496. Verse 5. And the angel took the censer and filled it from the fire of the altar, signifies the conjunction of celestial love and spiritual love. This is evident from the signification of a "censer," as being spiritual good (of which above, n. 491, and therefore also spiritual love, since all good is of love; also from the signification of "the fire of the altar," as being celestial love, for "fire" signifies in the Word love in both senses, namely, celestial love and infernal love. "The fire of the altar" signifies celestial love, because the altar of burnt-offering, upon which was the fire, was the chief representative of the worship of the Lord from that love (See above, n. 490); and because this love of the Lord is perpetual, therefore it was appointed that a fire should burn continually upon the altar, and that they should take of that fire in the censers for burning incense, which was done to represent the conjunction of celestial love with spiritual love.

[2] That a fire should burn continually upon the altar is evident from Moses:

And the fire upon the altar shall be kept burning, and shall not be put out; and the priest shall kindle wood on it every morning, and shall arrange on it the burnt-offering and he shall burn on it the fats of the peace-offerings. The fire shall be kept burning continually upon the altar, it shall not be quenched (Leviticus 6:12, 13).

This represented that the Lord's Divine love is unceasing and eternal.

[3] That they should take from the fire of the altar in the censers for burning incense see also in Moses:

Aaron shall take burning coals of fire from off the altar before Jehovah in a censer; and he shall put the incense upon the fire before Jehovah (Leviticus 16:12, 13).

And that Aaron took fire from off the altar, and put incense on it, by which expiation was made for the people (Numbers 16:46, 47).

This represented that all propitiation and expiation were from the Lord's Divine love, as also that everything that has that love in it is heard and received by the Lord; and the rising of the smoke of the incense represented also hearing and reception.

[4] And because Korah, Dathan, and Abiram and their company, took fire from the altar and burned incense, and thence their censers were sanctified:

It was commanded that after they had been swallowed up by the earth, their censers, which were of brass, should be gathered up, and the fire be scattered yonder, and the censers be beaten into plates for covering the altar (Numbers 16:36-39).

This also represented the holiness of the Lord's Divine love. And as incense-offerings were holy from the fire of the altar, so incense-offerings with strange fire were profane, therefore:

Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, were consumed by fire from heaven, because they offered incense with strange fire (Leviticus 10:1, 2).

Incense offering from strange fire represented worship from love other than Divine, and worship from any other love is profane.

[5] These passages have been cited to make known that "the fire of the altar" signifies the Lord's Divine love, which love in heaven is called Divine celestial love and Divine spiritual love; Divine celestial love is in the Lord's celestial kingdom, and Divine spiritual love is in the Lord's spiritual kingdom. For there are two kingdoms, into which all the heavens are divided, the celestial kingdom and the spiritual kingdom; Divine celestial love constitutes the celestial kingdom, and Divine spiritual love the spiritual kingdom. (That all the heavens are divided into these two kingdoms, see in the work on Heaven and Hell n.20-28; and that these two loves constitute these two kingdoms, or all the heavens, n. 13-19.) But it must be noted that the Lord's Divine love in the heavens is called celestial and spiritual from its reception by the angels, and not from its being divided in itself; also that spiritual love springs from celestial love as an effect from its effecting cause, and as truth from good; for the good of spiritual love is in its essence the truth of the good of celestial love. For this reason these two kingdoms are conjoined with each other and are one in the Lord's sight. But this has been said for those who love to search into interior things. That "fire" signifies love in both senses will be seen confirmed from the Word in what follows.

