3623. 'What would life hold for me?' means, and so there would not be any conjunction. This is clear from the meaning of 'life' as conjunction by means of truths and goods. For when it was not possible for any truth from a common stem or genuine source to be joined to natural truth, there could not be any alliance of the natural to the truth of the rational, in which case it seemed to the rational as though its own life were no life, 3493, 3620. This is why here 'what would life hold for me?' means, and so there would not be any conjunction. Here and in other places the word 'life' in the original language is plural, and the reason for this is that in man there are two powers of life. The first is called the understanding and is the receptacle of truth, the second is called the will and is the receptacle of good. These two forms or powers of life make one when the understanding is rooted in the will, or what amounts to the same, when truth is grounded in good. This explains why in Hebrew the noun 'life' is sometimes singular, sometimes plural. The plural form of that noun is used in all the following places, Jehovah God formed the man, dust from the ground; and He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul. Genesis 2:7. Jehovah God caused to spring up out of the ground every tree desirable to the sight and good for food, and the tree of life in the middle of the garden. Genesis 2:9. Behold, I am bringing a flood of waters over the earth, to destroy all flesh in which there is the spirit of life. Genesis 6:17.

They went in to Noah into the ark, two by two from all flesh in which there is the spirit of life. Genesis 7:15 (in 780).

Everything which had the breath of the spirit of life in its nostrils breathed its last. Genesis 7:12.

In David,

I believe [I am going] to see the goodness of Jehovah in the land of the living. Psalms 27:13.

In the same author,

Who is the man who desires life, who loves [many] days, that he may see good? Psalms 34:12

In the same author,

With You, O Jehovah, is the fountain of life; in Your light do we see light. Psalms 36:9.

In Malachi,

My covenant with Levi was [a covenant] of life and peace. Malachi 2:5.

In Jeremiah,

Thus said Jehovah, Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death. Jeremiah 21:8.

In Moses,

To love Jehovah your God, to obey His voice, and to cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days, so that you may dwell in the land. Deuteronomy 30:20.

In the same author,

It is not an empty word from you; for it is your life, and through this word you will prolong your days in the land. Deuteronomy 32:47.

And in other places too the plural form of the noun 'life' is used in the original language because, as has been stated, there are two kinds of life which yet make one. It is similar with the word 'heavens' in the Hebrew language, in that the heavens are many and yet make one, or like the expression 'waters' above and below, in Genesis 1:7-9 , by which spiritual things in the rational and in the natural are meant which ought to be one through being joined together. As for the plural form of 'life', when this is used both the life of the will and that of the understanding are meant, and therefore both the life of good and that of truth are meant. For man's life consists in nothing else than good and truth which hold life from the Lord within them. Devoid of good and truth, and of the life which these hold within them, no one is human. For devoid of these no one would ever have been able to will or to think anything. Everything that a person wills originates in good or in that which is not good, and everything he thinks originates in truth or in that which is not truth. Consequently man possesses two kinds of life and these make one when his thinking flows from his willing, that is, when truth which is the truth of faith flows from good which is the good of love.

10152. 'And Aaron and his sons [I will sanctify], to serve Me in the priestly office' means that which is representative of the Lord in both groups of heavens in respect of the work of salvation. This is clear from the representation of 'Aaron' as the Lord in respect of celestial good, dealt with in 9806, 9946, 10068, and from the representation of 'Aaron's sons' as the Lord in respect of spiritual good, dealt with in 10017, 10068, thus in both groups of heavens, the higher heavens and the lower ones (for whether you say celestial good, or the celestial kingdom, or the higher heavens, it amounts to the same thing; and also whether you say spiritual good, or the spiritual kingdom, or the lower heavens, it amounts to the same thing; regarding the higher and the lower heavens, see what has been stated immediately above in 10150, 10151); and from the representation of 'the priestly office' as the Lord's work of salvation, dealt with in 9809, 10017. From these representations it is evident that 'sanctifying Aaron and his sons to serve Jehovah in the priestly office' means that which is representative of the Lord in both groups of heavens in respect of the work of salvation.

