AC 9814 - Garments of Holiness

AC 9814 [1-2]

And you shalt make garments of holiness
for Aaron your brother.
(Exodus 28:2)

That this means a representative of
the spiritual kingdom joined to the celestial kingdom,
is evident from the meaning of "garments,"
as being truths in general,
and indeed truths which clothe good.
That "garments" denote truths,
originates in heaven,
where angels appear clothed in garments
in accordance with their truths from good;
from which it can be seen
that by the garments of Aaron
was represented the spiritual kingdom of the Lord
joined to His celestial kingdom.
For Aaron represented the Lord
as to the Divine celestial;
from which the garments joined to him
represented the Divine spiritual
joined to the celestial kingdom,
as a garment is to the body.

The Divine spiritual is the Divine truth
that proceeds from the Lord's Divine good;
this appears in heaven as light,
and moreover, is the light
which illumines the external
as well as the internal sight of the angels.
The modification of this light
according to the recipient subjects, which are angels,
presents to the sight various phenomena,
such as clouds, rainbows, colors, and splendors,
of various kinds;
and it also presents shining garments about the angels.
From this it can be seen
that the spiritual kingdom of the Lord
was represented by Aaron's garments of holiness.
For there are two kingdoms
into which the heavens have been divided,
the celestial kingdom and the spiritual kingdom;
those who are in the celestial kingdom appear naked,
but those who are in the spiritual kingdom
appear clothed.
From this it is again evident that it is Divine truth,
or the Divine spiritual, and which appears as light,
that invests or clothes.

But who could possibly believe that within the church,
where there is the Word,
and the consequent enlightenment
about Divine and heavenly things,
ignorance so great should reign
that it is not known that angels and spirits
are in the human form,
and appear to themselves as people;
and also that they see and hear each other,
and converse together;
and that it is known still less
that they appear clothed in garments.
That this is the case falls not only into doubt,
but also into total denial,
with those who are so much immersed
in outward things
as to believe that the body alone lives,
and that all is nothing which they do not see
with the bodily eyes,
and touch with the bodily hands;
when yet the heavens are full of people,
who are angels,
and who are clothed
in garments of varied resplendence.
But nothing of these things can be seen
by a person on earth through the eyes of his body;
but through the eyes of his spirit,
when these are opened by the Lord.
The angels who were seen by the ancients,
as by Abraham, Sarah, Lot, Jacob, Joshua, Gideon,
and also the prophets,
were not seen with the eyes of the body,
but with the eyes of the spirit,
which were then opened.
hat these angels appeared clothed in garments,
is evident from the angels
who sat at the Lord's sepulcher,
and were seen in shining white garments
by Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James;
and especially is the same thing evident
from the Lord Himself when seen in His glory
by Peter, James, and John,
in that His raiment was then white and glistening,
and was like the light;
by which raiment there was also represented
the Divine spiritual, that is,
the Divine truth which is from Him.

AC 9806 - Moses and Aaron

AC 9806

. . . by "Moses causing Aaron his brother
to draw near unto him"
is meant the conjunction
of Divine truth with Divine good in the Lord.
That it signifies in His Divine Human,
is because this was the very thing
in which this conjunction was effected;
for the Lord first made His Human Divine truth,
and afterward Divine good.
That Aaron was chosen to minister in the priesthood,
was because he was the brother of Moses;
for in this way there was at the same time
represented the brotherhood
of Divine truth and Divine good in heaven,
because as before said,
Moses represented Divine truth,
and Aaron Divine good.
 

AC 9751 - Good; AC 9783 - Truth; AC 9787 - With the Lord

AC 9751 - Good

. . . the more celestial good is
- thus the more genuine -
so much the purer it is . . ..

Good is said to be clear when it becomes truth;
for good appears by means of truth,
because truth is the form of good;
and good does not appear in light except in a form.
The better therefore
that good is presented in a form,
the more clearly it appears,
for the result is that good itself shines forth,
even so as to affect both the understanding
and at the same time the will of others.
For as is the case with good and truth,
so it is with the will and the understanding in a person,
because the will has been appointed
for the reception of good,
and the understanding for the reception of truth;
and the will does not appear in light
except through the understanding,
for it is understanding
which gives form to what is of the will,
and presents it in clearness.
That which is formed
is as it were divided into parts,
and among these parts,
which are analytically associated together,
there are established various regards or relations.
In this manner good is
presented to view in the understanding
and is rendered clear.
When good has been rendered
clear in the understanding,
it is the truth of this good.

AC 9783 - Truth

That a "lamp" denotes faith,
is because the Divine truth
that proceeds from the Lord
is light in the heavens; this light,
when received by the angels who are there,
 or by a person,
is like a lamp,
for it illuminates all things of the mind,
and imparts intelligence and wisdom.
This light when received is faith.
But be it known that faith is not a lamp,
that is, does not illuminate the mind,
unless it is from charity;
thus unless it is charity.
The case with faith and charity
is the same as with truth and good;
truth is the form of good,
that is, it is good so formed as to appear in light.
So faith is the form of charity, or charity formed.
Moreover, truth pertains to faith, and good to charity;
for that which is true is believed,
and becomes of faith;
and that which is good is loved,
and becomes of charity.
The truth and good itself which are loved
are the neighbor,
and the love of these is charity.

AC 9787 - With the Lord

. . . with the Lord
things following and future
are together in the present,
because everything which the Lord ordains,
that is provides with a person and an angel,
is eternal.

AC 9763 - Preparation for Heaven

AC 9763

And for the gate of the court a covering.
(Exodus 27:16)

That this signifies introduction into this heaven,
and a guard lest it should be entered
by any except those who are prepared,
is evident from the signification of a "gate,"
as being communication and introduction;
from the signification of "the court,"
as being the ultimate heaven;
and from the signification of "the covering,"
as being a guard lest it be entered;
for the gate was guarded by the covering.
That it denotes a guard lest it should be entered
by any except those who are prepared,
is because no one is introduced into heaven
unless he is prepared.
The case herein is this.
Those who come from the world into the other life,
which takes place immediately after their decease,
bring with them worldly and earthly things
which do not agree with
the spiritual and celestial things
in which the angels are;
and therefore those who are to be raised into heaven
are first prepared,
which is effected by the separation of
the worldly and earthly things
which they have brought with them;
for if they were taken up into heaven sooner,
they could not possibly remain in the societies there,
because they have a taste and love
for grosser things
than are suited to the purity in which the angels are.
But after they have been prepared,
they are taken up and introduced
by the Lord into heaven,
and are admitted into those angelic societies
with which they are in agreement
in respect to the truths and goods of faith and of love.
From all this it can be seen
what is meant by a guard
lest heaven should be entered by any
except those who are prepared.

AC 9744 - The Formation of the Understanding, AC 9755 - Truths in Knowledge, Truths in Faith

AC 9744 - The Formation of the Understanding

In so far as the understanding
has been formed from genuine truths,
so far it excels,
and so far it is "fine twilled linen,"

AC 9755 [2] - Truths in Knowledge, Truths in Faith

. . . the truth in the natural or external person
is truth in knowledge;
whereas the truth in the spiritual or internal person
is the truth of faith.
Truth in knowledge also becomes truth in faith
when it is raised out of the natural or external person
into the spiritual or internal person.
So it is that the truths with a person in his youth
are truths in knowledge;
but in adult age,
if he suffers himself to be regenerated,
they become truths in faith;
for the internal person is successively opened
even to this age.

AC 9726 - What Is the Sensuous?

