269. And there was a rainbow round about the throne in aspect like unto an emerald. That this signifies the appearance of Divine truth in the heavens surrounding the Lord is evident from the signification of a rainbow in aspect like unto an emerald, as denoting the appearance of Divine truth in its circumference; for a rainbow round about the throne signifies Divine truth around it, and in aspect signifies appearance. The reason why the appearance of the rainbow was like that of an emerald, is that it indicated the Last Judgment, for the colour of this stone is green, and green signifies truth obscured. Divine truth in its splendour appears either of a sky-colour, or of various colours disposed in beautiful order, as those of the rainbow; but when it is obscured it appears of the colour of an emerald. The heaven which is called the former heaven was that on which judgment was to be executed, and which was about to perish (see Apoc. 21:1) which caused the obscurity. This is why mention is made of a rainbow, and its aspect like that of an emerald. The reason why the rainbow signifies Divine truth in the heavens in its order, and thence in its beauty, is that there are infinite varieties of truth from good in the heavens; and when they are represented by colours, they present the appearance of a beautiful rainbow. This is why the rainbow was made a sign of the covenant after the flood (Genesis 9:12-17). (That there are infinite varieties in the heavens may be seen in the work, Heaven and Hell 56, 405, 418, 486, and in the small work, The Last Judgment 13; and in Arcana Coelestia 684, 690, 3744, 5598, 7236, 7833, 7836, 9002. That colours in heaven appear from the light there, and that they are its modifications and variegations, n. 1042, 1043, 1053, 1624, 3993, 4530, 4742, 4922; and that the colours appear various according to the varieties of the states of truth from good, and thence of intelligence and wisdom, n. 4530, 4677, 4922, 9466. That rainbows appear in heaven, and whence and what they are, n. 1042, 1043, 1623, 1624, 1625.)

418. Again, the immensity of the heaven of the Lord is confirmed in this, that heaven in its entire complex resembles one Man, and also corresponds to all and each of the things with man, and that this correspondence can never be filled, since it is a correspondence not only with each of the members, organs, and viscera of the body in general, but also with all and each of the little viscera and little organs contained in these in every minutest particular, and even with each vessel and fibre; and not only with these but also with the organic substances that receive interiorly the influx of heaven, from which come man's interior activities that are serviceable to the operations of his mind, since everything that comes into existence interiorly in man does so in forms which are substances, for anything that does not exist in a substance as its subject is nothing. There is a correspondence of all these things with heaven, as can be confirmed from the section treating of the correspondence of all things of heaven with all things of man (87-102). This correspondence can never be filled because the more numerous the angelic associations are that correspond to a single member, the more perfect heaven becomes. For every perfection in the heavens increases with increase of number. The reason is that all there have one end in view, and look with one accord to that end. That end is the common good; and when it reigns, there is, from the common good, good to each individual, and from the good of each individual, there is good to the whole community. This comes about because the Lord turns all in heaven to Himself (see above, 123), and thereby makes it possible for them to be one in Himself. That the unanimity and concord of many, especially from such an origin and held together by such a bond, produces perfection, everyone with a reason at all enlightened can see clearly.