186. That thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. That this signifies the quality of their thought, in that they suppose themselves to be alive because they lead a moral life, when yet they are dead, is evident from the signification of name, as being quality of state (concerning which see above, n. 148); and from the signification of living, as being to have spiritual life (of which we shall speak presently), and from the signification of being dead, as being not to have that life, but only moral life without it. The reason why this is signified by being dead is, that life in the Word signifies the life of heaven in man, which also is there called life eternal, and death is called the life of hell, which life in the Word is called death, because it is a privation of the life of heaven. Here, therefore, by thou hast a name that thou livest and art dead, is signified to suppose themselves to have spiritual life, and thus to be saved, because their life is moral, when yet they are spiritually dead. But how this is to be understood is evident from what was said above (n. 182), concerning spiritual and moral life, namely, that moral life without spiritual life is the life of the love of self and of the world, but moral life from spiritual life is the life of love to the Lord and of love towards the neighbour, and that this latter life is the life of heaven, but the former life is what is called spiritual death; and this being understood, it may be known what is here meant by living and yet being dead.

[2] That to live, or to be alive, signifies spiritual life in man, and that to be dead signifies the deprivation of that life, and damnation, is evident from several passages in the Word; of which I will adduce the following. In Ezekiel:

"When I say unto the wicked, In dying ye shall die, and thou hast not admonished him, nor spoken to dissuade the wicked one from his evil way that he may be made alive, the wicked himself shall die in his iniquity. But if thou hast admonished the wicked, and he has not gone back from his wickedness and from his evil way, he shall die in his iniquity, yet hast thou delivered thy soul. Again, if thou hast admonished a righteous man that he sin no more, and he sinneth not, living he shall live, because he hath obeyed the admonition" (3:18-21).

By in dying to die, is here signified to perish in eternal death, which is damnation, for it is said of the wicked; and by in living to live, is denoted to enjoy life eternal, which is salvation, for it is said of those who perform the work of repentance, and of the righteous. In the same:

[3] "Thou hast profaned me with my people, to slay the souls that should not die, and to cause to live the souls that should not live, whilst ye lie to the people, to them that hear a lie" (13:19).

The subject here treated of is the falsification of truth, which is meant by its being said, "Thou hast profaned me with my people," and by "your lying to the people, to them that hear a lie." Here a lie signifies falsity, and what is falsified. To slay the souls that should not die, is to deprive them of life derived from truths; and to cause to live the souls that should not live is to persuade them that life eternal is from falsities. That this is here meant by causing to live is evident from the preceding verse.

[4] In David:

"Behold the eye of Jehovah is upon them that fear him, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine" (Psalms 33:18, 19).

Again:

"Thou has delivered my soul from death, and my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living" (Psalms 56:13).

In Jeremiah:

"Behold I set before you the way of life and the way of death" (21:8).

In John:

"Jesus said Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word hath eternal life, and shall not come into condemnation; but shall pass from death unto life" (5:24).

That in these passages death denotes damnation, and life salvation, is clear.

[5] Because death is damnation, it is also hell; therefore hell in the Word is commonly called death; as in Isaiah:

"Hell will not confess thee, nor will death praise thee; they that go down into the pit will not hope upon thy truth. The living, the living, he shall confess to thee" (38:18, 19).

Again:

"We have made a covenant with death, and with hell we have made a vision" (28:15).

In Hosea:

"I will redeem them from the hand of hell; I will liberate them from death. O death, I will be thy plague! O hell, I will be thy destruction!" (13:14).

In David:

"In death there is no remembrance of thee; in hell who shall confess thee?" (Psalms 6:5).

Again:

"The cords of death encompassed me, and the cords of hell" (18:4, 5).

Again:

"Like sheep they shall be laid in hell; death shall feed on them" (49:14).

Again:

"Jehovah, thou hast brought up my soul from hell; thou hast kept me alive" (30:3).

And in the Apocalypse:

"A pale horse, and his name that sat on him was Death, and hell followed him" (6:8).

