9670. 'And you shall make a veil' means the intermediary uniting this heaven and the inmost heaven, thus spiritual good to celestial good. This is clear from the meaning of 'a veil' - which served to divide the dwelling-place where the ark of the Testimony was from the part where the lampstand was and the table on which the loaves of the Presence were laid was - as the intermediary uniting the middle heaven to the inmost heaven. For the ark containing the Testimony represented the inmost heaven, where the Lord was, 9457, 9481, 9485, and the dwelling-place outside the veil represented the middle heaven, 9594. And since the good of love to the Lord composes the inmost heaven and the good of charity towards the neighbour composes the middle heaven, 'the veil' also means the intermediary uniting spiritual good to celestial good, spiritual good being the good of charity towards the neighbour, and celestial good being the good of love to the Lord. For more about those heavens, about their distinctions in accordance with those kinds of good, see the places referred to in 9277. From all this it is now evident what the veil was a sign of in both the tabernacle and the temple.

[2] These two heavens, the inmost and the middle, are so distinct and separate that there can be no entering from one into the other. Yet they constitute one heaven through intermediate angelic communities, whose disposition is such that they are able to be next door to the good of both heavens. These communities are the ones which constitute the uniting intermediary that was represented by the veil. I have also been allowed to speak on several occasions to angels from those communities. What the angels of the inmost heaven are like, and what the angels of the middle heaven in comparison are like can be demonstrated from correspondence. The angels of the inmost heaven correspond to those powers with a person which belong to the provinces of the heart and the cerebellum, whereas the angels of the middle heaven correspond to those powers with a person which belong to the provinces of the lungs and the cerebrum. The powers belonging to the heart and cerebellum are called involuntary and spontaneous, because that is what they are seen as being; but those belonging to the lungs and cerebrum are called voluntary. This to some extent demonstrates how superior the perfection of the one heaven is to that of the other, and how they differ from each other. But as for the intermediate angels next door to both heavens and linking them together, it is the networks extending from the heart and lungs, which serve to interconnect the heart and lungs, that correspond to them, and also the medulla oblongata, where the fibres of the cerebellum are joined to the fibres of the cerebrum.

[3] Angels who belong to the Lord's celestial kingdom, that is, who are in the inmost heaven, constitute the province of the heart in the Grand Man, while angels who belong to the Lord's spiritual kingdom, that is, who are in the middle heaven, constitute the province of the lungs there, see 3635, 3886-3890. This is the origin of the correspondence of the human heart and lungs, 3883-3896, and the correspondence of the cerebrum and cerebellum is much the same. What celestial angels or those who are in the inmost heaven are like, and what spiritual angels or those who are in the middle heaven are like, and what the difference is, see 2046, 2227, 2669, 2708, 2715, 2718, 2935, 2937, 2954, 3166, 3235, 3236, 3240, 3246, 3374, 3833, 3887, 3969, 4138, 4286, 4493, 4585, 4938, 5113, 5150, 5922, 6289, 6296, 6366, 6427, 6435, 6500, 6647, 6648, 7091, 7233, 7474, 7977, 7992, 8042, 8152, 8234, 8521. From this it may be evident what the intermediate angels who constitute the uniting intermediary, which was represented by the veil, are like.

[4] The tearing of the veil of the temple into two parts when the Lord endured the Cross, Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45, was a sign of the glorification of the Lord. For when the Lord was in the world He made the Human He had assumed Divine Truth; but when He left the world He made this Human Divine Good, from which Divine Truth has since emanated, see the places referred to at the ends of 9199, 9315, Divine Good being meant by 'the holy of holies'.

