Keeping balance in one’s spiritual life is of supreme importance—and perhaps this is why the book of Daniel is given in two such clearly demarcated forms. The first six chapters show us the history of Daniel’s life in Babylon, from the time of his captivity as a youth to his elevation to power in the reign of Darius the Mede. The overall view of these first six chapters is to bring home the concept that our spiritual life is an ongoing progression. Certainly there are hard times, and certainly the selfishness in our characters is often hard to beat. Implicit in the history, however, is the ongoing promise that this evil can and will be beaten. We need to keep this in mind.

As we turned to the prophetic section of the book the importance of the historical section becomes clearer. In chapter seven, in the midst of the horrific vision which tells of our slide into evil, we need to remember the context of the vision—it takes place in the reign of Belshazzar. So does the vision of chapter eight, which describes the alternating states of good and evil, and particularly the state in which evils seems to so completely take over and dominate our minds.

In these visions there is a tendency to feel desperate. Will any goodness ever return to us, will the state ever swing back towards goodness? Daniel’s reaction to this vision was to faint and feel sick for days.

The darkness of night, however, is always broken by the gleams of morning light. In the depths of temptation, even to the point of despair, we are given the gift of the long view shown in the historical section. Belshazzar the king, during whose reign Daniel saw these visions, was deposed by Darius the Mede, and even though he faced terrible dangers during those years, nevertheless, he rose to a position of great power.

Belshazzar, as we have seen earlier depicts states of selfishness and evil in our external life. When we allow ourselves unfettered selfishness, when we willingly permit ourselves to discard the restraining truths of the Word, then our evil will express itself in daily life. Even the good things we do, when done from a selfish motive, are really expressions of evil. Like Belshazzar before us, when we are in this state, we wantonly profane the love of goodness and the understanding of truth given to us by the Lord.

This state, however, never lasts unless we choose to embrace it of our own free accord. As in the case of the four beasts shown in chapter seven, there will be a time of judgment. Like Belshazzar we will be weighed in the balances and found wanting.

The important question, however, is what do we do to turn the tide of evil, or tip the balances of our lives? Even in chapter eight, when Daniel sees the vision of the ram and the goat, he was within the walls of the citadel of Shushan, showing us that no matter how much we slide into evil, the Lord provides that our conscience is always able to be activated, and from that conscience we are able to see our condition, repent and turn away from it.

It follows, then, that chapters seven and eight outline a natural progression from the origin of evil in our lives—described as the beast, to the rule of evil, shown by the actions of the goat. Liberation comes from humility and repentance before the Lord, and chapter nine focuses on repentance leading the way to a fulfilment of spiritual life.

VERSES 1-2

We first met Darius the Mede at the end of chapter five, when he swept into Babylon and killed Belshazzar on the very night of the profane feast. Specific mention was made that Darius was sixty two years old at the time. Analysis of the way Darius exalted Daniel, especially his unwillingness to have him put to death, indicates that Darius represents a person who is in the process of turning aside from pure selfishness into a state where the conscience, symbolised by Daniel, is elevated to high rank. In this state the conscience begins to rule our thoughts as Daniel ruled in Babylon, second only to himself (Cf. Daniel 6:3).

The reign of Darius stands as a counterpoint to that of Belshazzar, both in the historical and prophetical series. In Belshazzar’s reign, epitomising selfishness, Daniel saw visions of beasts putting goodness to flight. Those states, as said before, alternate with other states when the conscience is able to direct our feelings and thoughts. These latter are states of spiritual lucidity and recommitment to regeneration, and by correspondence take place during the reign of Darius.

Daniel, who had lived long in Babylon, surviving both Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar, found himself an old man. He had been carried into captivity as a young boy, and later watched from afar as Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonian hordes. From his privileged vantage point he was aware of the vast number of Jews compelled to live in Babylon on order from the king. He was equally aware of the destruction of the temple at Jerusalem, and knew that this meant that no sacrificial worship could take place. Yet Daniel also knew prophecies indicating that this state of affairs would not last forever. He states that he "understood by the books the number of years specified … that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem." Years in the internal sense of the Word never refer to time, always to state, and the number of years therefore refers to the states a person must go through in their selfish, or Babylonian, states, before they are set free to live again without the influence of selfishness to mar their lives.

The desolation of Jerusalem is the damage done to the church, or more specifically the states of genuine goodness and truth within us, by the evils of selfishness. Selfishness is the single most destructive human emotion, as we have seen from the violence of its depiction in the actions of Nebuchadnezzar, the profanation of Belshazzar, and in the terror of the beast and the goat. Yet if the human conscience is nurtured and fed, if it is lifted up, as Darius honoured and promoted Daniel, then the conscience will flourish, and spiritual sanity will be restored.

The process takes a lifetime. "Two thousand three hundred evenings and mornings," Daniel was told—alternations continuing through states of temptations until it is possible for a new state to break into our minds and establish itself there.

In chapter nine the seventy years of Babylonian captivity describe the steady breakdown of the power of selfishness over us. "Seventy years" of captivity before release represents the states in us before the Lord is present. When we are in states of selfishness, our selfishness blocks out the presence of the Lord. As we regenerate, however, the selfishness is put aside, and the Lord is able to draw closer. The presence of the Lord in our lives has the effect of further breaking down our selfishness, and ushering in new states of life freed from these.

Seen from this point of view, chapter nine follows clearly from chapters seven and eight. The pendulum of life has swung, we are aware of our evils, in fact we are still immersed in them, but by the power of the conscience we begin the process of breaking free.

VERSES 9-19

Spiritual regeneration begins in humility. Daniel was aware of Israel’s captivity in Babylon, and longed for it to end. In humility he turned his face towards the Lord God, to make his requests by prayers and supplications and to emphasise his grief and mourning over this state of affairs with the time honour practices of fasting, wearing garments of sack-cloth and pouring ashes over his head.

These actions, rooted in the deepest of Old Testament times contain within them the very essence of repentance. We will forever remain slaves to selfishness unless and until we are willing to humble ourselves to the Lord. This begins when we recognise the work of the beast and the goat in our own lives, when we see Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar as twin kings of evil directing our inner and outer selves. It is easy to lay the blame for these states on others, to claim that our up-bringing was not good, for example, but in reality the responsibility is ours. The Daniel side of our minds needs to be active.

The first step of the spiritual activity which will eventually set us free is recorded in the words "Daniel set his face to the Lord God." That single physical motion is the beginning of the series of spiritual events in our lives which will eventually free us from selfishness. In the internal sense the "face" represents our internal states, which gives us the ability to see our lives from a different perspective than simply that of the senses (Arcana Coelestia 358, 5165) As we saw earlier, it was because of Daniel, or our conscience, that we are able to see anything in ourselves at all. Part of the judgment arising from truth is looking at ourselves, as we are, and rejecting the evil or grosser parts of our beings. Daniel turning his face to the Lord God takes on the meaning of a person focusing his or her internals on the presence of the Lord in them. To do this, they have to turn aside from their selfishness.

By fixing our sights on the Lord we are able to begin the process of repentance. Repentance is a process which involves a complete reorientation of our lives. We are told that “actual repentance consists in a person’s examining himself, recognising and acknowledging his sins, praying to the Lord, and beginning a new life” (True Christian Religion 528).

The visions of Chapter Seven and Eight, which show the origin and progress of evil in our lives, can easily be related to the self examination required in repentance. Chapter Nine deals more fully with the acknowledgement of sins, and prayer to the Lord for forgiveness.

Yet repentance can never begin without turning our faces towards the Lord God, for, as in the words of the Psalmist, all our sins are really sins against Him. Recognising this is the basis of true humility.

It is in this humility that Daniel proposed to speak to the Lord. Notice his words as he turned his face towards the Lord God "to make request by prayer and supplication." In the literal sense Daniel is praying for the restoration of Jerusalem and freedom from Babylon. In our lives, our request is for a return to the states of innocence and peace we last experienced in our infant years, with the difference that after regeneration this innocence is an expression of wisdom in contrast with infant ignorance.

Daniel turned to the Lord with "prayer and supplication." These words are not merely repetition of the same thing. In the Word where pairs of words are used in this way, it draws attention to the duality in the Word (Doctrine of the Sacred Scripture 80-90, True Christian Religion 248-253). The Word is an outpouring of love and wisdom from the Lord, which is reflected in each and every detail, but most clearly when pairs of words are used to describe the same thing. "Prayer and supplication" as a pair of words, meaning the same thing, express both the love and wisdom from Lord, and by using them in this fashion, Daniel draws attention to the fact that our humility and repentance come from both the will and the understanding parts of our being.

Should we turn to the Lord with the will only, we may find that we wish to repent, but do not have any idea of how to do so. The desire may well eventually founder because it is not directed by the understanding. On the other hand, repentance which does not also draw from a will or desire to change has no depth. The intellectual side of our minds alone cannot lead us into a new life. So the two must go together, as partners, to lead us with by the desire of the will according to the wisdom of the understanding. Like Daniel, we need to turn to the Lord with "prayer and supplication."

Prayer, we are told "is talking to God and at the same time some inner view of the things that are being prayed for” (Arcana Coelestia 2535). Prayer is a very necessary part of our spiritual lives. We are told that a person can remove evils "only if he acknowledges the Divine Providence and prays that the removal be done by it” (Divine Providence 184). The power to overcome evils is given in response to the prayer (Doctrine of Life 31), which is described as "a certain opening of the man's interiors toward God” (Arcana Coelestia 2535). As our interiors open to the Lord, the power He used to fight against evil spirits is given to us to use as our own power, which puts us into a state of freedom to resist evil.

Notice Daniel’s actions in prayer. The matter for which he prayed was close to his heart, the deliverance of Israel from Babylonian captivity. He knew the prophecy of seventy years, and knew also that about seventy years had passed since the captivity had taken place. His prayer, however, was not one of demanding his rights, there was no arrogance in his tone, such as we sometime find in our own when we think the Lord has not lived up to His side of the covenant.

Daniel’s prayer was full of inner and outer humility. We see the outer humility first as he prepared himself for prayer by fasting and clothing himself in sackcloth and ashes. As in every detail of the Word this sequence of actions contains within itself a series of states, in this case states preparatory to prayer itself.