And in another place:

"Death and hell were cast into the lake of fire" (20:14).

[6] Because death signifies damnation and hell, the meaning of the following passages in Isaiah is evident:

"He will swallow up death to eternity; and the Lord Jehovih will wipe away tears from off all faces" (25:8).

Again:

"That he might give the wicked in their sepulchre, and the rich in their deaths" (53:9).

In David:

"Jehovah, thou liftest me up from the gates of death" (Psalms 9:13).

Again:

"Thou shalt not be afraid of the arrow that flieth by day, and of the death which wasteth at noon-day" (91:5, 6).

In John:

"If a man keep my word, he shall not see death to eternity" (8:51).

And in the Apocalypse:

"He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death" (2:11).

In another place:

"Many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter" (8:11).

Again:

"The second angel poured out his vial into the sea and it became as the blood of a dead man; whence every living soul died in the sea" (16:3).

From these passages it is evident that the dead signify those who are destitute of the life of heaven, consequently those who are in evils and thence in falsities.

[7] These are meant in the following passages; as in David:

"They joined themselves also unto Baal-peor, and ate the sacrifices of the dead" (Psalms 106:28).

Again:

"He hath made me to sit in darkness, as the dead of the world" (Psalms 143:3).

In Matthew:

One of the disciples said, "Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead" (8:21, 22).

On account of this signification of the dead, the sons of Aaron were not allowed to touch any dead body (Leviticus 21:2, 3, 11); nor the priests, the Levites (Ezekiel 44:25); nor the Nazarite (Numbers 6:6, 7); and if any one of the sons of Israel touched the dead, he was to be cleansed by the water of separation (Numbers 19:11 to the end).

[8] Because death signifies damnation and hell, hence, on the other hand, life signifies salvation and heaven; as in the following passages. In Matthew:

"Strait is [the gate], and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life" (7:14).

Again:

"It is good for thee to enter into life one-eyed, rather than having two eyes to be cast into the gehenna of fire" (18:9).

Again:

"If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments" (19:17).

In John:

"They that have done good shall go forth unto the resurrection of life" (5:29).

Hence it is that salvation is called "life eternal," as in Matthew 19:16, 29; 25:46; Mark 10:30, 31; Luke 10:25; 18:18, 30; John 3:14-16, 36; 17:2, 3; and other places. For the same reason heaven is called the land of the living; as in David:

"O Jehovah, thou art my confidence, my portion in the land of the living" (Psalms 142:5).

Again:

That thou mayest see "the good of Jehovah in the land of the living" (Psalms 27:13).

Again:

"O bless our God, ye peoples, who placeth our soul among the living" (Psalms 66:8, 9).

[9] That the Lord alone has life in Himself, and that every man has life from Him, the Lord teaches in the following passages. In John:

"As the Father raiseth up the dead and quickeneth them, even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. As the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself " (5:21, 26).

Again:

"Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in me, though he die, he shall live" (11:25, 26).

Again:

"I am the way, the truth, and the life" (14:6).

Again:

"I am the bread of life, which cometh down from heaven and giveth life unto the world" (6:33, 35, 47, 48).

Hence it is that the Lord is called

Alive, and he that liveth (Apoc. 4:9, 10; 5:14; 7:2; 10:6);

as also is Jehovah in very many passages in the prophets.

[10] And because the Lord is life, therefore all have life from Him; this He also teaches in John:

"He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life; but he that believeth not the Son shall not see life" (John 3:36).

Again:

Jesus said, "I am come" that the sheep "may have life. I give unto them eternal life" (John 10:10, 28).

Again:

"He that believeth in me, though he die, he shall live" (John 11:25, 26).

Again:

"Ye will not come unto me that ye may have life" (5:40).

