In 1 Samuel 1:9, the tabernacle signifies the truth of faith with man. (Arcana Coelestia 2048)

A temple signifies the Lord's spiritual church; in a universal sense, the spiritual kingdom; in the highest sense, the Lord as to His Divine Truth. (Arcana Coelestia 3720)

In 1 Samuel 3:3, when the lamp had not been put out, and Samuel was sleeping in the tabernacle, this signifies that the extinction of truth in worship had not yet been fully accomplished. (Apocalypse Explained 403[18])

In Psalm 65:4, being satisfied with the goodness of the holy place of the temple signifies to be intelligent from divine truth, and to realize heavenly joy therefrom. (Apocalypse Explained 630[11])

In Revelation 21:22, that there is no temple in the New Jerusalem signifies that in that new church, the external worship will not be separate from internal. (Apocalypse Explained 918)

'The Tabernacle,' as in Revelation 13, signifies the church regarding doctrine and worship. 'The tabernacle' has almost the same meaning as 'temple,' that is, in the highest sense, the Lord's divine humanity, and in a relative sense, heaven and the church. But 'tabernacle' as heaven and the church signifies the celestial church, which is in the good of love from the Lord to the Lord, and 'temple,' the spiritual church, which is in the truths of wisdom from the Lord. 'The tabernacle' signifies the celestial kingdom, because the most ancient church, which was celestial, in a state of love to the Lord, performed divine worship in tabernacles. The ancient church, which was a spiritual church, performed divine worship in temples. Tabernacles were made of wood, and temples, stone. 'Wood' signifies good, and 'stone,' truth. Since the most ancient church, a celestial church, because of their love to the Lord, and resulting conjunction with Him, celebrated divine worship in tabernacles, so the Lord commanded Moses to build a tabernacle, which represented everything of heaven and the church. It was so holy, that it was not lawful for anyone to go into it, except Moses, Aaron, and his sons. If any of the people entered, they would die, as in Numbers 17:12-13, 18:1, 22, 23, and 19:14-19. The ark was in its center, which contained the two tables of the Decalogue, and was topped with the mercy seat and the cherubim. Outside of the veil, there were the table for the shew-bread, the altar of incense, and the candlestick with seven lamps. All of these things represented heaven and the church. The Tabernacle is described Exodus 26:7-16 and 36:8-37, and its design was shown to Moses on Mount Sinai, as in Exodus 25:9 and 26:30. Anything seen from heaven is representative of heaven, and so of the church. The feast of tabernacles was instituted in memory of the most holy worship of the Lord in tabernacles by the most ancient people, and of their conjunction with Him by love, as mentioned in Leviticus 23:39-44, Deuteronomy 16:13-14 and Zechariah 14:16-19.

(Referencias: Apocalypse Revealed 585; Numbers 18:22-23, 19:14-19; Zechariah 14)

643. As for the meaning itself of these expressions - that 'planks of gopher' means lusts and 'rooms' the two parts of this man - this becomes clear from the Word. Gopher is a wood full of sulphur, as is the fir and others of that group. It is on account of the sulphur in it that it is said to mean lusts, for it catches fire easily. The most ancient people compared and likened those elements that exist with man to gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, his inmost celestial to gold, the lower celestial to bronze, and the lowest or bodily descending from this to wood, while the inmost spiritual they compared and likened to silver, the lower spiritual to iron, and the lowest degree of it to stone. When those objects are mentioned in the Word these are the things meant by them in the internal sense, as in Isaiah,

Instead of bronze I will bring gold, and instead of iron I will bring silver, and instead of wood, bronze, and instead of stones, iron. And I will make peace your assessment and righteousness your tax-collectors. Isaiah 60:17.

This refers to the Lord's kingdom in which no such metals exist, but instead celestial and spiritual elements. It is quite clear that the latter are meant because of the reference to peace' and 'righteousness'. Here, gold, bronze, and wood correspond to one another and mean celestial elements or those belonging to the will, as has been stated. Silver, iron, and stone also correspond to one another, and mean spiritual elements or those belonging to the understanding.

[2] In Ezekiel,

They will spoil your riches, they will despoil your merchandise, your stones and your timbers. Ezekiel 26:12.

It is quite clear that 'riches' and 'merchandise' do not mean material riches and merchandise, but celestial and spiritual ones. So also 'stones' and 'timbers' - 'stones' being things of the understanding and 'timbers' those of the will. In Habakkuk,

The stone cries out from the wall, and the beam out of the woodwork answers back. Habakkuk 2:11.

'Stone' stands for the lowest degree of the understanding, and 'wood' for the lowest degree of the will, which answers back when anything is drawn from sensory knowledge. In the same prophet,

Woe to him who says to a piece of wood, Awake! or to a dumb stone, Arise, this will teach! Behold, this is bound in gold and silver, and there is no spirit ¹ at all in the midst of it. But Jehovah is in His holy temple. Habakkuk 2:19-20.

Here also 'wood' stands for evil desire, 'stone' for the lowest degree of the understanding, and therefore 'being dumb' and 'teaching' are used in reference to that stone. 'No spirit in the midst of it' means that it represents nothing celestial or spiritual, like a temple in which there is stone and wood, overlaid with gold and silver, existing with people who give no thought to what those things represent.

[3] In Jeremiah,

Our waters we drink for silver, our timbers come for a price. Lamentations 5:4.

Here 'waters' and 'silver' mean things of the understanding, 'timbers' those of the will. In the same prophet,

Who say to wood, You are my father; and to a stone, You gave birth to us. Jeremiah 2:27.

Here 'wood' stands for desire which belongs to the will, from which there is conception, and 'stone' for sensory knowledge, from which there is birth. All through the Prophets therefore 'serving wood and stone' stands for images carved out of wood or stone, which means that people were slaves to evil desires and to delusions. The Prophets also speak of 'committing adultery with wood and stone', as in Jeremiah 3:9. In Hosea,

The people inquire of their piece of wood, and their staff makes declaration to them, for the spirit of whoredom has led them astray. Hosea 4:12.

This stands for their inquiring of a wooden image, or evil desires. In Isaiah,

The tophet has been prepared since yesterday. Its pyre is fire and much wood; the breath of Jehovah is like a stream of burning brimstone. Isaiah 30:33.

Here 'fire', brimstone', and 'wood' stand for filthy desires.

[4] In general 'wood' means those elements which constitute the lowest parts of the will. Precious kinds of wood, such as cedar and so on, mean elements that are good - for example, the cedar timbers in the Temple, or the cedarwood used in cleansing leprosy, Leviticus 14:4, 6-7, or the wood cast into the bitter waters at Marah, by which the waters were made sweet, Exodus 15:25. These in the Lord's Divine mercy will be dealt with in their proper places. Non-precious kinds of wood however, also those which were made into images, and those that were used for a pyre as well, and the like, mean evil desires, as do planks of gopher here on account of the brimstone or sulphur in them. As in Isaiah,

The day of Jehovah's vengeance - her streams will be turned into pitch, and her dust into brimstone, and her land will become burning pitch. Isaiah 34:8-9.

'Pitch' stands for dreadful delusions, 'brimstone' for filthy desires.

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