665. The spirit of life from God entered into them, signifies enlightenment and the reception of Divine truth from the Lord with some for the beginning of the New Church. This is evident from the signification of "the spirit of life from God," as being the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord (of which presently); also from the signification of "entering into them," namely, into the "witnesses" that were slain and cast forth, as being enlightenment and reception of influx, namely, of Divine truth, which is signified by "the spirit of life;" it means also with some for establishing the New Church, as is evident from the following verse, where it is said that "they went up into heaven in the cloud," thus it is meant with some, for "the two witnesses" signify the goods of love and the truths of doctrine, also they mean those with whom these goods and truths are, for all such are "witnesses."

[2] When the end of the church is at hand then it is provided by the Lord that a New Church shall succeed, for without a church in which is the Word and in which the Lord is known, the world cannot subsist; for without the Word, and thence the knowledge and acknowledgment of the Lord, heaven cannot be conjoined to the human race, nor therefore can the Divine proceeding from the Lord flow in with new life; and without conjunction with heaven and through that with the Lord, man would not be a man, but a beast. This is why a New Church is always provided by the Lord when an old church comes to its end. Why the beginning only of the New Church and not yet its establishment is meant, shall be told in the explanation of the following verse.

[3] That "the spirit of life from God" or "the Spirit of God," and "the Holy Spirit," mean the Divine proceeding from the Lord, which is called the Divine truth, from which is all wisdom and intelligence, has been said and shown above (n. 24, 183, 318). This Divine proceeding is what enlightens man and flows into him when he is being reformed and regenerated, thus when the church is commencing and being established with him, as can be plainly seen from the passages quoted above from the Word n. 183, also from this in Ezekiel:

Jehovah said unto me, Prophesy about the spirit, prophesy, son of man, and say unto the wind, Thus the Lord Jehovih hath said, Come from the four winds, O spirit, and breathe into these slain, that they may live. And when I had prophesied the spirit entered into them, and they revived and stood upon their feet, a very great army (Ezekiel 37:9, 10).

[4] This treats of "the dry bones" seen by the prophet upon the face of the valley, which signify the house of Israel, as is plainly declared in verse 11 of that chapter. "The house of Israel" signifies the church, and that house or church is here compared to "dry bones" because it had no good of love or truth of doctrine. The establishment of a New Church by the inbreathing of a new life, or by regeneration, is described by the "sinews, flesh, and skin," with which the bones were clothed and encompassed, and especially by the "spirit" that entered into them, and from which they lived; the "spirit" in them here signifies also the reception of the influx of Divine truth and consequent spiritual life. The prophet said to the wind, "Come from the four winds, O spirit," because "the four winds" signify the four quarters in the spiritual world, and the four quarters there signify the goods of love and the truths of doctrine in the whole complex. (On the signification of these see above, n. 417, 418, 419, 422, and in the work on Heaven and Hell 141-150.)

148. And upon the stone a new name written, which no one knoweth except he that receiveth, signifies a state of interior life unknown to all except those who are in it. This is evident from the signification of "name," as being the quality of state (of which see Arcana Coelestia (1754, 1896, 2009, 3237, 3421); here the quality of the state of the interior life, because it is said "a new name, which no one knoweth except he that receiveth," for the quality of the state of the interior life is wholly unknown to those who are not in the interior life. Those are in the interior life who are in love to the Lord, and none are in love to the Lord except those who acknowledge the Divine in His Human (that to love the Lord is to live according to His precepts, see Arcana Coelestia 10143, 10153, 10578, 10645, 10829). Interior life is the spiritual life, in which the angels of heaven are; but the exterior life is the natural life, in which are all who are not in heaven. With those, moreover, who live according to the precepts of the Lord and acknowledge the Divine in His Human, the interior mind is opened, and man then becomes spiritual; but those who do not so live, and do not acknowledge the Lord, remain natural. (That to all who are not in heavenly love the state of the interior or spiritual life is unknown, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 395-414; and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 105, 238.)

[2] That "name" in the Word signifies quality of state is evident from many passages there, some of which I will here cite in confirmation. Thus in Isaiah:

Lift up your eyes on high and see; who hath created these? He that leadeth out the host in number; that calleth them all by name (Isaiah 40:26).

"His calling them all by name" is knowing the quality of all, and giving to them according to the state of love and faith with them. In John the meaning is similar:

He that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out (John 10:2-3).

In Isaiah:

Thus saith Jehovah thy Creator, O Jacob, and thy Former, O Israel, Fear not; for I have redeemed thee, and have called thee by name; thou art Mine (Isaiah 43:1).

In the same:

That thou mayest know that I am Jehovah, who had called thee by thy name. For Jacob My servant's sake, and Israel My chosen, I have called thee by thy name, when thou didst not know Me (Isaiah 45:3-4).

"I have called thee by thy name" means that He knew the quality of the state of the church; for "Jacob" and "Israel" are the church, "Jacob" the external church, and "Israel" the internal.

[3] In the same:

Israel, if thou hadst hearkened to My commandments, his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before Me (Isaiah 48:18-19).

"The name being cut off and destroyed from before Jehovah" denotes the quality of the state by which conjunction is effected, which state is the spiritual state of him who is of the church signified by "Israel." Again in the same prophet:

Jehovah hath called me from the womb, from the bowels of my mother doth He make mention of my name (Isaiah 49:1).

here "making mention of the name" is knowing the quality. In the same:

For Zion's sake I will not be still, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not be quiet. And the nations shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory; and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of Jehovah shall utter (Isaiah 62:1, 2).

In the same:

He shall call His servants by another name (Isaiah 65:15).

"To call by a new name," and "by another name," is to bestow another state of life, namely, a state of spiritual life. In Ezekiel:

The city of bloods, polluted by name (Ezekiel 22:2, 5).

"The city of bloods" is the doctrine that offers violence to the good of charity; this is said to be "polluted by name" when it abounds with falsities and evils therefrom, which constitute its quality.

[4] In Moses:

Moses said unto Jehovah, Thou hast said, I know thee by thy name. And Jehovah said unto Moses, This word also that thou hast spoken I will do, for I know thee by name (Exodus 33:12, 17).

"His knowing Moses by name" is knowing his quality. In Revelation:

Thou hast a few names in Sardis which have not defiled their garments. He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white garments, and I will confess his name before My Father. He that overcometh, I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, and My new name (Revelation 3:4, 5, 12).

It can be seen that "name" here signifies the quality of state in respect to the good of love and the truth of faith. In another place:

Whose names have not been written in the book of life (Revelation 13:8; 17:8).

"Names written in the book of life" are the quality of all things of man's love and faith, the all things of his spiritual life. In another place:

They shall see the face of God and the Lamb, and His name shall be in their forehead (Revelation 22:4).

"His name in their forehead" is a state of love, for "forehead" corresponds to love, and therefore signifies love.

[5] "Name" in the Word signifies the quality of man's state, because in the spiritual world each one is named according to the state of life in which he is, thus variously; for spiritual speech is not like human speech; all things there are expressed according to ideas of things and of persons; and these ideas fall into words. (This can be seen more clearly from what is shown on The Speech of the Angels in Heaven, in the work on Heaven and Hell 234-245; also see above, n. 102, 135, where it is shown what "the name of Jehovah," "of the Lord," and "of Jesus Christ" signify in the Word.)