9415. Come up to Me into the mountain, and be thou there. That this signifies the Lord’s presence with them through an intermediate, is evident from the signification of “coming up,” as being elevation toward higher, that is, more interior, things (see n. 3084, 4539, 4969, 5406, 5817, 6007), and consequently conjunction with them (n. 8760, 9373). That it denotes the presence of the Lord, is because it is said, “Come up to Me into the mountain, and be thou there;” for by Jehovah, to whom he was to go up, is meant the Lord (see above, n. 9414); and by “Mount Sinai” is signified the Word which is from the Lord, thus in which is the the Lord, (n. 8399, 8753, 8793, 8805), consequently also heaven; for the Word is the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord; and heaven is the receptacle of truth Divine, thus of the Lord Himself, as has been frequently shown above. From this it is plain that by “coming up to Jehovah into the mountain” is signified the presence of the Lord. That “with the people through an intermediate” is signified, is because Moses now represents the people as their head, thus as what mediates, as was said just above (n. 9414).

[2] It is said “the presence of the Lord with them through an intermediate,” because the Lord makes Himself present with man, but not man with the Lord. For all the good of love and truth of faith come from the Lord; and nothing whatever of good and of truth comes from man. Wherefore the presence of the Lord is with those who admit Him; that is, with those who in faith and love receive the truth Divine which is from Him. That the Lord comes to these, and not they to Him, the Lord Himself teaches in John:

He that loveth Me keepeth My word, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him (John 14:23).

He that abideth in Me, and I in Him, the same beareth much fruit; for without Me ye can do nothing (John 15:5).

A man can receive nothing except it be given him from heaven (John 3:27).

8760. And Moses went up unto God. That this signifies the truth from the Divine which is beneath heaven conjoining itself with the Divine truth which is in heaven, is evident from the representation of Moses, as being truth from the Divine (see n. 6771, 6827, 7014), here truth from the Divine which is beneath heaven, for the reason that now he represents the sons of Israel as their head, thus those who are of the spiritual church, who as yet are not in heaven because not yet in good formed by truths (see n. 8753, 8754); and from the signification of “going up,” as being to conjoin oneself, for he who goes up to the Divine conjoins himself with Him; as for instance when “going up into heaven” is mentioned, there is meant being conjoined with the Lord; and the reverse is meant by “coming down from heaven.” The Divine truth in heaven, with which there is conjunction, is meant by “God,” for in the Word the Lord is called “God” from Divine truth, and “Jehovah” from Divine good (n. 2586, 2769, 2807, 2822, 3921, 4402, 7010, 7268, 7873, 8301); and because the conjunction of Divine truth with Divine good is here treated of, therefore in this verse “God” is first mentioned, and then “Jehovah,” in these words, “Moses went up unto God, and Jehovah called unto him from the mountain.”

[2] It is said, the Divine truth in heaven, and afterward, the Divine good in heaven, for the reason that the Divine Itself is far above the heavens, not only the Divine good itself, but also the Divine truth itself which proceeds immediately from the Divine good. That these are far above heaven, is because in itself the Divine is infinite, and the infinite cannot be conjoined with finite things, thus not with the angels in the heavens, except by the putting on of something finite, and thus by accommodation to reception. The Divine good itself is also in itself an infinite flame of ardor, that is, of love, and this flame no angel in heaven can bear, for he would be consumed like a man if the flame of the sun were to touch him without intermediate tempering. Moreover if the light from the flame of the Divine love, which light is Divine truth, were to flow in without abatement from its own fiery splendor, it would blind all who are in heaven. From all this it can be seen what the difference is between the Divine good and Divine truth above the heavens, and the Divine good and Divine truth in the heavens, here treated of.