9509. And thou shalt make two cherubs. That this signifies no admission and approach to the Lord except through the good of love, is evident from the signification of “cherubs,” as being guard and providence lest the Lord should be approached except through the good of love. As this was signified by the “cherubs,” they were placed over the propitiatory [mercy seat] that was upon the ark, and therefore they were made of solid gold; for by the “ark” is signified heaven where the Lord is (see n. 9485), and by “gold,” the good of love (n. 9490). That there is no approach to the Lord except through the good of love, is because love is spiritual conjunction, and all good is of love. Therefore those who are in the good of love to the Lord are brought in to Him in heaven, because they are conjoined with Him; and so are those who are in the good of love toward the neighbor, for the neighbor is the good of one’s fellow citizen, the good of our country, the good of the church, the good of the whole kingdom of the Lord, and in the supreme sense, the Lord Himself, because from Him is this good with man.

[2] During regeneration man has two states, one after the other. The first one is when the man is led by means of the truths of faith to the good of love. The second is when he is in the good of love; and when he is in this, he is in heaven with the Lord. From this it is evident that this good is heaven itself with man, because this good is the Lord with him, for it is from the Lord. (Concerning these two successive states with the man who is being regenerated, see n. 7923, 7992, 8505, 8506, 8510, 8512, 8516, 8643, 8648, 8658, 8685, 8690, 8701, 9224, 9227, 9230, 9274; and that a man comes into heaven when he is in good, that is, when he is led by the Lord by means of good, n. 8516, 8539, 8722, 8772, 9139)

[3] That the “cherubs” signify guard and providence lest the Lord and also heaven be approached except through the good of love, that is, except by those who are in the good of love; and also lest the good which is from the Lord in heaven and with man be injured; is evident from the passages in the Word where “cherubs” are mentioned; as in Genesis:

And He cast out the man; and He caused to dwell at the east of the garden of Eden cherubs, and the flame of a sword that turned itself, to guard the way of the tree of lives (Genesis 3:24).

That “the cherubs” here are guards is evident, for it is said “to guard the way of the tree of lives.” “The tree of lives” denotes the good of love which is from the Lord, thus the Lord; and it is guarded by its not being approached except through the good of love.

[4] It is believed that the Lord can be approached through the truths of faith; but He cannot be approached through these truths when they are separated from the good of love; nor indeed can heaven; but as soon as truths separated wish to enter, heaven is closed against them, thus the way to the Lord; and as truth cannot enter by virtue of itself, unless good is in it, and it thereby becomes the truth of good, so neither can the understanding, and still less can memory-knowledges separated from the good of the will.

[5] As guard and providence lest the Lord be approached, and also heaven, except through the good of love, is signified by “the cherubs,” therefore in the Word Jehovah is said “to sit on the cherubs,” and also “to ride” and “to dwell upon the cherubs,” as in David:

Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, Thou that sittest upon the cherubs, shine forth (Psalms 80:1).

Jehovah shall reign; the peoples shall shake. He sitteth on the cherubs (Psalms 99:1).

Jehovah rode upon a cherub, and did fly (Psalms 18:10).

Jehovah Zebaoth, that dwellest on the cherubs (Isaiah 37:16).

And for this reason there were cherubs on the curtains of the Habitation, and on the veil (Exodus 26:1, 31; 36:35); and also upon the walls of the temple round about, and upon the doors thereof (1 Kings 6:23-29, 31-35); and in like manner in the new temple described in Ezekiel (41:18-20). That there were cherubs upon the curtains of the Habitation, upon the veil, upon the walls of the temple, and upon the doors of it, signified the guard of the Lord lest the holy Divine should be approached except through the good of love; and that there were cherubs upon the ark signified that the Lord Himself was not to be approached except through this good. Therefore also the cherubs were made of solid gold, and in the temple at Jerusalem were made of wood of oil, for by “gold” and by “oil” is signified the good of love.

[6] This guard and providence of the Lord is described by the four animals, each of which had four faces, under the throne on which the Lord was, in Ezekiel (1, 10); and also by the four animals round about the throne on which the Lord was, in Revelation (4:6-10; 5:6, 8-9, 14). By “the four animals” is signified under various aspects the good that proceeds from the Lord, and guarding and protecting lest there be admitted anything else except the good of love to the Lord, and the good of love toward the neighbor; by the “throne” upon which the Lord was, is signified heaven.

