31. That 'the great lights' mean love and faith, and are also mentioned as the sun, the moon, and the stars, is clear from various places in the Prophets, as in Ezekiel,

When I have blotted you out, I will cover the heavens and darken their stars, I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon will not give its light. All the bright lights in the heavens I will make dark over you, and I will put darkness over your land. Ezekiel 32:7-8.

This refers to Pharaoh and the Egyptians, who are used in the Word to mean the sensory and the factual. The meaning here is that they will have blotted out love and faith by means of sensory evidence and factual knowledge. In Isaiah,

The day of Jehovah for making the earth a desolation; for the stars of the heavens and their constellations ¹ will not give their light; the sun will be darkened in its rising, and the moon will not shed its light. Isaiah 13:9-10.

In Joel,

The day of Jehovah is coming, a day of darkness and thick darkness. The earth quakes before Him, the heavens tremble, the sun and moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. Joel 2:10.

[2] In Isaiah, in reference to the Lord's Coming and the enlightenment of gentiles, and so to a new Church, in particular to individuals who are in darkness but who are beginning to receive the light and be regenerated,

Arise, shine, for your light has come. Behold, darkness is covering the earth, and thick darkness the peoples, but Jehovah will arise upon you, and nations will walk towards your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Jehovah will be for you an everlasting light; your sun will no more go down nor your moon be withdrawn, for Jehovah will be for you an everlasting light. Isaiah 60:1-3, 19-20.

In David,

Jehovah makes the heavens by intelligence, He spreads out the earth upon the waters, He makes the great lights, the sun to have dominion over the day, and the moon and stars to have dominion over the night. Psalms 136:5-9.

And in the same author,

Praise Jehovah, sun and moon, praise Him, all stars of light! Praise Him, heaven of heavens, and waters that are above the heavens! Psalms 148:3-4.

[3] In all of these places 'the lights' mean love and faith. Because the lights represented and meant love and faith in the Lord, the Jewish Church was commanded to keep a light burning all the time from evening till morning, for every command which that Church received was representative of the Lord. Concerning this light it is said,

Command the sons of Israel that they take oil for the light, to cause a lamp to burn continually. In the Tent of Meeting outside the veil which is before the testimony Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening to morning before Jehovah. [Exodus 27:20-21]

That this means the love and faith which the Lord kindles and causes to shine in the internal man, and by means of the internal man in the external man, will in the Lord's Divine mercy be shown at that point in Exodus.

Footnotes:

258. CHAPTER 4.

1. AFTER this I saw, and, behold, a door opened in heaven; and the first voice which I heard, as it were of a trumpet, speaking with me, said, Come up hither, and I will show thee things which must come to pass hereafter.

2. And immediately I was in the spirit; and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and upon the throne one sitting.

3. And he that sat was in aspect like a jasper and a sardius and there was a rainbow round about the throne in aspect like unto an emerald.

4. And round about the throne were four-and-twenty thrones; and upon the thrones I saw four-and-twenty elders sitting, clothed in white garments; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.

5. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices; and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

6. And before the throne there was a glassy sea like unto crystal; and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four animals full of eyes before and behind.

7. And the first animal was like a lion, and the second animal like a calf, and the third animal had a face like a man, and the fourth animal was like a flying eagle.

8. And the four animals had each by itself six wings round about; and they were full of eyes within; and they had no rest day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was, and who is, and who is to come.

9. And when the animals gave glory and honour and thanks to him that sitteth on the throne, who liveth unto the ages of the ages)

10. The four-and-twenty elders fell down before him that sitteth on the throne, and worshipped him that liveth unto the ages of the ages, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

11. Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power; for thou hast created all things, and by thy will they are, and were created.

THE EXPLANATION.

IT was stated above (n. 5), that the subject treated of in this prophetical book is not the successive states of the Christian church from its beginning to its end, as has been hitherto believed, but the state of the church and of heaven in the last times, when there would be a new heaven and a new earth, that is, when there would be a new church formed in the heavens and on earth, thus when judgment takes place. It is said a new church in the heavens, because there is a church there just as on earth (as may be seen in the work, Heaven and Hell 221-227). Because these are the subjects treated of in this book, therefore the first chapter treats of the Lord, who is the Judge; and the second and third of those who belong to the church, and of those who do not belong to the church, thus it treats of those who are in the former heaven, which is to be abolished, and of those who are in the new heaven, which is to be formed. (That by the seven churches which are treated of in the second and third chapters, are meant all those who are in the church, and also everything pertaining to the church, may be seen above, n. 256, 257.) The subject now treated of in this fourth chapter is the arrangement of all things, especially in the heavens, before judgment; therefore a throne was now seen in heaven, and round about it twenty-four thrones, upon which were twenty-four elders; also, near the throne, four animals, which are cherubim. That by those things is described the arrangement of all things before the judgment, and for judgment, will be seen in the explanation of this chapter. It should be known that before any change takes place everything is pre-arranged and prepared for the future event; for all things are foreseen by the Lord, and according to this foresight are disposed and provided for. By the throne, therefore, in the midst of heaven is meant judgment, and by Him who sat upon it, the Lord; by the four-and-twenty thrones upon which were four-and-twenty elders, are meant all truths in their whole extent, from which and according to which judgment is. By the four animals, which are cherubim, is meant the Lord's Divine Providence, lest the former heavens should suffer harm by the remarkable change about to take place, and that afterwards everything might be done according to order; that is to say, that those who are interiorly evil might be separated from those who are interiorly good, and the latter be elevated into heaven, but the former cast down to hell.