852. Having the name of His Father written on their foreheads, signifies such truths according to the acknowledgment of His Divine from love. This is evident from the signification of "the name of His Father," as being the Divine of the Lord (of which presently), also from the signification of "written on the foreheads," as being full acknowledgment. "The name of the Father written on the forehead" means the full acknowledgment of the Divine of the Lord, because the Lord turns towards Himself all who acknowledge His Divine, and looks at them in the forehead, while they on the other hand look at the Lord with the eyes; and this for the reason that the "forehead" signifies love, and the "eye" the understanding of truth; therefore to be looked at by the Lord in the forehead signifies to be looked at by the Lord from the good of love; and on the other hand their looking at the Lord with the eyes signifies to look from truths from that good, consequently from the understanding of truth. (That all who are in the heavens are turned to the Lord, and look with the face towards Him as a Sun, see above, n. 646; and in the work on Heaven and Hell 17, 123, 142, 272; also that the Lord sees angels in the forehead, and on the other hand angels see the Lord with the eyes, because the forehead corresponds to the good of love, and the eyes correspond to the understanding of truth, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 145, 251; and that the forehead corresponds to the good of love see above, n. 427.)

[2] One who does not know what the Word is in the sense of the letter might think that when "God and the Lamb" are mentioned, and here "the Lamb and the Father," two are meant, and yet the Lord alone is meant by the two. It is the same in the Word of the Old Testament, where mention is made of "Jehovah," "the Lord Jehovih," "Jehovah of Hosts," "Lord," "Jehovah God," "God" in the plural and in the singular, "the God of Israel," "the Holy one of Israel," "the King of Israel," "Creator," "Savior," "Redeemer," "Shaddai," "Rock," and so on; and yet by all these names only one is meant, and not many; for the Lord is named variously according to His Divine attributes. So again, in the Word of the New Testament, where "Father," "Son," and "Holy Spirit," are mentioned as three; and yet by these three names one only is meant; for "Father" means the Lord as to the Divine Itself which He had as the soul from the Father; "the Son" means the Divine Human; and "the Holy Spirit" the Divine proceeding; thus the three are one, the same as "the Lamb" and "the Father" are here.

[3] That when the Lord mentioned the Father He meant the Divine in Himself, and thus Himself, can be seen from many passages in the Word of both Testaments; but I will here quote a few from the Word of the Gospels, from which it can be seen that by "the Father" the Lord meant the Divine in Himself, which was in Him as the soul is in the body; and that when He mentioned the Father and Himself as two He meant Himself by both, for the soul and the body are one, the soul belonging to its body, and the body to its soul. That the Divine which is called "the Father" was the Divine Itself of the Lord from which His Human existed, and from which it was made Divine, is clearly evident from His conception from the Divine Itself. In Matthew:

The angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, Fear not to take unto thee Mary thy bride, for that which is begotten in her is of the Holy Spirit. And Joseph knew her not until she had brought forth her firstborn Son (Matthew 1:20, 25).

And in Luke:

The angel said to Mary, Behold, thou shalt conceive in the womb and bring forth a Son, and shalt call His name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High. But Mary said unto the angel, How shall this be, since I know not a man? And the angel answered and said, The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee; therefore that Holy Thing that shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God (Luke 1:31, 32, 34, 35).

From this it is evident that the Lord from conception is Jehovah God; and to be Jehovah God from conception is to be so as to the life itself, which is called the soul from the Father, from which the body has life. From this it is clearly evident that it is the Lord's Human that is called the Son of God, for it is said "the Holy Thing that shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God."

[4] That it is the Lord's Human that is called "the Son of God" can be seen further from the Word of both the Old and New Testaments in many passages. But this subject, God willing, shall be particularly discussed elsewhere; here only such passages will be quoted as testify that by "the Father" the Lord meant the Divine in Himself, thus Himself, as follows. In John:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:1, 2, 14).

Evidently "the Word" means the Lord as to the Divine Human, for it is said that "the Word became flesh, and we saw His glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father." It is also evident that the Lord is God even as to the Human, that is, that the Lord's Human is also Divine, for it is said, "the Word was with God, and God was the Word;" and this Word became flesh. "The Word" means the Lord as to Divine truth.

[5] In the same:

My Father worketh even until now, therefore also I work. But the Jews sought to kill Him, because He said that God was His own Father, making Himself equal with God. But Jesus answered and said, The Son can do nothing of Himself except what He seeth the Father doing; for whatever things He doeth these also the Son doeth in like manner. As the Father raiseth up the dead and quickeneth them, even so the Son quickeneth whom He will. He that honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father which sent Him. Verily, verily, I say unto you that the hour is coming when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear shall live. As the Father hath life in Himself so also gave He to the Son to have life in Himself (John 5:17-27).

