Arcana Coelestia # 4197
4197. 'And Laban said, This heap is a witness between me and you today; therefore he called its name Galeed' means that it will be so for ever - hence the nature of it is described a second time. This is clear from the meaning of 'a heap' as good, dealt with above in 4192, and from the meaning of 'a witness' as the confirmation of good by means of truth, and of truth derived from good, dealt with below; and from the meaning of 'today' as for ever, dealt with in 2838, 3998; and from the meaning of 'calling the name' as the essential nature, dealt with in 144, 145, 1754, 2009, 2724, 3421. The particular nature of that good is contained in the name Galeed; for in ancient times when a name was given to anything the name contained the essential nature of that thing, 340, 1946, 2643, 3422. From this one may see what is meant by 'Laban said, This heap is a witness between me and you today; therefore he called its name Galeed', namely this: A testimony that the good meant here by 'Laban' was joined to the Divine good of the Lord's Natural, and therefore that the Lord was joined to the gentiles through good, it being this good that 'Laban' represents now, 4189. The truths belonging to this good are what bear witness to that conjunction; but as long as gentiles are living in this world their good is 'out of line' because they do not possess Divine truths. Nevertheless although those who are governed by that good, that is, who lead charitable lives with one another, do not have Divine truths straight from the Divine source, that is, from the Word, the good they have is not closed up but such as can be opened. What is more, it is opened in the next life when they receive instruction there in the truths of faith, and about the Lord. With Christians it is different. With those of them who lead charitable lives with one another, more so with those who are governed by love to the Lord, good straight from the Divine source is present even while they live in this world because they are in possession of Divine truths. For this reason they enter heaven without undergoing such instruction, provided that their truths have not contained falsities which must first be dispelled. But Christians who have not led charitable lives close heaven against themselves, very many doing so to such an extent that it cannot be opened. For they know truths but deny them and also harden themselves against them, if not with the lips nevertheless in their hearts.
[2] Why Laban first of all called the heap Jegar Sahadutha, its name in his own language, and after that Galeed, its name in the Canaanite language, when in fact the two have practically the same meaning, is for the sake of a bringing together and thereby a joining together. Speaking in the language or 'lip' of Canaan means responding to what is Divine, for 'Canaan' means the Lord's kingdom, and in the highest sense the Lord, 1607, 3038, 3705, as is evident in Isaiah,
On that day there will be five cities in the land of Egypt which speak in the lip of Canaan and swear by Jehovah Zebaoth. On that day there will be an altar to Jehovah in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to Jehovah at its border; and it will be for a sign and a witness to Jehovah Zebaoth in the land of Egypt. Isaiah 19:18-20.
[3] The meaning of 'a witness' as the confirmation of good by means of truth, and of truth derived from good, and the consequent meaning of 'a testimony' as good in which truth is rooted, and truth which arises out of good, may be seen from other parts of the Word. 'A witness' is seen to mean the confirmation of good by means of truth, and of truth derived from good, from the following places: In Joshua,
Joshua said to the people, You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen Jehovah, to serve Him. And they said, We are witnesses. Then put away the foreigner's gods which are in the midst of you, and incline your heart to Jehovah the God of Israel. And the people said to Joshua, Jehovah our God we will serve, and His voice we will obey. And Joshua made a covenant with the people on that day, and set them a statute and a judgement in Shechem. And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God; and he took a great stone and set it up there under the oak that was in the sanctuary of Jehovah. And Joshua said to all the people, Behold, this stone will be a witness to us, for it has heard all the words of Jehovah which He spoke to us; and it will be a witness to you, lest you deny your God. Joshua 24:22-27.
