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AC 9496
It shall now be told why it was that heaven could be represented by the ark and the Habitation; the fixing of the bounds by the border; stability by the corners; the conjunction of good with truth by the rings; and power by the staves.
It has been shown that all nature, with each and all things therein that are in order, is representative of the Lord's kingdom, that is, of heaven and the heavenly things therein. It has also been shown that the universal heaven bears relation to a man, and that for this reason heaven is called the Grand Man. From this it now follows that all the forms by which heavenly things are represented, bear relation to the human form, and have their signification in accordance with their agreement with this form. 
[2] From this it is now plain why it is that when "the ark"
signifies heaven where the Lord is,
"the border of the ark"
signifies the fixing of the bounds;
"the sides," the good with which truth is to be conjoined;
"the corners," stability;
"the rings," the conjunction itself;
and "the staves," power.
For the staves bear relation to the arms in man,
and therefore they signify the same as the arms;
the rings bear relation to the joints or sockets
by which the arms are joined to the breast;
the corners, to the projections themselves,
where this joining is effected; the sides, to the chest or thorax;
the border, to the circumference in which the bounds are fixed.
From this it can be seen that by "the staves,"
as by "the arms," is signified power;
and that by "the sides" is signified the same
as by "the chest" or "thorax" of the body,
namely, good;
for in this part are the heart and lungs,
and by "the heart" is signified celestial good,
and by "the lungs" spiritual good.
From this it is plain that by "the rings" is signified the same
as by the joints or joinings of the chest to the shoulders,
and of the shoulders to the arms;
namely, the conjunction of good with truth;
and that by "the corners" is signified stability,
for there the strength of the body puts itself forth,
and its strength and power come forth through the arms.
AC 9484
And let them make an ark of shittim wood;
two cubits and a half the length thereof and a cubit
and a half the breadth thereof,
and a cubit and a half the height thereof.
And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold,
from within and from without shalt thou overlay it,
and shalt make upon it a border of gold round about.
And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it,
and put them upon the four corners thereof;
and two rings shall be on the one side of it,
and two rings on the other side of it.
And thou shalt make staves of shittim wood,
and overlay them with gold.
And thou shalt put the staves into the rings on the sides of the ark,
to carry the ark withal. The staves shall be in the rings of the ark;
they shall not be removed from it.
And thou shalt put into the ark the Testimony which I shall give thee.
(Exodus 25:10-16)
"And let them make an ark,"
signifies the inmost heaven;
"of shittim wood,"
signifies righteousness;
"two cubits and a half the length thereof,"
signifies all in respect to good;
"and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof,"
signifies full in respect to truth;
"and a cubit and a half the height thereof,"
signifies full in respect to degrees;
"and thou shalt overlay it with pure gold,"
signifies that all these things must be founded on good;
"from within and from without shalt thou overlay it,"
signifies everywhere;
"and shalt make upon it a border of gold round about,"
signifies a fixing of the bounds by good,
lest they be approached and injured by evils;
"and thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it,"
signifies the Divine truth conjoined with Divine good
that is round about on all sides;
"and put them upon the four corners thereof,"
signifies stability;
"and two rings shall be on the one side of it,
and two rings on the other side of it,"
signifies the marriage of truth with good and of good with truth;
"and thou shalt make staves of shittim wood,"
signifies the power thence derived;
"and overlay them with gold,"
signifies good everywhere;
"and thou shalt put the staves into the rings,"
signifies the power of the Divine sphere;
"on the sides of the ark,"
signifies in ultimates;
"to carry the ark withal,"
signifies thus the coming-forth and subsistence of heaven;
"the staves shall be in the rings of the ark,"
signifies that the power shall endure from the Divine sphere of good and truth;
"they shall not be removed from it,"
signifies forever, without change;
"and thou shalt put into the ark the Testimony,"
signifies the Divine truth, which is the Lord in heaven;
"which I shall give thee,"
signifies its representative.
AC 9479
"And let them make for Me a sanctuary." (Exodus 25:8)
. . . the tabernacle is called "a sanctuary,"
from the fact that by it was represented heaven and the church,
and that by the holy things therein
were represented Divine things
that are from the Lord in heaven and in the church.
AC 9472
And Shittim wood.
Shittim wood was the wood of the most excellent cedar;
and by the "cedar" is signified the spiritual of the church.
