706. 主的“血”表祂的圣真和圣言真理, 原因在于, 祂的“肉”在灵义上表爱之圣善, 这二者在祂里面被结合起来。 众所周知, 主是圣言, 圣言中的一切事物皆指向这二者, 即圣善与圣真。 故, 如果我们用“圣言”代替“主”, 那么很明显, 这二者以祂的肉与血来表示。 “血”表主的圣真, 或圣言真理, 这一点从众多经文明显可知, 如, 血被称为“立约的血”, 因为“约”表结合, 主藉其圣真成就该结合, 如在撒迦利亚书:

我因与你立约的血, 将你从无水的坑中释放出来。 (撒迦利亚9:11)

摩西五经:

当摩西将律法书说与百姓听时, 他将血的一半洒在百姓身上, 说, 你看, 这是立约的血, 是耶和华按这一切话与你们立约的凭据。 (出埃及记24:3-8)

耶稣拿起杯来, 递给他们, 说, 这是我立新约的血。 (马太福音26:27-28; 马可福音14:24;路加福音22:20)

立新约或立约的血没有别的意思, 只表圣言 (即被称为誓约或圣约的旧约与新约), 因而表圣言的圣真。 由于这就是“血”的含义, 所以主将酒赐给祂的门徒, 说: “这是我的血”, “酒”表圣真, 因此酒被称为: 葡萄汁 (创世记49:11, 申命记32:14)。

这一点从主的话更明显可知:

我实实在在地告诉你们: 你们若不吃人子的肉, 不喝人子的血, 就没有生命在你们里面。 我的肉真是可吃的, 我的血真是可喝的。 吃我肉, 喝我血的人常在我里面, 我也常在他里面。 (约翰福音6:53-58)。

显而易见, 这里的“血”表圣言的圣真, 因为经上说, 凡喝它的人在自己有生命, 常在主里面, 主也常在他里面。 在教会众所周知, 这是圣真和照之生活的果效, 圣餐强化这个果效。

由于“血”表主的圣真, 亦即圣言的圣真, 由于这就是所谓新旧约, 所以在以色列人中, 血是教会最神圣的代表, 在该教会, 一切细节都是某种属世物与属灵物的对应。 例如, 他们取了点血, 涂在吃羊羔的房屋左右的门框上和门楣上, 以免灾殃临到他们身上 (出埃及记12:7, 13, 22)。

燔祭的血要洒在坛的四围, 弹到亚伦与他儿子, 及其衣服上。 (出埃及记29:12, 16, 20-21; 利未记1:6, 11, 15; 3:2, 8, 13; 4:26, 30, 34; 8:15, 24; 17:6; 民数记18:17; 申命记12:27)

以及约柜的幔子, 施恩座与香坛的四角上。 (利未记4:8, 7, 17-18; 16:12-15)

启示录中, 羔羊的血有同样的含义:

这些人用羔羊的血把衣裳洗白净了。 (启示录7:14)

还有这段经文:

在天上就有了争战, 米迦勒同他的使者与龙争战, 他们用羔羊的血和自己所见证的道胜过他。 (启示录12:7, 11)

米迦勒同他的使者若不藉圣言中主的圣真战胜那龙, 是不可想象的。 因为天上的天人不会想到什么血, 也不会想到主的受难, 而只想到圣真和主的复活。 故, 当人思想主的血时, 天人觉察到的是其圣言的圣真; 当人思想主的受难时, 他们觉察到的是祂的荣耀, 然后只觉察到祂的复活。 我蒙允许通过大量经历获知这一点。

“血”表圣真, 这一点从以下诗篇经文也清楚可知:

神要拯救穷苦人的性命, 他们的血在祂眼中看为宝贵; 他们要存活, 祂要赐给他们示巴的金子。 (诗篇72:13-16)

“在神眼中宝贵的血”表在他们里面的圣真, “示巴的金子”表由此而来的智慧。

以西结书:

你们聚集到以色列山上献大祭之地, 好叫你们吃肉喝血。 你们必喝地上首领的血, 你们甚至必喝醉了血, 我必显我的荣耀在列邦中。 (以西结39:17-21)

