89. "'I will give to eat from the tree of life.'" This symbolizes an assimilation of the goodness of love and charity from the Lord.

In the Word, to eat means, symbolically, to assimilate, and the tree of life symbolizes the Lord in respect to the goodness of love. Thus eating of the tree of life symbolizes an assimilation of the goodness of love from the Lord.

To eat means, symbolically, to assimilate because as natural food, when eaten, is assimilated into the life of a person's body, so spiritual food, when received, is assimilated into the life of his soul.

The tree of life symbolizes the Lord in respect to the goodness of love because that is what the tree of life symbolizes in the Garden of Eden, and because a person has celestial and spiritual life from the goodness of love and charity that he receives from the Lord.

Many passages make mention of a tree, and it means a person of the church, and in the broadest sense the church itself, its fruit meaning goodness of life. The reason is that the Lord is the tree of life, the source of every good in the church and in a person of the church. But more on this subject in its proper place.

We say the goodness of love and charity, because the goodness of love is celestial good, which is an expression of love toward the Lord, and the goodness of charity is spiritual good, which is an expression of love for the neighbor. The nature and character of each good will be told in discussions to follow. Something about them may be seen in the book Heaven and Hell, nos. 13-19.

383. "For the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them." (7:17) This symbolically means that the Lord alone will teach them.

The Lamb in the midst of the throne symbolizes the Lord in respect to His Divine humanity in the inmost of heaven and thus in everything connected with it (no. 44). The throne is heaven (no. 14), and the Lamb is the Lord in respect to His Divine humanity (nos. 269, 291). And He who is in the inmost of heaven and thus in everything connected with it is the only one who shepherds all people, that is, who teaches them.

If a question is raised as to how He alone can shepherd all, be it known that it is because He is God, and because He is present in the whole of heaven like the soul in its body; for heaven, arising from Him, is like a single person.

To shepherd means to teach because in the Word the church is called a flock, and the people in the church are called sheep and lambs. Therefore to shepherd means, symbolically, to teach, and the shepherd one who teaches, and this in many places, as for example:

On that day your flocks will graze in a broad meadow. (Isaiah 33:23)

He will feed His flock like a shepherd. (Isaiah 40:11)

They shall graze along the roads, and have their pasture on all the hillsides. (Isaiah 49:9)

(Israel) shall graze on Carmel and Bashan. (Jeremiah 50:19)

...I will seek out My sheep... I will feed them in good pasture, and... in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. (Ezekiel 34:12-14)

You, Bethlehem Ephrathah, it is a small thing that you are among the thousands of Judah. Out of you shall come forth to Me One who will be Ruler in Israel... He shall stand and graze in the strength of Jehovah... (Micah 5:2, 4)

Feed Your people... Let them graze in Bashan and Gilead... (Micah 7:14)

The remnant of Israel... shall graze and lie down... (Zephaniah 3:13)

Jehovah is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in pastures of tender grass. (Psalms 23:1-2)

(The Lord) chose David... to shepherd Jacob... and Israel... and he shepherded them... (Psalms 78:70-72)

Jesus said to Peter, "Feed My lambs." And a second and third time He said, "Feed my sheep." (John 21:15-17)