2607. As regards the historical narratives, with the exception of those in the initial chapters of Genesis, which are made-up history, and have been dealt with in Volume One, they are all historically true. But although historically true they nevertheless possess an internal sense; and in that sense the one subject, as with the prophetical sections, is the Lord. They do, it is true, have reference as well to heaven and the Church, and to what belongs to heaven and the Church; but as these are the Lord's, historical descriptions, even when they have reference to heaven and the Church, ultimately have regard to the Lord, and on that account are the Word. All the historical events recorded there are representative, and each word used to describe them carries a spiritual meaning. The fact that the historical events are representative is clear from what has been explained up to this point regarding Abraham, and will be clear from the explanations that must be given, in the Lord's Divine mercy, regarding Isaac, Jacob, his twelve sons, Egypt, the people's wandering in the wilderness, their entry into the land of Canaan, and everything else.

[2] That individual words used to describe them carry a spiritual meaning is also evident from what has been shown, for example, about names meaning real things, such as that Egypt means knowledge, Asshur the rational part of the mind, Ephraim the intellectual part, Tyre cognitions, Zion the celestial Church, Jerusalem the spiritual Church, and so on with everything else. The same has been shown to be so with particular expressions, such as that 'a king' means truth, 'a priest' good, and that all other words - such as kingdom, city, house, nation, people, garden, vineyard, olive-grove, gold, silver, bronze, iron, birds, beasts, bread, wine, oil, morning, day, light - each have their specific internal meaning. This is consistently so in the historical books as well as the prophetical, even though they were written by various authors and in different periods. This consistency would never have been possible if the Word had not come down out of heaven. From all this one may know that there is an internal sense in the Word, as well as from the fact that the Divine Word cannot possibly be about mere human beings such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their descendants who formed the worst of the nations; or about their kings, wives, sons, daughters, prostitutes, plunderings, and like matters, all of which regarded in themselves are not worthy of mention in the Word unless by means of them such things as exist in the Lord's kingdom are represented and meant. It is these that are worthy of the Word.

8. And signified, sending by His angel, to His servant John, signifies which are revealed out of heaven to those who are in the good of love. This is evident from the signification of "signified," as being the things in the sense of the letter that contain and thus signify those that are in the internal sense; for it is said, "the revelation which God gave to show, and signified;" and by the things that He signified are meant those that are in the sense of the letter, because all these signify, while the things that are signified are those that are contained in the internal sense. For all things in the Word are significative of spiritual things, which are in the internal sense. This is also evident from the signification of "sending by His angel," as meaning, which are revealed out of heaven; for "to send" is to reveal, and "by an angel" is out of heaven. "To send" is to reveal, because everything that is sent out of heaven is revelation; for that which is there is what is revealed; and this is the spiritual which relates to the church and its state; but with man this is changed into the natural, such as is expressed in the sense of the letter in Revelation and elsewhere in the Word. That which comes out of heaven can be presented to man in no other way; for the spiritual falls into its corresponding natural when it descends out of the spiritual world into the natural. This is why the prophetic Word in the sense of the letter is such as it is, and being such, is in its bosom spiritual and is Divine. By "angel" is meant "out of heaven," because that which an angel speaks is out of heaven; for when an angel communicates to man such things as pertain to heaven and the church, he does not speak as man speaks with man, who brings forth out of his memory what another has told him; but that which an angel speaks flows in continuously, not into his memory, but immediately into his understanding, and from that into words. From this it is that all things that the angels spoke to the prophets are Divine, and nothing at all from the angels. Whether it be said, that these revelations are out of heaven, or are from the Lord, it is the same; because the Divine of the Lord with the angels constitutes heaven, and nothing whatever from the angels' proprium [selfhood, or what is their own]. (But this may be better understood from what is said and shown in Heaven and Hell 2-12, 254).

[2] The things revealed out of heaven are said to be for those who are in the good of love, because it is said, "sending by His angel to His servant John," and by "John" those who are in the good of love are represented and meant. For by the twelve apostles are represented and signified all in the church who are in truths from good; consequently, all truths from good, from which is the church; and by each of the apostles in particular something special; thus by "Peter" faith; by "James" charity; and by "John" the good of charity or the good of love. Because John represented this good, the revelation was made to him; for revelation out of heaven, such as this, can be made only to those who are in the good of charity or of love. Others, indeed, can hear the things that are from heaven, but they cannot perceive them. Only those who are in the good of love have spiritual perception. This is because they receive heavenly things not only with the hearing, but also with the love; and to receive with the love is to receive fully, since the things so received are loved; moreover, those who thus receive, see these things in their understanding, where the sensation of their internal sight is. That this is so has been proven to me by much experience. It might also be elucidated by much rational argument; but the subject cannot just now be amplified so far.

It is here only necessary to say, that all names mentioned in the Word signify not persons but things; that "John," for instance, signifies such as are in the good of love, thus in the abstract the good of love itself. (That all names in the Word signify things may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 768, 1888, 4310, 4442, 10329.

That the names of persons and places in the Word cannot enter heaven, but that they are changed into the things that they signify, n. 1876, 5225, 6516, 10216, 10282, 10432.

How exquisite the internal sense of the Word is, even where mere names are mentioned, illustrated by examples, n. 1224, 1264, 1888.

That the twelve disciples of the Lord represented, and thence signified, all things of faith and love in the complex, in like manner as the twelve tribes of Israel, n. 2129, 3354, 3488, 3858, 6397.

That "Peter," "James," and "John" represented, and thence signified, faith, charity, and the good of charity, in their order, see preface to Genesis 18 [in n. 2135] Genesis 22, in n. 2760, and in 3934, 8581, 10087)