That "the Father" means here the Divine in the Lord, which was His life, as the soul of the father is in every man, and that "the Son" means the Human, which lived from the Divine Itself which was in Him, and thus became Divine, consequently that Father and Son are one, is evident from these words of the Lord, namely, that "the Son doeth like things as the Father," that the Son like the Father "raiseth up the dead and quickeneth them," that the Son like the Father "hath life in Himself," and that "they that hear the voice of the Son shall live;" from all which it is clearly evident that the Father and the Son are one as soul and body are; as well as from the fact that "the Jews sought to kill Him because He said that God was His own Father, making Himself equal with God."

[6] In the same:

All that which the Father giveth to Me shall come unto Me. Everyone that hath heard from the Father and hath learned, cometh unto Me. Not that anyone hath seen the Father save He who is with the Father, He seeth the Father. I am the living bread which came down out of heaven. As the living Father hath sent Me I also live by the Father (John 6:37, seq .).

Here the Lord says of His Human that it came down out of heaven, and that everyone has life through Him, because the Father and He are one; and that the life of the Father is in Him, as the soul from a father is in the son.

[7] In the same:

To my sheep I give eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall anyone pluck them out of My Father's hand. I and the Father are one. And the Jews were indignant that He made Himself God. He said, Say ye of Him whom the Father hath sanctified and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest, because I said I am the Son of God? If I do not the works of My Father believe Me not; but if I do, believe the works, that ye may know and believe that the Father is in Me and I in the Father (John 10:28-38).

Here the Lord speaks of the Father as of another, saying, "No one shall pluck the sheep out of my Father's hand," also, "If I do not the works of My Father believe Me not, but if I do, believe the works;" and yet that they might not believe that the Father and He were two He saith, "The Father and I are one;" and that they might not believe that they were one merely by love, He adds, "that ye may know and believe that the Father is in Me and I in the Father." From this it is clear that by "the Father" the Lord meant Himself, or the Divine in Himself from conception; and that by "the Son whom the Father sent" He meant His Human, for this was sent into the world by being conceived of God the Father and born of a virgin.

[8] In the same:

Jesus cried out and said, He that believeth in Me believeth not in Me but in Him that sent Me, and He that seeth Me seeth Him that sent Me. I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth in Me may not abide in darkness (John 12:44-46).

From this also it is clear that by "the Father" the Lord meant Himself, and by "the Son whom the Father sent" His Divine Human, for He says, "He that seeth Me seeth Him that sent Me," also "he that believeth in Me believeth not in Me but in Him that sent Me;" and yet He says that they are to believe in Him (verse John 12:34, and elsewhere [John 12:36, John 12:44-46].

[9] In the same:

Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He came forth from God and returned to God, said, He that receiveth Me receiveth Him that sent Me (John 13:3, 20).

As the Father and He were one, and the Lord's Human was Divine from the Divine in Himself, therefore all things of the Father were His, which is meant by "the Father had given all things into His hands;" and because they were one He says, "He that receiveth Me receiveth Him that sent Me;" "Coming forth from the Father and returning to the Father" means to be conceived and thus to exist from Him, and to be united to Him like the soul to the body.

[10] In the same:

I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one cometh to the Father but through Me. If ye have known Me ye have known My Father also; and henceforth ye have known Him and have seen Him. Philip saith unto Him, Lord, show us the Father. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you and thou dost not know Me, Philip? He that seeth Me seeth the Father; how sayest thou then, Show us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father and the Father in Me? The Father that abideth in Me, He doeth the works. Believe Me, that I am in the Father and the Father in Me (John 14:6-11).

Here it is plainly declared that the Father and He are one, and that the union is like the union of soul and body; thus that it is such a union that he who seeth Him seeth the Father. This union is further confirmed in this chapter. And as the union was such, and as no one can approach the soul of man but only the man himself, the Lord says:

That they should go to Him and should ask the Father in His name, and that He would give to them (John 16:23, 24).

[11] This union is also meant by:

He went forth from the Father and came into the world, and again He leaves the world and goeth to the Father (John 16:5, 10, 16, 17, 28.)

As the Father and He were one He also says:

All things whatsoever the Father hath are Mine, and therefore the Paraclete, which is the Holy Spirit, was to receive from the Lord what He should speak (John 16:13-15).

And elsewhere:

Father, Thou hast given Me authority over all flesh, that to everyone whom Thou hast given Me I may give eternal life. This is life eternal, that they may know Thee the only God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent. All Mine are Thine, and Thine are Mine (John 17:2, 3, 10).