Daniel began with fasting. In the internal sense "to fast" means "to mourn on account of the lack of good and truth” (Apocalypse Explained 1189:2). In our prayer to the Lord for help in times of temptation and deliverance from it, it is important to begin with the attitude of recognition that we actually have no real good or truth in us. Our goodness is under control of the love of self, just as Daniel was, in spite of his high position, technically still a captive of the king of Babylon.

We can only begin to really break free of the bondage of self when we come to this recognition—and this is why Daniel had to witness those two terrible visions, so that he, and we through him, could see our own state, and be affected by it, and be moved by a desire to break free from it. The concept of "fasting" therefore, also contains a willingness to enter into combat against the Babylonian side of ourselves (Apocalypse Explained 730).

There is another element in the idea of fasting which is also of great importance here. "Fasting" also stands for the desire to learn the forms of good and the truths of faith (Arcana Coelestia 9050:7). Without this desire our spiritual progress grinds to a halt. A person who has no interest in acquiring knowledge about the forms of goodness and truth closes his or her mind to the presence of the Lord, remaining thus in ignorance and will eventually lapse, without resistance, back into a life of unfettered selfishness.

This fasting is in many ways analogous to the young Daniel, recently carried to Babylon from Jerusalem, when he refused to eat the food from the king’s table. Although he did eat fresh vegetables, technically he fasted in regards to Nebuchadnezzar’s food. "Eating" and "drinking" represent the assimilation of goods and truths in our minds, and in the opposite sense, the assimilation of evil and falsity. By refusing to eat the king’s food, young Daniel showed himself unwilling to partake of the feelings and thoughts arising from selfishness. It was really that unwillingness which sustained him during the course of his life, and now, as he begins to pray to the Lord, he once again fasts.

The reality of this in our own lives is very important. Our conscience is formed partly from an unwillingness to embrace evil, not only once but continually. When we come to repent our sins, this unwillingness has to be at the very core of our spirits, otherwise our repentance will be of no avail.

There are many examples in the Old Testament of people in a state of mourning who fast, wear garments of sackcloth and cover their heads with ashes. In the New Testament the Lord ties together the concept of grieving or mourning with repentance when He said, “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes (Luke 10:13).

It was entirely in keeping with the customs of the Old Testament, therefore, for Daniel in his grief over the captivity of the people, to augment his fast with clothes of sackcloth and ashes on his head. In the internal sense to be clothed in sackcloth means to be in mourning because one does not one has not been receptive of Divine good and truth (Apocalypse Explained 637), and thus that good has been destroyed (Arcana Coelestia 4779). Ashes, which were placed on the head, or sometimes people rolled in them, represent the false thoughts and ideas a person has had on account of evil (Arcana Coelestia 7520).

Daniel’s actions are deeply symbolic of a person who is beginning the process of serious repentance. By fasting, wearing sackcloth and ashes he indicates the feeling of humility and sorrow, or contrition, we need in order to truly enter into repentance. While contrition is necessary to motivate us to repent, one needs to be careful that those intense feelings of sorrow about our evil states do not so dominate our thoughts that we feel that the sorrow itself is repentance. One needs to guard against falling into the trap of thinking that we are total depraved sinners without seeing any particular evil in ourselves which can be overcome by repentance (True Christian Religion 513). Repentance is an activity, not a feeling.

Daniel does not wallow in his sorrow, he directs his thoughts to the Lord with the words of prayer and confession. Repentance is a process beginning is self-examination done in a state of humility. A person who is repenting needs to then do two things after self-examination- prayer and confession. As one takes the findings of self-examination to the Lord in prayer, so one confesses ones sins to Him. Confession "will be that he sees, recognises, and acknowledges his evils, and finds himself to be a miserable sinner" (True Christian Religion 539). The person doesn’t need to list particular incidents of sin to the Lord, for the Lord is present in the process of self-examination, but he or she needs to have a clear understanding of the sins to be repented.

Once the person confesses to the Lord, it is necessary to pray to the Lord for forgiveness. Even though the Lord constantly forgives people their sins, but it is necessary to pray for forgiveness for our own sakes because it reminds us that forgiveness comes with the removal of sins, and sins are removed as we refrain from them and enter a new life. We also need to be reminded of the fact that the Lord does indeed forgive us our sins if we repent them. (True Christian Religion 539).

Daniel’s prayer is a model of confession and begging for forgiveness. He begins with a recognition of the Lord Himself. Notice the duality of the terms in his opening, "O Lord, great and awesome God." As we saw earlier, this juxtaposition of two names refers to the qualities of Divine Love and Divine Wisdom. The name used for God in any given chapter of the Word indicates the quality or aspect of God present in the internal sense at that point. Generally the name "Lord" refers to the Lord’s love operating in people’s lives, while God describes the Divine truth which is the vehicle carrying love down to the level at which people can receive it (Arcana Coelestia 2921, 2769).

This opening of a prayer can seem like simply addressing the prayer to the Lord, but it is much more than that. It indicates that in the state of repentance we need to keep two things in mind, firstly, that the Lord is a God of love. Without this idea there would be no real reason to repent at all. If the Lord was a God of anger or revenge, then no matter what we do we would never be able to be reconciled with Him, for no human being can ever hope to prepare for the Lord a state so perfect that He would be appeased. If, however, one sees God as a God of love, then there the quality of mercy is allowed, and from this there is hope. Secondly, by using the term God, we are reminded of the order by which the Lord both creates and governs His creation. This order is inscribed by the Lord on all things, including the process of repentance. Daniel’s choice of words here is no accidental greeting to the Supreme, but carefully chosen because it conveys the fullness of God to us in a state of repentance.

The presence of the Lord in repentance is in order. Daniel continues that the Lord "keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep his commandments." Here again we see the positioning of two issues, covenant and mercy.

The Lord’s covenant, first given to Noah, and reiterated to Abram and many others after him is simple: if people obey they will prosper, if they disobey they will perish. The whole of the Old Testament bears testimony to this covenant. A covenant is an agreement between two parties, and in the Lord’s covenant the two parties are Himself and the human race. The covenant is the promise that people can be regenerated and so conjoined to the Lord (Arcana Coelestia 665, 666). Every impulse towards goodness and truth in our lives bears testament to this covenant.

However, it is also told in the pages of the Old Testament, and in our own lives, that we do not always embrace the Lord’s goodness and truth. We fall short in the part we play in the covenant. The nature of the human being is attracted to selfishness and a desire to dominate over others. This is why we end up captives in our own spiritual Babylon, dominated by Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar. Yet within the Lord’s covenant is the implicit promise of repentance. If we turn away from selfishness, the Lord can and will remit our sins, and we will be renewed. Daniel in his prayer is aware of the Lord’s mercy as a factor of the covenant, and appeals to it. We too need to be aware of this, for it inspires us with hope, and spurs us on to a rejection of evil.

Daniel continues then with a confession of the sins of Israel, "we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled." Notice again the duality of phrase, sin and committed iniquity. "To sin" means "to sin, to miss, to miss the way, to go wrong, to incur guilt" (Brown-Driver-Briggs definition no. 2398). While "iniquity" means "to bend, to twist, to distort” (Brown-Driver-Briggs Definition no. 5753). In these dictionary definitions one sees the fullness of Daniel’s confession. Not only was the sin from the will, which causes one to miss the way, go wrong and incur guilt, but also from the understanding as one bends, twists and distorts the truth. One can trace this process through the pages of Daniel, especially in the historical series, where in chapter two one sees the influence of the evil of selfishness on the understanding and in chapter three on the will. Both need to be cleansed, and so both need to be confessed.

Essentially "sin" is a state of disjunction from the Lord (Arcana Coelestia 4997), it is the breaking of the Lord’s covenant and arises in the loves of selfishness and greed. All people are born with an inclination towards evils, but they are not born "sinners" as is commonly believed by those who propound the doctrine of "original sin." Sin enters a person’s life when he or she becomes, through purposeful action, guilty of evil (Arcana Coelestia 7147), and so separated from the life of goodness and truth which is the basis of the Lord’s covenant.

In order for a sin to be a sin it must be done purposefully, or from intention, while knowing that it is opposed to the Lord’s teaching. We are told that “to sin is to do and think what is evil and false intentionally from the will, for such things which are done intentionally from the will are such as come forth out of the heart and defile man, consequently which destroy spiritual life with him” (Arcana Coelestia 8925).

Recognising sin in our lives, then, is recognition of the fact that we have turned aside from the Lord. We have broken covenant with Him, and can only be lead back into communion with Him through the process of repentance and reformation.

In a similar way "to commit iniquity" means to twist or distort the truth. There is a steady thread of this distortion running throughout Daniel, from Jehoiakim, king of Judah who represents a lust for evil and an aversion to truth (Apocalypse Explained 481:4), to the magicians, astrologers, sorcerers and Chaldeans that Nebuchadnezzar called on to interpret his dreams. These represent the habitual thought processes we fall into to protect and enhance our selfish states. Whenever our minds are not directed by the conscience, our thoughts are dominated by the selfish will, with the result that we commit iniquity by thinking selfishly.

This kind of acknowledgement is the beginning of the formal process of repentance. As Daniel says in his prayer, "we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgements." In these words he captures the totality of human evil, both as to its motivation sin and the expressive thought. All sin, in one way or another, is a rebellion against God. As we have seen in earlier chapters Lucifer’s fall was occasioned by his rebellion.

Any general recognition of sin and iniquity of life, however, needs to be more than simply a general statement of evil. It does people no good to simply admit that of themselves they are sinners without specifying at least one sin. A person may know from the Word that he or she is a sinner, but unless that person actually searches out his or her evils, they remain as a source of spiritual infection (Charity 3). If we claim to be sinners without self-exploration, can cannot truly confess ourselves to be sinners (Arcana Coelestia 8390, The New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine 159) for our confession would have no basis in self-perception and would merely be a lip confession, which can be made even by evil men when the thought of hell-fire is present (True Christian Religion 517).

It follows then that Daniel highlights a specific example of how the Jews had sinned against God, which lead to their captivity in Babylon. He said, “Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the land” (Daniel 9:6).

