126. And I will give thee a crown of life. That this signifies wisdom, and thence eternal happiness, is evident from the signification of a crown, when said of those who are in the spiritual affection of the knowledges (cognitiones) of truth and good, as being wisdom, concerning which more will be said in what follows; and from the signification of life, as being eternal happiness, which is also called life eternal. The reason why those who are in the spiritual affection of truth and good, and who are here treated of, have eternal happiness is, that heaven is implanted in man by means of the knowledges of truth and good from the Word. He who believes that heaven is implanted by any other means, is much deceived; for man is born natural only, with the faculty of becoming spiritual; but he becomes spiritual by means of truths from the Word, and by a life according to them. How can any one ever become spiritual, unless he be instructed about the Lord, about heaven, a life after death, faith, and love, and other things which are the means of salvation? If man is ignorant of these things, he must remain natural; and a merely natural man cannot have anything in common with the angels of heaven, who are spiritual.

Man has two minds, one exterior, and the other interior; the exterior mind is called the natural mind, but the interior is called the spiritual mind; the former is opened by means of the knowledges (cognitiones) of things in the world, but the latter by the knowledges (cognitiones) of things which are in heaven; these the Word teaches, and the church from the Word; by means of these man becomes spiritual, when he knows them and lives according to them.

[2] This is meant by the words of the Lord in John:

"Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God" (3:5):

by water, are signified the truths of faith, and by spirit, a life according to them (as may be seen above, n. 71; and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 202-209). Very many people believe at this day, that mankind will go to heaven solely by sacred worship performed in temples, and by adorations and prayers; but such of them as are unconcerned about the knowledges (cognitiones) of truth and good from the Word, and who neglect to furnish not only the memory, but also the life, with these, remain natural as before, nor do they become spiritual, because their sacred worship, adorations and prayers, do not proceed from a spiritual origin; for their spiritual mind is not opened by the knowledges of spiritual things and by a life according to them, but is empty; and worship proceeding from what is void is only a natural gesture, within which there is nothing spiritual. If such persons are insincere and unjust as to moral and civil life, then their sacred worship, adorations and prayers are inwardly of such a nature as to repel heaven, instead of which they believe that they receive heaven by this means; for such worship is like a vessel containing putrid or filthy matters, which filter through; it is also like a splendid garment that clothes a body covered with ulcers: I have seen many thousands of such cast into hell. But it is otherwise with the holy worship, the adorations and prayers of those who are in the knowledges of truth and good, and whose life is in accordance with them; with such, those things are pleasing to the Lord, for they are the effects of their spirit in the body, or the effects of their faith and love, and thus are not only natural gestures, but spiritual acts.

From these considerations it is evident that the knowledges of truth and good from the Word, and a life in agreement with them, alone make man spiritual: and that he who is thus made spiritual can be gifted with angelic wisdom from the Lord, together with eternal happiness; nor do the angels derive happiness from any other source than wisdom.

[3] The reason why a crown signifies wisdom is, that all those things that clothe man, and distinguish him, derive their signification from that part of him which they clothe or adorn (see Arcana Coelestia 9827), and a crown signifies wisdom, because it is worn on the head, by which in the Word wisdom is signified, for there wisdom resides. Accordingly it is written in Ezekiel:

"I have adorned thee with ornament, and I have placed bracelets upon thy hands; and a chain upon thy neck. Moreover, I have put a jewel upon thy nose, and earrings upon thine ears, and a crown of ornament upon thy head" (16:11, 12).