[5] The glorification of the Lord's Human all the way to Divine Good which is Jehovah is also described, in the internal sense, by the process of expiation when Aaron went into the holy of holies within the veil, which is the subject in the whole of Leviticus 16. In the relative sense the same process describes human regeneration all the way to celestial good, which is the good of the inmost heaven. The process was as follows: Aaron was required to take a young bull for a [sin] sacrifice, and a ram for a burnt offering for himself and his household. He also had to put on the holy garments, which were a linen tunic, linen stockings, ¹ a linen girdle, and a linen turban; and he had to bathe his flesh in water. He was then required to take two he-goats on which he cast lots, the first of which was to be offered to Jehovah and the second sent away into the wilderness, this being done on behalf of the assembly of the children of Israel. When he sacrificed the young bull he was required to take incense inside the veil and to sprinkle some of the blood of the young bull and of the he-goat seven times over the east side of the mercy-seat, and also to put blood onto the horns of the altar. After all this he was required to confess the sins of the children of Israel, which he placed on the he-goat that was to be sent away into the wilderness. Finally he had to take off the linen garments and put on his own, and to present a burnt offering for himself and for the people; and parts of the sacrifice that had not been burnt on the altar had to be taken away outside the camp and burned. This was what had to be done once a year, when Aaron went into the holy of holies within the veil. The priestly function which Aaron discharged represented the Lord in respect of Divine Good, just as the regal function, which in later times was performed by the kings, represented the Lord in respect of Divine Truth, 6148. The process of glorification of the Lord's Human all the way to Divine Good is described in the internal sense of that chapter in Leviticus. This process was revealed to angels whenever Aaron carried out those observances and went inside the veil; and it is also revealed to angels here and now when that chapter in the Word is read.

[6] A young bull for a sin sacrifice ² and a ram for a burnt offering mean the purification of good from evils in the external man and in the internal man. The linen tunic, linen stockings, linen girdle, and linen turban which Aaron had to put on whenever he went in, and the bathing of his flesh, mean that this purification was accomplished by means of truths springing from good. Two he-goats of the she-goats for a sin sacrifice ² and a ram for a burnt offering, and the he-goat which was offered and the other which was sent away, mean the purification of truth from falsities in the external man. The incense which he was required to take inside the veil means adaptation. The blood of the young bull and the blood of the he-goat which had to be sprinkled seven times over the east side of the mercy-seat and after this over the horns of the altar mean Divine Truth that emanates from Divine Good. The confession of sins over the living he-goat which was to be sent away into the wilderness means the casting away of evil after its total separation from good. Taking off the linen garments and putting on his own when he was about to present burnt offerings, also the taking away of the flesh, skin, and dung of sacrifices outside the camp, and the burning of them, mean putting on celestial good, in the case of one who has been regenerated, and in the Lord's case the glorification of His Human all the way to Divine Good. This stage was reached after He had cast aside everything belonging to the human from His mother, so completely that He was no longer her son, see the places referred to at the end of 9315. These are the realities that are meant by that process of purification when Aaron went into the holy of holies within the veil; for after he had carried out those observances Aaron represented the Lord in respect of Divine Good. From all this it becomes clear that the veil between the holy place and the holy of holies also means the intermediary uniting Divine Truth and Divine Good within the Lord.

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2015. That 'kings will come out of you' means that all truth comes from Him is clear from the meaning of 'a king' as truth in both the historical and the prophetical sections of the Word, as stated in 1672 but not yet shown to be so. From the meaning of 'nations' as goods, and from the meaning of 'kings' as truths, the nature of the internal sense of the Word becomes clear, and also how remote it is from the sense of the letter. No one reading the Word, especially the historical section, believes anything other than that 'nations' referred to there means nations, or that 'kings' there means kings, and therefore that the nations mentioned there, or the kings, are the real subject of the very Word itself. But when the idea of nations and also of kings reaches angels it perishes altogether, and good and truth take their place instead. This is bound to seem strange and indeed a paradox, but it is nevertheless the truth. The matter may also become clear to anyone from the fact that if nations were meant in the Word by 'nations' and kings by 'kings', the Word of the Lord would hardly embody anything more than some historical or other piece of writing and so would be something of a worldly nature, when in fact everything in the Word is Divine and so is celestial and spiritual.