The sin of the ancient Jews was the ignoring of and disobedience to the prophets sent by the Lord to lead the people. King after king of Judea set up idols, worshipping them in place of the Lord, until finally the kingdom was overrun, the temple desecrated and destroyed, the people carried off into captivity or scattered. Jehoiakim, king of Judah at the time of the Babylonian captivity is a case in point. His father, Josiah, read the Word and restored the temple. He tore down idolatrous places of worship and re-instituted the Passover (2 Kings 23, 24). Jehoiakim, inheriting the throne at age twenty five, knowing full well the reforms of Josiah, and yet chose to reject these by "doing evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done” (2 Kings 23:37). In this way he ignored the Lord and disobeyed His teachings.

Much the same happens to us. When selfishness controls us it leads us to intentionally reject the teachings of the Word—even though we may pay lip-service to them. The result is a state of disobedience which can only be rectified through repentance. Each alternation of state, when we swing from goodness into evil is such an action. As Daniel says, we do not listen to the Lord’s prophets.

In the literal sense of the Word a prophet is one who preaches the truth, as did Elijah and Elisha, to name but two. However, in the internal sense a prophet represents the teaching itself, thus the doctrine from the Word (Arcana Coelestia 2534). As we have seen earlier, "kings" in the Word represent the ruling principles in our lives, and if these are false, then all our subsidiary thoughts, the "princes" will also be false.

The nature of sin and iniquity, then, is to allow the ruling principles in our minds, our "kings," and our thoughts derived from these, our "princes" to fall into falsity by ignoring the teachings of the Word. When a person can see this tendency within themselves, they are well on the way to truly confessing their sins to the Lord, not as an abstract state of life, but specific incidents of disobedience.

Part of this process of recognition and confession of sins is an observance of the consequences of one’s sins. Remember that Daniel is writing this prayer partly in response to the captivity of Judah—a captivity resulting from the neglect on the part of at least the king of Judah to obey the Word of the Lord. This captivity describes our states when we are held captive by the evils and falsities arising in selfishness. Daniel could clearly see that the historical captivity resulted from the disobedience of the kings of Judah. Can we see that our evils and their consequences are a result of our disobedience to the Lord? Can we come to the point at which we acknowledge our guilt to the Lord in Daniel’s words?

“Lord, to us belongs shame of face, to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against you.”—Such a cry to the Lord would be cold and sterile if there was not hope of redemption. The historical story of Daniel shows us, however, that there is always hope. The recurring theme is that the Lord is always with us, even in the darkest times to bring the light of knowledge and a renewed commitment to change. In times of repentance this is perhaps more important than at any other time, for when we repent we undertake to change based on our recognition of the states of evil and falsity within us. At those times we need to remember that the Lord does not bear grudges, and that the very force of His Divine Providence is leading us towards heaven.

The measure of the Lord’s mercy is highlighted in the concept that when one sins, one sins against the Lord Himself (Psalm 51:4). Daniel recognises that by not listening to the teaching of the prophets the Jews had "not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God." This is a further development in the recognition of sin in oneself. To reject and be disobedient to the teaching or doctrine of the Word is one thing, for the Word is open to many interpretations, it can be twisted this way and that to suit people’s will. The real damage to the Word comes, however, through the motive for the twisting. As we have seen in many places in Daniel, when the Word is twisted to underpin and protect selfish loves, then one does damage to the Lord Himself, for He is the Word itself. As Daniel points out, the prophets are "His servants," as teaching is a servant of truth itself.

The result is the disjunction of sin, a breaking of the covenant and separation from all the goodness and truth which originates in the Lord, and which is described in the book of Deuteronomy as a curse. There are too many curses to list, but they all indicate various states of evil which befall those who separate themselves from the Lord.

In Daniel the woes of captivity are indicated as being curses from the Lord on the Jews for disobeying the Lord, and it is easy to be sympathetic to this view. Evil, especially selfishness causes life to unravel, if not in this world, then certainly in the next. Relationships based on selfishness will never be happy, conflict dogs those whose only concern is themselves. This unhappiness and conflict may seem to be a curse or disaster sent by the Lord to punish the evil doer, yet it is a great truth that the Lord never punishes anyone for their evils (Arcana Coelestia 696, 697, 1857).

For a person who is in the process of repentance this is both a necessary and comforting thought, for if the Lord cast us into hell because of our sins, all hope would be lost and life would lose its point. We need to know that regardless of how dreadful our evils may seem, and how willingly we allow ourselves to be drawn into them, still the Lord is, as Daniel says "righteous in all the works which He does, though we have not obeyed His voice."

It is important in order to keep a state of balance in repentance to remember the times the Lord has helped us in our captivity to selfishness. In his prayer Daniel remembers back to the liberation from Egypt. If we take the historical series of the book of Daniel as our guide, we can see the Lord’s hand in the way He patiently and continually led Nebuchadnezzar through terrible times to the eventual point where the king could praise the Lord as his God. Each detail of that journey is reflected in our progressive liberation from selfishness and all its attendant states. Finally as our inner motivations change, we can be lead to the state depicted in the reign of Darius when Daniel is given charge over the land.

Providence can never be seen in advance, only in hindsight (Divine Providence 178, 187). In the throes of temptation and repentance is seems as if the Lord has abandoned us, yet He is always there to show us the way to a new state of life.

VERSES 20-27

The wonder of prayer lies in the answers. Sometimes people are not certain whether the Lord listens to prayer, and whether prayer can ever change the Lord’s mind about something. This is not, or at least should not be the reason we pray. Prayer is for our benefit, for it focuses our minds upon the Lord and opens up the interiors of our minds making it possible for us to receive His presence. The answers to prayers are seldom given in loud or dramatic ways. More often than not the answer lies in a small quiet awareness of the Lord’s presence. As we are told in the doctrines, the answer comes as “…something like a revelation (which is manifested in the affection of him that prays) as to hope, consolation, or a certain inward joy” (Arcana Coelestia 2535).

Daniel prayed to the Lord for the salvation of Israel, captive in Babylon for seventy years. He prayed with deep humility, with an awareness of the evils of the Jews, and a willingness to confront those evils. The Lord answered his prayer.

When we are in the process of repenting, we too need to pray to the Lord in confession and in prayer for forgiveness and mercy. The fact of saying those prayers is powerful, for in confessing our sins to the Lord we acknowledge from humility of heart that the evils of our lives are not defensible. The action of prayer is, in many ways, the opposite and therefore the antidote to the rule of Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar in our minds. While they are present we justify our evils, we permit and actively make possible states opposed to the presence of the Lord. But in confession this changes, and our minds are opened.

Supplication, or prayer for mercy does much the same thing. In our Babylonian states we are self-sufficient—we don’t need the Lord or His Word. Our minds are dominated across the axes of our will and understanding just as the he-goat in chapter eight extended the power of his horns to the four winds of the earth. By opening our minds in prayer, however, we acknowledge that this selfish power is not real power. Real power belongs to the Lord who can and will forgive us, and in so doing gives us the power to override selfishness and break its hold over us.

While Daniel prayed, he became aware of the answer from the Lord. The imagery in his words show us a great deal about how the Lord answers prayers from the heart. As he prayed he became aware of "the man Gabriel" who flew swiftly and reached him at the time of the evening offering.

In Chapter Eight we learned that Gabriel was in reality an entire society of angels (Apocalypse Explained 302). Gabriel represents the Divine truth itself drawing near to human conscience (Arcana Coelestia 8192). This is the first part of the Lord’s answer to our prayers. When we pray we ask the Lord to hear us. The essence of prayer in Daniel’s words are summed up in verse nineteen: “O Lord hear! O Lord forgive! O Lord listen and act!”

The Lord listens with His Divine truth, and answers with truth, represented by Gabriel flying down to Daniel, reaching him at "about the time of the evening offering." As we have seen many times in this study, "evening" is a state of obscurity caused by the presence of selfishness blocking out charity and thus faith. When we repent and pray to the Lord we are still in that state of obscurity, and yet part of the answer of prayer is to lift the darkness and give us insight into the nature of our lives and a clearer vision of how to overcome our evils. This is why Gabriel came in the evening, but notice his words to Daniel “Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand.”

The answer to prayers is given as "hope, consolation, or a certain inward joy” (Arcana Coelestia 2535). These spiritual gifts come from the Lord’s love for all humanity, but love is always communicated by means of wisdom. In other words we cannot have a feeling of hope unless we have thoughts of hope. We will not experience consolation unless we know that things will turn out for the better. Without the thought process, faith if you will, there can be no inward joy, for joy, or any emotion cannot exist in a vacuum separated from the thought processes.

The Lord’s answer to Daniel’s, and our, prayers is by lightening the darkness in our minds. Gabriel came to bring "skill to understand," with us that is the skill to see the evils of life clearly. It means breaking away from the persuasive power of the astrologers, magicians, soothsayers and Chaldeans who held such power over Nebuchadnezzar. In the historical series we were shown how they failed the king whose questions could only be satisfied by Daniel, our conscience.

So it is with us. In the process of repentance our conscience leads us to see our sins and urges us to confess them to the Lord. As we do so, the Lord enlightens our minds. This makes it possible for us to see several things from His perspective, firstly the enormity of our sins, secondly the possibility of rejecting them and being forgiven, and thirdly real hope that we will be freed from them. All this takes "skill to understand," and an increasingly clear sight of the Divine truth.

Gabriel then begins to explain to Daniel. He goes back to the very point at which Daniel began his prayer of repentance—the seventy years of captivity in Babylon, saying “Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy” (Daniel 9:24).

As we saw at the beginning of this chapter "seventy weeks" means the time of fullness from beginning to end of the Babylonian captivity (Apocalypse Explained 684). This period represents the steady breakdown of selfishness in our lives. When we are in states of selfishness we are held captive by the "Babylonians" within, yet with the rise of conscience to power, that hold is gradually broken, and the process is described by Daniel’s steady rise to power. The promise given to us in the process of repentance, therefore, is that we will eventually be liberated during the course of "seventy weeks."

Daniel was told that the captivity of seventy weeks would be upon his people and the city of holiness. The "people" are those states in us which belong to the church (Apocalypse Explained 684), or, in other words, all the states of goodness and truth, of charity and faith which are oppressed and held in bondage by selfishness. When we are selfish it is impossible to be in states of true charity—we cannot love other people when we love ourselves more, nor can we think in terms of truth clearly when our thoughts are clouded by habitual self justification. In these states of spiritual captivity, our conscience is present, as Daniel was present throughout the entire Babylonian captivity, to lead us to a state of repentance when bondage can be broken.