AC 9726

And you shall make for it a grating, a network.
(Exodus 27:4)

That this means the sensuous, which is the ultimate,
is evident from the meaning of "a grating, a network,"
as being the external sensuous,
thus that which is the ultimate of life with a person;
and because it signifies the ultimate,
it was put round about the altar.
This sensuous was represented by "the grating"
because in the first place it
as it were sifts and separates
the things which enter to person
and are presented to the understanding and the will,
thus truths and goods.
If the sensuous is from good,
it admits nothing but goods and truths
which are from good,
and rejects evils and the falsities
which are from evil;
for the sensuous is the perceptive and sensitive itself
of the things of the understanding and of the will
in the extremes,
being formed precisely according to their affections.
The nature of it may be illustrated
by very many things in the body;
for everywhere in the extremes of the body
there are net-like forms,
and as it were sieves or gratings,
which sift the things that flow in from the world,
admitting, from desire, those which are suitable,
and rejecting, from aversion,
those which are not suitable.
There are such most exquisite forms in the stomach,
which in accordance with the desires,
and for the sake of use,
admit into the blood what is suitable of the chyle,
and reject what is unsuitable,
in accordance with the aversion
that is felt for things injurious.
The case is similar with the sensuous,
which is the ultimate of a person's life.
But with a person
this has been completely destroyed,
for the reason that it stands out nearest to the world,
and therefore is the last to be regenerated,
and at this day scarcely anyone
can be regenerated as far as this . . ..
Therefore a person is raised by the Lord
from this sensuous toward more inward things,
in order that he may see and take hold of
the truths which are of faith,
and the goods which are of love.
But the sensuous which is meant by
"the grating, a network round about the altar,"
is the sensuous of the Lord's Divine Human;
for the altar is the representative of the Lord,
and of the worship of Him from the good of love.

AC 9730

By the external sensuous
is not meant the sense of the body itself,
as its sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch,
but that which is most nearly from these;
for he is called a sensuous person
who thinks and desires according to
these senses of the body and their appetites,
and considers no further.
He who considers further,
and examines what the sensuous desires,
and what he himself thinks from the sensuous,
is said to be raised above the sensuous,
or to be withdrawn from it,
and to think interiorly.
This is the case with those at the present day
who are in the good of charity and of faith.
When this is done, the sensuous is quiescent,
and is deprived of its active life
which it has from the world and its objects.
There are with a person two determinations
of the things of the understanding and of the will;
one determination is outward toward the world,
and the other is inward toward heaven.
With natural and sensuous people,
the determination of the things
of the understanding and of the will,
thus of the thoughts and affections,
is toward the world;
but with spiritual and celestial person
the determination of these things is toward heaven,
and also alternately toward the world.
The hinge of the determinations turns inward
when the person is being regenerated,
and so far as it can then be turned inward,
so far the person can be raised by the Lord
toward heaven to Himself,
and consequently be in the same proportion
imbued with wisdom, faith, and love.
For the person then lives in the internal person,
consequently in his spirit,
and the external person is subordinate to this.
But if aperson does not suffer himself to be regenerated,
then all his interiors remain determined toward the world,
and then his life is in the external person,
and the internal person is subordinate to this.
This is the case when the external person
supplies reasonings which favor evil lusts.
These people are called natural,
and those who abide in things most external
are called sensuous . . ..

AC 9715 - Merit and Righteousness Belong to the Lord Alone

AC 9715 [1-2 7]

Of shittim wood.
(Exodus 27:1)

That this means righteousness,
is evident from the meaning of "shittim wood,"
as being the good of merit and of righteousness
that belongs to the Lord alone;
it shall be stated here
what are the righteousness and the merit
that belong to the Lord alone.
It is believed
that the Lord had merit and righteousness
because He fulfilled all things of the law,
and because by the passion of the cross
He saved the human race;
yet these things are not meant in the Word
by the righteousness and merit of the Lord;
but by His merit and righteousness
is meant that He fought alone with all the hells,
and subjugated them,
and thus reduced into order all things in the hells,
and at the same time all things in the heavens.
For with every person there are spirits from hell,
and also angels from heaven;
without these a person cannot possibly live;
and unless the hells
had been subjugated by the Lord,
and the heavens brought back into order,
no person could have been saved.

This could not have been effected
except by means of His Human;
that is, through combats with the hells from His Human.
And as the Lord did this
from His own power, thus alone,
therefore to the Lord alone
belong merit and righteousness;
and therefore it is He alone
who still conquers the hells with a person;
for He who once conquers them,
conquers them forever.
Wherefore absolutely nothing
of merit and righteousness belongs to a person;
but the merit and righteousness of the Lord
are imputed to him
when he acknowledges that nothing is from himself,
but everything from the Lord.
From this it is that the Lord alone
regenerates a person;
for to regenerate a person
is to drive away the hells from him,
consequently the evils and falsities
which are from the hells,
and to implant heaven in their stead;
that is, the goods of love and the truths of faith,
for these make heaven.
Moreover, by means of continual combats
with the hells
the Lord glorified His Human, that is, made it Divine;
for as a person is regenerated
by means of combats which are temptations,
so the Lord was glorified
by means of combats which were temptations.
Consequently
the glorification of the Human of the Lord
by His own power
is merit and righteousness;
for thereby a person has been saved,
for thereby all the hells
are kept by the Lord in subjection forever.

. . . the good of the Lord's merit
is the only good that reigns in the heavens;
for this good of merit
is even now the continual subjugation of the hells,
and thus the protection of the faithful.
This good is the good of the Lord's love;
for from the Divine love
He fought and conquered in the world.
From the Divine power in the Human
acquired from this,
He alone forever fights and conquers
for heaven and the church;
and thus for the whole human race,
and thereby saves them.
This then is the good of merit,
which is called "righteousness,"
because it belongs to righteousness
to restrain the hells which are endeavoring
to destroy the human race;
and to protect and save the good and faithful.

AC 9710 - 9712 - About Exodus 27

AC 9710 - 9712

In this chapter, in the internal sense,
the subject treated of
is the worship of the Lord from the good of love.
This worship is meant by "the altar,"
and is described in general
by all things relating to the altar.

Afterward the subject treated of
is the ultimate heaven,
which is represented and described by "the court."

Lastly the subject treated of is the good of charity,
through which the spiritual heaven
is illumined by the Lord in the truths of faith;
these things are meant by
"the oil of olive," and by "the luminary."

 

AC 9686 - The Lord's Continual Influx

AC 9683 [2]

The influx of the Lord is also immediate with everyone . . ..
Immediate influx is received
according to the order in which the person or angel is,
thus according to the Divine truth which is from the Divine,
because this is order;
and so it is order itself with a person
that he should live in the good which is from the Lord,
that is, that he should live from the Lord.
This influx is continual,
and is adjoined to each and all things of the will of a person,
directing them as much as possible into order,
for a person's own will
is continually leading him away from order.
It is the same with
the voluntary and involuntary things in a person.
His voluntary things continually lead away from order,
but the involuntary ones continually bring back to order.
It is for this reason that the motion of the heart,
which is involuntary,
is completely removed from a person's will,
and in like manner the action of the cerebellum;
and that the motions of the heart,
and the powers of the cerebellum,
direct the voluntary things,
to prevent them from rushing beyond bounds
and extinguishing the life of the body before its time;
and therefore the primal activities of both
the involuntary and the voluntary things
in the whole body go on conjointly.
These things have been said
in order in some measure to illustrate the idea
about the immediate and the mediate influx
of the celestial things of love
and the spiritual things of faith from the Lord.