[11] The reason why life signifies the Lord, and hence salvation and heaven is, that the all of life is from one only Fountain, and the only Fountain of life is the Lord; angels and men are only forms recipient of life from Him. The life itself which proceeds from the Lord and which fills heaven and the world, is the life of His love, which appears in heaven as light; and because it is life, it enlightens the minds of angels and gives them understanding and wisdom. Hence it is that the Lord calls Himself not only the life, but also the light; as in John:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. That was the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world" (1:1, 4-12).

Again:

"Jesus said, I am the light of the world; he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life" (8:12).

And in David:

O Jehovah "with thee is the fountain of life; in thy light shall we see light" (Psalms 36:9).

The light which is life from the Lord in heaven is there called Divine truth, because it affords light to the minds of those who are there, and hence shines before their eyes. This is why light in the Word signifies Divine truth, and intelligence and wisdom therefrom, and that the Lord Himself is called light; this, however, will be more fully evident from what is said and shown in the work, Heaven and Hell 126-140, and 275).

[12] The reason why the all of life is from the Lord is this: He is the Sun of the angelic heaven, and the light of that Sun is Divine truth, and the heat of it is Divine good; each is life; this is the origin of all life in heaven and in the world. The Spiritual which flows into nature, and imparts life to it, is from no other source; but then it imparts life according to reception (concerning this circumstance, see the work, Heaven and Hell 116-125). From these considerations it is now clear why the Lord calls Himself the Life, and why those are said to have life, and to live, who receive light, which is Divine truth, from the Lord, and why those are said not to live, but to be dead, who do not receive it. That there is one only Fountain of life, and that the Lord is that Fountain, may be seen in the work, Heaven and Hell 9); and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 278).

195. (Verse 4) Thou hast a few names even in Sardis, which have not defiled their garments. That this signifies those whose life has been moral from a spiritual origin, through having applied the knowledges of truth and good from the Word to the uses of their life, is evident from the signification of name, as denoting the quality of the state of a man's life (concerning which see above, n. 148) - here, therefore, names signify men who are of such a quality - and from the signification of the church in Sardis, as being those whose life is moral but not spiritual, because they lightly esteem the knowledges of truth and good from the Word (concerning which also see above, n. 148) - here, however, those are meant who live morally from a spiritual origin, for it is said, Who have not defiled their garments - and from the signification of garments, as denoting the scientific truths (scientifica vera) and knowledges (cognitiones) in the natural man, of which we shall speak presently. Hence by not defiling their garments is signified that they live morally not for the sake of self and the world, that is, for the sake of the body only and its life, but for the sake of the Lord and of heaven, that is, for the sake of the soul and its life. It is therefore evident that by these words, "Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments," are signified those who are of such a quality that they live morally from a spiritual origin, by applying the knowledges of truth and good from the Word to their life.

[2] But because few know what it is thus to live, and what it is to apply the knowledges of truth and good from the Word to the uses of life, the matter shall therefore be explained. Man lives morally from a spiritual origin, when he lives from religion, thus when he thinks, when what is evil, insincere or unjust occurs to him, that it ought not to be done because it is contrary to the Divine laws. He who does this, since he abstains from what is wrong on account of the Divine laws, procures to himself spiritual life, and then his moral life is from the spiritual. For by such thought and faith he communicates with the angels of heaven, and by such communication his internal spiritual man is opened, the mind of which is a higher mind, being such as the angels of heaven have; and he is thence filled with heavenly intelligence and wisdom.

It is therefore evident that to live morally from a spiritual origin, is to act from religion, and within the church from the Word. For those who thus live from religion and from the Word, are raised up above their natural man, and thus above their proprium, and are led by the Lord by means of heaven. This is why they possess faith, the fear of God and conscience, and also the spiritual affection of truth, which is an affection of the knowledges of truth and good derived from the Word; for to them these are Divine laws, according to which they live. Such a moral life, many of the Gentiles live; for they think that evil ought not to be done because it is contrary to their religion. This is the reason why so many of them are saved.

