5637. And rose up, and went down to Egypt. That this signifies elevation to life to be gained by them from the interior things of memory-knowledges is evident from the signification of “rising up,” as being elevation to the things of spiritual life (see n. 2401, 2785, 2912, 2927, 3171, 4103, 4881); and from the signification of “going down,” as being to life to be gained by them, for “going down” here involves the same as was meant before by the words, “Send the boy with me, and we will arise and go, and we will live, and not die” (verse 8), by which is signified spiritual life according to degrees (n. 5605); and from the signification of “Egypt,” as being memory-knowledges (n. 1164-1165, 1186, 1462, 4749, 4964, 4966), here the interior things of memory-knowledges, because the celestial of the spiritual which is represented by Joseph was there; wherefore it is presently said that they “stood before Joseph.” The interior things of memory-knowledges are spiritual things in the natural mind, and spiritual things are there when the memory-knowledges there are enlightened by the light of heaven, and they are so enlightened when the man has faith in the doctrinal things that are from the Word, and he has this faith when he is in the good of charity; for then truths and thereby memory-knowledges are enlightened by the good of charity as by a flame. From this they have their spiritual light. Hence it may be seen what is meant by the interior things of memory-knowledges.

5605. And we will arise and go, and we will live, and not die. That this signifies spiritual life according to degrees, is evident from the signification of “arising,” as being elevation to higher or interior things, consequently to the things of spiritual life (see n. 2401, 2785, 2912, 2927, 3171, 4103, 4881); from the signification of “going,” as being to live (n. 3335, 3690, 4882, 5493), and as the words follow “and we will live,” “going” signifies the first spiritual life; from the signification of “living,” as being spiritual life, for no other life is meant in the internal sense of the Word; and from the signification of “not dying,” as being no longer to be damned, that is, to be out of a state of damnation, for in the internal sense of the Word no other than spiritual death is meant, which is damnation. From this it is plain that by “we will arise and go, and we will live and not die” is signified life according to degrees; namely, introduction into life by “arising,” the first of life by “going,” life itself by “living,” and being led out from the things of no life by “not dying.”

[2] That “to go” in the internal sense is to live, seems strange to him who knows nothing about spiritual life; but it is like “journeying,” which denotes the order of life and what is successive of life (n. 1293, 4375, 4554, 4585), and like “sojourning,” which denotes to be instructed and to live accordingly (n. 1463, 2025, 3672). The reason why “going,” “journeying,” and “sojourning” have these significations might indeed be told, but the reason is of such a nature as could scarcely be accepted by those who are ignorant of the nature of movements in the other life. Movements and progressions there are nothing else-because from no other source-than changes of the state of life. These changes appear in externals exactly like progressions from place to place. That this is so can be confirmed by much experience in the other life; for I have walked there in spirit with them and among them, through many of their abodes, and this though in body I remained in the same place. I have also talked with them as to how this could be, and have been informed that it is the changes of the state of life that make progressions in the spiritual world.

[3] This was also confirmed by the fact that by means of changes induced on their states, spirits can appear on high, and then in a moment beneath, or now far to the west, and in a moment to the east, and so on. But as before said this cannot but seem strange to him who knows nothing about life in the spiritual world; for there are no spaces or times there, but states of life instead. These states produce in externals a most living appearance of progressions and motions. The appearance is as living and real as that life itself is in us and therefore our own, when yet life flows in from the Lord, who is the fountain of all life (see n. 2021, 2658, 2706, 2886-2888, 3001, 3318, 3337-3338, 3484, 3619, 3741-3743, 4151, 4249, 4318-4320, 4417, 4523, 4524, 4882). As “going” and “moving” signify living, it was therefore said by the ancients, that “in God we move, live, and have our being” [Acts 17:28; and by “moving” they meant the external of life, by “living” its internal, and by “being” its inmost.