, therefore the Lord bends and determines their thoughts and affections to Himself. This, because it is the primary truth of the church, unceasingly flows in out of heaven with man; consequently it is, as it were, implanted in everyone to think of the Divine under the human form, and thus to see His Divine inwardly in himself, with the exception of such as have extinguished in themselves this implanted thought (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 82). From this the reason can also be seen, why all men, whatsoever after death, when they become spirits, turn themselves to their own loves, and thus why those who have worshiped the Divine under the human form turn themselves to the Lord, who appears to them as a sun above the heavens. But those who have not worshiped the Divine under the human form, turn themselves to the loves of their natural man, all of which have reference to the loves of self and the world, thus turning backwards from the Lord; and turning oneself backwards from the Lord is turning towards hell. (That all in the spiritual world turn themselves to their own loves, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 17, 123, 142-145, 151, 153, 255, 272, 510, 548, 552, 561.)
[3] All who lived in ancient times and worshiped the Divine saw the Divine in thought under the human form, and hardly anyone thought of an invisible Divine; and the Divine under the human form was even then the Divine Human. But as this Divine Human was the Divine of the Lord in the heavens and passing through the heavens, when at length heaven became enfeebled, because men, of whom heaven is made up, from internal successively became external and thus natural, therefore it pleased the Divine Itself to put on a human, and to glorify it, or make it Divine, that thus from Himself He might affect all, both those who are in the spiritual world and those who are in the natural world, and might save those who acknowledge and worship His Divine in the Human.
[4] This is clearly stated in many passages in the Old Testament Prophets, as well as in the Evangelists; of these I will cite only the following in John:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that hath been made. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And that Light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness apprehended it not. It was the true Light, which lighteth every man coming into the world. He was in the world, but the world acknowledged Him not. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory (John 1:1-14).
It is plainly evident that the Lord in respect to the Human is here meant by “the Word,” for it is said, “the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory.” It is also evident that the Lord made His Human to be Divine, for it is said, “the Word was with God and God was the Word, and this became flesh,” that is, a man. And since all Divine truth proceeds from the Lord’s Divine Human, and this is His Divine in the heavens, therefore by “the Word” is also signified Divine truth; and thence He is said to be “the Light which lighted every man coming into the world.” Moreover, “light” is Divine truth; and because men from being internal became so external or natural as no longer to acknowledge Divine truth or the Lord, therefore it is said that “the darkness apprehended not the light,” and that “the world acknowledged Him not.” (That the Word is the Lord in respect to the Divine Human and Divine truth proceeding therefrom, see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 263, 304. That “light” is Divine truth, and “darkness” the falsities in which those are who are not in the light, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 126-140, 275.)
[5] That they who acknowledge the Lord and worship Him from love and faith, and are not in the love of self and the love of the world, are regenerated and saved, is also taught in these words in John:
As many as received Him, to them gave He power to be children of God, even to them that believe in His name; which were born, not of bloods, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:12, 13).
Here “of bloods” means such as destroy love and charity. “The will of the flesh” is every evil from the love of self and love of the world, also man’s will-proprium, which in itself is nothing but evil; “the will of man” is falsity thence that comes from that will-proprium. That those who are not in these loves receive the Lord and are regenerated and saved, is meant by its being said that those who “believe in His name become children of God,” and are “born of God.” (That to “believe in the Lord’s name” is to acknowledge His Divine Human and to receive love and faith from Him, see above. n. 102-135. That “bloods” are the things that destroy love and charity, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4735, 5476, 9127; that “flesh” is man’s will-proprium, which in itself is nothing but evil, n. 210, 215, 731, 874-876, 987, 1047, 2307, 2308, 3518, 3701, 3812, 4328, 8480, 8550, 10283, 10284, 10286, 10732; and that man’s proprium is the love of self and the love of the world, n. 694, 731, 4317, 5660. That “man” [vir] is the intellectual, and therefore truth or falsity, since the intellectual is of the one or the other, see n. 3134, 3309, 9007. Thus “the will of man” [viri] is the intelligence-proprium, which, when it exists from the will-proprium [which in itself is nothing but evil], is nothing but falsity, for where evil is in the will there is falsity in the understanding. That to be “born of God” is to be regenerated by the Lord, see Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 173-184. Moreover, that all in the universe, from influx out of heaven and from revelation, worship the Divine in the human form, see Earths in the Universe, n. 98, 121, 141, 154, 158, 159, 169; likewise all angels of the higher heavens, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 78-86.)
[6] From this it can now be seen that everything of the church, thus also everything of heaven with men, is from the Lord’s Divine Human. For this reason “the Son of man,” who is the Divine Human, is described in the first chapter of Revelation by various representatives; and from that description the introductory sentences to each of the churches are taken (as may be seen above, n. 113), and what is said to this church in particular treats of this chief essential of the church, namely, the conjunction of the internal and external, or the regeneration of the man of the church; for it is said to the angel of this church, “These things saith the Son of God, that hath His eyes as a flame of fire.”
[2] “Eyes” signify the understanding, because all the sight of the eyes with men and angels is from the understanding. That all the sight of the eyes is from the understanding must sound absurd to those who are ignorant of the interior causes of things, out of which effects are presented in the body; those ignorant of these causes believe no otherwise than that the eye sees of itself, that the ear hears of itself, that the tongue tastes of itself, and that the body feels of itself; when yet it is the interior life of man, the life of his spirit, which is the life of his understanding and will, or of his thought and affection that, through the organs of the body, has sensation of the things that are in the world, and thus perceives them naturally. The whole body, with all its sensories, is merely an instrument of its soul, or of its spirit; which is also the reason that when man’s spirit is separated from the body the body has no sensation whatever, but the spirit afterwards continues to have sensation as before. (That man’s spirit sees, hears, and feels, after it is released from the body equally as before while in the body, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 461-469; and on The Correspondence of the Understanding with the Sight of the Eye, see Arcana Coelestia n. 4403-4421, 4523-4534.) With beasts, moreover, their interior life, which is also called their soul, has sensation equally through the external organs of their body, but with a difference, in that the sensation of the beast is not rational like man’s, thus is not formed from an understanding and will such as man has (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 108; and The Last Judgment, n. 25).
[3] From this, then, it is, that by “eye” in the Word is signified the understanding of truth, or intelligence and wisdom, as may be seen from the following passages. In Isaiah:
Say to this people, hear ye in hearing, but understand not; and see ye in seeing, and know not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and smear their eyes, lest they see with their eyes (Isa. 6:9-10; John 12:40).
“To smear the eyes, lest they see with their eyes,” is to darken the understanding, that they may not understand.
[4] In the same:
Jehovah hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes; the prophets and your heads, the seers hath He covered (Isa. 29:10);
where “He hath closed the eyes; the prophets and the heads, and the seers hath He covered,” is the understanding of truth. “Prophets” are those that teach truths, who are also called “heads,” because the head signifies intelligence, and are also called “seers” from the revelation of Divine truth with them.
[5] In the same:
The eyes of them that see shall not be closed, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken (Isa. 32:3).
“The eyes of them that see” means of those that understand truths. In the same:
Who shutteth his eyes from seeing evil. Thine eyes shall behold the king in his beauty (Isa. 33:15, 17).
“To shut the eyes from seeing evil” is not to admit evil into the thought; “their eyes shall behold the king in his beauty” is that they are to understand truth in its light with pleasantness; for by “king” here is not meant a king but truth (see above, n. 31).
[6] In Jeremiah:
Hear now this, O foolish people, who have no heart; who have eyes and see not; who have ears and hear not (Jer. 5:21; Ezek. 12:2).
In Lamentations:
The crown of our head hath fallen; for this our heart hath become faint; and for this our eyes have been darkened (Lam. 5:16, 17).
“The crown of the head” is wisdom (see above n. 126); the “faint heart” means that the will of good is no more (that “heart” is the will and love, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 95). “Eyes” are the understanding of truth, and they are said to be darkened when truth is no longer understood.
[7] In Zechariah:
The punishment of the shepherd forsaking the flock, a sword upon his right eye; and his right eye in growing dim shall be dimmed (Zech. 11:17).
“The sword upon the right eye,” and “the right eye in growing dim shall be dimmed,” means that all truth in the understanding is to perish through falsity (that “sword” is the destruction of truth by falsity, see above, n. 131).
[8] In the same:
The plague wherewith Jehovah will strike all the peoples that shall war against Jerusalem; their eyes shall consume away in their sockets (Zech. 14:12).
“The peoples that shall war against Jerusalem” are those that fight against the church; “Jerusalem” is the church; that “their eyes shall consume away” means that intelligence is to perish because they fight by falsities against truths.
[9] In Zechariah:
I will smite every horse with astonishment, and every horse of the peoples with blindness (Zech. 12:4).
Here the vastation of the church is treated of; by “horse” is signified the intellectual, therefore the understanding is meant when it is said that the horse should be smitten with astonishment and with blindness. (That “horse” signifies the intellectual, see the small treatise on The White Horse, n. 1-5.)
[10] In David:
Hear me, O Jehovah, my God; lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep [the sleep of] death (Ps. 13:4).
“Lighten the eyes” means the understanding. In Moses:
Thou shalt not take a gift, for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise (Deut. 16:19).
“To blind the eyes of the wise” is that they may not see or understand the truth.
[11] In Matthew:
The lamp of the body is the eye: if the eye be single the whole body is light; if the eye be evil the whole body is darkened. If therefore the light be darkness, how great is the darkness (Matt. 6:22, 23; Luke 11:34).
By “eye” here is not meant the eye, but the understanding; by “the eye single” the understanding of truth; by “the eye evil” the understanding of falsity; “darkness” is falsities; “the whole body” is the whole spirit, which is wholly such as the will is and the understanding therefrom; but if it has the understanding of truth from the will of good it is an angel of light; but if it has an understanding of falsity it is a spirit of darkness. By these words the reformation of man through the understanding of truth is described. From this it is clear that he who knows what “eye” signifies can know the arcanum of these words. That man is reformed by means of truths in the understanding, see above (n. 112, 126).
[12] In Matthew:
If thy right eye causeth thee to stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from thee; for it is better for thee to enter life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire (Matt. 5:29; 18:9; Mark 9:47).
Here also, by “eye” is not meant the eye, but the understanding thinking; by “the right eye causing to stumble” the understanding thinking evil; “plucking it out and casting it away” is not admitting such evil, but rejecting it; “having one eye” is the understanding thinking not evil, but truth only, for the understanding can think the truth; if it thinks evil it is from the will of evil. It is said “the right eye,” because “the right eye” signifies the understanding of good, and the “left eye” the understanding of truth (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4410, 6923).
[13] In Isaiah:
In that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of thick darkness and out of darkness (Isa. 29:18).
In the same:
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf (Isa. 35:5).
In the same:
I will give thee for a light of the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to lead him that is bound out of the dungeon, and them that sit in darkness out of the house of prison (Isa. 42:6, 7).
In the same:
Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears (Isa. 43:8).
“To open the eyes of the blind” is to instruct those who as yet are ignorant of truths, but nevertheless have a longing for them, that is, the Gentiles. The like is signified by:
The Lord’s healing the blind (Matt. 9:27-29; 20:29 to the end; 21:14; Mark 8:23, 25; Luke 18:35 to the end; John 9:1-21);
for all the Lord’s miracles involved such things as pertain to the church and heaven, therefore they were Divine (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 7337, 8364, 9301).
[14] Because the “eye” signified the understanding it was among the statutes pertaining to the sons of Israel:
That no one of the seed of Aaron who was blind or had a blemish in the eye should come nigh to offer sacrifice, or enter within the veil (Lev. 21:17-23).
That what was blind should not be offered for a sacrifice (Lev. 22:22; Mal. 1:8);
so also among the curses was:
A fever that should consume the eyes (Lev. 26:16).
From all this it can now be known what is signified by “the eyes of the Son of God that were as a flame of fire,” namely, Divine wisdom and intelligence communicated to those who are in love towards the Lord and thence in faith in Him.
[15] That His Divine Providence is also signified is evident from what was shown above (n. 68). To this may be added what is said of the cherubim in Ezekiel, and of the four animals about the throne in Revelation, which also signify the Divine Providence of the Lord, and in particular, a guard that the Lord be not approached except through good. In Ezekiel:
I saw, and behold four wheels near the cherubim; their whole flesh, and their backs, and their hands, and their wings, and the wheels were full of eyes round about (Ezek. 10:9, 12).
