412. And hide us from the face of him that sitteth upon the throne, and from the anger of the Lamb. That this signifies, lest they should suffer direful things from the influx of Divine good united to the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, is plain from the signification of, "hide us," when it is said by those in whom the goods and truths of the church are destroyed by evils of life and the falsities thence, as denoting, lest they should suffer direful things, concerning which we shall speak presently; from the signification of, "from the face of Him that sitteth upon the throne," as denoting the Lord as to Divine good in heaven; that face, when said of the Lord, denotes the Divine love, from which the Divine good in heaven is, will be plain from the passages in the Word to be adduced presently, and that, "Him that sitteth upon the throne" denotes the Lord as to Divine good in heaven, may be seen above (n. 297, 343); and from the signification of, "the anger of the Lamb," as denoting the casting into hell by the influx of Divine truth proceeding from the Lord. That the anger of Jehovah or the Lord signifies this, is evident from the passages in the Word to be adduced in the following article. Moreover, that the Lord alone is meant by Him that sitteth upon the throne, and by the Lamb; the Lord as to Divine good by Him that sitteth upon the throne, and the Lord as to Divine truth by the Lamb, may be seen above (n. 297, 343). That the anger of the Lamb is mentioned, is not that the Lord, who is meant by Him that sitteth on the throne and by the Lamb, is angry, for He is the Divine good itself, and this cannot be angry, for anger can have no place in essential good; but it is thus said in the sense of the letter of the Word for reasons which we shall explain elsewhere; here it shall only be shown that the face of Jehovah or of the Lord signifies the Divine love, and thence the Divine good in heaven and in the church; and, in the opposite sense, by setting His face against any one, and by concealing and hiding His face, is meant the same as by wrath and anger; also, that by the face, when said of man, are meant the interiors of his mind, and affection in both senses.

[2] That the face, when said of Jehovah or the Lord, signifies the Divine love, and thence the Divine good, is plain from the following passages.

In David:

"Make thy faces to shine upon thy servant; save me for thy mercy's sake" (Psalms 31:16).

To make the faces shine, signifies to enlighten Divine truth from Divine love; that this is signified by, to make the faces shine, is because the Divine truth, which proceeds from the Lord as a Sun in the angelic heaven, communicates all the light there, and also enlightens the minds of the angels, and fills them with wisdom; therefore the faces of the Lord, in the proper sense, is the Sun of the angelic heaven; for the Lord appears to the angels of the interior heavens as a Sun, and this from His Divine love, for love in the heavens, when it is presented before the eyes, appears as fire, but the Divine love, as a Sun; from that Sun proceed both heat and light, and that heat is the Divine good, and that light is the Divine truth. From these things it is evident that by making Thy faces shine upon Thy servant, is signified to enlighten the Divine truth from the Divine good; therefore also it is added, "save me for thy mercy's sake"; mercy being of the Divine good. (But concerning the sun in the angelic heaven, and concerning the heat and light thence, see the work concerning Heaven and Hell - concerning the Sun there, n.116-125, and concerning the heat and light thence, n. 126-140.)

[3] In the same:

"Many say, Who will shew us good? lift up upon us the light of thy faces, O Jehovah" (Psalms 4:6).

In the same:

"They shall walk, O Jehovah, in the light of thy faces" (Psalms 89:15).

In the same:

"Bring us back, O God, and cause thy faces to shine, that we may be saved" (Psalms 80:3, 7, 19).

And in the same:

"God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his faces to shine upon us" (Psalms 67:1).

By the light of the faces of Jehovah or of the Lord, is meant the Divine truth from the Divine love, as said above, and thence intelligence and wisdom, for from the Divine truth, or the Divine light in the heavens, are all the intelligence and wisdom, both of angels and men; hence by making Thy faces to shine upon us, by lifting up upon us the light of Thy faces, and by causing Thy faces to shine, is signified to enlighten in Divine, truth, and to gift with intelligence and wisdom.

[4] The same is signified in the blessing of the sons of Israel, in Moses:

"Jehovah bless thee, and keep thee; Jehovah make his faces shine upon thee, and be merciful unto thee; Jehovah lift up his faces upon thee, and give thee peace" (Num. 6:24-26).

By, making His faces shine, and being merciful, is signified to enlighten in Divine truth, and to impart intelligence and wisdom; and by lifting up His faces, and giving peace is signified to fill with Divine good, and to gift with love. Both are necessary to make man wise; for all those who are in the spiritual world are enlightened by the light which [proceeds] from the Lord as a Sun, but still they alone become intelligent and wise, who are at the same time in love, because the good of love receives truth, for they are conjoined since they mutually agree with and love each other. They only, therefore, see the Sun in heaven who are in love; others [see] only the light. To be merciful, which is said of the enlightenment of the faces, is also said of truth in the Word, and peace, which is said of the lifting up of the faces, is said of good.

[5] Because the Lord's Divine love appears as a Sun in heaven, and thence proceeds the light there, therefore:

"When the Lord was transfigured before Peter, James, and John, his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment became as the light" (Matthew 17:1, 2).

And also when He appeared to John:

His countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength (Apoc. 1:16).

By His raiment, which became as the light, is signified Divine truth; for raiment in the Word signifies truth, and this because all the angels are clothed by the Lord according to their reception of Divine truth; their garments also are from the light of heaven, consequently shining, and bright, and the light of heaven, as was said, is Divine truth. Hence it is plain why the Lord's raiment when He was transfigured became as the light (but concerning these things more may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 177-182; also above, n. 64, 195, 271, 395).

[6] In Matthew:

Jesus said of the boy whom he had placed in the midst of his disciples, "Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; I say unto you, That their angels in the heavens do always behold the face of my Father who is in the heavens" (18:10).

Here it is said that their angels behold, because there are spirits and angels with every man, and according to the quality of the man, such are the spirits and angels. With infant boys there are angels from the inmost heaven, who see the Lord as a Sun; for they are in love to Him, and in innocence; this is meant in a proximate sense by, their angels behold the face of His Father. By the face of the Father is meant the Divine love which was in the Lord, consequently, the essential Divine, which is Jehovah, for the Father was in Him, and He in the Father, and they were one, as He Himself teaches. But these same words in the purely spiritual sense signify, that the Lord, as to His Divine good, is in the good of innocence, for this is signified by an infant boy in the spiritual sense, and by the face of the Father [is signified] the Lord's Divine good. The same thing is taught in the Apocalypse concerning the Lord's servants, by whom are meant those who are in Divine truths, from their being in the good of love and charity:

"The throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in the New Jerusalem; and his servants shall serve him; and they shall see his face" (22:3, 4).

But concerning these words see the explanation in the following chapters.

[7] In Isaiah:

"In all their straitness he was straitened, and the angel of his faces delivered them; for his love and his pity he redeemed them; and he took them, and carried them all the days of eternity" (63:9).

The Lord is here treated of, who is called the angel of the faces of Jehovah from the Divine truth which is from His Divine love; for by an angel in the Word is signified Divine truth, whence angels are also called gods (as may be seen above, n. 130, 200, 302); and by the faces of Jehovah is meant the Divine love which is in the Lord, whence it is also said, "for his love and his pity he redeemed them; and he took them, and carried them all the days of eternity," these things being of the Divine love. The Lord, as to His Human, was the Divine truth, from which He fought with the hells, and by which He subjugated them. Hence it is that He is called an angel, that is as to His Divine Human. The Lord is evidently treated of in that chapter, and His combats with the hells, and the subjugation of them.