AC 9680 - "Holy" and "Holy of Holies"

AC 9680 [2]

All good is holy,
and all truth is holy insofar as it has good in it.
Good is called "holy" from the Lord,
because the Lord alone is holy,
and because from Him is all good and all truth.
From this it is evident why
the Habitation is called "the holy;
and why the ark in which was the Testimony
is called "the holy of holies;"
for the Testimony denotes the Lord Himself
as to Divine truth;
and "the ark" denotes the inmost heaven
where the Lord is.
The Lord is also in the middle heaven;
but He is more fully present in the inmost heaven;
for those who are conjoined with the Lord
by the good of love are with Him;
but those who are conjoined with the Lord
by the good of faith are indeed with Him,
but more remotely.
In the middle heaven there is conjunction
with the Lord through faith implanted
in the good of charity toward the neighbor.
From all this it is evident why the Habitation
that was outside the veil is called "the holy;"
and why the Habitation that was within the veil
is called "the holy of holies."

AC 9667 - Good

AC 9667

Good has its origin from the Divine Itself.
The Lord's Divine love is the Divine good,
for all good belongs to love.
The Divine love itself, thus the Divine good,
is the very being that is called "Jehovah,"
and also "the Lord;"
the coming-forth therefrom is truth.

AC 9648 - Four States: East, West, South, North

AC 9648

There are four states which correspond to
the four quarters in the world,
the east, the west, the south, and the north.
The east corresponds to a state of good in its rising,
the west to a state of good in its going down;
the south corresponds to a state of truth in its light;
and the north to a state of truth in shade).
The state of good to which the east corresponds,
and the state of truth to which the south corresponds,
are interior states;
and the state of good to which the west corresponds,
and the state of truth to which the north corresponds,
are exterior;
for the more interior any state is,
the more perfect it is;
and the more exterior it is,
the more imperfect,
thus the more obscure.
It is for this reason
that the higher a person can be raised
toward interior things,
the more he comes into the perception of good,
and into the light of truth;
and therefore when a person puts off bodily things,
which are the veriest external things,
as is the case when he departs out of the world;
if he has lived a life of truth and good
he comes into intelligence and wisdom,
and thus into the perception of every happiness.
He does so provided that
he has been leading a life of truth and goodness.
And the more he has allowed himself to be raised
towards the more internal parts of heaven
by leading a good life
based on teachings about the truth,
the greater is that perception.

 

AC 9637 - Every Good Has Its Truth, and Every Truth Its Good

AC 9637

Good without truth does not appear,
and truth without good does not exist,
for truth is the form of good,
and good is the being of truth.
It is from form that good appears,
and it is from being that truth exists.
The case herein is like that of flame and light;
flame without light does not appear,
and therefore it emits from itself light
that it may appear;
and light without flame does not exist.
It is the same
with a person's will and his understanding;
the will does not appear without the understanding,
and the understanding does not exist without the will.
As it is with good and truth,
or with flame and light,
or again with the will and understanding,
even so it is with love and faith,
for all good is of love,
and all truth is of faith from love;
and a person's will has been allotted to
the reception of the good which is of love,
and his understanding to
the reception of the truth which is of faith.
Moreover, love is the flame or fire of life,
and faith is the light of life.

AC 9629 - Covering

AC  9629

And the cubit on the one side,
and the cubit on the other side,
in that which is over and above
in the length of the curtains of the Tent,
shall superabound over the sides of the Habitation
on this side and on that,
to cover it.
(Exodus 26:13)

That this means the method
by which this ultimate proceeds from good,
in order that heaven may be rendered safe,
is evident from the meaning of
"that which superabounds over
the sides of the Habitation,
a cubit on the one side and a cubit on the other side,"
as being the ultimate which proceeds;
from the meaning of
"the length of the curtains of the Tent,"
as being truths from good;
and from the meaning of "to cover,"
as being to protect,
for that which covers
protects from the assailing evil
that would inflict injury.
From these meanings gathered into one,
there results this meaning,
that this ultimate which proceeds from good
is for the purpose
that heaven may be rendered safe.

AC 9606 & 9614 - In Heaven, Spheres Conjoin

AC 9606

For there are spheres
which proceed from each angelic society in heaven,
and from each angel in a society.
These spheres, with everyone,
exhale from the life of the affections of truth and of good,
and are from there diffused to a distance.
From this it is that the quality of spirits and of angels
is known at a distance.
Angels and angelic societies are conjoined,
and are also disjoined,
in accordance with these spheres;
for similar spheres, that is,
similar affections of truth and good, conjoin;
and dissimilar spheres disjoin.
Whether you say angels and angelic societies,
from which the spheres proceed, or truth and good,
it is the same;
for the spheres are from
the affections of truth and good,
by virtue of which angels are angels from the Lord.
Be it known that insofar
as these spheres derive anything from the Lord,
so far they conjoin;
but insofar as they derive it from the angel's own,
so far they disjoin.
From this it is evident that the Lord alone conjoins.

AC 9614 [3]

The conjunction of the angelic societies into one heaven
has reference to these laws:

1. Everyone in the form of the heavens comes forth
in accordance with the heavenly harmony
of many associated together.

2. Love is spiritual conjunction,
from which comes heavenly harmony.

3. There must be a universal bond,
in order that all the individuals
may be held together in conjunction.

4. The universal bond must flow
into the individual bonds,
and must make them.

5. The universal bond is the Lord,
thus love from Him,
and consequently love to Him.

6. The individual bonds are derived from this,
and are those of mutual love,
or of charity toward the neighbor.

These are the laws by virtue of which heaven,
consisting of innumerable angelic societies,
is nevertheless as one person.

AC 9594 - The Three Degrees

AC 9594 [1-2]

It is known that there are three heavens:
the inmost, the middle, and the ultimate;
or the third, the second, and the first.
All these heavens were represented by the tabernacle:
by the ark,
where the Testimony was,
the inmost or third heaven;
by the Habitation,
where were the table for the breads of faces
and the lampstand,
the middle or second heaven;
and by the court,
the ultimate or first heaven.
That there are three heavens
is because there are three degrees of life in a person
(for the person who becomes an angel after death
constitutes heaven;
from no other source are the angels,
from no other is heaven).
The inmost degree of the person's life
is for the inmost heaven;
the middle degree of his life
is for the middle heaven;
and the ultimate degree is for the ultimate heaven.
A person being such, or so formed,
and heaven being from the human race,
there are therefore three heavens.

These three degrees of life in a person
are opened successively;
the first degree by a life
in accordance with what is equitable and just;
the second degree by a life
in accordance with the truths of faith from the Word,
and in accordance with the consequent
goods of charity toward the neighbor;
and the third degree by a life
in accordance with the good of mutual love
and the good of love to the Lord.
These are the means whereby
these three degrees of life in a person
are successively opened
thus the three heavens in him.
But be it known
that in proportion as a person recedes
from the good of life, and accedes to the evil of life,
these degrees are closed,
that is, the heavens are closed in him;
for just as the good of life opens them,
so the evil of life closes them.

AC 9587 & 9588 - Freedom and Compulsion

AC 9587

The Lord keeps a person in the Freedom of thinking;
and insofar as outward bonds,
which are the fear of the law and for life,
and the fear of the loss
of reputation, of honor, and of gain,
do not hinder,
He keeps him in the Freedom of doing;
but, through Freedom,
He bends him away from evil;
and, through Freedom,
He bends him to good;
leading him so gently and silently
that the person knows no otherwise
than that everything proceeds from himself.
Thus the Lord, in Freedom,
inseminates and inroots good
in the very life of the person,
which good remains to eternity.
This the Lord teaches in Mark:

So is the Kingdom of God,
as a man who casts seed into the earth;
the seed germinates and grows,
while he knows not.
The earth bears fruit of its own accord.
(Mark 4:26-28).

