98. Verse 2. I know thy works, and thy toil, and thy endurance, signifies all things that they will, think, and do, thus all things of love and faith in the spiritual and in the natural man. This is evident from the signification of "works," as being the things that are of the will and love (of which in what follows); and from the signification of "toil," as being the things that are of thought and faith (of which also in what follows); and from the signification of "endurance," as being the things done from will and thought, or the things that these do. But it can with difficulty be comprehended that this is the meaning of these words, unless it is known that all things done by man flow out from the interiors belonging to his mind, also that the mind is the all in everything that man does, and that the body is a mere obedience through which is exhibited, in a form visible before the eye, that which the mind wills and thinks. This is why those external things here mentioned, "works," "toil," and "endurance," signify willing, thinking, and consequent doing, or what is the same, loving, believing, and consequent presenting in act. But still these things are not comprehensible, unless it is also known that man has two faculties, called will and understanding, and that these two faculties are called by the one term "mind;" also that man has an internal and an external-an internal in the light of the spiritual world, and an external in the light of the natural world. (The Will and the Understanding are treated of in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem,28-35; and the Internal and the External Man, n. 36-52.) When this is understood, it may be known that by "works," in the spiritual sense, is meant everything that man wills and loves, and by "toil" everything that man thinks or believes, and by "endurance" everything that man does from these.

[2] But leaving these matters, as being, perhaps, too little known about and therefore too obscure to be clearly apprehended, let us advance to this point only, that by "works," in the spiritual sense, are meant all things that are of man's will or love; and this, for the reason that in what follows as to the seven churches, it is everywhere said first, "I know thy works;" as in these verses (Revelation 2:8-9):

To the angel of the church of the Smyrneans write: These things saith the First and the Last, I know thy works, and affliction, and poverty (Revelation 2:12-13);

To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These things saith He that hath the two-edged sword, I know thy works, and where thou dwellest (Revelation 2:18-19);

To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These things saith the Son of God, I know thy works and charity (Revelation 3:1;

To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These things saith He that hath the seven spirits of God, I know thy works, that thou art said to live (Revelation 2:7-8);

To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These things saith He that is holy, He that is true, I know thy works (Revelation 2:14-15);

To the angel of the Laodicean church write: These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, I know thy works (Revelation 3:14-15).

[3] As it is here said everywhere, "I know thy works," it is clear that "works" signify, in general, all things of the church; and as all things of the church have reference to love and faith, therefore these are what are meant in the spiritual sense by "works." These are meant in the spiritual sense by "works," because every work or deed or act, that to appearance is done from the body, is not done from the body, but is done by means of the body from man's will and thought, for not a particle of the body moves itself except from the will and thought. From this it is that "works" signify, not the things that appear in outward form, but the things of will and thought. That this is so is known to everyone who reflects. Who that is wise regards a man from his deeds alone, and not from his will? If the will is good he loves the deeds; but if the will is evil he does not love the deeds. He sees the deeds also, but interprets them according to the intention of the will. He who is spiritual attends still less to the deeds, but explores the will; for the reason already given, that deeds in themselves are nothing, but all that they are is from the will, for deeds are the will in act. It is said "will," but in the spiritual sense love is meant, for a man wills what he loves, and he loves what he wills. Man's will is only the receptacle of his love. (See what is said and shown in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, on that faculty of man, n. The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 28-35; and in the work on Heaven and Hell (358, 470-484.)

[4] Because "works" or deeds in the Word signify specifically the things that proceed from man's love or will, it is often said in the Word that a man shall be judged and it shall be rendered unto him according to his works; and the meaning is according to works in the internal form, not in the external; as in the following passages:

The Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then shall He render unto everyone according to his works (Matthew 16:27).

Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; their works do follow them (Revelation 14:13).

I will give unto each one of you according to his works (Revelation 2:23).

I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened; and the dead were judged out of the things which were written in the books, according to their works. The sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell gave up those that were in them; and they were judged everyone according to their works (Revelation 20:12, 13).

Behold I come, and My reward is with Me, to render to each one according to his works (Revelation 22:12).

In Jeremiah:

I will recompense them according to their work, and according to the doing of their hands (Jeremiah 25:14).

Jehovah, whose eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men, to give everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his works (Jeremiah 32:19).

Elsewhere:

I will visit upon him his ways, and will render unto him for his works (Hosea 4:9).

According to our ways and according to our works Jehovah hath done with us (Zechariah 1:6).

Where the Lord prophesies respecting the Last Judgment He makes mention of works only, and declares that:

Those who have done good works shall enter into life eternal, and those who have done evil works into condemnation (Matthew 25:32-46).

[5] That "works" signify the things that are of love and faith the Lord also shows in these words:

They said to Jesus, What shall we do that we may work the works of God? Jesus answered, This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom [the Father] hath sent (John 6:28, 29).

The night cometh, when no man can work (John 9:4).