[2] Take merely the statement in the present verse about Abraham's being made fruitful, nations being made of him, and kings coming out of him. What else is this but something purely worldly and nothing at all heavenly? Indeed these assertions entail no more than the glory of this world, a glory which is absolutely nothing in heaven. But if this is the Word of the Lord then its glory must be that of heaven, not that of the world. This also is why the sense of the letter is completely erased and disappears when it passes into heaven, and is purified in such a way that nothing worldly at all is intermingled. For 'Abraham' is not used to mean Abraham but the Lord; nor is 'being fruitful' used to mean his descendants who would increase more and more but the endless growth of good belonging to the Lord's Human Essence. 'Nations' do not mean nations but goods, and 'kings' do not mean kings but truths. Nevertheless the narrative in the sense of the letter remains historically true, for Abraham was indeed spoken to in this way; and he was indeed made fruitful in this way, with nations as well as kings descending from him.

[3] That 'kings' means truths becomes clear from the following places: In Isaiah,

The sons of the foreigner will build up your walls, and their kings will minister to you. You will suck the milk of nations, and the breast of kings will you suck. Isaiah 60:10, 16.

What 'sucking the milk of nations and the breast of kings' means is not at all evident from the letter but from the internal sense, in which being endowed with goods and instructed in truths is meant. In Jeremiah,

There will enter through the gates of this city kings and princes seated on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses. Jeremiah 17:25; 22:4.

'Riding in chariots and on horses' is a prophecy meaning the abundance of things of the understanding, as becomes clear from very many places in the Prophets. Thus the prophecy that 'kings will enter through the gates of the city' means in the internal sense that they were to be endowed with truths of faith. This sense of the Word is the heavenly sense into which the worldly sense of the letter passes.

[4] In the same prophet,

Jehovah has spurned in His fierce indignation king and priest. The gates of Zion have sunk into the ground, He has destroyed and broken in pieces her bars. King and princes are among the nations; the law is no more. Lamentations 2:6, 9.

Here 'king' stands for the truth of faith, 'priest' for the good of charity, 'Zion' for the Church, which is destroyed and its bars broken in pieces. Consequently 'king and princes among the nations', that is, truth and what belongs to truth, will be so completely banished that 'the law is no more', that is, nothing of the doctrine of faith will exist any more. In Isaiah,

Before the boy knows to refuse evil and to choose good, the ground will be abandoned which you loathe in the presence of its two kings. Isaiah 7:16.

This refers to the Lord's Coming. 'The land that will be abandoned' stands for faith which at that time would not exist. 'The kings' are the truths of faith which would be loathed.

[5] In the same prophet,

I will lift up My hand to the nations and raise My ensign to the peoples; and they will bring your sons in their bosom, and your daughters will be carried on their shoulder. Kings will be your foster fathers and their queens your wet-nurses. Isaiah 49:22-23.

'Nations' and 'daughters' stand for goods, 'peoples' and 'sons' for truths, as shown in Volume One. That 'nations' stands for goods, 1259, 1260, 1416, 1849, as does 'daughters', 489-491, while 'peoples' stands for truths, 1259, 1260, as does 'sons', 489, 491, 533, 1147. 'Kings' therefore stands for truths, in general by which they will be nourished, and 'queens' for goods by which they will be suckled. Whether you speak of goods and truths or of those who are governed by goods and truths it amounts to the same.

[6] In the same prophet,

He will spatter many nations, kings will shut their mouths because of him, ¹ for that which has [not] been told them they have seen, and that which they have not heard they have understood. Isaiah 52:15.

This refers to the Lord's Coming. 'Nations' stands for those who are stirred by an affection for goods, 'kings' those who are stirred by an affection for truths. In David,

Now, O kings, be intelligent; be instructed, O judges of the earth. Serve Jehovah with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son lest He perhaps be angry and you perish in the way. Psalms 2:10-12.

'Kings' stands for people who are governed by truths, and who by virtue of truths are also in many places called 'king's sons'. 'The Son' here stands for the Lord, and he is called the Son here because he is Truth itself, and the source of all truth.

[7] In John,

They will sing a new song, You are worthy to take the Book and to open its seals. You have made us kings and priests to our God so that we shall reign on the earth. Revelation 5:9-10.

