9467. And crimson. That this signifies the celestial love of good, is evident from the signification of “crimson,” as being the celestial love of good. The reason why this is signified by “crimson,” is that by a red color is signified the good of celestial love. For there are two fundamental colors from which come the rest: the color red, and the color white. The color “red” signifies the good which is of love; and the color “white” signifies the truth which is of faith. That the color “red” signifies the good which is of love, is because it comes from fire, and “fire” denotes the good of love; and the color “white” signifies the truth which is of faith, because it comes from light, and “light” denotes the truth of faith. (That “fire” denotes the good of love, see n. 5215, 6314, 6832, 6834, 6849, 7324, 9434; and that “light” denotes the truth of faith, n. 2776, 3195, 3636, 3643, 3993, 4302, 4413, 4415, 5400, 8644, 8707, 8861, 9399, 9407; that “red” denotes the good of love, n. 3300; and “white,” the truth of faith, n. 3993, 4007, 5319)

[2] From this it is evident what the remaining colors signify; for insofar as they partake of red they signify the good of love; and insofar as they partake of white they signify the truth of faith; for all the colors that appear in heaven are modifications of heavenly light and flame upon these two planes. For heavenly light is real light, and in itself is the Divine truth that proceeds from the Divine good of the Lord; wherefore the modifications of this light and flame are variegations of truth and good, thus of intelligence and wisdom.

[3] This shows why the veils and curtains of the tent, and also the garments of Aaron, were to be woven of blue, crimson, scarlet double-dyed, and fine linen (Exodus 26:1 (Exodus 26:1), 31, 36; 27:16; 28:6, 15); namely, that by these things might be represented the celestial things that belong to good, and the spiritual things that belong to truth (of which in what follows).

[4] Good from a celestial origin is signified by “crimson” also in Ezekiel:

Fine linen with broidered work from Egypt was thy spread, blue and crimson from the Isles of Elishah were thy covering (Ezekiel 27:7);

speaking of Tyre, by which are signified the knowledges of truth and good; “blue and crimson for a covering” denote the knowledges of truth and good from a celestial origin.

[5] Like things are signified by “crimson and fine linen” in Luke:

There was a certain rich man, who was clothed in crimson and fine linen, and fared splendidly every day (Luke 16:19);

by the “rich man” was meant in the internal sense the Jewish nation and the church among them, which was called “rich” from the knowledges of good and truth from the Word there existing; “garments of crimson and fine linen” denote these knowledges; “garments of crimson,” the knowledges of good; and “garments of fine linen,” the knowledges of truth; both from a celestial origin, because from the Divine. The like is also signified by “crimson” in the Revelation:

A woman sitting upon a scarlet beast, arrayed in crimson and scarlet (Revelation 17:3-4);

treating of Babylon, by which is signified the church wherein the holy things of the Word are applied to profane uses, that is, to such as aim at dominions in heaven and on earth; thus from the infernal love of self and of the world.

9434. And the aspect of the glory of Jehovah was like devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the sons of Israel. That this signifies Divine truth in heaven itself resplendent from the good of love, but injuring and vastating with those who are in its external separate from the internal, is evident from the signification of “the aspect of the glory of Jehovah,” as being the appearing of the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord (that “the aspect” here denotes an appearing before the eyes, is manifest; and that “the glory of Jehovah” denotes the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord, see n. 9429); from the signification of “fire,” as being love in both senses (see n. 4906, 5215, 6314, 6832, 7324), here the Divine love itself; from the signification of “the top of the mountain,” as being the inmost of heaven, for by “Mount Sinai” is signified heaven (n. 9420, 9427), and by its highest part, which is called the “top” and the “summit,” is signified its inmost (n. 9422); from the signification of “devouring,” as being to consume, thus to injure and vastate; and from the representation of the sons of Israel, as being those who are in external things apart from internal, as shown frequently above. From all this it can be seen that by “the aspect of the glory of Jehovah like fire on the top of the mountain” is signified Divine truth in heaven itself resplendent from the good of love; and that by its being “like devouring fire in the eyes of the sons of Israel” is signified that it injures and vastates with those who are in its external apart from the internal.

