613. Having His Father's name written on their foreheads. This symbolizes the acknowledgment out of love and faith among them of the Lord's Divinity and of His Divine humanity.

The name of the Father means the Lord in respect to the Divine called the Father from which springs all else, and at the same time in respect to His Divine humanity called the Son, since the two are one and the same person, united like a soul and body. In heaven, therefore, no other father than the Lord is meant by God the Father, and in the new heaven the Lord is also called Father.

We are told here that they had the Father's name on their foreheads because the Father also means the Divine goodness of the Lord's Divine love, which in the Gospels is everywhere meant by the Father when referred to by the Lord, while the Divine truth of His Divine wisdom is meant by the Son. When the Lord glorified His humanity, these two were united like a soul with its body and a body with its soul (see nos. 21, 170).

Because the two are one, therefore we find reference elsewhere to the name of God and of the Lamb being "on their foreheads" (Revelation 22:4). Therefore, with respect to the people who are the subject here, we are told that they had the Father's name written on their foreheads, inasmuch as the 144,000 that were sealed of the twelve tribes of Israel mean angels of the higher heavens, all of whom are prompted by the goodness of celestial love, and that is, as we said, the love meant by the Father.

That the angels who are the subject here are angels of the higher heavens may be seen in the exposition of chapter 7, especially in no. 369 there.

Having the name written on their foreheads symbolizes an acknowledgment in them out of love and faith - having it written or inscribed symbolizing an acknowledgment in them, and the forehead symbolizing love and the resulting intelligence or faith (nos. 347, 605).

[2] We say that the Divine called the Father and the Divine humanity called the Son are one like a soul and body, consequently that people must approach the Lord in His Divine humanity, and that in this way and in no other is the Divine called the Father approached; and this can be seen from so many passages in the Word that they would fill pages if we were to cite them all. We cited a number of them in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem Regarding the Lord, nos. 29-36 38-45, and later, and by way of confirmation we will present only some of them here, as follows:

The angel said to (Mary), ."..behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest...."

But Mary said..., "How shall this be, since I do not know a man?"

The angel answered..., "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore... the Holy One who is to be born of you will be called the Son of God. (Luke 1:30-35)

...an angel of the Lord appeared to (Joseph) in a dream, saying, ."..do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit...." ...and (Joseph) did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. (Matthew 1:20, 25)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... And the Word became flesh..., and we beheld His glory, as though the glory of the only begotten of the Father... (John 1:1-2, 14)

...the Jews sought... to kill (Jesus), because He... said that God was His Father, making Himself equal to God. Jesus answered..., ."..whatever (the Father) does, the Son also does in like manner. ...as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. ...assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming... when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. (John 5:18-25)

...as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself... (John 5:26)

"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him."

Philip said to Him, ."..show us the Father...."

Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long a time, and have you not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how then do you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I dwell in the Father, and the Father in Me? ...Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me...." (John 14:6-11)

"I give (My sheep) eternal life... I and My Father are one."

(Then the Jews were angered that He made Himself God. And He said, "I do the works of My Father.") ."..believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him." (John 10:28-38)

"He who sees Me sees Him who sent Me." (John 12:45)

"All things that the Father has are Mine." (John 16:15)

...that the Father had given all things into His hands... (John 13:3)

"Father..., ...You have given (Me) authority over all flesh... This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only... God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent... All that is Mine are Yours, and what are Yours are Mine...." (John 17:1-3, 10)

"All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth." (Matthew 28:18)

"Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do...." (And) "I will do it." (John 14:13-14)

."..the Spirit of truth... will not speak on its own, but... will take of what is Mine and declare it to you." (John 16:13-14)

He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)

[3] And so on. There are still more passages in the Old Testament, some of which we will present also:

...unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, God, Hero, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

A virgin shall conceive... a Son, and His name shall be called God-With-Us. (Isaiah 7:14)

"Behold, the days are coming... when I will raise to David a righteous offshoot, who shall reign as a King... And this is His name by which He will be called: JEHOVAH OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS." (Jeremiah 23:5-6; 33:15-16)

Then it will be said in that day: "Behold, ...our God, for whom we have waited, for Him to free us, ...Jehovah, for whom we have waited; we will rejoice and be glad in His salvation." (Isaiah 25:9)

God is in you only, and... there is no other God. Surely You are God, who hide Yourself, O God of Israel, the Savior! (Isaiah 45:14-15)

Is it not I, Jehovah? And there is no other God besides Me; a just God and a Savior, there is none besides Me. (Isaiah 45:21-22)

I... am Jehovah, and besides Me there is no savior. (Isaiah 43:11)

I am Jehovah your God... and you shall acknowledge no God but Me; and there is no Savior besides Me. (Hosea 13:4)

...You (Jehovah) are our Father..., our Redeemer from of old Your name. (Isaiah 63:16)

Thus said Jehovah, the King of Israel, and His Redeemer, Jehovah Zebaoth: "I am the First and the Last, and besides Me there is no God." (Isaiah 44:6)

Thus said Jehovah, your Redeemer...: "I am Jehovah, who makes all things, ...all alone, ...by Myself." (Isaiah 44:24)

Thus said Jehovah, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am Jehovah your God...." (Isaiah 48:17)

...O Jehovah, my rock, and my Redeemer! (Psalms 19:14)

Their Redeemer is strong, Jehovah Zebaoth His name. (Jeremiah 50:34)

...Jehovah Zebaoth is His name; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He shall be called the God of the whole earth. (Isaiah 54:5)

That all flesh may know that I, Jehovah, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. (Isaiah 49:26, cf. 60:16)

As for our Redeemer, Jehovah Zebaoth is His name... (Isaiah 47:4)

Thus said Jehovah, your Redeemer... (Isaiah 43:14, cf. 49:7)

And so elsewhere, as in Luke 1:68; Isaiah 62:11-12; 63:1, 4, 9.

