735. Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels, signifies the combat between those who are for the life of love and charity and for the Divine of the Lord in His Human, against those who are for faith alone and faith separate and are against the Divine of the Lord in His Human. This is evident from the signification of "Michael and his angels," as being those who are for the Divine of the Lord in His Human, and for the life of love and charity (of which presently); also from the signification of "the dragon," as being those who are for faith alone and separated from the life of love and charity, and also against the Divine of the Lord in His Human. That those who are in faith separated from charity, which faith is called faith alone, are meant by "the dragon," has been shown above (n. 714-715, 716).

The same are also against the Divine of the Lord in His Human, that is, against the Divine Human, because most of those who have confirmed themselves in faith alone are merely natural and sensual, and the natural and sensual man separated from the spiritual can have no idea of the Divine in the Human, for they think of the Human of the Lord naturally and sensually, and not at the same time from any spiritual idea; therefore they think of the Lord in the same way as they think of an ordinary man altogether like themselves, and this they also teach; consequently in the idea of their thought they set the Divine of the Lord above His Human, and thus they altogether separate those two, namely the Divine and the Human of the Lord; and this they do although their doctrine, which is the doctrine of Athanasius respecting the Trinity, teaches otherwise, for this teaches that the Divine and Human are a united person, and that the two are one like soul and body. Let any one of them examine himself, and he will perceive that such is their idea respecting the Lord. From this it is clear what is meant by "Michael and his angels" who fought with the dragon, namely, those who acknowledge the Lord's Divine Human and are for the life of love and charity, for they who are such cannot do otherwise than acknowledge the Divine Human of the Lord, and for the reason that otherwise they could not be in any love to the Lord nor in any charity towards the neighbor thence, since this charity and love are solely from the Lord's Divine Human, and not from a Divine separated from His Human, nor from the Human separated from His Divine; consequently also after the dragon was cast down into the earth with his angels a voice said out of heaven:

Now is come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ (verse 10).

From this it is clear what is meant by "Michael and his angels."

[2] As to Michael in particular, it is believed from the sense of the letter that he is one of the archangels; but there is no archangel in the heavens. There are, indeed, higher and lower angels, also wiser and less wise; and in the societies of angels there are governors who are set over the rest; but yet there are no archangels in obedience to whom others are held by any authority. There is no such government in the heavens, for no one there acknowledges in heart anyone above himself except the Lord only; this is what is meant by the Lord's words in Matthew:

Be not ye called teacher, for one is your Teacher, Christ, but all ye are brethren. And call no man your father on earth, for one is your Father, who is in the heavens. Neither be ye called masters, for one is your Master, Christ. He that is greatest among you shall be your minister (Matthew 23:8-11).

But by those angels that are mentioned in the Word, as "Michael" and "Raphael," administrations and functions are meant, and in general, limited and certain departments of the administration and function of all the angels; so here "Michael" means that department of angelic function that has been referred to above, namely, the defense of that part of the doctrine from the Word that teaches that the Lord's Human is Divine, and that man must live a life of love to the Lord and of charity towards the neighbor that he may receive salvation from the Lord, consequently that department of function is meant that is for fighting against those who separate the Divine from the Human of the Lord, and who separate faith from the life of love and charity, and who even profess charity with the lips but not in the life.

[3] Moreover, in the Word "angels" do not mean angels in the spiritual sense, but Divine truths from the Lord (See above, n. 130, 302), for the reason that angels are not angels from what is their own [proprium], but from the reception of Divine truth from the Lord. It is the same in respect to archangels, who signify that Divine truth, as has been said above. Angels, moreover, in the heavens do not have such names as men on earth have, but they have names expressive of their functions, and in general, to every angel a name is given according to his quality; this is why "name" signifies in the Word the quality of a thing and state. The name Michael means, from its derivation in the Hebrew, "who is like God;" therefore Michael signifies the Lord in relation to that Divine truth that the Lord is God even as to the Human, and that man must live from Him, that is, in love to Him from Him, and in love towards the neighbor. Michael is mentioned also in Daniel 10:13, 21; 12:1, and signifies there like as here the genuine truth from the Word, which will be for those who are of the church to be established by the Lord; for "Michael" means those who will favor the doctrine of the New Jerusalem, the two essentials of which doctrine are, that the Human of the Lord is Divine, and that there must be a life of love and charity.

[4] Michael is also mentioned in the Epistle of Jude in these words:

Michael the archangel, when contending with ¹ the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not pronounce a sentence of blasphemy, but said, The Lord rebuke thee (Jude 1:9).