"The kingdom of God"
denotes heaven with a person,
thus the good of love and the truth of faith.

AC 9588

That which is inseminated in Freedom remains,
because it is inrooted in the very will of a person,
which is the being of his life.
But that which is inseminated under compulsion
does not remain,
because what is of compulsion
is not from the will of the person,
but is from the will of him who compels.
For this reason worship from Freedom
is pleasing to the Lord,
but not worship from compulsion;
for worship from Freedom is worship from love,
because all Freedom is of love.

AC 9568 - The Good from the Lord in Everything

AC 9568

Good is the source of truths,
and truths from good
are the source of memory-knowledges.
So is the one derived and produced from the other.
Nevertheless good is everything
in its products and derivatives,
because these are from good.
The case herein
is like that with end, cause, and effect.

The end is everything of the cause,
and the cause is everything of the effect;
from which it follows
that the end is everything of the effect,
insomuch that
if the end or final cause is withdrawn,
there is no efficient cause and no effect of it.
In like manner do the celestial, the spiritual,
and the natural succeed each other;
from the celestial is all the spiritual,
and from the spiritual is all the natural,
that is, from the celestial through the spiritual.
With a person all is called "celestial"
that is of the good of love,
all "spiritual" that is of the truth of faith from there,
and all "natural" that is of memory-knowledge.
That memory-knowledge is natural,
is because this knowledge is truth
appearing in the light of the world;
whereas the truth of faith,
insofar as it is of faith with a person,
is in the light of heaven.

From all this it can now be seen
how one thing is produced and derived
from another,
and that the first is everything
in the products and derivatives,
insomuch that if the first is withdrawn,
the things which follow from it perish.
Everyone capable of perception can know
that the Divine is the first of all things,
and therefore is the all in all
of the order of things,
thus in all things of good and truth
which make heaven,
and which make the life of heaven, with a person.
Consequently good from the Divine
is in all the truths of faith,
and if good is not everything in them,
and if the Divine of the Lord
is not everything in good,
the person has in him nothing of heaven,
thus nothing of the church.

But the Divine of the Lord
is in all things of good with a person,
and from this in all things of truth with him,
when he wills from love,
and believes from the consequent faith,
that all good and all truth,
thus everything of love and everything of faith,
are from the Lord,
and absolutely nothing from himself;
and also that he possesses the truth of faith
in the exact proportion of
his reception of good from the Lord;
for, as before said,
good is the all in all things of truth,
and truth without good is truth without life.

AC 9546 - The Celestial Kingdom; AC 9546 - The Faces of the Lord

AC 9543

. . . very many things in the celestial kingdom of the Lord
do not fall into any idea of human thought,
and scarcely into the idea of the thought
of the angelic spirits who are in the ultimate heaven.
For all things in the Lord's celestial kingdom
are founded upon the good which is of love,
and not on the truth which is of faith.
Moreover, they speak together
by means of the goods which are of love,
and not by means of the truths which are of faith,
as do those who are in the Lord's spiritual kingdom.

AC 9546

Unto My faces continually.
(Exodus 25:30)

That this means thus the presence of the Lord
with peace and with heavenly joy from mercy,
is evident from the meaning of
the "faces of Jehovah," or of the Lord,
as being all things of the Divine love or mercy,
such as innocence, peace, joy,
and thus heaven itself with those who receive it.
For by "faces," when said of man and angel,
are meant the interiors which are of the will
and consequently of the understanding,
thus which are of love and consequently of faith.
From this it can be seen that by "faces,"
when said of Jehovah or the Lord,
are meant the things of the Divine love or mercy,
thus all celestial good.

AC 9509 - Cherubs

AC 9509 [2, 5]

During regeneration a person has two states,
one after the other.
The first one is when the person is led
by means of the truths of faith to the good of love.
The second is when he is in the good of love;
and when he is in this,
he is in heaven with the Lord.
From this it is evident
that this good is heaven itself with a person,
because this good is the Lord with him,
for it is from the Lord.

That there were cherubs
upon the curtains of the Habitation, upon the veil,
upon the walls of the temple,
and upon the doors of it,
signified the guard of the Lord
lest the holy Divine should be approached
except through the good of love;
and that there were cherubs upon the ark
signified that the Lord Himself
was not to be approached except through this good.
Therefore also the cherubs were made of solid gold,
and in the temple at Jerusalem
were made of wood of oil,
for by "gold" and by "oil" is signified the good of love.

AC 9499 - Ultimates and Boundaries; AC 9503 - The Lord In Heaven

AC 9499 - Ultimates and Boundaries

. . . the ultimates and boundaries in heaven
differ from those in the world in this respect,
that in the world they are such relatively to spaces,
but in heaven relatively to goods conjoined with truths.
The Divine good conjoined with the Divine truth,
which is the ultimate of heaven,
and by which it is
bounded, enclosed, and held together,
is comparatively as is the atmosphere in the world,
which flows around a person and holds together
all the surface of his body in its connection,
so as to prevent its dissolution;
but in the world that which does this is natural,
and operates on the human body
as on what is material;
whereas in heaven
it is the Divine celestial and the Divine spiritual
from the Lord which operates around an angel,
and holds him together in his form and power.

AC 9503 - The Lord In Heaven

That Divine truth is the Lord in heaven,
is because the Lord is good itself and truth itself,
both of which proceed from Him,
and that which proceeds from Him is Himself.
So it is that the Lord is heaven;
for the Divine truth which is from Him
and is received by the angels, makes heaven;
consequently the more perfectly the angels receive
the Divine truth which is from the Lord,
thus the more perfectly they receive the Lord,
the more perfect human forms they are,
and finally so perfect
that their beauty surpasses belief.
He who shall see, as I have, will be amazed;
for they are heavenly loves and charities in form,
which form is the truly human form.
The reason why the angels are human forms,
is that the Divine in heaven is the Lord,
and those who receive from Him
the Divine truth in good
are images of Him.

AC 9492 - His Protective Border; AC 9493 - Soil & Seed

AC 9492

And shall make upon it a border of gold round about.
(Exodus 25:11)

. . . It is said
"lest they be approached and injured by evils,"
because the good that proceeds from the Lord
protects those who are in heaven,
lest they be approached and injured
by evils from hell.
For the hells continually breathe evil,
and endeavor to destroy heaven;
from which there appears there
as it were an effervescence,
and as it were a boiling up.
For in the minds of those who are in the hells
is seated hatred against the neighbor
and hatred against God;
and therefore they are infuriated
when they perceive the bliss of the upright.
But the good that proceeds from the Lord,
which encompasses heaven in general,
and the heavenly societies
and individual angels there in particular,
protects, and represses the assaults,
and this continually.
This bounding good,
by which the Lord protects heaven,
is meant by "the border of gold round about the ark."


AC 9493
. . . for good is like soil,
and truth is like the seed.

AC 9479, 9481 - A Sanctuary, Heaven, and the Representations of the Tabernacle

AC 9479 [1 ,2]

And let them make for Me a sanctuary.
(Exodus 25:8)

That this signifies a representative of the Lord,
and thus of heaven,
is evident from the signification of "a sanctuary,"
as being the Lord, and as being heaven;
but here a representative of the Lord and of heaven,
because it was a tabernacle
made of wood and covered all round with curtains,
and this could not have been a sanctuary
except by means of the representation.
For "a sanctuary" denotes holiness itself,
and nothing is holy except the Divine alone,
thus the Lord alone.
That heaven is "a sanctuary," is because
heaven is heaven from what is Divine there;
for the angels who are there make heaven
in proportion as they have [something]
from the Divine of the Lord;
but in proportion
as they have [anything] from themselves,
they do not make heaven.
From this it is plain how it is to be understood
that the Lord is the all in all of heaven.

