257. Since in this prophetical book numbers are often mentioned, and no one can know the spiritual sense of the things contained therein unless it is known what the particular numbers signify (for all numbers in the Word, like all names, signify spiritual things), and since the number "seven" is often mentioned among others, I will here show that "seven" signifies all persons and all things, likewise fullness and totality; for that which signifies all persons and all things signifies also fullness and totality, for fullness and totality are predicated of the magnitude of a thing, and all persons and all things are predicated of multitude. That "seven" has such a signification can be seen from the following passages. In Ezekiel:

They that dwell in the cities of Israel shall set fire to and burn the arms, and the shield, and the buckler, with the bow and with the arrows, and the hand-staff, and the spear; and they shall make a fire with them seven years. And they shall bury Gog and all his multitude, and they shall cleanse the earth seven months (Ezekiel 39:9, 11-12).

Here the desolation of all things in the church is treated of: "those that dwell in the cities of Israel" signify all goods of truth; "to set fire" signifies to consume by evils. "The arms, the shield, the buckler, the bow, the arrows, the hand-staff, the spear," are all things pertaining to doctrine; "to make a fire with them seven years" means to consume them all and fully by evils. "Gog" signifies those who are in external worship and in no internal worship; "to bury them and cleanse the earth" means to destroy all such, and completely purge the church of them.

[2] In Jeremiah:

The widows shall be multiplied more than the sand of the seas, and I will bring to them upon the mother of the youths the waster at noonday. She that hath borne seven shall languish, she shall breathe out her soul (Jeremiah 15:8-9).

"The widows," that shall be multiplied, signify those who are in good and who long for truths, and in a contrary sense, as here, those who are in evil and desire falsities; "the mother of the youths" signifies the church; "the waster at noonday" signifies the vastation of that church, however much it may be in truths from the Word; "she that hath borne seven shall languish, she shall breathe out her soul," signifies that the church, to which all truths were given because the Word was given to it, is to perish; for "she that hath borne seven" signifies to whom all truths were given. This was particularly said of the Jews.

[3] Likewise in the first book of Samuel:

They that were hungry have ceased; the barren hath borne seven, and she that hath many children hath failed (1 Samuel 2:5).

"They that were hungry," who have ceased, are those who long for the truths and goods of the church; "the barren bearing seven" signifies those who are outside of the church, and are ignorant of truths, because they have not the Word, thus the Gentiles, to whom all things will be given; "she that hath many children failing" signifies those who have, from whom will be taken away. In David:

Render unto our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom (Psalms 79:12).

And in Moses:

That the Jews should be punished seven times for their sins (Leviticus 26:18, 21, 24, 28);

"seven times" here signifying fully.

[4] In Luke:

If thy brother sin against thee seven times in the day, and seven times in the day turn again to thee, saying, I repent, thou shalt forgive him (Luke 17:4).

"To forgive seven times, if he should turn again seven times," means to forgive as often as he turns, thus every time. But lest it should be understood to mean seven times, the Lord explained his meaning to Peter, who supposed seven times to be meant, in Matthew:

Peter said, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Until seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, until seven times, but until seventy times seven (Matthew 18:21-22).

"Seventy times seven" means always, without counting.

In David:

Seven times a day do I praise thee for the judgments of righteousness (Psalms 119:164).

"Seven times a day" means always, or at all times.

[5] In the same:

The sayings of Jehovah are pure sayings, as silver refined in a crucible purified seven times (Psalms 12:6).

"Silver" signifies truth from the Divine; "purified seven times" means wholly and fully pure.

[6] in Isaiah:

The light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days (Isaiah 30:26).

"The light of the sun" signifies Divine truth from Divine good; that "this light shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days," signifies that Divine truth in heaven shall be without any falsity, thus altogether and fully pure.

[7] In Matthew:

The unclean spirit shall take seven other spirits more evil than himself, and shall dwell there (Matthew 12:45; Luke 11:26).

Here profanation is treated of, and "the seven unclean spirits" with which the unclean spirit would return, signify all the falsities of evil, thus a complete destruction of good and truth.

