9229. And ye shall be men of holiness to Me. That this signifies the state of life then from good, is evident from the signification of “men of holiness,” as being those who are led by the Lord; for the Divine which proceeds from the Lord is holiness itself (see n. 6788, 7499, 8127, 8302, 8806), consequently those who receive it in faith and also in love are called “holy.” He who believes that a man is holy from any other source, and that anything else with him is holy than that which is from the Lord and is received, is very much mistaken. For that which is of man and is called his own, is evil. (That man’s own is nothing but evil, see n. 210, 215, 694, 874-876, 987, 1047, 4328, 5660, 5786, 8480, 8944; and that insofar as a man can be withheld from his own, so far the Lord can he present, thus that so far the man has holiness, n. 1023, 1044, 1581, 2256, 2388, 2406, 2411, 8206, 8393, 8988, 9014)

[2] That the Lord alone is holy, and that that alone is holy which proceeds from the Lord, thus that which man receives from the Lord, is plain from the Word throughout; as in John:

I sanctify Myself that they also may be sanctified in the truth (John 17:19);

“to sanctify Himself” denotes to make Himself Divine by His own power; and those are said to be “sanctified in the truth” who in faith and life receive the Divine truth proceeding from Him.

[3] Therefore also the Lord after His resurrection, speaking with the disciples, “breathed on them” and said unto them, “Receive ye the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22); the breathing upon them was representative of making them alive by faith and love, as also in the second chapter of Genesis: “Jehovah breathed into his nostrils the breath of lives, and man became a living soul” (verse 7); in like manner in other passages (Psalms 33:6; 104:29-30; Job 32:8; 33:4; John 3:8). From this also the Word is said to be inspired, because it is from the Lord, and they who wrote the Word are said to have been inspired. (That breathing, and thus inspiration, corresponds to the life of faith, see n. 97, 1119, 1120, 3883-3896.) From this it is that in the Word “spirit” is so called from “wind” or “breath,” and that what is holy from the Lord is called “the wind or breath of Jehovah” (n. 8286); also that the Holy Spirit is the holy proceeding from the the Lord, (n. 3704, 4673, 5307, 6788, 6982, 6993, 8127, 8302, 9199).

[4] So also it is said in John that the Lord “baptizeth with the Holy Spirit” (John 1:33); and in Luke that “He baptizeth with the Holy Spirit and with fire” (John 3:16). In the internal sense “to baptize” signifies to regenerate (n. 4255, 5120, 9088); “to baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire” signifies to regenerate by the good of love. (That “fire” denotes the good of love, see n. 934, 4906, 5215, 6314, 6832, 6834, 6849, 7324) In John:

Who shall not fear Thee, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? For Thou only art holy (Revelation 15:4).

In Luke it is said by the angel concerning the Lord: “The holy thing that shall be born of thee” (Luke 1:35); and in Daniel, “I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, behold a watcher and a holy one came down from heaven” (Daniel 4:13). In these passages “the holy thing” and “the holy one” denote the Lord.

[5] As the Lord alone is holy, He is called in the Old Testament the “Holy One of Israel,” the “Redeemer,” the “Preserver,” the “Regenerator” (Isaiah 1:4; 5:19, 24; 10:20; 12:6; 17:7; 29:19; 30:11-12, 15; 31:1; 37:23 41:14, 16, 20; 43:3, 14; 45:11; 47:4; 48:17; 49:7; 5 4:5; 55:5; 60:9, 14; Jeremiah 50:29; 51:5; Ezekiel 39:7; Psalms 71:22; 78:41; 89:18). And therefore the Lord in heaven, and consequently heaven itself, is called “the habitation of holiness” (Jeremiah 31:23; Isaiah 63:15; Jeremiah 25:30); also a “sanctuary” (Ezekiel 11:16; 24:21); and “the mountain of holiness” (Psalms 48:1). For the same reason the middle of the tent, where was the ark containing the Law, was called the “Holy of Holies (Exodus 26:33-34); for by the Law in the ark in the middle of the tent was represented the Lord as to the Word, because “the Law” denotes the Word (n. 6752, 7463).

