6298. 'And he blessed them on this day' means Foresight and Providence continuing for ever. This is clear from the meaning of 'blessing' as a foretelling, dealt with in 6230, 6254, but in the highest sense the Lord's Foresight (and as Foresight is meant, so also is Providence since the one does not exist without the other; for evil belongs to Foresight, but good to Providence, and evil that is foreseen is turned by Providence towards good. The reason why 'blessing' here means Foresight and Providence is that in the highest sense 'Israel', who gives the blessing, is the Lord, 4286); and from the meaning of 'on this day' or today as that which is eternal, dealt with in 2838, 7998, 4304, 6165.

7997. The Passover supper represented the groups of angels in heaven living in association with one another according to their forms of good and truths, see above in 7836, 7996. And since it represented those groups it was decreed not only that each household should be together by itself to eat it on that occasion but also that none should be associated with them except those who could represent togetherness in love characteristic of heavenly communities. All others were to be set apart. Those to be set apart were 'foreigners', for these meant people who were not in possession of the Church's goodness and truth. Those to be set apart also 'strangers' and 'hired servants', since these represented people prompted by natural inclination alone and people seeking material gain who would make a show of doing what was good and true. None of these can be integrated among the angels in heaven. But they are allowed to wander around during the initial period after their arrival in the next life, before they undergo the stages of vastation of good and truth. When during that initial period they approach any heavenly community and sense the sphere of holiness emanating from the truth belonging to the good of innocence, meant by 'the blood of the Passover lamb', 7846, 7877, they can go no further but in fear and loathing make a hasty retreat.