[8] In David:

"Thou hidest them in the secret of thy faces from the loftiness of man; thou concealest them in thy pavilion from the strife of tongues" (Psalms 31:20).

To hide them in the secret of Thy faces, denotes, in the Divine good not appearing before others; and to conceal in Thy pavilion, denotes [to be kept] in the Divine truth. The loftiness of man, and the strife of tongues, denote the evils of falsity, and the falsities of evil; for loftiness is said of evils because they are of self-love; and man signifies truth and falsity; the strife of tongues denotes the falsity of evil. (What the evil of falsity and the falsity of evil are, may be seen in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 21.)

[9] In the same:

"Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret in the light of thy faces" (Psalms 90:8).

"The light of thy faces," denotes the light of heaven from the Lord as the Sun there. Because this light is the very Divine truth from which are all intelligence and wisdom, therefore the quality of whatever comes into this light is manifested as in clear day; hence it is, that when the evil come into this light, they appear entirely according to their quality, deformed and monstrous according to the evils concealed in them. From these things it is evident what is meant by, "Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, and our secret in the light of thy faces."

[10] In Jeremiah:

"Proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, [and] I will not cause my faces to fall upon you; for I am merciful" (3:12).

By my faces here also is signified the Divine love, or every good which is of love; and by not causing the faces to fall is signified not to let fall and to cease, for when the countenance falls, it then ceases to regard; hence it is evident what is signified by, "I will not cause my faces to fall upon you." Therefore also it is said, "for I am merciful," mercy being the Divine love towards the wretched. By, proclaim towards the north, is signified, to those who are in falsities and thence in evils; therefore it is also said, return, O backsliding Israel. The reason why the north signifies those is, because those who are in falsities and thence in evils, dwell in the northern quarter in the spiritual world. (Concerning falsities and the evils thence, see the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 21.) The reason why the bread upon the table in the tabernacle was called the bread of faces, and the table itself the table of faces (Exodus 25:30; Num. 4:7), was, because by bread there, just as by the faces of Jehovah, was signified the Divine good of the Divine love (as may be seen in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 212, 213, 218).

[11] Because by the faces of Jehovah or the Lord, is signified the Divine good united with the Divine truth, going forth and proceeding from His Divine love, therefore by the faces of Jehovah are also signified the interior things of the church, of the Word, and of worship, for that [Divine good] is in the interiors of those things; the exterior things of the church, of the Word, and of worship, being only the effects and works thence. The interior things of the church, of the Word, and of worship, are signified by seeing, seeking, and beseeching the faces of Jehovah, Isaiah:

"What is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? when ye come to see the faces of Jehovah" (1:11, 12).

In Zechariah:

"The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, In going let us go to beseech the faces of Jehovah, and to seek Jehovah of hosts; thus many peoples and numerous nations shall come to seek Jehovah of hosts in Jerusalem, and supplicate the faces of Jehovah" (8:21, 22).

In David:

Unto thee my heart hath said, Seek my faces; thy faces, O Jehovah, I do seek" (Psalms 27:8).

In the same:

"Let us make a joyful noise unto the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before his faces with confession" (Psalms 95:1,2).

In Malachi:

"Beseech the faces of God, that he may be merciful unto us" (1:9).

In David:

"My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God; when shall I come that I may behold the faces of God? Wait thou for God; for I shall yet confess to him; his faces are salvation" (42:2, 6).

In these passages, by the faces of Jehovah and God, or the Lord, are meant the interior things of the church, of the Word, and of worship; because Divine good, and Divine truth, thus the Lord Himself, are in them, and from them in externals, but not in the externals, namely, of the church, of the Word, and of worship, without them.

[12] Because all those who went to the feast at Jerusalem were bound to carry with them such things as pertained to worship, and all worship is from the interior things of the heart and the faith, and these are signified by the gifts that were offered to the Lord, it was therefore commanded that every one should offer some gift, which is meant by,

"They shall not see my faces empty" (Exodus 23:15).

The interior things of the church, of the Word, and of worship, are also signified by these words in Moses:

Jehovah spake unto Moses, "My faces shall go, until I give thee rest." Then Moses said, "If thy faces go not, make us not go up hence" (Exodus 33:14, 15).

This was spoken to Moses, because with that nation the Word was to be written, and also respecting that nation in the historical parts of the Word, because a church was to be instituted among them, which would be a representative church consisting of external things that corresponded to things internal; on this account it was said, "My faces shall go" (concerning which more may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 10567, 10568, where they are explained).

[13] But because that nation was only in the externals of the Word, of the church, and of worship, and not at all in the internals, therefore it was not granted to Moses to see the Lord's face, but the back only, according to these words in Moses:

"Moses said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory; to whom he said, I will make all my goodness to pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of Jehovah before thee; thou canst not see my faces; for there shall no man see me and live. I will put thee in a cleft of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by; and when I take away my hand, thou shalt see my back parts; but my faces shall not be seen" (Exodus 23:18-23).

Here Moses represented that nation with respect to their quality as to the understanding of the Word, and as to the church and worship thence, namely, that [it was] only in externals without internals, the externals being represented and signified by the back parts of Jehovah which were seen by Moses, and the internals by the front parts and the face. That the internals that were in the externals of the Word, of the church, and of worship, were not seen, neither could be seen, by that nation, was represented and signified by Moses being placed in the cleft of a rock, and being covered with the hand of Jehovah whilst He passed by. But these things are more fully explained in the Arcana Coelestia 10573-10584).

[14] Moreover, the faces of Jehovah or the Lord, because they denote the internals of the Word, of the church, and of worship, are especially external things in which are internal things, because internals make themselves to be seen in externals, as the internals of man do in his face and look. But the Jewish people were of such a nature that they beheld externals only, and not at all the internals; and to behold externals and not at the same time internals, or externals without internals, is as it were to behold the image of a man which is without life; but to behold externals, and at the same time internals, or externals from internals, is as it were to behold a living man; this, therefore, is, in the proper sense, to see the face of Jehovah, or to beseech His faces, in the passages adduced above.

[15] Because the internals of the Word, of the church, and of worship, appear in externals, or cause themselves to be seen in externals, comparatively as the internals of man do in the face, it is evident what is signified, in the internal sense, by seeing Jehovah or the Lord face to face, in the following passages.

In Moses:

"I have seen God face to face, and yet my soul is preserved" (Genesis 32:30).

Jacob said these words after he had wrestled with God, who had appeared to him as an angel. In the book of Judges:

"Gideon said, I have seen the angel of Jehovah face to face. And Jehovah said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not; thou shalt not die" (6:22, 23).

In the same manner Manoah and his wife (Judg. 13:22, 23). And concerning the Israelitish people:

"Jehovah spake with you face to face from the mount, out of the midst of the fire" (Deuteronomy 5:4);

concerning which circumstance it is thus said more fully:

"Jehovah hath caused [us] to see his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire; we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he continueth to live" (Deuteronomy 5:24).