In Revelation:
About the throne were four living creatures full of eyes before and behind; each one had wings full of eyes about and within (Rev. 4:6, 8).
These four “living creatures” also were cherubim, for the description of them is almost like that of the cherubim in Ezekiel. So many “eyes” are ascribed to them because the Lord’s Divine Providence, which is signified by “cherubim,” is His government of all things in the heavens and on the earth by Divine wisdom; for the Lord by Divine Providence sees all things, disposes all things, and looks out for all things. (That by “cherubim” is signified the Lord’s Divine Providence, and in particular, a guard that the Lord be not approached except through good, see n. 9277, 9509, 9673.)
[2] The internal of the celestial church, therefore, is to do the Lord’s commandments from the affection of the will, consequently from the love of good; while the internal of the spiritual church is to do the Lord’s commandments from the affection of the understanding, consequently from the love of truth. That doing the Lord’s commandments is loving Him, He Himself teaches in John (14:21, 23). The internal of the celestial church is what is meant by “works,” and the internal of the spiritual church is meant by “charity.” (But as these things cannot be explained in a few words, so as to be clearly perceived, see what is said respecting them in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, on The Will and Understanding, n. 28-36; on The Internal and the External Man, n. 36-53; on Love in General, n. 54-64; on Love towards the Neighbor, or Charity, n. 84-107; on Faith, n. 108-122; and in the work on Heaven and Hell, where Celestial Love and Spiritual Love are treated of, n. 13-19.)
[2] That “ministry” and “ministering” in the Word are predicated of the good of love can be seen from the following passages. In David:
Jehovah maketh His angels spirits, His ministers a flaming fire (Ps. 104:4).
Jehovah’s “making His angels spirits” means that they are recipients of Divine truth (see above, n. 130). “Making His ministers a flaming fire” means that they are recipients of Divine good for “flaming fire” signifies the good of love (see above, n. 68). From this it is clear that by “ministers” those who are in the good of love are meant.
[3] In the same:
Bless Jehovah, all ye His hosts; ye ministers of His that do His will (Ps. 103:21).
Those are called “hosts of Jehovah” who are in truths (see n. 3448, 7236, 7988, 8019), and “ministers” those who are in goods; therefore it is said, “that do His will.” Doing the Lord’s will is acting from the good of love; for all good has reference to the will, as all truth has to the understanding.
[4] In Isaiah:
Ye shall be called the priests of Jehovah, the ministers of our God (Isa. 61:6).
Priests are called “ministers” because they represented the Lord in respect to the good of love; those, therefore, who are in the good of love are called “priests” in the Word (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2015, 6148, 9809, 10017); and for the same reason they are called “ministers of God.” On this account the function of Aaron and of his sons is called “a ministry;” also the function of the Levite priests; and entering into the tent of meeting and officiating in the ministry there, also approaching the altar and officiating in the ministry there, is called “ministering” (see Exod. 28:35; 30:20; Num. 8:15, 19, 24-26). And in Jeremiah:
Then shall My covenant become void with the Levites the priests, My ministers (Jer. 33:21).
(That Aaron represented the Lord in respect to the good of love, see Arcana Coelestia, 9806, 9946, 10017; likewise priests in general, n. 2015, 6148; consequently by “priesthood” in the Word the Divine good of the Lord’s Divine love is signified, n. 9806, 9809.)
[5] There are two kingdoms into which the whole heaven is divided, in one of which are the angels who are in the good of celestial love, in the other the angels who are in the good of spiritual love, or in charity. The Lord’s celestial kingdom is called His “priesthood,” the spiritual kingdom His “royalty” (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 24, 226). “Ministry” is predicated of those in the celestial kingdom, and “service” of those in the spiritual kingdom. From this it is clear what is meant in the following passages by “ministering” and “minister,” and by “serving” and “servant”:
Jesus said to the disciples, Whosoever would be great let him be your minister; and whosoever would be first, let him be your servant; as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister (Matt. 20:26-28; 23:11-12; Mark 9:35; Luke 22:24-27).
Jesus said, If any man will minister to Me let him follow Me; then where I am, there shall also My minister be; yea, if any man will minister to Me, him will My Father honor (John 12:26).
Jesus said, Blessed are those servants whom the Lord when He cometh shall find watching; I say unto you, that He shall gird Himself, and make them to recline to eat, and He will come forth and minister to them (Luke 12:37).
In Isaiah:
The sons of the alien that conjoin themselves to Jehovah to minister to Him, and to love the name of Jehovah (Isa. 56:6).
Because “ministering” is predicated of the good of love, “the sons of the alien” are said “to minister to Jehovah,” and “to love Him;” and of the Lord Himself it is said that “He would minister.” From all this it can now be seen that by “ministry” is signified everything that is done from the good of love, thus the good of love.
[2] To this I will add an arcanum not yet known. After death, man’s spirit appears in a human form according to the life of his affection while in the world; in a beautiful form if he lived a life of heavenly love; in an unbeautiful form if he lived a life of worldly love. It is from this that angels are forms of love and charity; yet their form is not so beautiful from the affection of thought and will alone as from the affection of these expressed in deeds or works; for deeds or works from the affection of the will and thought, or of love and faith, are what constitute the outward aspect of the spirit, thus the beauty of his face, body, and speech. The reason for this is, that as the interiors terminate in deeds or works as into their extremes, so do they terminate in the outward form of the body. For it is well known that everything of man’s will terminates in the extremes of his body. Any part of the body in which the will does not terminate is not a part of the body; as is evident from the actions of the body, even the least of them; for these all flow from the impulse of the will and are manifested in the extremes of the body (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 59, 60; and in the small work on The Last Judgment, n. 30, 31).
[3] The same is manifest from this, that man’s spirit is altogether as his will is; not as his will is that does not go forth into act when it can (that will is nothing but thought in which there is an appearance of wing), but as the actual will is, which has no other desire than to act; this will is the same with man’s love; in accordance with this is the whole spirit and its human form. (That the will or love is the spirit itself, see above, n. 105; and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 479.) On this account it is so often said in the Word that man ought “to do the Lord’s commandments,” and that he will be recompensed according to his “doings,” that is, according to the love in deeds, but not according to the love without deeds, when doing is possible.
[4] It is said, “I know thy works, and the last to be more than the first;” by “the last being more than the first” is meant that the works are more full of love after the conjunction of the internal man with the external; for the more the internal is conjoined with the external the more there is of the internal in externals; consequently in the deeds or works; for externals or works are nothing but effects of the interiors which are of the will and of the thought therefrom; and effects derive their all from the internals from which they exist, as motion does from its conatus. In man the conatus is the will, and the motion therefrom is action.
[5] From what has been explained in this verse it can be seen in what order the conjunction of the internal with the external in the man of the church is described, namely, the internal by “I know thy works and charity;” the good of the internal and its truth by “ministry and faith;” the conjunction of the internal with the external by “endurance;” and the externals therefrom by “I know thy works, and the last to be more than the first.” That such things are involved in these words no one can see from the sense of the letter, but only from the spiritual sense which is within the literal sense.
[2] That Jezebel the wife of Ahab represented what has been said will be seen presently; but something shall first be said about the delights of loves. Every man is such as his love is, and every delight of his life is from his love; for whatever favors his love he perceives as delightful, and whatever is adverse to his love he perceives as undelightful; consequently it is the same whether it be said that man is such as his love is, or such as his life’s delight is. Those, therefore, who are loves of self and of the world, that is, they, with whom these loves reign, have no other life’s delight or no other life than infernal life. For these loves, or the life’s delights from them that are permanent, turn all their thoughts and intentions to self and the world; and so far as they turn them to self and to the world, they so far immerse them in man’s proprium [what is his own], which he has by inheritance, thus at the same time in evils of every kind; and so far as man’s thoughts and intentions are turned to his inherited proprium, which in itself is nothing but evil, so far are they turned away from heaven. For man’s interiors, which are of his mind, that is, of his thought and intention, or of his understanding and will, are actually turned to his own loves, that is, downwards to self where the love of self and its delights reign, and outwards, that is, away from heaven towards the world, where the love of the world and its delights reign. It is otherwise when man loves God above all things, and his neighbor as himself; then the Lord turns the interiors which are of man’s mind, or of his thought and intention, to Himself, thus turning them away from man’s proprium [what is his own], and elevating them; and this without man’s knowing anything about it. From this it is that man’s spirit, which is the man himself, after its release from the body is actually turned to its own love, because that constitutes his life’s delight, that is, his life. (That all spirits are actually turned to their own loves, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 17, 123, 142-145, 151, 153, 272, 510, 548, 552, 561; and above, n. 41.)
[3] This may be illustrated somewhat by the fact that all the least parts of the body turn themselves to the common center of our earth, which is called the center of gravity; and from this it is that wheresoever men are, even those who are in directly opposite positions, and are called antipodes, all stand upon their feet. Yet this center of gravity is merely nature’s center of gravity; but there is another center of gravity in the spiritual world, and this, with man, is determined by the love in which he is, downwards if his love is infernal, but upwards if his love is heavenly; and whichever way man’s love is determined, in the same way his thoughts and intentions are determined; for these are in the spiritual world, and are impelled by the forces that are there.
[4] From this it can now be seen that the perversion of the church with men, which is signified by “the woman Jezebel,” is solely from the loves of self and of the world, since these turn man’s interiors, which are of his mind, downward, thus turning them away from heaven. It is said “the perversion of the church with men,” because the church is in man, as heaven is in the angel; every church is constituted of those that are of the church, and not of any others, even though they may be born where the church is; as can be clearly seen from this, that love and faith constitute the church, and love and faith must be in man, consequently the church must be in him. (That heaven is in the angel, and the church in man, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 33, 53, 54, 57, 454; and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 232, 233, 241, 245, 246.)
That Ahab the king of Israel took to wife Jezebel the daughter of the king of the Zidonians, and that he went away and served Baal, and reared up to him an altar in Samaria, and made a grove (1 Kings 16:31-33);
And that Jezebel slew the prophets of Jehovah (1 Kings 18:4, 13);
And that she wished to slay Elijah also (1 Kings 19:1-2 seq.);
And that through craft, by substituting false witnesses, she took away the vineyard from Naboth, and slew him (1 Kings 21:6-7 seq.);
It was therefore predicted by Elijah that dogs should eat her (1 Kings 21:23; 2 Kings 9:10);
And afterwards, by the command of Jehu, she was thrown out of the window, and some of her blood was sprinkled upon the wall and upon the horses that trod her under foot (2 Kings 9:32-34).
[2] By all these things the perversion of the church by the delight of the love of self and the world, and by the evils and falsities flowing forth therefrom, was represented. For all the historical parts of the Word, as well as the prophetical, are representative of such things as are of the church. “Baal” whom Ahab served, and to whom he raised up an altar, signifies the worship from the evils of the love of self and the world; the “grove” which he made signifies worship from the falsities therefrom. That “Jezebel slew the prophets of Jehovah” signifies the destruction of the church in respect to its truths; that “she wished to slay Elijah also” signifies a desire to annihilate the Word, for Elijah represented the Word. “The vineyard which by means of false witnesses she took away from Naboth” signifies the falsification of truth and the adulteration of good; the prophecy of Elijah that “dogs should eat her” signifies uncleanness and profanation. That “she was thrown out of a window, and some of her blood was sprinkled upon the wall and upon the horses that trod her under foot,” signifies the lot of those who are of that character; what the lot of such will be can be seen from the internal sense of the particulars there. From this it can be seen that by “the woman Jezebel, who calleth herself a prophetess,” no other Jezebel is meant than Jezebel the wife of Ahab, spoken of in the Word; and that by her those are described who are in the doctrine of all falsities from the delights of the loves of self and of the world.
When Jehoram saw Jehu, he said, Is it peace, Jehu? and he said, What peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are many? (2 Kings 9:22).