And in Zechariah:

In that day... Jehovah shall become King over all the earth. In that day there shall be one Jehovah, and His name one. (Zechariah 14:8-9)

These are but a few of the passages.

348. And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four thousand. (7:4) This symbolizes all people who acknowledge the Lord as God of heaven and earth and are governed by truths of doctrine springing from the goodness of love, received from Him through the Word.

These are symbolized by the number 144,000 from the twelve tribes of Israel because the twelve tribes of Israel symbolize a church that consists of people who possess goodness and truth from the Lord and acknowledge Him as God of heaven and earth. The number 144,000 means all such. For that number has the same symbolism as the number twelve, since it is the product of twelve times twelve, which is then multiplied by 1000; and any number multiplied by itself and then by 10, 100, or 1000, has the same symbolism as the original number. Thus the number 144,000 has the same symbolism as 144, and this the same symbolism as twelve, as 144 is the product of twelve times twelve. Similarly, the product of the 12,000 sealed from each tribe times twelve is 144,000.

The number twelve means, symbolically, all, and is predicated of truths springing from goodness, because twelve is the product of three times four, and the number three symbolizes everything connected with truth, and the number four, everything connected with good. Thus the number twelve here symbolizes everything connected with truth that springs from the goodness of love.

[2] Numbers all symbolize additional properties of things that determine their quality or quantity, and this can be clearly seen from numbers in the book of Revelation, which in many places would not have any meaning unless they were symbolic.

From the foregoing it can now be seen that the 144,000 sealed, and the 12,000 from each tribe, mean not that these many were sealed or chosen from the tribes of Israel, but that all those were who are governed by truths of doctrine springing from the goodness of love received from the Lord.

This is the general symbolism of the twelve tribes of Israel, and also of the Lord's twelve apostles, but each tribe and each apostle individually symbolizes some truth springing from good. What each tribe symbolizes here, however, we will say in the following considerations.

Since the twelve tribes symbolize all doctrinal truths springing from the goodness of love received from the Lord, therefore they also symbolize all constituents of the church. Consequently the church was represented by the twelve tribes of Israel, and likewise by the twelve apostles.

[3] Because the number twelve is predicated of the church's truths and goods, therefore the New Jerusalem, meaning the Lord's New Church, is described in its individual parts by the number twelve. So for instance, the city had a length and breadth of 12,000 stadia. ¹ Its wall was 144 cubits ² (144 being twelve times twelve). It had twelve gates, and the gates consisted of twelve pearls. Over the gates were twelve angels, and on the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. It had twelve foundations, and on them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. These consisted also of twelve precious stones. Moreover, the city had in it the tree of life which bore twelve fruits, in correlation with the twelve months. All of this may be seen in Revelation, chapters 21, 22.

Out of the kind of people described here the Lord formed a new heaven and is in the process of forming a new church. For they are the same people mentioned in chapter fourteen and thereafter, where we read about them the following:

Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand... And they sang... a new song before the throne...; and no one could learn the song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth. ...they are virgins..., (and) follow the Lamb wherever He goes. (Revelation 14:1, 3-4)

[4] Since the twelve tribes symbolize the Lord's church in respect to all its truths and goods, therefore the number twelve became an ecclesiastical number, and one customary in its sanctities. So for example, on the breastpiece of judgment, containing the Urim and Thummim, there were twelve precious stones (Exodus 28:21). Twelve cakes of showbread were placed on the table in the Tabernacle (Leviticus 24:5-6). Moses built an altar at the foot of Mournt Sinai and set up twelve pillars. (Exodus 24bb4) Twelve men were sent to explore the land of Canaan (Deuteronomy 1:23). Twelve men carried twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan (Joshua 4:1-9, 20). At the dedication of the altar, twelve leaders brought twelve silver plates, twelve silver bowls, twelve gold censers, twelve young bulls, twelve rams, twelve lambs, and twelve goats (Numbers 7:84, 87). Elijah took twelve stones and built an altar (1 Kings 18:31, 32). Elijah found Elisha when Elisha was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was the twelfth, and Elijah then threw his mantle over him (1 Kings 19:19). Solomon placed under the bronze sea twelve oxen (1 Kings 7:25, 44). He made a throne, and standing on its steps twelve lions (1 Kings 10:19, 20). On the head of the woman clothed with the sun was a crown of twelve stars (Revelation 12:1).

It can now be seen from this that 144,000 sealed, 12,000 from each tribe, means not this number of Jews and Israelites, but all who, as part of the new Christian heaven and of the New Church, will be governed by truths of doctrine springing from the goodness of love, received from the Lord through the Word.

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