"Night" signifies the last time of the church, when there is no faith, because there is no charity. (That "night" signifies this time, see Arcana Coelestia 2353, 6000.) "Works" are so frequently mentioned, because the sense of the letter of the Word is made up solely of things external, which are in nature and which appear before the eyes: and this in order that there may be a spiritual sense in each particular, as a soul in a body, for otherwise the Word would not be a means of communication with the angels, for it would be like a house without a foundation (See above, n. 8, 16).

From this also it is that when "works" are mentioned, angels, because they are spiritual, do not understand works, but the things from which works spring, which are, as was said above, the will or love, and thought therefrom which is of faith. (This subject you will find more clearly explained in the work on Heaven and Hell 470-483, where it is shown that man is after death such as his life was in the world.) "Toil," in the spiritual sense, means all things that man thinks, because spiritual toiling is thinking. And "endurance" signifies all things that man does, because "to endure" here means to be assiduous, and to put away the obstructions in the natural man that are continually rising up and hindering.

4214. 'And in the morning Laban rose up early' means the enlightenment of that good by the Lord's Divine Natural. This is clear from the meaning of 'in the morning rising up early' as enlightenment, dealt with in 3458, 3723, and from the representation of 'Laban' as good such as exists with gentiles, dealt with in 4189. It is evident from the train of thought that the enlightenment of this good by the Lord's Divine Natural is what is meant here. As regards enlightenment, all enlightenment is received from the Lord; it comes by way of the good present in a person, the exact nature of the enlightenment depending on the nature of that good there.

[2] Most people believe that the enlightened consist of those who are able to reason about what is good and true, or about what is evil and false, and that the measure of their enlightenment increases in direct proportion to their growing ability to speak about those things with greater precision and accuracy, and at the same time to back up what they say with many facts, and also to make their assertions ring true by the use of comparisons drawn mainly from sensory evidence and by the use of other convincing ways of presentation. These reasoners however, in spite of all their mental and perceptive ability, are incapable of being enlightened at all. Two different kinds of mental and perceptive ability exist, the first of which comes from the light of heaven, the second from an illusory light. Both kinds look the same in outward form but are entirely different in internal form. That which comes from the light of heaven exists within good, that is, it exists with people who are governed by good. By virtue of that good they are able to see what is true, and to know - clear as daylight - whether something is right or not. But the kind which comes from the illusory light exists within evil, that is, with people who are governed by evil. The reason why they are able to reason about the things mentioned is that they do have a capacity to know them but no desire to practice them, a situation in which, as anyone can see, no enlightenment is present.

[3] With regard to illusory light and its existence in the next life, the following may be said: People who have dwelt in such light in the world dwell in a similar light in the next life. There also they reason about what is good and true, and about what is evil and false, doing so indeed far more perfectly and completely than during their lifetime since their thoughts are not held back and inhibited in that life by the cares which belong to the body and the world, nor are they so confined within them as they had been when in the body and the world. But it is immediately apparent, not to them but to good spirits and to angels, that their reasonings are the product of illusory light and that the light of heaven flowing in with them is instantly converted into that inferior kind of light. That which begins with them as the light of heaven is either stifled, as when sunlight falls on something opaque and turns black, or is cast back, as happens with people under the influence of false assumptions, or else is perverted, as when sunlight strikes objects that are offensive and foul and produces offensive colours as well as offensive odours. It is similar with people who dwell in illusory light and believe that they are more enlightened than everybody else because of their ability to reason intelligently and wisely, even though they lead evil lives.

[4] Who these spirits are and what they are really like is evident from every syllable of what they say, so long as they are simulating what is good with the intent to deceive. Such spirits include those who deny the Lord or hold Him in contempt, and among themselves mock those who do confess Him. Also included are those who delight in adultery and deride people who believe that marriages are holy and ought never to be dishonoured. Among such spirits too are those who believe that the commands and teachings of the Church are intended for the common people, who by means of them may be kept in bonds; but among themselves those spirits set no value at all on those commands and teachings. Likewise included are those who attribute all things to nature and suppose people to be simpletons and weak in judgement who claim that all things come from the Divine. Spirits who ascribe every single thing to their own prudence, and who have convinced themselves of the idea and say that a Supreme Being exists who has a kind of general or overall control of things but no particular or specific control of them, are included too. And the same applies to other cases.

[5] People like these dwell in illusory light in the next life also, where among those like themselves they reason with precision. But when they approach any heavenly community that light goes out and turns into darkness. As a consequence their thought is so beclouded that they are not in fact able to think at all. For the light of heaven there has an adverse effect on them, which with them, as has been stated, is either stifled or cast back or perverted. As a result they reel back from there and cast themselves down into hell, where that kind of light shines. These considerations show what true enlightenment is, namely that which is a product of good originating in the Lord, and what false enlightenment is, namely that which is a product of evil originating in hell.