10244. 'That they may not die' means so that what is representative may not be lost. This is clear from the meaning of 'dying', when it refers to the services performed by Aaron and his sons, as the demise of things that were representative and consequently of a link with heaven, dealt with in 9928. The implications of this are that in the Church established among that nation a link with heaven, and through heaven with the Lord, was achieved solely by means of things that were representative, that is, by means of external things that represented internal ones. Therefore as soon as they ceased to perform priestly functions according to the prescribed rituals, that which was representative was lost, and with it the joining to heaven. And when the link with heaven was lost they had no protection against hell. This accounts for the death of Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu; for they placed incense onto foreign ¹ fire, Leviticus 10:1-2. Their action represented worship springing from a love other than that of the Lord, as a consequence of which they were separated from heaven and annihilated. The consequences would have been the same if Aaron or his sons had drawn near to serve without washing; for then they would have represented worship that did not spring from heaven, but profane worship which came from hell. From all this it is evident that 'dying', when it refers to the services performed by Aaron and his sons, means the annihilation of things that were representative and consequently of the joining to heaven.

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