10188. And thou shalt make for it two rings of gold from under its border. That this signifies the sphere of Divine good, through which are conjunction and preservation, is evident from the signification of “two,” as being conjunction (see n. 5194, 8423); from the signification of “gold,” as being good (n. 9874, 9881); and from the signification of a “border,” as being a bounding to prevent their being approached and injured by evils (of which just above, n. 10187). From all this it is evident that by “two rings of gold from under the border” is signified the sphere of Divine good through which is conjunction; and that preservation also is signified, is because the altar of incense was carried by staves inserted in the rings, and by “carrying” is signified preservation (n. 9900).

[2] What the sphere of Divine good is shall here be briefly told. The sphere of Divine good fills the universal heaven, and also extends itself into hell, for it is like the sphere of the sun’s heat in the world, which in summer penetrates even into dark places where the sun does not appear. This Divine sphere was likened by the ancients to radiant circles in the midst of which was God, and round about were angels. Accordingly those who suffer themselves to be led by the Lord, thus who receive the Divine from Him, are in the sphere of Divine good in proportion to their reception of it; while those who do not receive it are indeed in the same sphere, but their interiors have been so much closed up that they do not feel the influx. For those who are in hell are in externals and are not in internals, and from their externals there exhale evils and the derivative falsities, which appear around them like the smoke from a furnace; causing the external sphere of Divine good to be dulled there, while the internal sphere of it still remains; but it is not received because it has been closed to them; nevertheless the Lord rules the hells by means of it.

[3] The reason why there is a sphere of Divine good which proceeds from the Lord, is because the Sun of heaven, which is the Lord, is Divine love itself, for this so appears; the heat thence proceeding is the good of love, and the light thence proceeding is the truth of faith; hence in the Word by the “sun” is meant the Divine love; by “fire,” and “heat,” the good of love; and by “light,” the truth of faith.

[4] Moreover, from every angel proceeds a sphere from his love, also from every spirit good and evil according to his love; but the spheres proceeding from these do not extend themselves far, whereas the Divine sphere extends through the universe, for it proceeds from the inmost, and the inmost is the all in all the things that follow in succession from it. (Concerning these spheres, see what has already been shown, partly also from experience, n. 1048, 1053, 1316, 1504-1512, 1695, 2401, 4464, 5179, 6206, 7454, 6598-6613, 8063, 8630, 8794, 8797, 9490-9492, 9498, 9499, 9534, 9606, 9607.)

8794. And thou shalt set bounds to the people round about. That this signifies extension into heaven no further than to the spiritual spheres of good, is evident from the signification of “setting bounds round about,” as being the extension of the sphere into heaven to certain limits, which are determined by the good of each person; and from the representation of the sons of Israel, who are “the people” here spoken of, as being those who are in the spiritual good in which truth is to be implanted; for this state of the good of those who are of the spiritual church is described in this and the following chapters (see n. 8753). Hence it is that by “thou shalt set bounds to the people round about” is signified an extension into heaven no further than to the spiritual spheres of good.

[2] What is meant by “extension into heaven to the spiritual spheres of good” cannot be known to anyone except by revelation. The case herein is this. All the good which is given to man through regeneration from the Lord has extension to societies in heaven. This extension differs as to amount and quality with each person; as to amount when to more remote limits; as to quality, when more to the interiors or more to the exteriors of heaven. Good itself with man flows in from the Lord through the societies of heaven which are round about; good without influx through societies not being possible. The societies of heaven are in continuous connection round about, and nowhere is there seen a discontinuity. It is the same with each and all things that pertain to good, and constitute its quality. Wherefore during man’s regeneration, the enriching of good is nothing else than insinuation into angelic societies, and thus conjunction with them (see also n. 4067, 4073, 4077, 6598-6613).

[3] This has also been frequently shown by living experience; for sometimes the communications with certain societies have been taken away, and then so much of life and such a quality of life remained, as was the degree and quality of extension into the remaining societies; and when more societies were taken away, then the life labored, and began as it were to be extinguished. Every angel, spirit, and man has a spiritual sphere, and this according to his extension into societies. This extension is not into the societies themselves, but into the spheres of their good. These are secrets which are unknown to man, but in the other life are very well known. The reason why they are unknown to man is that at this day he believes that he has life in himself, and consequently that he lives without consociation with spirits and angels, thus without conjunction with heaven; but in this he is quite mistaken, for all the life of man is from the Lord through societies.

[4] Be it further known that the extension of the life of those who are of the spiritual church is to the angelic spheres in the second heaven, which is called the spiritual heaven; but not to the third heaven where the celestial are. The reason is that the men of the spiritual church cannot receive the Divine such as it is in the inmost or third heaven where the celestial are, except so generally that it does not at all come to their perception; because the spiritual cannot come even to the first threshold of the good in which the celestial are (n. 2718, 3833, 6500, 8521). From all this it is evident what is meant by extension into heaven no further than to the spiritual spheres of good, which is signified by “thou shalt set bounds to the people round about;” also what is meant by what follows.

[5] Be it also known that as they who are in good have extension into angelic societies according to the quality and amount of their good, so they who are in evil have extension into infernal societies according to the quality and amount of their evil; and further, that everyone in the other life comes among those with whom he had communicated in the life of the body. His ruling love determines this, for it is this love which constitutes the sphere of everyone’s life, and extends itself according to its quality and according to its amount.