[8] The "seven times" that were to pass over the king of Babylon have a like meaning, in Daniel:

His heart shall be changed from man, and a beast's heart shall be given unto him, while seven times shall pass over him (Daniel 4:16, 25, 32).

"The king of Babylon" signifies those who profane the goods and truths of the Word; that "his heart should be changed from man, and a beast's heart be given him," means that nothing spiritual, which is the truly human, should remain, but instead there should be the diabolical; "the seven times which were to pass over him" signify profanation, which is the complete destruction of truth and good.

[9] Because "seven" and "seven times" signified all things and fullness, the following commands were given:

Seven days the hands [of Aaron and his sons] should be filled (Exodus 29:35).

Seven days [the altar] should be sanctified (Exodus 29:37).

Seven days Aaron should be clothed with the garments when he was to be initiated (Exodus 29:30).

For seven days Aaron and his sons were not to go out of the tabernacle when they were to initiated into the priesthood (Leviticus 8:33, 34).

Seven times was the altar to be sprinkled for expiation upon its horns (Leviticus 16:18, 19).

Seven times was the altar to be sanctified with oil (Leviticus 8:11).

Seven times was the blood to be sprinkled towards the veil (Leviticus 4:16, 17).

Seven times was the blood to be sprinkled with the fingers eastward, when Aaron went towards the mercy-seat (Leviticus 16:12-15).

Seven times was the water of separation to be sprinkled towards the tent (Numbers 19:4).

Seven times the blood was to be sprinkled in the cleansing of leprosy (Leviticus 14:7, 8, 27, 38, 51).

The lampstand was to have seven lamps (Exodus 25:32, 37; 37:18-25).

For seven days were the feasts to be kept (Exodus 34:18, Leviticus 23:4-9, 39-44; Deuteronomy 16:3, 4, 8).

For the seven days of the feast there was to be a burnt-offering of seven bullocks, and seven rams daily (Ezekiel 45:23).

Balaam built seven altars, and sacrificed seven oxen and seven rams (Numbers 23:1-7, 15-18, 29, 30).

They numbered seven weeks of years, seven times seven years, and then they were to cause the trumpet of the jubilee to be sounded in the seventh month (Leviticus 25:8, 9).

From the signification of the number "seven" it can be seen what is signified:

By the seven days of creation (Genesis 1);

Also by the fact that four thousand men were satisfied by seven loaves and that seven basketful remained (Matthew 15:34-38; Mark 8:5-9).

From this then it is evident what is signified in Revelation:

By the seven churches (Revelation 1:4, 11);

By the seven golden lampstands, in the midst of which was the Son of man (Revelation 1:13);

By the seven stars in His right hand (Revelation 1:16, 20);

By the seven spirits of God (Revelation 3:1);

By the seven lamps of fire before the throne (Revelation 4:5);

By the book sealed with seven seals (Revelation 5:1);

By the seven angels to whom were given seven trumpets (Revelation 8:2);

By the seven thunders which uttered their voices (Revelation 10:3, 4);

By the seven angels having the seven last plagues (Revelation 16:1, 6);

And by the seven vials full of the seven last plagues (Revelation 16:1; 21:9);

and elsewhere in the Word, where "seven" is mentioned.

2718. 'A wife from the land of Egypt' means the affection for knowledge, which the member of the spiritual Church possesses. This is clear from the meaning of 'a wife' as affection or good, dealt with in 915, 2517, and from the meaning of 'Egypt' as knowledge, dealt with in 1164, 1165, 1186, 1462. In this verse the member of the spiritual Church is described so far as the nature of his good, that is, the essence of his life, is concerned - that the good residing with him is obscure, but that it is brightened with light from the Lord's Divine Human. From that brightening of it the affection for truth arises in the rational part of his mind, and the affection for knowledge in the natural part. The reason the affection for good such as resides within the celestial man cannot arise in the spiritual man, but instead the affection for truth, is that the good residing with him is implanted in the understanding part of his mind, and is obscure compared with the celestial man's good, as shown in 2715. From this good no other type of affection can be generated and derived within his rational than the affection for truth, and through this affection for truth the affection for knowledge within the natural. No other truth is meant in this case than that which the person believes to be the truth, even though it may not in itself be the truth. Nor is knowledge used to mean such knowledge as the learned possess but all factual knowledge with which a person can be taught from what he experiences or hears in everyday life, from doctrine, and from the Word. It is the affection for such truth and knowledge that exists within the member of the spiritual Church.

