476. And make their robes white in the blood of the Lamb.- This signifies the implantation of Divine Truth from the Lord, as is evident from the signification of making their robes white, as denoting to put off falsities and to put on truths, for white, and to whiten are said in reference to truths, which are signified by robes. That white, and to whiten, are said in reference to truths, may be seen above (n. 196); and that robes signify truths in general may also be seen above (n. 395). It is said that they made their robes white, because the garments of those who are in falsities in the spiritual world appear to be dusky, and also spotted, and the garments of those who are in temptations appear squalid; but as soon as they come out of temptations, because they are then imbued with Divine Truths, they appear to be clad in garments white and shining, without blemishes, as mentioned just above; therefore by making their robes white is signified that they had put off falsities and put on truths. The blood of the Lamb, signifies the Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord; see above (n. 329); and because falsities are shaken off in temptations, and truths implanted, therefore, in general, by making their robes white in the blood of the Lamb, is signified the implantation of Divine Truth from the Lord. In the sense of the letter of the Word, the blood of the Lamb means the passion of the cross, but in the internal or spiritual sense it means the Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord; for by means of this, man is purified from falsities and evils, that is, his garments are made white.

The passion of the cross was the last temptation of the Lord, through which He completely subjugated the hells, and glorified His Human; and having fulfilled and completed these things, the Lord sent the Paraclete (Paracletum), the Spirit of Truth, by which is meant the Divine Truth proceeding from His glorified Human, as the Lord Himself teaches in John (7:39), and elsewhere. Man then is reformed and regenerated by the Lord, and saved by means of the Divine Truth when received, but not by the shedding of blood upon the cross. On this subject more may be seen in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 293, 294); and in the passages cited therein from the Arcana Coelestia. The same is also evident from this fact, that the garments of the angels appear to shine with a white and bright appearance, not from faith and from thought concerning the blood of the Lord [shed] upon the cross, but from the Divine Truth from the Lord with the angels. For, as stated above, all their garments accord with the truths which they have, neither is any angel allowed to think of the passion of the Lord, but of His glorification, and of the reception of the Divine from Him.

3493. 'And his eyes were becoming dark so that he could not see' means when the Rational wished to enlighten the Natural from the Divine. This is clear from the meaning of 'the eyes' as interior or rational sight, dealt with in 2701, and from the meaning of 'seeing' as recognizing and understanding, dealt with in 2150, 2325, 2807. Consequently when 'the eyes' are said 'to be becoming dark' the meaning is that no discernment exists any longer, in this case no discernment of the things present in the natural. This being the meaning of these words, the fact that the Rational wished to enlighten the Natural from the Divine is meant. What this implies may be seen from the following things stated and shown already about the rational and the natural with man when he is being regenerated: The rational is regenerated before the natural, for the reason that the rational is interior and so closer to the Divine, and also is purer and so more suited to receiving the Divine than the natural is; and for the further reason that the natural has to be regenerated by way of the rational, see 3286, 3288, 3321.

[2] When therefore the rational has been regenerated but not the natural the former in that case seems to itself to be made dark, for no correspondence exists between the two. Actually the rational receives its sight from the light of heaven, whereas the natural receives its sight from the light of the world; but unless a correspondence exists between the two the rational is unable to see anything that is in the natural. Everything there is like shadow or even like thick darkness. But once a correspondence does exist, things that are in light in the natural are then apparent to the rational, for things that belong to the light of the world are then enlightened by those that belong to the light of heaven, which are so to speak shining through. But these matters are more clearly evident from what has been stated and shown already about correspondence see 2987, 2989-2991, 3002, 3138, 3167, 3222, 3223, 3225, 3337, 3485. Through what is stated and shown in these paragraphs one may grasp to some extent that the words 'Isaac's eyes were becoming dark so that he could not see' mean that the Rational wished to enlighten the Natural from the Divine, that is to say, to make even the Natural Divine, for the subject in the highest sense is the Lord. Light is thereby shed on this matter by what occurs with man when he is being regenerated and which has been described already; for man's regeneration is an image of the Lord's glorification, 3043, 3138, 3212, 3296, 3490.