443. Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. That this signifies obedience, and that all those who are in obedience are in heaven, and come into heaven, is plain from the representation, and thence the signification, of the tribe of Simeon, which denotes obedience, of which we shall speak presently; and from the signification of twelve thousand sealed, which denotes all those who are in heaven and come into heaven; concerning this see above. The tribes of Simeon, Levi, and Issachar, now mentioned, which form the third class of the sealed, signify those who are in the first or ultimate heaven, and come into it. For, as was stated above, all those who are in heaven, and come into heaven, are treated of here; and because there are three heavens, the third or inmost, the second or middle, and the first or ultimate, therefore those are treated of who are in the third, the second, and the first heaven respectively. Those who are in the third or inmost heaven, and come into that heaven, are signified by Judah, Reuben, and Gad, who, therefore, form the first class of those that are sealed; those who are in the second or middle heaven, and come into that heaven, are signified by Asher, Naphtali, and Manasseh; these, therefore, form the second class of the sealed; but those who are in the first or ultimate heaven, and come into that heaven, are signified by Simeon, Levi, and Issachar; these, therefore, form the third class of the sealed.

[2] All those pertain to the first or ultimate heaven who obey the truths and goods which are taught in the Word, or in the doctrine of the church in which they were born, or by their master or teacher, from whom they have heard that this or that is true and good, and must be done. The greater part of these are not in truths themselves, but in falsities from ignorance; these falsities are nevertheless accepted by the Lord as truths, because they have for their end the good of life, by means of which the evils that are accustomed to adhere to falsities are removed. Concerning those falsities, and those who are in them, see the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 21). These, therefore, are in the ultimate or first heaven. But those who are in the second or middle heaven, are all in the spiritual affection of knowing and understanding truth and good, and in the affection of doing it; those, however, who are in the third or inmost heaven, are all in love. But we have treated of both of these above.

[3] Simeon and his tribe signify those who are in obedience, because Simeon, the father of the tribe, was so named from "hearing," and to hear signifies to obey, as is evident from these words of Leah his mother, when she bare him:

And Leah "conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Because Jehovah hath heard that I am hated, he hath therefore given me this [son] also, and she called his name Simeon" (Genesis 29:33).

These words may be seen explained in the Arcana Coelestia 3867-3872), and also that to hear signifies to obey (n. 2542, 3869, 4653-4660, 5017, 5471, 5475, 7216, 8361, 8990, 9311, 9397, 9926, 10061); and above (n. 14, 108, 249). Because Simeon signifies obedience, he also signifies faith, for faith becomes faith in man when he obeys and does its precepts. Before this takes place, the knowledge of those things which he has received from the Word, from the doctrine of the church, and from preaching resembles faith, but it is not faith until he does these things; previous to this it is only of the thought from the memory, in which there is nothing of the will, consequently nothing of the man, for the will is the man himself. Therefore, when a man carries it out or obeys it, then it enters the will, thus the man himself, and becomes faith.

[4] This faith, which is obedience, is also signified by Peter, when he is called Simon, and the faith which is the affection for truth, is signified by Peter when called Simon son of Jonah (as in Matthew 16:17-19, and following verses; Mark 1:16-18, 36; 14:37, 38; Luke 5:3-11; 7:40-43; 22:31-33, and following verses; 24:34; John 1:40-42; 21:15-21).

Because Simeon in Hebrew signifies hearing, and hearkening, and therefore obedience, as stated above, and the son of Jonah truth from good, but Peter, truth itself, he is therefore called by the Lord, sometimes Peter, sometimes Simon Peter, and sometimes Simon son of Jonah. That such things are signified by those names, any one may see from the fact, that he was called by the Lord at one time Peter, at another Simon, at another, son of Jonah. This was not done without a cause and meaning. What was said to him at the time proves this; as, when he confessed that the Lord was the Son of God, and, therefore, the keys of the kingdom of heaven were given to him, he is called Simon son of Jonah (Matthew 16:17, and following verses). He is called a rock [petra], as the Lord Himself is frequently called in the prophets. He was similarly called Simon son of Jonah, when the Lord said unto him, "Lovest thou me," and he answered, "I love thee;" but soon after, when he turned himself from the Lord, and was indignant because John who signifies the good of charity followed Jesus, he was called Peter (John 21:15-21); by Peter is then signified truth apart from good, or faith separated from charity.

