9995. Of fine flour of wheat shalt thou make them. That this signifies the truth that is from Divine good, and from which are these things, is evident from the signification of “fine flour,” as being truth (of which below); and from the signification of “wheat,” as being the good of love (see n. 3941), thus in the supreme sense Divine good; and from the signification of “making them,” as being that these celestial goods, which are signified by “bread, cakes, and wafers, of unleavened things,” are from this truth. The case herein is as follows. All the truths and goods that are in the heavens are from the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord’s Divine good. As received by the angels in the celestial kingdom this Divine truth is called “celestial good;” but in the spiritual kingdom, as received by the angels there, it is called “spiritual good.” For howsoever the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord’s Divine good is called truth, it is nevertheless good. The reason why it is called truth, is that it appears in the heavens, before the external sight of the angels there, as light; for the light in the heavens is Divine truth. But the heat in this light, which is the good of love, makes it to be good. Similar is the case with man. When the truth of faith proceeds from the good of charity, which is the case when the man has been regenerated, it then appears as good, which from this is called “spiritual good;” for the being of truth is good, and truth is the form of good.

[2] From this it can be seen why a man finds it so difficult to distinguish between thinking and willing; for when he wills anything, he says that he thinks it; and often when he thinks anything, that he wills it. And yet they are distinct, like truth and good; for the being of thought is will, and the form of will is thought; as the being of truth is good, and the form of good is truth, as just said. As a man finds such difficulty in distinguishing between these two, he therefore does not know what is the being of his life, and that it is good; and not truth except insofar as this comes forth from good. Good pertains to the will, and will is that which man loves; and therefore truth does not become the being of man’s life until he loves it; and when a man loves it he does it. But truth pertains to the understanding, the office of which is to think, and when a man thinks it, he can speak about it. Moreover, it is possible to understand and think truth without willing and doing it; but when it is devoid of will, it is not appropriated to the man’s life, because it has not in it the being of his life. Being ignorant of this, a man attributes everything of salvation to faith, and scarcely anything to charity; when yet faith has its being of life from charity, as truth has it from good.

[3] Moreover, all the good with man is formed by means of truth; for good flows in by an internal way from the Lord, and truth enters by an external way; and they enter into a marriage in the internal man; but in one way with a spiritual man and angel, and in another way with a celestial man and angel. With a spiritual man and angel, the marriage is effected in the intellectual part; but in a celestial man and angel in the will part. The external way, by which truth enters, is through the hearing and sight into the understanding; but the internal way, by which good flows in from the Lord, is through his inmost into the will (on which subject see what was shown in the passages cited in n. 9596). From all this it is evident that the celestial goods signified by the “bread, cakes, and wafers of unleavened things” come forth from the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord’s Divine good; and that this is meant by “of fine flour of wheat thou shalt make them.” As this is so, all the meat-offerings, which were prepared in various ways, were made of fine flour mingled with oil (Leviticus 2:1; 6:13-16; Numbers 7:13, and following verses; 15:2-15; 28:11-15).

[4] That “fine flour,” and also “meal,” denote the truth which is from good, is evident from the following passages, in Ezekiel:

Thou didst eat fine flour, honey, and oil, whence thou becamest beautiful exceedingly (Ezekiel 16:13);

this is said of Jerusalem, by which is here meant the Ancient Church; “fine flour” denotes the truth from the good of this church; “honey” denotes its delight; “oil” denotes the good of love; and “to eat” denotes to appropriate; therefore it is said “thou becamest beautiful,” for spiritual beauty is from truths and goods.

[5] In Hosea:

It hath no standing crop, the shoot shall yield no meal; if perchance it yield, strangers shall swallow it up (Hos. 8:7).

The “standing crop” denotes the truth of faith from good in conception (n. 9146); “the shoot shall yield no meal” denotes barrenness, because there is no truth from good; the “strangers who shall swallow it up” denote the falsities from evil which will consume it.

[6] In the first book of Kings:

The woman of Zidon in Zarephath said to Elijah that she had nothing of which to make a cake, except a handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse. Elijah said that she should make for him a cake in the first place, and the cask of meal would not be consumed, and the cruse of oil would not fail; which also came to pass (1 Kings 17:12-15);

by “meal” is here signified the truth of the church; and by “oil” its good; for by the woman in Zidon is represented the church which is in the knowledges of truth and good; and by Elijah the prophet, the Lord as to the Word; from which it is evident what this miracle involves, for all the miracles treated of in the Word involve such things as are of the church (n. 7337, 8364, 9086). From this it is evident what is signified by the barrel of meal not being consumed, and the cruse of oil not failing, if the woman made a cake of what little she had for Elijah in the first place, and for her son afterward. (That “woman” denotes the church, see n. 252, 253; that “Zidon” denotes the knowledges of truth and good, n. 1201; and that “Elijah” denotes the Lord as to the Word, n. 2762, 5247)

[7] In Isaiah:

O daughter of Babel, take the millstone and grind meal (Isaiah 47:1-2);

“the daughter of Babel” denotes those in the church who are in a holy external, but in a profane internal; “to grind meal” denotes to select from the sense of the letter of the Word such things as serve to confirm the evils of the loves of self and of the world, which evil is profane; “to grind” denotes to select, and also to explain in favor of these loves; and “meal” denotes truth serving for this (n. 4335).

