AR 285 - The Earth; AR 287 - Ten Thousands and Thousands

AR 285

. . . the earth . . . means
the Lord's church in heaven and on earth.
The church in both worlds is the Lord's kingdom.

AR 287

And the number of them
was ten thousand times ten thousand,
and thousands of thousands.
(Revelation 5:11)

This symbolizes all possessing truths and goods.
The meaning of a number in its natural sense
has relation to measure or weight,
while the meaning of a number in its spiritual sense
has relation to character;
and here the people's character is described
by there being ten thousand times ten thousand of them
and thousands of thousands;
for ten thousand is predicated of truths,
while a thousand is predicated of goods.

Ten thousand is predicated of truths
and a thousand of goods
because ten thousand is the greater number,
and a thousand the lesser,
and truths are complex,
while goods are not;
also because where the subject in the Word is truths,
it deals as well with goods,
owing to the marriage of truth and goodness
in every part of the Word.
Without that marriage
the text could have said only
ten thousand times ten thousand.