'A witness' in this passage clearly means a confirming - a confirming of the covenant and therefore of their being joined [to Jehovah]; for a covenant means a joining together, 665, 666, 1023, 1038, 1864, 1996, 2003, 2021. And since being joined to Jehovah or the Lord is not possible except through good, and since no good effecting that conjunction is possible apart from that which gains its true nature from truth, 'a witness' consequently means the confirmation of good by means of truth. The good meant in this passage consisted in being joined to Jehovah or the Lord, which came about through their choosing Him, to serve Him; and the truth by which it was confirmed was meant by 'the stone'; for 'a stone' means truth, see 643, 1298, 3720. In the highest sense 'the stone' is the Lord Himself since He is the source of all truth, and for that reason is also called 'the Stone of Israel' in Genesis 49:24, and in what is said here in Joshua, 'Behold, this stone will be a witness to us, for it has heard all the words of Jehovah which He spoke to us'.
[4] In John,
I will grant My two witnesses to prophesy 1260 days, clothed in sackcloth. The are the two olive trees and the two lampstands which are standing before the God of the earth. And if anyone wishes to harm them, fire will come out of their mouth and devour their enemies. These have power to shut heaven. But when they have finished their testimony, the beast that ascends from the abyss will make war with them and conquer them and kill them. But after three and a half days the spirit of life from God entered them, so that they stood up on their feet. Revelation 11:3-7, 11.
'The two witnesses' in this case are good and truth - that is, good in which truth is present and truth arising out of good - when both of these have been confirmed in people's hearts, as is evident from the statement that the two witnesses are the two olive trees and the two lampstands. For 'an olive tree' means that kind of good, see 886, and 'the two olive trees' stands for celestial good and for spiritual good. Celestial good is essentially love to the Lord, spiritual good is essentially charity towards the neighbour. 'The lampstands' are the truths that belong to those two kinds of good, as will be clear when, in the Lord's Divine mercy, the lampstands are the subject. And it is these - forms of goodness and truth - which have the power to close heaven or to open it; see the Preface to Chapter 22. 'The beast out of the abyss, which is hell, will kill them' means the vastation of good and truth within the Church, and 'the spirit of life from God entered them, so that they stood up on their feet' means a new Church.
[5] Just as heaps in ancient times were set up to serve as witnesses, so later on were altars, as is clear in Joshua,
The Reubenites and the Gadites said, See the replica of the altar of Jehovah which our fathers made, not for burnt offering or for sacrifice, but to be a witness between us and you. And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad called it The Altar - a witness between us that Jehovah is God. Joshua 22:28, 34.
'An altar' means the good of love, and in the highest sense the Lord Himself, 921, 2777, 2811. 'A witness' stands in the internal sense for the confirmation of good by means of truth.
[6] Since 'a witness' means the confirmation of good by means of truth, and of truth derived from good, 'a witness' in the highest sense therefore means the Lord, for He Himself is the Divine Truth that confirms, as in Isaiah,
I will make with you an eternal covenant, even the true mercies of David. Lo, I have given him as a witness to the peoples, a prince and teacher to the peoples. Isaiah 55:3-4.
In John,
And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Revelation 1:5.
In the same book,
These things says the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation. Revelation 3:14.
[7] The requirement in the representative Church that the truth must always be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses, not on that of one, Numbers 35:30; Deuteronomy 17:6-7; 19:15; Matthew 18:16, originates in the Divine Law that one truth does not make good firm but many truths do so. For one truth unconnected to others does not confirm it only a number together, because from one truth it is possible to see another. One by itself does not give any form to good, and so does not manifest any essential quality possessed by good; but many in a connected series do so. For just as one musical note by itself does not constitute the melody, still less the full harmony, neither does one truth achieve anything. This is where the law requiring two or three witnesses originates, though to outward appearance it seems to have its origin in secular legislation. The one however is not contrary to the other, as is also the case with the Ten Commandments, dealt with in 2609.
[8] As regards 'a testimony' meaning good in which truth is rooted, and truth which arises out of good, this follows from what has just been said. It is also clear from the fact that the Ten Commandments written on tablets of stone are referred to by the single expression 'the Testimony', as in Moses,
Jehovah gave Moses, when He had finished speaking to him on Mount Sinai, the two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God. Exodus 31:18.
In the same author,
Moses came down from the mountain, and the two tablets of the Testimony were in his hand; the tablets were written from the two sides of it. Exodus 32:15.