[5] From these considerations it is evident, that Simon, when Peter is so named, has a similar signification to Simeon the son of Jacob, that is, obedience, the faith of charity, the affection for truth, and, in general, truth from good. For Simon in Hebrew signifies hearing, hearkening, and obedience, and Jonah in the same tongue signifies a dove, which, in the spiritual sense, signifies the good of charity and the son of Jonah, the truth of that good, or the faith of charity. But "rock" [petra], from which he is named Peter, signifies truth and faith, and in the opposite sense, falsity and the want of faith. See above (n. 411).

[6] That Simeon the son of Jacob, and the tribe named from him, signify obedience, and truth in the will, and thence faith, is also evident from the opposite sense, in which he signifies disobedience, and falsity in the will, and thence faith separated from the will, which is not faith; for most things in the Word have also an opposite sense, in which they signify contrary things. It is in this sense that Simeon is mentioned by his father Israel in the prophecy concerning his sons, in these words,

"Simeon and Levi are brethren; weapons of violence are their swords; into their secret let not my soul come, in their congregation let not my glory be united; because in their anger they slew a man (vir), and in their good pleasure they unstrung an ox; ¹ Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was hard; I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel" (Genesis 49:5-7).

Simeon and Levi are brethren, signifies faith separated from charity; weapons of violence are their swords, signifies that doctrinals serve to destroy the works of charity, and therefore charity itself. Into their secret let not my soul come, signifies that spiritual good does not desire to know the evils of their will. In their congregation let not my glory be united, signifies that neither does spiritual truth desire to know the falsities of their thoughts. For in their anger they slew a man, signifies that they have altogether averted themselves from truths, and in their aversion have extinguished faith. And in their good pleasure they unstrung an ox, signifies that from their depraved will they have utterly weakened external good which is of charity. Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce, signifies grievous turning away from good, and consequent damnation. And their wrath, for it was hard, signifies turning away from truth thence. I will divide them in Jacob, signifies that that faith must be extirpated from the external church. And scatter them in Israel, signifies from the internal church. But these things are more fully explained in the Arcana Coelestia 6351-6361).

[7] The first three sons, namely, Reuben, Simeon, and Levi, were rejected and cursed by their father Israel, because in that prophecy the establishment of the church is treated of, and the church cannot be established by faith separated from charity, but by truth and good, which are from the Lord. For the church had fallen, even at that time, into the error, that merely to know the Word, and acknowledge its holiness, was the essential of the church, and not life or charity; and that the God of heaven and earth was some other than the Lord; therefore in that prophecy the first three sons, Reuben, Simeon, and Levi, were rejected, because Reuben signifies faith alone, Simeon, faith without charity, and Levi, the absence of the good of charity, consequently, by those three in a series, is signified the non-existence of the church. For when faith alone is regarded as the essential of salvation, then charity is at once rejected and looked upon as of no value or importance in the work of salvation. And because those three signified those three things, therefore Israel their father, who signifies the church, rejected them. These three also destroyed the representative of a church, Reuben, by lying with Bilhah, the handmaid and concubine of his father (Genesis 35:22); and Simeon and Levi, by their slaying Hamor, his son Shechem, and the whole city, which was the nation descended from Hamor, for the sole reason that he loved their sister Dinah (Genesis 34:1 to end). This deed, in the spiritual sense, signifies that those two sons of Jacob, that is to say, that attribute of the church which was represented by them, extinguished the truth and good of the Ancient Church, which church still remained with the nation of Hamor; for that deed signifies in the spiritual sense that faith separated from charity extinguishes all the truth and good of the church. This, therefore, is the meaning of the words of Israel, "Into their secret let not my soul come, in their congregation let not my glory be united; for in their anger they slew a man (vir), and in their good pleasure they unstrung an ox." For man (vir) in the Word, signifies truth and intelligence, and ox moral and natural good. These things are more fully explained in the Arcana Coelestia 4426-4522).

[8] Hence also Simeon is passed over in the blessing of Moses (Deuteronomy 33), and instead of him, Ephraim and Manasseh are mentioned, who signify the truth and good of the church. But although Simeon and Levi were such, yet they elsewhere signify the faith of charity, and charity; Simeon, the faith of charity, and Levi, charity. In fact, the tribe of Levi was appointed to the priesthood. For the character of the person who represents is of no importance, provided he be in external worship according to the laws and statutes, representation looking not to the person, but to the thing and nothing more is required in the person than the external in worship; concerning this see Arcana Coelestia 665, 1097, 1361, 3147, 3670, 3881, 4208, 4281, 4288, 4292, 4309, 4444, 4500, 6304, 7048, 7439, 8588, 8788, 8806, 9229). The tribe of Simeon, therefore, in this passage of the Apocalypse, and also elsewhere in the Word, signifies obedience, the faith of charity, the affection for truth, and, in general, truth from good, as stated above. That Simeon and his tribe, when mentioned in a good sense, signify in the highest sense, providence; in the internal sense, faith in the will; in the interior sense, obedience; and in the external sense, hearing, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 3869).