Here people who are governed by truths are called 'kings'. The Lord also calls them 'the sons of the kingdom' in Matthew,

He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world, the seed are the sons of the kingdom, and the tares are the sons of the evil one. Matthew 13:37-38.

In John,

The sixth angel poured out his bowl over the great river Euphrates and its water was dried up to prepare the way of the kings who were from the east. Revelation 16:12.

'Euphrates' clearly does not mean the Euphrates, nor does 'kings from the east' mean kings from that quarter. What 'Euphrates' does mean may be seen in 120, 1585, 1866, from which it is evident that 'the way of the kings who were from the cast' means truths of faith that derive from goods of love.

[8] In the same book,

The nations that are saved will walk in its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory and honour into it. Revelation 21:24.

Here 'nations' stands for people who are governed by goods, 'kings of the earth' for those who are governed by truths, which is also evident from the fact that the details here are prophetical, not historical. In the same book,

With the great harlot seated on many waters the kings of the earth have committed whoredom and have become drunk with the wine of her whoredom. Revelation 17:2.

And elsewhere in the same book,

Babylon has given all nations drink from the wine of the fury of her whoredom; and the kings of the earth have committed whoredom with her. Revelation 18:1, 3, 9.

Here similarly it is clear that 'the kings of the earth' does not mean kings, for the subject is the falsification and adulteration of the doctrine of faith, that is, of truth, which are 'whoredom'. 'Kings of the earth' stands for truths that have been falsified and adulterated.

[9] In the same book,

The ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom but are receiving authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. These will be of one mind, and they will hand over power and authority to the beast. Revelation 17:12-13.

That 'kings' here does not mean kings may also be evident to anyone. If kings were meant, then 'ten kings receiving authority as kings for one hour' would be quite unintelligible, as similarly with the following words in the same book,

I saw the beast and the kings of the earth, and their armies gathered to make war with Him who was sitting on the horse, and with His army. Revelation 19:19

In verse 13 of the same chapter it is stated explicitly that the One who was sitting on the horse was The Word of God, against which the kings of the earth are said to have been gathered. 'The beast' stands for goods of love that have been profaned, 'kings' for truths of faith that have been adulterated; these are called 'kings of the earth' because they exist within the Church - 'earth' meaning the Church, see 662, 1066, 1067, 1262. 'The white horse' stands for the understanding of truth, 'He who was sitting on the horse' for the Word. This matter is plainer still in Daniel 11, describing the war between the king of the south and the king of the north, by which is meant the conflict of truths with falsities. Here such conflicts are described as a war that took place in history.

[10] Since 'a king' means truth, what is meant in the internal sense when the Lord is called King, and also a Priest, is made clear; and what essential quality of the Lord was represented by kings, and what by priests, is also made clear. 'Kings' represented His Divine Truth, and 'priests' His Divine Good. All the laws of order by which the Lord governs the universe as King are truths, while all the laws by which He governs the universe as Priest and by which He rules even over truths themselves are goods. For government from truths alone condemns everyone to hell, but government from goods lifts them out of that place and raises them up into heaven; see 1728. Because, in the Lord's case, these two - truths and goods - are joined together, they were also represented in ancient times by kingship and priesthood combined, as with Melchizedek who was at one and the same time king of Salem and priest to God Most High, Genesis 14:18. And at a later time among the Jews where the representative Church was established in a form of its own He was represented by judges and priests, and after that by kings.

[11] But because 'kings' represented truths which ought not to be paramount for the reason, already stated, that they condemn, the very idea was so objectionable that the Jews were reproached for it. The nature of truth regarded in itself has been described in 1 Samuel 8:11-18, as the rights of a king; and previous to that, in Moses, in Deuteronomy 17:14-18, they had been commanded through Moses to choose genuine truth deriving from good, not spurious truth, and not to pollute it with reasonings and factual knowledge. These are the considerations which the directive concerning a king given in the place in Moses referred to above embodies within itself. No one can possibly see this from the sense of the letter, but it is nevertheless evident from the details within the internal sense. This shows why 'a king' and 'kingship' represented and meant nothing other than truth.

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