8858. A person's whole character is determined by the nature of whatever dominates his life; this is what marks him off from others. His heaven is formed in accordance with it if he is good, or his hell if he is bad. For it constitutes his true will and so the true being of his life, which is unchangeable after death. From all this one may see what the life is like in a person who has been regenerated, and what it is like in one who has not been regenerated.

9831. Verses 5-8 And they shall take the gold, and the violet, and the purple, and the twice-dyed scarlet, and the fine linen, and they shall make the ephod from gold, violet, and purple, twice-dyed scarlet, and fine twined linen, with the work of a designer. Two shoulders ¹ joined together shall it have at its two ends, and it shall be joined together. And the girdle of his ephod, which is on it, shall be of the same workmanship, ² of [one piece with] it, [made] from gold, violet, and purple, and twice-dyed scarlet, and fine twined linen.

'And they shall take the gold' means the good reigning universally. 'And the violet, and the purple, and the twice-dyed scarlet, and the fine linen' means the good of charity and faith. 'And they shall make the ephod from gold, violet, and purple, twice-dyed scarlet, and fine twined linen' means the outermost part of the spiritual kingdom springing from that good. 'With the work of a designer' means a product of the understanding. 'Two shoulders joined together shall it have at its two ends, and it shall be joined together' means an everlasting preservation of good and truth on every side by all exertion and power through a total uniting together. 'And the girdle of his ephod, which is on it' means the outward bond that gathers things together. 'Shall be of the same workmanship, of [one piece with] it' means that which is like the outermost part of the spiritual kingdom and is a continuation from it. 'From gold, violet, and purple, and twice-dyed scarlet, and fine twined linen' means thus from the good that belongs to faith and to charity on outermost levels.

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