[2] Something shall be here said briefly about this statement that those who have falsified truths with themselves by applying them to the delights of self-love do not afterwards turn themselves to truths. Man sees from the Word the truths of the church from the spiritual or internal man and from its intellectual, but he does not receive them therein except to the extent that he loves them so as to wish to do them. When man so wills, his internal or spiritual man calls forth and elevates to itself, out of the natural man and its memory, the truths that are there, and conjoins them to the love that is of his will; thus the internal spiritual man, where man’s interior and higher mind resides, is opened and is successively filled and perfected. But if man permits the natural delight, which is the delight of the love of self and the world, to have dominion, then he views all things from that delight; and if he then sees truths he applies them to his own love and falsifies them. When this is done the internal spiritual man is closed; for as this is suited only to the reception of such things as are in heaven, it cannot bear that truths should be falsified; consequently when truths are falsified it contracts itself and closes almost, as a fibril does when touched by a prickle. When the internal is once closed, the love of self reigns, or the love of the world, or both together; and they form the external or natural man altogether in opposition to the internal or spiritual man. For this reason those who have falsified truths by applying them to the delights of the love of self and the world are unable afterwards to turn themselves to truths. This is what is here meant by these words, “I gave to the woman Jezebel time that she might repent of her whoredom, and she repented not.”
[2] “Bed” signifies the doctrine of falsities, and at the same time the natural man, because the doctrine of falsities has no other source than the natural man separated from the spiritual; and the natural man separated from the spiritual sees worldly things in light, but heavenly things in thick darkness; it sees falsity, therefore, in the place of truth, and evil in the place of good; moreover, if it sees truth it falsifies it, and if it sees good it adulterates it; for heaven flows into the natural or external man through the spiritual or internal man, and not immediately into the natural or external; into it the world flows immediately. And when the natural world with man is not governed by the spiritual world, the bond with heaven is broken; and when this is broken man makes the world his all, and heaven of little or no account; so also self as all, and God of little or no account. When the external or natural man is in such a state it is in falsities from the evils that spring forth out of the love of self and the world. As “bed,” therefore, signifies the natural man, it also signifies the doctrine of falsities.
[3] “Bed” signifies the natural man, because the natural man underlies the spiritual, thus the spiritual lies on it and on the things that are in it as on its own bed. That “bed” signifies the natural man, also the doctrinals that are in it, can be seen from the passages in the word where “bed” is mentioned, as in the following. In Amos:
As the shepherd hath rescued out of the mouth of the lion two legs and a bit of an ear, so shall the sons of Israel be rescued that dwell in Samaria on the corner of a bed, and on the end of a couch (Amos 3:12).
“Lion” signifies the church, here those therein that destroy goods and truths; “legs and a bit of an ear” are the goods that are in the natural man, and something of perception of truth therefrom; “the sons of Israel that dwell in Samaria” are those of the church; “on the corner of the bed, and on the end of a couch,” are those in a little natural light from the spiritual, and in some truths therefrom.
[4] In the same:
Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountains of Samaria; to them that lie upon the beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall; that devise for themselves instruments of song; that drink out of bowls of wine, and anoint themselves with the firstlings of the oils: but they are not grieved over the breach of Joseph (Amos 6:4-6).
Those that the “trust in the mountains of Samaria” are those that trust in themselves, and from self-intelligence hatch out doctrines. “Samaria” is the perverted spiritual church; “beds of ivory” are fallacies of the senses on which doctrine is founded; “to stretch themselves upon couches” is to confirm and multiply the falsities therefrom; “to eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall, to drink out of bowls of wine and to anoint themselves with the firstlings of the oils,” is to draw the truths and goods of the Word out of the sense of its letter and to apply and falsify them. “Not to be grieved over the breach of Joseph” is not to care that the spiritual church is perishing, and that its truths are being infringed upon. (That “Joseph” in the highest sense signifies the Lord in respect to the Divine spiritual; in the internal sense the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, thus also the spiritual church; and in the external sense the fructification of good and multiplication of truth, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3969, 3971, 4669, 6417, 6526.)
[5] In Moses:
May the blessings of thy father prevail above the blessings of my parents, may they be on the head of Joseph, and on the head of the bed* of his brethren (Gen. 49:26).
“Joseph,” as was said, is the Lord’s spiritual church; “the head of the bed of his brethren” is the spiritual that flows into all the truths and goods of that church (for the twelve sons or tribes of Israel signify all the truths and goods of the church in the complex, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3858, 3926, 4060, 6335).
[6] In Luke:
I say unto you, In that night there shall be two [men] in one bed; one shall be taken, the other shall be left. There shall be two [women] grinding together; one shall be taken, the other shall be left. There shall be two [men] in the field; one shall be taken, the other shall be left (Luke 17:34-36).
This treats of the consummation of the age, which is the last time of the church when judgment takes place. To be “in one bed” is to be in the same doctrine of the church; “two [women] grinding” are those that collect and learn such things as are serviceable to faith; “two [men] in the field” are those in the church that apply goods and truths to themselves. (That “those who grind” are those who collect and learn such things as are serviceable to faith, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4335, 7780, 9995; that “field” means reception of truth and good, see n. 368, 3310, 9141, 9295.)
[7] In John:
Jesus said to the sick man at the pool of Bethsaida,** Arise, take up thy bed, and walk. And straightway the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked. Afterward Jesus findeth him, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole; sin no more, lest a worse thing befall thee (John 5:8-12, 14).
And in Mark:
They uncovered the roof where Jesus was, and they let down*** the bed whereon the sick of the palsy lay. Jesus said, Whether is easier to say, Thy sins are forgiven thee, or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed and walk? Then he said, Arise, take up thy bed, and walk and go unto thine house. And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all (Mark 2:4, 9, 11-12).
The Lord saying to these sick, “Arise, take up thy bed, and walk,” signifies doctrine, and a life according thereto; “bed” signifies doctrine, and “to walk” life (that ” walking” is living, see above, n. 97). “The sick man” signifies those that have transgressed and sinned; consequently the Lord said to the sick man at the pool of Bethsaida, “Behold, thou art made whole; sin no more, lest a worse thing befall thee;” and to the paralytic let down on a bed through the roof, “Whether it is easier to say, Thy sins are forgiven thee, or to say, Arise, take up thy bed, and walk?” Those who know nothing of the internal sense of the Word may believe that the words that the Lord spoke involve nothing more than what is obvious in the sense of the letter, when yet every particular of what the Lord spoke has a spiritual meaning, for He spoke from the Divine, and thus in the presence both of heaven and of the world (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2533, 4637, 4807, 9048, 9063, 9086, 10126, 10276).
[8] The bed of Og, the king of Bashan, is thus described in Moses:
Og, king of Bashan, remained of the remnants of the Rephaim; behold, his bed was a bed of iron; is it not in Rabbah of the sons of Ammon? nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man (Deut. 3:11).
The bed of Og is here described, because he was of the remnants of the Rephaim, and because he was king of Bashan; for by the “Rephaim,” those were signified who were in the love of self above others, and therefore natural above all others, and from a persuasion of their eminence over others were in falsities of every kind (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 581, 1268, 1270, 1271, 1673, 7686). And by “Bashan” the external of the church, thus the natural, was signified, for Bashan was outside the land of Canaan where the church was. On this account the bed of Og is described, which would not have been described unless such things had been signified by “Og;” for whatsoever is mentioned in the Word, even in the historical Word, is significative as to every expression. From this it is that the Word is spiritual in each and every particular, and therefore Divine from inmosts to ultimates. On this account, also, it is said that the bed was “of iron,” that it was “in Rabbah of the sons of Ammon,” and that “nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man.” For “iron” signifies what is natural (see below, n. 176); “Rabbah of Ammon” signifies the falsifications of truth (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2468); and “nine cubits the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it,” signifies the conjunction of evil and falsity.
[9] From this it can be seen what the Word is in its bosom. Because “bed” signifies doctrine, it was among the statutes in the church with the sons of Israel:
That every bed whereon he that hath the issue lieth should be unclean; and that the man who touched his bed should wash his clothes, and bathe himself in waters (Lev. 15:4-5).
“Having the issue” signifies those who are in natural love, separate from spiritual love; “washing the clothes, and bathing himself in waters,” signifies purification by the truths of faith (see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 202-209). Because “Jacob” in the Word signifies the external church, which is with those who are in natural light, and who live a moral life from the obedience of faith, though not from internal affection, when “Jacob” is spoken of there is in the spiritual world above on the right side, the appearance of a man lying in a bed; therefore in the Word it is said of him when he was dying:
When Jacob had made an end of charging his sons, he gathered up his feet upon his bed and expired (Gen. 49:33).
It is said “he gathered up his feet upon the bed,” because “feet” also signify the natural (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2162, 3147, 3761, 3986, 4280, 4938-4952).
* The word lectus here is a participle, meaning one chosen. Swedenborg read it in his Latin Bible for the noun lectus, a bed. In other places he translates the word “chosen.”
** The common reading is “Bethesda,” though a number of the Greek manuscripts, with Swedenborg, have “Bethsaida.”
*** The Latin has dimiserunt, “let go,” for which the Latin editor reads demiserunt, “let down.”
Here those are treated of with whom the spiritual or internal man is not so closed, because they are in some spiritual affection of truth, and yet they suffer themselves to be seduced by those who are in the doctrine of falsities (see above, n. 162). As these receive falsities into the memory of their natural man, with which falsities the internal spiritual man cannot agree, for this receives nothing but truths, a combat arises between the spiritual and the natural man. This combat is temptation, and this is signified by “great affliction.” (That temptation is the combat between the spiritual and natural man, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 190, 194, 197, 199.)
[2] This is signified by “reins” in the following places. In Jeremiah:
Jehovah Zebaoth, Judge of righteousness, trying the reins and the heart (Jer. 11:20).
In the same:
Thou hast proved* them, yea, they have taken root; they grow, yea, they bring forth fruit: Thou art near in their mouth, and far from their reins. But thou, O Jehovah, Thou shalt see me, and shalt prove my heart (Jer. 12:2, 3).
“Near in the mouth and far from the reins” is truth in the memory only, and in some thought therefrom when man speaks, but not in the will and from that in act. Truth in the will and from that in the act is what separates and dissipates falsities. Truth in the will and from that in the act is willing and doing what a man knows and thinks to be true; such truth is what is especially meant by “reins.”
[3] In the same:
I, Jehovah, search the heart, I prove the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruits of his works (Jer. 17:10).
“Searching the heart” is purifying good by separating evil from it; “proving the reins” is purifying truth by separating falsity from it; it is therefore said “to give to every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his works;” “ways” are the truths that are of faith, and “the fruit of works” are the goods that are of love. (That “ways” are truths that are of faith, see above, n. 97; and that “the fruit of works” are the goods that are of love, n. 98, 109, 116.)
[4] In the same:
Jehovah Zebaoth, that provest the righteous, that seest the reins, and the heart (Jer. 20:12).
And in David:
Establish Thou the righteous; for Thou that provest the hearts and the reins art a righteous God (Ps. 7:9);
“the righteous” are those who love to do what is true and good, their goods and truths are purified by the Lord, which is meant by “seeing” and by “proving the reins and the hearts.”
In David:
Prove me, O Jehovah, and try me, explore my reins and my heart (Ps. 26:2).
Because truths are separated from falsities and goods from evils by means of temptations, it is said, “Try me.” In the same:
My heart is in a ferment, and I am pricked in my reins, but I am foolish and know not (Ps. 73:21, 22).
The infestation of good by evil and of truth by falsity is described by these words. In the same:
Behold, thou desirest truth in the reins and in the hidden part thou makest wisdom known to me (Ps. 51:6).
Here there is another word in the original for “reins,” that includes the separation both of falsities from truths and of evils from goods. This shows that the “reins” signify purification and separation.
[5] In the same:
I will bless Jehovah, who hath given me counsel; also my reins chastise me in the night (Ps. 16:7).
“Night” signifies the state of man when falsities rise up; the consequent combat of truths with falsities is signified by “my reins chastise me.” In the same:
Even the darkness doth not make darkness before Thee, but the night is lucid as the day; as the darkness so is the light. For thou possessest my reins, my bone was not hidden from Thee when I was made in secret (Ps. 139:12, 13, 15).
“Darkness” means falsities, and “light” truths; to “possess the reins” is to know falsities and truths with man; therefore it is said, “my bone was not hidden from Thee when I was made in secret,” which signifies that no falsity that was made was hidden. (That “darkness” means falsity and “light” truth, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 126-140; and that “bone” means truth in the ultimate of order and in the contrary sense, falsity, Arcana Coelestia, n. 3812, 5560, 5565, 6592, 8005.)
[6] As “the reins” signified truths purified from falsities, so:
In the sacrifices, the fats and reins alone were offered up (as may be seen in Exod. 29:13; Lev. 3:4, 10, 15; 4:9; and elsewhere).
