Title: Forgetting and Remembering

Topic: Salvation

Summary: The Lord wants us to be aware of the dark nature of our lower self so that we'll be more cooperative with him and receptive to his heavenly blessings.

Use the reference links below to follow along in the Bible as you watch.

References:
James 1:21-24
Hebrews 4:12
Genesis 41:9, 51-52
Deuteronomy 5:9-10
Psalms 25:6-7
Isaiah 43:24-26
Jeremiah 14:10; 31:31-34; 44:9-10
Ezekiel 18:20-24; 20:40-43; 21:23-24; 36:29-32
Hosea 9:9
Matthew 5:23-24
Luke 15:11-21
Revelation 18:5
Isaiah 6:5
Luke 5:1-9

773. "Fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet." This symbolically means that these Roman Catholics no longer have these because they do not have any of the celestial goods and truths to which such things correspond.

The valuables mentioned previously - gold, silver, precious stones and pearls - in general symbolize spiritual goods and truths, as said in no. 772 above. However, the valuables here - fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet - in general symbolize celestial goods and truths. For in people in heaven and in the church some goods and truths are spiritual, and some goods and truths are celestial. Spiritual goods and truths are ones of wisdom, and celestial goods and truths are ones of love. And because the Roman Catholics meant here have none of these goods and truths, but evils and falsities that are their opposites, therefore these valuables are now mentioned, since they come next in sequence.

Now because the case with these valuables is the same as with the previous ones, no further explication is needed than the one presented in the previous number.

What fine linen symbolizes specifically we will say in the next chapter, in dealing with the words there, "for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints" (Revelation 19:8, nos. 814, 815). That purple symbolizes celestial good, and scarlet celestial truth, may be seen in no. 725 above. Silk symbolizes an intermediate celestial goodness and truth - goodness because of its softness, and truth because of its shine. It is mentioned only in Ezekiel 16:10, 13.