AR 380 - Being in the Lord's Presence and in His Service

AR 380

"Therefore they are before the throne of God,
and serve Him day and night in His temple.
(Revelation 7:15)

Their being therefore before the throne of God means,
symbolically, that they are in the Lord's presence;
and their serving Him day and night means, symbolically,
that they constantly and faithfully live
in accordance with the truths they receive from Him,
which is to say, His commandments.
Serving the Lord has no other symbolic meaning.
To be in His temple means, symbolically, to be in His church.
"He who sits on the throne will dwell among them"
means, symbolically,
that the Lord continually implants goodness in the truths
that they receive from Him.
Dwelling among them has this symbolic meaning
because in the Word,
dwelling is predicated of goodness, and serving of truth.

At this point I must now disclose the following secret,
that the marriage of the Lord and the church
consists in the Lord's flowing into angels and people
with the goodness of love,
and in the angels' and peoples' reception of Him,
or of the goodness of His love,
in truths.
By this means a marriage of goodness and truth is formed,
a marriage that is the essence of the church,
and one that becomes heaven in the recipients.

. . . The Lord's flowing into angels and people with truths,
on the other hand,
is not like the flowing in of goodness in them,
for it is a mediated one
emanating from goodness,
as light does from fire,
and they receive it intellectually,
and in the will only in so far as they practice the truths.