As the good of merit that belongs to the Lord alone
is the only good that reigns in heaven, and that makes heaven,
therefore this wood was the only wood
employed in the construction of the tabernacle
(by which heaven was represented);
as for instance for the ark itself, in which was the testimony; for its staves;
for the table upon which were the breads of faces, and its staves;
for the planks of the Habitation;
for the bars and pillars of the covering; and also for the altar and its staves.
AC 9469
And fine linen.
that "fine linen" denotes truth from a celestial origin,
is because of its whiteness and softness.
AC 9470 [4]
As by the garment of Aaron were represented such things
as belong to the Lord's spiritual kingdom,
thus the spiritual things of truth,
his garments of holiness were of linen;
and not of wool;
for "linen" denotes spiritual truth,
but "wool" celestial truth, which relatively is good.
AC 9466
And blue.
. . ."blue" [hyacinthinum] as being the celestial love of truth.
That "blue" has this signification is because it belongs to the color of the sky,
and because by this color is signified truth from a celestial origin,
which is truth from the good of love to the Lord.
This good reigns in the inmost heaven,
and in the middle or second heaven
it is presented to view as crimson and blue;
the good itself as crimson, and the derivative truth as blue.
For in the other life, and in heaven itself, there appear most beautiful colors,
all deriving their origin from good and truth.
[2] This then is the reason why
among the things that were collected for the tabernacle,
and for the garments of Aaron,
were blue, crimson, scarlet double-dyed, and skins of red rams;
for by the tabernacle was represented the heaven of the Lord,
and by the things of which it was constructed and woven together
were represented the celestial and spiritual things
that belong to good and truth. . .
AC 9467
And crimson.
. . ."crimson," as being the celestial love of good.
The reason why this is signified by "crimson,"
is that by a red color is signified the good of celestial love.
For there are two fundamental colors from which come the rest:
the color red, and the color white.
The color "red" signifies the good which is of love;
and the color "white" signifies the truth which is of faith.
[2] From this it is evident what the remaining colors signify;
for insofar as they partake of red they signify the good of love;
and insofar as they partake of white they signify the truth of faith;
for all the colors that appear in heaven
are modifications of heavenly light and flame upon these two planes.
For heavenly light is real light,
and in itself is the Divine truth
that proceeds from the Divine good of the Lord;
wherefore the modifications of this light and flame
are variegations of truth and good, thus of intelligence and wisdom.
AC 9468
And scarlet double-dyed.
. . . "scarlet," and of "double-dyed," as being celestial truth,
which is the same as the good of mutual love.
There are two kingdoms into which the angelic heaven has been divided -
the celestial kingdom, and the spiritual kingdom;
and in each there is an internal and an external.
The internal in the celestial kingdom is the good of love to the Lord,
and the external is the good of mutual love.
It is this latter good which is signified by "scarlet double-dyed;"
by "scarlet" the good itself,
and by "double-dyed" its truth.
But in the spiritual kingdom
the internal is the good of charity toward the neighbor,
and the external is the good of obedience from faith.
That "scarlet double-dyed" signifies the good of mutual love and its truth,
is from its appearance in the other life;
for when the sphere of this good and truth
is presented to view in the lowest heaven, it appears of a scarlet color;
because that which flows down from the celestial heaven
and appears beneath, takes its color from flame,
and beneath becomes scarlet
from the shining whiteness of the light of the middle heaven,
through which it passes.
[3] As external celestial good and its truth
are signified by "scarlet double-dyed,"
therefore the Word as to the external sense,
and its derivative doctrine,
are expressed by this color,
for the reason that the Word is the Divine truth
that proceeds from the Divine good of the Lord,
and this appears as a flaming light in the inmost heaven,
and as a shining white light in the middle heaven.
AC 9462.
And this is the collection which you shall take from them;
gold, and silver, and brass;
and blue, and crimson, and scarlet double-dyed,
and fine linen, and goats' wool;
and skins of red rams, and badgers' skins, and shittim wood;
oil for the luminary, spices for the oil of anointing,
and for the incense of spices; onyx stones,
and stones for filling, for the ephod, and for the breastplate.
(Exodus 25:3-7)
"And this is the collection which you shall take from them,"
signifies that these things shall by all means be required;
"gold and silver,"
signifies good and truth in general;
"and brass," signifies external good;
"and blue," signifies the celestial love of truth;
"and crimson," signifies the celestial love of good;
"and scarlet double-dyed," signifies mutual love;
"and fine linen," signifies the truth thence derived;
"and goats' wool," signifies the good thence derived;
"and skins of red rams, and badgers' skins,"
signifies the external truths and goods by which they are held together;
"and shittim wood,"
signifies the goods of merit which are from the Lord, thus of the Lord alone;
"oil for the luminary,"
signifies the internal good which is in mutual love and charity;
"spices for the oil of anointing,"
signifies the internal truths that belong to the inaugurating good;
"and for the incense of spices,"
signifies for acceptable perception;
"onyx stones, and stones for filling,"
signifies spiritual truths and goods in general;
"for the ephod, and for the breastplate,"
signifies which should be for a covering for external and internal celestial things.