Fats and reins alone were offered upon the altar because “fats” signified the goods of love, and “reins” the truths of faith. (That “fats” or “fatnesses” signify the goods of love, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 353, 5943, 6409, 10033. That the “reins” signify the truths of faith, examining, purifying, and rejecting from themselves falsities, is from correspondence; for each and every thing of the body corresponds, as can be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, where this is shown in its chapter entitled, There is a Correspondence of all things of Heaven with all things of Man, n. 87-102; and on the Reins, n. 96, 97.) Unless it be known that there is such a correspondence, who could ever know why it is so often said of Jehovah or the Lord in the Word, that “He searcheth and proveth the reins and the heart?” (On the correspondence of the reins, of the ureters, and of the bladder, see further in Arcana Coelestia, n. 5380-5386.) To “search the reins and the heart” signifies also to explore the exteriors and the interiors of man, because truth is without and good is within; and spiritual good, which in its essence is truth, and in particular is signified by the “reins,” is exterior good; while celestial good which in particular is signified by the “heart,” is interior good. (This can be seen more fully from what is shown respecting The Spiritual Kingdom and the Celestial Kingdom, in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 20-26.)
* The Hebrew instead of “proved” has “planted,” as also found in Arcana Coelestia, n. 348, 8918.
[2] With these the natural sense of the Word, which is the sense of its letter, is at one; and the sense that is at one with these serves as a basis to the sense that is apart from them. For all things that are in nature are ultimates of Divine order, and the Divine does not rest in the middle, but flows down even to its ultimates, and there subsists. From this it is that the Word in the letter is such as it is, and unless it were such it would not serve as a basis for the wisdom of angels who are spiritual. It can be seen from this how mistaken those are who despise the Word on account of its style. “Nations” signify those who are in good, and in the abstract, goods, because men who lived in ancient times were divided into nations, families, and houses; and they then loved each other mutually; and the father of a nation loved the whole nation which was from him; thus the good of love reigned among them. For this reason “nations” signified goods. But when men came into the opposite state, which took place in the following ages when empires were established, then “nations” signified evils. (See further on this subject in The small work on The Earths in the Universe, n. 49, 90, 173, 174.)
[3] That “nations” in the Word signify either goods or evils, and “people” either truths or falsities, can be seen from the following passages. In Isaiah:
Nations shall walk to Thy light, and kings to the brightness of Thy rising. Then shalt Thou see and flow together, and Thine heart shall be enlarged, because the multitude of the sea is converted unto Thee, the army of the nations come unto Thee; Thy gates shall be opened continually, they shall not be shut by day and by night, that men may bring unto Thee the army of the nations, and their kings shall be brought; for the nation or kingdom that will not serve Thee shall perish; and the nations by wasting shall be wasted. Thou shalt suck the milk of nations, even the breasts of kings shalt Thou suck. The little one shall become a thousand, and the few a numerous nation (Isa. 60:3, 5, 11-12, 16, 22).
Here the Lord is treated of; and by “nations” all who are in the good of love to Him are meant, and by “kings” all who are in the truths of faith in Him. From this it is manifest who are meant by the “nations” that “shall walk to Thy light;” and by “the army of the nations that shall be brought;” also, who are meant by “the kings” that “shall walk to the brightness of Thy rising;” and by “the kings of the nations” that “shall be brought;” also, what is meant by “Thou shalt suck the milk of nations and the breasts of kings” (“milk” is the delight of the good of love, likewise “breasts,” for milk is from them). The multiplication of truth and the fructification of good are described by the “little one shall become a thousand, and the few a numerous nation.” But by “the nations that shall be wasted” are meant all that are in evils, and also the evils themselves.
[4] In the same:
Behold I will lift up My hand towards the nations, and set up Mine ensign towards the peoples, that they may bring thy sons in the bosom, and carry thy daughters upon the shoulder; and kings shall be thy nourishers and the chief women thy sucklers; with the face to the earth shall they bow down to thee (Isa. 49:22, 23).
here also the Lord is treated of, and those who shall worship and adore Him. To “lift up His hand towards the nations, and His ensign towards the peoples,”* is to join to Himself all who are in the goods of love and in truths therefrom; of these it is said that “they shall bring thy sons in the bosom, and carry thy daughters upon the shoulder;” “sons” are the affections of truth, and “daughters” the affections of good (see above, n. 166). And of these it is said that their “kings shall be thy nourishers, and the chief women thy sucklers.” “Kings” are truths themselves, “chief women” are the goods thereof; and as man is regenerated by both of these, and also nourished, it is said that they shall be “nourishers” and “sucklers.” (That man is regenerated by means of truths and a life according to them, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 23, 24, 27, 186.) This is the internal sense of these words; without that sense who could understand them?
[5] In the same:
Jehovah said, Behold I spread out upon Jerusalem peace as a river, and as a torrent the glory of the nations, that ye may suck. He will come to gather all nations and tongues, that they may come and see My glory. They shall declare My glory among the nations; then shall they bring your brethren out of all nations, as a gift to Jehovah, upon horses and upon the chariot, to the mountain of My holiness (Isa. 66:12, 18-20).
Here “Jerusalem” is the Lord’s church in the heavens and on the earth; it is said the church in the heavens, for the church is there also (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 221-227). By “nations and tongues” all who are in the goods of love and in truths therefrom are meant. It is said that “they shall bring out of all nations a gift to Jehovah, upon horses and upon the chariot;” “a gift to Jehovah” is worship from the good of love; “horses and chariots” are intellectuals and doctrinals, for these are the source and foundation of worship. (That this is what “horses and chariots” signify, see in the small work on The White Horse, n. 1-5.)
[6] In the same:
It shall be in that day that a Root of Jesse, which shall stand for a sign of the people, the nations shall seek (Isa. 11:10). “The root of Jesse” is the Lord; “to stand for a sign of the people” means that it may be seen by those who are in truths; “the nations which shall seek,” are those who are in the good of love. It is believed that “nations” here mean the nations that are to approach and acknowledge the Lord, from which is to be the church that is called the church of the Gentiles; but these are not meant by “nation” but all who are in love to the Lord and faith in Him, whether within the church or out of it (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 308, 318-328).
[7] In the same:
A strong people shall honor Thee, the city of the powerful nations shall fear thee (Isa. 25:3).
In the same:
Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation may enter in. Thou hast increased the nation, O Jehovah, Thou hast increased the nation, Thou art glorified (Isa. 26:2, 15).
In the same:
Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye peoples (Isa. 34:1).
In the same:
I, Jehovah, have called thee in righteousness, for a covenant to the people, for a light of the nations (Isa. 42:6).
In Jeremiah:
The nations shall bless themselves in Him, and in Him shall they glory (Jer. 4:2).
In the same:
Who will not fear Thee, O king of nations? and in all their kingdom there is none like unto Thee (Jer. 10:7).
In Daniel:
I was seeing in the night visions, and behold with the clouds of heaven One like the Son of man. And there was given Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom; and all peoples, nations, and tongues shall worship Him (Jer. 7:13, 14).
In David:
The peoples shall give thanks unto Thee, O God; all the peoples shall give thanks unto Thee. Let the nations be glad and sing for joy; for Thou shalt judge the peoples with equity, and shalt lead the nations upon the earth (Ps. 67:3, 4).
In the same:
That I may see the good of Thy chosen, and be glad in the joy of Thy nations (Ps. 106:5).
In Revelation:
The glory and honor of the nations shall be brought into the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:26).
In Isaiah:
Ye shall be called priests of Jehovah; ministers of your** God, it shall be said to you. Ye shall eat the wealth of the nations, and in their glory shall ye glory (Isa. 61:6).
In the Lamentations:
The breath of our nostrils, the Anointed of Jehovah, was taken in their pits; of whom we had said, In His shadow we shall live among the nations (Lam. 4:20).
In these passages, by “nations” all who are in love to the Lord, whether within the church where the Word is or out it: are meant.
[8] That by “nations” in a contrary sense those who are in evils are meant, and in the abstract, evils themselves, can be seen from the following passages. In Jeremiah:
I will bring a nation upon you from far, it is a mighty nation; it is a nation of an age, a nation whose tongue thou shalt not know. It shall eat up thy harvest and thy bread; it shall eat up thy sons and thy daughters; it shall eat up thy vine and thy fig-tree; it shall impoverish the cities with the sword (Jer. 5:15, 17).
The vastation of the church is here treated of; and by “nation” is meant the evil that will consummate it; it is therefore said, that “it shall eat up the harvest and the bread,” “the sons and daughters,” “the vine and the fig-tree,” and “shall impoverish the cities with the sword;” by which all the goods of love and the truths of faith are signified; by “harvest” a state of the reception of truth from good (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 9295); by “bread” the good of love (see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 218); by “sons and daughters” the affections of truth and good (see above, n. 166); by “vine” the internal church, thus the internal things of the church (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1069, 5113, 6376, 9277): by “fig-tree” the external church, thus the external things of the church (Arcana Coelestia, n. 5113); by “cities” doctrines (Arcana Coelestia, n. 402, 2449, 2712, 2943, 3216, 4492, 4493); by “sword” falsity destroying (see above, n. 73, 131). From this it can be seen that by “nations” is signified the evil that destroys all these.
[9] In the same:
Behold I lay stumbling-blocks before this people, that they may stumble upon them, the fathers and the sons together. Behold, a people cometh from the land of the north, and a great nation from the sides of the earth. They have no compassion, their voice roareth like the sea, and they ride upon horses (Jer. 6:21-23).
(vi. 21-23).
Here also “nation” means evil, and “peoples” falsities, “the stumbling-blocks upon which the fathers and the sons stumble” are the perversions of good and truth (“fathers” are goods, and “sons” truths therefrom). It is said, “a people from the land of the north, and a nation from the sides of the earth,” for the “north” signifies falsity from evil, and “the sides of the earth” signify what is outside of the church, thus evils remote from the goods of the church. “To roar like the sea, and to ride upon horses,” is to persuade by fallacies of the senses, and by reasonings therefrom.
[10] In Ezekiel:
The land is full of the judgment of bloods, and the city is full of violence, wherefore I will bring the worst of the nations, that they may occupy their houses; the king shall mourn, and the prince shall be clothed with stupor (Ezek. 7:23-24, 27).
The “land” is the church; “full of the judgment of bloods” is to be in falsities that destroy goods; “city” is doctrine; “full of violence” is to use force against the good of charity; “the worst of the nations” are direful falsities from evil; “to occupy their houses” is to possess their minds; “the king who shall mourn” is the truth of the church; “the prince who shall be clothed with stupor,” is subservient truth. (That the “land” is the church, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 662, 1066, 1068, 1262, 1413, 1607, 2928, 3355, 4447, 4535, 5577, 8011, 9325, 9643; that “bloods” are falsities destroying good, n. 374, 1005, 4735, 5476, 9127; that “city” is doctrine, n. 2268, 2449, 2451, 2712, 2943, 3216, 4492, 4493; that “violence” is using force against the good of charity, n. 6353; that “houses” are the things of man that belong to his mind, n. 710, 2231, 2233, 2559, 3128, 3538, 4973, 5023, 6690, 7353, 7848, 7910, 7929, 9150; that “the king who shall mourn” is the truth of the church, see above n. 31.)
[11] In David:
Jehovah bringeth the counsel of the nations to naught, He overthroweth the thoughts of the peoples (Ps. 33:10).
“Nations” mean those who are in evils, and “peoples” those who are in falsities; and because both are signified, it is said that “Jehovah bringeth the counsel of the nations to naught, and overthroweth the thoughts of the peoples,” which are two expressions, as it were, of one thing, yet they are distinct in the internal sense, in which “nations” signify one thing, and “peoples” another.
[12] In Luke:
Then they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led captive among all nations, and at length Jerusalem shall be trodden down by the nations, until the time of the nations be fulfilled. Then there shall be signs in sun, moon, and stars, and upon the earth anguish of nations, the sea and the waves roaring (Luke 21:24-25).
The consummation of the age is here treated of, which is the last time of the church, when there is no longer any faith because there is no charity, or no truth because there is no good. This is here described by correspondences: “to fall by the edge of the sword” is to be destroyed by falsities; “to be led captive among all nations” is to be possessed by evils of every kind; “Jerusalem, which shall be trodden down,” is the church; the “sun” is love to the Lord; the “moon” faith in Him; the “stars” the knowledges of good and truth; the “signs” in them mean that these are to perish; “the sea and the waves that shall roar” are fallacies and reasonings therefrom.