[2] The case herein is this. There are two loves absolutely opposite to each other-heavenly love, and infernal love; heavenly love is love to the Lord and love toward the neighbor, and infernal love is the love of self and the love of the world. Those with whom infernal loves reign are in hell; but those with whom heavenly loves reign are in heaven. For love is the very life of man, because without love there is absolutely no life; for from love everyone has the heat and fire of his life. That without the vital heat and fire there is no life, is very evident. From this it follows that such as is the love, such is the life; consequently such as is the love, such is the man; and therefore from his loves everyone can know whether heaven is in him, or hell. Love is like fire or flame in man, and is indeed, as before said, the vital fire or flame; and faith is like the light from this fire, or from this flame, and is indeed the light which lights up the interiors of his understanding. From this also it is plain what is the quality of the light from which those have faith who are in infernal love. (That from this light comes a persuasive faith, which in itself is not faith, but the persuasion, for the sake of self and the world, that such is the case, see n. 9363-9369.) In the church at this day, spiritual life, which is life eternal, is made to consist in faith alone, thus in faith without the goods of heavenly love; but from what has just been said, everyone who reflects can see the nature of such a life.

[3] It shall now be stated how the case is with the Divine fire, which is the Divine love, with those who are in heavenly love; and how it is with those who are in infernal love. With those who are in heavenly love the Divine fire or love is continually creating and renewing the interiors of the will, and is continually lighting up the interiors of the understanding. But with those who are in infernal love the Divine fire or love is continually injuring and vastating. The reason is that with the latter, the Divine love falls into opposites, whereby it is destroyed; for it is turned into the fire or love of self and of the world, thus into contempt for others in comparison with oneself, into enmities against all who do not favor oneself, and therefore into hatreds, into revenges, and finally into cruelties. It is from this then that before the eyes of the sons of Israel the fire of Jehovah appeared as devouring or consuming; for they were in the love of self and of the world, because they were in external things apart from internal.

[4] That to them this fire was devouring and consuming, is plain also elsewhere in Moses:

It came to pass, when ye heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, and the mountain did burn with fire, that ye came near unto me, even all the heads of your tribes, and your elders; and ye said, Behold, Jehovah our God hath made us see His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice out of the midst of the fire; now therefore why should we die? For this great fire will devour us; if we hear the voice of Jehovah our God anymore, we shall surely die (Deuteronomy 5:23-25).

(See also what has been shown at n. 6832, 8814, 8819; and that this people was of such a character, at n. 9380)

[5] By a “devouring fire” elsewhere also in the Word is signified vastation, and it is said of the wicked; as in the following passages, in Joel:

The day of Jehovah cometh; a day of darkness and of thick darkness, a day of cloud and of obscurity. A fire devoureth before it, after it a flame burneth: the land Is as the garden of Eden before it, but after it even a wilderness of a waste (Joel 2:1-3).

Jehovah shall cause the glory of His voice to be heard in the flame of a devouring fire (Isaiah 30:30).

Who shall remain to us with the devouring fire? Who shall remain to us with the fire-places of eternity? (Isaiah 33:14).

Thou shalt be visited by Jehovah with the flame of a devouring fire (Isaiah 29:6).

Thy posterity shall be devoured by the fire (Ezekiel 23:25).

In these passages by a “devouring fire” is meant the fire of the cupidities which arise from the loves of self and of the world, because this is the fire which consumes a man, and which vastates the church. This was also represented by the “fire from before Jehovah” which devoured the sons of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, because they put strange fire into their censers (Leviticus 10:1-2); “putting strange fire into their censers” denotes instituting worship from some other love than heavenly love (that such “fire” denotes the love of self and of the world, and every cupidity arising therefrom, see n. 1297, 1861, 5071, 5215, 6314, 6832, 7324, 7575, 9141).