AC 9457 [4]
A church is therefore representative
when the internal holy things of love and faith from the Lord and to the Lord
are presented to view by means of forms visible in the world;
as in this chapter and the following by the ark, the propitiatory[mercy seat],
the cherubs, the tables there, the lampstand,
and all the other things of the tabernacle.
For this tabernacle was so constructed
as to represent the three heavens and all things therein;
and the ark, in which was the Testimony,
so as to represent the inmost heaven and the Lord Himself therein.
Wherefore its form was shown to Moses in the mountain,
Jehovah then saying that they should
"make for Him a sanctuary, and He would dwell in the midst of them" (verse 8).
Everyone who has some capacity of thinking interiorly
can perceive that Jehovah could not dwell in a tent,
but that He dwells in heaven;
and that this tent could not be called a sanctuary
unless it referred to heaven, and to the celestial and spiritual things therein.
Consider what it would be for Jehovah, the Creator of heaven and earth,
to dwell in a small habitation of wood,
overlaid with gold and surrounded with curtains,
unless heaven and the things of heaven had been there represented in a form.
AC 9448
To be able to be kept by the Lord in the good of love,
and the truths of faith,
and to be withheld from evils and falsities,
is the Forgiveness of Sins.
And to shun evil and falsity, and to feel aversion for them,
is then Repentance.
AC 9449
The signs that sins have been forgiven are the following.
Delight is felt in worshiping God for the sake of God;
in being of service to the neighbor for the sake of the neighbor;
thus in doing good for the sake of good,
and in believing truth for the sake of truth.
There is an unwillingness to merit by anything that belongs to charity and faith.
Evils, such as enmities, hatreds, revenges, unmercifulness, adulteries,
in a word, all things that are against God and against the neighbor,
are shunned and are held in aversion.
AC 9431
. . . there are two states with the person
who is being regenerated by the Lord;
the first state is called a state of truth,
and the second state is called a state of good.
The reason why the first state is called a state of truth,
is that the person is then being brought into good by means of truth;
and the reason why the second state is called a state of good,
is that when the person is in good he has been brought in.
Moreover, when a person is in a state of truth he is outside of heaven;
but when he is in good, he is in heaven;
thus has been brought in to the Lord.
Besides, when a person is in the first state, or the state of truth,
he is then in labor and combat, for he is then undergoing temptations;
but when he is in the second state, or the state of good,
he is then at rest and in the tranquillity of peace.
The former state is what is represented in the Word by the six days
which precede the seventh;
but the latter state is what is represented by the seventh day or Sabbath.
AC 9435
The six days during which Moses remained in the extremity
of the mountain (Mount Sinai),
signified a state of truth,
and the seventh day, on which he went up into the mountain,
signified a state of good.
The reason is, that with those who are being regenerated by the Lord
there are similar degrees of ascent from the world to heaven;
for a person is elevated from external to internal things;
because from the natural person who is in external things
to the spiritual person who is in internal things.
Such an elevation or ascent was also represented by Moses
when he put on the representation of the holy external, which mediates;
for the holy external of the Word
is the entrance to a state of good, thus to heaven.
AC 9422
. . . by "Mount Sinai" is signified the Law,
or Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, thus the Word;
by its summit, where Jehovah or the Lord was
is signified the highest or inmost of the Law, that is, of the Word;
by all the rest of the mountain that was below the summit
is signified the internal of the Law or of the Word, such as it is in heaven;
and by what was beneath the mountain,
where were the elders and the people,
is signified the external of the Law or of the Word, which is its external sense.
AC 9424 [2]
. . . all the doctrine of the church must be from the Word,
and that the doctrine from any other source than the Word
is not doctrine in which there is anything of the church,
still less anything of heaven.
But the doctrine must be collected from the Word,
and while it is being collected,
the person must be in enlightenment from the Lord;
and he is in enlightenment
when he is in the love of truth for the sake of truth,
and not for the sake of self and the world.
These are they who are enlightened in the Word when they read it,
and who see truth, and from it make doctrine for themselves.