That in the supreme sense "the sanctuary"
denotes the Lord,
because He alone is holy,
and that alone is holy which proceeds from Him;
and also that "the sanctuary" denotes heaven,
and likewise the church,
and that those things are "sanctuaries"
which are in heaven and in the church from the Lord,

AC 9481 [2]

All these things are representatives
such as continually appear
before the angels in the heavens,
and present in a visible form the Divine celestial things
that belong to the good of love,
and the Divine spiritual things
that belong to the good of faith.
The sum total of such things
was represented by the tabernacle
and the things that were in it;
as by the ark itself;
by the table on which were the breads;
by the altar of incense;
by the lampstand;
and by all other things.
As these things were forms
of Divine celestial and spiritual things,
therefore when they were seen
by the people at the time
they were in holy worship . . ..
Be it known that there are always
spirits and angels with a person,
and that he cannot live without them;
in like manner
that through them
a person has connection with the Lord,
and that in this way
the human race and also heaven subsist.
From this it can be seen to what end
the representatives and also the rituals of the church
were instituted among the Israelitish nation;
also to what end the Word was given,
wherein all things of the literal sense correspond
to Divine things which are in heaven;
thus wherein all the things are representative,
and all the words significative.
From this, a person has connection with heaven,
and through heaven with the Lord.
Without this connection
a person would have no life whatever,
for without connection with the very Being of Life
from whom comes all the manifestation of life,
no one has any life.

AC 9473 - "The Luminary"

AC 9473

That "the luminary" denotes mutual love,
is from its flame,
by which this love is meant;
and that it denotes charity,
is from the heat and light from it;
for spiritual heat is the good of charity,
and spiritual light is the truth of faith.

It shall here be briefly stated what is meant
by the internal good in mutual love, and in charity.
Nothing comes forth from itself,
but from what is prior to itself.
This is the case also with truth and good.
That from which another thing comes forth is internal;
and that which comes forth is its external.
Each and all things that come forth
are like cause and effect.
No effect can come forth without an efficient cause.
The efficient cause is the internal of the effect,
and the effect is its external.
They are also like endeavor and motion.
No motion can come forth without endeavor,
insomuch that when the endeavor ceases
the motion ceases.
Wherefore the internal of motion is endeavor,
or moving force.
The case is similar with living endeavor, which is will;
and with living motion, which is action.
No action can come forth without will,
insomuch that when will ceases action ceases;
and therefore the internal of action is will.
From all this it is evident that in each and all things
there must be an internal,
in order that they may come forth,
and that they may afterward subsist;
and that without an internal they are not anything.

So also it is with the good which is of love;
unless there is an internal good in it, it is not good.
The internal good in the good of faith
is the good of charity, which is spiritual good;
but the internal good in the good of charity
is the good of mutual love,
which is external celestial good;
and the internal good in the good of mutual love
is the good of love to the Lord,
which is the good of innocence;
and this good is internal celestial good.
But the internal good in the good of love to the Lord,
that is, in the good of innocence,
is the good Divine itself
that proceeds from the Divine Human of the Lord,
and consequently it is the Lord Himself.
This last good must be in all good,
in order that it may be good;
and therefore there is not any good
unless its internal is from this source;
for unless its internal is from this source,
it is not good but evil,
because it is from the person himself,
and that which proceeds from person is evil;
for a person regards himself
in all the good that he does,
and also regards the world,
and thus not the Lord nor heaven.
If the Lord and heaven are thought of by him,
they are to him as means
to serve his own honor and his own profit.
Consequently these goods are like
whited sepulchers,
which outwardly appear beautiful;
but inwardly are full of dead men's bones,
and of all uncleanness.
(Matthew 23:27, 29)

AC 9472 - Shittim Wood - the Goods of Merit from the Lord Alone

AC 9472

And shittim wood.
(Exodus 25:5)

That this meas the goods of merit
which are from the Lord and thus of the Lord alone,
is evident from the meaning of "wood,"
as being the good of merit.
The good of merit is the good that proceeds
from the Divine Human of the Lord,
which is Christian good, or spiritual good with a person.
 It is this good by which a person is saved;
for good which proceeds from any other source
is not good, because the Divine is not in it,
thus neither is heaven in it,
consequently salvation is not in it.
Shittim wood was the wood of the most excellent cedar;
and by the "cedar" is meant the spiritual of the church.
That shittim wood was a species of cedar,
is evident in Isaiah:

I will set in the wilderness the cedar of Shittah,
and the myrtle, and the wood of oil.
(Isaiah. 41:19);

where "the cedar of Shittah" denotes spiritual good,
and "the wood of oil" celestial good.
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 9468 - "And Scarlet Double-Dyed"

AC 9468 [1, 2-3]

And scarlet double-dyed.
(Exodus 25:4)

That this means mutual love,
is evident from the meaning of
"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 meant 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" means
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.
Consequently it is that among other colors,
scarlet double-dyed was employed
upon the curtains of the Habitation (Exod. 26:1);
upon the veil before the ark (Exod. 26:31);
upon the covering for the door of the tent (Exod. 26:36);
upon the covering at the gate of the court (Exod. 27:16);
upon the ephod (Exod. 28:6);
upon the belt (Exod. 28:8)
upon the breastplate of judgment (Exod. 28:15);
and upon the fringes of the robe of the ephod
(Exod. 28:33).

. . . the things to be collected
are enumerated in this order; namely,
the inmost things first,
which were blue and crimson;
the more outward things in the second place,
which were scarlet double-dyed, fine linen, and goats' wool;
and lastly the outermost things,
which were skins of red rams and badgers' skins;
in like manner everywhere in what follows.

As external celestial good and its truth
are meant 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 9467 - "And Crimson"

AC 9467

And crimson.
(Exodus 25:4)

. . . this means the celestial love of good,
. . . The reason why this is meant by "crimson,"
is that by a red color is meant 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" means the good which is of love;
and the color "white" means the truth which is of faith.
That the color "red" means the good which is of love,
is because it comes from fire,
and "fire" denotes the good of love;
and the color "white" means the truth which is of faith,
because it comes from light,
and "light" denotes the truth of faith.

From this it is evident what the remaining colors mean;
for insofar as they partake of red
they mean the good of love;
and insofar as they partake of white
they means 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 variations of truth and good,
thus of intelligence and wisdom.

AC 9466 - "And Blue"

AC 9466 [1-2]

And blue.
(Exodus 25:4)

That this means the celestial love of truth . . ..
That "blue" has this meaning
is because it belongs to the color of the sky,
and because by this color is meant
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.
For the sphere of the affections of good and truth
is sensibly presented before the eyes
of angels and spirits by means of colors,
and specific things by variously colored objects.
They are presented to the nostrils
also by means of odors.
For everything celestial, which is of good,
and everything spiritual, which is of truth,
is represented in the lower heavens
by such things as appear in nature,
thus to the very senses of the spirits and angels there.
The reason why the spheres
of the affection of good and truth
are visibly presented by means of colors,
is that the colors are modifications of heavenly light,
thus of intelligence and wisdom.

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;
in like manner by the garments of Aaron.
 