The "city of holiness" with us relates to the thought process based on truths from the Word which lead us into revolt against selfishness (Apocalypse Explained 684). While we are in spiritual bondage our thoughts are dominated by selfishness, but the Lord provides certain truths from the Word which form the basis of our conscience. These truths are the "cities of holiness" for they are from the Lord and make it possible for the Lord to be present in our minds, even in our darkest hours. It also makes it possible for the conscience to develop to the point where it can enter into active opposition against selfishness.

The seventy weeks "determined for your people and your holy city" are the states of life we pass through as we journey through our captivity. A person cannot repent from selfishness until he or she sees the quality of self, and rejects it, just as Nebuchadnezzar had to be brought down to a point of madness before he could be completely restored, and as Belshazzar had to be weighed in the balances and found wanting before he could be killed. We too have to pass through that process, and allow it to run its course, for it is only when we are moved with horror at our evils, as Daniel was moved to feel physically sick at the sight of the he-goat, that we can be led into true repentance, and then the Lord can come to us in full glory.

Gabriel’s words all built up to this point. One has to finish the transgression, make an end of sins and a reconciliation of iniquity, and then the Most Holy is anointed. In the Lord’s own life this verse meant that He would eventually unite the Divine to the Human through to process of glorification (Apocalypse Explained 624, 684). He did this by continual victories over hell from His own power (Arcana Coelestia 2025).

We overcome hell by the power of the Lord, and when we do so, we come into the states of peace and tranquillity which typify heaven, and yet that can only happen in a state of total rejection of evil and falsity (This state of rejection is called "vastation," and without it the Lord cannot be fully received (Arcana Coelestia 728)).

Having explained this to Daniel, Gabriel continues: “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times” (Daniel 9:25).

In history the ancient Jews were liberated from Babylon by king Cyrus. They returned home with the intention of rebuilding Jerusalem and the temple armed with the confidence that the cost of rebuilding was be born by the state. Even the vessels taken by Nebuchadnezzar would be restored to their rightful places. A tremendous inertia set in, however. Only the oldest of the captives could remember Jerusalem after seventy years, and many of the Jews were firmly established in Babylon. Historian John Bright writes that “the early years of the restoration venture proved bitterly disappointing, bringing little but frustration and discouragement (Bright 1972:361, 363, 364).

These early difficulties were mirrored in Gabriel’s words to Daniel, that from the giving of the command to the restoration of the temple to the coming of the Messiah shall be "seven weeks and sixty two weeks." The "going forth of the command" means the end of the time of preparation. Specifically in the analysis in the Apocalypse Explained we are told that these Word signify the end of the Old Testament because it was fulfilled by the coming of the Lord. The "restoration and building of Jerusalem" describes the renewal of the church by the Lord’s coming (Apocalypse Explained 684).

In the story of regeneration, these concepts can be seen to apply to the establishment of a new state within the human soul who has undergone the process of repentance and who is in process of fulfilling his or her potential of the development of new spiritual states. Thus the "going forth of the command" can be seen to be the process of repentance, which is the true beginning of regeneration, while the "building of the Jerusalem" is the final, regenerated state in which the ends of selfishness have been defeated and one returns to true worship of the Lord in every aspect of life.

As in earlier chapters Gabriel provides Daniel with a time frame for this development. This should not be thought of as natural time, however, but as the progression of state through which one passes between repentance and regeneration. Regeneration does not spring into being fully formed the moment a person decides to repent. It is a life-time process involving the gradual transition from a self-oriented life to a selfless life. To manage this one needs to undergo the rigours of temptation and the discipline of self compulsion.

The time given by Gabriel is familiar. The time between the order and the building of Jerusalem is seven weeks. Here we see the repetition of seven, and the meaning is the same—the full cycle of life, indicating once again that rebirth is an ongoing process.

More interesting, however, is the statement that "after sixty and two weeks it shall be restored and built." The term "sixty two" is only used in one other place in the Word, in Daniel chapter five, where we are told that Darius was sixty two years old when he killed Belshazzar. At that point we saw that sixty two represents a state in which faith is developing, but has not yet reached its fullness, for "sixty" describes the progress we make, while "two" indicates the incompleteness of that progress.

By pointing this out we are prepared to realise that whilst repentance is a major step forward in our spiritual lives, by itself it is not enough. If we persist, however, that repentance will develop into the states of reformation and finally regeneration, and the city Jerusalem will be built in our minds.

The angel says that in sixty two weeks the "street will be built again, and the wall." A "street" describes the truth of teaching from the Word (Apocalypse Explained 684). This is not simply an intellectual knowledge of what the Word teaches but an insight into the relevance of that truth to our lives. This truth is clearly related to the conscience which has been developing in the person throughout the course of his or her life, and which is now coming to fruition in leading the person to repentance.

The New King James version here describes the wall being build around the city, but in the original language the term is more properly translated as a trench, a moat or a ditch (Brown-Driver-Briggs Definition #2742. Swedenborg uses the term "fossa" which is translated "moat" or "drainage ditch"). In the internal sense a "moat" represents the doctrine or teaching which leads a person through life. The street and the moat are two sides of the same insightful concept of truth which the Lord gives to us as a result of repentance and prayer.

However, we should also know, as was mentioned above, that repentance initiates one into states of temptation. As soon as we begin to shun selfishness, there is a reassertion of the selfishness. The result is that we enter into the alternations of state described in Daniel’s visions in chapters seven and eight. These alternations are states of temptation as we struggle to be freed from the evil sides of our personalities, and remain connected to the good. The city, street and moat, therefore would be built in "troublesome times," meaning that our spiritual life is regained with difficulty.

There will even be times when "the Messiah will be cut off," a concept similar to the vision in chapter eight, when one feels that one’s spiritual progress, described by the ram, is scattered by the he-goat. The "Messiah shall be cut off" indicates states of relapse into selfishness (Apocalypse Explained 684), although within that selfishness there is still the hope that as long as our conscience survives, like Daniel in the citadel of Shushan, there will be enough power to turn the corner once again and repent.

This is the promise of repentance. When we turn to the Lord in prayer of confession and thanksgiving, we need to know that while things will ultimately be all right, still there is a hard road ahead. Nevertheless we are not alone. The Lord answered Daniel’s prayer with honesty, and He answers our prayers in the same way. The city will be rebuilt, but there is work to be done in the rebuilding of it. Nevertheless, at the time of repentance, we can experience the hope, consolation and inward joy in knowing that the Lord walked this path before us, and from His own power fought and defeated these same inner demons. He gives us the power to walk that path.

700. And there was seen in his temple the ark of His Covenant, signifies Divine truth, by which there is conjunction with the Lord. This is evident from the signification of "the ark of the Covenant," as being Divine truth proceeding from the Lord (of which presently). "The ark of the Covenant" was seen, because "the temple" appeared, and the ark was in the midst of the temple at Jerusalem, and in it were placed the two tables of the law, which signify in a universal sense Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, thus the Lord Himself, who is Divine truth in the heavens; for which reason the Lord is called the Word, in John 1:1, 2, 14. This is the signification of "the ark," because the Tent of meeting represented the three heavens, its court the lowest or first heaven; the tent itself as far as the veil, wherein were the tables for the loaves, the altar of incense, and the lampstand, represented the middle or second heaven; and the ark, which was within the veil, upon which was the mercy-seat with the cherubim, represented the inmost or third heaven; and the law itself which was in the ark, represented the Lord in relation to Divine truth or the Word; and because there is conjunction with the Lord by means of the Word, that ark was called "the ark of the Covenant," "covenant" signifying conjunction. (That the tent or tabernacle represented the form of heaven, and, together with the court, represented the three heavens, and that the holy of holies, which was the inmost, where the ark was, within which were the tables of the law, represented the third or inmost heaven, and that the law or testimony represented the Lord Himself, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 3478, 9457, 9481, 9485. And that in the highest sense "the tabernacle," the same as "the temple," signifies the Lord, and in a relative sense heaven and the church, and thence the holiness of worship, n. 9457, 9481, 10242, 10245, 10304, 10545. That in the Word "covenant" signifies conjunction, and that all things of the church, both internal and external, are signs of the covenant, and that they are called covenant because conjunction is effected by means of them, n. 665, 666, 1023, 1038, 1864, 1996, 2003, 2021, 2037, 6804, 8767, 8778, 9396, 9416, 10632. Consequently that the law promulgated on Mount Sinai was called a "covenant," and the ark containing the law "the ark of the Covenant," n. 6804, 9416.)

[2] That the ark with the covenant or testimony inclosed, signifies the Lord in respect to the celestial Divine which is Divine truth in the inmost or third heaven, can be seen from what is said of the ark in the Word. As in Moses:

They shall make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in the midst of them, according to all that I have shown thee, the form of the habitation. First, they shall make an ark of shittim wood; and thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it; and thou shalt make for it a border of gold; four rings of gold for the staves. And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony that I will give thee. And thou shalt make a mercy-seat of pure gold; and thou shalt make two cherubim of gold, solid shalt thou make them out of the mercy-seat that the cherubim may spread out their wings, and cover the mercy-seat with their wings; and their faces shall be towards the mercy-seat. And thou shalt put the testimony into the ark; and there I will meet with thee, and I will speak with thee from above the mercy-seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the Testimony, of all things which I shall command thee unto the sons of Israel (Exodus 25:8-22).

Thou shalt make a veil of hyacinthine and purple, and scarlet double dyed, and fine twined linen, with cherubim. Thou shalt put it upon four pillars of shittim overlaid with gold; and thou shalt place the veil under the clasps; and thou shalt bring in thither within the veil the ark of the Testimony; so that the veil shall divide unto you between the holy place and the holy of holies; and thou shalt put the veil before the ark in the holy of holies (Exodus 26:31-34).

It was said above that the tent where there were the ark, the lampstand, the table for the loaves, and the altar for incense, together with the court, represented the three heavens, and that the place within the veil where the ark was that contained the law or testimony, represented the third heaven. That place represented that heaven, because the law was there, and the "law" means the Lord in relation to Divine truth or the Word, for this in a broad sense is what that "law" signifies, and it is Divine truth proceeding from the Lord that forms the heavens. This is received in the greatest purity by the angels of the third heaven, because they are in conjunction with the Lord through love to Him, since all angels in that heaven are in love to the Lord; consequently they see Divine truth in themselves, like something implanted, although it flows in continually from the Lord. For this reason that heaven more than the other heavens which are below it, is said to be in the Lord, because it is in the Divine that proceeds from Him.