[13] In Matthew:
Nation shall rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. And they shall deliver you unto affliction, and ye shall be hated of all the nations for My name’s sake (Matt. 24:7, 9; Luke 21:10, 11).
These things also were said by the Lord respecting the last time of the church; and by “nation shall rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom” is signified that there will be conflicts of evils and falsities among themselves; by “famines and pestilences” are signified the failure and wasting of truths; by “earthquakes” the perversion of the church; by “being hated of all nations” is signified to be hated by all who are in evil; “the name of the Lord,” for the sake of which they shall be hated, signifies all things of love and faith whereby the Lord is worshiped (see above, n. 102, 135).
[14] In Ezekiel:
Behold Asshur a cedar in Lebanon. He has become high, and his branches have been multiplied. In his branches have all the fowl of the heavens built their nests, and under his branches all the beasts of the field have brought forth, and in his shade have dwelt all great nations. But his heart is lifted up in his height; therefore I will give him into the hand of the strong one of the nations, strangers shall cut him off, the violent of the nations, and they shall cast him down; whence all peoples of the earth have gone down from his shadow, and have abandoned him (Ezek. 31:3, 5, 6, 10-12).
These things no one can understand unless he has a knowledge of the spiritual or internal sense of the Word. He will believe them to be mere comparisons, in which there is no spiritual signification; when yet all the particulars therein signify things of heaven and the church; therefore they shall be explained briefly. “Asshur” is the rational of the man of the church which is illustrated; this is called “a cedar in Lebanon,” because a “cedar” has the same signification as “Asshur,” specifically truth from good in the rational; and “Lebanon” is the mind where the rational resides, because there were cedars in Lebanon.
By “his branches that were multiplied” are meant truths therefrom; “the fowl of the heavens that built their nests in his branches” are the affections of truth; and “the beasts of the field that brought forth under his branches” are the affections of good; the “great nations that dwelt in his shade” are the goods of love; “his heart lifted up in his height” is the love of self; “to be given into the hands of the strong one of the nations,” and “to be cast down by the violent of the nations,” means that evils from that love will destroy goods and truths; “the peoples of the earth that went down from his shadow and abandoned him” are all truths of the church. From this it is manifest that “nations” signify goods, and in the contrary sense evils; by “the nations that dwelt in his shade,” goods; and by “the nations that cut him off, and cast him down,” evils. (See, moreover, what is said and shown about nations and their signification in Arcana Coelestia, namely, that by “nations” in the Word are meant those who are in good, and consequently goods themselves, n. 1059, 1159, 1258, 1260, 1416, 1849, 6005; “the assembly of the nations,” truths and goods, n. 4574, 7830; “the holy nation,” the spiritual kingdom, n. 9255, 9256; when it is said “nation and people,” by “nation” those who are in celestial good are meant, and by “people” those who are in spiritual good, n. 10288. That by “nations,” especially the nations of the land of Canaan, evils and falsities of every kind are meant, n. 1059, 1205, 1868, 6306, 8054, 8317, 9320, 9327).
* The Latin has “kings” for “peoples,” but see text as quoted just before.
** Hebrew: “our,” as also found in Apocalypse Explained, n. 155, 1115, Arcana Coelestia, n. 9809; but in Apocalypse Revealed, n. 128 we find “your.”
“Iron” signifies truths in the natural man, because metals, as well as the other things of the earth, by correspondence signify things spiritual and celestial, all of which have reference to truths and goods. “Gold” signifies the good of the internal man; “silver” its truth; “copper” or “brass” the good of the external or natural man; “iron” its truth. For this reason the ages were called by the ancients after the names of the metals, namely, Golden, Silver, Copper, and Iron; the Golden Age from the most ancient men, who lived in the good of love; the Silver Age from the ancients after them who lived in truths from that good; the Copper Age from their posterity who were in external or natural good; the Iron Age from the posterity of these who were in natural truth alone without good. Natural truth is truth in the memory, not in the life; truth of life is good. (But more about this correspondence in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 104, 115.)
[2] The successive states of the church, even until the coming of the Lord, are meant by the “gold,” the “silver,” the “brass,” and the “iron,” of which the statue seen by Nebuchadnezzar in a dream was composed, which is thus described in Daniel:
His head was good gold, his breast and his arms silver, his belly and his thighs brass, his legs iron, his feet part iron and part clay. A stone was cut out of the rock, and it smote the image upon his feet that were iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Whereas thou sawest the feet partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it signifies that the kingdom shall be divided; the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. Whereas thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves by the seed of man; but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron doth not mingle with clay (Dan. 2:32-34, 41-43).
By “the head which was good gold,” the first state of the church is meant, when men were in the good of love to the Lord; by “the breast and arms which were silver,” the second state of the church is meant, when they were in truths from that good; by “the belly and thighs which were of brass,” the following third state of the church, when they were no longer in spiritual good but in natural good, for “brass” signifies natural good; by “the legs which were of iron,” the fourth state of the church is meant, when natural good was no more, but truth only; but by “the feet which were of iron and clay,” the last state of the church is meant when there are both truth and falsity, truth in the Word and falsity in doctrine; when the truths of the Word are falsified, and doctrine is drawn from truths falsified, the state of the church is “partly iron and partly clay,” thus the kingdom is “partly strong and partly broken.” “The kingdom” here is the church; it is therefore called also “the kingdom of God.” That truths are thus mixed with falsities, but still they do not cohere, is meant by these words, “Whereas thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves by the seed of man; but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron doth not mingle with clay.” “The seed of man” is Divine truth, which is in the Word. (That this is signified by “seed,” see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3038, 3373, 10248, 10249; that “man” signifies the Lord, from whom is the Word, and also signifies the church, see n. 768, 4287, 7424, 7523, 8547, 9276.) That “potter’s clay” signifies the falsities that are in the natural man, will be seen in the following article (n. 177). By “the stone cut of the rock,” which “smote the image upon his feet,” the Lord by means of Divine truth is meant, and the destruction of falsities not cohering with truths from the Word. (That a “stone” is truth, and that “the stone of Israel” is the Lord in respect to Divine truth, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 643, 1298, 3720, 6426, 8609, 10376; that “rock” likewise signifies the Lord, n. 8581, 10580, and in the small work on The Last Judgement, n. 57.) Because “iron” signifies truths in the natural man, “the feet of the statue” were seen to be “of iron,” for “feet” signify the natural (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2162, 3147, 3761, 3986, 4280, 4938-4952).
[3] Like things are signified by “gold,” “silver,” “brass,” and “iron,” in these words in Isaiah:
For brass I will bring gold, for iron I will bring silver, for woods brass, and for stones iron (Isa. 60:17).
“To bring gold for brass” means celestial good for natural good; “silver for iron” means celestial truth for natural truth; “brass for woods, and iron for stones,” means natural good and truth in great abundance like that of woods and stones. Here the state of the celestial church is treated of. (That “iron” signifies truth in the natural man, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 425, 426.)
[4] These passages are cited that it may be known what is meant by the “iron rod,” namely, the power whereby the Lord chastises the evils and disperses the falsities that are in the natural man; for a “rod” or “staff” signifies power (as was said above), and “iron” signifies truths in the natural man. The Lord chastises evils and disperses falsities by means of truths in the natural man, because all evils and the falsities therefrom have their seat in the natural man, and none in the spiritual or internal man. The internal man does not receive evils and falsities, but is closed against them. And as all evils and falsities have their seat in the natural man, they must needs be chastised and dispersed by means of such things as are there, which are truths in the natural man. Truths in the natural man are knowledges and cognitions, from which man can think, reason, and conclude naturally respecting the truths and goods of the church, and the falsities and evils which are opposed to these, and can consequently be in some natural illustration when he reads the Word. For the Word in the letter is not understood without illustration; and illustration is either spiritual or natural. Spiritual illustration is only with those who are spiritual; and the spiritual are those that are of the good of love and charity and in truths therefrom; while mere natural illustration is with those who are natural (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 153, 425, 455; and above, n. 140). Moreover, those who are spiritual have, whilst they live in the world, illustration in the natural; but this springs from illustration in the spiritual; for with them the Lord flows in through the spiritual or internal man into the natural or external, and thus illustrates it, from which enlightenment man can see what is true and good, and what is false and evil, and when he sees that, the Lord scatters the evils and the falsities that are in the natural man, by means of the truths and goods that are also there and that make one with the goods and truths in the spiritual or internal man (see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, on Sciences and knowledges, what they effect, n. 51, and on Influx, n. 277,278).
[5] From this it can now be seen what is signified by “the iron rod,” with which the Lord is to rule the nations, that is, chastise the evils that are in the natural man. These things are said to the angel of this church, because in what is written to this angel the internal and external man and their conjunction are treated of; for when the internal and the external or the spiritual and the natural are conjoined, the Lord chastises the evils and falsities that are in the natural man, and this by means of the knowledges of truth and good. But with those with whom the internal and external man are not conjoined, evils and falsities cannot be chastised and scattered, since they receive nothing from heaven through the spiritual man, but all things they receive are from the world; and these their rational favors, and supplies confirmations. Things similar to those here signified by “the iron rod” are also signified in the following passages. In David:
Thou shalt bruise [the nations] with an iron scepter; as a potter’s vessel Thou shalt dash them in pieces (Ps. 2:9).
In Isaiah:
He shall smite the land with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips shall He slay the wicked (Isa. 11:4).
In Revelation:
The woman brought forth a male, a son, who is to rule all nations with an iron rod (Rev. 12:5).
Out of the mouth of the One sitting on the white horse went forth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations; for He shall rule them with an iron rod (Rev. 19:15).
In Micah:
Arise, O daughter of Zion; for I will make thine horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass, that thou mayest beat in pieces many peoples (Micah 4:13).
The “daughter of Zion” is the celestial church; “horn” is power in the natural man; “hoofs” are the ultimates there, called sensual scientifics; hence it is evident what is signified by “making the horn iron, and the hoofs brass.” (That the “daughter of Zion” is the celestial church, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2362, 9055; that “horn” is the power of truth from good in the natural man, n. 2832, 9081, 9719, 9720, 9721, 10182, 10186; and that “hoofs” are the knowledges of the sensual man, which are truths in the ultimate of order, n. 7729.)
Those who think from self-intelligence think from the world; for man, from his proprium [what is his own] loves only the things of the world and of self, and what he loves he also sees and perceives; the things he loves he calls goods, and the things he sees and perceives therefrom he calls truths; but these goods, which from love he so calls, are evils, and the truths which he sees from that love are falsities, since they spring forth from the loves of self and of the world, which loves are contrary to the loves of heaven, which are love to the Lord and love to the neighbor; and the things that pour forth from contraries are contraries.
[2] Those, therefore, who read the Word solely for repute of erudition, or to acquire fame that they may be exalted to honors or may gain wealth, never see and perceive truths, but falsities instead; and the truths that stand out before the eyes in the Word they either pass by as if not seen or they falsify them. The reason is, that to read the Word solely for the repute of erudition or for fame, that they may be exalted to honors and gain wealth, is to read it for the sake of self and the world as ends, thus from the loves of self and the world. And as these loves are of man’s proprium [man’s self] so the things that man sees and perceives from them are from self-intelligence.
[3] But those who read the Word from the spiritual affection of truth, which affection is a love of knowing truth because it is truth, see truths in the Word, and rejoice in heart when they see them; and this because they are in illustration from the Lord. Illustration descends from the Lord through heaven from the light there, which light is Divine truth. It is therefore given to them to see truths from the light of truth, and this in the Word, because the Word is Divine truth, and in it are stored up all the truths of heaven. But those only are in this illustration who are in the two loves of heaven, which are love to the Lord and love towards the neighbor; for these loves open the inner or higher mind, which is formed to receive the light of heaven, and through that mind in them the light of heaven flows in and illustrates. But so long as they live in the world they do not perceive truths in that mind, but they see them in the lower mind, the mind of the external or natural man. Such as these do not think from self-intelligence when they read the Word. The especial reason why these do not think from their self-intelligence when they read the Word is, that their interior or spiritual mind looks to the Lord, and the Lord then elevates it up to Himself, and with it the lower or natural mind, thus withdrawing it from man’s proprium [man’s self] which cannot be done with those who have regard first and foremost to themselves and the world.