[3] But, on the other hand, to live a moral life which is not from religion, but only from the fear of law in the world, from the fear of the loss of reputation of honour, and of gain, is not from a spiritual, but from a natural origin, and therefore those who live in this way have no communication with heaven. And because they think insincerely and unjustly of their neighbour, although they speak and act otherwise, the internal of their spiritual man is closed, and only the internal natural man opened; which being opened they are in the light of the world, but not in the light of heaven; therefore they lightly esteem Divine and heavenly things, and some deny them, believing nature and the world to be everything.

From these considerations it is now evident what it is to lead a moral life from a spiritual origin, and what it is to lead it from a natural origin. (But these things may be seen expounded in clearer light in the work, Heaven, and Hell, n. 528-535.) Concerning those whose life is moral from a natural origin only, it is said that they defile their garments, for by garments is meant that which is outside the man himself and invests him, thus his natural man with what it contains, which are scientifics (scientifica) and knowledges (cognitiones); these, when from the Word, are defiled by the fact that he earns and retains them solely for the sake of reputation, that he may be accounted learned and well informed, or that he may thereby acquire honours and gain wealth; were it not for these ends he would care nothing about them. Thus are knowledges from the Word polluted and defiled by the loves of self and of the world, for they have their abode together with the evils and falsities that flow forth from these loves as from their own founts.

[4] It was said above, that a man becomes spiritual by means of knowledges of good and truth from the Word applied to the uses of life; but why he becomes spiritual by means of those knowledges which are from the Word, and not by any other, shall now be explained. All things in the Word are Divine, and this because they contain in them a spiritual sense: and because by means of that sense they communicate with heaven, and with the angels there, therefore, when a man possesses knowledges from the Word, and applies them to his life, he has communication through them with heaven, and by that communication he becomes spiritual; for a man becomes spiritual by the fact that he is in similar or correspondent truths with the angels of heaven. It is said in correspondent truths, because all things in the sense of the letter of the Word are correspondences, for they correspond to the truths which the angels have. But knowledges from other books which teach, and by various things confirm the doctrinals of the church, do not bring about communication with heaven, unless those knowledges are from the Word. These knowledges do open a communication if they are properly understood, and are not applied to faith alone, but to life. That this is the case, any one may know from this consideration that the Word in itself is Divine, and that which is Divine in itself may become Divine in man if he applies it to life. By its becoming Divine in man is to be understood that the Lord can therein have His abode with him (John 14:23), thus can dwell with him in that which is His own. (That the Lord dwells in His own both with men and angels, and not in their proprium, may be seen in the work, Heaven and Hell 12). And the Lord dwells in His own when in those things with man which are from the Word; for the Lord is the Word (John 1:1, 2, 14); and the words which He himself spoke, that is, which are in the Word, are "spirit and life" (John 6:63, 68; 12:50).

[5] The signification of garments as denoting those things that are in the natural man, which are scientific truths, or falsities, or knowledges (scientifica vera aut falsa aut cognitiones) is derived from the spiritual world. For there all, however many they are, appear clothed according to their moral life. Those, therefore, whose life has been moral from a spiritual origin appear clothed in shining-white garments, as it were of fine linen; but those whose moral life has been from a natural origin alone appear according to its quality: those who have polluted their life with evils and falsities appear in garments of a dark colour, vile, torn and foul to the sight (concerning which see in the work, Heaven and Hell 177-182). Hence then it is that garments in the Word signify truths from good, and, in the opposite sense, falsities from evil, and both the one and the other in the natural man, in which truths and falsities are called scientifics and knowledges.

[6] That garments in the Word signify truths or falsities, is quite evident in the following passages. In Isaiah:

"Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion, put on the garments of thy gracefulness, O Jerusalem; for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean" (52:1).

Zion in the Word signifies the celestial kingdom of the Lord, thus also the celestial church, and Jerusalem the spiritual kingdom and the spiritual church. (What the celestial kingdom is, and what the spiritual kingdom, may be seen in the work, Heaven and Hell 20-28.) The garments of gracefulness which Jerusalem should put on are Divine truths; the uncircumcised and the unclean, which shall no more come into her, are those who are in evils and falsities.