[2] Something more about the Lord's work of salvation can be mentioned here. It is well known in the Church that the Lord is the Saviour and Redeemer of the human race, though few know how to understand this. Those acquainted with the outward things of the Church believe that the Lord redeemed the world, that is, the human race, by His blood, by which they understand His passion on the Cross. But those acquainted with the inward realities of the Church know that no one is saved by the Lord's blood, only by a life in keeping with the commandments of faith and charity taught by the Lord's Word. Those acquainted with the inmost realities of the Church understand by the Lord's blood Divine Truth emanating from Him. By His passion on the Cross they understand the final temptation the Lord underwent, by which He completely subdued the hells and at the same time glorified His Human, that is, made it Divine, thereby also redeeming and saving all who allow themselves to be regenerated through a life in keeping with the commandments of faith and charity taught by His Word. 'The Lord's blood' furthermore is used in the internal sense, according to which the angels in heaven perceive the Word, to mean Divine Truth emanating from the Lord, see, 4735, 5476, 6978, 7317, 7326, 7850, 9127, 9393, 10026, 10033.

[3] But in what way mankind was saved and redeemed by the Divine through His subduing of the hells and glorifying of His Human none can know if they do not know that each individual person has angels from heaven and spirits from hell present with him, and that unless these were present with a person unceasingly, the person could not think anything or will anything, so that the person is inwardly subject to the influence either of spirits who come from hell or of angels from heaven. Once all this is known it may be seen that unless the Lord had completely subdued the hells and had restored all things to order both there and in the heavens, no one could have been saved. Nor could any have been saved unless the Lord had made Divine His Human, and by doing this had acquired to Himself Divine power over the hells and over the heavens for evermore; for without Divine power neither the hells nor the heavens can be kept in order. The power which enables anything to come into being must be everlasting, if that thing is to remain in being; for remaining in being is an everlasting coming into being.

[4] The Divine Himself, called the Father, could not have accomplished the work of salvation without the Divine Human, referred to as the Son, for the Divine Himself without the Divine Human cannot reach a person, not even an angel, because the human race has moved away completely from the Divine. This happened when eventually there was no longer any faith nor any charity. At that time therefore the Lord came into the world and restored all things, doing so from His Humanity; and by doing that He saved and redeemed people through their faith and love to the Lord, received from the Lord. For the Lord can withhold these people from hell and eternal damnation, but not those who reject faith and love received from and offered back to Him, since they reject salvation and redemption.

[5] The truth that the Divine Himself achieves this through the Divine Human is clear from a large number of places in the Word, such as those in which the Divine Human, that is, the Son of God, is called the right hand and the arm of Jehovah, or in which it says that the Lord has all power in heaven and on earth. The fact that the Lord is called the right hand and the arm of Jehovah, see 10019; that He has all power in heaven and on earth, 10089; and that from His Divine Human the Lord subdued the hells, restored all things to order there and in the heavens, and at the same time glorified His Human, that is, made it Divine, see the places referred to in 9528, and what has been stated in 9715, 9809, 9937, 10019. And the truth that the Divine Himself, called the Father, accomplished this through the Divine Human is evident in John,

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made ¹ that was made ¹ . And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. John 1:1-3, 14.

Here it is evident that the Lord as to His Divine Human is the One who is called 'the Word', for it says that 'the Word became flesh'. And in addition to this,

Nobody has ever seen God; the only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, He has made Him known. John 1:18.

And elsewhere in the same gospel,

You have never heard the Father's voice nor seen His shape. John 5:37.

And in the same gospel,

I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. From now on you know the Father and have seen Him. He who sees Me sees the Father. John 14:6-7, 9.

And in Matthew,

No one knows the Father except the Son, and he to whom the Son wishes to reveal Him. Matthew 11:27.

From all this it may now be seen what the work of salvation and redemption is, and that this is accomplished through His Divine Human.

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