10135. And the other lamb thou shalt offer between the evenings. That this signifies the like in a state of light and love in the external man, is evident from the signification of “offering a lamb,” or sacrificing it, as being the removal from evils through the good of innocence from the Lord (as just (10134) above, see n. 10134); and from the signification of “between the evenings,” as being in a state of light and of love in the external man; for by “evening” in the Word is signified a state of the interiors when the truths of faith are in obscurity and the goods of love in some cold. For the states of love and light vary with the angels as vary in the world the states of the times of the day, which are morning, noon, evening, night or twilight, and again morning. When the angels are in a state of love, it is morning with them, and the Lord appears to them as a rising Sun; when they are in a state of light, it is noon with them; but when they are in a state of light in obscurity, it is evening with them; and afterward when they are in a state of love in obscurity or in some cold, it is night with them, or rather twilight before the morning.

[2] Such states succeed continually with the angels, and by means of them they are continually perfected. But these variations do not arise from the Sun there, its rising and setting, but from the state of the interiors of the angels themselves; for like men they desire now to be in their internals, and now in externals. When they are in internals, they are in a state of love and the consequent light in clearness, and when in externals, they are in a state of love and the consequent light in obscurity, for such is the external relatively to the internal. This is the origin of the variations of the states of the angels. They have such states and such variations because the Sun of heaven, which is there the Lord, is Divine love itself; and therefore the heat which thence proceeds is the good of love, and the light which is thence is the truth of faith; for all things which proceed from that Sun are alive, and not like those which are from the sun of the world, which are dead.

[3] From this it can be seen what heavenly heat is, and what heavenly light; and whence it is that by “heat,” “flame,” and “fire,” in the Word, is signified the good of love; by “light” and its “brightness,” the truth of faith; and by the “sun,” the Lord Himself as to Divine love (that the Lord in the heavens is a Sun, see n. 3636, 3643, 4321, 5097, 7078, 7083, 7171, 7173, 8812; also that the heat thence is the good of love, n. 3338, 3339, 3636, 3693, 4018, 5115, 6032, 6314; and the light from that Sun is Divine truth, from which come faith, intelligence, and wisdom, see the places cited in n. 9548, 9684). From all this it can now be seen what is signified by “morning,” and what by “evening.”

[4] But be it known that in the present case “morning” involves also noon, and “evening” also twilight; for when “morning and evening” are spoken of in the Word, the whole day is meant, thus by “morning” also noon, and by “evening” also night or twilight; hence it is that by “morning” is here signified a state of love and also of light in clearness, and by “evening” a state of light and also of love in obscurity, that is, in the external man.

[5] That by “between the evenings” is not meant the time between the evening of one day and the evening of another day; but the time between evening and morning, thus inclusively night or twilight, is evident from the fact that the continual burnt-offering from a lamb was made not only in the evening, but also in the morning. From this it is evident that the like is signified in other places by “between the evenings,” as where it is said that they should “offer the passover between the evenings” (Exodus 12:6; Numbers 9:5, 11); which is also explained elsewhere in these words:

Thou shalt sacrifice the passover in the evening, at the going down of the sun, at the season that thou camest forth out of Egypt. And thou shalt boil and eat it in the place which Jehovah thy God shall choose; and thou shalt look back in the morning and go unto thy tents (Deuteronomy 16:6-7).

[6] That “evening” in general signifies a state of light in obscurity, is evident in Jeremiah:

Arise and let us go up at noon; woe unto you because the day departeth, because the shades of evening are stretched out; arise, let us go up in the night, and let us destroy palaces (Jeremiah 6:4-5); where “evening” and “night” signify the last times of the church, when all faith and love have been destroyed.

In Zechariah:

It shall be one day which is known unto Jehovah, when about the time of evening there shall be light. In that day living waters shall go out from Jerusalem, and Jehovah shall be King over all the earth (Zech. 14:7-9);

speaking of the coming of the Lord; the end of the church is “the time of evening;” “light” denotes the Lord as to Divine truth. So in Daniel:

A holy one said unto me, Even until evening, morning, two thousand three hundred (Daniel 8:13-14).

9198. Any widow. That this signifies those who are in good without truth, and yet long for truth, is evident from the signification of “a widow,” as being good without truth, and yet longing for it. That “a widow” has this signification is because by “a man” is signified truth, and by his “woman” is signified good; and therefore when the woman of a man becomes a widow, she signifies good without truth. But in a still more interior sense “a widow” signifies truth without good. The reason is that in this sense “a husband” signifies good, and his “wife” truth (see n. 3236, 4510, 4823). In this sense the Lord is called “Husband” and “Bridegroom,” from the Divine good; and His kingdom and church is called “Wife” and “Bride” from the reception of the Divine truth which proceeds from the the Lord, (n. 9182). But as in the passage under consideration the Lord’s celestial church is not treated of, but His spiritual church, by “a widow” is signified one who is in good and not in truth, and yet longs for truth. The case is similar with “an orphan.” In the inmost or celestial, sense “an orphan” signifies those who are in good and long for truth. See the passages quoted and explained in regard to the signification of “widow” and “orphan” in the celestial sense, in n. 4844; to which may be added what the Lord says in Luke concerning the widow in Sarepta:

Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country. Of a truth I say unto you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when there was a great famine over all the land; yet unto none of them was Elias sent, save to Sarepta of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow (Luke 4:24-26).