Jerusalem is here treated of, by which is signified the church, as established by the Lord, and its quality; by the particular adornments here mentioned are meant, in the spiritual sense, such things as belong to the church; these derive their respective significations from the part to which they are applied; by a crown is here meant wisdom. (But what is meant specifically by ornament, may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 10536, 10540; what by bracelets, n. 3103, 3105; what by a chain, n. 5320; what by a jewel, n. 4551; and what by earrings, n. 4551, 10402.) Similarly the wisdom that is from the knowledges of truth and good from the Word and from a life according to them, is signified by a crown in many other passages in the Word, as in Isaiah 28:5; Jeremiah 13:18; Lamentations 5:15, 16; Ezekiel 21:25, 26; 23:42; Zech. 6:11-13; Psalms 89:38, 39; 132:17, 18; Job. 19:9; Apoc. 3:11; 4:4. The custom of crowning kings comes down from ancient times, when men were acquainted with representatives and significatives, for they knew that kings represented the Lord as to Divine truth, and that a crown was used to signify wisdom. (That kings represented the Lord as to Divine truth, may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 1672, 2015, 2069, 3009, 4581, 4966, 5068, 6148.) That those who are in truths are called kings and kings' sons (see above, n. 31). And because those who are in the knowledges of truth are called kings in the Word, and kings have crowns, therefore in this place, where they are treated of, it is said that they should receive a crown of life.

55. And I heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet. That this signifies clear perception of Divine truth to be revealed from heaven, is evident from the signification of hearing, as denoting to perceive and obey (concerning which see Arcana Coelestia 2542, 3869, 4653, 5017, 7216, 8361, 8990, 9311, 9397); from the signification of "behind me," as denoting clearly, concerning which more will be said in what follows; from the signification of a voice, when heard from heaven, as denoting Divine truth (concerning which see Arcana Coelestia 219, 220, 3563, 6971, 8813, 8914), and from the signification of a trumpet, as denoting what was to be revealed from heaven, concerning which we shall also speak presently. The reason why "behind me" signifies clearly is, because those things that flow from heaven into the affection of man, flow into the back part of the head, and thus enter clearly into his perception; for the things which enter into the affection are perceived clearly, all the life of perception being from that source; but the things that flow from heaven immediately into the thought, flow into the part above the forehead. (Concerning this influx see what is said in the work, Heaven and Hell 251.) It is therefore evident what is signified by John's hearing behind him, and by his afterwards turning to see the voice which spake with him. The reason why a trumpet, or horn, signifies Divine truth to be revealed from heaven, is, because Divine truth is sometimes so heard when it flows down from the Lord through the heavens to man; for it becomes louder in its descent and thus flows in. But it is heard in this way only in the beginning, by those to whom Divine truth is to be revealed in the ultimate sense, which is representative of interior things; afterwards it is heard as a human voice.

[2] From these considerations it is evident why it is that the voice of a trumpet, or horn, signifies Divine truth that must be revealed from heaven. He who knows that a horn or trumpet signifies Divine truth from heaven, will be able to understand several passages in the Word in which they are mentioned; as in Matthew:

"He shall send angels with a great voice of a trumpet, and they shall gather together the elect from the four winds" (24:31).

In Isaiah:

"All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, when the sign of the mountains is lifted up, behold; and when the trumpet is sounded, hear" (18:3).

In Jeremiah:

"Proclaim with the trumpet in the land. Set up the standard towards Zion. How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet? For my people is stupid: they are foolish sons, and have no understanding" (4:5, 6, 21, 22).

In the same prophet:

"I have set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the voice of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken. Therefore hear ye nations" (6:17, 18).

In Ezekiel:

"He heard the voice of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But had he taken warning, he would have delivered his soul" (33:5).

And in Hosea:

"Set the trumpet to thy mouth, because they have transgressed my covenant, and have trespassed against my law" (8:1).

And in Zechariah:

"The Lord Jehovih shall sound with the trumpet, and shall go forth in whirlwinds of the south" (9:14).

And in David:

"God goeth up with a shout, and Jehovah with the voice of a trumpet" (Psalm 47:5).

And also in Apoc. 4:1; 8:2, 7, 8, 13; 9:1, 13, 14; 10:7; 18:22. Because a trumpet signified Divine truth, therefore when Divine truth had first to be revealed before the people of Israel, the voices of a trumpet were heard from Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:16). Hence, therefore, to sound with a trumpet became a representative with them, when they were convoked, when they journeyed, and also in their solemnities, in the beginnings of months, at burnt offerings and peace offerings (Numbers 10:1-10). They also sounded with trumpets when they went to battle against the Midianites (Numbers 31:6); and when they took the city of Jericho (Joshua 6:4-20); for those wars and battles signified spiritual combats, which are combats of truth against falsity, and of falsity against truth.