78. As dead, signifies failure of self-life. This is evident from the signification of "as dead," in reference to the Divine presence with man, as meaning the failure of self-life; for man's self-life is that into which he is born, which is in itself nothing but evil, for it is altogether inverted, for it has regard to itself and the world only, and therefore turns itself back away from God and from heaven. The life that is not man's self-life is that into which he is led when he is being regenerated by the Lord; and when he comes into that life he regards God and heaven in the first place, and self and the world in the second. That life flows in with man when the Lord is present; consequently so far as that life flows in, so far there is effected a turning of the life. This turning, when effected suddenly, causes man to appear to himself as dead; thence it is that by "as dead" is here signified the failure of self-life. But these two states of life cannot be so described as to be apprehended. Moreover, they are not the same with a man and with a spirit, and they are wholly different with the evil and with the good. Man cannot live with the body in the presence of the Divine; those who do live are encompassed by an angelic column, which moderates the Divine influx; for the body of every man is nonreceptive of the Divine, consequently it dies and is cast off. That man cannot live with the body in the presence of the Divine can be seen from the words of the Lord to Moses:

Thou canst not see My faces; for man shall not see Me and live (Exodus 33:20);

Moses, therefore, because he desired to see, was placed in a cleft of a rock and was covered until the Lord had passed by. Furthermore, it was known to the ancients that man cannot see God and live, as is evident from the book of Judges:

Manoah said unto his wife, Dying we shall die, because we have seen God (Judges 13:22);

and this was also attested to the sons of Israel, when the Lord was seen from Mount Sinai, of which it is thus written in Moses:

Be ready against the third day; for the third day Jehovah will come down in the eyes of all the people, upon Mount Sinai. And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the extremity of it; whosoever toucheth the mount dying he shall die. And because terror seized upon them, they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us and we will hear; but let not God speak with us lest perchance we die (Exodus 19:11-12; 20:19).

(That by "Mount Sinai" is signified heaven, where the Lord is, and that by "touching" is signified to communicate, to transfer, and to receive, and for this reason it was forbidden to touch the extremity of that mountain, see in the (Arcana Coelestia 8785, 8797, 8818) explanation of those chapters in the Arcana Coelestia.) Jehovah has been seen by many, as recorded in the Word, but this was because they were encompassed at the time by a column of spirits, and thus were preserved, as was said above. In this way the Lord has also been seen at different times by me. But the state of spirits in the Divine presence is different from the state of men; spirits cannot die, consequently if they are evil they die a spiritual death in the Divine presence, the nature of which will be spoken of presently; but those who are good are conveyed into societies, where the sphere of the Divine presence is tempered and accommodated to reception. On account of this there are three heavens, and in each heaven many societies, and those who are in the higher heavens are nearer to the Lord, and those who are in the lower are more remote from Him (See the work on Heaven and Hell 20-28, 29-40, 41-50, 206-209). What the spiritual death is that evil spirits die in the Divine presence, shall be briefly stated. Spiritual death is a turning away and removal from the Lord. When evil spirits, however, who have not yet been vastated, that is, have not yet become fixed in their ruling love, enter any angelic society, then because the Divine of the Lord is there present they are direfully tormented, and not only turn away but even cast themselves down into the depths, where no light from heaven enters; some into dark caverns of rocks; in a word, into the hells (See what is shown in the work on Heaven and Hell 54, 400, 410, 510, 525, 527). This turning away and removal from the Lord is what is called spiritual death; and with such the spiritual of heaven is dead.

7673. 'Stretch out your hand' means an exercising of power. This is clear from the meaning of 'stretching out' as that which is connected with the exercising of control, dealt with below; and from the meaning of 'hand' as power, dealt with in 878, 3387, 4931-4937, 5327, 5328, 5544, 6292, 6947, 7011, 7188, 7189, 7518. The reason why 'stretching out the hand' means the exercising of power is that there is power in the hand or arm when it is stretched out. When therefore Jehovah is said to stretch out His hand or arm, boundless or infinite power in action is meant. This explains why Jehovah told Moses on so many occasions, when miracles were to be performed, to stretch out his hand or his rod; for example,

Stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, and they will be blood. Exodus 7:19.