[2] As all things the Lord spoke, He spoke from the Divine, therefore His words have an internal sense, and in this sense the subject here treated of is the Lord Himself and His kingdom and church. What therefore the Lord meant in this sense by the words He spoke of the widow in Sarepta of Sidon, is plain when they are unfolded. That “no prophet is accepted in his own country” signifies that the Lord, and the Divine truth which is from Him, are less received and loved in heart within the church, than outside of it. He spoke to the Jews, with whom the church then was; and it is known that the Lord was less received by them than by the nations outside the church. The case is similar at this day in the church which from Him is called the Christian Church. In this the Lord is indeed received in doctrine; but only by a few with acknowledgment of heart; and by still fewer from the affection of love. It is otherwise with the converted Gentiles outside the church. These worship and adore Him as their one only God, and they say with the mouth, and think at heart, that they acknowledge Him as God, because He has appeared in a human form (n. 5256). The reverse is the case within the church, where because He was born a man He is with difficulty acknowledged from the heart as God. These make His Human like their own human, although they know that His Father was Jehovah, and not a man. From all this it is evident what is meant in the internal sense by “no prophet being accepted in his own country.” A “prophet” in this sense denotes the Lord as to Divine truth, thus in respect to the doctrine of the church. (That “a prophet” denotes one who teaches, and in the abstract sense doctrine, and when predicated of the Lord, the Divine truth of the Word, see above, n. 9188)

[3] That “there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elias” signifies in the internal sense the state of acknowledgment of truth Divine from the Word at that time in the church. For as before said, “widows” denote those who are in good without truth; “Elias” denotes the Lord as to the Word; “the days of Elias” denote the states of reception of truth Divine from the Word at that time; and “Israel” denotes the church. (That “Elias” represented the Lord as to the Word, may be seen in the preface to Genesis 18, and n. 2762, 5247, 8029; that “days” denote states, n. 893, 2788, 3462, 3785, 4850, 6110, 8426; and that “Israel” denotes the church, n. 4286, 6426, 6637, 8805)

[4] “When the heaven was shut up three years and six months” signifies the full vastation of the internal church; for “heaven” denotes the internal of the church; and “three years and six months” denotes to the full. That “heaven” denotes the internal of the church, see n. 1733, 1850, 3355, 4535; and this is said to be “shut up” when it is vastated, that is, when it is no more. That “three years and six months” denotes to the full, is evident from the signification of “a thousand two hundred and sixty days” in Revelation 11:3; 12:6 (which days make three years and six months), as being to the full, that is, even unto the end; in like manner from the signification of “three days and a half” in Revelation 11:9-11; and also from the signification of “a time and times and half a time” in Revelation 12:14, and Daniel 12:7, as being to the full, or, even to the end.

[5] “When there was a great famine over all the land” signifies the vastation of the external church also; for “a famine” denotes the lack and desolation of truth and good (n. 3364, 5277, 5279, 5281, 5300, 5360, 5376, 5415, 5576, 6110, 7102); and “the land” denotes the external church (n. 1262, 1413, 1733, 1850, 2117, 2118, 3355, 4535, 5577, 8011, 8732). “Yet unto none of them was Elias sent” signifies the Lord as to the Word-and thus the Word of the Lord-not sent to others, because He would not have been received elsewhere; for “Elias,” as before said, denotes the Lord as to the Word.

[6] “Save to Sarepta of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow,” signifies only unto those who are in good and long for truth. It is said “Sarepta of Sidon” because “Sidon” signifies the knowledges of good and truth (n. 1201). That “a woman a widow” denotes one who is in good, and longs for truth, is evident from what has just been said, and especially from what is related of her in the first book of Kings, where are these words: “Elijah came to Sarepta of Sidon to a widow woman, that she might sustain him; and he said to her, Fetch me a little water that I may drink, and bring me a morsel of bread in thine hand; and she said that she had only a little meal in the barrel, and a little oil in the cruse, sufficient only for a cake for herself and her son.” And Elijah said:

Make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it out to me, and afterward make for thee and for thy son. She did so; and the barrel of meal was not consumed; and the cruse of oil did not fail (1 Kings 17:9-16).

[7] Obedience, and the longing of good for truth, are described by her giving water to the prophet at his bidding, and afterward by her first making a cake for him out of her own little supply, and then for herself and her son; and that thereby she was enriched with the good of truth is signified by “the barrel of meal not being consumed, and the cruse of oil failing not;” for in the internal sense “water” denotes truth (n. 2702, 3058, 3424, 4976, 5668, 8568); “meal,” truth from good (n. 2177); “oil,” the good of love (n. 886, 4582, 4638); and “a cake” made of these, truth conjoined with its good (n. 7978). From all this it is clear that “a widow” denotes one who is in good and longs for truth. Good and its longing for truth is described by the charity toward the prophet, which was greater than toward herself and her son. “The prophet,” as before shown, denotes the doctrine of truth.

[8] From all this it is evident what is the nature of the Word, namely, that it conceals within itself the secret things of heaven, which are not apparent in the letter; when yet in every word which the Lord Himself spoke when He was in the world, and which He had before spoken through the prophets, there are things heavenly and wholly Divine, and raised above the sense of the letter; and this not only in each word, but also in each syllable of the words, nay, in every point of each syllable. But who believes that this is so? Nevertheless it is a certain fact, of which I have received full and unquestionable proof, concerning which of the Lord’s Divine mercy elsewhere.