358. And a crown was given [unto Him], signifies eternal life which is the reward of victory. This is evident from the signification of "crown," as being, when spiritual combat is treated of, as here, eternal life which is the reward of victory. That spiritual combat is here treated of is evident from what precedes and follows; in what precedes it is said that "He that sat upon the white horse had a bow," and "a bow" signifies the doctrine of charity and faith, from which one fights against evils and falsities and disperses them. It is also evident from what follows, in which it is said, "and He went forth conquering and that He might conquer," by which is signified victory over evils and falsities; therefore "crown" here signifies eternal life, which is the reward of victory.

[2] "Crown" has a similar signification where temptations are treated of, because temptations are spiritual combats, as in the second chapter of this book, where these words occur:

Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have affliction ten days; be thou faithful even till death, and I will give thee the crown of life (Revelation 2:10).

Here "crown" signifies wisdom and eternal happiness, as may be seen above n. 126. Wisdom and eternal happiness taken together are eternal life, for the very life of heaven is in wisdom and eternal happiness. The "crown" of the martyrs has a like signification because they were in affliction, and were "faithful even till death," and were also in temptations and conquered; moreover, after death crowns were given them; but lest they should on that account appropriate honor to themselves, and thus acquire haughtiness, they cast them off from their heads.

[3] Because in the Word "wars" signify wars in a spiritual sense which are combats against evils and falsities, and "kings" signify truths from good which fight against evils and falsities, in ancient times, when men had a knowledge of correspondences and representations, kings in their battles wore a crown upon the head, and a bracelet upon the arm, as can be seen in the second book of Samuel:

The young man, the son of an Amalekite, who told David that Saul and Jonathan were dead, said, I came upon Mount Gilboa, when behold, Saul leaned upon his spear; and the chariots and leaders followed hard after him. And he said to me, Come and put me to death. And I stood against him, and put him to death, and I took the crown that was upon his head and the bracelet that was on his arm, and I bring them to thee (2 Samuel 1:6, 8-10).

A crown in battle has then a sign of combat, and a bracelet upon the arm was a sign of power, each against evils and falsities. These combats are also signified by battles everywhere in the Word, even in the historical parts. (That "bracelet upon the arm" signifies the power of truth from good, see Arcana Coelestia 3105. What further "crowns of kings" and "crowns" in general signify, see above, n. 272)

457. When the spirit of man first enters the world of spirits, which takes place shortly after his resuscitation, as described above, his face and his tone of voice resemble those he had in the world, because he is then in the state of his exteriors, and his interiors are not as yet uncovered. This is man's first state after death. But subsequently his face is changed, and becomes entirely different, resembling his ruling affection or ruling love, in conformity with which the interiors of his mind had been while he was in the world and his spirit while it was in the body. For the face of a man's spirit differs greatly from the face of his body. The face of his body is from his parents, but the face of his spirit is from his affection, and is an image of it. When the life of the spirit in the body is ended, and its exteriors are laid aside and its interiors disclosed, it comes into this affection. This is man's second state. I have seen some that have recently arrived from the world, and have recognized them from their face and speech; but seeing them afterwards I did not recognize them. Those that had been in good affections appeared with beautiful faces; but those that had been in evil affections with misshapen faces; for man's spirit, viewed in itself, is nothing but his affection; and the face is its outward form. Another reason why faces are changed is that in the other life no one is permitted to counterfeit affections that are not his own, and thus assume looks that are contrary to his love. All in the other life are brought into such a state as to speak as they think, and to manifest in their looks and gestures the inclinations of their will. And because of this the faces of all become forms and images of their affections; and in consequence all that have known each other in the world know each other in the world of spirits, but not in heaven nor in hell (as has been said above, n.427). ¹

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