1. THE NEW HEAVEN AND THE NEW EARTH, AND WHAT IS MEANT BY THE NEW JERUSALEM.

IT is stated in Revelation 21:1-2, 12-24), "I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride before her husband. The city had a wall, great and high; having twelve gates, and over the gates twelve angels; and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, in which were the names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb. The city itself lay four-square, and the length thereof was as great as the breadth. And he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs; and the length and the breadth and the height thereof were equal. And he measured the wall thereof, a hundred and forty and four cubits, the measure of a man, which is that of an angel. The wall thereof was of jasper; the city itself, however, was pure gold, like unto pure glass; and the foundations of the wall of the city were of every precious stone. The twelve gates were twelve pearls. And the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass. The glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb was the lamp thereof. The nations that were saved shall walk in the light of it; and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory and their honour into it."

The man who reads these words, understands them only according to their literal sense; namely, that the visible Heaven with the Earth will perish, and a new heaven take its rise; and that the holy city Jerusalem will come down upon the new earth, and that it will be according to its measures, as described. But the angels understand these words altogether differently; namely, each word which the man understands naturally they understand spiritually; and as the angels understand them, such is their signification and this is the internal, that is, the spiritual sense of the Word.

By the new heaven and the new earth in the internal or spiritual sense in which are the angels, is understood a new Church, in the heavens, as well as on earth: the Church, in either world, will be discussed below.

By the city Jerusalem which comes down from God out of heaven is meant the heavenly doctrine of that Church; by the length, breadth, and height, which are equal, are meant all the goods and truths of that doctrine in the aggregate; by its wall, the truths protecting it; by the measure of the wall, which is a hundred forty and four cubits, and which is the measure of a man, which is that of an angel, are meant all those protecting truths in the aggregate, and their quality.

By the twelve gates which are of pearls are meant the introductory truths; and the same is signified by the twelve angels on the gates; by the foundations of the wall, which are of every precious stone, are meant the knowledges of which that doctrine is founded.

By the twelve tribes of Israel are meant all the things of the Church in general and in particular and the same meant by the twelve Apostles.

By gold like unto pure glass, of which are the city and the street, is meant the good of love, from which doctrine with its truths is translucent.

By the nations that are saved, and the kings of the earth who shall bring glory and honour into the city, are meant all those belonging to the Church who are in goods and truths.

By God and the Lamb is meant the Lord in respect to the very Divine and the Divine Human.

Such is the spiritual sense of the Word, to which the natural sense, which is that of the letter, serves as a basis; but still these two senses, the spiritual and the natural, make one through correspondences.

That such a spiritual meaning is contained in all the above expressions, we have no occasion to show here, because it is not within the design of the present work; but it may be seen demonstrated in the Heavenly Arcana, in the following places: That by Earth, in the Word, is signified the Church, especially when by the earth or land is meant the land of Canaan, Arcana Coelestia 662, 1066, 1067, 1262, 1413, 1607, 2928, 3355, 4447, 4535, 5577, 8011, 9325, 9643; because in the spiritual sense by earth or land is meant the nation which is in the land, and its worship,Arcana Coelestia 1262.

That by the people of the land are meant those who are of the spiritual Church, Arcana Coelestia 2928.

That a new heaven and a new earth signify something new in the heavens and on earth, with respect to goods and truths, and thus with respect to those things which belong to the Church in either world, Arcana Coelestia 1733, 1850, 2117, 2118, 3355, 4535, 10373.

What is meant by the first heaven and the first earth, that passed away, may be seen in the work on The Last Judgment and the Destruction of Babylon, from beginning to end, but particularly from The Last Judgment 65-72.

That Jerusalem signifies the Church with respect to doctrine, Arcana Coelestia 402, 3654, 9166.

That Towns and Cities signify the doctrines which belong to the Church and religion, Arcana Coelestia 402, 2451, 2712, 2943, 3216, 4492, 4493.