This the apostle Jude quoted from ancient books that were written by correspondences, and by "Moses" in those books the Word was meant, and by his "body" the sense of the letter of the Word; and as the same persons are meant here by "the devil" as are meant in Revelation by "the dragon," which is also called "Satan" and "the devil," it is evident what is signified by "Michael, contending with the devil, disputed about the body of Moses," namely, that such falsified the sense of the letter of the Word; and because the Word in the letter is such that it can be distorted by the evil from its genuine sense, and yet can be received by the good according to its meaning, it was said by the ancients, from whom these words of Jude were quoted, that "Michael durst not pronounce a sentence of blasphemy." (That in the spiritual sense "Moses" signifies the law, thus the Word, may be seen in Arcana Coelestia 4859 at the end, 5922, 6723, 6752, 6827, 7010, 7014, 7089, 7382, 8787, 8805, 9372, 9414, 9419, 9429, 10234, 10563, 10571, 10607, 10614.)

Poznámky pod čarou:

9303. 'Behold, I send an angel before you' means the Lord's Divine Human. This is clear from the meaning of 'sending', when it refers to the Lord, as going forth, dealt with in 6831, at this point causing to go forth; and from the meaning of 'an angel' as one who goes forth, for the word for 'angel' in the original language means one who has been sent. This is the derivation of the word, and 'one sent' means one going forth, as becomes clear from the places in the Word referred to in 6831. From this it is evident that 'the angel of Jehovah' is used to mean the Lord's Divine Human, for this comes forth from Jehovah as the Father. Jehovah as the Father is the Divine Good of Divine Love, which is Essential Being (Esse), 3704; and He who comes forth from the Father is the Divine Truth emanating from that Divine Good. He is accordingly the Divine Coming-into-Being (Existere) that arises from the Divine Being; and this Coming-into-Being is meant here by 'an angel'. The like occurs in Isaiah,

The angel of His face delivered them; because of His love and His compassion He redeemed them, and took them and carried them all the days of eternity. Isaiah 63:9.

And in Malachi,

Behold, suddenly there will come to His temple the Lord whom you are seeking, and the angel of the covenant in whom you delight. Malachi 3:1-2.

'To the Lord's temple' means to His Human. The Lord Himself teaches that this is His temple, in Matthew 26:61, and in John 2:19, 21-22.

[2] The Church declares that from the three who are named Father, Son, and Holy Spirit exists a Divine Unity, also called One God, and that the Son proceeds from the Father, and the Holy Spirit from the Father through the Son. But what proceeding or going forth means remains unknown. Angels' ideas about this are altogether different from those of people in the Church who have given thought to the matter. The reason for this is that the ideas of people in the Church are based on three, but those of angels on one. And the reason why the ideas of people in the Church are based on three is that they distinguish the Divine [Being] into three separate persons, to each of whom they attribute particular and specific functions. Consequently although they are indeed able to say that God is one, they can conceive only of three made one through mystical union, as they call it. This indeed allows them to conceive of Divine Unity but not of One God, since they have God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit in mind. Divine Unity is unity arrived at through agreement and so unanimity; but One God is wholly and completely one.

[3] What kind of idea or way of thinking members of the Church have about one God is perfectly clear in the next life, for each individual person takes his ideas and thoughts with him. In their thinking they envisage three gods, but they dare not to use the word 'gods', only 'God'. Few moreover make one out of three through union; for they think of the Father in one way, of the Son in another, and of the Holy Spirit in yet another. This has shown what kind of belief the Church has regarding the most essential thing of all, namely the Deity Himself. And since the belief and thoughts and the love and affections of all in the next life bring them together or set them apart, those who have been born outside the Church and have believed in one God shy away from those within the Church. They say that those within the Church do not believe in one God but in three gods, and that those who do not believe in one God in human form believe in no God at all, since they think of the whole universe, endless in extent, and so think of the natural order, which they acknowledge in place of God. When members of the Church are asked what they understand by 'proceeding' when they say that the Son proceeds from the Father, and the Holy Spirit from the Father through the Son, they reply that 'proceeding' is a term which has to do with union and is all part of that mystery.

[4] But when their ideas and thoughts about it have been examined, they have proved to be no more than those of a term and nothing of real substance. But angels' ideas about the Godhead, about the Trinity, and about proceeding are altogether different from those of members of the Church, because angels' ideas and thoughts, as stated above, are based on one, whereas those of members of the Church are based on three. Angels think - and what they think they believe - that there is one God and He is the Lord, that His Human is the Deity Himself in outward form, and that the holiness proceeding from Him is the Holy Spirit, thus that though there is a Trinity the Deity is intrinsically One.

[5] An idea concerning the angels in heaven may serve to make this intelligible. An angel there is seen in human form; nevertheless there are three things with him which make one. There is the inward part of him which does not appear before people's eyes, there is the outward part which does appear, and there is the sphere of the life belonging to his affections and thoughts, which flows out far and wide from him, regarding which see 1048, 1053, 1316, 1504-1519, 1695, 2489, 4464, 5179, 6206 (end), 7454, 8063, 8630. These three make one angel. But angels are finite, created beings, whereas the Lord is Infinite and Uncreated; and since no one, not even an angel, can have an idea of the Infinite except from things that are finite, it is permissible to use such an example to shed light on what the Three in One is, on the truth that there is One God, and on the truth that He is the Lord, and no other. See in addition what has been shown already on these matters in the places referred to in 9194, 9199.