9506. And thou shalt make a propitiatory [mercy seat] of pure gold. That this signifies the hearing and reception of all things that belong to worship from the good of love is evident from the signification of “a propitiatory [mercy seat]” as being a cleansing from evils, or the forgiveness of sins, consequently the hearing and reception of all things that belong to worship (of which in what follows); and from the signification of “gold” as being the good of love (see n. 113, 1551-1552, 5658, 6917). That “the propitiatory [mercy seat]” denotes a cleansing from evils and the forgiveness of sins is evident from the passages in the Word where “propitiation” or “expiation” is mentioned.

[2] That it also denotes the reception of all things of worship is because those only are heard who have been propitiated or expiated, that is, cleansed from evils; and their worship alone is received by the Lord; but those are not heard who are in evils, that is, who have not been expiated or propitiated. On this account also Aaron was not allowed to approach the propitiatory [mercy seat] until he had cleansed and expiated himself and the people. That for this reason “the propitiatory [mercy seat]” denotes the hearing and reception of all things of worship is also evident from the fact that Jehovah spoke with Moses over the propitiatory [mercy seat] between the two cherubs. That it is worship from the good of love that is received is because no one is admitted into heaven, thus to the Lord, except one who is in good, namely, in the good of love to the Lord and in the good of charity toward the neighbor (see n. 8516, 8539, 8722, 8772, 9139, 9227, 9230, 9274); consequently no one else is heard, and his worship received. For this reason also cherubs were over the propitiatory [mercy seat]; for by “the cherubs” is signified guard and providence lest the Lord be approached except through the good of love, thus lest any enter into heaven except those who are in good, and also lest those who are in heaven be approached and injured by those who are in hell. From all this it can be seen what was signified by the propitiatory [mercy seat] being upon the ark, and by the cherubs being over the propitiatory [mercy seat]; and further by the propitiatory [mercy seat] and the cherubs being of pure gold; for “gold” signifies the good of love, and “the ark” signifies heaven where the Lord is.

[3] That “the propitiatory [mercy seat]” signifies cleansing from evils, thus the forgiveness of sins, is evident from the passages in the Word where “propitiation” or “expiation” is mentioned; as in David:

O Jehovah, expiate our sins for Thy name’s sake (Psalms 79:9).

He, being merciful, expiated their iniquity (Psalms 78:38).

Thou shalt expiate me with hyssop, and I shall be made clean; Thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow (Psalms 51:7).

Evil shall come upon thee, which thou shalt not know how to avert by prayer; calamity shall fall upon thee, which thou shall not be able to expiate (Isaiah 47:11).

Sing, ye nations, His people; who will avenge the blood of His servants, and will make expiation for His land, for His people (Deuteronomy 32:43).

[4] Expiations were made by means of sacrifices, and after they had been made, we read, “The priest shall expiate him from sin, and he shall be forgiven” (Leviticus 4:26, 31, 35; 5:6, 10, 13, 16, 18; 9:7; 15:15, 30). Expiation was also made by means of silver (Exodus 30:16; Psalms 49:8). Therefore there was a day of expiations before the feast of tabernacles (Leviticus 23:27-32). But be it known that these expiations were not real cleansings from evils, nor forgivenesses of sins, but represented them; for every ritual with the Israelitish and Jewish nation was merely representative of the Lord, of His kingdom and church, and of such things as belong to heaven and the church. (In what manner the representations presented such things before the angels in heaven, see in n. 9229.)

[5] As cleansing from evils and forgiveness of sins were signified by “the propitiatory [mercy seat],” there were also signified by it the hearing and reception of all things that belong to worship; for he who has been cleansed from evils is heard, and his worship is received. This was represented by Jehovah speaking above the propitiatory [mercy seat] with Moses, and commanding what the sons of Israel should do, as is evident from verse 22 of the present chapter, where it is said, “There I will meet with thee, and I will speak with thee from above the propitiatory [mercy seat], from between the two cherubs that are over the ark of the testimony, all that I shall command thee for the sons of Israel.” In like manner in another place: “When Moses spoke with Jehovah, he heard the voice speaking from above the propitiatory [mercy seat] that was upon the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubs” (Numbers 7:89). That a man would be heard and his worship received after he had been cleansed from evils, was represented by Aaron’s not entering into the holy of holies within the veil before the propitiatory [mercy seat] until he had first expiated himself and the people, which was effected by means of washing, sacrifices, incense, and blood; and it is said, “So shall he expiate the holy place from the uncleannesses of the sons of Israel, and from their transgressions as to all their sins” (Leviticus 16:16); “and that Jehovah would appear there in a cloud” (verse 2). “In a cloud” denotes in Divine truth accommodated to the reception and apprehension of men, such as is the Word in the sense of the letter (n. 4060, 4391, 5922, 6343, 6752, 8106, 8443, 8781).