[4] From this it can be seen that man from self-intelligence perceives nothing but evils and sees nothing but falsities; but that goods and truths that are of heaven and the church he perceives and sees from the Lord. When the internal or spiritual man, in which is the inner or higher mind of which we have just spoken, is opened, then the Lord subdues the evils and disperses the falsities which are in the external or natural man. These things, then, are what are meant in the spiritual sense by this, that the Son of man is to “give them power over the nations, and He shall rule them with an iron rod, and as earthen vessels they shall be shivered.”
[5] That “earthen vessels” signify such things as are from self-intelligence, thus the falsities that are in the natural man, is evident from various passages in the Word, of which I will cite the following as confirmation. In David:
Thou shalt bruise the nations with an iron scepter; as a potter’s vessel Thou shall dash them in pieces (Ps. 2:9).
In this passage also “to bruise the nations with an iron scepter” is to chastise and subdue the evils that are in the natural man. “Scepter” here has the same signification as “staff” or “rod.” It is added “as a potter’s vessel,” because that signifies falsity from self-intelligence. In the sense of the letter this is a comparison, for it is said “as a potter’s vessel,” and “as earthen vessels;” but in the internal sense comparisons are not perceived as comparisons, since comparisons are equally from things significative (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3579, 8989.) “A potter’s vessel,” or “earthen vessel,” signifies what is false, because a potter is one who forms, and a vessel is what is formed; and when man forms the vessel it is a falsity, but when the Lord forms it with man it is a truth; consequently in the Word “a potter’s vessel” signifies either what is false or what is true, and “a potter” signifies one who forms.
[6] The Lord Himself is called in the Word a “Potter,” from His forming man by means of truths; as in Isaiah:
Jehovah our Father; we are the clay, and Thou art our Potter, and we all are the work of Thy hands (Isa. 64:8).
In the same:
Woe unto him that striveth with the Former! a potsherd with the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to its potter, What makest thou? (Isa. 45:9).
In the same :
Shall the potter be counted as clay? Shall the work say to its Former, He made me not, and shall the thing formed say of its potter, He understandeth not? (Isa. 29:16).
[7] As the Jews and Israelites falsified all the truths of the Word by applying them to themselves and to their own exaltation above all nations and peoples in the universal world, so their falsities are called “marred vessels” of a potter, as in Isaiah:
Who have said to the seers, See not; and to those that have vision, See not for us right things, speak unto us smooth things, see illusions; depart from the way; therefore iniquity shall break them as the breaking of the potter’s bottle; in beating it shall not spare, so that there shall not be found in the fragment thereof a sherd to take fire from the hearth or to draw waters from the cistern (Isa. 30:10-11, 13-14).
That they wholly deprived themselves of truths, and immersed themselves in falsities, is described by this, “They said to the seers, See not; and to those that have vision, See not for us right things, speak unto us smooth things, see illusions; depart from the way.” That they had so immersed themselves in falsities that no more truth remained, is described by “the breaking of the potter’s bottle, so that there should not be found in the fragment a sherd to take fire from the hearth or to draw waters out of the cistern.” By this is signified that not enough of truth should be left to enable them to perceive any good and truth from the Word; for “fire” signifies good, and “water” truth; “hearth” the Word in respect to good; “cistern” and “fountain” the Word in respect to truth.
[8] In Jeremiah:
The word came to Jeremiah, Arise, and go down to the potter’s house. Then I went down to the potter’s house, and behold he wrought a work on the table. But the vessel that he was making was marred; and he turned back and made it another vessel as was right in the potter’s eyes to make (Jer. 18:1-4).
This also means that with the Jewish nation there was nothing but falsity; and “the vessel that was marred in the potter’s house” is that falsity; “the potter’s house” is the state in which they were. That the truth of the church should be taken away from them and given to others, is meant by this, that “the potter turned back and made it another vessel, as was right in his eyes.”
[9] In the same:
Jehovah said, Go buy a potter’s earthen bottle of the elders of the people and of the elders of the priests; and go forth into the valley of the son of Hinnom. Then shalt thou break the bottle before the eyes of the men that go with thee; and shalt say, I will break this people, and this city as one breaketh a potter’s vessel, that cannot be made whole again; and they shall bury in Tophet, because there is no more a place to bury in (Jer. 19:1-2, 10-11).
“The potter’s earthen bottle, or vessel, from the elders of the people and of the priests” is here also the falsity in which all of that nation were. That this falsity was such that it could not be dispersed by means of truths is described by this, that “he should break the vessel before the eyes of the men that went with him, that it could not be made whole again;” that they should “bury in Tophet, because there was no more a place,” signifies where all truths and goods have been destroyed.
[10] In Nahum:
Draw thee waters for the siege; strengthen thy fortresses; go into the mire and tread the clay, repair the brick-kiln. There shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off (Nahum 3:14-15).
“To draw waters for the siege and to strengthen the fortresses” is to fortify falsities by various means against truths; “to go into the mire and tread the clay” is to confirm falsities by fictions and fallacies; doctrine thence derived is called “a brickkiln,” because infernal love is strengthened by falsifications; it is therefore said that “the fire shall devour, and the sword cut off;” “fire” is infernal love, and a “sword” is falsity combating and destroying truth. “A potter’s vessel” or “earthen vessel” signifies falsity, because it corresponds to something fabricated, and what is fabricated is a product of man’s self-intelligence; it was from this correspondence that the prophets were commanded to do such things as are mentioned above.
[2] The Divine Human of the Lord in the highest sense is meant by “morning,” because the Lord is the sun of the angelic heaven, and the sun of that heaven does not advance from morning to evening, or from rising to setting, as the sun of the world apparently does, but remains constantly in its place, in front above the heavens; consequently the sun is always in the morning there, and never in the evening. And since all the intelligence and wisdom that the angels have comes from the Lord as their sun, their state of love, and state of wisdom and intelligence, and in general their state of illustration is signified by “morning;” for these proceed from the Lord as a sun, and what proceeds from Him is Himself, for from the Divine nothing but what is Divine goes forth, and everything Divine is Himself. (That the Lord is the sun of the angelic heaven, and that from Him as a sun there exist all love, wisdom, and intelligence, and in general all illustration in respect to Divine truths, from which is wisdom, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 116-125, 126-143, 155, 156.)
[3] From this it can he seen why “morning” is so often mentioned in the Word when Jehovah or the Lord, His coming, His kingdom and church, and the goods thereof are treated of; as in the following passages, which I will cite by way of illustration. In the second book of Samuel:
The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me. He is as the light of the morning; the son riseth, a morning without clouds (2 Sam. 23:3, 4).
“The God of Israel” and “the Rock” is the Lord in respect to the Divine Human and Divine truth proceeding therefrom; “the God of Israel” because Israel is His spiritual church, and “the Rock” because His Divine in the spiritual church is Divine truth (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3720, 6426, 8581, 10580). As the Lord in the angelic heaven is a sun, and as all the light that angels have is therefrom, and as the sun there is continually in its morning, it is said, “He is as the light of the morning; the sun riseth, a morning without clouds.”
[4] In David:
From the womb of the morning thou hast the dew of thy youth; thou art a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek (110:3, 4).
This is said of the Lord as about to come into the world; “from the womb of the morning thou hast the dew of thy youth” is conception from the Divine Itself, and the glorification of His Human thereby; “a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek,” means that Divine good and Divine truth proceed from Him, for the Lord as priest is Divine good, and as king of holiness, who is, “Melchizedek,” is Divine truth (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1725).
[5] In Ezekiel:
The cherubim stood at the east entrance of the gate of the house; the glory of the God of Israel was over them above (Ezek. 10:19).
“Cherubim” signify the Lord in respect to providence and as to guard lest He be approached otherwise than by the good of love; “the east entrance of the gate of the house” signifies approach; “the house of God” is heaven and the church; the “east” is where the Lord appears as a sun, thus where He is continually as the morning; therefore it is said “the glory of the God of Israel was over them above.”
[6] In the same:
The angel brought me to the gate that looketh towards the east; and behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east; and the earth was enlightened by His glory. And the glory of Jehovah came into the house by the way of the gate whose face is toward the east (Ezek. 43:1, 2, 4).
Here, in the internal sense, the influx of the Lord into those who are in His kingdom and church is described; “the God of Israel” is the Lord in respect to the Divine Human and the Divine truth proceeding therefrom; “the house of God” is His kingdom and the church; “glory” is Divine truth as it is in heaven; “to come by the way of the east into the house” means from the sun, where it is continually in its morning. (That “glory” is Divine truth as it is in heaven, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4809, 5922, 8267, 8427, 9429; that “the house of God” is heaven and the church in respect to good, and “temple” is the same in respect to truth, n. 3720; and that the “east,” in the highest sense, is the Lord, because He is the sun of heaven, which is always in its rising and morning, consequently the “east” is the good of love from Him, see n. 3708, 5097, 9668.) [7] In the same:
The angel afterwards brought me back to the entrance of the house, where behold, waters issuing out from under the threshold of the house towards the east, they shall descend into the plain and come towards the sea, being sent forth into the sea that the waters may be healed; whence it comes to pass that every living soul that creeps, whithersoever the rivers come, shall live, whence there are exceeding many fishes, because these waters shall come thither, and they are healed, that everything may live whither the river shall come (Ezek. 47:1, 8, 9).
Here also, the influx of the Lord from His Divine Human with those who are of His kingdom and church is described by pure correspondences. By “waters issuing out from under the threshold of the house towards the east,” Divine truth proceeding from the Lord and flowing in with those that are in the east, that is, that are in the good of love to Him, is described. “The waters shall descend into the plain” and “into the sea,” and “thereby the waters of the sea are healed,” signifies influx into the natural man and into the knowledges which are therein; the “fishes therefrom” signifies many scientific truths in the natural man; that “everything shall live whither the river shall come” signifies that they should have life from Divine truth. That such thing are hereby signified there, no one can see except from the internal sense of the Word, yet every single expression therein involves arcana of man’s regeneration by the Lord; but what is involved in each expression here will he disclosed in explaining 22:1, 2, of Revelation, where like things are mentioned.
[8] In David:
I have waited for Jehovah, my soul doth wait, my soul waiteth for the Lord more than the watchmen for the morning, the watchmen for the morning; for with Him is much redemption, and He will redeem Israel (Ps. 130:5-8).
Here the Lord’s coming into the world, and His reception by those that are in the good of love are treated of. The Lord’s coming is signified by “I have waited for Jehovah, my soul doth wait for the Lord, for with Him is much redemption, and He shall redeem Israel;” and His reception by those that are in the good of love is signified by “more than watchmen for the morning, the watchmen for the morning.” Here “morning” in the highest sense signifies the Lord, and in the internal sense His kingdom and church; and “watchmen for the morning” signify those who wait for the Lord’s corning, who are those that are in the good of love, since to those the Lord is “coming.”
[9] That “morning” signifies the Lord’s coming into the world and then a new church is evident from the following passages.
In Daniel:
Unto evening and morning, two thousand three hundred, then the holy (sanctum) shall be justified. The vision of the evening and the morning, which has been told, is truth (Dan. 8:14, 26). “Evening” signifies the last time of the former church, and “morning” the first time of the new church, thus the Lord’s coming.
In Isaiah:
Crying to me from Seir, Watchman,* what of the night? watchman, what of the night? The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night (Dan. 21:11, 12).
Here also the Lord’s coming is treated of; “night” is the last time of the former church, and “morning” the first of the new. (What is signified by “calling out of Seir,” see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4240, 4384.) In Ezekiel:
The end is come, the end is come, the morning is come upon thee, O inhabitant of the land; behold the day cometh, the morning is gone forth (Ezek. 7:6, 7, 10).
Here likewise the Lord’s coming and the end of the former church and the beginning of a new one are treated of. In Zephaniah, where similar things are meant:
Jehovah in the morning, in the morning, He shall bring His judgment to light, nor shall He fail (Zeph. 3:5).
[10] As “morning” signifies the Lord, His coming, also His kingdom and church, as also the good of love from Him, what is meant by “morning” in the following passages can be seen.
In David:
Cause me to hear Thy mercy in the morning (Ps. 143: 8).
In the same:
I will sing aloud of Thy mercy in the morning (Ps. 59:16).
In the same:
O satisfy us in the morning with Thy mercy; that we may sing aloud and be glad all our days (Ps. 90:14).
