10093. 'That which has been waved, and that which has been heaved up' means what has been acknowledged and what has been perceived. This is clear from the meaning of the words 'that which has been waved', when they refer to the breast, as that which has been endowed with life through acknowledgement, dealt with above in 10091; and from the meaning of 'that which has been heaved up' as the Divine Celestial, which is the Lord's alone, perceived in heaven and in the Church, dealt with below. The implications of all this must be stated briefly. There are two kingdoms which comprise the heavens, the celestial and the spiritual. Divine Truth is acknowledged in the spiritual kingdom but perceived in the celestial kingdom. The reason why this should be so is that Divine Truth in the spiritual kingdom is received in the understanding part of the mind but in the celestial kingdom in the will part. What is received in the understanding part is termed 'acknowledged', and what is received in the will part is spoken of as 'perceived'. Furthermore those in the spiritual kingdom can do no more than acknowledge Divine Truth, whereas those in the celestial kingdom are able to perceive it. See what has been shown abundantly regarding those two kingdoms in the places referred to in 9277, 9596, 9684.

[2] As regards 'the heave offering', that which was Jehovah's or the Lord's and was given to Aaron on account of his representation is called 'the heave offering'. And since Aaron represented the Lord in respect of Divine Good, 9806, that part of sacrifices which was heaved up and given to Aaron represented that which is Divine and the Lord's, and is also called 'the anointing', in Moses,

The breast of the wave offering and the flank of the heave offering I have received from among the children of Israel from their eucharistic sacrifices, and I have given them to Aaron the priest and to his sons by a statute forever ¹ from among the children of Israel. This is the anointing of Aaron and the anointing of his sons from the fire offerings to Jehovah, on the day he presented them ² , to serve Jehovah in the priestly office. Leviticus 7:34-35.

The expression 'the anointing' is used because 'anointing' means consecrating to serve as a representative sign of the Lord in respect of Divine Good, see 9954, 10019. And in another place in the same author,

Jehovah spoke to Aaron, Behold, I have given you charge of My heave offerings; as regards all the holy things of the children of Israel, I have given them to you for the anointing, and to your sons. Yours shall the heave offering of [their] gift be, as regards every wave offering of the children of Israel, all the best ³ of pure oil, and all the best ³ of the new wine and the grain, of the firstfruits; and as regards all the firstfruits which they will give to Jehovah, they shall be yours. As regards every devoted thing, everything opening the womb of all flesh which they will bring to Jehovah, [it shall be yours.] From the firstborn of cow, sheep, and she-goat, the flesh shall be yours, just as the breast of the wave offering and just as the right flank are. Every heave offering of the holy things [I have given you]. You shall have no portion or inheritance in the land, because Jehovah is your portion and inheritance. Also, every heave offering from the tithes and the gifts which have been made to the Levites. Numbers 18:8-29.

From all this it is evident what the term 'heave offering' denotes, namely all the things that were Jehovah's, that is, the Lord's.

[3] And since the Levites represented the Divine Truths in heaven and in the Church which serve Divine Good, they were also given to Aaron instead of all the firstborn, which were Jehovah's, that is, the Lord's. They are spoken of in Moses as follows,

I have taken the Levites from the midst of the children of Israel, instead of every firstborn, that which opens the womb, from the children of Israel, that the Levites may be Mine; for every firstborn is Mine. And since the Levites have been given to Me, I have given them as gifts to Aaron and his sons. Numbers 3:12-13; 8:16-19.

Heave offerings are spoken of as gifts presented to Jehovah, that is, to the Lord, from among the children of Israel; but it should be understood that they are Jehovah's not by virtue of their being a gift but because He is the real owner; for nothing holy or Divine with a person belongs to the person, only to the Lord present with him. All that is good and true, as is well known in the Church, thus all that is holy and Divine, comes from the Lord God, and none at all from the person; and from this it is evident that when the gift is said to come from the person, this is due to appearances. This also is why the next verse states,

For it is a heave offering, and it shall be a heave offering from among the children of Israel, it is a heave offering to Jehovah.

This means that the heave offering from the children of Israel belongs to Jehovah, thus that the gift from them is a gift from the Lord. From this it is evident what a heave offering is.

Notes de bas de page:

4638. Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins means the final period of the old Church and the first of the new. The Church is the Lord's kingdom on earth; 'the ten virgins' are all who belong to the Church, that is to say, both those who are governed by good and truth, and those who are under the influence of evil and falsity. 'Ten' in the internal sense means remnants, also that which is full and complete, and so means all, while 'virgins' means those who belong to the Church, as in other places in the Word.