And concerning Moses:

"Jehovah spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh to his companion" (Exodus 33:11; Deuteronomy 34:10).

[16] It should, however, be known, that no man, nor even any angel, can see the Lord's face, because it is Divine love, and no one can bear the Divine love, such as it is in itself; for to see the Lord's face would be like letting the eye into the very fire of the sun, in which case it would instantly perish; such also is the Divine love viewed in itself; therefore the Lord appears to those in the interior heavens as a Sun, and that Sun is encompassed with many radiant circles, which form coverings one above another, in order that the Divine love may proceed tempered and moderated to the angels in heaven, and that the angels may thereby bear it; the Lord therefore appears as a Sun only to the angels of the higher heavens, but to the angels of the lower heavens He appears only as light, and to the rest as a moon. Still, however, the Lord does appear to the angels in heaven, but then it is under an angelic form; for He fills an angel with His own aspect, and thus with His presence afar off, and this in various places, but everywhere accommodated to the good of love and faith with those to whom He appears; thus the Lord was seen by Gideon, also by Manoah and his wife, likewise by Moses, and by the Israelitish people. This therefore is what is meant by their seeing Jehovah face to face, and by their seeing Jehovah and not dying. That the face itself, as to the interiors of His Divine love, was not seen, is plainly evident from what was said to Moses, namely,

"That no one can see Jehovah's face and live" (Exodus 33:20)

and yet it is said that they saw Jehovah face to face; from which it is plainly evident, that to see Jehovah's faces, in the passages adduced above, signifies to see Him in the interior things of the Word, of the church, and of worship, which yet is to see Him in externals from internals. That the Jewish nation was in the externals of the Word, of the church, and of worship without internals, may be seen in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 248. (What the external is without the internal; and what the external is in which is the internal, in n. 47 of the same work.)

[17] That the Jewish nation was of such a quality, was represented and signified by,

"They covered the Lord's face, beat him, and spat upon him" (Matthew 26:67; Mark 14:65; Luke 22:64).

For all things related concerning the Lord's passion represent and signify arcana of heaven and the church, and specifically the quality of the Jews as to the Word, the church, and worship. That it is so, may be seen above (n. 64, 83, 195 at the end).

[18] From the passages that have been already explained, it may be known what the face of Jehovah or the Lord signifies, namely, the Divine love, and all the good in heaven and in the church thence. From this also it may be known what is signified by hiding or covering the faces, where it is said of Jehovah or the Lord, namely, that it is to leave man in his proprium, and thence in the evils and falsities that flow from his proprium; for man viewed in himself is nothing but evil and the falsity thence, and he is withheld from these by the Lord, that he may be in good, which is effected by an elevation from his proprium. Hence it is evident that by hiding and covering the faces, when said of the Lord, is signified to leave in evils and falsities; as in the following passages. In Jeremiah:

"For all their perverseness I have hid my faces from this city" (33:5).

In Isaiah:

"Your sins have hid God's faces from you, that he will not hear" (59:2).

In Ezekiel:

"My faces will I turn from them, that they may profane my secret [place]; and the violent may enter into it, and defile it" (7:22).

In the same:

"The nations shall know that for their iniquity the sons of Israel went into captivity; and therefore will I hide my faces from them" (39:23).

In Lamentations:

"The face of Jehovah hath divided them; he will no more regard them" (4:16).

In Micah:

"Jehovah will hide his faces from them, even as they have made their works evil" (3:4).

In David:

"Thou hast hid thy faces, I was troubled" (Psalms 30:7).

In the same:

"Wherefore hidest thou thy faces, [and] forgettest our wretchedness and our oppression?" (Psalms 44:25).

In the same:

"Thou hidest thy faces, they are troubled; thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust” (Psalms 104:29).

In Moses:

"My anger shall be kindled against the people in that day, and I will forsake them, and will hide my faces from them. In hiding I will hide my faces in that day, for all the evil which they have wrought" (Deuteronomy 31:17, 18).

In the same:

"I will hide my faces from them; they are a generation of perversions" (Deuteronomy 32:20).

In Isaiah:

"I will wait upon Jehovah, though he hideth his faces from the house of Jacob" (8:17).

In David:

"How long wilt Thou forget me, O Jehovah? how long wilt thou hide thy faces from me?" (Psalms 13:1).

In the same:

"Hide not thy faces from me; reject not thy servant in anger" (Psalms 27:9).

In the same:

"Hide not thy faces from thy servant, for I am in trouble; answer me speedily" (Psalms 69:17).

In the same:

"O Jehovah, wherefore forsakest thou my soul? wherefore hidest thou thy faces from me?" (Psalms 88:14).

In the same:

"Hide not thy faces from me in the day when I am in distress" (Psalms 102:2).

In the same:

"Answer me, O Jehovah; hide not thy faces from me, lest I become like them that go down into the pit" (Psalms 143:7).

In Ezekiel:

"When I shall gather together the sons of Israel upon their own land, then will I no longer hide my faces from them, for I will pour out my spirit upon the sons of Israel" (Ezekiel 39:27-29).

In David:

"He hath not despised nor turned away from the affliction of Israel; neither hath he hid his faces from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard" (Psalms 22:24).

[19] In these passages it is said that Jehovah, that is, the Lord, covers and hides His faces on account of iniquities and sins; He is also entreated not to hide or cover [them], when nevertheless He never hides or covers [what they signify], namely, His Divine good and His Divine truth, for the Lord is Divine love itself, and mercy itself, and desires the salvation of all; wherefore He is present with all and each, even with those who are in iniquities and sins, and by this presence He gifts them with the liberty of receiving Him, that is, the truth and good from Him, therefore they receive if in freedom thy desire it. The reason why [reception must be] in freedom is, in order that goods and truths may remain with man, and be with him as his own; for what a man does in freedom he does from affection, for all freedom is of the affection, the affection also is his will, therefore what is received in freedom, or from man's affection, enters his will, and remains. The reason why it then remains is, because the will is the man himself, for therein his life primarily resides, but secondarily in the thought or the understanding. This, therefore, is the reason that man ought to receive the Divine good and the Divine truth, with which the Lord is always present.

[20] This also is meant by:

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in unto him, and will sup with him" (Apoc. 3:20).

But when man in freedom chooses evil, then he shuts the door against himself, and thus does not admit the good and truth which are from the Lord; therefore the Lord then appears as absent, and it is from this appearance that it is said that Jehovah covers and hides His faces, although He does not cover and hide [them]. Moreover, man, then, as to his spirit, turns himself away from the Lord, and, consequently, does not perceive the good or see the truth which are from the Lord; hence also it appears as if the Lord did not see him, when nevertheless He sees all and everything pertaining to him. From this appearance also it is that He is said to cover and hide His faces, indeed, that He is said to set (ponere et dare) His faces against them, also that He beholds them in the back of the neck (cervice), and not in the faces, as in the following passages.

In Jeremiah:

"I have set my faces against this city for evil, and not for good" (21:10).

In the same:

"I set my faces against you for evil, to cut off all Judah" (44:11).

In Ezekiel:

"I will set my faces against that man, and I will lay him waste, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people" (14:8).

In the same:

"I will set my faces against them; they shall go out from a fire, and a fire shall devour them; when I shall have set my faces against them" (15:7).