491. Having a golden censer, signifies the conjunction of celestial good with spiritual good, and thus the conjunction of the higher heavens. This is evident from the signification of a "censer," as being worship from spiritual good, for such worship was represented by incense from the censers (See above, n. 324). "Having a golden censer" signifies the conjunction of celestial good with spiritual good, because the angel standing at the altar had a censer, and the "altar" signifies worship from celestial good, and "a golden censer" spiritual good from celestial good, "gold" signifying celestial good. The censers that were in use with the Jewish and Israelitish nation were of brass; and the offerings of incense from those censers represented worship from spiritual good, and conjunction at the same time with natural good, for "brass" signifies natural good; so here "a golden censer" signifies the conjunction of celestial good with spiritual good. It also signifies the conjunction of the two higher heavens, because the good of the inmost heaven is celestial good, and the good of the middle heaven is spiritual good; when therefore the conjunction of these goods is mentioned, the conjunction of the heavens is also meant, because the good is what constitutes the heaven. Celestial good is the good of love to the Lord, and it constitutes the highest or inmost heaven; and spiritual good is the good of love towards the neighbor, and it constitutes the heaven next below, which is called the second or middle heaven.

[2] "Frankincense" in the Word signifies spiritual good, the same as the censer that contained it (where the containant is taken for the content), as can be seen in the following passages. In Isaiah:

I have not made thee to serve by a meal-offering, nor wearied thee by frankincense (Isaiah 43:23).

"A meal-offering and frankincense" are mentioned, because the "meal-offering," which was made of fine flour and was therefore bread, signifies celestial good, consequently "frankincense" signifies spiritual good. Both are mentioned because in every part of the Word there is a marriage of good and truth, that is, where it treats of good it also treats of truth, and spiritual good in its essence is truth; this shows that "frankincense" means spiritual good, or the truth of celestial good. This can be seen further from other passages in which "meal-offering" and "frankincense" are mentioned together. Thus in Isaiah:

Causing the meal-offering to ascend, offering frankincense (6 Isaiah 66:3).

[3] In Jeremiah:

They shall offer the whole burnt-offering and the sacrifice, the meal-offering and frankincense (Jeremiah 17:26).

"Burnt-offering" also signifies worship from the good of celestial love, and "sacrifice" worship from the good of spiritual love; these two goods are signified also by "meal-offering and frankincense." The like is true of "meal-offering and incense-offering," for the incense-offering was chiefly of frankincense. In Malachi:

In every place incense is offered to My name, and a clean meal-offering (Malachi 1:11).

In David:

My prayers are accepted as incense before Thee; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening meal-offering (Psalms 141:2).

Therefore:

Oil was poured upon the meal-offering, and frankincense put on it (Leviticus 2:1, 2, 15).

This was done that the meal-offering might represent the conjunction of celestial good and spiritual good, for "oil" signified celestial good, and "frankincense" spiritual good.

[4] So again:

Frankincense was put upon the bread of faces in the tabernacle (Leviticus 24:7);

and this was done on account of the conjunction of the two kinds of good, for the "bread" signified celestial good, and "frankincense" spiritual good; so when the frankincense was put upon the bread the conjunction of the two goods was represented. For the sake of representing the conjunction of celestial good and spiritual good, a table for the bread was placed in the tabernacle, and on the other side an altar for incense offerings was placed.

[5] Where "meal-offering and frankincense" are not mentioned, "oil and frankincense" are mentioned, and "gold and frankincense," since "oil" and "gold," in like manner as "meal-offering," signify celestial good. "Oil and incense" are mentioned in Ezekiel:

Thou hast taken my oil and my incense and hast set them before them (Ezekiel 16:18).

"Gold and frankincense" are mentioned in Isaiah:

All they from Sheba shall come; they shall bring gold and frankincense, and they shall proclaim the praises of Jehovah (Isaiah 60:6).

And in Matthew:

The wise men from the east who came to the newborn Christ opened their treasures, and offered unto Him gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Matthew 2:11);

"gold" signifying celestial good, "frankincense" spiritual good, and "myrrh" natural good therefrom, thus the three goods of the three heavens. This makes evident the signification of the angel that was seen at the altar having a golden censer, for the "altar" was representative of celestial good, and the censer was representative of spiritual good, and the two together were representative of the conjunction of celestial good with spiritual good, or what is the same, of the conjunction of the higher heavens, or of the heaven where celestial angels are with the heaven where the spiritual angels are.