8888. 'Six days you shall labour and do all your work' means the conflict which comes before and is preparatory to that marriage. This is clear from the meaning of 'six days' as states of conflict, conflict being meant by 'six', see 720, 737, 900, and states by 'days', 23, 487, 488, 493, 2788, 4850, 5672, 5962, 6110, 8426; and from the meaning of 'labouring and doing one's work' as attending to the necessary things of life, here those of spiritual life, which is life in heaven.

[2] Furthermore by the conflict which comes before and is preparatory to the heavenly marriage one should understand spiritual conflict or temptation. For before a person enters into the heavenly marriage, that is, before being regenerated, he is involved in conflict with the evils and falsities residing with him; these have to be removed before truth and good from the Lord can be received. They are removed - those evils and falsities - by means of the truths of faith; for a person not only learns through those truths what good is, but is also led to good by means of them. This state is the first that a person who is being regenerated passes through; and it is called the state which comes before and is preparatory to the heavenly marriage. But when the person is governed by good and is led by the Lord by means of good, he has entered into the heavenly marriage, and so is in heaven since the heavenly marriage is heaven. The first state is what is meant by the six days that come before the seventh, the second is what is meant by the seventh day. Regarding these two states with a person, see 7923, 8505, 8506, 8510, 8512, 8516, 8539, 8643, 8648, 8658, 8685, 8690, 8701, 8722.

[3] Since the heavenly marriage, which is heaven, is meant by 'the sabbath', the Lord's kingdom in the heavens is called an everlasting sabbath, that is, everlasting rest and peace; and there the six days of labour are no more.

8506. 'Six days you shall gather it' means the acceptance of truth before it is joined to good. This is clear from the meaning of 'six days' as states of conflict and labour, dealt with above in 8494, at this point states when truth is gaining acceptance, or states when good is being acquired through truth, dealt with immediately above in 8505; for during this state there is labour and conflict. During it a person is pitched into temptations, which are conflicts with the evils and falsities residing with him; at this time the Lord fights for him and also alongside him. But this state is followed by a state in which good and truth are joined together, a state that is accordingly one of rest also for the Lord. This state is what rest on the seventh or sabbath day represented. The reason why it is rest for the Lord is that when good has been joined to truth, a person abides in the Lord and is led by the Lord without labour or conflict. This state is what is meant by the second state spoken of immediately above in 8505.