Here, too, it is plainly declared that all things of the Father are the Lord's, as all things of the soul are man's; for man and the soul are one, as life and the subject of life are one. That even as to the Human the Lord is God is evident from these words of the Lord, "that they may know Thee the only God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent."

[12] As "the Father" and "the Son of God" are one, the Lord says that:

When He cometh to judgment He will come in the glory of His Father (Mark 8:38; Luke 9:26);

And in His own glory (Matthew 25:31);

And that He hath all authority in the heavens and on the earth (Matthew 28:18).

[13] That "the Son of God" means the Lord's Divine Human is also made manifest in other passages in the Word; also in passages in the Old Testament. As in Isaiah:

Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, upon whose shoulder is the government; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, God, Mighty, the Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).

And in the same:

A virgin shall conceive and shall bear a Son, and His name shall be called God-with-us (Isaiah 7:14).

Evidently "a Child born" and "a Son given" here mean the Lord as to the Divine Human. And that the Lord is God also as to it, thus that His Human is Divine, is clearly said, for it is said that "His name shall be called God," "God-with-us," "the Father of Eternity."

[14] Many other passages besides these might be quoted to prove, that by "the Father" in the Word the Lord meant His Divine which was the life or soul of His Human, and not another separate from Himself. Nor indeed could He have meant any other. Thus the Divine and the Human in the Lord, according to the doctrine of the Christian world, are not two but one person, altogether like soul and body; as is declared in clear terms in the Athanasian Creed. And as God and Man in the Lord are not two but one Person, and thus are united like soul and body, it follows that the Divine which the Lord had from conception was what He called "the Father," and the Divine Human was what He called "the Son;" consequently that they were both Himself. From these things it can now be seen that "the name of the Father written on their foreheads" means the Lord as to His Divine.

427. Till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads, signifies that those who are in truths from good are first to be separated. This is evident from the signification of "to seal," as being to distinguish and separate (of which presently); also from the signification of "the servants of God," as being those who are in truths from good (of which see above, n. 6); also from the signification of "forehead," as being the good of love. It is from correspondence that "forehead" means the good of love; for all things pertaining to man in the whole body, whether within or without, correspond to heaven, for the universal heaven in the sight of the Lord is as one Man, so arranged as to correspond to each and all the things in man. The whole face, where the organs of sight, smell, hearing, and taste, are situated, corresponds to the affections and the thoughts therefrom in general, the eyes corresponding to the understanding, the nose to perception, the ears to hearkening and obedience, and the taste to the desire to know and be wise; but the forehead corresponds to the good of love, from which all these are, for it forms the highest part of the face, and directly encloses the front and primary part of the brain, which is the seat of man's intellect. This is why the Lord looks upon angels in the forehead, and the angels look to the Lord through the eyes; this is so because the forehead corresponds to the love, from which the Lord looks upon them, and the eyes correspond to the understanding from which they look to the Lord; for the Lord grants Himself to be seen through the influx of love into their understanding. (Respecting this see in the work on Heaven and Hell 145, 151; and that The Universal Heaven in its Whole Complex answers to One Man, n. 68-86; and that There is thence a Correspondence of all Things of Heaven with all Things of Man, n 87-102.) This makes clear the signification of "being sealed on the forehead," namely, to be in the good of love to the Lord from the Lord, and thereby to be distinguished and separated from those who are not in that love; for the Lord looks upon such in the forehead, and fills them with the good of love, from which they look to the Lord by thought from affection. The rest cannot be looked upon by the Lord in the forehead, for they turn away from Him and turn themselves to the opposite love, by which they are filled and attracted. (That everyone in the spiritual world, and man as well in respect to his spirit, turns the face to the ruling love, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 17, 123, 142-144, 153, 552)

[2] "To be sealed" means not to be sealed, but to be reduced to such a state that their quality may be recognized, and that they may thus be conjoined with those who are in a like state and separated from those who are in a dissimilar state. This is signified by "to be sealed," and by a "sign" in the following passages. In Ezekiel:

Jehovah said to the man clothed in linen, Pass through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and mark a sign upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and groan over all the abominations done in the midst thereof. And pass ye through the city after him and smite; let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity; but come not near against any man upon whom is the sign (Ezekiel 9:4, 6).

