316. "And do not harm the oil and the wine." This symbolizes the Lord's provision that they not violate and profane the goods and truths concealed inwardly in the Word.

Oil symbolizes the goodness of love, and wine the truth springing from that goodness. Thus the oil here symbolizes sacred goodness, and the wine sacred truth. The Lord's provision that these not be violated and profaned is symbolized by the people's being told not to harm them. For this instruction came from the midst of the four living creatures, thus from the Lord (no. 314). Whatever the Lord says He also provides. That this is something He provides may be seen in nos. 314 and 255 above.

That oil symbolizes the goodness of love - this we will see in nos. 778, 779 below.

That wine symbolizes the truth springing from that goodness is clear from the following passages:

Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes..., buy wine and milk without money... (Isaiah 55:1)

It shall come to pass in that day that the mountains will drip new wine, and the hills flow with milk... (Joel 3:18, cf. Amos 9:13-14)

Joy is taken away... from Carmel, and in the vineyards there will be no singing... No treaders will tread out wine in the presses; I have made their shouting cease. (Isaiah 16:10, cf. Jeremiah 48:32-33)

Carmel symbolizes the spiritual church, because it had vineyards there.

[2] ...wail, all you drinkers of wine, because of the new wine, for it has been cut off from your mouth... The vinedressers have wailed... (Joel 1:5, 10-11)

Almost the same images occur in Hosea 9:2-3.

He washes his clothing in wine, and His vesture in the blood of grapes. His eyes are red with wine... (Genesis 49:11-12)

The subject is the Lord, and the wine symbolizes Divine truth. That is why the Lord instituted the Holy Supper, in which the bread symbolizes the Lord in respect to Divine good, and the wine the Lord in respect to Divine truth; and in their recipients the bread symbolizes a sacred goodness, and the wine sacred truth, received from the Lord. Therefore He said,

I say to you, that I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you... in My Father's kingdom. (Matthew 26:29, cf. Luke 22:18)

Because bread and wine have these symbolic meanings, so too Melchizedek, going to meet Abram, brought out bread and wine, he being a priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram (Genesis 14:18-19).

[3] The grain offering and drink offering used in sacrifices had similar symbolic meanings, as described in Exodus 29:40, Leviticus 23:12-13, 18-19ff. The grain offering was an offering of wheat flour, thus taking the place of bread, and the drink offering was an offering of wine.

It can be seen from this what these words of the Lord symbolize:

Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins... But they put the... wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved. (Matthew 9:17, cf. Luke 5:37-38)

New wine is the Divine truth in the New Testament, thus in the New Church, and the old wine is the Divine truth in the Old Testament, thus in the old church.

A similar idea is symbolized by these words of the Lord at the wedding in Cana of Galilee:

Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now! (John 2:1-10)

[4] Something similar is symbolized by the wine in the Lord's parable concerning the man wounded by thieves, on whose wound the Samaritan poured oil and wine (Luke 10:33-34); for the man wounded by thieves means people whom the Jews wounded spiritually by evils and falsities, and to whom the Samaritan brought aid by pouring oil and wine on their wounds, that is, by teaching them goodness and truth, and as far as possible, healing them.

Sacred truth is symbolized by wine and new wine also elsewhere in the Word, as in Isaiah 1:21-22; 25:6; 36:17.

[5] Because of this, a vineyard in the Word symbolizes a church that possesses truths from the Lord.

That wine symbolizes sacred truth can be seen also from its opposite meaning, in which it symbolizes truth falsified and profaned, as in the following places:

Harlotry, wine, and new wine have taken hold of the heart... Their wine is gone, they commit harlotry continually. (Hosea 4:11, 18)

Harlotry symbolizes the falsification of truth, and so, too, do the wine and new wine here.

...in the hand of Jehovah a cup, and He mixed it with wine; He filled it with the mixture and poured it out, and its dregs shall all the wicked of the earth, sucking, drink. (Psalms 75:8)

Babylon was a golden cup in Jehovah's hand, that made all the earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; therefore they are deranged. (Jeremiah 51:7)

Babylon has fallen..., because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication... If anyone worships the beast..., he shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed with undiluted wine in the cup of the wrath (of God). (Revelation 14:8-10)

(Babylon has made) all the nations (drink) of the wine... of her fornication. (Revelation 18:3)

...great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fury of His wrath. (Revelation 16:19)

...the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication. (Revelation 17:1-2)

[6] The wine that Belshazzar, the king of Babylon, and his lords and wives and concubines drank from the vessels of the Temple in Jerusalem, while they praised the gods of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone (Daniel 5:2-4) - that wine symbolized nothing else but the sacred truth of the Word and church profaned, which is why the writing then appeared on the wall, and the king that very night was slain (Daniel 5:25, 30)

Wine symbolizes truth falsified also in Isaiah 5:11-12, 21-22; 28:1, 3, 7; 29:9; 56:11-12.