5828. And I said, Surely, tearing he is torn in pieces. That this signifies perception that it has perished by evils and falsities, is evident from the signification of “saying,” as being perception (of which frequently above); and from the signification of “being torn in pieces,” as being to perish by evils and falsities (that is, the internal good which is represented by Joseph, n. 5805). That “to be torn in pieces” has this signification, is because in the spiritual world there is no other tearing in pieces than that of good by evils and falsities. The case herein is like death and what relates to death. In the spiritual sense these do not signify natural death, but spiritual death, which is damnation, for there is no other death in the spiritual world. So likewise “tearing” does not signify in the spiritual sense such tearing as is done by wild beasts, but the tearing to pieces of good by evils and falsities. Moreover the wild beasts which tear, signify in the spiritual sense the evils of cupidities and the derivative falsities, which also are represented by wild beasts in the other life.

[2] The good which continually flows in from the Lord with man, does not perish except by evils and the derivative falsities, and by falsities and the derivative evils. For as soon as this good, continuous through the internal man, comes to the external or natural man, it is met by evil and falsity, by which the good is torn in pieces and extinguished in various ways as by wild beasts. By this the influx of good through the internal man is checked and stayed, and consequently the inner mind, through which is the influx, is closed, and only so much of the spiritual is admitted through it as to enable the natural man to reason and speak, but this only from earthly, bodily, and worldly things, and indeed contrary to good and truth, or in accordance with them from pretense or deceit.

[3] It is a universal law that influx adjusts itself according to efflux, and if efflux is checked influx is checked. Through the internal man there is an influx of good and truth from the Lord, and through the external there must be an efflux, namely into the life, that is, in the exercise of charity. When there is this efflux then there is continual influx from heaven, that is, through heaven from the Lord; whereas if there is no efflux, but resistance in the external or natural man (that is, evil and falsity which tear to pieces and extinguish the inflowing good), it follows from the universal law just mentioned that the influx adjusts itself to the efflux, consequently that the influx of good draws back, and thereby the internal through which is the influx is closed; and through this closing there comes stupidity in spiritual things, even until the man who is such neither knows nor is willing to know anything about eternal life, and at last becomes insane, so that he opposes falsities against truths, calling them truths and the truths falsities, and evils against goods, making them goods and the goods evil. Thus he tears good completely to pieces.

[4] That which is “torn” is occasionally mentioned in the Word, whereby in the proper sense is signified that which perishes through falsities from evils; but that which perishes through evils is called a “carcass.” When only what is “torn” is mentioned, both are signified, for the one involves the signification of the other; but it is otherwise when both are mentioned, for then a distinction is made. Because that which is “torn” signified in the spiritual sense that which had perished by falsities from evils, therefore it was forbidden in the representative church to eat anything torn, which by no means would have been thus forbidden unless that spiritual evil had been understood in heaven. Otherwise what harm would there have been in eating flesh torn by a wild beast?

[5] Of “torn” things, that they were not to be eaten, it is thus written in Moses:

The fat of a carcass and the fat of that which is torn may be for every use, provided in eating ye shall not eat it (Leviticus 7:24).

Again:

A carcass and that which is torn he shall not eat, to be defiled therewith: I am Jehovah (Leviticus 22:8).

And again:

Men of holiness ye shall be to Me; therefore ye shall not eat the flesh that is torn in the field; ye shall cast it forth to dogs (Exodus 22:31).

In Ezekiel:

The prophet saith, Ah Lord Jehovih! behold my soul hath not been defiled, and a carcass and that which is torn I have not eaten from my youth until now, so that the flesh of abomination hath not come into my mouth (Ezekiel 4:14).

From these passages it is plain that it was an abomination to eat that which was torn, not because it was torn, but because it signified the tearing of good to pieces by falsities which are from evils, whereas a “carcass” signified the death of good by evils.

[6] The tearing of good to pieces by falsities from evils is meant also in the following passages from David in the internal sense:

The likeness of the wicked is as a lion, he desireth to tear, and as a young lion that sitteth in hiding places (Psalms 17:12).

Again:

They opened their mouth against me, a tearing and a roaring lion (Psalms 22:13).

And yet again:

Lest they tear my soul as a lion, tearing but none rescuing (Psalms 7:2).

A “lion” denotes those who vastate the church. Where it is said above of Joseph, that he was sold by his brethren, and that his tunic stained with blood was sent to his father, then his father also said, “It is my son’s tunic, an evil wild beast hath devoured him, tearing, Joseph is torn in pieces” (Genesis 37:33). (That “to be torn in pieces” is to be dissipated by falsities from evil may be seen where this is explained, n. 4777)