AC 9462 - The Collection

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,"
-- means that these things shall by all means be required;
"gold and silver,"
-- means good and truth in general;
"and brass,"
-- means external good;
"and blue,"
-- means the celestial love of truth;
"and crimson,"
-- means the celestial love of good;
"and scarlet double-dyed,"
-- mean mutual love;
"and fine linen,"
-- means the truth derived from there;
"and goats' wool,"
-- means the good derived from there;
"and skins of red rams, and badgers' skins,"
-- means the external truths and goods
by which they are held together;
"and shittim wood,"
-- means the goods of merit which are from the Lord,
thus of the Lord alone;
"oil for the luminary,"
-- means the internal good
which is in mutual love and charity;
"spices for the oil of anointing,"
-- means the internal truths
that belong to the inaugurating good;
"and for the incense of spices,"
-- means for acceptable perception;
"onyx stones, and stones for filling,"
-- means spiritual truths and goods in general;
 "for the ephod, and for the breastplate,"
-- means which should be for a covering
for external and internal celestial things.  

AC 9460 - "Whose Heart Has Moved Willingly"

AC 9460

From every man whose heart has moved willingly.
(Exodus 25:2)

That this means that all things should be from love,
and thus from freedom,
is evident from the meaning of
"whose heart has moved willingly,"
as being from freedom.
That it denotes from love,
is because all freedom is of love,
for that which a person does from love,
he does from freedom.

AC 9448-9450 - The Forgiveness of Sins

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.
But these are possible only with those
who, through regeneration,
have received new life from the Lord;
because these things belong to the new life.

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.

But the signs that sins have not been forgiven
are the following.
God is not worshiped
for the sake of God;
and the neighbor is not served
for the sake of the neighbor;
thus good is not done and truth is not spoken
for the sake of good and truth,
but for the sake of self and the world.
There is a desire to merit by our deeds;
others are despised in comparison with ourselves;
delight is felt in evils, such as enmities,
hatred, revenge, cruelty, adulteries;
and the holy things of the church
are held in contempt,
and are at heart denied.

AC 9430 - The Foundation of a House

AC 9430 [2]

. . . all who are in heaven
are instructed by the Lord from the truth Divine
that is with a person,
thus from the Word.
The reason is that a person is in the ultimate of order,
and that all interior things terminate in the ultimate,
the ultimate being as it were a support
for the interior things,
on which they subsist and rest.
The Word in the letter
is Divine truth in the ultimate of order;
in like manner the person of the church
with whom is Divine truth,
in respect to his natural and sensuous mind.
In the one, as in the other,
the interior things terminate and rest,
like a house on its foundation.
The house itself is heaven,
and there Divine truth is such
as is the Word in the internal sense;
and the foundation is the world,
and there Divine truth is such
as is the Word in the external sense.
As a house rests on its foundation,
so also heaven rests on the church;
and consequently the Divine truth in heaven
upon the Divine truth in the earth;
for there is a continuous connection
from the Lord through heaven down to a person
by means of the Word.
This is the reason
why it is always provided by the Lord
that there shall be a church on the earth,
in which Divine truth may be in its ultimate.
. . . Let all therefore beware
of injuring the Word in any way;
for those who injure it,
injure the Divine Itself.

AC 9428 - The Lord Calls Moses Up Into Mount Sinai

AC 9428

And the glory of Jehovah tarried upon Mount Sinai,
and the cloud covered it six days;
and on the seventh day He called
unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud.
And the aspect of the glory of Jehovah
was like devouring fire on the top of the mountain
in the eyes of the sons of Israel.
And Moses entered into the midst of the cloud,
and went up unto the mountain;
and Moses was in the mountain
forty days and forty nights.
(Exodus 24:16-18)


"And the glory of Jehovah tarried upon Mount Sinai,"
-- signifies the interior things
of the Word of the Lord in heaven;
"and the cloud covered it,"
-- signifies the ultimate of the Word,
which is thus relatively obscure;
"six days,"
-- signifies when in a state of truth;
"and on the seventh day He called unto Moses,"
-- signifies the coming of the Lord
when truth has been conjoined with good;
"out of the midst of the cloud,"
-- signifies out of the obscurity there was before;
"and the aspect of the glory of Jehovah
was like devouring fire on the top of the mountain
in the eyes of the sons of Israel,"
-- signifies Divine truth in heaven itself
resplendent from the good of love,
but injuring and vastating with those
who are in its external separate from the internal;
"and Moses entered into the midst of the cloud,"
-- signifies the Word in the external sense;
"and went up unto the mountain,"
-- signifies elevation to heaven;
"and Moses was in the mountain
forty days and forty nights,"
-- signifies what is complete
in respect to instruction and influx.

AC 9425 - Teaching the Word

AC 9425

. . . those who teach the external things of the Word
apart from anything internal,
thus without the genuine doctrine of good and truth,
do not discriminate between truth and falsity,
nor between good and evil;
but call that truth
which favors the fallacies of the senses,
and that good
which favors selfish cravings.
So they call falsity truth,
and evil they call good.

AC 9419 - Moses and Joshua

AC 9419

And Moses rose up, and Joshua his minister.
(Exodus 24:13

That this means the Word and the representative,
is evident from the representation of Moses,
as being that which mediates
between the Lord and the people
who are in the external sense of the Word
separate from the internal,
thus also the Word . . .
and from the representation of Joshua his minister,
as being the representative.
That Joshua here denotes the representative,
is because the representative serves and ministers,
in order that the external things
of the Word and of worship
may be presented to the Lord
through the intermediate, which was Moses.
But these things are of such a nature
that they can with difficulty fall into ideas,
except with those who know how
the external or literal sense of the Word
is presented representatively in heaven;
namely, that it is presented in one manner
with those who are in the external sense
and at the same time in the internal,
who are those in the external sense of the Word
and at the same time in the true doctrine of the church;
and in a different manner
with those who are in the external sense
separate from the internal,
as was the case with this people.

AC 9410 - The Power of Angels

AC 9410 [5]

That in the Word the angels are called "powers,"
and also that they are powers,
is known in the church.
Yet they are not powers from themselves,
but from the Lord,
because they are recipients of the truth Divine
which is from the Lord.
They have such power from the Lord
that one of them can drive away,
shut up in the hells,
and restrain, a thousand of the diabolical crew.
For the truth Divine which is from the Lord
fills the heavens, and makes the heavens;
and if you will believe it,
all things have been made and created through it.
The Word, which was in the beginning with God,
and which was God,
through which all things were created,
and through which the world was made
(John 1:1-14)
is Divine truth.
That this is the one only substantial thing,
from which are all things . . ..

AC 9402 - Heaven, "The Habitation of God"

AC 9402 [1, 2]

The angelic heaven is said to shine through
when truth Divine shines through.
For the whole heaven is nothing but
a receptacle of truth Divine,
because every angel is a reception of it in particular;
thus all the angels,
or the whole heaven, are so in general.
From this, heaven is called "the habitation of God,"
and also "the throne of God,"
because by "habitation" is meant the truth Divine
that proceeds from the Lord
received in the inmost heaven,
which relatively is good;
and by "throne" is meant truth Divine from the Lord
received in the middle heaven.

. . . when mention is made in the Word of "the heavens,"
and also of "the heavens of heavens,"
in the internal sense are meant the angelic heavens.
For the ancients had no other idea of the visible heaven
than that the heavenly inhabitants dwell there,
and that the stars are their habitations.
Similar also at this day is the idea of the simple,
and especially of little children.
From this also people look upward to heaven
when praying earnestly to God.
This also is from correspondence;
for in the other life a heaven with stars appears,
yet not the heaven that appears to people in the world;
but a heaven that appears in accordance with
the state of intelligence and wisdom
of the spirits and angels.
The stars there are knowledges of good and truth;
and the clouds
which are sometimes seen beneath the heaven
are of various meanings according to their colors,
their translucence, and their movements;
the blueness of heaven is truth transparent from good.

