Apocalypse Explained #631
631. Because it is given to the nations.- That this signifies because it is perverted by evils of life and falsities of doctrine, is evident from the signification of nations as denoting those who are in evils as to life, and thence in falsities as to doctrine, and, in the abstract sense, evils of life and falsities of doctrine. That evils and falsities are signified by nations, may be seen above (n. 175:3, 331, 625). The reason why the external of the Word and thence of the church and worship is perverted by evils of life and falsities of doctrine, is, that the external of the Word, called the sense of its letter, is written according to appearances in the world, because it is for children and the simple minded. These have no perception of any thing that is contrary to appearances, therefore by means of the sense of the letter, in which are appearances of truth, they are introduced into interior truths, as they advance in age, and thus appearances are put off by degrees, and interior truths are implanted in their place. This may be illustrated by examples without number. As for instance, we pray that God may not lead us into temptations; this is said because it appears as though God thus leads, although He leads no one into temptations; also it is said that God is angry, punishes, casts into hell, brings evil upon the wicked, and many other things of a similar nature, when yet God is never angry, never punishes or casts into hell, neither does He at all do evil to any one; but a wicked man brings these things upon himself; for in evils themselves are contained the evils of punishment.
These things are thus said in many passages in the Word, because the appearance is such. Take as another example, that no one should call his father, Father; nor his master, Master (Matthew 23:8-10), although they must be so called. But it is so stated because by Father is meant the Lord, who creates and begets us anew, and because He alone teaches and instructs; therefore when a man is in a spiritual idea, he will then think of the Lord alone as the Father and Master; but the case is otherwise when a man is in a natural idea. Moreover, in the spiritual world or in heaven, no one knows any other father, teacher, or master, but the Lord, because spiritual life is from Him; the case is the same in other instances.
[2] From these considerations it is evident that the external of the Word, and thence the external of the church and of worship, consists of apparent truths, therefore those who are in evils of life apply it to favour their own loves, and the principles arising from them. It is therefore said, that the court, by which the external of the Word also is signified, "is given to the nations," and afterwards, that "they shall tread the holy city under foot." This comes to pass at the end of the church, when men are so far worldly, natural, and corporeal, that interior truths, called spiritual truths, cannot be at all seen, so it follows that they then entirely pervert the external of the Word which is the sense of its letter. Such a perversion of the sense of the letter of the Word took place also with the Jews at the end of the church with them; this is meant in the spiritual sense by the soldiers dividing the garments of the Lord, but not the coat (tunica, chiton [transliterated Greek]); this signifies that those who were of the church perverted all things of the Word as to the sense of its letter, but not the Word as to the spiritual sense, for they had no knowledge of this. A fuller explanation of this is given above (n. 64). The case is similar in the church at this day, because it is at its end; for at this day the Word is not explained according to spiritual truths, but according to the appearances of the sense of the letter, which are not only applied to confirm evils of life, but also falsities of doctrine; and because interior or spiritual truths are neither known nor received, it follows that the sense of the letter of the Word is perverted by evils of the will and thence falsities of the thought. This therefore is the signification of the court being given to the nations.
Ezekiel 42:1-14
1
Then he brought me forth into the outer court, the way toward the north: and he brought me into the room that was over against the separate place, and which was over against the building toward the north.
2
Before the length of one hundred cubits was the north door, and the breadth was fifty cubits.
3
Over against the twenty [cubits] which belonged to the inner court, and Over against the pavement which belonged to the outer court, was gallery against gallery in the third story.
4
Before the rooms was a walk of ten cubits' breadth inward, a way of one cubit; and their doors were toward the north.
5
Now the upper rooms were shorter; for the galleries took away from these, more than from the lower and the middle, in the building.
6
For they were in three stories, and they didn't have pillars as the pillars of the courts: therefore [the uppermost] was straitened more than the lowest and the middle from the ground.
7
The wall that was outside by the side of the rooms, toward the outer court before the rooms, its length was fifty cubits.
8
For the length of the rooms that were in the outer court was fifty cubits: and behold, before the temple were one hundred cubits.
9
From under these rooms was the entry on the east side, as one goes into them from the outer court.
10
In the thickness of the wall of the court toward the east, before the separate place, and before the building, there were rooms.
11
The way before them was like the appearance of [the way of] the rooms which were toward the north; according to their length so was their breadth: and all their exits were both according to their fashions, and according to their doors.
12
According to the doors of the rooms that were toward the south was a door at the head of the way, even the way directly before the wall toward the east, as one enters into them.
13
Then he said to me, The north rooms and the south rooms, which are before the separate place, they are the holy rooms, where the priests who are near to Yahweh shall eat the most holy things: there shall they lay the most holy things, and the meal offering, and the sin offering, and the trespass offering; for the place is holy.
14
When the priests enter in, then shall they not go out of the holy place into the outer court, but there they shall lay their garments in which they minister; for they are holy: and they shall put on other garments, and shall approach to that which pertains to the people.
