9594. And thou shalt make the Habitation. That this signifies the second or middle heaven, is evident from the signification of “the Habitation,” when said of the Divine, as being heaven, in particular the middle or second heaven. It is known that there are three heavens: the inmost, the middle, and the ultimate; or the third, the second, and the first. All these heavens were represented by the tabernacle: by the ark, where the Testimony was, the inmost or third heaven; by the Habitation, where were the table for the breads of faces and the lampstand, the middle or second heaven; and by the court, the ultimate or first heaven. That there are three heavens is because there are three degrees of life in man (for the man who becomes an angel after death constitutes heaven; from no other source are the angels, from no other is heaven). The inmost degree of the man’s life is for the inmost heaven; the middle degree of his life is for the middle heaven; and the ultimate degree is for the ultimate heaven. Man being such, or so formed, and heaven being from the human race, there are therefore three heavens.

[2] These three degrees of life in man are opened successively; the first degree by a life in accordance with what is equitable and just; the second degree by a life in accordance with the truths of faith from the Word, and in accordance with the consequent goods of charity toward the neighbor; and the third degree by a life in accordance with the good of mutual love and the good of love to the Lord. These are the means whereby are successively opened these three degrees of life in man, thus the three heavens in him. But be it known that in proportion as a man recedes from the good of life, and accedes to the evil of life, these degrees are closed, that is, the heavens are closed in him; for just as the good of life opens them, so the evil of life closes them. It is from this that all who are in evil are outside of heaven, thus are in hell. And because, as before said, the heavens are successively opened in a man according to the good of his life, be it known that for this reason in some the first heaven is opened and not the second; and in some the second heaven is opened and not the third; and that the third heaven is opened in those only who are in the good of life from love to the Lord. (That a man is heaven in the least form, and that he was created after the image both of heaven and of the world, may be seen in the passages cited in n. 9279).

[3] Therefore it is the inmost heaven which is represented by the ark of the Testimony, treated of in the preceding chapter; it is the middle heaven which is represented by the Habitation, treated of in this chapter; and it is the ultimate heaven which is represented by the court, treated of in the following chapter. Heaven is called “the Habitation of God” from the fact that the Divine of the Lord dwells there; for it is the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord’s Divine good that makes heaven, for this gives the life of an angel who is there. And because the Lord dwells with the angels in that which is from Himself (n. 9338), therefore heaven is called “the Habitation of God,” and the Divine truths themselves from the Divine good, of which the angels or the angelic societies are the receptions, are called His “Habitations; as in David:

O send out Thy light and Thy truth; let these lead me; let them lead me unto the mountain of holiness, and to Thy habitations; that I may go in unto the altar of God, unto God (Psalms 43:3-4

There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holiness of the habitations of the Most High (Psalms 46:4).

They have profaned the habitation of Thy name to the earth (Psalms 74:7).

How lovely are Thy habitations, O Jehovah (Psalms 84:1).

[4] That the Divine things which proceed from the Lord’s Divine Human are what are in particular called His “Habitations,” and that from this, heaven itself is called His “Habitation” is also evident in David:

He swore to Jehovah, he vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob, I will not give sleep to mine eyes until I have found out a place for Jehovah, habitations for the Mighty One of Jacob. Lo, we heard of Him in Ephrathah, we found Him in the fields of the forest; we will go into His Habitations (Psalms 132:2, 4-7).

“The Mighty One of Jacob” denotes the Lord as to the Divine Human (n. 6425); “Ephrathah,” where He was to be found, is Bethlehem, where He was born (Genesis 35:19; 48:7; Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:4-6); “the fields of the forest” denote the goods of the church among the Gentiles.

[5] In Ezekiel:

They shall dwell upon the land that I have given to Jacob My servant; they shall dwell upon it, they and their sons’ sons forever; and David My servant shall be prince to them forever. I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them, and I will set My sanctuary in the midst of them forever. So shall My habitation be with them (Ezekiel 37:25-27).

“David,” who was to be “prince to them” denotes the the Lord, (n. 1888); “the sanctuary” denotes the Lord’s Divine Human, because from Him is all that is holy (n. 3210, 9229); thus His “Habitation” denotes heaven and the church where the Lord is.

[6] In Jeremiah:

Thus said Jehovah, Behold I bring back the captivity of Jacob’s tents, and have compassion on his habitations, that the city shall be built upon its heap (Jeremiah 30:18).