9274. And in the seventh year thou shalt let it lie fallow, and shalt release it. That this signifies the second state, when the man of the church is in good, and thus in the tranquility of peace, is evident from the signification of “the seventh year,” or the Sabbath, as being when man is in good, and is led of the Lord by means of good (see n. 8505, 8510, 8890, 8893); from the signification of “letting the land lie fallow,” that is, not sowing it, as being not to be led by truths, as before; and from the signification of “releasing it,” as being to be in the tranquility of peace. (That the Sabbath also was a representative of the state of peace in which there is conjunction, see n. 8494.) For by the lying fallow, and the release or rest of the land, was represented the rest, tranquility, and peace possessed by those who are in good from the Lord. (That there are two states with the man who is being regenerated and becoming a church; namely, the first when he is led by means of the truths of faith to the good of charity; and the second when he is in the good of charity, see n. 7923, 7992, 8505, 8506, 8512, 8513, 8516, 8539, 8643, 8648, 8658, 8685, 8690, 8701, 8772, 9139, 9224, 9227, 9230)

[2] That there are these two states with the man who is being regenerated and becoming a church, has been heretofore unknown, chiefly for the reason that the man of the church has not made any distinction between truth and good, thus not between faith and charity; and also because he has had no distinct perception of the two faculties of man, which are the understanding and the will; and that the understanding sees truths and goods, and the will is affected with them and loves them. For the same reason he could not know that the first state of the man who is being regenerated is learning truths and seeing them, and that the second state is willing and loving them; and that the things which a man has learned and seen are not appropriated to him until he wills and loves them; for the will is the man himself, and the understanding is his minister. If these things had been known, it might have been known and perceived that the man who is being regenerated is endowed by the Lord with both a new understanding and a new will, and that unless he has been endowed with both, he is not a new man; for the understanding is merely the seeing of the things which the man wills and loves, and thus, as before said, is only a minister. Consequently the first state of the man who is being regenerated is to be led through truths to good, and the second state is to be led by means of good; and when he is in this latter state, the order has been inverted, and he is then led by the Lord; consequently he is then in heaven, and hence in the tranquility of peace.

[3] This state is what is meant by the “seventh day,” and by the “seventh year,” and also by the “jubilee;” that is, by the “Sabbath,” and by the “Sabbath of Sabbaths,” and by the resulting rest of the land; according to these words in Moses:

Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather the produce thereof; but in the seventh year shall be a Sabbath of Sabbaths for the land, a Sabbath unto Jehovah; thou shall neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard; that which groweth of itself of thy harvest thou shalt not reap (Leviticus 25:3-5).

And concerning the jubilee:

In the year of the jubilee, ye shall not sow, nor reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor vintage its undressed vines (Leviticus 25:11).

He who knows nothing about these two states must needs be ignorant of many things contained in the Word; for in the Word, especially the prophetic Word, the two states are distinctly described. Nay, without this knowledge, he cannot apprehend the internal sense of the Word, nor even many things which are in its literal sense, as for example the following which the Lord foretold concerning the last time of the present church, which is there called the “consummation of the age” in these passages:

Then let them that are in Judea flee unto the mountains; let him that is upon the house not go down to take anything out of his house; and let him that is in the field not return back to take his garments (Matthew 24:16-18).

In that day, whosoever shall be upon the house, and his vessels in the house, let him not go down to take them away; and whosoever is in the field let him likewise not return to the things that are behind him. Remember Lot’s wife (Luke 17:31-32).

(That the second state is here described, and that no one ought to return from that state to the first, see n. 3650-3655, 5895, 5897, 8505, 8506, 8510, 8512, 8516.)

[4] That these states are distinct from each other is also involved in these words in Moses:

When thou makest a new house, thou shalt make a compass to thy roof. Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard nor thy field with mixed seed. Thou shalt not plough with an ox and an ass together. Thou shalt not put on a mixed garment of wool and linen together (Deuteronomy 22:8-11; Leviticus 19:19);

by these words is signified that he who is in the state of truth, that is, in the first state, cannot be in the state of good, that is, in the second state, nor the converse. The reason is that the one state is the inverse of the other; for in the first state the man looks from the world into heaven, but in the second state he looks from heaven into the world; because in the first state truths enter from the world through the intellect into the will, and there become goods, because of love; but in the second state the goods so formed go forth from heaven through the will into the intellect, and there appear in the form of faith. It is this faith which is saving, because it is from the good of love, that is, through the good of love from the Lord; for this faith belongs to charity in form.