[6] All this shows why the angels are called “holy” (Matthew 25:31; Mark 8:38; Luke 9:26; Psalms 149:1; Daniel 8:13); also the prophets (Luke 1:70); and likewise the apostles (Revelation 18:20); not that they are holy from themselves, but from the Lord, who alone is holy, and from whom alone proceeds what is holy; for by “angels” are signified truths, because they are receptions of truth from the the Lord, (n. 1925, 4085, 4295, 4402, 7268, 7873, 8192, 8301); by “prophets” is signified the doctrine of truth which comes through the Word from the the Lord, (n. 2534, 7269); and by “apostles” are signified in their complex all the truths and goods of faith which are from the the Lord, (n. 3488, 3858, 6397).

[7] The sanctifications among the Israelitish and Jewish people were for the purpose of representing the Lord who alone is holy, and the holiness which is from Him alone. This was the purpose of the sanctification of Aaron and his sons (Exodus 29:1, etc.; Leviticus 8:10-11, 13, 30); of the sanctification of their garments (Exodus 29:21, etc.); of the sanctification of the altar, that it might be a holy of holies (Exodus 29:37, etc.); of the sanctification of the tent of the assembly, of the ark of the testimony, of the table, of all the vessels, of the altar of incense, of the altar of burnt-offering, and of the vessels thereof, and of the laver and the base thereof (Exodus 30:26, etc.).

[8] That the Lord is the holiness itself that was represented, is also plain from His words in Matthew, as viewed in the internal sense:

Ye fools and blind! Whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? And whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? (Matthew 23:17, 19);

by the temple was represented the Lord Himself, and also by the altar; and by the “gold” was signified the good which is from the Lord; and by the “gift” or sacrifice, were signified the things that belong to faith and charity from the Lord. (That the Lord was represented by the temple, see n. 2777, 3720; also that He was represented by the altar, n. 2777, 2811, 4489, 8935, 8940 and that by “gold” was signified good from the Lord, n. 1551, 1552, 5658; and by a “sacrifice” worship from the faith and charity which are from the Lord, n. 922, 923, 2805, 2807, 2830, 6905, 8680, 8682, 8936)

[9] In view of all this it is evident why the sons of Israel were called a “holy people” (Deuteronomy 26:19, and elsewhere); and in the words before us “men of holiness;” namely, from the fact that in every detail of their worship were represented the Divine things of the Lord, and the celestial and spiritual things of His kingdom and church. They were therefore called “holy” in a representative sense. They themselves were not holy on this account, because the representatives had regard to the holy things that were represented, and not to the person who represented them (n. 665, 1097, 1361, 3147, 3881, 4208, 4281, 4288, 4292, 4307, 4444, 4500, 6304, 7048, 7439, 8588, 8788, 8806).

[10] Hence also it is that Jerusalem was called “holy;” and Zion, “the mountain of holiness” (Zech. 8:3, and elsewhere). Also in Matthew:

And the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints that were dead were raised; and coming forth out of their tombs after the Lord’s resurrection, they entered into the holy city, and appeared unto many (Matthew 27:52-53);

Jerusalem is here called “the holy city,” although it was rather profane than holy, for the Lord had then been crucified in it, and it is therefore called “Sodom and Egypt” in John:

Their bodies shall lie on the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified (Revelation 11:8).

But it is called “holy” from the fact that it signifies the Lord’s kingdom and church (n. 402, 2117, 3654). The “saints that were dead” appearing there, which happened to some in vision, signified the salvation of those who were of the spiritual church, and the elevation into the Holy Jerusalem, which is heaven, of those who until that time had been detained in the lower earth (of which above, n. 6854, 6914, 7090, 7828, 7932, 8049, 8054, 8159, 8321).