[7] In Ezekiel:

Jerusalem, "I have clothed thee with embroidery; I have shod thee with badger's skin, I have begirt thee with fine linen and adorned thee with ornament, and I have put bracelets upon thine hands and a chain on thy throat (guttur), and a jewel upon thy nose, and ear-rings upon thine ears, yea, a crown of ornament upon thy head. Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver, and thy garments fine linen, silk and embroidery, whence thou wast made exceedingly beautiful, and didst prosper into a kingdom. But thou hast taken of thy garments, and hast made to thee variegated heights, that thou mightest commit whoredom upon them; thou hast also taken the garments of thy embroidery, and hast covered" images of a male, with which thou hast committed whoredom (16:10-14, 16-18).

Here the church is described as to its quality when it is first established by the Lord, the garments mentioned signify truths from good; embroidery is scientific truth (verum scientificum), fine linen and silk signify truths from a celestial origin. The bracelets, the chain, the jewel, the ear-rings and the crown, are decorations which signify things spiritual of various kinds; the gold and silver with which she was decked, signify the good of love and its truth. In what follows is described the same church perverted by taking of the garments, and making to herself variegated heights, whereby are signified truths falsified and by taking the garments of embroidery and covering images of a male, is signified that they applied the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word to confirm falsities, so as to give them the appearance of truths. To commit whoredom with them, and under them, signifies to contrive doctrine and worship from falsities. (That this is to commit whoredom, may be seen above, n. 141, 161. That Jerusalem is the church where there is true doctrine, may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 402, 3654, 9166. That embroidery is scientific truth, n. 9688. That fine linen is truth from a celestial origin, n. 5319, 9469. That bracelets are truths and goods of the church, n. 3103, 3105. That a necklace, is a representative of the conjunction of the interiors and exteriors, n. 5320; that jewels for the nose, and ear-rings, are representatives of perception and obedience, n. 4551. That a crown denotes wisdom, see above, n. 126. That gold is the good of love, see Arcana Coelestia 1551, 1552, 5658, 6914, 6917, 9510, 9874, 9881; that silver is truth from that good, n. 1551, 1552, 2954, 5658; that variegated heights are truths falsified, n. 796, 4005; that a male or the masculine is truth, n. 749, 2016, 4005, 7838; hence images of a male are appearances of truth.)

[8] In the same:

"Fine linen in broidered work from Egypt was thy spreading forth; blue and crimson from the isles of Elisha was thy covering, Syria was thy merchant in crimson, and broidered work, and fine linen, with the chrysoprasus. Dedan was thy merchant with garments of liberty for the chariot; Asshur and Chilmad with balls of blue and of embroidery, and with treasures of precious garment" (27:7, 16, 20, 23, 24).

Here Tyre and her merchandises are treated of, and by Tyre are signified the knowledges (cognitiones) of truth and good, and by merchandise and trading are signified procuring and communicating those knowledges; by crimson and blue is signified the celestial love of good and truth; by Egypt the Scientific of the natural man, and the same by embroidery. By Syria is signified the church as to the knowledges (cognitiones) of good and truth, and by Asshur the Rational of that church. By Dedan are signified those who are in the knowledges (cognitiones) of celestial things. It is therefore evident that by the merchandise of Tyre, which is treated of in the whole of this chapter, is not meant natural merchandise, but that by all things there mentioned are signified spiritual things, which must be procured, stored up in the mind, and communicated. (That Tyre signifies the knowledges of good and truth may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 1201. That Egypt signifies the Scientific of the natural man, n. 1164, 1165, 1186, 1462, 5700, 5702, 6015, 6651, 6679, 6682, 6683, 6692, 7296, 9340, 9391. That Syria denotes the church as to the knowledges of truth and good, n. 1232, 1234, 3664, 3680, 4112. That Dedan signifies those who are in the knowledges of celestial things, n. 3240, 3241. That Asshur denotes the Rational thence derived, n. 119, 1186. That crimson denotes the celestial love of good, n. 9467. That blue denotes the celestial love of truth, n. 9466, 9687, 9833; so also does chrysoprasus, n. 9898. The signification of fine linen and embroidery may be seen just above.)

