10131. 'And this is what you shall offer on the altar' means that which has regard in general to reception of the Lord in heaven and in the Church. This is clear from the meaning of 'this is what you shall offer on the altar' as that which has regard in general to reception of the Lord in the heavens; for 'the altar' means what is Divine and the Lord's in the heavens, 10129, thus also the reception of Him, while 'this you shall offer on it' means that which has regard in general [to the reception]. For the words that come next refer to the burnt offerings of lambs that were to be presented daily, and these offerings represent in general that which has regard to reception of the Lord. By 'lambs' the good of innocence is meant, and the good of innocence is the one and only thing that receives the Lord. For without the good of innocence there can be no love to the Lord, nor can there be any charity towards the neighbour or any faith that has life within it; in general there can be no good that has what is Divine within it, see the places referred to in 10021. This is why 'this you shall offer on the altar' means that which has regard in general to reception of the Lord in heaven and in the Church. When the word 'heaven' is used the Church should also be understood, since the Lord's heaven on earth is the Church, and each individual person in whom the Church exists has heaven as well within him; for the Lord is within him, and where the Lord is, so is heaven. Furthermore the Church makes one with heaven, for they are linked together inseparably and are dependent each on the other. The Word is what joins them together; the Word has the Lord within it, and the Lord is the Word, John 1:1ff.

10128. 'And sanctify it' means in order to receive the Lord. This is clear from the meaning of 'being sanctified' as receiving the Lord. The reason why 'being sanctified' means receiving the Lord is that the Lord alone is holy, and consequently whatever emanates from the Lord is holy. To the extent therefore that a person receives good, and with the good truth from the Lord, which are holy, he receives the Lord. Whether you say receiving goodness and truth from the Lord or receiving the Lord it amounts to the same thing; for goodness and truth are the Lord's since they come from Him, and so they are the Lord in heaven and in the Church. On these matters - that the Lord alone is holy and that everything holy emanates from Him, and consequently that to receive Him is to be sanctified - see 9229, 9479, 9680, 9818, 9820, 9956, 9988, 10069. The meaning of 'being sanctified' as receiving the Lord is also evident from the consideration that the words used are 'you shall make propitiation and sanctify'; for 'making propitiation (or expiation)' means purification from evils and consequent falsities, and at the same time the implantation of truth and good from the Lord, 10127. The implantation of truth and good from the Lord is the reception of Him, and so it is sanctification. The like occurs above in the present chapter,

They shall eat those things containing what has been expiated, to fill their hand, to sanctify them. Verse 33.

'What has been expiated' there means that which has been purified from evils and consequent falsities, 9506, 10109; 'filling the hand' means implanting goodness and truth and joining them together, 10076, so that 'being sanctified' means receiving them from the Lord, 10111.