This also treats of the separation of the good from the evil; and "to mark on the forehead" has a similar signification as in this passage in Revelation, namely, to be distinguished and separated from the evil and to be conjoined to the good; the casting out and damnation of the evil are treated of afterwards. Those who are in good are described by those "that sigh and groan over all the abominations done in the midst of the city Jerusalem;" "those that sigh and groan over abominations" mean those who are not in evils and in falsities therefrom, "sighing and groaning over them" signifying aversion and grief because of them, "Jerusalem" meaning the church, and "city" the doctrine. Afterwards that they should "pass through the city after him and smite, and the eye should not spare," describes the casting out and damnation of the evil; "to smite and kill" signifying damnation, for spiritual death, which is damnation, is signified in the Word by natural death.

[3] In Isaiah:

He shall come for bringing together all nations and tongues, that they may come and see My glory. And I will set a sign upon them (Isaiah 66:18, 19).

This is said of the Lord, and of a new church to be established by Him, and thus of a new heaven and a new earth (as is evident from verse 22 that chapter). "Bringing together all nations and tongues" has a similar signification, as:

Gathering together the elect from the four winds (Matthew 24:31);

"to gather together" signifies to receive to Himself those who are His own; "nations" signify those who are in good, and "tongues" those who are in a life according to doctrine; "to come and see the glory of the Lord" signifies to be illustrated by Divine truth, and thus to enjoy heavenly joy; for "the glory of the Lord" signifies Divine truth, and illustration and joy from it; "to set a sign upon them" signifies to distinguish and separate them from the evil and conjoin them to the good.

[4] It is written of Cain:

That Jehovah set a sign upon him that no one might slay him (Genesis 4:15).

He who does not know this arcanum of the Word that the persons named in its histories mean in the spiritual sense things, or that every person there mentioned represents and thence signifies something of the church and of heaven, can know nothing beyond the historical things of the letter, in which nothing more of the Divine appears than in other histories; and yet there is in the Word, both prophetical and historical, and in each and all things of it, something Divine that does not appear in the letter except to those who are in the spiritual sense and who know it. The spiritual arcanum in the history of Cain and Abel is this: "Abel" represents the good of charity, and "Cain" the truth of faith, and that good and that truth are called in the Word "brethren;" and the truth of faith is called "the firstborn" because the truths that are afterwards to become truths of faith are first acquired and stored up in the memory, that from it, as from a storehouse, good may draw what it may conjoin to itself and make the truths to be truths of faith. For truth does not become of faith until man wills it and does it; but so far as man does this the Lord conjoins him to Himself and to heaven, and from love flows in with good, and through good into the truths that the man has acquired from childhood, and conjoins them to good and makes them to be truths of faith; before this they are nothing but the cognitions and knowledges, in which as yet man has no other faith than such as he has in things heard from another, from which he can withdraw if he afterwards thinks differently; therefore this faith is not his own but that of another in him; and yet if a man's faith is to remain with him after death it must be his own faith; and it becomes his own when he sees, wills, and does what he believes, for it then enters into the man and forms his spirit, and comes to be of his affection and thought; for man's spirit in its essence is nothing but his affection and thought.

[5] That which is of the affection is called good, and that which is of the thought therefrom is called truth; and man believes nothing to be true except what is of his affection, but of the interior affection that pertains to his spirit; consequently that which a man thinks from interior affection is his faith, and whatever other things he holds in his memory, whether he has drawn them from the Word or from the doctrine of the church, by reading or from preachings, or from his own understanding, are not faith, however much he thinks that they are, and it is at present said and believed that they are. This first-begotten and primary thing is what "Cain" represents and signifies in this history, for Cain was the first-begotten. When this, and not willing and doing the truth, that is, living according to it, is believed to be the faith that saves man, then there springs up a pernicious heresy that faith alone saves, whatever the life may be, and that there may be faith apart from the life; and yet this is not faith, but mere knowledge residing outside of man in his memory, and not within him in the life. If this is called faith it is historical faith, which is having in oneself another's faith, and such a faith does not receive life until the man sees that what he has thus imbibed is true, and this he first sees when he wills and does it. When that heresy prevails, charity, which is the good of life, is destroyed, and at length rejected as not essential to salvation. This was represented by Cain's slaying his brother Abel; for faith and charity, or the truth of faith and the good of charity, are called in the Word "brethren," as was said above.

[6] That "Jehovah set a sign upon Cain lest he should be slain" signifies that He distinguished him from others and preserved him, because saving faith cannot be given unless historical faith precedes, and this is knowing from others the things of the church and heaven; in a word, it is a knowledge of such things as faith afterwards consists of; for unless man from infancy imbibed truths from the Word, or from the doctrine of the church, or from preachings, he would be empty, and into an empty man no operation could fall, and no influx out of heaven from the Lord could come, for the Lord operates and flows in through good into truths with man, and conjoins these, and thus makes charity and faith to be one. From this can be seen the signification of "Jehovah set a sign upon Cain that no one might slay him, and that whosoever should slay him vengeance should be taken on him sevenfold." Moreover, those who are in mere historical faith, that is, in a knowledge of such things as constitute faith, who are the persons or which is the faith meant by "Cain," these are preserved also because they can teach truths from the Word to others, which they do from memory.