[9] Again, in David:

"The king's daughter is all glorious within, her clothing is embroidered with gold. She shall be brought unto the king in embroidery" (Psalms 45:13, 14).

By the king's daughter is signified the spiritual affection of truth, and hence the church from those who are in that affection; the king signifies the Lord as to Divine truth; clothing embroidered with gold signifies intelligence and wisdom from that truth; the embroidery in which she should be brought to the king signifies the knowledges of truth. (That daughter signifies the affection of truth, and the church therefrom, may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 2362, 2623, 3373, 3963, 4257, 6729, 6775, 6779, 8649, 9055, 9807. That king signifies the Lord as to Divine truth, may be seen above, n. 31.)

[10] In the second book of Samuel:

"Daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet with dainty things, who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel" (1:24).

This is the lamentation of David over Saul, which he wrote to teach the sons of Judah the bow (verse 18): by a bow is signified truth combating against falsities (see Arcana Coelestia 2686, 2709). By Saul as a king, is signified that truth; by the sons of Judah are signified those who are in truths from good; by clothing the daughters of Israel in scarlet, and by putting ornaments of gold upon their apparel, is signified to impart intelligence and wisdom to those who are in the spiritual affection of truth.

[11] In Matthew:

"When the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment. And he said unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither, not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into outer darkness" (22:11-13).

By a wedding garment is signified the intelligence of the spiritual man, which is from the knowledges (cognitiones) of truth and good; but by him who had not on a wedding garment is signified a hypocrite, who by a moral life feigns a spiritual, when yet it is merely natural. To bind hand and foot, signifies deprivation of knowledges from the Word, by which such a man has counterfeited the spiritual man; to be cast into outer darkness signifies amongst those who are in falsities from evil; for outer darkness signifies falsities from evils.

[12] In Zephaniah:

"I will visit upon the princes, and upon the sons of the king, and upon all who are clothed with the garments of the alien" (1:8).

Princes and king's sons signify those who are in truths, and, in the opposite sense, as here, those who are in falsities; these are said to be clothed with the garments of the alien, because a garment signifies falsity, and an alien those who are out of the church, and do not acknowledge its truth.

[13] In Matthew:

"Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing; inwardly they are ravening wolves" (7:15).

False prophets in sheep's clothing who inwardly are ravening wolves, are those who teach falsities as if they were truths, and in appearance live morally, but who, when they are left to themselves, think of nothing but themselves and the world, and study to deprive others of truths.

[14] In John:

Jesus said to Peter "When thou wast younger, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest; but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thine hands, and another shall gird thee, and lead thee whither thou wouldest not" (21:18).

The spiritual signification of these words may be seen above (n. 9); which is, that by Peter is meant the faith of the church; by his being younger and girding himself and walking whither he would is meant the faith of the church at its beginning when its members are in the good of charity, that they then think from the spiritual man concerning the truths of the church, that is, from their own spirit, thus from the spiritual affection of truth, which is from freedom. But by Peter, when he should be old, stretching forth his hands, and another girding him is meant the faith of the church at its end, when faith would be without charity, that then they would think nothing concerning the truths of the church from themselves, but from others, thus from doctrine only, and not from the Word, which state respectively is a state of servitude. For to believe what another says is servile, but to believe what one thinks oneself from the Word is freedom, according to the words of the Lord in John,

"If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples. And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (8:31, 32).

[15] In Luke:

"No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; otherwise, the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old. And no man putteth new wine into old wineskins; else the new wine will burst the skins, and be spilled, and the skins will perish" (5:36-38; Matthew 9:16, 17; Mark 2:21, 22).