The reason of this is that such communicate with heaven,
thus with the Lord; and being enlightened by the Lord in this way
they are led to see the truths of the Word such as they are in heaven;
for the Lord inflows through heaven into their understandings,
because it is the man's interior understanding that is enlightened.
And at the same time the Lord flows in with faith,
by means of the cooperation of the new will,
a feature of which is to be affected with truth for the sake of truth.
From all this it can now be seen how
the doctrine of truth and good is given a person by the Lord.
[3] That this doctrine supports the Word in respect to its literal or external sense,
is plain to everyone who reflects;
for everyone in the church who thinks from doctrine
sees truths in the Word from his doctrine and according thereto,
and explains those which do not coincide with it;
and those which seem to be opposed to it
he passes by as though he did not see or understand them;
that all do so, even heretics, is known.
But they who are in the genuine doctrine of truth from the Word,
and in enlightenment when they read the Word,
see everywhere truths that agree, and nothing whatever that is opposed;
for they do not dwell upon what is said therein according to appearances,
and according to the common apprehension of men,
because they know that if the appearances are unfolded,
and as it were unswathed, the truth is laid bare.
AC 9410 [5]They who are in the true doctrine of the church are able to know that they are not saved by blood, but by hearing truth Divine, and doing it; thus that those are saved who suffer themselves to be regenerated by the Lord through the Divine truth. This all are able to know, to apprehend, to see, and to perceive, who are in enlightenment from the Lord; thus all who are in the good of charity and of faith, for these are they who are enlightened. This I can avouch - that when I am reading "the blood of the Lamb," and am thinking of the blood of the Lord, the angels who are with me know no otherwise than that I am reading "the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord," and that I am thinking about this. But let the simple remain in their doctrine, that they are saved through the Lord's blood, provided they live in accordance with His Divine truth; for they who so live are enlightened in the other life.
AC 9402
And they saw the God of Israel;
and under His feet
there was as a work of a sapphire stone,
and as the substance of heaven in respect to cleanness.
(Exodus 24:10)
"And they saw the God of Israel,"
signifies the coming and presence of the Lord in the Word;
"and under His feet,"
signifies the ultimate sense which is the sense of the letter itself;
"there was as a work of a sapphire stone,"
signifies what is translucid there from internal truths,
and all things from the Lord;
"and as the substance of heaven in respect to cleanness,"
signifies the shining through of the angelic heaven.
AC 9407 [5]
That under the Lord's feet there appeared as it were a work of sapphire,
and that this signifies the shining through of the Word
in the sense of the letter,
is because a "stone" in general signifies truth,
and a "precious stone" truth shining through from the Divine of the Lord.
AC 9408
. . . the blueness of heaven is truth transparent from good.
I apologize for the length of this post. There is a lot of sprinkling of blood in the Old Testament. As someone who as done an awful lot of laundry, blood sprinkled all over - especially the beautiful garments of the priests - just makes me cringe. However, as with everything in the Word, the Lord has His reasons:
AC 9392:
And Moses took half of the blood, and put it into basins;
and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.
And he took the book of the covenant,
and read it in the ears of the people;
they said, All that Jehovah hath spoken we will do and hear.
And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people,
and said, Behold the blood of the covenant
that Jehovah has made with you upon all these words.
(Exodus 24:6-8)
"And Moses took half of the blood,"
signifies Divine truth that has been made of the life and of worship;
"and put it into basins,"
signifies with man in the things of his memory;
"and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar,"
signifies Divine truth from the Divine Human of the Lord;
"and he took the book of the covenant,"
signifies the Word in the letter
with which the Word in heaven has been conjoined;
"and read it in the ears of the people,"
signifies for hearkening and obedience;
"and they said,
All things that Jehovah hath spoken we will do and hear,"
signifies the reception of the truth
that proceeds from the Divine Human of the Lord,
and obedience from the heart and soul;
"and Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people,"
signifies adaptation to the reception of man;
"and said, Behold the blood of the covenant,"
signifies thereby the conjunction of the Lord
in respect to the Divine Human with heaven and with earth;
"that Jehovah hath made with you upon all these words,"
signifies that there is conjunction with the Lord
through each and all things of the Word.
AC 9398Obedience from the heart is obedience from the will, thus from the affection of love; and obedience from the soul is obedience from the understanding, thus from faith . . ..Therefore it is said, "we will do and hear." The reason why "all things that Jehovah hath spoken," denotes the truth that proceeds from the Divine Human of the Lord, is that all truth proceeds therefrom.