Notes de bas de page:

250. And open the door. That this signifies reception in the heart or life is evident from the signification of opening the door, as being to let in, for by the door is signified letting in (as may be seen above, n. 208). Here, however, by opening the door is signified reception in the heart or life, for it follows, "and I will come in to him." It is said, if any man open the door, as if man opened it, when, nevertheless, it is the Lord Himself who opens, according to what was said and shown above (n. 248). But it is thus said, because it appears so to man, from the free-will given him by the Lord; and, moreover, in the sense of the letter of the Word, many things are spoken according to appearances; but these are put off in heaven, where the internal or spiritual sense of the Word is. The sense of the letter of the Word is in many places according to appearances, in order that it may serve for a basis to the spiritual sense; otherwise there would be no basis or foundation to that sense. That many things are said in the Word according to appearances is evident from this one fact, that in the Word it is said that evil is from God; that wrath, anger and revenge are in God, and other similar things; although God does evil to no one; nor is there any anger or revenge in Him, for He is good itself, and love itself; but because it so appears to man when he does evil and is punished, therefore, in the sense of the letter, it is so said; but still it is otherwise understood in the spiritual sense of the Word. The case is the same with this expression, "If any man open the door."

[2] It shall now be further explained what is meant by opening the door, when it is said to be done by man, as in the present instance. The case is this; the Lord is always present with the good and truth which a man has, and endeavours to open his spiritual mind, which is the door that the Lord desires to open, and impart to him celestial love and faith; for He says, "I stand at the door and knock"; but this endeavour, or this perpetual will of the Lord, is not perceived by man, for he thinks that he does good of himself, and that the endeavour or will is his own. It is sufficient in this case, that he should acknowledge from the doctrine of the church that all good is from God, and nothing from himself. The reason why this is not perceived by man is that there may be reception on the part of man, and by reception appropriation, for otherwise man cannot be reformed.

[3] It is clear, therefore, how greatly those are mistaken who hold the doctrine of faith alone; for they say and believe that faith saves and not the good of life, or that man is justified by faith alone, thus shutting out his application to receive. They know, indeed, that man must examine himself, must see and acknowledge the evils, not only of his works but also of his thoughts and intentions, and that afterwards he must abstain from, and shun them, and live a new life, which must be a life of good, and that unless he does there can be no remission, but damnation. The doctors and rulers of the church teach this when they preach from the Word; and they teach this, as from faith, to everyone when he approaches the Holy Supper; but as soon as they return, and look to the doctrine of justification by faith alone, they no longer believe those things, but say that all are led from evil to good by God after they have received faith; and some, as they connect false principles with truths, say that after a man is justified by faith, he is also led by God to examine himself, and confess his sins before God, to abstain from them, and so on.

But this is the case with no one who believes in justification by faith alone, but with those who live the life of charity; by this life a man is conjoined with heaven, but not by the life of the doctrine of justification by faith alone.

He who is conjoined with heaven by the life of charity is led by the Lord to see his evils, both the evils of his thought and those of his will: a man sees evil from good, because evil is the opposite of good; but he who believes in salvation by faith alone says in his heart, "I have faith, because I believe the things that are said; nothing condemns me, I am justified"; and he who thus believes cannot be led by the Lord to examine himself and to repent of his evils. To this extent they teach truths before the people, who thence believe that to live well and believe aright are meant by being justified by faith, nor do they look deeper into the arcana of their doctrine. The latter are saved, but the former condemned. That these are in a state of condemnation they themselves may see if they will, for they believe from doctrine that the goods of life, which are works, contribute nothing to salvation, but faith alone, although works consist in abstaining from evils and living a new life, without which there is condemnation.