Because a garment signifies truth, therefore the Lord compared the truths of the former church, which was a church representative of spiritual things, to a piece of an old garment, and the truths of the New Church, which were essentially spiritual truths, to a piece of a new garment: He also compared them to wine-skins, because by wine in like manner is signified truth, and by skins the knowledges which contain truth. (That wine in the Word signifies truth, may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 219.)

[16] From these considerations it is now evident what is signified by garments in other parts of the Word, where they are often mentioned; as in the following passages in the Apocalypse:

"Upon the thrones four-and-twenty elders sitting, clothed in white garments" (4:4).

Again,

The armies of him sitting upon the white horse "followed him, clothed in fine linen, white and clean" (19:14).

Again,

Those who stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, were "clothed in white robes" (7:9).

Again,

The seven angels came out of the temple, "clothed in linen clean and shining" (15:6).

Again,

"And white robes were given unto every one of those" who were under the altar (6:11).

Again,

"Buy of me gold and white garments" (3:18).

[17] In Ezekiel:

"Let him give his bread to the hungry, and let him cover the naked with a garment" (18:16).

To give bread to the hungry in the spiritual sense is from the good of charity to instruct those who desire to obtain truths; to cover the naked with a garment, signifies, to treat in the same manner those who are not in truth. In the same:

The enemies "shall strip thee of thy garments, and shall take the jewels of thine adorning" (23:26).

And in Zechariah:

"Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood thus before the angel, who said unto those that stood before him, Take away the filthy garments from upon him. And he said, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from upon thee, in clothing thee with changed garments" (3:3, 4, 5).

In Lamentations:

"They have wandered blind in the streets, they are polluted with blood, what they cannot, they touch with their garments" (4:14).

From the signification of garments it can be known what is meant by several statutes amongst the sons of Israel; as

That they should not be clothed with mixed garments (Leviticus 19:19; Deuteronomy 22:11);

That a woman should not put on the armour of a man, nor a man be clothed with the garments of a woman (Deuteronomy 22:5)

That the garments should be washed that they might be purified, and thus sanctified (Exodus 19:14; Leviticus 11:25, 28, 40; 14:8, 9; Numbers 19:11 to the end),

and elsewhere;

That in mourning for their transgression against Divine truths they should put off their garments and put on sackcloth (Isaiah 15:3; 22:12; 37:1, 2; Jeremiah 4:8; 6:26; 48:37; 49:3; Lamentations 2:10; Ezekiel 27:31; Amos 8:10; Jonah 3:5, 6, 8):

And that they should rend their garments (Isaiah 37:1, and elsewhere).

It may also be known what is signified

By the disciples laying their garments upon the she-ass and the colt when the Lord was going to Jerusalem, and the people then strawing their garments in the way (Matthew 21:7, 8, 9; Mark 11:7, 8; Luke 19:35, 36);

which may be seen explained above (n. 31).

[18] The reason why garments signify truths is, that the light of heaven is Divine truth proceeding from the Lord as the Sun there; and everything that exists in the heavens exists from that light, as is the case also with the garments in which the angels are seen clothed. Hence it is

That the raiment of the angels who sat at the sepulchre of the Lord was "white as snow" (Matthew 28:3);

And that their garments were shining (Luke 24:4).

(That the garments in which the angels are seen clothed correspond to their intelligence, and that their intelligence is according to their reception of Divine truth from the Lord, may be seen in the work, Heaven and Hell 177-182; and that Divine truth proceeding from the Lord is light in heaven, n. 126-135.) It is therefore evident that garments, when spoken of the Lord, signify the Divine truth proceeding from Him; and because Divine truth is signified, the Word is also signified; for the Word is Divine truth from the Lord on earth and in the heavens. This was represented by the garments of the Lord when He was transfigured before Peter, James and John, concerning which it is thus written in the Evangelists:

When Jesus was transfigured "his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light" (Matthew 17:2);

And his raiment was "white, glistering" (Luke 9:29);

And "his raiment became exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them" (Mark 9:3).