In Moses:

"He that shall eat any blood, I will set my faces against that soul, and I will cut him off" (Leviticus 17:10).

In Jeremiah:

"As an east wind will I scatter them before the enemy; I will look at them in the back of the neck, and not in the face" (18:17).

That it is man who sets (ponit et dat) his face against the Lord, and who turns himself away from the Lord, whence evil overtakes him, is plain also from the Word. As in Jeremiah:

"They have turned unto me the back of the neck, and not the faces" (32:33).

In the same:

"They have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return" (5:3).

In the same:

"They have gone away in their own counsels, in the hardening of their evil heart, they are become turned backwards and not turned forwards" (7:24).

And in Isaiah:

"Your sins have hid God's faces from you" (Isaiah 59:2).

[21] That the wicked turn away the face from the Lord, is not done as to the bodily face, but the face of their spirit. Man can turn his face whichever way he pleases, because he is in a state of freedom to turn himself either towards heaven or towards hell, and also a man's face has been taught to counterfeit before the world; but when man becomes a spirit, which he does immediately after death, then he who had lived in evils, turns away the face entirely from the Lord (as is evident from what has been said and shown in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 17, 123, 142, 144, 145, 151, 153, 251, 272, 511, 552, 561). This, therefore, is meant by, "they have turned unto me the back of the neck, and not the face," and by, "they are become turned backwards, and not turned forwards." Now because such persons [expose themselves] to the evil of punishment, and to hell, it is, therefore, supposed by those who turn themselves away, that this [proceeds] from the Lord, and that He regards them with a stern countenance, and casts them down into hell, and punishes them, just as a man who is in anger; whereas the Lord never regards any one but from love and mercy. It is from that appearance that the following expressions are used in the Word. In Isaiah:

"When thou shalt do terrible [things, which] we look not for, the mountains shall flow down at thy presence" (64:3). ¹

In David:

"It is burned with fire, it is cut down; they have perished at the rebuke of thy faces" (Psalms 80:16).

In the same:

"The faces of Jehovah are against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth" (Psalms 34:16).

In Moses:

"Behold I send an angel before thee. Take heed of his faces; for he will not bear your prevarication" (Exodus 23:20, 21).

In Ezekiel:

"I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and I will judge with you face to face" (20:35).

In Moses:

"When the ark set forward, Moses said, Arise, O Jehovah, let thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate thee flee before thy faces" (Num. 10:35).

In the Apocalypse:

"I saw a throne high and great, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away" (20:11).

[22] These things are now said respecting the signification of the face, when said of Jehovah or the Lord; but the face, where it is said of man, signifies his mind and affection, consequently, the interiors of his mind, and this because the mind and its affections, or the interiors of the man's mind, become visible in the face, whence it is that the face is called the index of the mind. The face also is an effigy of the interiors of man, for it represents them, and the countenance corresponds to them. That by the faces, when said of man, are signified affections of various kinds, is evident from the following passages. In Isaiah:

"They say, Retire from the way, turn aside from the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from our faces" (30:11).

Cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from our faces, signifies, [to remove] the Lord from the thought and affection, thus everything of the church, the Holy One of Israel denoting the Lord; to recede from the truth and good of the church, which is from the Lord, and in which the Lord is, is signified by "Retire from the way, turn aside from the path," the way and the path denoting the truth and good of the church.

[23] In Lamentations:

"They have not accepted the faces of the priests, and they have not had pity upon the old" (Lamentations 4:16).

And elsewhere:

"Princes were hanged up by their hand; the faces of the old were not honoured" (Lamentations 5:12).

Not to accept the faces of the priests, signifies to esteem as nothing the goods of the church, which are [those] of love and faith; for the priests represented the Lord as to Divine good, and thence signified the good of the church, and faces all things thereof, which have reference to love and faith. Not to honour the faces of the old, signifies to account as nothing all things of wisdom, the old signifying wisdom, and their faces all things thereof, because interior. The princes hanged up by their hand, signify that all intelligence was rejected, princes denoting the primary truths, from which there is intelligence.

[24] In Moses:

"Jacob said concerning Esau, I will appease his faces with a present, that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his faces; peradventure he will accept my faces" (Genesis 32:20).

To appease his faces, signifies to engage his mind; afterward to see his faces, signifies to know the quality of his mind; peradventure he will accept my faces, signifies, peradventure he shall receive me with a favourable mind, to accept the faces denoting to will good to any one from affection. In the same:

"Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not regard faces, neither take a gift" (Deuteronomy 16:19).

Not to regard faces, signifies [not] to be of a mind disposed towards superiors, the rich, and friends, more than towards inferiors, the poor, and enemies, because justice and rectitude are to be regarded without any respect to person.

[25] In Malachi:

"I have made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye keep not my ways, and receive faces in the law" (2:9).

To receive faces in the law, here signifies the same thing as above, to regard faces in judgment; namely, to be disposed to favour superiors, the rich, and friends, rather than inferiors, the poor, and enemies.

In Isaiah:

"What mean ye, that ye beat the people, and grind the faces of the poor?" (3:15).

To grind the faces of the poor, signifies to destroy the affections of knowing truth with those who are in ignorance of truths, and yet desire to be instructed, to grind signifying to destroy; faces signifying the affections of knowing truths, and the poor, those who are in ignorance of truth and desire to be instructed, for these are those who are spiritually poor.

[26] In David:

"The daughter of Tyre shall bring a gift; the rich among the people shall intreat thy faces. The king's daughter is all glorious within; her clothing is of interwoven [materials] of gold" (Psalms 45:12, 13).

By the king's daughter is signified the spiritual affection of truth, the daughter of Tyre signifying the affection of the knowledges (cognitions) of truth and good; to be enriched with these is signified by bringing a gift; by the rich among the people are signified the intelligent, and in the abstract, the intelligence of truth and good; to be gifted with these is signified by intreating his faces; for all things of intelligence dwell in the spiritual affection of truth, which therefore is signified by the faces. The remainder [of this passage] may be seen explained above (n. 195).

[27] In the same:

"Yet do I trust in him, the salvations of my faces, and my God" (Psalms 42:11; 43:5).

The salvations of my faces, signify all things that are within, thus those of the mind and affections, consequently, those of love and faith, which, because they save, are called salvations. Evil affections, which are lusts, are also expressed by faces, because they appear in the faces, for the face is the external or natural form of the interiors of the internal and external mind (animi et mentis); and in the spiritual world they make one; for there it is not permitted to counterfeit other faces than those of the affections, thus which correspond to the interiors of the mind; hence it is, that the angels of heaven are lustrous and comely in face, whereas infernal spirits are dark and deformed in face.

[28] That these things are also meant by faces, is evident from the following passages. In Isaiah:

"Pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them, as a travailing woman they bring forth; they shall be amazed [every] man towards his companion; their faces [are] faces of flames" (13:8).

The Last Judgment is here treated of, when the evil are let into their interiors. The interiors of those who are in the love of self and the world, and thence in hatred and revenges, are meant by their faces are as faces of flames; such also do they appear; their torment from the influx of Divine good and Divine truth is signified by, "Pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them, as a travailing woman they bring forth. Their torments are like the pangs and sorrows of travailing women for the same reason as [is given] in Genesis (3:16); for evils and falsities are then conjoined, and until this take place, sorrows take hold when the Divine good and truth flow in.

