8727. 'Rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens' means successive levels of first and foremost truths below the truth coming forth directly from God. This is clear from what has been brought forward above in 8712-8715, 8717, 8718, 8722.

8722. 'And also all this people will come upon their place in peace' means that those belonging to the spiritual Church will be governed by good and thus led by good. This is clear from the meaning of 'people' as those belonging to the spiritual Church, for by 'people' one should understand the children of Israel, who represent the spiritual Church; from the meaning of 'coming to their place' as arriving at the state to which they are going to be led, which state is a state of good, since those who belong to the spiritual Church are led through truth to good, and when they arrive at good they come to their place, 'place' meaning state, see 2625, 2837, 3356, 3387, 4321, 4882, 5605, 7381; and from the meaning of 'peace' as the Divine within good, for 'peace' in the highest sense is the Lord, and is therefore the influence inmostly at work within good and is the very essence (esse) of the happiness of those governed by good. As long as a person is governed by truth and not as yet by good he has no serenity; but when he is governed by good he does have serenity and so is 'in peace'. The reason for this is that evil spirits cannot attack good but flee from it the moment they are aware of it; but they can attack truth. So it is that when people are governed by good they are 'in peace'. These are the things that are meant by 'all the people will come upon their place in peace'. What it is to be led by the Lord through truth, and what it is to be led by Him through good, see 8516, 8539, 8643, 8648, 8658, 8685, 8690, 8701.