AC 9407 - Sapphire Stone, Translucent Internal Truth from the Lord

AC 9407 [10-13]

. . . "a sapphire stone" denotes truth
translucent from internal truths -
namely, a "stone" denotes truth,
and a "sapphire" translucence.

The reason why
all things of the Word are translucent with the Lord
is that Divine Truth emanating from the Lord
is the one and only source of everything there.
For what is primary is the one and only vital element
present in the things which follow
and are derived from it,
because they have their being in it
and come into being from it;
and the Divine Truth is the Lord.
Here also lies the reason why
the subject in the highest sense of the Word
is the Lord alone, His love, providence,
kingdom in heaven and on earth,
and especially the glorification of His Human.

The fact that the Divine Truth is the Lord Himself
is evident from the consideration
that whatever emanates from someone
is the someone himself.
For instance what emanates from a person
when he speaks or acts
originates in his will and understanding;
and will and understanding constitute a person's life,
thus the person himself.
For the human being is not a human being
by virtue of the shape of face and body
but by virtue of an understanding
that sees what is true
and a will that intends what is good.
From this it becomes clear
that what emanates from the Lord is the Lord;
and the fact that this is Divine Truth
has been shown often in what has gone before.

But anyone unacquainted with the arcana of heaven
may suppose that the nature of Divine Truth
which emanates from the Lord
is no different from that of spoken words
emanating from a human being.
It is not spoken words however;
rather It is the Divine filling the heavens,
like light and heat from the sun filling the world.
This may be illustrated by means of
the spheres which emanate
from the angels in heaven.
In these places it has been shown and may be seen
that they are spheres of
the truth of faith and the good of love
received from the Lord.
But the Divine sphere
which emanates from the Lord
and is called Divine Truth spreads everywhere . . .
it fills the whole of heaven
and composes all of the life there.
It appears before the eyes there as light,
which enlightens not only angels' sight
but also their minds.
In addition that same light is what composes
a person's understanding in the world.

AC 9404 - "Old"; AC 9405 - Reading the Word and Looking to the Lord

AC 9404

For by the "old" in the Word
are meant those who are in wisdom,
thus those who are in a life of good
from the doctrine of truth . . ..

AC 9405

. . . the Word is the Divine truth
that proceeds from the Lord,
and that which proceeds from the Lord,
is the Lord Himself.
And therefore those who read the Word
and at the same time look to the Lord -
acknowledging that all truth and all good are from Him,
and nothing from themselves -
are enlightened,
and see truth and perceive good,
from the Word.
This enlightenment is from the light of heaven,
which light is the Divine truth itself
that proceeds from the Lord,
for this appears as light before the angels in heaven.

 

AC 9398 - Obedience; AC 9399 - "Blood" = the Divine Truth Proceeding from the Lord

AC 9398 - Obedience

Obedience 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;
for "the heart" signifies the will and the love;
and "the soul" signifies the understanding and faith.
Therefore it is said, "we will do and hear."

AC 9399 [1, 3] - "Blood" = the Divine Truth

. . . the meaning of "the blood of the sacrifice,"
as being the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord . . ..

For the Divine truth which is from the Lord
is continually flowing in with a person,
and forms his understanding;
and if you will believe it,
without this continual influx of the truth Divine
that proceeds from the Lord,
a person can perceive and understand
nothing whatever.
For the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord
is the light which lights up the mind of a person,
and makes the internal sight,
which is the understanding;
and as this light continually flows in,
it adapts everyone to receive.
But those who receive
are those who are in the good of life;
and those 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 meant by
the half of the blood
which Moses sprinkled on the people.

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,
has been given me to know by much experience.
For all in the other life, without exception,
both the evil and the good,
can understand what is true and what is false,
and also what is good and what is evil;
but although the evil understand
what is true and good,
they nevertheless do not desire to understand,
because their will and the evil therein
make resistance.

AC 9394 - The Fields of Our Memory-knowledges

AC 9394 [1-2, 3]

All things learned and stored up in the memory,
and that can be called forth from it
to the intellectual sight,
are called memory-knowledges,
and in themselves are the things that constitute
the understanding of the natural or external person.
Being knowledges,
these memory-knowledges are of service
to the sight of the internal or rational person
as a kind of mirror in which to see such things
as are of service to itself.
For these fall under the view of the internal person
just as fields full of grass, flowers,
various kinds of crops, and of trees;
or as gardens adorned with
various useful and delightful objects,
fall under the view
of the external person in the material world.
Yet the internal sight, which is the understanding,
sees nothing else in the fields or gardens
of the things of its memory
than such as agree with the loves
in which the person is,
and also favor the principles he loves.

Wherefore those who are in
the loves of self and of the world
see only such things as favor these loves,
and they call them truths,
and by means of fallacies and appearances
they also make them appear like truths;
and afterward they see such things
as agree with the principles they have adopted,
which they love because they are from themselves.
From this it is plain
that the knowledges which are things of memory,
are of service to those who are in the aforesaid loves
as means of confirming falsities against truths,
and evils against goods,
and thus of destroying
the truths and goods of the church.
So it is that the learned who are of this character
are more insane than the simple,
and when by themselves deny the Divine,
Providence, heaven, hell, the life after death,
and the truths of faith.

But it is very different with those
who think from the delights of heavenly loves,
which are love to the Lord and love toward the neighbor.
As the thought of these persons
is led by the Lord through heaven,
they see and choose nothing else
in the fields and gardens of the things of their memory
than those which agree with
the delights of their loves
and with the doctrinal things of their church,
and which they love.
To them the things of the memory
are like heavenly paradises,
and in the Word
they are also represented and signified by paradises.

 

AC 9392, 9393 - "And Moses Took Half of the Blood"

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;
and they said,
All that Jehovah has 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,"
means Divine truth that has been made
of the life and of worship;
"and put it into basins,"
means with a person in the things of his memory;
"and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar,"
means Divine truth from the Divine Human of the Lord;
"and he took the book of the covenant,"
means the Word in the letter
with which the Word in heaven has been conjoined;
"and read it in the ears of the people,"
means for hearkening and obedience;
"and they said,
All things that Jehovah has spoken we will do and hear,"
means 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,"
means adaptation to the reception of a person;
"and said, Behold the blood of the covenant,"
means thereby the conjunction of the Lord
in respect to the Divine Human
with heaven and with earth;
"that Jehovah has made with you upon all these words,"
means that there is conjunction with the Lord
through each and all things of the Word.

AC 9393 [1-2]

. . . when truth is called forth
from the memory into the understanding,
and from the understanding enters the will,
and from the will goes forth into act,
then the truth becomes of the person's life,
and is called good.
From all this it is evident what is meant by
Divine truth being made of the life.
It is the same with the truth that is made of the worship.
Worship from truth that cleaves to the mere memory,
and from this appears in the understanding,
is not worship.
But worship from truth that goes forth from the will,
thus from affection and love, is worship.
This worship is called in the Word
worship "from the heart,"
but the former is worship "of the mouth" only.

. . . "blood" denotes the Divine truth
that proceeds from the Lord.
But as many of the church at this day
have no other conception of the blood in the Holy Supper
than of the blood of the Lord shed on the cross;
and in a more general sense,
the passion itself of the cross;
it may here be shown in a few words
that it is not blood which is there meant,
but the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord.
The reason why this is unknown within the church,
is that at the present day
nothing whatever is known about correspondences,
consequently nothing about
the internal sense of the Word,
which is the sense in which
the angels are when the Word is read by a person.