That the Wall of a city signifies the protecting truth of doctrine, Arcana Coelestia 6419.

That the Gates of a city signify the truths which are introductory to doctrine, and by means of doctrine into the Church, Arcana Coelestia 2943, 4477, 4492, 4493.

That by the Twelve Tribes of Israel were represented, and hence signified, all the truths and goods of the Church, in general and in particular, thus all things belonging to faith and love, Arcana Coelestia 3858, 3926, 4060, 6335.

That the same is signified by the Lord's Twelve Apostles, Arcana Coelestia 2129, 2553, 3354, 3488, 3858, 6397.

That when it is said of the Apostles, that they shall sit upon twelve thrones, and judge the twelve tribes of Israel, the meaning is, that all are to be judged according to the truths and goods of the Church, and thus by the Lord, from Whom they are, Arcana Coelestia 2129, 6397.

That Twelve signifies all things in the aggregate, Arcana Coelestia 577, 2089, 2129, 2130, 3272, 3858, 3913; that the same is signified by a hundred and forty-four, because that number arises by multiplying twelve by twelve, Arcana Coelestia 7973.

That twelve thousand also has the same signification, Arcana Coelestia 7973.

That all numbers in the Word signify things, Arcana Coelestia 482, 487, 647, 648, 755, 813, 1963, 1988, 2075, 2252, 3252, 4264, 6175, 9488, 9659, 10217, 10253.

That numbers when multiplied have the same signification as the simple numbers from which they arise by multiplication, Arcana Coelestia 5291, 5335, 5708, 7973.

That a Measure signifies the quality of a thing with respect to truth and good, Arcana Coelestia 3104, 9603, 10262.

That the Foundations of a wall signify the knowledges of the truth on which doctrinals are founded, Arcana Coelestia 9643.

That what is Quadrangular, or Square, signifies what is perfect, Arcana Coelestia 9717, 9861.

That Length signifies good and its extension, and Breadth, truth and its extension, Arcana Coelestia 1613, 9487.

That Precious Stones signify truths from good, Arcana Coelestia 114, 9863, 9865.

What the precious stones in the Urim and Thummim signify, both in general and in particular, Arcana Coelestia 3862, 9864, 9866, 9905, 9891, 9895. What the Jasper of which the wall was built signifies, Arcana Coelestia 9872.

That the Street of the city signifies the truth of doctrine from good, Arcana Coelestia 2336.

That Gold signifies the good of love, Arcana Coelestia 113, Arcana Coelestia 1551-1552, 5658, 6914, 6917, 9510, 9874, 9881.

That Glory signifies the Divine Truth, such as it is in heaven, and intelligence and wisdom from it, Arcana Coelestia 4809, 5292, 5922, 8267, 8427, 9429, 10574.

That Nations signify those in the Church who are in good, and hence, in the abstract sense, the goods of the Church, Arcana Coelestia 1059, 1159, 1258, 1260, 1366, 1416, 1849, 4574, 6005, 9255-9256.

That Kings signify those in the Church who are in truths, and, therefore, abstractly, the truth of the Church, Arcana Coelestia 1672, 2015, 2069, 4575, 5044.

That the ceremonies observed at the coronation of kings involve such things as belong to the Divine Truth - which things are treated of - but that the knowledge of these things, at this day, is lost, Arcana Coelestia 4581, 4966.

3357. Genesis 26

1. And there was a famine in the land, in addition to the previous famine that occurred in the days of Abraham; and Isaac went to Abimelech the king of the Philistines, to Gerar.

2. And Jehovah appeared to him, and said, Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I tell you.

3. Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you, and will bless you, for to you and to your seed I will give all these lands, and I will fulfil the oath which I swore to Abraham your father.

4. And I will cause your seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and I will give to your seed all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth will be blessed,

5. Because Abraham hearkened to My voice and practiced My observances, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.

6. And Isaac dwelt in Gerar.

7. And the men of the place asked about his wife, and he said, She is my sister. For he was afraid to say, My wife, [thinking,] The men of the place may perhaps kill me on account of Rebekah; for she was good-looking.