8159. And Pharaoh drew nigh. That this signifies the influx of falsity from evil being thence grievous, is evident from the representation of Pharaoh, as being those who are in falsities from evil (see n. 8132, 8135, 8146, 8148); and from the signification of “drawing nigh,” as being influx. In the internal sense, the subject treated of is the first temptation of those who had been liberated. All temptation is effected by means of an influx from the hells, for the spirits who are thence excite and draw forth all things in a man that have been evilly done and evilly thought, and thereby accuse and condemn him. Thereupon the conscience is troubled, and the mind comes into anxiety. This is done by influx from the hells, especially from this hell which is represented by the sea Suph. From all this it can be seen that by “drawing nigh,” in the spiritual sense, in which temptations are treated of, is signified influx.

[2] As in the verses that now follow, the subject treated of is the first temptation of those who had been of the spiritual church, be it known that they could not undergo temptations until after the Lord had glorified His Human, that is, made it Divine, and in this was present with them. If they had been tempted before, they would have yielded, for they who were of the spiritual church were saved solely through the Divine Human of the Lord. The temptations of those who were of the spiritual church, which they were to undergo after the Lord came into the world, and could then from the Divine Human fight for them against the hells, are meant by these words in Malachi:

The Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to His temple, even the angel of the covenant whom ye desire, behold He cometh, saith Jehovah Zebaoth: who may abide the day of His coming? and who shall stand when He appeareth? for He is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap; and He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and refine them as gold and as silver; and they shall bring unto Jehovah a meat-offering in righteousness. Then shall the meat-offering of Judah and Jerusalem be sweet to Jehovah, according to the days of eternity, and according to the former years (3:1-4);

clearly speaking of the Lord’s coming; “the sons of Levi” here denote those who are of the spiritual church, for by “Levi” is signified charity or spiritual good (n. 3875, 4497, 4502, 4503); “the refiner’s fire” is temptation, whereby is effected purification, which is here meant by “purifying and refining them as gold and silver;” “the meat-offering which they shall bring to Jehovah” is faith and charity; “the days of eternity” and “the former years” denote the ancient churches, and the states of worship of the Lord at that time.

[3] As regards temptations, the case with them is as was said above (n. 8131), that the hells fight against man, and the Lord for man; to every falsity the hells inject, there is an answer from the Divine. The falsities which are from the hells are injected and flow into the external or natural man; but the answer from the Divine flows into the internal or spiritual man. This latter influx, which is from the Divine, does not come to the man’s perception so much as do the falsities; neither does it move the singulars of his thought, but its generals, and in such a manner that it scarcely comes to the perception otherwise than as hope and the consequent consolation, in which there are nevertheless innumerable things of which the man is ignorant, being such things as are in agreement with his affection or love, especially his affection or love of truth and good, from which he has conscience.

[4] These things have been said in order that it may be known that by the life of the sons of Israel in the wilderness are described in their series the temptations which those underwent who had been of the Lord’s spiritual church and had been liberated. They underwent temptations in order that they might be further prepared for heaven; for by means of temptations, and by these as the only means, goods and truths are confirmed and are conjoined; and by means of temptations charity becomes the charity of faith, and faith becomes the faith of charity. That they who are of the church must undergo temptations, is meant by what the Lord has said in Matthew:

He that does not take up his cross, and follow after Me, is not worthy of Me (Matthew 10:38-39; Mark 8:31 to the end).

Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me (Matthew 16:24-25; Luke 9:23-24).

Whosoever does not bear his cross, and come after Me, cannot be My disciple (Luke 14:27).

Jesus said to the rich man, Come, follow Me, taking up the cross (Mark 10:21).

Think not that I am come to send peace on the earth; I came not to send peace, but a sword (Matthew 10:34).

[5] But be it known that in temptations the man does not fight; but the Lord alone fights for the man, although it appears as if it were done by the man; and when the Lord fights for a man the man conquers in all things. At this day few are admitted into temptations, for the reason that they are not in the life of faith, and therefore not in the conscience of truth; and he who is not in the conscience of truth from the good of life, yields; whereby his subsequent state becomes worse than the former.