[3] It was that heaven that was represented by the ark that contained the law, that is, the Lord. This is why the ark was overlaid with gold within and without, and the mercy-seat was over the ark, and over the mercy-seat and out of it were the two cherubim which were of pure gold; for gold signifies from correspondence the good of love, in which are the angels of the third heaven. The "mercy-seat" signified the hearing and reception of all things of the worship that is from the good of love from the Lord; and the "cherubim" signified the Lord's providence and guard that He be not approached except through the good of love. That heaven with its angels is a guard against anything being elevated to the Lord Himself except what proceeds from the good of love to Him and from Him. For all worship of God passes through the heavens even to the Lord, and is purified in the way, until it is elevated to the third heaven, and there it reaches ¹ the Lord and is received by Him; everything else, being impure, is removed on the way. This is why cherubim of gold were placed over the mercy-seat, which was over the ark; also why that place was called a sanctuary, and also the holy of holies, and was divided from the outer part of the tabernacle by the veil.

[4] That the tent with the court represented the three heavens is evident also from this, that all things instituted among the sons of Israel were representatives of heavenly things; for the church itself was a representative church; thus especially the tabernacle with the altar was the most holy thing of worship; for worship was celebrated upon the altar by burnt-offerings and sacrifices, and in the tabernacle by incense offerings, and by the lamps that were lighted every day, and by the loaves that were placed in order daily upon the table. All these represented all worship in heaven and in the church, and the tent itself with the ark represented the heavens themselves. For this reason that tabernacle was called "the dwelling place of Jehovah God," as heaven itself is called. That the heavens were represented by the tabernacle is evident also from this, that the form of it was shown to Moses by the Lord upon Mount Sinai, and what is shown in form by the Lord must represent either heaven or the things belonging to heaven. That the form of the tabernacle was shown to Moses upon Mount Sinai, can be seen from what was said to Moses:

Let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell In the midst of them, according to all that I have shown thee, the form of the habitation; [and afterwards,] See and make them in their form which thou wast made to see in the mount (Exodus 25:8, 9, 40).

That is why it is called "a sanctuary," and it is said "that I may dwell in the midst of them." In respect to the ark in particular, that is, what it signifies, also "the mercy-seat over it," and "the cherubim over the mercy-seat," as also "the border of gold round about the ark," and also "the four rings for the staves," also "the veil," "the clasps," and the other things, all this may be seen explained in the Arcana Coelestia 9484-9577, 9670-9680).

[5] The holiness itself of the whole tabernacle was from the testimony, that is, from the two tables of stone on which the law was written, because "the law" signified the Lord in relation to Divine truth, and thus in relation to the Word, for that is Divine truth. That the Lord is the Word is evident from what is said in John:

The Word was with God, and God was the Word, and the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (John 1:1, 2, 14).

That the law, which is called both "the testimony" and "the covenant," was placed in the ark, likewise the book written by Moses, can be seen from these words in Moses:

Thou shalt put into the ark the testimony that I shall give thee (Exodus 25:16; 40:20).

I put the tables of the law in the ark that I had made, that they might be there, even as Jehovah commanded me (Deuteronomy 10:5).

And of the book of the law written by Moses:

When Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law upon the book, even when he had finished them, Moses commanded the Levites that bare the ark to take the book of the law, and put it by the side of the ark of the Covenant, that it might be there for a witness (Deuteronomy 31:24-26).

This shows that there was nothing inside of the ark except the two tables of stone on which the law was written, and that the book of Moses was by the side of it. That there was nothing in the ark except the two tables of the covenant is evident from the first book of Kings:

There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb, the covenant which Jehovah made with the sons of Israel (1 Kings 8:9).

That the book of Moses which was laid by the side of the ark was afterwards taken out and preserved in the temple is shown by the fact:

That Hilkiah the high priest found the book of the law in the house of Jehovah and gave it to Shaphan, who told it unto the king, and read it before the king (2 Kings 22:8-11).

[6] That the ark represented the Lord in relation to Divine truth, and consequently signified Divine truth from the Lord, thus the Word, is shown by the fact that from it the Lord spoke with Moses, for it is said:

Thou shalt put the testimony into the ark; and there I will meet thee, and I will speak with thee from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the Testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the sons of Israel (Exodus 25:21, 22);

and elsewhere:

When Moses went into the Tent of meeting to speak with Him he heard the voice of one speaking unto him from above the mercy-seat that was upon the ark of the Testimony, from between the two cherubim; thus He spake unto him (Numbers 7:89).

The Lord spoke to Moses therefrom because the law was there, and that law signifies in a broad sense the Lord in relation to the Word, and from the Word the Lord speaks with man; it was "from above the mercy-seat between the two cherubim," because "the mercy-seat" signifies the removal of falsities that are from evil loves, and at the same time reception and hearing, and "the cherubim" signify a guard that there be no approach except through the good of love.

[7] Because the Lord in heaven and in the church is Divine truth or the Word, which is meant by the law inclosed in the ark, and because the Lord is present in the law or the Word, so where the ark was, there was Jehovah or the Lord, as can be seen from these words in Moses:

Moses said to Jehovah, ² Leave us not, I pray; forasmuch as thou knowest how we must encamp in the wilderness, therefore thou wilt be to us instead of eyes; and it shall be when thou shalt go with us, yea, it shall be that the good that Jehovah shall do unto us, the same good we will do unto thee. And they journeyed from the mount of Jehovah a way of three days, and the ark of the Covenant of Jehovah journeyed before them a way of three days to search out a resting place for them; and the cloud of Jehovah was over them by day, when they journeyed from the camp. When the ark journeyed Moses said, Arise, O Jehovah, let Thine enemies be scattered, and let them that hate Thee flee from before Thy faces; and when it rested he said, Return, O Jehovah, to the myriads of the thousands of Israel (Numbers 10:31-36).

It is clear from these particulars that Jehovah or the Lord is here meant by "the ark" because of His presence in the law that was in the ark, thus because of His presence in the Word. Since the Lord is here meant by the law, and thus by the ark, "Moses said, Arise, O Jehovah, that Thine enemies be scattered, and let them that hate Thee flee from before Thy faces; and when it rested he said, Return, O Jehovah, to the myriads of the thousands of Israel." But still more interior things are involved in these words, namely, that the Lord by His Divine truth leads men and defends them against falsities and evils, which are from hell, especially in temptations, which are signified in particular by the journeyings of the sons of Israel in the wilderness forty years. That the Lord leads men continually by His Divine truth is signified by "the ark of the Covenant of Jehovah journeyed before them a way of three days to search out a resting place for them," "the ark of Jehovah" meaning the Lord in relation to Divine truth, "journeying a way of three days" meaning His auspices and leading from beginning to end, and "searching out" signifying salvation, which is the end.

[8] Moreover, protection from falsities and evils which are from hell is signified by "the cloud of Jehovah over them by day," as well as by the words of Moses when the ark journeyed, "Arise, O Jehovah, let Thine enemies be scattered, and let them that hate Thee flee from before Thy faces;" "the cloud of Jehovah by day" signifies also protection by Divine truth in ultimates, such as the Word is in the sense of the letter, for by such truth the Lord can be approached even by the evil, and by it He defends the interior things of the Word, which are celestial and spiritual. (That this sense of the Word is signified by a "cloud" may be seen above, n. 594.) "Enemies" and "them that hate" signify falsities and evils that are from hell, "enemies" falsities, and "them that hate" evils, thus they signify the hells in respect to falsities and evils. Truths from good, which are implanted in man after temptations, are signified by "when the ark rested Moses said, Return, O Jehovah, to the myriads of the thousands of Israel;" "the resting of the ark" signifies the state after temptations, when evils and falsities have been removed; "to return" signifies the Lord's presence at that time, for in temptations the Lord appears to be absent; "the myriads of the thousands of Israel" signify the truths from good implanted, which constitute the church. (That "myriads" are predicated of truths, and "thousands" of goods, see above, n. 336.)

[9] There is a like significance in these words in David:

Lo, we have heard of Him in Ephrathah, we have found Him in the fields of the forest; we will come into His habitations, we will bow ourselves down at His footstool. Arise, O Jehovah, to Thy resting place, Thou and the ark of Thy strength. Let Thy priests be clothed with righteousness and let Thy saints shout for joy (Psalms 132:6-9).

Evidently this Psalm treats of the Lord, who is here meant by "David," as can be seen from its being said, "We have found Him in Ephrathah and in the fields of the forest," also that "they bowed themselves down at His footstool;" "Ephrathah" meaning Bethlehem where the Lord was born, and signifying the Word in respect to its natural sense, while "Bethlehem" signifies the Word in respect to its spiritual sense; and there He chose to be born because the Lord is the Word; "the fields of the forest" signify the things of the natural sense of the Word, thus of the sense of the letter; while "His habitations" signify the spiritual sense of the Word, also heaven, since heaven is in that sense. The "footstool" to which they shall bow themselves down signifies the natural sense of the Word, and thence also the church on earth, since the church is in that sense. (That the "footstool" of the Lord means the church on earth, see above, n. 606.)

[10] The "resting place" to which Jehovah should arise signifies the union of the Divine and the Human in the Lord, and His conjunction with heaven and the church; and because the Lord, and also those who are in heaven and in the church, have rest and peace when He has subjugated the hells and has brought all things there and in the heavens into order, it is said, "Arise, Thou and the ark of Thy strength," "Thou" meaning the Lord Himself, and "the ark of Thy strength" Divine truth proceeding from Him, for through this the Lord has Divine power. The "priests who shall be clothed with righteousness" and the "saints who shall shout for joy," have a similar signification as "the thousands and myriads of Israel," "priests" meaning those who are in good, and "saints" those who are in truths, thus in an abstract sense the goods and truths of heaven and the church. (That "priests" in an abstract sense signify the goods of the church may be seen above, n. 31 at the end, and that "saints" in that sense signify the truths of the church, n. 204, 325.) More about this Psalm may be seen above n. 684.