AC 9399For the Divine truth which is from the Lord is continually flowing in with man, and forms his understanding; and if you will believe it, without this continual influx of the truth Divine that proceeds from the Lorda man can perceive and understand nothing whatever. For the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord is the light which lights up the mind of man, and makes the internal sight, which is the understanding; and as this light continually flows in, it adapts everyone to receive. But they who receive are they who are in the good of life; and they who do not receive are they who are in evil of life. Nevertheless the latter, like the former, have the capacity of perceiving and understanding, and also the capacity of receiving, insofar as they desist from evils. These things were signified by the half of the blood which Moses sprinkled on the people.[3] That every person in the world who is of sound reason has the capacity of understanding truth Divine, and consequently the capacity of receiving it, insofar as he desists from evils . . .
AC 9391
[16] The subject here treated of is the arrogance of those
who wish to enter from memory-knowledges into the mysteries of faith,
and who are not willing to acknowledge anything
but that which they themselves hatch therefrom.
As they do not see anything from the light of heaven
which is from the Lord,
but only from the light of nature which is from man's own,
they seize on shadows instead of light,
on fallacies instead of realities,
and in general on falsity instead of truth.
As they think insanely, because from the lowest things,
they are called "the wild beast of the reed;"
[19] . . . they were in the greatest darkness
in respect to the truths and goods of the church from the Word,
because they were in external things without anything internal,
and consequently were in idolatrous worship.
For one who is in external things without anything internal
is in idolatrous worship,
because when he is in worship,
his heart and soul are not in heaven, but in the world;
and he does not worship the holy things of the Word from heavenly love,
but from earthly love.
AC 9372 [4]
. . . the Word in the ultimate, or in the letter,
is crude and obscure in the sight of men,
but in the internal sense it is soft and shining . . .
. . .for this reason the angels appear clothed
in garments soft and shining
according to the truth from good with them.
AC 9378 [2]
. . . when a person desists from evils,
for to desist from evils has been left to a person's will;
that is, to his freedom,
there then flows in good from the Lord,
which is never wanting,
for it is in the very life which a person has from The Lord;
but good together with life is received
only in so far as evils have been removed.
AC 9348.
That evils allure and deceive,
is because all evils spring from the loves of self and of the world,
and the loves of self and of the world are born with a person,
and from this he feels the delight of his life from the moment of his birth;
nay, from this he has life.
Wherefore these loves, like the unseen currents of a river,
continually draw the thought and the will of a person
away from the Lord to self,
and away from heaven to the world,
thus away from the truths and goods of faith to falsities and evils.
Reasonings from the fallacies of the senses are then of especial force,
and also the literal sense of the Word wrongly explained and applied.
[2] These two sources of error, and also those previously mentioned,
are what are meant in the spiritual sense of the Word by
"snares," "nooses," "pits," "nets," "ropes," "gins,"
and also by "frauds" and "deceits;"
AC 9346
. . . those who are in evils
not only do not receive the goods
which continually flow into every one from the Lord;
but also absolutely turn them away.
And therefore
a person cannot possibly receive the good of heaven
until he abstains from evils.
AC 9336 [2]
. . . from his own a person loves himself more than the Lord,
and the world more than heaven;
when yet the life of heaven consists in loving the Lord above all things
and the neighbor as oneself.
From this it is evident that the former life, which is of hell,
must be utterly destroyed
(that is to say, the evils and falsities must be removed),
in order that the new life, which is the life of heaven, may be implanted.
This cannot possibly be done hastily;
for every evil that is rooted in with its falsities
has a connection with all evils and their falsities;
and such evils and falsities are innumerable,
and their connection is so complex that it cannot be comprehended,
not even by the angels, but only by the Lord.
From this it is evident that the life of hell with a person
cannot be destroyed suddenly; for if it were, he would straightway expire;
and neither can the life of heaven be implanted suddenly,
for if it were, he would also expire.
[4] What is properly meant by removal from evils and falsities
by degrees according to order, shall also be briefly stated.
The Divine truth which proceeds from the Divine good of the Lord
disposes all things into order in heaven;
and therefore this Divine truth,
in which there is good from the Lord,
is order itself.
AC 9335 [2]
. . . falsities can only be removed by truths;
and evils can only be removed by goods.
If this is not done successively and according to order,
the falsities which favor these loves will flow in;
for before he has been regenerated these loves reign in every person,
and when falsities flow in, truths are no longer acknowledged.