In the same:
O Jehovah, in the morning shalt Thou hear my voice; in the morning I will set myself in order for Thee (Ps. 5:3).
In the same:
God is in the midst of her; God shall help him** at the turning of the morning (Ps. 46:5).
In the same:
O God, my God, in the morning do I seek Thee (Ps. 63:1).
In Isaiah:
In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to blossom (Isa. 17:11).
In the same:
Jehovah is*** their arm every morning (Isa. 33:2).
In the same :
Jehovah**** hath given me the tongue of the learned; he hath awakened me every morning (Isa. 50:4).
In Jeremiah:
I speak unto you every morning (Jer. 7:13; 11:7; 25:3, 4). From the signification of “morning” it can be seen what is meant by the following:
That manna fell in the morning (Exod. 16:12, 13, 21).
That Jehovah descended in the morning from Mount Sinai (Exod. 19:16);
That the priest kindled wood upon the altar every morning and placed thereon the whole burnt-offering (Lev. 6:12). Also what is involved in the command respecting the sacrifice of the passover:
Thou shalt sacrifice the passover at the going down of the sun. Then thou shalt eat it; and thou shalt turn in the morning and go into thy tents (Deut. 16:6, 7).
“They should sacrifice the passover when the sun went down,” because “the setting of the sun” signified the last time of the church; that “they should turn in the morning,” signified the establishment of a new church, thus the Lord’s coming. These things are cited that it may be known what is signified by the “morning star,” which the Son of man would give, namely wisdom and intelligence from the Lord’s Divine Human. And as those who receive wisdom and intelligence from the Lord also receive Him, for the Lord is in the wisdom and intelligence that are from Him, even so that He is the wisdom and intelligence with them, the Lord Himself also is called “the Morning Star” in Revelation:
I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright and Morning Star (Rev. 22:16).
He is likewise called a Star (Num. 24:17).
* The Latin has “Watchman, watchman,” the Hebrew has it only once.
** In Hebrew: “help her” as found in AR 151; TCR 764; Coronis 5.
*** The Hebrew has “be Thou their arm,” as also found in AC 4933, 8211.
**** The Hebrew has “Lord Jehovih,” as also found in Arcana Coelestia 3869.
Revelation 3
1. And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, These things saith He that hath the seven spirits of God, and the seven stars: I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.
2. Be wakeful, and confirm the things remaining that are about to die; for I have not found thy works full before God.
3. Remember, therefore, how thou hast received and heard, and take heed, and repent; if, therefore, thou shalt not be wakeful, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know in what hour I will come upon thee.
4. Thou hast a few names even in Sardis that have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.
5. He that overcometh shall be clothed in white garments; and I will not blot his name out of the book of life; and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
6. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
7. And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, These things saith the Holy, the True, He that hath the key of David, He that openeth and no one shutteth, and shutteth and no one openeth:
8. I know thy works; behold, I have given before thee an opened door, and no one is able to shut it; for thou hast some power, and hast kept My word, and hast not denied My name.
9. Behold, I will give, from the synagogue of Satan, of those saying that they are Jews and they are not, but do lie; behold I will make them to come and worship at thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.
10. Because thou hath kept the word of My endurance I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation that is to come upon the whole world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
11. Behold, I come quickly; hold fast what thou hast, that no one take thy crown.
12. He that overcometh I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and He shall go out thence no more; and I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.
13. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches.
14. And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the working of God:
15. I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot; would that thou wert cold or hot.
16. So because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to vomit thee out of My mouth.
17. Because thou sayest, I am rich and have gotten riches, and have need of nothing, and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked:
18. I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried by fire, that thou mayest be enriched; and white garments, that thou mayest be clothed, that the shame of thy nakedness be not manifest; and anoint thine eyes with eye-salve, that thou mayest see.
19. As many as I love I reprove and chasten; be zealous, therefore, and repent.
20. Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.
21. He that overcometh, I will give to him to sit with Me in My throne, as I also have overcome and am sitting with My Father in His throne.
22. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Verses 1-6. And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, These things saith He that hath the seven spirits of God, and the seven stars: I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. Be wakeful, and confirm the things remaining that are about to die; for I have not found thy works full before God. Remember, therefore, how thou hast received and heard, and take heed, and repent; if, therefore, thou shalt not be wakeful, I will come on thee as a thief and thou shalt not know in what hour I will come upon thee. The hast a few names even in Sardis that have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. He that overcometh shall be clothed in white garments; and I will not blot his name out of the book of life; and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
1. “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write” signifies those who live a moral but not a spiritual life, because they have little regard for the knowledges of spiritual things and for intelligence and wisdom therefrom (n. 182); “these things saith he that hath the seven spirits of God,” signifies the Lord, from whom are all the truths of heaven and of the church (n. 183); “and the seven stars,” signifies from whom are all the knowledges of truth and good (n. 184); “I know thy works,” signifies the things that are of their life (n. 185); “that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead,” signifies the quality of their thought, in that they think themselves to be alive because they are living a moral life, when yet they are dead (n. 186). 2. “Be wakeful,” signifies that they should acquire for themselves life (n. 187); “and confirm the things remaining that are about to die,” signifies in order that the things that belong to the moral life may be vivified (n. 188); “for I have not found thy works full before God,” signifies that otherwise the Divine is not in the moral life (n. 189). 3. “Remember, therefore, how thou hast received and heard, and take heed,” signifies recalling to mind and attention what the Lord teaches in the Word (n. 190); “and repent,” signifies consequent spiritual life (n. 191); “if, therefore, thou shalt not be wakeful,” signifies if thou dost not acquire spiritual life (n. 192); “I will come on thee as a thief,” signifies the unexpected time of death, when all knowledges procured from the Word that have not acquired spiritual life will be taken away (n. 193); “and thou shalt not know in what hour I will come upon thee,” signifies ignorance of that time and the state then (n. 194). 4. “Thou hast a few names even in Sardis that have not defiled their garments,” signifies those who live a moral life from a spiritual origin, by applying the knowledges of truth and good [from the Word] to the uses of their life (n. 195); “and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy,” signifies their spiritual life which they have by means of the knowledges of truth and good from the Word (n. 196). 5.”He that overcometh,” signifies he that is steadfast even until death (n. 197); “shall be clothed in white garments,” signifies intelligence and wisdom according to truths and their reception (n. 198); “and I will not blot his name out of the book of life,” signifies that they will be in heaven, because they are fitted for it (n. 199); “and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels,” signifies that they will be in Divine good and in Divine truth therefrom (n. 200). 6. “He that hath an ear let him hear, what the Spirit saith to the churches,” signifies that he who understands should hearken to what Divine truth proceeding from the Lord teaches and says to those who are of His church (n. 201).
[2] Moral life from the love of self and the world is not in itself moral life, although it seems to be moral; for the man acting thus acts well, sincerely, and justly for the sake of self and the world only, and what is good, sincere, and just serves him as means to an end, which is, either that he may be raised above others and rule over them, or that he may gain wealth; and of these things he thinks in his spirit, or when he is by himself secretly; but these things that he thinks he does not dare to avow openly, because they would destroy the good opinion others have of him, and thus destroy the means by which he wishes to attain his ends. From this it can be seen that there lies within the moral life of such a man nothing else than to acquire all things in preference to others, thus that he wishes to have all others to serve him, or to gain possession of their goods; from which it is evident that his moral life is not in itself a moral life; for if he should gain what he aims at, or what he has as an end, he would subject others to himself as slaves, and would deprive them of their goods. And as all means savor of the end, and in their essence are of the same quality as their ends, for which reason they are also called intermediate ends, therefore such a life, regarded in itself, is merely craftiness and fraud. And this also becomes clearly evident in the case of those with whom these external bonds are released, as takes place, when engaged in lawsuits against their fellows, when they desire nothing so much as to subvert justice, and secure the good will of the judge or the favor of the king, and this secretly, that they may deprive others of their goods; and when they obtain this, they rejoice in spirit and in heart. This is still more evident in the case of kings who place honor in wars and victories, that they find the highest joy of their hearts in subjugating provinces and kingdoms, and where resistance is made, in depriving the vanquished of all their goods, and even of life. Such also is the delight of many who engage at such times in military service. This becomes still more evident with all of this character when they become spirits, which is immediately after the death of the body. As they then think and act from their spirit, they rush into every wickedness according to their love, however morally they may have lived in appearance while in the world.
[3] But spiritual life is wholly different, because it has a different origin; for it is from love to God and love towards the neighbor. Consequently, the moral life also of those who are spiritual is different, and is a truly moral life; for these, when they think in their spirit, which takes place when they are thinking secretly by themselves, do not think from self and the world, but from the Lord and heaven; for the interiors of their minds, that is, of their thought and will, are actually elevated by the Lord into heaven, and are there conjoined to Him; thus the Lord flows into their thoughts, intentions, and ends, and governs them and withdraws them from their proprium [what is their own], which is solely from the love of self and of the world. The moral life of such persons is, in appearance, like the moral life of those described above, and yet their moral life is spiritual, because it is from a spiritual origin. Their moral life is simply an effect of spiritual life, which is the efficient cause, thus the origin. For they act well, sincerely, and justly with their fellows from fear of God and from love of the neighbor; in these loves the Lord keeps their mind and disposition [mentem et animum]; consequently when they become spirits, which takes place when the body dies, they think and act intelligently and wisely, and are elevated into heaven. Of these it may be said, that with them every good of love and every truth of faith flows in out of heaven, that is, through heaven from the Lord. But this is not true of those described above; for their good* is not the good of heaven, nor is their truth the truth of heaven; but what they call good is the delight of the lust of the flesh, and it is falsity therefrom that they call truth; these flow into them from self and from the world. From this it can also be known what moral life from spiritual life is, and what moral life apart from spiritual life is; namely, that moral life from spiritual life is truly moral life, which may be called spiritual, since it has its cause and origin in the spiritual; but that moral life apart from spiritual life not moral life, and may be called infernal, for so far as the love of self and of the world reign in it, so far it is fraudulent and hypocritical.
[4] From what has now been said, the quality of external sanctity may also be inferred (by which is meant worship in churches, prayers, and gestures then), with such as are in the love of self and of the world, and yet live an apparently moral life, namely, that nothing of these is elevated to heaven and is heard there, but that they flow out from some thought of the external or natural man, and thus from their mouth into the world. For the interior thoughts of such, which are of their very spirits, are full of craftiness and fraud against the neighbor; and yet it is through interiors that there is elevation into heaven. Moreover, their worship in churches, and prayers, and gestures at such times, are either the result of habit from infancy, and are thence become familiar, or they are from a principle that such external things contribute everything to salvation, or they are a consequence of there being no business for them at home and abroad on holy days, or of a fear of being regarded as irreligious by their companions. But worship with those who live a moral life from a spiritual origin is altogether different, for it is truly a worship of God, for their prayers are elevated to heaven and are heard, for the Lord leads their prayers through heaven to Himself. (But more may be seen on these subjects in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 468, 484, 529, 530-534; and above, in the explanation of Revelation n. 107.) These things are premised, because what is written to the angel of this church treats of those who live a moral but not a spiritual life, for the reason that they have little regard for the knowledges of spiritual things.
* The Latin for “good” has “the good of heaven.”
[2] That “spirit,” in reference to man, signifies truth received in the life, is clear from the following passages. In Ezekiel:
Make you a new heart and a new spirit; why will ye die, O house of Israel (Ezek. 18:31).
In the same:
A new heart will I give you, and a new spirit will I give in the midst of you (Ezek. 36:26).
And in David:
Create for me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit in the midst of me. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart God doth not despise (Ps. 51:10, 17).
In these passages “heart” signifies the good of love, and “spirit” the truth of faith, from which man has spiritual life; for there are two things that make all of man’s life, namely, good and truth; these two when united in man make his spiritual life.
[3] As “heart” signifies good, and “spirit” truth, both received in the life, so “heart,” in the contrary sense, signifies evil, and “spirit” falsity; for most expressions in the Word have also a contrary sense. In this sense “heart” and “spirit” are mentioned, in David:
A generation that doth not set its heart aright, neither is its spirit steadfast with God (Ps. 78:8).
And in Ezekiel:
Every heart shall melt, and every spirit shall faint (Ezek. 21:7).
In Moses:
Jehovah hardened the spirit of the king of Heshbon, and confirmed his heart (Deut. 2:30).