The drink offering that they poured out as an offering to idols has the same symbolic meaning in Isaiah 65:11; 57:6; Jeremiah 7:18; 44:17-19; Ezekiel 20:28; Deuteronomy 32:38.

It is owing to its correspondence that wine symbolizes sacred truth, and in an opposite sense, truth profaned. For when a person reads "wine" in the Word, angels - who apprehend everything spiritually - have just this interpretation of it. Such is the correspondence between the natural thoughts of people and the spiritual thoughts of angels. The case is the same with the wine in the Holy Supper. That is why the Holy Supper occasions an introduction into heaven (no. 224 at the end).

10400. “因为这个摩西, 就是领我们从埃及地上来的那人, 我们不知道他遭了什么事” 表完全不知道圣言中还存在什么其它神性真理, 这真理将一个人从一个外在层面提升到一个内在层面, 并使他成为一个教会或教会的一个化身. 这从 “摩西” 的代表和 “领以色列人从埃及地上来” 的含义清楚可知. “摩西” 是指圣言, 因而是指神性真理 (对此, 参看9372节提到的地方), 因此, “这个摩西, 就是那人, 我们不知道他遭了什么事” 这句话就表示一种怀疑和否认的心态, 即怀疑和否认除了呈现在字义上的神性真理外, 还有任何其它神性真理的存在; 经上之所以说 “那人”, 是因为在圣言中, “人” 表示真理 (参看3134, 3309, 3459, 7716, 9007节); “领以色列人从埃及地上来” 是指从属世人或外在人提升到内在人或属灵人, 好叫他能变成一个教会, 或一个教会的化身. 因为 “埃及地” 表示教会的属世或外在层面, “领上来” 表示提升, “以色列人” 表示教会. “埃及地” 表示教会的属世或外在层面 (参看9391节提到的地方); “领上来” 表示从一个外在层面提升到一个内在层面 (3084, 4539, 4969, 5406, 5817, 6007节), 因而从属世人提升到属灵人; “以色列人” 表示教会 (参看9340节提到的地方).

由此明显可知, “这个摩西, 就是领我们从埃及地上来的那人, 我们不知道他遭了什么事” 表示完全不知道除了呈现在字义上的神性真理外, 圣言中还存在什么其它神性真理, 这真理将一个人从一个外在层面提升到一个内在层面, 并使他成为一个教会或教会的一个化身. 凡局限于没有任何内在事物的外在事物之人都是这样想, 这样说的; 凡被自我之爱和尘世之爱主宰的人都局限于没有任何内在事物的外在事物. 对这些人来说, 内在人关闭了, 只有外在人敞开着; 没有内在人的外在人在阅读圣言时所看到的东西, 都是在幽暗中看到的. 这是因为在属灵事物上, 若没有来自天堂的光, 属世之光完全是黑暗; 而来自天堂的光通过内在人进入并光照外在人. 这解释了为何会有这么多的异端邪说出现, 为何有些人称圣言为异端邪说之书, 为何人们根本不知道某种内在事物存在于圣言里面, 又为何那些认为那里存在某种东西的人却不知道它具体在哪里. 启示录 (12章) 中的龙就表示这种人, 这龙用尾巴拖拉着天上星辰的三分之一, 把它们摔在地上; 蒙主的神性怜悯, 这一点将在别处予以说明.

让那些愿意观察的人去观察一下, 如今除了知道圣言的神性真理本身就是圣言的字义外, 是否有人知道别的. 也让他们认真思考一下, 若不借助取自字义的教义, 是否有人能知道包含在字义中的圣言的神性真理, 如果一个人没有这样的教义来充当一盏灯, 无论其理解力的模糊和意愿快乐将他引领并带到哪个方向, 他都会被带入错误之中. 必须充当一盏灯的教义是指内义所提供的教义, 因此它们构成内义本身. 这内义在某种程度上向每一个虽不知道何为内义, 但仍拥有从属于内在之物的外在之物, 也就是说, 其内在人打开的人敞开. 因为当这人阅读圣言时, 拥有圣言内义的天堂就会流入他, 给他带来光明, 并赋予辨别力, 以这种方式教导他. 事实上, 你若愿意相信, 一个人的内在人本身就拥有圣言的内义, 因为内在人构成最小形式的天堂; 因此, 当内在人敞开时, 此人就与天上的天使同在, 从而也拥有类似他们的辨别力. 这一点从以下事实也可以看出来: 在一个人的理解力里面的概念不同于他的属世概念, 尽管它们对应于属世概念. 至于这些概念的性质, 只要人还活在世上, 他就不得而知; 但当进入来世时, 他就会自动知道它们, 因为它们已经被植入他里面, 他随即通过它们与天使生活在一起. 由此明显可知, 内在人敞开的人拥有圣言的内义, 尽管他没有意识到这一点; 他由此在阅读圣言时获得光照. 不过, 这一切取决于他凭自己所拥有认知或知识能接受多少光. 至于这些人究竟是谁, 可参看前文 (参看9025, 9382, 9409, 9410, 9424, 9430, 10105, 10324节).