The like is said of the Ancient of Days, in Daniel:

"The Ancient of Days did sit, whose garment was white as snow" (7:9).

The Ancient of Days is the Lord from eternity. Because light is Divine truth, and this is signified by garments when the Lord is spoken of, therefore it is said in David,

Jehovah "covereth himself with light as with a garment" (Psalms 104:2).

[19] From these considerations it is evident what is signified by the garments of the Lord elsewhere in the Word. As in David:

"All thy garments are anointed with myrrh, and aloes, and cassia" (Psalms 45:7, 8);

where the Lord is treated of. In Moses:

"He washed his garment in wine, and his covering in the blood of grapes" (Genesis 49:11).

This is also spoken of the Lord. Wine and blood of grapes signify Divine truth. Because the garments of the Lord signified Divine truth, therefore also

Those who touched the border of His garment were healed (see Matthew 9:20, 21; Mark 5:27, 28, 30; 6:56; Luke 8:44).

In Isaiah:

"Who is this that cometh from Edom, with garments sprinkled from Bozra? this that is honourable in his apparel? Wherefore art thou red as to thy garment, and thy garments like those of him that treadeth in the wine press? Their victory is sprinkled upon my garments, and I have polluted all my raiment" (63:1-3).

These things also are said of the Lord. By garments here is signified the Word, which, as has been said, is Divine truth from the Lord on earth and in the heavens; the violence offered to Divine truth, or the Word, by those who formed the church, is described by the Lord's garment being red as that of one treading in the wine-press, and by victory being sprinkled upon His garments, and by His raiment being polluted.

[20] Again in the Apocalypse, it is said,

He who sat on the white horse "was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called the Word of God" (19:13).

Here it is clearly said that He who sat on the white horse was called the Word of God; and that the same is the Lord is evident, for it immediately follows, concerning Him,

"He hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords" (ver. 16).

It is therefore the Word in the letter which is signified by the vesture dipped in blood, because violence was done to it, but not to the Word in the spiritual sense: to this violence could not be done, since they knew nothing about it.

[21] That violence was done to the Word in the sense of the letter, but not to the Word in the spiritual sense, is also signified by the soldiers dividing the garments of the Lord, but not His tunic, of which it is thus written in John:

"The soldiers took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top throughout. They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but let us cast lots for it, whose it shall be. These things therefore the soldiers did" (19:23, 24).

And, in David:

"They parted my garments, and cast lots upon my vesture" (Psalms 22:18).

By the Lord's garments which they parted is signified the Word in the letter; by his tunic the Word in the spiritual sense; by soldiers are signified those who belong to the church who fight on behalf of Divine truth; and hence it is said, These things therefore the soldiers did.

(That tunic signifies Divine truth, or the Word, in the spiritual sense, may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 9826, 9942; that soldiers signify those who belong to the church, and enter into warfare for Divine truth, may be seen above, n. 64, at the end, where these things are more fully explained.) It should be known that the particular things related in the Evangelist concerning the Lord's passion involve and signify how the church, at that time, which was amongst the Jews, treated Divine truth, thus the Word, for this was Divine truth with them, and the Lord was the Word, because He was Divine truth (see John 1:1, 2, 14); but what those particulars involve and signify can be known from only the internal sense. In this place it is explained only what the garments of the Lord signified, because the signification of garments is the subject here treated of, namely, that they signify truths, and when said of the Lord, Divine truth.

[22] Similarly the things signified by the garments of the Lord are also signified by the garments of Aaron and his sons, because they represented the Lord as to Divine good, and their garments, the Lord as to Divine truth. (But these things may be seen explained and shown in Arcana Coelestia; as that Aaron represented the Lord as to Divine good, n. 9806, 9946, 10017; also what each of the garments signified, as the breast-plate, the ephod, the cloak, the coat wrought with chequer work, the mitre and the belt, n. 9814, 9823-9828, and the following numbers.)