[29] In Ezekiel:

"Say to the forest of the south, The flame of a grievous flame shall not be quenched, whence all faces shall be burned therein from the south even to the north" (20:47).

By the forest of the south is meant falsity within the church, consequently, those therein who are in falsities. The church is signified by the south because it may be in the light of truth from the Word, and falsity from evil is signified by the forest; the vastation and destruction of the church by the love of falsity from evil, are signified by, "The flame of a grievous flame, whence all faces shall be burned"; all faces denote all the interiors of the men of the church as to the affections of truth and good, and the thoughts thence; from the south even to the north, signifies all things of the church from primaries to ultimates, or the interiors and exteriors; the south denotes the interior or first things of the church, and the north denotes the exterior or ultimate things of the church. The reason why such things are signified by the south and the north is, that those who are in the light of truth from the Lord are in the southern quarter of the spiritual world, and, in the hells under them there, are those who are in natural light, by which they have confirmed themselves in falsities; and in the northern quarter are those who are in an obscure [state] of truth from the Lord, and in the hells under them there, those who are in falsities, but not in any natural light by which they have confirmed their falsities.

[30] In Joel:

"Before him the peoples tremble; all faces have gathered blackness" (2:6).

The evils and falsities devastating the church are here treated of; also the judgment upon those who are in them; those who are in falsities, are signified by the peoples who tremble; their interiors, which are in the falsities of evil, are signified by the faces that have gathered blackness, faces denoting the interiors, and blackness denoting the falsity of evil; the infernals also who are in the falsity of evil appear black in the light of heaven.

[31] In Daniel:

"In the end of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king hard in faces shall rise up" (8:23).

These things are said of the four horns of the he-goat, by which are here meant four kingdoms, but by kingdoms here are not meant kingdoms, but states of the church, for, by a he-goat of the she-goats is meant faith separated from charity, which is called faith alone. The end of their kingdom signifies the end of the church, when there is no faith because no charity. "When the transgressors are come to the full," signifies when there are no longer truth and good, but evil and falsity; the same is signified by these words as by, when iniquity is consummated and filled (concerning which see above, n. 397). "A king hard in faces," signifies [that there was] no truth in their interiors, but falsity; for a king signifies truth, and, in the opposite sense, falsity, faces signifying the interiors, and hard in faces, such things without good; for where there is no good, there truth is hard, whereas truth from good is mild, because living; and that truth [without good] is even falsity in their interiors or in their thought, because they do not think concerning it spiritually but materially, because from corporeal and worldly things, and thence from fallacies of the senses.

[32] In Ezekiel:

"Sons hard in their faces, and hardened in heart" (2:4).

By sons hard in their faces are signified those who are in truths without good, and abstractedly truths without good, which in themselves are falsities, as said above; and by, hardened in heart, are signified those who do not admit good, consequently, who are in evil, for evil enters where good cannot. The heart, in the Word, also signifies the good of love, and a hardened heart signifies the same as a stony heart, namely, where the good of love is not admitted; but a heart of flesh signifies, where it is admitted.

[33] In Isaiah:

"Their tongue and their doings are against Jehovah, to rebel against the eyes of his glory. The hardness of their faces doth witness against them" (3:8, 9).

By their tongue and their doings which are against Jehovah, are signified the thought and affection; by the tongue, the thought, because the tongue utters what the man thinks; and by the doings, affection, because a man does what is of his affection. These are against Jehovah, and rebel against the eyes of His glory, when they are against the Divine good, and against the Divine truth, for by Jehovah in the Word is meant the Lord as to the Divine good proceeding from His Divine love, and by His glory is meant the Divine truth; to be against this is signified by rebelling against the eyes of His glory. The hardness of their faces, which witnesses against them, signifies the refusal and non-admission of the Divine truth and the Divine good into their thoughts and affections, which are their interiors.

[34] In Ezekiel

"Behold, I have made thy faces hard against their faces, and thy forehead hard against their foreheads" (Ezekiel 3:8).

These words are spoken to the prophet, by whom is signified the doctrine of truth and good fighting against falsities and evils; therefore by his faces being hard against their faces is signified the rejection of falsities by truths, and by his forehead being hard against their foreheads is signified the rejection of evil by good; for faces signify the affections of truth and the affections of falsity, and the forehead signifies the affection of good and the affection of evil. The affection of truth and good hardens and becomes hard outwardly from zeal, when it combats against falsity and evil, otherwise it could not repulse them; not however inwardly. Hence it is evident how those words are to be understood. Because by the faces are signified the interiors of man, or the things of his thought and affection, hence also, in the Hebrew tongue, interiorly is expressed by the same word as face.

[35] As various observations are made in [these] explanations concerning faces, which perhaps, without further exposition, can scarcely be understood, therefore I desire to add what has been said and shown concerning faces in the Arcana Coelestia, namely, that the face is formed to a correspondence with a man's interiors, n. 4791-4805, 5695; concerning the correspondence of the face and countenance with the affections of the mind, n. 1568, 2988, 2989, 3631, 4796, 4797, 4800, 5165, 5168, 9306. That hence the interiors shine forth from the face, n. 3527, 4066, 4796. That with the ancients the face made one with the interiors, n. 3573, 4326, 5695. That they also make one with the angels in heaven, and with sincere men in the world, n. 4796, 4797, 4799, 5695, 8250. That the faces of all in the other life become of such a quality as their interiors, n. 4798, 5695. Experiences of the changes of the face according to the interiors, n. 4796, 6604. Concerning the influx of the interiors of the mind, or of the understanding and will into the face and its muscles, n. 3631, 4800. That the face does not act as one with the interiors of flatterers, counterfeiters, hypocrites, and deceitful men, n. 4799, 8250; that with such the face is taught to counterfeit what is sincere, honest, and pious, n. 4326. How the influx from the brains into the face became changed in process of time, and therewith the face itself as to correspondence with the interiors, n. 4326, 8250. That the natural part of man is as an interior face to the spiritual mind and its sight, n. 5165, 5168. See also what has been said and shown concerning faces, in the work on Heaven and Hell 46-48, 142-144, 457-459, 553.

각주:

9818. 'Whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom' means who have Divine Truth inscribed upon them. This is clear from the meaning of 'the spirit of wisdom', when used in reference to those governed by celestial good, as Divine Truth, dealt with below. People are said to be filled with it when it is inscribed permanently on them. The situation is that those in the Lord's celestial kingdom are acquainted with truths not as a result of coming to know and consequently believe them, but as a result of inward perception; for they are governed by the good of love received from the Lord, and this good has all truths rooted within it. The actual good itself has been implanted in the will part of their minds, and truth springing from it in the understanding part. And with these people the will and understanding parts act altogether as one, quite differently from the way the two parts act with those who are in the spiritual kingdom. So it is that the understanding part of the mind in those who are in the Lord's celestial kingdom serves to give them not a knowledge but a perception of truths. For the good implanted in the will presents itself - its inward nature and its outward form - in the understanding, and in so to speak blazing light there. For those people the outward form of the good and its inward nature is truth, which they do not see, but instead perceive from good. For this reason they never argue about truths; they so avoid it that whenever there is talk about truths they say Yes or No, and no more than that. For if they said anything more it would not come from good. These are the ones who are meant in Matthew,

Let your words be Yes, yes; No, no; anything beyond this is from evil. ¹ Matthew 5:37.