“To bring back the captivity of Jacob’s tents” denotes to restore the goods and truths of the external church which had been destroyed; “having compassion on his habitations” denotes to restore the truths of the internal church; “the city which shall be built upon its heap” denotes the doctrine of truth (n. 2449, 2943, 3216, 4492, 4493).

[7] In what way the Lord dwells in the heavens, can be seen from what has been shown already concerning the Lord; namely, that the Lord as to the Divine Human is the Sun from which are the heat and light in the heavens. The heat from the Lord as the Sun is love, and the light is faith. From this the Lord dwells with those who receive from Him the good of love and the truth of faith, thus the heat and light of life. His presence is according to the degrees of the reception.

4489. Will they not be ours? That this signifies that these were alike and of one form, is evident from the series, which is to the effect that the goods and truths of the Most Ancient Church still in part remaining among Hamor and Shechem and their families, would agree with the goods and truths of the Ancient Church among the descendants of Jacob; for the rituals instituted among the descendants of Jacob were merely external things that represented and signified the internal things of the Most Ancient Church. Hence by “will they not be ours,” or belong to them, is signified that they were alike and of one form.

[2] To illustrate this by an example. The altar on which they sacrificed was the chief representative of the the Lord, (n. 921, 2777, 2811); and therefore it was a fundamental of worship in the Ancient Church called “Hebrew;” consequently all things in general and in particular of which the altar was constructed were representative-its dimensions, height, breadth, and length, its stones, its network of brass, its horns, also the fire that was to be kept perpetually burning on it, besides the sacrifices and burnt-offerings. What these represented were the truths and goods which are of the Lord and from the Lord, and these were the internal things of worship, which being represented in that external, were alike and of one form with the truths and goods of the Most Ancient Church. The dimensions, namely, the height, breadth, and length, signified in general good, truth, and the holy thence derived (see n. 650, 1613, 3433, 3434, 4482); the stones specifically signified lower truths (n. 1298, 3720); the brass of which the network around the altar was made signified natural good (n. 425, 1551); the horns signified the power of truth from good (n. 2832); the fire upon the altar signified love (n. 934); the sacrifices and burnt-offerings signified celestial and spiritual things according to their various species (n. 922, 1823, 2180, 2805, 2807, 2830, 3519). Hence it is evident that internal things were contained within these external ones, and that in respect to the internal things the two churches were alike; and the case is the same in regard to all the other rituals.

[3] But the men of the Most Ancient Church cared not for these external things, because they were internal men, and the Lord flowed in with them by an internal way, and taught them what is good. The varieties and differences of good were to them truths, and hence they knew what each and all things in the world represented in the Lord’s kingdom; for the whole world, or universal nature, is a theater representative of the Lord’s kingdom (n. 2758, 3483). But the men of the Ancient Church were not internal but external men; and therefore the Lord could not flow in with them by an internal, but by an external way, to teach them what is good, and this first by such things as were representative and significative (whence arose the representative church), and afterwards by the doctrinal things of good and truth which were represented and signified (whence arose the Christian Church). In respect to its internal form the Christian Church is essentially the same as the representative church; but the representatives and significatives of this church were abrogated after the Lord came into the world, because all and each of them represented Him and consequently the things of His kingdom, for these are from Him, and are so to speak Himself.

[4] But the difference between the Most Ancient Church and the Christian Church is like that between the light of the sun by day, and the light of the moon and stars by night; for to see goods by the internal or prior way is like seeing in the day by the light of the sun; but to see by the external or posterior way is like seeing in the night by the light of the moon or the stars. Nearly the same was the difference between the Most Ancient Church and the Ancient Church, except that the men of the Christian Church were able to be in fuller light if they would have acknowledged internal things, or would have believed and done the truths and goods which the Lord taught. The good itself is the same in both, but the difference consists in seeing it in clearness or in obscurity. They who see it in clearness, see innumerable arcana, almost as do the angels in heaven, and are also affected by what they see; but they who see it in obscurity, see scarcely anything free from doubt, and the things they see are mingled with the shades of night (that is, with falsities) and cannot inwardly affect anyone. Now as the good is the same in both churches, consequently also the truth, by the words, “will they not be ours” is signified that the goods and truths were alike and of one form; for as before said Hamor and Shechem were of the remains of the Most Ancient Church, and the posterity of Jacob was of the Ancient Church that was called “Hebrew,” but only in its externals. But that Hamor and Shechem his son committed an enormous sin in receiving circumcision will be seen in what follows (n. 4493).