9741. And thou shalt make the court of the Habitation. That this signifies the ultimate heaven is evident from the signification of “the court of the Habitation” as being the external of heaven, thus the ultimate heaven. For there are three heavens-the inmost, the middle, and the ultimate; the inmost heaven was represented by the inmost part of the habitation, where was the ark of the Testimony; the middle heaven, by the Habitation outside the veil; and the ultimate heaven by the court, which is now treated of. This heaven is called “the court” because in it are those who are in the good of faith, and not yet in the good of charity toward the neighbor; those who are in the good of charity are in the middle heaven. Those who are in the ultimate heaven, which is called “the court,” are called “angelic spirits;” those who are in the middle heaven are called “spiritual angels;” but those who are in the inmost heaven are called “celestial angels.”

[2] Moreover, the very good of faith, which is the good of the ultimate heaven, is a court, for through it man is introduced into the good of charity toward the neighbor, which is the good of the middle heaven. Be it known that the good with a man makes his heaven, and that his heaven is such as his good is. There are three goods which follow in order: the good of faith, the good of charity toward the neighbor, and the good of love to the Lord. The good of faith, as just said, makes the ultimate or first heaven; the good of charity toward the neighbor makes the middle or second heaven; and the good of love to the Lord makes the inmost or third heaven.

[3] A few words shall be said in order to make known still better how the case is with the heavens. The heavens are distinguished into two kingdoms: the celestial kingdom, and the spiritual kingdom; and in each of these kingdoms there is an internal and an external. In the internal of the celestial kingdom are those who are in the good of love to the Lord, and in its external are those who are in the good of mutual love; but in the internal of the spiritual kingdom are those who are in the good of charity toward the neighbor, and in its external are those who are in the good of faith (see n. 9680). The external of both kingdoms is what is called the ultimate or first heaven, and was represented by the court. It was for this reason that the court around the temple was twofold, outer and inner; the outer court denotes those who are in the external things of the spiritual kingdom, and the inner court those who are in the external things of the celestial kingdom.

[4] With respect to these two courts of the temple at Jerusalem, see 1 Kings 6:3, 36; 2 Kings 21:5. With respect to the outer court of the new temple in Ezekiel, see Ezekiel 40:17, 31, 34; 42:1-20; and with respect to the inner court there, Ezekiel 40:23, 28, 32, 4 40:44; 42:3; 43:5. From this it is evident that it is the good of faith which makes the ultimate heaven that was represented by the outer court of the temple, and that it is the good of mutual love which makes the ultimate heaven that was represented by the inner court. Those who are in the good of mutual love are in the affection of good for the sake of good; but those who are in the good of faith are in the affection of truth for the sake of truth; for good rules in the celestial kingdom, but truth in the spiritual kingdom.

[5] That the ultimate heaven is signified by “the courts,” is evident from the passages in the Word where these are mentioned; as in Ezekiel:

The glory of Jehovah lifted up itself above the cherub, over the threshold of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the cloud filled the inner court, and the court was full of the brightness of the glory of Jehovah. And the voice of the wings of the cherubs was heard even to the outer court (Ezekiel 10:3-5).

As the court was the representative of the ultimate heaven, therefore it was filled with the cloud and the brightness of the glory of Jehovah, as was the house itself; for “the cloud” and “the glory” denote Divine truth (that a “cloud” denotes this, see n. 5922, 6343, 6752, 8106, 8443; and also “glory,” n. 8267, 8427, 9429 ); “the voice of the wings” denotes the truth of faith from good (n. 8764, 9514).

[6] Again:

The spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court of the temple, when behold the glory of Jehovah filled the house. And I heard one speaking unto me out of the house, saying, Son of man, this is the place of My throne, and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the sons of Israel forever (Ezekiel 43:5-7);

here the temple together with the court is called “the place of the throne of Jehovah, and the place of the soles of His feet,” because the temple together with the court represented heaven; “the throne of Jehovah” denotes the spiritual heaven (n. 5313, 8625), and “the place of the soles of His feet” denotes the ultimate heaven.

[7] The ultimate heaven is also signified by “the court,” and by “courts,” in the following passages.

In David:

Blessed is he whom Thou choosest, and causest to approach; he shall dwell in Thy courts; we shall be sated with the good of Thy house, with the holy of Thy temple (Psalms 65:4);

it is evident that to “dwell in the courts” denotes to dwell in heaven. Again:

A day in Thy courts is better than thousands. I have chosen to stand at the door in the house of my God (Psalms 84:10).

Give unto Jehovah the glory of His name; bring an offering, and come into His courts (Psalms 96:8).

Praise ye the name of Jehovah; praise ye, O servants of Jehovah, who stand in the house of Jehovah, in the courts of the house of our God (Psalms 135:1-2).

They shall gather the grain and the new wine; they shall eat it, and praise Jehovah, and they that shall gather it shall drink it in the courts of My holiness (Isaiah 62:9).

In these passages “the courts” denote the ultimate heavens, for the interior heavens are called “the house of Jehovah” and “His temple” (n. 3720).

[8] In John:

The angel said, Arise and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the temple cast out, and measure it not; because it hath been given unto the Gentiles; and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months (Revelation 11:1-2);

“the temple, and the altar, and they that worship therein” denote the church and the worship of the church; “the court without the temple” denotes the good of mutual love (as before said); “the Gentiles, to whom it has been given to tread under foot the holy city,” denote the evils of self-love and of the love of the world, which destroy the church (n. 6306); “forty and two months” signify the like as six weeks, and six weeks the like as the six days of one week, for six multiplied by seven makes forty-two; “a week” signifies an entire period, greater or less (n. 2044, 3845); “the six days which precede the seventh,” which is the Sabbath, signify the former church even to the end, and the setting up of a new church; “the Sabbath” denotes the conjunction of good and truth, thus the church (n. 8495, 8510, 8889, 8893, 9274).