[8] From this it is plain what is meant by “grinding,” consequently what by that which is ground; as in Jeremiah:

Princes were hanged up by their hand, the faces of elders were not honored, they carried away the young men to grind (Lam. 5:12-13).

Moses took the calf which they had made, and burnt it with fire, and ground it to powder; then he strewed it upon the faces of the waters, and made the sons of Israel drink (Exodus 32:20; Deuteronomy 9:21).

Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left: two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left (Matthew 24:40-41);

from this it is evident what is meant by “grinding;” that in a good sense it denotes to select truths from the Word and explain them so as to be of service to good; and in a bad sense so as to be of service to evil (n. 7780); from which it is also evident what is signified by that which is ground, consequently by “meal,” and “fine flour.”

9596. Of fine twined linen, and blue, and crimson, and scarlet double-dyed. That this signifies the spiritual and celestial things from which are these truths, is evident from the signification of “fine twined linen,” as being truths from a celestial origin (see n. 9469); from the signification of “blue” [hyacinthinum] as being the celestial love of truth (n. 9466); from the signification of “crimson,” as being the celestial love of good (n. 9467); and from the signification of “scarlet double-dyed,” as being spiritual good, or the good of truth (n. 9468). Such is the order in which spiritual and celestial things, or truths and goods, follow with the man, and with the angel, who is in the middle or second heaven. For first is truth from a celestial origin, which is signified by “fine linen;” next is the love or affection of truth, which is signified by “blue;” afterward is the consequent love or affection of good, which is signified by “crimson;” and lastly is spiritual good, which is signified by “scarlet double-dyed.”

[2] As spiritual and celestial things follow in this order, therefore fine twined linen is here mentioned first; but in the case of the veil, which was between the Habitation and the ark, or between the holy and the holy of holies-see verse 31 of this chapter-it is mentioned in the last place. The reason why in the veil the fine twined linen is mentioned last, is that the veil signifies the intermediate that unites the inmost heaven with the middle heaven, and therefore in this intermediate it must be the last, so that, for the sake of conjunction, it may be the first in what follows.

[3] But by “fine twined linen” is properly signified the understanding such as belongs to a spiritual man, or to an angel who is in the Lord’s spiritual kingdom. The reason why the understanding is signified by “fine twined linen,” is that with the spiritual man a new will from the Lord has been implanted in his understanding (n. 863, 875, 895, 927, 1023, 1043, 1044, 1555, 2256, 4328, 4493, 5113); and as the understanding of the spiritual man is signified by “fine twined linen,” therefore also spiritual truth is signified thereby, because all truth belongs to the part of the understanding, and all good to the part of the will (n. 3623, 9300); for the understanding is the subject or containant, and truth belongs to it, and these two make a one. From all this it can also be seen that with those who are of the Lord’s spiritual kingdom the understanding is “the Habitation” in the close sense (n. 9296, 9297), and that it is described by the expanse of the curtains.

[4] From all this it can be known what is signified by “spreading out and stretching out the heavens” in Isaiah:

Jehovah that stretcheth out the heavens, that spreadeth out the earth, that giveth breath to the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein (Isaiah 42:5).

I, Jehovah, that maketh all things; that stretcheth out the heavens alone; that spreadeth out the earth by Myself (Isaiah 44:24).

I have made the earth, and created man upon it; I, My hands, have stretched out the heavens (Isaiah 45:12).

He who maketh the earth by His power, prepareth the world by His wisdom, and by His intelligence stretcheth out the heavens (Jeremiah 51:15).

Jehovah, that stretcheth out the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man in the midst of him (Zech. 12:1).

[5] That by “stretching out the heavens and spreading out the earth” the same is here signified as by “stretching out and spreading out the habitation” by means of the curtains is manifest; and that this denotes to regenerate man, and thus to create or form a new understanding in which is a new will, which is the very heaven of the spiritual man, wherein the Lord dwells with this man. That it is regeneration, or the formation of a new understanding and therein of a new will, thus of a new man, which is signified by “stretching out the heavens and spreading out the earth” is clear from the very explanation given in the above passages, for it is said, “that giveth breath to the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein; also, “that formeth the spirit of man within him.” That “heaven and earth” denote the internal and external church, see n. 1733, 1850, 2117, 2118, 3355, 4535; also that “the earth” in general denotes the Lord’s kingdom and church (n. 9334); and this is also plainly to be seen, for unless “the earth” had this signification, what could be meant by “spreading out the earth,” and by “laying the foundation of the earth,” and by “forming the spirit of man therein”?

[6] That by “stretching out the heavens, and spreading out the earth” the like is here signified as by “stretching out and spreading out the habitation” by means of the curtains is evident from other passages where it is stated more expressly, as in Isaiah:

Jehovah, that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in (Isaiah 40:22).

Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch the curtains of thy habitations (Isaiah 54:2).

Jehovah covereth Himself with light as with a garment; He stretcheth out the heavens like a curtain (Psalms 104:2).

From all this it is also evident what is signified by “the expanse” in the first chapter of Genesis:

God said, Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it be to the waters a dividing between the waters. And God made the expanse, and divided between the waters that were under the expanse and the waters that were above the expanse. And God called the expanse heaven (Genesis 1:6-8).

In this first chapter is described the regeneration of the man of the celestial church; and his new will and understanding are described by “the expanse;” “the waters under the expanse, and above the expanse” denote the truths of the external and of the internal man (that “waters” denote truths, see n. 2702, 3058, 3424, 4976, 8568, 9323).