[4] That the preachings that are not from the arcana of their doctrine teach these things, and also the prayers received in the church, is evident from what is read before all the people who approach the altar to partake of the Sacrament of the Supper, which shall be here quoted in the language in which it is written: "The way and means to be received as worthy partakers of the Holy Table is, first, to examine your lives and conversations by the rule of God's commandments; and whereinsoever ye shall perceive yourselves to have offended, either by will, word or deed, there to bewail your own sinfulness, and to confess yourselves to Almighty God, with full purpose of amendment of life. And if ye shall perceive your offences to be such as are not only against God, but also against your neighbours, then ye shall reconcile yourselves unto them; being ready to make restitution and satisfaction, according to the uttermost of your power, for all injuries and wrongs done by you to any other; and being likewise ready to forgive others that have offended you, as ye would have forgiveness of your offences at God's hand; for otherwise the receiving of the Holy Communion doth nothing else but increase your damnation. Therefore if any of you be a blasphemer of God, a hinderer or slanderer of His Word, an adulterer, or be in malice or envy, or in any other grievous crime, repent you of your sins, or else come not to that Holy Table; lest after the taking of that Holy Sacrament the devil enter into you, as he entered into Judas, and fill you fall of all iniquities, and bring you to destruction both of body and soul. . . . Judge therefore yourselves, brethren, that ye be not judged of the Lord; repent you truly for your sins past; have a lively and stedfast faith in Christ our Saviour; amend your lives, and be in perfect charity with all men. . . . Ye that do truly and earnestly repent of your sins, and are in love and charity with your neighbours, and intend to live a new life, following the commandments of God, and walking henceforth in His holy ways; draw near with faith, and take this Holy Sacrament to your comfort, and make your humble confession to Almighty God."

[5] From these words it may now be seen that the doctors and rulers of the church know, and yet do not know, that this way is the way to heaven, and not the way of faith without this; they know when they pray and preach before the people according to what is here adduced, but they do not know when they teach from their doctrine. The former way they call practical religion, but the latter the Christian religion; the former they believe to be for the simple, but the latter for the wise. However, I can assert that those who live according to the doctrine of faith alone and justification thereby have no spiritual faith at all, and that after their life in this world they come into damnation; but those who live according to the doctrine adduced from the above exhortations have spiritual faith, and after their life in this world come into heaven. This also perfectly agrees with the faith received throughout the Christian world, which is called the Athanasian faith, in the public confession of which are these words concerning the Lord; "At whose coming all men shall give account for their own works. And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting; and they that have done evil into everlasting fire. This is the Catholic faith."

[6] That these things are in perfect agreement with the Word is evident from the following passages:

"The Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works" (Matthew 16:27).

"They that have done good, shall go forth unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation" (John 5:28, 29).

"Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord; yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; their works do follow them" (Apoc. 14:13).

"I will give unto every one of you according to his works" (Apoc. 2:23).

"I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened; and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. The sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them; and they were judged every man according to their works" (Apoc. 20:12, 13).

"Behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give every man according to his works" (Apoc. 22:12).

In what is written to the seven churches, it is also said to each of them, "I know thy works." Thus:

"Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write, These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand; I know thy works" (Apoc. 2:1, 2).

"Unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write, These things saith the first and the last, I know thy works (Apoc. 2:8, 9).

"Unto the angel of the church in Pergamos write, These things saith he that hath the sharp sword with two edges: I know thy works" (verses 12, 13).

"Unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write, These things saith the Son of God; I know thy works and charity" (verses 18, 19).

"Unto the angel of the church in Sardis write, These things saith he that hath the seven spirits of God; I know thy works" (chap. 3:1).

"To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, These things saith he that is holy, he that is true; I know thy works" (verses 7, 8).

"Unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness; I know thy works" (verses 14, 15).

In Jeremiah:

"And I will recompense them according to their deeds, and according to the works of their hands" (25:14).

Again:

O Jehovah, "thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men; to give everyone according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings" (32:19).

In Hosea:

"I will visit upon his ways, and reward him for his works (4:9).

In Zechariah:

"Jehovah deals with us according to our ways, and according to our doings" (Zechariah 1:6).

Also in the following passages.

In John:

"If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them" (13:17).

In Luke:

"Why call ye me, Lord, and do not the things that I say?" (6:46).

In Matthew:

"But whosoever doeth and shall teach, shall be called great in the kingdom of the heaven" (5:19).

Again:

"Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be hewn down, and cast into the fire. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of the heavens; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in the heavens. Whosoever heareth my words and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man. But whosoever heareth my words and doeth them not, I will liken unto a foolish man" (7:19-27).