[7] Because the "forehead" corresponds to the good of love, and therefore the Lord from Divine love looks upon angels and men in the forehead, as was said above, it was commanded that a plate of pure gold, upon which was written "Holiness to Jehovah," should be placed upon the miter of Aaron on the forehead, concerning which it is thus written in Moses:

Thou shalt make a plate, pure gold, and grave upon it with the engravings of a signet, Holiness to Jehovah. And thou shalt put it on a thread of blue; over against the faces of the miter it shall be, that it may be upon Aaron's forehead, and may be constantly on his forehead, that they may have acceptance before Jehovah (Exodus 28:36-38).

For Aaron as high priest represented the Lord in relation to the good of Divine love, therefore his garments represented such things as proceed from that love; the miter represented intelligence and wisdom; and the front part of it love, from which are intelligence and wisdom; therefore the plate of pure gold, upon which was engraved "Holiness to Jehovah," was placed upon a thread of blue; "pure gold" of which the plate was made signifies the good of celestial love; the "blue" of which the thread was made, on which was the plate, signifies the good of spiritual love (spiritual love is the love of truth); "the engraving of a signet" signifies endurance to eternity; "Holiness to Jehovah" signifies the Lord in respect to the Divine Human from which proceeds all the holiness of heaven and the church; these were upon the front of the miter which was upon Aaron's head, because the "miter" signifies the like as the head, namely Divine wisdom, and the "forehead" the Divine good of love. (That Aaron represented the Lord in relation to the good of love, see Arcana Coelestia, 9806, 9946, 10017; that "blue" signifies the love of truth, n. 9466, 9687, 9833; and the "miter" signifies intelligence and wisdom, n. 9827)

[8] Because the "forehead" signifies the good of love, the sons of Israel were commanded to bind the commandment respecting love to Jehovah upon their foreheads, as is taught in Moses:

Thou shalt love Jehovah thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And thou shalt bind these words for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be for frontlets before thine eyes (Deuteronomy 6:5 (Deuteronomy 6:6, 8; 11:18; Exodus 13:9, 16).

It is said "they shall be for frontlets before the eyes," as a representation that the Lord looks upon angels and men in the forehead, because from Divine love, and grants to angels and men to look at Him from intelligence and wisdom, for the "eyes" signify the understanding, and all man's understanding is from the good of his love and according to that which he receives from the Lord. That they bound these words upon the hand also represented ultimate things, because the hands are the ultimates of the powers of man's soul; therefore "upon the forehead and upon the hand" signifies in things first and last, and "first and last" signifies all things (as may be seen above, n. 417. This commandment was so bound because "on it hang the law and the prophets," that is, the whole Word, consequently all things of heaven and the church:

That on this commandment hang the law and the prophets the Lord teaches (Matthew 22:35-38, 40).

This also makes clear why kings, in former times and also at present, when crowned, were anointed with oil upon the forehead and upon the hand, and what this signifies; for kings formerly represented the Lord in relation to Divine truth, and because this is received in the good of love that flows in from the Lord, therefore they were anointed upon the forehead and upon the hand, the "oil" also with which they were anointed signifying the good of love. This is why kings in the Word signify those who are in truths from good, and in an abstract sense truths from good (See above, n. 31). From this it can be seen what "a seal upon the forehead" means, as also elsewhere in Revelation (Revelation 9:4; 14:1; 22:3, 4).

[9] But on the contrary, the "forehead" signifies that which is opposite to the good of love, namely, the evil of love, and thus what is hard, obstinate, shameless, and infernal. It signifies what is hard in Isaiah:

Thou art hard, for thy neck is a sinew of iron, and thy forehead brass (Isaiah 48:4).

It signifies what is stubborn in Ezekiel:

The house of Israel will not hearken unto Me; for the whole house of Israel are stubborn in forehead and hard in heart (Ezekiel 3:7, 8).

It signifies what is shameless in Jeremiah:

The forehead of a harlot remained to thee, thou didst refuse to be ashamed (Jeremiah 3:3).

It signifies what is infernal in Revelation (Revelation 13:16; 14:9-11; 16:2; 17:5; 19:20; 20:4); for as the good of love is heavenly, and thence mild, patient, and modest, so the evil opposite to that good is infernal, hard, stubborn, and shameless.