[11] Because the ark, from the law that was in it, signified the Lord in relation to Divine truth, and the Lord has omnipotence from Divine good through Divine truth, therefore by means of the ark miracles were wrought. Thus by means of it the waters of Jordan were divided, so that the sons of Israel passed over on dry ground; the wall of the city of Jericho was overthrown; Dagon, the god of the Ashdodites, fell down before it; the Ashdodites, the Gittites, the Ekronites, and the Bethshemites, were smitten with plagues on account of it; Uzzah died because he touched it; Obed-edom, into whose house it was brought, was blessed. As these historical facts involve arcana that can be opened only by the spiritual sense I also will explain them, that it may be known what the ark signifies in a strict sense and in a broad sense. First, respecting the division of the waters of Jordan that the sons of Israel might pass through on dry ground, in Joshua:

Joshua and all the sons of Israel came to Jordan; and at the end of three days Joshua commanded, saying, When ye shall see the ark of the Covenant of Jehovah, and the priests, the Levites, bearing it, ye shall journey from your place and shall go after it; yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits; ye shall not draw near unto it. And the priests lifted up the ark of the Covenant and went before the people. And Joshua said, When ye shall come to the brink of the waters of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan. And he said unto the people, Behold, the ark of the Covenant of the Lord of the whole earth passing over before you into Jordan; and take ye twelve men of the tribes of Israel; and when the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of Jehovah the Lord of the whole earth shall rest in the waters of Jordan, the waters of Jordan shall be cut off, even the waters that come down from above shall stand in one heap. And it came to pass when the priests came unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bear the ark were dipped in the brink of the waters, and Jordan was full, as it was wont to be all the days of harvest, the waters that came down from above stood in one heap, stretching out very far from the city Adam; and those that came down upon the sea of the plain, the sea of salt, were completely cut off, so that the people could pass over towards Jericho. And the priests stood on the dry ground in the midst of Jordan; and all the people passed over on dry ground. Afterwards Jehovah said unto Joshua, Take to you twelve men, one of a tribe; and lift up out of the midst of Jordan, from where the priests' feet stood, twelve stones, which ye shall bring over with you, and leave in the place where ye pass the night. And the sons of Israel did so; and they lifted up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, according to the numbers of the tribes of Israel, and they carried them over unto the place where they passed the night. Then after that all the people had finished passing over, the ark of Jehovah passed over, and the priests. And it came to pass when the priests were come up and the soles of their feet were plucked out, the waters of Jordan returned into their place. And the twelve stones which they took out of Jordan did Joshua set up in Gilgal (Joshua 3:1-17; 4:1-20).

All the historicals of the Word, as well as its prophetical parts, contain a spiritual sense that treats, not of the sons of Israel and of nations and peoples, but of the church and its establishment and progress, for this is the spiritual of the Word, while the history is the natural that contains the spiritual. Therefore also all the miracles described in the Word, as the miracles done in Egypt and afterwards in the land of Canaan, involve such things as belong to heaven and the church, and for this reason also these miracles are Divine.

[12] The miracle described above signifies the introduction of the faithful into the church, and through the church into heaven. "The sons of Israel" mean here in the spiritual sense the faithful, who after enduring temptations, which are signified by their wanderings in the wilderness, are brought into the church; for "the land of Canaan," into which the sons of Israel were brought, signifies the church, and "Jordan" signifies the first entrance into it; and "the waters of Jordan" signify truths that introduce into it, which are such as those of the literal sense of the Word, for those are what first introduce. But here "Jordan" and its waters signify the falsities of evil which conduct towards hell, since the land of Canaan was then filled with idolatrous nations, which signify evils and falsities of every kind, which constitute hell; for this reason these were to be driven out, that there might be a place for establishing the church. Because "the waters of Jordan" then signified the falsities of evil, they were parted and removed, to give a passage to the sons of Israel, who were to represent the church.

[13] Now as the Lord alone removes and scatters the falsities of evil that are from hell, and by His Divine truths introduces the faithful into the church and into heaven, and as the ark and the law inclosed in it represented the Lord in relation to Divine truth, it was commanded that the ark should go before the people and thus lead them. This is why it came to pass that as soon as the priests bearing the ark dipped their feet in the waters of Jordan those waters were divided and went down, and the people passed over on dry land, and after this was done the waters returned. Then these same waters signified truths that introduce; for Jordan was the first boundary of the land of Canaan, and that land, when the sons of Israel had entered into it, represented the church, and that river introduction into it.

[14] As the waters of Jordan signified truths that introduce they were commanded to take up out of the midst of it twelve stones, and carry them over to the first place where they passed the night, and this because "stones" signify truths, and "twelve stones according to the number of the tribes of Israel" signified the truths of the church. Joshua set up those stones in Gilgal to the east of Jericho, because "Gilgal" signified the doctrine of natural truth, which is serviceable for introduction into the church. From these few things it is clear what things of heaven and the church were represented by this miracle, also that the "ark," because of the law in it, signified the Lord in relation to Divine truth, therefore it is called "the ark of the Covenant of the Lord of the whole earth," as meaning conjunction with the Lord through Divine truth, since conjunction, which is signified by "covenant," is effected through Divine truth, and that is what constitutes heaven and the church, which are signified in particular by "the whole earth;" in fact, through Divine truth all things were made and created, according to the Lord's words (in John 1:1-3, 10; and in David, Psalms 33:6), "the Word" there meaning Divine truth.

[15] The second miracle done by means of the ark was the overthrow of the wall of Jericho, which is thus described in Joshua:

The city of Jericho was shut up; and Jehovah said unto Joshua, I have given into thy hand Jericho and the king thereof, and the mighty in valor. Ye shall compass the city, all the men of war, once a day for six days. And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of jubilee before the ark; but the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall sound with the trumpets, and then the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city shall fall down from beneath itself; and the people shall go up. Then Joshua made them go round the city once the first day, as it had been said; after which circuit they returned into the camp, and passed the night in the camp; in like manner the day after. And the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of jubilee before the ark of Jehovah went on, going, and sounded the trumpets, before whom went the men of war, and the rear marching after the ark, going and sounding the trumpets. And so they did six days; and the seventh day they compassed the city seven times; and the seventh time the people shouted. And when the people heard this, then the wall of the city fell down beneath itself, and the people went up into the city, and gave to the curse all things which were in the city, from man even to woman, and from the boy to the old man. And they burned up the city with fire, and all things that were in it; only the silver and gold, and the vessels of brass and iron they put into the treasury of the house of Jehovah. And Joshua adjured them, saying, Cursed be the man before Jehovah that shall rise up and build this city; with his firstborn he shall lay the foundations of it, and with the youngest he shall set up its folding doors (Joshua 6:1-26).

No one can know the Divine meaning contained in this miracle, unless he knows what is signified by "the city of Jericho" in the land of Canaan, which was burned up, by "its wall" which fell, by the "inhabitants" who were given to the curse, by "the gold and silver, and the vessels of brass and iron," that were put into the treasury of the house of Jehovah, also by "sounding the trumpets and shouting," and by "compassing it six days, and seven times on the seventh day." The "city of Jericho" signifies instruction in the knowledges of good and truth, by which man is introduced into the church; for Jericho was a city not far from the Jordan, and that river signified introduction into the church (as has been said above). For all places in the land of Canaan were significative of things celestial and spiritual belonging to the church, and this from the most ancient times; and as the sons of Israel were to represent the church, and among them the Word was written, in which those places were to be mentioned signifying such things as are of heaven and the church, therefore the sons of Israel were introduced into it, and their introduction was signified by "the river Jordan," and their instruction by "Jericho." And as "Jericho" signified instruction it signified also the good of life, because unless one is in the good of life he cannot be instructed in the truths of doctrine. But when the land of Canaan was held by idolatrous nations the signification of the places and cities in that land was changed into the opposite, Jericho then signifying the profanation of truth and good. From this it follows that the "city" itself signified the doctrine of falsity and evil, which perverted and profaned the truths and goods of the church, its "wall" signifying falsities of evil defending that doctrine, and the "inhabitants" those who are profane; and as all profaneness is from infernal love after the acknowledgment of truth and good, therefore the city was burned with fire, the inhabitants given to the curse, and its wall fell down, "fire" signifying infernal love, "curse" a total blotting out, and "the falling down of the wall" exposure to every evil and falsity.

[16] The sounding of the trumpets by the priests signified the proclamation of Divine truth from Divine good; the shouting and acclamation of the people signified consent and confirmation; compassing the city signified a survey of falsity and evil and their dispersion by the influx of Divine truth from the Lord; this influx was signified by carrying the ark about it. The priests were seven in number, and the city was compassed seven days, and seven times on the seventh day, to signify what is holy, and the holy proclamation of Divine truth, "seven" signifying holiness, and in the contrary sense profaneness, and as there was holiness on the one part and profaneness on the other, there were seven priests with seven trumpets, and the city was compassed seven times.

[17] The gold, the silver, and the vessels of brass and iron, were put into the treasury of the house of Jehovah, because these signified the knowledges of spiritual and natural truth and good, "gold and silver" the knowledges of spiritual truth and good, and "the vessels of brass and iron" knowledges of natural truth and good, which with those who profane are changed into direful falsities and evils; but as they continue to be knowledges, although applied to evils, they are serviceable to use with the good by application to what is good, and therefore these things were put into the treasury of the house of Jehovah. This also is what is meant by the "pounds" [minae] that were taken away from the evil and given to the good; likewise by the "unrighteous mammon;" also by "the gold, silver, and raiment," that the sons of Israel took away from the Egyptians and afterwards devoted to the tabernacle; and also by "the gold and silver" that David gathered from the spoils of enemies, and left to Solomon for building the temple.

[18] That he who rebuilt Jericho would be cursed, and that "he would lay the foundation of it with his firstborn, and set up its folding-doors with his youngest," signified the profanation of Divine truth from its first to its last, if instruction in it should be represented elsewhere than in Jerusalem, by which the church was signified in respect to the doctrine of truth and good, and in respect to instruction from the Word. That this profanation took place under King Ahab by Hiel the Bethelite is recorded in 1 Kings 16:34; and Ahab is said to have done evil in the eyes of Jehovah above all the kings of Israel (verses 1 Kings 16:30, 33). From this miracle done by means of the ark it can be seen that the ark, because of the law in it, represented the Lord in relation to Divine truth, and thence signified the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord.