In Isaiah:
Conceive chaff, bring forth stubble; your spirit fire shall devour (Isa. 33:11).
In Ezekiel:
Woe unto the foolish prophets that go away after their own spirit (Ezek. 13:3).
In the same:
That which ascendeth upon your spirit shall never come to pass (Ezek. 20:32).
[4] From this it is clear that the whole of man’s life is meant by “heart and spirit;” and as his whole life refers itself to these two, namely, to good and truth, and in a spiritual sense to love and faith, so these two lives of man are meant by “heart and spirit.” From this also it is that “heart and spirit” signify the will and the understanding of man; since these two faculties in man make all his life; nowhere else than in these has man life; and for the reason that the will is the receptacle of good and its love, or of evil and its love; and the understanding is the receptacle of truth and* its faith, or of falsity and its faith; and as has been said, all things with man refer themselves to good and truth, or to evil and falsity, and in a spiritual sense to love and faith (see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 28-35). In reference to man, “spirit” signifies truth or falsity, and man’s life from one or the other; because by “spirit” is meant especially the spirit that is in man and that thinks, and it thinks** either from truths or from falsities. But as was said just above, there are two things that make the life of man, understanding and will; the life of the understanding is to think either from truths or from falsities, and the life of the will is to affect or inflame with love those things that the understanding thinks. These two lives of man correspond to the two lives of his body, which are the life of the respiration of the lungs, and the life of the pulse of the heart; it is by this correspondence that spirit and body with man are united (see above, n. 167; and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 446-447).
[5] Because of this correspondence the word that means spirit in the Hebrew, as well as in many other languages, means wind or breath; so also to expire [to breathe out] is expressed by the term “to give up the spirit [breath, or ghost];” and this also in the Word; as in David:
I gathered in*** their spirit, he expired (Ps. 104:29).
In Ezekiel:
The Lord Jehovih said to the dry bones, Behold I bring spirit into you, that ye may live; and the Lord Jehovih said, From the four winds come, O spirit, and breathe into these slain; and the spirit came into them, and they revived (Ezek. 37:5, 9-10).
In Revelation:
The two witnesses were slain by the beast that cometh up out of the abyss; but after the three days and a half the spirit of life from God entered into them, so that they stood upon their feet (Rev. 11:7, 11).
In Luke:
Jesus, taking the hand of the dead girl, called, saying, Maiden, arise. Therefore her spirit came again, and she rose up immediately (Luke 8:54-55).
[6] When these passages are understood it can be seen what “spirit” signifies, when predicated of man, in many places in the Word, of which I will cite only these. In John:
Except one be born of water and of the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but knowest not whence it cometh and whither it goeth; so is everyone that is born of the spirit (John 3:5, 8).
The Lord breathed on the disciples, and said, Receive ye the Holy Spirit (John 20:22).
And in the book of Genesis:
Jehovah breathed into man’s nostrils the breath of lives (Gen. 2:7);
besides other places.
[7] That “spirit,” in the spiritual sense, signifies truth, and man’s life therefrom, which is intelligence, is clear from the following passages. In John:
The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth (John 4:23).
In Daniel:
In him was an excellent spirit of knowledge and understanding. I have heard of thee that the spirit of God is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee (Dan. 5:12, 14).
In Moses:
Thou shalt speak to all the wise in heart, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom (Exod. 28:3).
In Luke:
John grew, and waxed strong in spirit (Luke 1:80).
And concerning the Lord:
The child Jesus grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was filled with wisdom (Luke 2:40).
[8] When it is known what “spirit,” in reference to man, signifies, it can be known what it signifies when predicated of Jehovah or the Lord, to whom are attributed all things that a man has, as face, eyes, ears, arms, hands, as also heart and soul, and so also a spirit, which in the Word is called “the Spirit of God,” “the Spirit of Jehovah,” “the Spirit of His nostrils,” “the Spirit of His mouth,” “the Spirit of truth,” “the Spirit of holiness,” and “the Holy Spirit.” That “spirit” means Divine truth proceeding from the Lord is plain from many passages in the Word. Divine truth proceeding from the Lord is “the Spirit of God,” because from it men have all their life; and those who receive that Divine truth in faith and life have heavenly life. That this is “the Spirit of God” the Lord Himself teaches. In John:
The words that I speak unto you are spirit and are life (John 6:63).
In Isaiah:
There went forth**** a shoot out of the stock of Jesse; the spirit of Jehovah shall rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and intelligence, the spirit of counsel and of might (Isa. 11:1, 2). In the same:
I have given My spirit unto Him: He shall bring forth judgment to the nations (Isa. 42:1).
In the same:
He shall come like a flood; the spirit of Jehovah shall lift up a standard against Him (Isa. 59:19).
In the same:
The spirit of the Lord Jehovih is upon me, therefore Jehovah hath anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor (Isa. 61:1). In John:
He whom the Father hath sent speaketh the words of God, for not by measure hath God given the spirit (John 3:34).
These things are said of the Lord.
[9] That the Holy Spirit is Divine truth proceeding from the Lord can be seen in John:
I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I go away I will send Him unto you. When He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He shall guide you into all truth; He shall not speak from Himself, but He shall take of Mine, and shall declare it unto you (John 16:7, 13, 14).
That “the Comforter (Paraclete)” here is Divine truth proceeding from the Lord is plainly evident, for it is said that the Lord Himself spoke to them the “truth,” and that, when He should go away, He would send the Comforter, the “Spirit of truth,” who should “guide them into all truth,” and that He would “not speak from Himself,” but from the Lord. It is said “He shall take of Mine,” because Divine truth proceeds from the Lord, and what proceeds is called “Mine;” for the Lord Himself is Divine love; and what proceeds from Him is Divine truth, thus it is His (see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 139, 140, and the preceding numbers; and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 307). “Being sent” and “sending” mean proceeding and going forth (see Arcana Coelestia., n. 2397, 4710, 6831, 10561); the same is meant here by “I will send Him to you.” That “the Comforter” is the Holy Spirit is evident in John:
The Comforter, the Holy Spirit, He shall teach you all things (John 14:26).
[10] In the same:
Jesus cried with a great voice, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture saith, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. This He saith of the spirit which they that believe on Him were to receive; the Holy Spirit was not yet, because Jesus was not yet glorified (John 7:37-39).
It is clear from this that the Holy Spirit is Divine truth, proceeding from the Lord, which flows in with man, both immediately from the Lord Himself and mediately through angels and spirits; for the Lord says first, that “he who believes on Him, out of His belly shall flow rivers of living water,” and then that “He spake this of the spirit which they were to receive;” for “water” in the spiritual sense, signifies truth, and “rivers of living water,” Divine truth from the Lord in abundance; the like is therefore meant by “the spirit which they were to receive.” (That “water” signifies truth,” and “living water” Divine truth,” see above, n. 71.) And as Divine truth proceeds from the glorified Human of the Lord and not immediately from the Divine Itself, for this was glorified in Itself from eternity, so it is here said, “the Holy Spirit was not yet, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” That to “glorify” is to make Divine, and that the Lord fully glorified His Human, that is, made it Divine by His last temptation and victory on the cross, see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem (n. 293-295, 300-306).
[11] It is greatly wondered at in heaven that the man of the church does not know that the Holy Spirit, which is Divine truth, proceeds from the Lord’s Human, and not immediately from His Divine, when yet the doctrine received in the whole Christian world teaches that:
As is the Father so also is the Son, uncreate, infinite, eternal, omnipotent, God, Lord; neither of them first or last, nor greatest or least. Christ is God and man: God from the nature of the Father, and man from the nature of the mother; but although He is God and man, yet they are not two, but one Christ; He is one, but not by changing the Divine into the Human but the Divine took the Human to Itself. He is altogether one, not by a mingling of two natures, but He is a single person, because as body and soul are one man, so God and man is one Christ. (This from the Creed of Athanasius).
Now as the Divine and the Human of the Lord are not two, but a single person, and are united as soul and body, it may be known that the Divine which is called the Holy Spirit goes out and proceeds from His Divine through the Human, thus from the Divine Human; for nothing whatever can go forth from the body except from the soul through the body, since all the life of the body is from its soul. And since “As is the Father so is the Son, uncreate, infinite, eternal, omnipotent, God and Lord, and neither of them is first or last, nor greatest nor least,” it follows that the proceeding Divine, which is called the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Divine Itself of the Lord through His Human, and not from another Divine that is called the Father; for the Lord teaches that the Father and He are one, and that the Father is in Him and He in the Father (see below, n. 200). But the reason why most of those in the Christian world think otherwise in their hearts, and thence believe otherwise, is, the angels said, because they think of the Lord’s Human as separate from His Divine, although this is contrary to the doctrine which teaches that the Divine and the Human of the Lord are not two persons, but a single person, united as soul and body. That this should be the doctrine of the whole Christian world was provided by the Lord, because it is the essential of the church, and the essential of the salvation of all. But they have divided the Divine and the Human of the Lord into two natures, and have said that the Lord is God from the nature of the Father, and man from the nature of the mother, because they do not know that when the Lord fully glorified His Human He put off the human from the mother, and put on a Human from the Father (according to what is shown in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 295. That this distinction was made in a certain council by those who were there, for the pope’s sake, that he might be acknowledged as the Lord’s vicar, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4738).
[12] That the “Spirit of God” is Divine truth, and thence spiritual life to the man who receives it, is further evident from these passages. In Micah:
I am full of power with the spirit of Jehovah and of judgment (Micah 3:8).
And in Isaiah:
I will pour out waters upon him that is thirsty, and streams upon the dry ground, and My spirit upon thy seed (Isa. 44:3).
In that day shall Jehovah Zebaoth be for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for might to them (Isa. 28:5-6).
In Ezekiel:
And ye shall know that I will put my spirit in you that ye may live (Ezek. 37:14).
In Joel:
I will pour out My spirit upon all flesh, and upon the menservants and upon the maidservants (Joel 2:28).
In Revelation:
The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy (Rev. 19:10).
Since the “Spirit of God” signifies Divine truth, it is called:
The spirit of the mouth of Jehovah (Ps. 33:6);
The spirit of His lips (Isa. 11:4);
The breath of God and the spirit of His nostrils (Lam. 4:20; Ps. 18:16; Job 4:9).
In Matthew:
John said, I baptize you with water unto repentance; but He that cometh after me, He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire (Matt. 3:11).
In the spiritual sense, “to baptize” signifies to regenerate; the “Holy Spirit” is Divine truth, and “fire” Divine good. (That to “baptize” signifies to regenerate, see above, n. 71; and that “fire” signifies the good of love, n. 68.)
[13] From this it can now be seen what is meant by the words of the Lord to His disciples:
Go ye, baptize into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19).
Here “the Father” is the Divine Itself, “the Son” is the Divine Human, and “the Holy Spirit” is the proceeding Divine which is Divine truth; thus there is one Divine, and yet there is a trine. That this is so the Lord teaches in John:
Henceforth ye know the Father, and have seen Him. He that seeth Me seeth the Father. I am in the Father, and the Father in Me (John 14:7, 9-10).
[14] Since the proceeding Divine, which is Divine truth, flows in with men immediately, as well as mediately through angels and spirits, it is believed that the Holy Spirit is a third person, distinct from the two called Father and Son. But I can affirm that no one in heaven knows any other Holy Divine than the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord. And since Divine truth is also communicated to men mediately through angels, it is said in David:
Jehovah God maketh His angels spirits (Ps. 104:1, 4).
These passages have been cited that it may be known that “the seven spirits” signify all the truths of heaven and of the church from the Lord. It is made still more manifest that “the seven spirits” are all the truths of heaven and of the church, from these passages in Revelation:
The seven lamps of fire burning before the throne are the seven spirits of God (Rev. 4:5).
And further:
In the midst of the elders a Lamb standing, having seven horns, and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth (Rev. 5:6).
It is plain that the spirits here are not spirits, from the fact that the “lamps” and the “eyes of the Lamb” are called spirits. “Lamps” signify Divine truths, and “eyes” the understanding of truth; and when predicated of the Lord, His Divine wisdom and intelligence (see above, n. 152).
* The Latin has “or,” but the context requires “and.”
** The Latin for “thinks either” has “either thinks either.”
*** For “I gathered in” the Hebrew has “thou gatherest in.”
**** For “there went forth,” the Hebrew has, “There shall go forth,” as found in AC 2826, 9818; AR 46, 962.