The fact that those who are in the Lord's celestial kingdom are like this, see 2715, 2718, 3246, 4448, 5113, 6367, 7877, 9166 (end), 9543. What the difference is between those who are in the celestial kingdom and those who are in the spiritual kingdom, see the places referred to in 9277.

[2] From all this people may now recognize what should be understood when it is said that Divine Truths have been inscribed upon someone. Many places in the Word use the term 'spirit', and when they use it in reference to a person his 'spirit' means goodness and truth inscribed on the understanding part of his mind and consequently on the life of that part of it. The reason why 'spirit', when attributed to a person, has this meaning is that inwardly a person is a spirit, indeed inwardly is in the company of spirits. See what has already been shown abundantly on this matter in the following places,

Spirits and angels reside with a person, and the person is governed by the Lord through them, 50, 697, 986, 2796, 2886, 2887, 4047, 4048, 5846-5866, 5976-5993.

A person is among spirits and angels such as he himself is like, 4067, 4073, 4077, 4111.

Every person has a spirit through which his body has life, 4622.

[3] From this one may know what 'spirit' means when used in reference to the Lord, namely that it is Divine Truth emanating from His Divine Good, and that when this Divine Truth flows in and is received by a person it is the Spirit of truth, Spirit of God, and Holy Spirit; for it flows directly from the Lord, and also indirectly through angels and spirits, see the places referred to in 9682. The fact that the Spirit of truth, Spirit of God, and Holy Spirit have this meaning will be seen further on below; for prior to that it must be shown that, when used in the Word in reference to a person, 'spirit' means goodness and truth inscribed on the understanding part of a person's mind and consequently means the life of that part of it. For there is the life of the understanding part, and there is the life of the will part. That of the understanding part consists in knowing, seeing, and understanding that truth is indeed truth and good is indeed good. But the life of the will part consists in willing and loving truth for truth's sake and good for goodness' sake. In the Word the life of the will is called 'heart', but that of the understanding 'spirit'.

[4] The following places in the Word show that this is so: In Ezekiel,

Make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, O house of Israel? Ezekiel 18:31.

And in the same prophet,

I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit will I give in the midst of you. Ezekiel 36:26.

'A new heart' stands for a new will. and 'a new spirit' for a new understanding. In Zechariah,

Jehovah stretches out the heavens, and founds the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him. Zechariah 12:1.

'Stretching out the heavens and founding the earth' stands for the establishment of a new Church, this Church being meant by 'heaven and earth', see 1733, 1850, 2117, 2118 (end), 3355 (end), 4535. 'Forming the spirit of man within him' stands for regenerating a person as to his understanding of truth and good.

[5] In David,

Create for me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from before You, and do not take the spirit of Your holiness from me. Bring back to me the joy of Your salvation, and let a generous spirit uphold me. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. ² Psalms 51:10-12, 17.

'A clean heart' stands for a will that detests evils, which are forms of uncleanness; 'a steadfast spirit' stands for an understanding of and belief in truth; 'a broken spirit' and 'a broken heart' stand for a state of temptation and the consequent humbling of the life in both. The fact that 'spirit' means life is evident from every detail in these verses. Divine Truth, from which that life springs, is meant by 'the spirit of holiness'. In the same author,

A generation that did not make its heart right, nor was its spirit steadfast with God. Psalms 78:8.

'Heart that is not right' stands for a will that is not right, and 'spirit that is not steadfast with God' stands for an understanding of and belief in God's truth that are not steadfast.

[6] In Moses,

Jehovah God had hardened the spirit of Sihon king of Heshbon and made his heart obstinate. Deuteronomy 2:30.

Here also 'spirit' and 'heart' stand for the life in both parts, which is said to have been 'made obstinate' when the will has no desire to understand truth and good and put them into practice. In Ezekiel,

Every heart will melt, and all hands will hang down, and every spirit will shrink. Ezekiel 21:7.

Here the meaning is similar. In Isaiah,

Jehovah is He who gives soul ³ to the people on the earth, and spirit to those who walk on it. Isaiah 42:5.

'Giving soul to the people' stands for endowing with the life of faith, 'soul' meaning the life of faith, see 9050; and 'giving spirit' stands for providing with an understanding of truth. In the same prophet,

With my soul I desired You in the night; even with my spirit within me I waited for You early. Isaiah 26:9.

Here the meaning is similar.

[7] In the same prophet,

Conceive chaff, bring forth stubble; fire will devour your spirit. Isaiah 33:11.

'Spirit' which fire will devour stands for an understanding of truth, and so for intelligence; 'fire' stands for a craving which, because it springs from evil, is destructive.

[8] In Ezekiel,

Woe to the foolish prophets, who go away after their own spirit! Ezekiel 13:3.

In the same prophet,

What comes up onto your spirit ⁴ will not ever be brought about. Ezekiel 20:32.

In Malachi,

Not one has done so, nor those remaining who had spirit. Why then is there one seeking God's seed? Therefore take heed through your spirit, to see that it does not act treacherously against the wife of your youth. Malachi 2:15.

In David,

Blessed is the person to whom Jehovah does not impute iniquity; only let there be no guile in his spirit. Psalms 32:2.

In Matthew,

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3.

In the same gospel,

Jesus said to the disciples, Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is eager, but the flesh is weak. Matthew 26:41.

In these places, as is plainly evident, 'spirit' is used to mean the actual life in a person. That the life of the understanding, or the life of truth, is meant becomes clear from the consideration that in the natural sense 'spirit' is used to mean human life and breath. And drawing breath, which is the work of the lungs, corresponds to the life of truth, which is the life of faith and consequently of the understanding, whereas the beating of the heart corresponds to the life of the will and so of love. For this correspondence of lungs and heart, see 3635, 3883-3896, 9300, 9495. All this makes clear what type of life is meant in the spiritual sense by 'spirit'.

[9] The fact that 'spirit' in the ordinary sense means human life and breath is clearly evident in David,

You hide Your face, they are dismayed; You gather up their spirit, they breathe their last. You send forth Your spirit, they are created. Psalms 104:29-30.

In the same author,

Answer me, O Jehovah. My spirit is consumed. Do not hide Your face from Me. Psalms 143:7.

In Job,

My spirit is consumed, my days are extinguished. Job 17:1.

In Luke,

Jesus took the dead girl's hand, saying, Girl, arise. Her spirit therefore returned, and she arose at once. Luke 8:54-55.

In Jeremiah,

Every person has been made stupid by knowledge; his graven image is a lie, and there is no spirit in it. Jeremiah 10:14; 51:17.

In Ezekiel,

He brought me out in the Spirit of Jehovah and set me down in the midst of the valley. And there the Lord Jehovih said to the dry bones, Behold, I am bringing spirit into you that you may live. Thus said the Lord Jehovih, Come from the four winds, O spirit, and breathe into these killed. And spirit came into them, and they were alive again. Ezekiel 37:1, 5, 9-10.