8495. A Sabbath holy to Jehovah is the morrow. That this signifies the conjunction of good and truth to eternity, is evident from the signification of “the Sabbath,” as being the conjunction of good and truth (of which below); and from the signification of “the morrow,” as being to eternity (see n. 3998). He who does not know what the Sabbath represented, and thus what it signified, cannot know why it was accounted the most holy of all things. But the reason why it was accounted most holy was that in the supreme sense it represented the union of the Divine and the Divine Human in the Lord; and in the relative sense the conjunction of the Divine Human of the Lord with the human race. Consequently the Sabbath was most holy. And because it represented these things, it also represented heaven in respect to the conjunction of good and truth, which conjunction is called “the heavenly marriage.” And as the conjunction of good and truth is effected by the Lord alone, and nothing of it by man, and as it is effected in a state of peace, therefore it was most severely forbidden that man should then do any work, insomuch that the soul which did this was to be cut off, as we read in Moses:

Ye shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy to you; he that profaneth it, dying shall die; for whosoever doeth work therein, that soul shall be cut off from the midst of his people (Exodus 31:14).

Therefore one was stoned who merely picked up sticks on that day (Numbers 15:32-36). Therefore also the commandment concerning the Sabbath is the third commandment in the Decalogue, immediately following the two concerning the holy worship of Jehovah (Exodus 20:8; Deuteronomy 5:12). And therefore the Sabbath is called “an eternal covenant” (Exodus 31:16), for by “covenant” is signified conjunction (n. 665, 666, 1023, 1038, 1864, 1996, 2003, 2021, 6804).

[2] From all this it can now be seen what is meant in the internal sense by the things said in the following passages about the Sabbath; as in Isaiah:

Blessed is the man who keepeth the Sabbath, that he profane it not; thus said Jehovah to the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths, and choose that in which I delight, and take hold of My covenant, I will give them in My house and within My walls a place and a name, better than sons and daughters; I will give them an eternal name, that shall not be cut off; whosoever keepeth the Sabbath that he profane it not, and whoso taketh hold of My covenant, them will I bring in upon the mountain of My holiness, and I will cheer them in My house of prayer (56:2-7);

from all this it is evident that by “those who keep the Sabbath holy” are meant those who are in conjunction with the Lord. That they shall be in heaven is signified by “a place and a name better than sons and daughters being given them in the house of Jehovah, an eternal name that shall not be cut off,” and by their being “brought in upon the mountain of holiness.”

[3] In the same:

If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, not doing thy wills on the day of My holiness, but shalt call the Sabbath delights, holy to Jehovah, honorable; and shalt honor it, so that thou do not then thy ways, nor find thy desire, or speak a word, then shalt thou be delighted upon Jehovah, and I will feed thee with the heritage of Jacob (58:13-14);

here it is very plain what was represented by “not doing any work on the Sabbath day,” namely, that they should not do anything from their own, but from the Lord; for the angelic state in heaven is that they will and do nothing from themselves, or from their own, and do not even think and speak therefrom: their conjunction with the Lord consists in this. Their own from which they are not to act, is signified by their “not doing their own wills, nor doing their own ways, nor finding their own desire, nor speaking a word.” This state with the angels is the heavenly state itself; and when they are in it, they have peace and rest, and the Lord also has rest; for when they have been conjoined with Him, they labor no more, because they are then in the Lord. These things are signified by the words, thus shalt thou call the Sabbath the holy delights of Jehovah, and they shall be delighted upon Jehovah.” The Lord’s rest is signified by His resting on the seventh day after the six days’ creation (Genesis 2:2).

[4] Like things are understood by these words in Jeremiah:

If hearing ye shall hear Me, that ye bring not in a burden through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, and that ye hallow the Sabbath day, so that ye do not any work therein, then shall there enter through the gates of this city kings and princes sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariot and on horses, they and their princes, the man of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and this city shall be inhabited to eternity (17:24-25);

by “work on the Sabbath” is signified everything that is from our own; the state of those who are not led by their own, but by the Lord, is described by there “entering through the gates of the city kings and princes sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariot and on horses;” by “kings” are signified the truths of faith; by “princes,” the primary things thereof; by “sitting upon the throne of David,” that these are from the Lord; by “the chariot and horses,” the doctrinal and intellectual things of faith. Be it known that all things which come from the man’s own are evil, and that all things which come from the Lord are good. (That with those who are led by the Lord all things flow in, down to the least thing of life both of intellect and of will, thus down to each and all things of faith and of charity, see what has been abundantly shown from experience, n. 2886-2888, 6053-6058, 6189-6215, 6307-6327, 6466-6495, 6598-6626, 6982, 6985, 6996, 7004, 7055, 7056, 7058, 7147, 7270)

[5] That the Sabbath was representative of the conjunction of the Lord with the human race, is evident in Ezekiel:

I gave them My Sabbaths that they might be for a sign between Me and them, to acknowledge that I Jehovah do sanctify them (20:12; also Exodus 31:13).

Therefore also it was forbidden to kindle a fire on the Sabbath day (Exodus 35:3), because by “fire” was signified everything that is of life; and by “kindling a fire,” that which is of life from man’s own. From all that has been said it is plain that the Lord is “the Lord of the Sabbath,” according to His words in Matthew 12:1-8; and it may be seen why many cures were performed by the Lord on the Sabbath days (Matthew 12:10-13; Mark 3:1-8; Luke 6:6-11; 13:10-17; 14:1-6; John 5:9-18; 7:22-23; 9:14, 16); for the diseases of which they were healed by the Lord involved spiritual diseases, which are from evil (see n. 7337, 8364).