[2] Who took their lamps means spiritual things which have what is celestial within them, or truths that have good within them, or what amounts to the same, faith that has charity towards the neighbour within it, and charity that has love to the Lord within it. For 'oil' means the good of love, dealt with below; but 'lamps that have no oil in them' means those same things when there is no good within them.

[3] They went out to meet the Bridegroom means their reception.

Five of them however were wise, but five were foolish means that one group of them possessed truths which had good within them, and another group possessed truths which did not have good within them. The former are 'the wise', but the latter 'the foolish'. In the internal sense 'five' means some, in this case therefore a group from within the whole.

Taking their lamps the foolish did not take oil with them means that they did not have within their truths the good of charity, 'oil' in the internal sense being the good of charity and love.

Whereas the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps means that they did have within their truths the good of charity and love - 'vessels' being matters of doctrine concerning faith.

[4] While the Bridegroom was tarrying they were all drowsy and went to sleep means delay, and therefore doubt. In the internal sense, 'being drowsy' means becoming, because of the delay, inattentive to things of the Church, while 'going to sleep' means nurturing doubt, in the case of 'the wise' doubt that goes with an affirmative attitude of mind, but in the case of 'the foolish' doubt that goes with a negative one.

At midnight there was a shout means the period of time which is the final one of the old Church and the first of the new. In the Word when the subject is the state of the Church this period is called 'night'. 'A shout' means a change taking place.

Behold, the Bridegroom is coming; go out to meet Him means judgement, that is to say, a time of being accepted or rejected.

[5] Then all those virgins were roused and they trimmed their lamps means the preparation of all, for those whose truths do not have good within them believe themselves to be no less accepted than those whose truths do have good within them. Indeed they imagine that faith alone saves and are unaware of the fact that no faith can exist where no charity does so.

But the foolish said to the wise, Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out means their desire for that good to be communicated from others to their own empty truths, that is, to their own hollow faith. For those who are in the next life communicate to one another every spiritual or celestial thing they possess, though only through good.

[6] But the wise replied, saying, Perhaps there will not be enough for us and for you means that no communication of it is possible because the small amount of good they have would be taken away from them. For in the next life, when good is communicated to those whose truths are devoid of good, they take away good so to speak from those who do have it and then keep it to themselves. They do not communicate it to others but defile it, which is why no good is communicated to them. My own experience of these people will be seen at the end of Chapter 37 below.

[7] Go rather to those who sell and buy for yourselves means meritorious good. Those who boast of having this kind of good are meant by 'those who sell'. Also, more than all others in the next life, people whose truth has no good within it think that they have earned merit through every deed they have performed which to all outward appearance looked like good, though inwardly it was evil, as the Lord says of them in Matthew, Many will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by Your name, and by Your name cast out demons, and do many mighty works in Your name? But then I will confess to them, I do not know you; depart from Me, you workers of iniquity! Matthew 7:22-23.

And in Luke,

Once the Householder has risen up and shut the door, then you will begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But He replying will say to you, I do not know where you come from. Then you will begin to say, We ate in your presence and we drank; and You taught in our Streets. But He will say, I tell you, I do not know where you come from; depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity! Luke 13:25-27.

This describes what those meant here by the foolish virgins are like, and that is why the following words referring to them occur in this parable - they 'came also, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he replying said, Truly, I say to you, I do not know you'.

[8] While they were going to buy however, the Bridegroom came means their perverse approach.

And those who were ready went in with Him to the wedding feast means that those who were governed by good, and from this by truth, were accepted into heaven. Heaven is likened to a wedding feast by virtue of the heavenly marriage, which is a marriage of good and truth, and the Lord to the Bridegroom because these people are joined to Him, while the Church is therefore called the Bride.

And the door was shut means that no others can enter.

[9] Afterwards the remaining virgins came also, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us means that they wish to enter on the basis of faith alone without charity, and of works in which the life of the Lord is not present, only selfish life.

But He replying said, Truly, I say to you, I do not know you means rejection. In the internal sense 'not knowing them' means that they lack any charity towards the neighbour, and are not joined through such charity to the Lord. Those who are not so joined to Him are said 'not to be known' by Him.

[10] Watch therefore, for you do not know the day, nor the hour, in which the Son of Man will be coming means an eagerness to live according to the commandments constituting a person's faith, meant by 'watching'. The actual time of acceptance, which is unknown to a person, and his state then, are meant by 'you do not know the day, nor the hour, in which the Son of Man will be coming'. One who is governed by good, that is, whose deeds conform to the commandments, is called 'wise', but one who has a knowledge of the truth, yet does not act in accordance with this, is called 'foolish', as they are elsewhere by the Lord in Matthew,

Everyone who hears My words and does them I will liken to a wise man. But everyone hearing My words and not doing them will be likened to a foolish man. Matthew 7:24, 26.