这段经文阐述了主即将在列邦中建立的教会。 这里的“血”并非表示真的血, 而是指他们所拥有的圣言真理, 如刚才所述。

1042. 'I have given My bow in the cloud' means the state of a regenerate spiritual person, who is like a rainbow. Anyone may wonder that in the Word 'the bow in the cloud', or the rainbow, is taken as a sign of the covenant, for the rainbow is nothing else than something produced by the conversion of rays of sunlight in raindrops. It is a wholly natural phenomenon, unlike other signs of the covenant in the Church mentioned just above. But the fact that 'the bow in the cloud' represents regeneration and means the state of a regenerate spiritual person, nobody is able to know unless he is allowed to see and consequently know what exactly is involved. When spiritual angels, who have all been regenerate members of the spiritual Church, are in the next life manifested visibly as such, there appears around their head a rainbow so to speak. But the rainbows which appear accord completely with their state, and from this also their characters are recognized in heaven and in the world of spirits. The reason the likeness of a rainbow appears is that their natural things corresponding to spiritual present such visible shape. It is a conversion of spiritual light from the Lord within their natural things. These angels are those said to have been 'regenerated by water and the spirit' while celestial angels are those said to have been 'regenerated with fire'.

[2] In the case of; natural things, so that colour may be produced something dark and light, or black and white, is necessary. When rays of light from the sun fall on this, depending on the varying composition of the dark and light, or black and white, colours are produced from the modification of the inflowing rays of light. Some of those colours draw more, others less, on the dark and black, and some more, or less, on the light and white; and this is what gives rise to diversity of colour. Something comparable to this exists in spiritual things. In their case the intellectual side of the proprium, or falsity, constitutes 'the dark', and the will side of the proprium, or evil, which absorbs and extinguishes rays of light constitutes 'the black'. As for the 'light and white', these are the truth or good which a person imagines he does from himself, which reflects and casts back from itself the rays of light. The rays of light which fall on those things and so to speak modify them come from the Lord as the Sun of wisdom and intelligence; for the rays of spiritual light are no other and have no other source. It is because natural things correspond to spiritual that when in the next life that which is around a regenerate spiritual person is manifested visibly, there appears that which is similar to a bow in a cloud. This bow is a representation of the spiritual things present within his natural things. With the regenerate spiritual person an intellectual side of the proprium exists into which the Lord instills innocence, charity, and mercy. As is the person's reception of these gifts so is the appearance of his rainbow when manifested visibly - the more beautiful the more that the will side of his proprium has been taken away, disciplined, and reduced to a state of obedience.

[3] When the prophets had a vision of God, a bow as if in a cloud was also seen by them, as in Ezekiel's vision,

Above the firmament that was over the heads of the cherubim, in appearance like a sapphire stone, there was the likeness of a throne, and above the likeness of a throne, there was a likeness as it were of the appearance of a Man (Homo) upon it above. And I saw as it were the shape of coal burning bright, as the appearance of fire, within it round about from the appearance of His loins upwards. And from the appearance of His loins and downwards I saw as it were the appearance of fire, whose brightness was round about it, like the appearance of the bow when it is in the cloud on the day of rain; so was the appearance of brightness round about; this was the appearance of the likeness of the Glory of Jehovah. Ezekiel 1:26-28.

It may be clear to anyone that it was the Lord who was seen in this vision, and that on that occasion He represented heaven, for He Himself is heaven, that is, the All in all of heaven. He Himself is the 'Man' mentioned here, 'the throne' is heaven, 'the coal burning bright, as the appearance of fire, from the loins upwards' is the celestial element of love, 'the brightness of fire round about from the loins downwards, like the bow in the cloud' is the celestial-spiritual. In this way the celestial heaven, or heaven of celestial angels, was represented from the loins upwards, and the spiritual heaven, or heaven of spiritual angels, from the loins downwards. In fact the things that are below, from the loins down to the soles of the feet, mean in the Grand Man natural things. From this it is also clear that, when thus enlightened by spiritual light from the Lord, the natural things in man take on the appearance of 'the bow in the cloud'. The same appeased to John as well, see Revelation 4:2-3; 10:1.