In the Book of Revelation,

The two witnesses were killed by the beast ascending from the abyss. But after three and a half days the spirit of life from God entered them, so that they stood on their feet. Revelation 11:7, 11.

[10] From these places it is plainly evident that 'spirit' is a person's life. The fact that more specifically it is the life of truth, which is the life of the understanding part of a person's mind, and is called intelligence, is made plain in John,

The hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth. God is a Spirit, therefore those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. John 4:23-24.

In Daniel,

... that there was in him an excellent spirit, both of knowledge and of intelligence. Daniel 5:12, 14.

In Luke,

John grew and became strong in spirit. Luke 1:80.

And regarding the Lord, in the same gospel,

The child Jesus grew and became strong in spirit, and was filled with wisdom. Luke 2:40.

In John,

He whom the Father has sent speaks the words of God, for God has not given Him the spirit by measure. ⁵ John 3:34.

Here 'the spirit' stands for intelligence and wisdom; 'speaking the words of God' means declaring Divine Truths.

[11] From all this it may now be seen what 'spirit' means in John,

Jesus said to Nicodemus, Unless a person has been born from water and the spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which has been born of the flesh is flesh, but that which has been born from the spirit is spirit. John 3:5-6.

'Being born from water' means [being regenerated] by means of truth, and 'being born from the spirit' means life from the Lord which comes as a result of this, called spiritual life. For the meaning of 'water' as the truth by means of which regeneration is accomplished, see 2702, 3058, 3424, 4976, 5668, 8568, 9323. 'Flesh' however means the human proprium or selfhood, in which there is no spiritual life at all, 3813, 8409.

[12] Something similar is meant by 'spirit' and 'flesh' in the same gospel,

It is the Spirit which bestows life, the flesh does not profit anything. The words which I speak to you, they are spirit and they are life. John 6:63.

'The words' which the Lord spoke are Divine Truths, the life which comes as a result being 'the spirit'. In Isaiah,

Egypt is man (homo), not God, and his horses are flesh and not spirit. Isaiah 31:3.

'Egypt' stands for knowledge in general, 'his horses' for factual knowledge supplied from the understanding, which is spoken of as 'flesh and not spirit' when it does not have any spiritual life at all within it.

'Egypt' is knowledge, see the places referred to in 9340, 9391. 'Horses' are the power of understanding, 2761, 2762, 3217, 5321. 'The horses of Egypt' are known facts supplied from the understanding, 6125, 8146, 8148.

Anyone who does not know what is meant by 'Egypt', what is meant by 'his horses', and also what is meant by 'flesh' and 'spirit', cannot possibly know what these words [in Isaiah 31:3] imply.

[13] Once people know what 'spirit' present in a person means they may know what is meant by 'spirit' when this term is used in reference to Jehovah or the Lord. Everything a human being has, such as face, eyes, ears, arms, and hands, also heart and soul, He is said to have. Thus spirit as well is attributed to Him, and in the Word it is called Spirit of God, Spirit of Jehovah, Spirit of His mouth, and Spirit of Holiness or Holy Spirit. The fact that the term is used to mean Divine Truth emanating from the Lord is clear from a large number of places in the Word. The reason why Divine Truth emanating from the Lord is meant by 'Spirit of God' is that all of a person's life comes from there, as does the heavenly life possessed by those who receive that Divine Truth in faith and love. The Lord Himself teaches in John that this is what 'Spirit of God' means,

The words which I speak to you, they are spirit and they are life. John 6:63.

'The words' which the Lord spoke are Divine Truths.

[14] In the same gospel,

Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, If anyone thirsts let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, Out of his belly will flow rivers of living water. This He said about the Spirit which those believing in Him were to receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet because Jesus was not yet glorified. John 7:37-39.

'The Spirit' which those believing in the Lord were to receive from Him means the life coming from the Lord that is the life of faith and love, as is evident from the specific expressions used in these verses. For 'thirsting' and 'drinking' means the desire to know and understand truth; and 'rivers of living water' which will flow from the belly are God's truths. From this it is clear that 'the Spirit' which believers were to receive, also called 'the Holy Spirit', means the life brought by Divine Truth emanating from the Lord. This life, as stated just above, is called the life of faith and love, being the spiritual and heavenly life itself present in a person. The reason why it says 'the Holy Spirit was not yet because Jesus was not yet glorified' is that while He was in the world the Lord Himself taught Divine Truth; but when He had been glorified, which was after the Resurrection, He taught it through angels and spirits. That holy influence present with a person, emanating from the Lord through angels and spirits, whether in a discernible manner or an indiscernible one, is the Holy Spirit there. For in the Word Divine Truth emanating from the Lord is called that which is holy, 9680.

[15] This explains why the Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of truth and why it is said that He would lead into all truth, that He would not speak on His own [authority], but speak what He hears from the Lord, and that He would receive from the Lord what He was to declare, John 16:13-14. It also explains why the Lord, when He was going to leave the disciples, breathed into them and said, Receive the Holy Spirit, John 20:21-22. 'Breathing' means the life of faith, 9229, 9281, so that the Lord's breathing into someone means imparting the ability to understand Divine Truths and thereby receive that life. So it is also that 'the Spirit', being a name derived from 'breathing', is a derivation also of 'blowing' and of 'wind'; and this is why the spirit is frequently called the wind. Breathing, which is the work of the lungs, corresponds to the life of faith, while the beating of the heart corresponds to the life of love, see 3883-3896, 9300, 9495.

[16] Something similar is meant by 'breathing into' in the Book of Genesis,

And Jehovah breathed into man's nostrils the soul of life. Genesis 2:7.

This is why in Lamentations 4:20 the Lord is called the Spirit of our nostrils; and since Divine Truth consumes and devastates the evil it says in David,

The foundations of the world were revealed at the blast of the Spirit of Your nose. Psalms 18:15.

And in Job,

By the breath of God they perish, and by the Spirit of His nose they are consumed. Job 4:9.

In David,

By the Word of Jehovah were the heavens made, and all their host by the Spirit of His mouth. Psalms 33:6.

'The Word of Jehovah' is Divine Truth, as is 'the Spirit of His mouth'. The fact that the Lord is that Word is clear in John,

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made though Him. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. John 1:1-3, 14.

[17] The fact that Divine Truth, from which heavenly life comes to a person, is the Holy Spirit is further evident from the following places: In Isaiah,

There will come forth a shoot from the trunk of Jesse, and the Spirit of Jehovah will rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and intelligence, the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of Jehovah. Isaiah 11:1-2.

These words refer to the Lord, in whom there is Divine Truth. Consequently Divine Wisdom and Intelligence is called 'the Spirit of Jehovah', and in these verses 'the Spirit of wisdom and intelligence, counsel, strength, and knowledge'. In the same prophet,

I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth judgement to the nations. Isaiah 42:1.

These words too refer to the Lord. 'The Spirit of Jehovah' upon Him is Divine Truth, and consequently Divine Wisdom and Intelligence. Divine Truth is also called 'judgement', 2235.

[18] In the same prophet,

He will come like a rushing ⁶ river; the Spirit of Jehovah will place a sign on Him. Isaiah 59:19.

In the same prophet,

The Spirit of the Lord Jehovih is upon Me, therefore Jehovah has anointed Me to bring good tidings to the poor. Isaiah 61:1.