And because those tablets were placed inside the Ark, the Ark is called 'the Ark of the Testimony'; in Moses,
Jehovah said to Moses, You shall put into the Ark the Testimony which I shall give to you. Exodus 25:16, 21.
Moses took the Testimony and put it into the Ark. Exodus 40:20.
In the same author,
I will meet you, and talk to you from above the Mercy-seat, from between the two cherubs which are over the Ark of the Testimony. Exodus 25:22.
In the same author,
The cloud of incense covers the Mercy-seat which is over the Testimony. Leviticus 16:13.
In the same author,
The rods of the twelve tribes were left in the Tent of Meeting, in front of the Testimony. Numbers 17:4.
For evidence that the Ark was also called the Ark of the Testimony, see in addition to Exodus 25:22 quoted above, Exodus 31:7; Revelation 15:5.
[9] The Ten Commandments therefore were called the Testimony because they were the conditions of the covenant and so the conditions whereby God and man were joined to each other. But that joining to each other is not possible unless man keeps those commandments not only in their external form but also in their internal. What the internal form of those commandments is, see 2609; consequently it is good made firm by means of truth, and truth derived from good, that are meant by 'the Testimony'. And this being so, the tablets were also called 'the Tablets of the Covenant', and the Ark 'the Ark of the Covenant'. From this one may now see what is meant in the Word by 'the Testimony' in the genuine sense, for example in Deuteronomy 4:45; 6:17, 20; Isaiah 8:16; 2 Kings 17:15; Psalms 19:7; 25:10; 78:5, 56; 93:5; 119:2, 22, 24, 59, 79, 88, 138, 167; 122:4; Revelation 6:9; 12:17; 19:10.
Matthew 18
1
In that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?"
2
Jesus called a little child to himself, and set him in the midst of them,
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and said, "Most certainly I tell you, unless you turn, and become as little children, you will in no way enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.
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Whoever therefore humbles himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.
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Whoever receives one such little child in my name receives me,
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but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him that a huge millstone should be hung around his neck, and that he should be sunk in the depths of the sea.
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"Woe to the world because of occasions of stumbling! For it must be that the occasions come, but Woe to that person through whom the occasion comes!
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If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life maimed or crippled, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the eternal fire.
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If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into the Gehenna of fire.
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See that you don't despise one of these little ones, for I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.
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For the Son of Man came to save that which was lost.
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"What do you think? If a man has one hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, doesn't he leave the ninety-nine, go to the mountains, and seek that which has gone astray?
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If he finds it, most certainly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray.
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Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
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"If your brother sins against you, go, show him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained back your brother.
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But if he doesn't listen, take one or two more with you, that at the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
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If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the assembly. If he refuses to hear the assembly also, let him be to you as a Gentile or a tax collector.
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Most certainly I tell you, whatever things you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever things you release on earth will have been released in heaven.
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Again, assuredly I tell you, that if two of you will agree on earth concerning anything that they will ask, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven.
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For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them."
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Then Peter came and said to him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Until seven times?"
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Jesus said to him, "I don't tell you until seven times, but, until seventy times seven.
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Therefore the Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king, who wanted to reconcile accounts with his servants.
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When he had begun to reconcile, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.
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But because he couldn't pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, with his wife, his children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.
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The servant therefore fell down and kneeled before him, saying, 'Lord, have patience with me, and I will repay you all!'
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The lord of that servant, being moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.
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"But that servant went out, and found one of his fellow servants, who owed him one hundred denarii, and he grabbed him, and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!'
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"So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will repay you!'
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He would not, but went and cast him into prison, until he should pay back that which was due.
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So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were exceedingly sorry, and came and told to their lord all that was done.
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Then his lord called him in, and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt, because you begged me.
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Shouldn't you also have had mercy on your fellow servant, even as I had mercy on you?'
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His lord was angry, and delivered him to the tormentors, until he should pay all that was due to him.
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So my heavenly Father will also do to you, if you don't each forgive your brother from your hearts for his misdeeds."