Again:

"He that received seed into the good ground, is he that heareth the Word and understandeth it, which beareth fruit and bringeth forth" (13:23).

In Mark:

These are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the Word and receive it, and bring forth fruit" (4:20).

In Luke:

"The seed that fell into the good ground are they which, in an honest and good heart, hear the Word, keep it, and bring forth fruit" (8:15).

When the Lord had said these things, He cried, saying, "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear" (Matthew 13:9; Mark 4:9; Luke 8:8). In Matthew:

"Thou shalt love the Lord [thy] God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang the law and the prophets" (22:37-40).

By the law and the prophets is meant the Word in its whole content.

[7] That to love the Lord God is to do His words or precepts He Himself teaches in John,

"He that loveth me, keepeth my words, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not, keepeth not my sayings" (14:21, 23, 24).

So also in Matthew, the Lord declared that He will say to the goats on the left hand, that they should go into everlasting fire, and to the sheep on the right hand, that they should go into life eternal (25:31-46). That by the goats are meant those who do not do the goods of charity, and by the sheep those who do, is evident from the words there; both said that they knew not that to do good to their neighbour was to do it to the Lord; but they are instructed, if not before, yet at the day of judgment, that to do good is to love the Lord. By the five foolish virgins who took no oil in their lamps are also meant those who are in faith and not in the good of charity; and by the five wise virgins who took oil in their lamps are meant those who are also in the good of charity; for lamps signify faith, and oil signifies the good of charity. Concerning the latter, it is said that "they went into the marriage," but of the former, who said, “Lord, Lord, open to us," that they received this answer, Verily, I say unto you, I know you not" (Matthew 25:1-12). That in the last time of the church there would be no faith in the Lord, because no charity, is signified where it is written

That Peter denied the Lord thrice, before the cock crew (Matthew 26:34, 69-74).

The same is signified by the Lord's saying to Peter, when Peter saw John follow the Lord,

"What is that to thee" Peter? "follow thou me" John; for Peter had said concerning John,

"What is this man?" (John 21:21, 22).

Peter, in a representative sense, signifies faith, and John the good of charity; therefore he leaned on the breast of the Lord (John 21:20).

[8] That this good constitutes the church is signified by the words of the Lord from the cross to John:

"Jesus saw his mother and the disciple standing by whom he loved; he said unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then said he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home" (John 19:26, 27).

By mother and woman is here meant the church, and by John the good of charity, and thus by those words is signified that the church will exist where the good of charity is. (But these things may be seen more fully explained in the passages quoted in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 122. And, moreover, that there is no faith where there is no charity, may be seen in the small work, The Last Judgment 33-39. And that man after death is such as his life was in the world, and not such as his faith was, may be seen in the work, Heaven and Hell 470-484. Also what charity is, and what faith is, in its essence, may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 84-122.)

[9] From what has been adduced consider whether to have faith is anything else than to live it; and whether to live according to it is not only to know and think, but also to will and do. For faith is not in a man while it is only in his knowledge and thought, but when it is also in his will and in his actions. Faith in man is faith of the life, but faith not yet in man is faith of the memory and of thought therefrom. By faith of the life is meant believing in God; but to believe those things that are from God, and not to believe in God, is mere historical faith, which is not saving. Who that is a true priest and good pastor does not desire that men should live well? and who does not know that the faith of knowledges, obtained from hearsay, is not faith of the life, but historical faith?

[10] Faith of the life is the faith of charity, for charity is life.

But although the case is thus clear, yet I foresee that those who have confirmed themselves in the doctrine of faith alone and justification thereby, will not give it up, because of their connecting falsities with truths; for they teach truths when they teach from the Word, but they teach falsities when they teach from doctrine; and hence they confound those things by saying that the fruits of faith are the goods of life and that these follow from faith, and yet that the goods of life contribute nothing to salvation, but faith alone. Thus do they unite and disunite things; and when they unite them they teach truths, but only before the people, who do not know that they invert matters, and say these things from necessity, in order to make their doctrine agree with the Word; but when they disunite them they teach falsities, for they say that faith saves, and not the goods of charity, which are works, in this case not knowing that charity and faith act as one, and that charity consists in acting well and faith in believing well, and that to believe well without acting well is impossible, thus that there can be no faith without charity; then charity is the esse of faith, and its soul, hence that faith alone is faith without a soul, and thus a dead faith; and because such faith is not faith, therefore justification by it is a mere non-entity.