This too refers to the Lord. Divine Truth, which was in the Lord when He was in the world, and which He was then, is meant by 'the Spirit of Jehovah'.

[19] The fact that 'the Spirit of Jehovah' means Divine Truth and consequently heavenly life that comes to the person who receives that Truth is further evident from the following places: In Isaiah,

... until the Spirit is poured out on us from on high; then the wilderness will become a ploughed field, then judgement will dwell in the wilderness. Isaiah 32:15-16.

The subject here is regeneration. 'The Spirit from on high' is life from the Divine; for the promises that 'the wilderness will become a ploughed field' and that 'judgement will dwell in the wilderness' mean the presence of intelligence where none existed previously, thus new life there.

[20] Something similar occurs in Ezekiel,

... in order that you may know that I will put My Spirit in you, in order that you may live. Ezekiel 37:14.

In the same prophet,

I will no longer hide My face from them, because I shall pour out My Spirit on the house of Israel. Ezekiel 39:29.

In Joel,

I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; and on men servants and women servants in those days I will pour out My Spirit. Joel 2:28-29.

In Micah,

I have been filled with strength by ⁷ the Spirit of Jehovah, and with judgement and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin. Micah 3:8.

In Zechariah,

The horses going out into the north land have caused My Spirit to rest on the north land. Zechariah 6:8.

In Isaiah,

I will pour out waters upon the thirsty land, and streams upon the dry. I will pour out My Spirit upon your seed. Isaiah 44:3.

In these places it is evident that 'the Spirit of Jehovah' means Divine Truth and the life of faith and love which come through that Truth. It flows in directly from the Lord, also indirectly from Him through spirits and angels, see 9682 (end).

[21] Something similar occurs elsewhere in Isaiah,

On that day Jehovah Zebaoth will be a crown of adornment and a tiara of beauty for the remnant of His people, and a Spirit of judgement to him who sits in judgement, and strength to those ... Isaiah 28:5-6.

'A crown of adornment' stands for the wisdom that comes with good, 'a tiara of beauty' for the intelligence that comes with truth, and 'a Spirit of judgement' for Divine Truth, since 'judgement' is spoken of in reference to truth , 2235, 6397, 7206, 8685, 8695, 9260, 9383.

[22] In the same prophet,

The angel of Jehovah's face ⁸ delivered them; because of His love and His pity He redeemed them. But they rebelled, and exasperated the Spirit of His holiness; consequently He was turned by them into an enemy. He put the Spirit of His holiness in the midst of them. The Spirit of Jehovah led them. Isaiah 63:9-11, 14.

'The Spirit of holiness' here is the Lord in respect of Divine Truth, thus Divine Truth which comes from the Lord; 'the angel of His face' is the Lord in respect of Divine Good, for 'Jehovah's face' is love, mercy, and good. In the Book of Revelation,

The testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy. Revelation 19:10.

'The testimony of Jesus' is Divine Truth that comes from Him and has regard to Him, 9503.

[23] In David,

Jehovah God makes His angels spirits, ⁹ and [His] ministers flaming fire. Psalms 104:4.

'Making angels spirits' stands for making them recipients of Divine Truth; 'making them flaming fire' stands for making them recipients of Divine Good or Divine Love. In Matthew,

John said, I baptize you with water for repentance. But He who will come after me will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. Matthew 3:11.

'Baptizing' means regenerating; 'with the Holy Spirit' means doing so through Divine Truth; and 'with fire' means springing from the Divine Good of Divine Love. For the meaning of 'baptizing' as regenerating, see 5120 (end), 9088; and for that of 'fire' as the Divine Good of Divine Love, 4906, 5215, 6314, 6832, 6834, 6849, 7324.

[24] In Luke,

If you, being wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father who is in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him? Luke 11:13.

'Giving the Holy Spirit' means enlightening with Divine Truth and endowing with life from that Truth, which is the life of intelligence and wisdom. In the Book of Revelation,

The seven lamps of fire burning before the throne are the seven spirits of God. Revelation 4:5.

And in addition,

In the midst of the elders [there was] a Lamb standing, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Revelation 5:6.

It is self-evident that the word 'spirits' in these places is not used to mean spirits, since they say that the lamps and the Lamb's eyes are the spirits of God . For Divine Truths are meant by 'lamps', 4638, 7072; the understanding of truth is meant by 'the eyes', or Divine Intelligence and Wisdom when the expression refers to the Lord, 2701, 4403-4421, 4523-4534, 9051; and the power of truth derived from good is meant by 'horns' 2832, 9081, 9719-9721. From all this it is evident that Divine Truths are meant by 'the spirits of God'.

[25] When people know therefore that the Holy Spirit is the Divine Truth emanating from the Lord, which is real Holiness, they may know the Divine meaning in the Word wherever the terms 'Spirit of God' and 'Holy Spirit' are used, as in the following places: In John,

I will ask the Father to give you another Paraclete, to remain with you forever, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, because He remains with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans. The Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and remind you of all that I said to you. John 14:16-18, 26.

And in another place,

When the Paraclete comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes forth from the Father, He will bear witness to Me. And you will bear witness. John 15:26-27.

And in yet another place,

I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away. If I do not go away the Paraclete will not come to you; but if I go away I will send Him to you. John 16:7.

[26] From these places it is again evident that the Divine Truth which emanates from Divine Good, or from the Father, is the Paraclete and Holy Spirit. This also explains why He is called 'the Spirit of truth', and why it is said that He will remain in them, teach them all things, and bear witness to the Lord. In the spiritual sense 'bearing witness to the Lord' means teaching about Him. The reason why [in the first of these quotations] it is said that the Paraclete, who is the Holy Spirit, is sent in the Lord's name from the Father, then [in the second] that the Lord Himself will send Him from the Father, and after this [in the third] that the Lord will send Him, is that 'the Father' means the Divine [Being] Himself within the Lord, so that the Father and He are one, as the Lord teaches explicitly in John 10:30; 14:9-11.

[27] In Matthew,

Every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy of the Spirit will not be forgiven people. If anyone speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but he who speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the one to come. Matthew 12:31-32.

'Speaking a word against the Son of Man' takes place when a person goes against God's truth that has not yet been implanted in or inscribed on his life; for 'the Son of Man' is Divine Truth, see above in 9807. But 'speaking a word against the Holy Spirit' takes place when a person goes against Divine Truth, especially Divine Truth concerning the Lord, that has been implanted in or inscribed on his life. Speaking against or denying that Truth when it has formerly been acknowledged is profanation; and profanation is such that it completely destroys a person interiorly. This is why it says that this sin cannot be forgiven. What profanation is, see 3398, 3898, 4289, 4601, 6348, 6960, 6963, 6971, 8394, 8882, 9298.

[28] And in the same gospel,

Jesus said to the disciples, Go and baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:19.

'The Father' is the Divine [Being] Himself, 'the Son' is that Divine [Being] Himself in a human form, and 'the Holy Spirit' is the emanation from the Divine [Being], so that there is one Divine [Being] yet still a Trinity. The truth that the Lord is the Divine [Being] Himself under human form is His own teaching in John,

From now on you know the Father and have seen Him. He who sees Me sees the Father. I am in the Father and the Father is in Me. John 14:7, 9-10.

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