148. And in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. That this signifies the state of the interior life, which is unknown to all but those who are in it, is evident from the signification of name, as denoting quality of state (concerning which see Arcana Coelestia 1754, 1896, 2009, 3237, 3421). Here it denotes the quality of the state of the interior life, because it is called a new name which no one knoweth saving he that receiveth it; for the quality of this state of the life is entirely unknown to those who are not in it. Those are in the interior state of life who are in love to the Lord, and none are in love to the Lord but those who acknowledge the Divine in His Human. (That to love the Lord is to live according to His precepts, may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 10143, 10153, 10578, 10645, 10829.) Interior life is the spiritual life in which the angels of heaven are, but exterior life is the natural life in which are all those who are not in heaven. With those also who live according to the precepts of the Lord, and acknowledge the Divine in His Human, the interior mind is opened, and they then become spiritual; but those who do not thus live, nor thus acknowledge, remain natural. (That the state of the interior or spiritual life is unknown to all those who are not in heavenly love, may be seen in the work, Heaven and Hell 395-414, and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 105, 238.)
[2] That name in the Word signifies quality of state is evident from many passages, some of which shall here be adduced by way of confirmation. Thus in Isaiah:
"Lift up your eyes on high, and see; Who hath created these things? he who leadeth out the host in number; he called them all by name" (40:26).
His calling them all by name, denotes that He knows the qualities of all, and gives to them according to their state of love and faith. And in John:
"He that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out" (10:2, 3).
Similarly, in Isaiah:
"Thus saith Jehovah thy creator, O Jacob, and thy former, O Israel, Fear not, for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by name, thou art mine" (43:1).
Again:
"That thou mayest know that I am Jehovah, who had called thee by thy name. For Jacob, my servant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have called thee by thy name, though thou hast not known me" (45:3, 4).
I have called thee by thy name, denotes that he knew the quality of the state of the church; for Jacob and Israel are the church, Jacob the external church, and Israel the internal church.
[3] Again, in the same prophet:
O Israel, "if thou hadst hearkened to my commandments, thy name should not have been cut off nor destroyed before me" (48:19).
Cutting off and destroying the name before Jehovah, denotes the quality of the state by which conjunction is effected; this is the spiritual state of those who belong to the church which is signified by Israel. In the same:
"Jehovah hath called me from the womb, from the bowels of my mother hath he remembered my name" (49:1).
Here remembered my name, denotes to know the quality. In the same:
"For Zion's sake I will not be silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest. And the nations shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory; and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of Jehovah shall utter" (62:1, 2).
Again, in the same prophet:
"He shall call his servants by another name" (65:15).
To call by a new name, and by another name, denotes to give another state of life, namely, a state of spiritual life. And in Ezekiel:
"The city of bloods, polluted by name" (22:2, 5).
The city of bloods, denotes doctrine which offers violence to the good of charity, which is said to be polluted by name, when it abounds with falsities and thence with evils, which constitute its quality.
[4] And in Moses:
"Moses said unto Jehovah, Thou hast said, I know thee by name. And Jehovah said unto Moses, This word also which thou hast spoken I will do, for I have known thee by name" (Exodus 33:12, 17).
That He knew Moses by name, denotes that He knew his quality. And in the Apocalypse:
"Thou hast a few names in Sardis, which have not defiled their garments. He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment, and I will confess his name before my Father. Him that overcometh, I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, and my new name" (3:4, 5, 12).
That name here signifies quality of state as to the good of love and truth of faith is evident. And in another place,
"whose names are not written in the book of life" (Apoc. 13:8; 17:8).
The names written in the book of life, are all things of a man's love and faith, thus all things of his spiritual life as to their quality. Again:
"They shall see the face" of God and the Lamb, "and his name shall be in their foreheads" (Apoc. 22:4).
[5] His name being in their foreheads, denotes a state of love; for the forehead corresponds to love, and hence signifies love. The reason why name in the Word signifies the quality of the state of man is, that in the spiritual world each one is named according to the state of life in which he is, thus variously. For spiritual speech is not like human speech; all things there are expressed according to ideas of things and of persons; and those ideas fall into words or expressions. (This will be more evident from what is shown concerning the speech of the angels of heaven, in the work, Heaven and Hell 234-245. Moreover it may be seen above, n. 102 and 135, where it is shown what the name of Jehovah, of the Lord, and of Jesus Christ, in the Word signifies.)