AC 9391 - External Things Without Anything Internal

AC 9391 [12, 19]

. . . those who are in external things
without anything internal
explain the Word in favor of their own loves,
and see therein earthly things,
and nothing of heavenly things . . ..

. . . 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 9389 - All the Holiness of the Word

AC 9389

. . . in its inmost and supreme sense
the Word treats of the Lord alone,
and especially of the glorification of HIs Human.
From this comes all the holiness of the Word.
But this supreme sense is especially presented
in the inmost or third heaven,
where those are who are in love to the Lord,
and from this in wisdom above all others.

 

AC 9382 - When the Lord Comes; AC 9387 - Morning

AC 9382 [1, 3]

. . . when the Lord comes,
that is,
is present in the Word,
there is enlightenment . . ..

That the Word is the source
of enlightenment and instruction,
is because in its first origin
it is truth Divine itself that proceeds from the Lord,
and in its descent into the world
is accommodated to all the heavens.
So it is that when a person
who has heavenly love reads the Word,
he is through it conjoined with heaven,
and through heaven with the Lord,
whereby he has enlightenment and instruction.
It is otherwise when a person
who has worldly love reads the Word.
With him there is no conjunction of heaven;
and therefore he has no enlightenment and instruction.

AC 9387

. . . the morning corresponds to
the coming and presence of the Lord,
which exists when an angel is in a state
of peace, innocence, and heavenly love,
and thereby in joy.

AC 9380 - The Worship of the Golden Calf

AC 9380

That they were in what is external
without what is internal,
is very manifest from the worship of the golden calf
forty days after this time.
They would have acted differently
if they had been at the same time
in what is internal, that is,
in the good of love to and of faith in Jehovah;
for this is what is internal.
Those who have been conjoined by this
cannot go away to the worship of an idol,
because their heart is far from it
and because that people
was conjoined with the Lord merely by external things,
by which they represented internal things,
therefore it is said "the people shall not come up,"
by which is meant
that there is no conjunction whatever
with an external that is devoid of an internal.
The representations that are devoid
of the knowledge, faith, and affection
of the interior things that are represented,
conjoin the thing,
but not the person.

The case is the same with those
who remain in the mere literal sense of the Word,
and gather from it nothing of doctrine;
for they are separated from the internal sense,
because the internal sense is doctrine itself.
The conjunction of the Lord
with the external things of the Word
is through its interior things;
and therefore
if the interior things have been separated,
there is possible no other conjunction of the Lord
 with the external things
than as with a gesture of the body
without any agreement of the heart.
It is the very same with those
who are perfectly acquainted with
all the particulars of the doctrine of their church,
and yet do not apply them to life.
These also are in external things
devoid of what is internal,
for with them the truths of doctrine are outside
so long as they have not been inscribed on their life.
The reason why
there is no conjunction of the Lord with their truths,
is that the Lord enters into a person's truths of faith
through his life;
thus through the soul which is in the truths.

AC 9378 - Being Near the Lord

AC 9378 [2, 3]

. . . be it known that of himself
a person cannot come near to the Lord
and be conjoined with Him;
but the Lord will come near to the person
and be conjoined with him.
And because the Lord
draws a person to Himself (John 6:44; 12:32),
it appears as if a person of himself
comes near and conjoins himself.
This takes place when the person desists from evils,
for to desist from evils has been left to  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 insofar as evils have been removed.
That the conjunction and presence of the Lord
is through the Word,
is because the Word is the union of a person with heaven,
and through heaven with the Lord;
for the Word is Divine truth proceeding from the Lord.
Wherefore those who are in this truth
in respect to doctrine and life
(that is, in respect to faith and love)
are in the Divine proceeding from the Lord,
thus are conjoined with Him.
From this it is plain that by
"Moses, he alone, shall come near unto Jehovah,"
is meant the conjunction and presence
of the Lord through the Word.

. . . withdrawals from the Lord, and approaches to Him,
are precisely according to the good of love
and the derivative faith
from Him and to Him.

AC 9377 - "Heart of Stone" or "Heart of Flesh"

AC 9377

And bow yourselves afar off.
(Exodus 24:1)

That this means
humiliation and adoration from the heart,
and then the influx of the Lord,
is evident from the meaning of "bowing oneself"
as being humiliation.
That it also denotes adoration,
is because humiliation is the essential
of all adoration and of all worship,
for without humiliation
the Lord cannot be worshiped and adored,
for the reason that the Divine of the Lord
cannot flow into a proud heart,
that is, into a heart full of the love of self,
for such a heart is hard;
and is called in the Word a "heart of stone."
But the Divine of the Lord can flow into a humble heart,
because this is soft,
and is called in the Word a "heart of flesh."
Such a heart is receptive of the influx of good
from the Lord, that is, of the Lord.
From this it is that by "bowing oneself afar off"
is not only meant
humiliation and adoration from the heart,
but also the influx of the Lord then.
It is said the influx of the Lord,
because the good of love and of faith,
which flows in from the Lord, is the Lord.
That "afar off" denotes from the heart,
is because those who are in humiliation
remove themselves from the Lord,
for the reason that they regard themselves
as unworthy to approach the most holy Divine,
because while they are in humiliation t
hey are in the self-acknowledgment
that of themselves they are nothing but evil,
indeed, profane.
When they acknowledge this from the heart,
they are in true humiliation.

AC 9375 - Nadab, Abihu and the "Strange Fire in the Censer"

AC 9375

Nadab and Abihu.
(Exodus 24:1)

This means doctrine drawn from both senses,
is evident from the fact that they were sons of Aaron;
and therefore when by "Aaron" is meant the Word,
by his "sons" is meant doctrine;
by the elder son,
doctrine drawn from the internal sense of the Word;
and by the younger son,
doctrine drawn from the external sense of the Word.
Doctrine drawn from the internal sense of the Word,
and doctrine drawn from the external sense of the Word,
are one doctrine,
because those who are in the internal
are also in the external.
For the Lord's church is everywhere internal and external.
The internal church is of the heart,
and the external is of the mouth;
that is, the internal church is of the will,
and the external is of the action.
When in a person
the internal makes one with the external,
then that which is of the heart is also of the mouth;
or that which is of the will is also of the action;
or what is the same thing,
then the heart is speaking in the mouth,
and the will is acting in the action,
without any disagreement;
thus also faith is speaking,
and love or charity is acting;
that is, the Lord, from whom are faith and charity.

As Nadab and Abihu, sons of Aaron,
represented doctrine from the Word,
they were slain
when they instituted worship from some other doctrine
than that which is from the Word.
This was represented by what is written of them in Moses:

Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu each
took his censer and put fire in it,
onto which they placed incense,
and in so doing offered to Jehovah foreign* fire,
which He had not commanded them.
Therefore fire went out from before Jehovah
and devoured them,
so that they died before Jehovah.
And Moses said to Aaron,
This is what Jehovah spoke, saying,
In those who are near Me, I will be sanctified.
(Leviticus 10:1-3)

By "strange fire in the censer" is meant doctrine
from some other source than the Word;
for "fire" denotes the good of love,
and "incense" the truth of faith from the Word;
and the good of love and the truth of faith
are what enter into the doctrine
which is from the Word, and make it.

AC 9372 - "Glory" and "Cloud"; AC 9373 - "The Called and the Chosen"

AC 9372 [11]

. . . "glory" denotes the internal sense of the Word,
and the "cloud" its external sense.

AC 9373

. . . those who are meant by "the called and the chosen"
are those who are in internal worship,
and who from internal worship are in external;
that is, those who are in love to and faith in the Lord,
and from this
in love toward the neighbor.