924. 21:27 But there shall not enter it anything unclean, or that creates an abomination or a lie. This symbolically means that no one is received into the Lord's New Church, which is the New Jerusalem, who adulterates the goods in the Word and falsifies its truths, and who does evils deliberately and so also devises falsities.

Not to enter in means, symbolically, not to be received, as before. Something unclean symbolizes spiritual licentiousness, which is an adulteration of the Word's goodness and a falsification of its truth (nos. 702, 728). For this is absolutely unclean and impure, inasmuch as the Word is absolutely clean and pure, and it is defiled with evils and falsities when it is corrupted. That adultery and licentiousness correspond to an adulteration of the Word's goodness and a falsification of its truth may be seen in nos. 134, 632. To create an abomination or a lie means, symbolically, to do evils and so also to devise falsities. Abominations symbolize evils of every kind, especially those named in the Ten Commandments (no. 891), and a lie symbolizes falsities of every kind, here the falsities that accompany evil, which in themselves are evils. Thus they are falsities used to justify evil, which are the same as evils affirmed.

A lie symbolizes doctrinal falsity because that is what a spiritual lie is. To create a lie, therefore, symbolically means to live in accordance with doctrinal falsities.

[2] That a lie in the Word symbolizes doctrinal falsity may be seen from the following passages:

We have made a covenant with death, and with hell we have produced a vision... ...we have made a lie our refuge, and in falsehood we have hidden ourselves. (Isaiah 28:15)

Everyone deceives his neighbor, and they do not speak the truth; they have taught their tongue to speak a lie. (Jeremiah 9:5)

...this is a rebellious people, lying children..., who will not hear the law of Jehovah. (Isaiah 30:9)

Behold, I am against those who prophesy lying dreams..., and tell them in order to lead My people astray by their lies... (Jeremiah 23:32)

The diviners see a lie, and speak false dreams. (Zechariah 10:2)

(The diviners) see vanity and a lying divination... Therefore..., because you speak vanity and see a lie, behold, for that reason I am against you..., (so that) My hand is against the prophets who speak... a lie. (Ezekiel 13:6-9, cf. 21:29)

Woe to the bloody city! It is all full of lying and robbery. (Nahum 3:1)

In the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a shocking obstinacy, committing adultery and walking in lies. (Jeremiah 23:14)

From the prophet even to the priest, everyone devises lies. (Jeremiah 8:10)

(In Israel) they have devised lies. (Hosea 7:1)

You are of your father the devil... He was a murderer from the beginning..., because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks on his own, for he is the speaker of a lie and the father of it. (John 8:44)

Here, too, a lie means falsity.

3. Which God gave Him to show His servants. This symbolically means, for people who have faith arising from charity, or truths of wisdom arising from the goodness of love.

To show means, symbolically, to make evident, and servants here symbolize people who have faith arising from charity. The following things are made evident to them because they understand and accept.

Servants mean, in the spiritual sense, people who are governed by truths; and because truths spring from goodness, servants mean people who are governed by truths arising from goodness, thus also people governed by wisdom arising from love, because wisdom has to do with truth, and love with goodness. They also are people who have faith arising from charity, because faith, too, has to do with truth, and charity with goodness. And because the spiritual sense in reality is abstracted from person, therefore servants in that sense symbolize truths.

Now because truths, by teaching goodness, serve it, therefore in general, and properly speaking, by a servant in the Word is meant something serving, or someone or something that serves. In this sense not only were prophets called servants of God, but so, too, was the Lord in respect to His humanity.

That prophets were called servants of God is evident from the following passages:

Jehovah has sent to you all His servants the prophets... (Jeremiah 25:4)

...He has revealed His secret to His servants the prophets. (Amos 3:7)

...He has set before us by the hand of His servants the prophets. (Daniel 9:10)

Moses, too, is called a servant of Jehovah (Malachi 4:4). That is because a prophet, in the spiritual sense, means doctrinal truth, as discussed below.

[2] Moreover, because the Lord was the very embodiment of Divine truth, which also is the Word, and for that reason was called the prophet, and because He served in the world and serves all people to eternity by teaching, therefore He, too, is here and there called the servant of Jehovah, as in the following passages:

Of the labor of His soul He shall see; He shall be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many... (Isaiah 53:11)

Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently; He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high. (Isaiah 52:13)

Behold! My Servant on whom I rest, My Elect. My soul has good pleasure! I have put My Spirit upon Him... (Isaiah 42:1, 19)

These things are said of the Lord. David is spoken of similarly, where by him is meant the Lord, as in the following:

I, Jehovah, will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them... (Ezekiel 34:24)

David My servant shall be king over them, so that they all have one shepherd... (Ezekiel 37:24)

I will protect this city to save it, for My sake and for My servant David's sake. (Isaiah 37:35)

So, too, Psalms 78:70-72; 89:3-4, 20. (That by David in these places is meant the Lord, may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem Regarding the Lord, nos. 43, 44.)

The Lord Himself speaks similarly of Himself:

...whoever desires to become great among you must be your attendant, and whoever desires to be first among you must be your servant, even as the Son of Man did not come to be ministered to, but to minister... (Matthew 20:25-28. Cf. Mark 10:42-45, Luke 22:27. So, too, Luke 12:37)

The Lord says this, because by a servant and attendant are meant one who serves and ministers by teaching, and abstractly from person, Divine truth, which He embodied.

[3] Since a servant therefore means someone who teaches Divine truth, it is apparent that servants in this place in the book of Revelation mean people who possess truths arising from goodness, or faith arising from charity, because they are able to teach from the Lord, that is to say, because the Lord is able to teach and minister through them.

It is in this sense that they are called servants in Matthew:

(At the end of the age,) who... is the faithful and prudent servant, whom his lord set over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his lord, when he comes, will find so doing. (Matthew 24:45-46)

And in Luke:

Blessed are those servants whom the lord, when he comes, will find watching. Truly I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will (himself) come and attend to them. (Luke 12:37)

In heaven, all people in the Lord's spiritual kingdom are called His servants, while those in His celestial kingdom are called His ministers. That is because people in His spiritual kingdom are governed by wisdom derived from Divine truth, and those in the celestial kingdom by love derived from Divine good. And good ministers, while truth serves.

In an opposite sense, however, by servants are meant people who serve the devil. These are in a real state of servitude, whereas people who serve the Lord are in a state of freedom - as the Lord also teaches in John 8:31-36. ¹

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