Two
The number "two" has two different meanings in the Bible. In most cases "two" indicates a joining together or unification. This is easy to see if we consider the conflicts we tend to have between our "hearts" and our "heads" -- between what we want and what we know. Our "hearts" tell us that we want pie with ice cream for dinner; our "heads" tell us we should have grilled chicken and salad. If we can bring those two together and actually want what's good for us, we'll be pretty happy. We're built that way -- with our emotions balanced against our intellect -- because the Lord is built that way. His essence is love itself, or Divine Love, the source of all caring, emotion and energy. It is expressed as Divine Wisdom, which gives form to that love and puts it to work, and is the source of all knowledge and reasoning. In His case the two aspects are always in conjunction, always in harmony. It's easy also to see how that duality is reflected throughout creation: plants and animals, food and drink, silver and gold. Most importantly, it's reflected in the two genders, with women representing love and men representing wisdom. That's the underlying reason why conjunction in marriage is such a holy thing. So when "two" is used in the Bible to indicate some sort of pairing or unity, it means a joining together. In rare cases, however, "two" is used more purely as a number. In these cases it stands for a profane or unholy state that comes before a holy one. This is because "three" represents a state of holiness and completion (Jesus, for instance, rose from the tomb on the third day), and "two" represents the state just before it.
Heaven and Hell #20
20. IV. HEAVEN IS DIVIDED INTO TWO KINGDOMS.
As there are infinite varieties in heaven, and no one society nor any one angel is exactly like any other, 1 there are in heaven general, specific, and particular divisions. The general division is into two kingdoms, the specific into three heavens, and the particular into innumerable societies. Each of these will be treated of in what follows. The general division is said to be into kingdoms, because heaven is called "the kingdom of God."
Note a piè di pagina:
1. [Swedenborg's footnote] There is infinite variety, and nowhere any thing the same as another (Arcana Coelestia 7236, 9002).
Also in the heavens there is infinite variety (684, 690, 3744, 5598, 7236).
Varieties in heaven are varieties of good (3744, 4005, 7236, 7833, 7836, 9002).
All societies in the heavens, and all angels in a society, are thereby distinguished from each other (690, 3241, 3519, 3804, 3986, 4067, 4149, 4263, 7236, 7833, 7836).
Nevertheless they are all made one by love from the Lord (457, 3986).