[2] So that it may be known what is meant by the affection for truth existing with someone and what by the affection for good, let a brief statement be made regarding them. Those with the affection for truth think about, question, and discuss whether a thing is true, whether it is so. And when they are convinced it is true, or is so, they think about, question, and discuss what it is. Thus they remain rooted on the doorstep and cannot be admitted into wisdom until they no longer have any doubts. Those however with whom the affection for good exists know and perceive that the thing is so from the good itself governing them. Thus they do not remain on the doorstep but are in a room inside, having been admitted into wisdom.

[3] Take as an example the consideration that it is a celestial gift to think and to act from an affection for good, or from good. Those with whom the affection for truth exists discuss whether this is so, whether such a gift can exist, and what it may be. And so long as they are turning over doubts about it they are unable to be admitted. But those with the affection for good do not discuss or turn doubts over but assert that the thing is true and are for that reason admitted. For those with whom the affection for good exists, that is, those who are celestial, start off where those with the affection for truth, that is, those who are spiritual, come to a halt, so that the furthest point reached by the latter is the starting point for the former. That being so, those who are celestial are given to know, recognize, and perceive that affections for good are countless - as numerous as the communities in heaven - and that they are all joined together by the Lord into a heavenly form so as to constitute one human being so to speak. They are also given to define by perception the genus and species to which each affection belongs.

[4] Or take this example: All delight, blessedness, and happiness belong wholly to love, but the nature of the love determines that of the delight, blessedness, and happiness. The spiritual man fixes his mind on the question whether this is true and whether delight, blessedness, and happiness may not spring from some other source, such as from mixing with others, talking to others, meditation, or learning, and also whether they reside in possessions, position, reputation, and the glory resulting from these. As long as he is asking such questions he does not confirm himself in the truth that none of these accomplishes anything, only the affection born of love which is present within them and making them what they are. The celestial man however does not remain rooted in such preliminary questionings but immediately asserts that the thing is true. Consequently he is interested in the end in view and the realization of this, that is, he is governed by the very affections born of love which are countless, and in each one of which there are things beyond description, involving variations of delight, blessedness, and happiness that have no end.

[5] Take as a further example the consideration that the neighbour is to be loved for the good that resides with him. Those with whom the affection for truth exists think, question, and discuss whether this is true, that is, whether it is so. They ask what the neighbour is, what good is; but they go no further than this, and therefore they shut the door to wisdom against themselves. Those however with the affection for good assert that the thing is so and do not consequently shut the door against themselves but enter in and so come to know, recognize, and perceive from good who is pre-eminently the neighbour, also in what degree he is the neighbour, and that everyone in differing ways is the neighbour. Thus they perceive things beyond description, over and above what is known to those with the affection solely for truth.

[6] Take as yet another example the truth that a person who loves the neighbour for the good within him loves the Lord. Those with the affection for truth question whether this is so. And if they are told that anyone who loves the neighbour for the good within him loves the good, and that - since all good comes from the Lord and the Lord is present in good - when anyone loves good he also loves the Lord from whom that good comes and in which He is present, they then question whether that too is so. They also ask what loving good is, as well as what good is, and whether the Lord is present more so in good than in truth. As long as they remain rooted in such questionings they cannot get even a distant view of wisdom. But those with the affection for good know from perception that the thing is so and immediately behold the whole field of wisdom leading right on to the Lord.

[7] From these examples it may become clear why in comparison with those who have the affection for good, that is, with those who are celestial, obscurity exists with those who have the affection for truth, that is, with those who are spiritual Nevertheless the latter are able to pass from obscurity into light, provided that they are willing to adopt the affirmative attitude that all good belongs to love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbour; also that love and charity constitute spiritual conjunction, and that these are the source of all blessedness and happiness, thus that heavenly life consists in the good belonging to love received from the Lord, but not in the truth of faith separated from it.