8. And it happened, because his days were prolonged for him there, that Abimelech the king of the Philistines looked through a window and saw, and behold, Isaac was laughing with Rebekah his wife.

9. And Abimelech called Isaac, and said, But behold, she is your wife! So how did you come to say, She is my sister? And Isaac said to him, Because I said, Perhaps I may die because of her.

10. And Abimelech said, What is this you have done to us? One of the people might easily have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us.

11. And Abimelech commanded all the people, saying, Anyone touching this man and his wife will surely die.

12. And Isaac sowed in that land and reaped ¹ in that year a hundred measures; and Jehovah blessed him.

13. And the man increased, and went on increasing, so much so that he became extremely prosperous. ²

14. And he had acquired flocks, and had acquired herds, and he had many servants; and the Philistines envied him.

15. And all the wells which his father's servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines stopped them up and filled them up with dust.

16. And Abimelech said to Isaac, Go away from being with us, for you are much mightier than we are.

17. And Isaac went away from there, and camped in the Valley of Gerar and dwelt there.

18. And Isaac came back and dug again the wells of water which they had dug in the days of Abraham his father and which the Philistines had been stopping up after Abraham's death; and he called them names, according to the names which his father had called them.

19. And Isaac's servants dug in the valley and found there a well of living water.

20. And the herdsmen of Gerar disputed with Isaac's herdsmen, saying, The water is ours. And he called the name of the well Esek, because they contended with him.

21. And they dug another well and disputed over that also; and he called the name of it Sitnah

22. And he moved on from there and dug another well, and they did not dispute over that; and he called the name of it Rehoboth, and said, Because now Jehovah has made room for us and we shall be fruitful in the land.

23. And he went up from there to Beersheba.

24. And Jehovah appeared to him that night, and said, I am the God of Abraham your father; do not fear, for I am with you, and I will bless you, and will cause your seed to multiply, for the sake of Abraham My servant.

25. And he built an altar there and called on the name of Jehovah, and pitched his tent there. And Isaac's servants dug a well there.

26. And Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath his companion, and Phicol the commander of his army.

27. And Isaac said to them, For what reason have you come to me, seeing that you hate me and have sent me away from you?

28. And they said, We saw clearly that Jehovah was with you, and we said, Let there be now a solemn agreement between us, between us and you, and let us make a covenant with you.

29. If you do us no harm as we have not touched you and as we have done to you nothing but good, and sent you away in peace; you are now the blessed of Jehovah.

30. And he made a feast for them, and they ate and drank.

31. And in the morning they rose up early, and swore, a man to his brother; and Isaac sent them away, and they went from being with him, in peace.

32. And so it was on that day, that Isaac's servants came and pointed out to him the reasons for the well which they had dug; and they said to him, We have found water.

33. And he called it Shibah; therefore the name of the city is Beersheba even to this day.

34. And Esau was a son of forty years, and he took for a wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite.

35. And they were a bitterness of spirit to Isaac and Rebekah.

CONTENTS

In this chapter the subject in the internal sense is how the three degrees of the appearances of truth were allied to Divine truth so that truths and matters of doctrine concerning these might be received and the Church come into existence.

Footnotes:

2849. 'Like the stars of the heavens' means a whole multitude of cognitions of good and truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'the stars' as cognitions of good and truth, dealt with in 1808, 2495. Those who are spiritual are compared in various places in the Word to 'the stars', this comparison being made for the reason that they possess cognitions of good and truth, whereas those who are celestial are not so compared because they do not possess cognitions but perceptions. And a further reason for the comparison is that the stars illuminate the night, and those who are spiritual have a night-time light - like that shed by the moon and stars - in comparison with the day-time light in which those dwell who are celestial. For more regarding the truth that those who are spiritual, compared with those who are celestial, dwell in obscurity, see 1043, 2708, 2715.