Stretch out your hand over the rivers, and cause frogs to rise up. Exodus 8:1-2. ¹

Stretch out your rod and strike the dust of the land, and it will then be lice. Exodus 8:11, 12. ²

Stretch out your hand towards heaven, and there will be hail. Exodus 9:22-23.

Such words would never have been used but for the meaning of 'stretching out the hand' in the highest sense as Jehovah's almighty power.

[2] The same thing is meant by Joshua's being told to stretch out his javelin, described in his book as follows,

Jehovah said to Joshua, Stretch out the javelin that is in your hand towards Ai. When therefore Joshua stretched out the javelin that was in his hand towards Ai, the ambush rose up quickly out of their place and ran, as soon as he stretched out his hand, and came to the city and took it. Joshua did not withdraw his hand which he had stretched out together with the javelin until all the inhabitants of Ai had been utterly destroyed. Joshua 8:18-19, 26.

Being representative of God's almighty power, this too, like all other representative actions when they were commanded in those times, had force.

[3] There are a number of other places in which almighty power is described when it says that Jehovah 'stretches out His hand', or else His 'outstretched hand' or His 'outstretched arm' is spoken of. It is described by Jehovah stretching out His hand in Isaiah,

The anger [of Jehovah] has been roused against His people, and He has stretched out His hand over them and struck them, and the mountains were shaken. Isaiah 5:25.

In Ezekiel,

I will stretch out My hand against him and destroy him. Ezekiel 14:9, 13.

In the same prophet,

I will stretch out My hand against you, and give you as plunder to the nations. Ezekiel 25:7.

I will stretch out My hand over Edom, and cut off from it man and beast. I will stretch out My hand over the philistines, and cut off . . . Ezekiel 25:13, 16.

Other places like these are Ezekiel 35:3; Isaiah 31:3; Zephaniah 1:4; 2:13. The use of 'outstretched hand' to describe almighty power occurs in Isaiah,

Jehovah's outstretched hand is over all the nations; who will turn it back? Isaiah 14:26, 27.

In Jeremiah,

I will fight with you with an outstretched hand and a strong arm, and in anger and in fury. Jeremiah 21:5.

In Isaiah,

Still His hand is outstretched. Isaiah 9:12, 17; 10:4.

The use of 'outstretched arm' occurs in Jeremiah,

I have made the earth, man, and beast by My great strength and by My outstretched arm. Jeremiah 27:5.

In the same prophet,

You have made heaven and earth by Your great power and Your outstretched arm; there is no matter ³ that is too impossible for You. Jeremiah 32:17.

Here it is self-evident that 'outstretched arm' means almighty power. The same applies to many other places in which the expression 'by a strong hand and an outstretched arm' is used, such as Deuteronomy 4:34; 5:15; 7:19; 9:29; 11:2; 26:8; 1 Kings 8:42; 2 Kings 17:36; Jeremiah 32:21; Ezekiel 20:33, 34.

[4] There are places too in which Jehovah is said to 'stretch out the heavens', and in these places also 'stretching out' means almighty power; that is to say, He expands the limits of heaven and fills those who are there with life and wisdom, as in Isaiah,

Jehovah is He who stretches out the heavens like a thin veil, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. Isaiah 40:22.

In the same prophet,

Jehovah is He who stretches out the heavens, spreads out the earth, gives breath ⁴ to His people upon it, and spirit to those who walk on it. Isaiah 42:5.

In Jeremiah,

. . . He who makes the earth by His power, prepares the world by His wisdom, and stretches out the heavens by His intelligence. Jeremiah 51:15.

In Zechariah,

Jehovah is He who stretches out the heavens, and founds the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him. Zechariah 12:1.

There are still more places besides these, such as Isaiah 44:24; 45:12; Psalms 104:2.

From all this one may now see why Moses was commanded to stretch out his hand and rod, that miracles were performed when he did so, and that 'stretching out the hand' for that reason means the exercising of power, and in the highest sense almighty power.

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