[19] The third miracle, that Dagon, the god of the Ashdodites, fell down before the ark, and the Ashdodites, Gittites, Ekronites, and Bethshemites were smitten with plagues because of it, is thus described in the first book of Samuel:

Israel went out against the Philistines to war. And Israel was beaten before the Philistines about four thousand men. Therefore the elders said, Let us take unto us out of Shiloh the ark of the Covenant of Jehovah, and let it come into the midst of us, and deliver us out of the hand of the enemy. And they brought from thence the ark of the Covenant of Jehovah of Hosts sitting above the cherubim, and with the ark the two sons of Eli. And it came to pass when the ark came to the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout; the Philistines heard, and knew that the ark of Jehovah was come to the camp, and they feared for themselves, saying, God is come to the camp; woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hands of these mighty gods? These are the gods that smote the Egyptians with every plague. But be strong and be men, O ye Philistines, that ye may not serve the Hebrews. And the Philistines fought, and Israel was beaten with a great slaughter, about thirty thousand footmen; and the ark of God was taken, and both the sons of Eli died. And the Philistines took the ark, and brought it down to Ashdod, into the house of Dagon, and they set it beside Dagon. When they of Ashdod rose in the morning, behold, Dagon lay upon his faces on the earth before the ark of Jehovah; and they put back Dagon again. But when they arose in the morning, Dagon lay upon his faces on the earth before the ark, and both the head of Dagon and the two palms of his hands lay cut off upon the threshold. And the hand of Jehovah was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and He smote them with emerods, Ashdod and the borders thereof. Then the men of Ashdod said, The ark of Israel shall not abide with us. Therefore the lords of the Philistines said, Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried over unto Gath. And they carried it over unto Gath. But the hand of Jehovah was against the city, and smote the men of the city from the least to the greatest, and emerods brake out upon them. So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. But the Ekronites cried out that they should be slain. And the men that died not were smitten with emerods. Therefore the lords said that they would send back the ark into its place. When the ark had remained in the field of the Philistines seven months, the Philistines called the priests and diviners, saying, What shall we do with the ark of Jehovah; how shall we send it back to its place? And they said, Send it not empty, but send it back with a guilt-offering, then shall ye be healed, namely, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines, five emerods of gold and five mice of gold, for one plague is upon you all and upon your lords; ye shall make images of your emerods, and images of your mice, that have laid waste the land; and make a new cart, and two milch kine upon which there hath come no yoke, and tie the kine to the cart, and bring back their calves from them to the house, and put the ark of Jehovah upon the cart, and the vessels of gold put into a coffer at the side thereof; and see if it goeth up the way of the border to Bethshemesh. And they did so. Then the kine went straightway upon the way to Bethshemesh in the one highway, and they lowed; and the lords of the Philistines went after them. And the cart came into the field of Joshua the Bethshemite, and stood there, where there was a great stone. Then they clave the wood of the cart, and offered the kine for a burnt-offering to Jehovah. And the Levites set down the ark of Jehovah, and the coffer in which were the vessels of gold, upon that great stone; and the men of Bethshemesh offered burnt-offerings, and sacrificed sacrifices to Jehovah. But the Bethshemites were smitten because they saw the ark of Jehovah, about fifty thousand and seventy men. But the men of Kiriath-jearim caused the ark of Jehovah to come up, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in Gibeah, and it remained there twenty years. Then Samuel said, If with the whole heart ye will return to Jehovah, put ye away the gods of the alien and Ashtaroth, and prepare your heart towards Jehovah, and serve Him only, then will He deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines (1 Samuel 4:1-11; 5:1-12; 6:1-21; 7:1-3).

What is signified by all this-that the ark was taken by the Philistines, and the Philistines were smitten with emerods on account of the ark in Ashdod, Gath, and Ekron, also that mice laid waste their land, and that so many died there and in Bethshemesh-cannot be known unless it is known what the Philistines, and in particular the Ashdodites, Gittites, Ekronites, and Bethshemites, represented and thence signified; also what is signified by "emerods" and by "mice," and by "the golden images" of these, and besides by the "new cart" and "the milch kine." Evidently these are representatives of such things as belong to the church, for otherwise why should the Philistines have been smitten with such plagues, and the ark have been so brought back?

[20] The Philistines represented, and thence signified, those who make no account of the good of love and charity, and thus no account of the good of life; placing everything of religion in knowledge and cognition; therefore they were like those at the present day who make faith alone, that is, faith separated from charity, the essential of the church and the essential of salvation. This is why they were called "the uncircumcised," for to be uncircumcised signifies to be destitute of spiritual love, thus of good; and because they had reference to those within the church they were not spiritual, but merely natural, since he who makes no account of the good of charity and of life becomes merely natural, and even sensual, loving only worldly things, and is unable to understand any truths spiritually, and the truths he apprehends naturally he either falsifies or defiles. Such are they who are meant in the Word by the "Philistines." Thence it is evident why the Philistines so frequently fought with the sons of Israel, and that sometimes the Philistines conquered, and sometimes the sons of Israel. The Philistines conquered when the sons of Israel departed from the statutes and precepts in not doing them; but when the sons of Israel lived according to these they conquered. To live according to the precepts and statutes was their good of love and good of life. At this time the sons of Israel were conquered by the Philistines because they had departed from the worship of Jehovah to the worship of other gods, especially to the worship of Ashtaroth, as can be seen from what Samuel said to them (1 Samuel 7:3). For the same reason also the ark had been taken by the Philistines.

[21] When it is known that the Philistines represented and thence signified those who make no account of the good of love, charity, and life, it can be known why because of the ark they were smitten with emerods and died in consequence; also why mice laid waste the land; for "emerods" signify truth defiled by such evil of life as is with those who are destitute of good; since "blood" signifies truth, and the corrupted blood from emerods truth defiled; and the hinder part, where the emerods were, signifies natural love, which with those not spiritual is the love of the world, while "mice" signify the falsities of the sensual man, which eat up and consume all things of the church, as mice lay waste fields and crops, and also the vegetables underground. Such were their plagues, because they were such, since those who are without good defile truths and also lay waste all things of the church. This was done on account of the ark, because the "ark" signified the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord, and this cannot be genuine truth but with those who are in the good of love, and thence in the good of life; and when Divine truth flows in with those who are not in good it produces effects that correspond to their falsities of doctrine and evils of life, just as in the spiritual world, when Divine truth flows into such, the defilement of truth and devastation of good are manifested in a likeness of emerods and mice.

[22] Dagon the god of the Ashdodites, because of the nearness and presence of the ark, was cast down to the earth, and afterwards his head and the palms of his hands were cast upon the threshold of his temple, because "Dagon" signified their religion, which was wholly without intelligence and without power, because it was without spiritual good, "head" signifying intelligence, and "palms of the hands" power. It is similar in the spiritual world, when Divine truth inflows out of heaven with such persons, for they then appear as if they were without a head and without palms of the hands because they are without intelligence or power.

[23] By the advice of their priests and diviners they made golden images of the emerods and mice, and set them at the side of the ark upon a new cart, to which they tied two milch kine on which no yoke had come, because "gold" signifies the good of love, which heals and purifies from falsities and evils, which are signified by the "emerods and mice," also because a "cart" signifies the doctrine of natural truth, and a "new cart" that doctrine untouched and unpolluted by the falsities of their evil, and the "milch kine" on which no yoke had come signify natural good not yet defiled by falsities, for to bear a yoke signifies to serve, here to serve falsities which defile good; and as such good agrees with the Divine truth, which was signified by the "ark," therefore these representatives were adapted and applied; and afterwards the Levites offered the kine as a burnt-offering, which they burned with the wood of the cart.

[24] The ark with the gifts was put on a great stone, near which the kine stood still, because a "stone" signifies Divine truth in the ultimate of order. The priests and diviners of the Philistines recommended this to be done because a knowledge of correspondences and representations was a common knowledge at that time, since it was their theology, known to the priests and diviners, who were their wise men. But because men at that time had become for the most part merely natural, they regarded these things in an idolatrous way, worshiping the externals, and giving no thought to the internals that the externals represented. From this it can be seen what the particulars here cited from the book of Samuel signify in series, also that the "ark," because of the law in it, signifies Divine truth proceeding from the Lord.

[25] Fourth, the two miracles wrought by means of the ark, the death of Uzzah and the blessing of Obed-edom, are thus described in the second book of Samuel:

David arose and went, and all the people that were with him, from Baal-Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, whose name is called upon, the name of Jehovah of Hosts that sitteth upon the cherubim. And they caused the ark of God to be carried upon a new cart, and they brought it up out of the house of Abinadab, which was in Gibeah; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were leading the cart. And David and all the house of Israel were playing before Jehovah, upon instruments of fir-wood of every kind, and upon harps, and with psalteries, and with timbrels, and with sistra, and with cymbals. And when they came to the threshing floor of Nachon, Uzzah put forth unto the ark and seized upon it, because the oxen stumbled; and the anger of Jehovah glowed against Uzzah, and God smote him for his error, so that he died there by the ark of God. And David was grieved at it, and David feared Jehovah that day, and he said, How shall the ark of Jehovah come unto me? And David would not remove the ark of Jehovah unto him in the city of David, but he turned it aside into the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. And the ark of Jehovah remained in his house three months, and Jehovah blessed Obed-edom and all his house; and it was told to King David; and David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the city of David with joy; and when they that bare the ark of Jehovah had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling; and David danced with all his strength before Jehovah, girt with a linen ephod. And David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of Jehovah with a shout and with the sound of a trumpet; and they brought the ark of Jehovah into the city of David, which is Zion, and set it up in its place within the tent that David had stretched out for it (2 Samuel 6:1-17).

