206. He that openeth and no one shutteth, and shutteth, and no one openeth. That this signifies the power of admitting into heaven all who are in faith from charity, and of removing from heaven all who are not, is evident from the signification of that openeth and no one shutteth, when said of the Lord, as being to admit into heaven, which will be treated of presently; and from the signification of and shutteth and no one openeth, as being to remove from heaven. The reason why the former expression denotes to admit into heaven, and the latter to remove from heaven is, that the Lord alone opens heaven to those who are admitted into it; for neither a man, a spirit, nor an angel, can do this of himself. How this is shall be explained in a few words. When a man after death is in a state in which he can be admitted into heaven, then a way opens to him which leads to the heavenly society in which he is to be. Before he is in that state, the way thither does not open to him, it being opened to him by the Lord alone; such is the introduction and admission of every one into heaven. It is similar with the evil man after death; when he is in that state in which he is to go to hell, a way opens to him leading to the infernal society in which he is to be; before he is in that state, the way thither does not open to him. The reason of this is that ways in the spiritual world appear to every one according to the intention of his thought, thus according to the affection of his love; when therefore a spirit is brought into his reigning love - for every one after death is brought into that love - there then appear ways to the society where his love reigns. It is therefore evident that love itself opens these ways; and because all the love of good and truth is from the Lord, it follows that the Lord alone opens a way to those who are admitted into heaven. But on the other hand, because all love of evil and of falsity is from the man or spirit alone, it follows that the spirit himself opens his own way to hell.

[2] (These things will be more evident from the article in the work, Heaven and Hell 545-550, where it is shown that the Lord casts no one into hell, but that it is the spirit himself who casts himself there. That ways in the spiritual world appear to every one according to the intention of his thought, thus according to the affection of his love, may be seen in the same work, n. 479, 590.) As to what concerns the hells, they are all shut, and can in no wise be opened, except by permission of the Lord; they are shut because of the evils and falsities which continually endeavour to break out thence and injure those who are in goods and truths from the Lord (concerning which circumstance see also what is said in the work, Heaven and Hell 584-592).

From these considerations it is now evident how the case is, and hence how it is to be understood that he that hath the key of David, openeth and no one shutteth and shutteth and no one openeth. The reason why heaven is opened to those who are in the faith of charity, and shut to those who are not is, that the former are here treated of (see above, n. 203), and that they who are in faith from charity are in Divine truth from the Lord, and to Divine truth from the Lord belongs all power, as was shown in some of the preceding articles.

[3] The same as is here meant by the key of David is signified by the key of Peter, concerning which it is thus written in Matthew:

"I say unto thee, Thou art Peter, and upon this rock will I build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth, shall be bound in the heavens, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in the heavens" (16:18, 19).

By Peter here, the same as by David, is signified, in the highest sense, the Divine truth proceeding from the Divine good of the Lord, and, in the internal sense, all truth from good from the Lord; the same is also signified by rock in the Word, which is mentioned in connection with Peter, and from which he is there called Peter. The twelve disciples of the Lord represented all the truths and goods of the church in the aggregate. Peter represented truth or faith; James, charity; and John, the works of charity. In the above passage, however, Peter represented faith from charity, or truth from good which is from the Lord, because he then acknowledged the Lord from the heart, saying,

"Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God: Jesus answering said, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father, who is in the heavens. I say unto thee, Thou art Peter," etc., verses 16-18,

and the following. (This may be seen illustrated in the small work, The Last Judgment 57.)

[4] The same is also meant by the words of the Lord to the rest of His disciples in Matthew:

Jesus said to the disciples, "Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" (18:18).

These things were said to the disciples because they represented all truths and goods from the Lord in the aggregate. (That these were represented by the twelve disciples, as also by the twelve tribes of Israel, may be seen in Arcana Coelestia 2129, 3354, 3488, 3858, 6397.) The same is meant by them where it is said that

"They shall sit upon twelve thrones and shall judge the twelve tribes of Israel" (Matthew 19:28; Luke 22:30)

see Arcana Coelestia 2129, 6397). The same is also meant by Eliakim, who was to succeed Shebna over the house of the king, in Isaiah:

"I will give dominion into his hands, that he may be for a father to the inhabitant of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah; and I will lay upon his shoulder the key of the house of David, that he may open and none shut, and that he may shut and none open" (22:21, 22).

By the house of the king over which he was to be is signified the church which is in truth from good from the Lord: by opening and shutting, and by binding and loosing, is meant in general to save (see above, n. 86).