These historical facts in the internal or spiritual sense involve many things that cannot come into view in the sense of the letter, which is the historical sense; as what is involved in the fact that the ark was brought from the house of Abinadab into the house of Obed-edom, and at length into the city of David, which is Zion; in the fact that when it was brought they played and sounded all kinds of musical instruments, and David himself danced; that the ark was brought upon a new cart, to which oxen were tied; also that Uzzah, the son of Abinadab, died, and Obed-edom with his house was blessed. All these things, although historical, have concealed in their bosom such things as pertain to heaven and the church, in like manner as the ark itself, which, on account of the law in it, represented the Lord as to the Divine truth; therefore it is called "the ark of God whose name is called upon, the name of Jehovah of hosts that sitteth upon the cherubim." That the ark was now brought out of the house of Abinadab, first into the house of Obed-edom and at length into the city of David, which is Zion, involves arcana that no one can know unless he knows what was signified by "Gibeah" and by "Baal-Judah" there, where Abinadab was, and by "Gath" where Obed-edom was, and finally by "Zion" where David was. All the regions and the cities in them in the land of Canaan were representative, as it is in the spiritual world with the regions there and their cities. In the spiritual world in every region and also in every city those who are in the good of love dwell toward the east and the west, those who are in a bright good of love toward the east, and those who are in an obscure good of love toward the west; while toward the south and the north there those dwell who are in the light of truth; those who are in a bright light of truth toward the south and those who are in an obscure light of truth toward the north. The like is true of the land of Canaan and its regions and the cities of those regions; in reference to their quarters these corresponded to the regions of the spiritual world and to the cities of those regions; but with this difference, that on earth it is impossible so to arrange men in their quarters in respect to the good of love and the light of truth, as the spirits and angels are arranged in the spiritual world; consequently in the land of Canaan and its cities the places themselves represented, and not the persons. That this was so can be seen from the partition of the land of Canaan into inheritances, which fell by lot to the tribes according to their representation of the church; also from the representation of the church itself by Jerusalem and Zion, Jerusalem representing the church in respect to the truth of doctrine and Zion the church in respect to the good of love. When, therefore, it is known what pertaining to heaven and the church is signified by "Gibeah," and by "Baal-Judah" there, where Abinadab was, and what by "Gath" where Obed-edom was, it can be known what is signified by bringing the ark from Abinadab to Obed-edom, and at length into Zion.

[26] From the signification of these cities it can be seen that the transference of the ark represented the progress of the church with man, from its ultimate to its inmost, as from one heaven into another, even to the highest, which is the third heaven. "Baal-Judah," where Abinadab was, signified the ultimate of the church, which is called its natural, for this was represented by "Gibeah," where "Baal-Judah" was. But "Gath," where Obed-edom was, who was therefore called a Gittite, signified the spiritual of the church; and this signification it took on after the sons of Israel had taken from the Philistines the cities from Ekron even to Gath (1 Samuel 7:13-15); while "Zion," where David was, signified the inmost of the church, which is called its celestial.

[27] From this it is evident that the transference of the ark signified the progress of the church with man from its ultimate to its inmost; and this because such progressions are effected by means of Divine truth, which was signified by the ark; for the man of the church progresses from the natural to the spiritual, and through that to the celestial, and this continually from the Lord by means of His Divine truth; the natural is the good of life, the spiritual is the good of charity toward the neighbor, and the celestial is the good of love to the Lord. As the goods of the three heavens have a like progression, so the ascent through them in their order is also represented.

[28] Their playing and sounding all kinds of musical instruments, and David's dancing when the ark was brought up, represented the gladness and joy that result from the affection of truth and good from the Lord through the influx of Divine truth, which was signified by the "ark;" the instruments mentioned, on which they played in the first journey from the house of Abinadab to the house of Obed-edom, represented gladness of mind from a natural and spiritual affection of truth; and the dancing of David, also the shouting and sound of the trumpet represented joy of heart from the affection of spiritual and celestial good. Harmonies of musical sound are from the spiritual world, and signify the affections with their gladnesses and joys (as may be seen above, n. 323, 326). "Zion" signifies the third heaven, and thence the inmost of the church (See also above, n. 405.

[29] "The ark" brought on a new cart to which oxen were tied represented and thence signified the doctrine of truth from the good of love, "cart" signifying the doctrine of truth, and "oxen" the good of love, both in the natural man; for Divine truth, which is signified by the "ark," rests and is founded upon the doctrine of natural truth which is from good; this is why the ark was set upon a cart before which were oxen. (That a "chariot" [or cart] signifies the doctrine of truth, see above, n. 355); that an "ox" signifies the natural good, see Arcana Coelestia 2180, 2566.)

[30] Uzzah the son of Abinadab died because he seized upon the ark with his hand, because "to touch with the hand" signifies communication, and communication with the Lord is effected through the good of love, and yet Uzzah was not anointed, as the priests and Levites were, to whom the representation of the good of love was given by anointing (that this was given by anointing, see n. 375. Moreover, the cherubim that were over the mercy-seat which was upon the ark, signified the guard that the Lord be not approached except through the good of love. That this was also done that David might not bring the ark into Zion before the progression which was being represented was finished (of which above) can be seen from this, that David grieved at the death of Uzzah, and feared to bring the ark into his city, which was Zion (verses 8-10).

[31] Obed-edom was blessed, and his house, on account of the ark, because a blessing from the good things of the world signifies blessing from the good things of heaven, which proceed solely from the Lord by the reception of the Divine truth represented by the ark, and these good things those have who are in spiritual good, which Obed-edom in Gath represented, as has been said above.

[32] Finally, bringing the ark into Zion and into the tent that David had stretched out for it, signified the ascent into the third heaven, and the conjunction of the Divine truth with the good of love, for "Zion" represented the inmost of the church, and thence the inmost of the heavens, which is the highest or third heaven, in which the angels are in the good of love to the Lord, and where there is a guard that the Lord be not approached except through the good of love, which guard was represented by the cherubim over the ark.

[33] Bringing the ark into the inmost part of the temple built by Solomon has a like signification; this is thus described in the first book of Kings:

Solomon prepared an adytum in the midst of the house, to set there the ark of the covenant of Jehovah; and in the adytum he made two cherubim of wood of oil, and he set the cherubim in the midst of the inner house, so that their wings were spread forth to the wall on each side, and their wings touched one another in the midst of the house; and he overlaid the cherubim with gold. And Solomon brought up the ark of the covenant of Jehovah out of the city of David, which is Zion. And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests lifted up the ark, and brought up the ark of Jehovah, and the tent of meeting, and all the vessels of holiness that were in the tent; and Solomon and all the congregation with him before the ark. And the priests brought the ark of the covenant of Jehovah into its place, into the adytum of the house, into the holy of holies, even under the wings of the cherubim; for the cherubim spread forth their wings over the place of the ark, so that the cherubim covered the ark and the staves thereof from above, and the heads of the staves were seen from the holy place, toward the faces of the adytum, but they were not seen without. And Solomon said, There have I set a place for the ark, wherein is the covenant of Jehovah, which He made with our fathers when He brought them forth out of the land of Egypt (1 Kings 6:19, 23, 27, 28; 8:1-8, 21).

As the ark in the tent of meeting represented the third heaven where the Lord is, and the tent itself without the veil the second heaven, and the court the first heaven, so was it with the temple; for the temple with its courts represented the three heavens, therefore there was nothing in the temple or outside of the temple within the courts, that did not represent something of heaven, and this for the reason that the Lord at that time was present in representatives; for the churches before the Lord's coming were representative churches, and finally such as the church was that was instituted with the sons of Israel. But when the Lord came into the world, the externals that represented were abolished, for it was the Lord Himself that the representatives of the church shadowed forth and signified; and as these were external things, and as it were veilings, within which was the Lord, so when He came these veilings were taken away, and He was manifested, with heaven and the church, in which the Lord is the all in all. The primary representatives of the Lord, and thence of heaven and the church, were the tent of meeting with the table, the lamp stand, the altar of incense, and the ark there, also the altar with the burnt offerings and sacrifices, and afterwards the temple; the temple having a similar representation as the tent of meeting, with the difference that the tent of meeting was a more holy representative of the Lord, of heaven, and of the church, than the temple.

[34] From this it can be seen that the adytum in the temple, where, like as in the tent of meeting, the ark was, represented the Lord in relation to the Divine truth, and thence the third heaven, where angels are conjoined to the Lord by love to Him, and consequently have Divine truth inscribed on their hearts. But what was signified by "the cherubim" in the temple, and their "wings," and the "staves" which are also mentioned, shall be told in a few words. "The cherubim" signified a guard that the Lord be not approached except through the good of love, consequently they were made of the "wood of oil," which wood signified the good of love (See above, n. 375; "the wings of the cherubim" signify the spiritual Divine, which descends from the celestial Divine, in which is the third heaven, into the second heaven, and is there received; this is why the wings "touched one another in the midst of the house," and were thence "stretched forth to the wall on each side." But the "staves" by which the ark was carried, signified Divine power, the same as "arms." From this and what precedes the signification of "the ark of the Covenant" in the Word can be seen.

[35] By the "ark," moreover, the same as by "the continual sacrifice" in Daniel, which was to cease at the Lord's coming into the world, a representative of the church in general is meant, in Jeremiah:

I will give you shepherds according to My heart, that they may feed you with knowledge and intelligence; and it shall come to pass when ye shall be multiplied and bear fruit in the land, in those days they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of Jehovah, neither shall it come up upon the heart, neither shall they make mention of it, neither shall they miss it, neither shall it be renewed anymore (Jeremiah 3:15, 16).

This is said of the Lord's coming, and of the abolition of the representative rites of the Jewish Church at that time. That the interior things of the church that had been veiled over by external representative rites would then be manifested and there would then be interior or spiritual men, is signified by "shepherds would be given according to the heart of the Lord, and they shall feed them with knowledge and intelligence," "shepherds" meaning those who teach good and lead to it by means of truths; the multiplication of truth and fructification of good are signified by "Then it shall come to pass when ye shall be multiplied and bear fruit in the land in those days;" that there will then be conjunction with the Lord through the interiors of the Word and not through its exteriors, which merely represented and signified things interior, is signified by, "they shall say no more, The ark of the Covenant of Jehovah;" "the ark of the Covenant of Jehovah" here signifying the externals of worship that were then to be abolished, the same as "the continual sacrifice" that was to cease (See Daniel 8:13; 11:31; 12:11). That worship was to be no longer external but internal is signified by, "it shall not come up upon the heart, neither shall they make mention of it, neither shall they miss it, neither shall it be renewed anymore." From this, too, it can be seen that "the ark of the Covenant" seen by John in the temple of God, which is the vision here treated of, was an appearing of the Divine truth, by which there is a conjunction of the new heaven and the New Church with the Lord, and that this was so seen that the Word in the letter might be similar throughout, consisting of things that were externals of worship and represented internals; the like as above (Daniel 8:3, 4), where "the altar" and "incense offerings" were seen "before the throne;" for the Word in the letter consists of pure correspondences, such as existed in the representative churches, and were taken therefrom for use in the Word, and in these the interior things of heaven and the church, which are spiritual and celestial, are contained.

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