487. 'Days means periods of time and states in general. This has been shown in Chapter 1, where the 'days of creation' have no other meaning. In the Word it is very common for a whole period of time to be called 'a day', as it clearly is in the present verse and in verses 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 23, 27, 31, below; and therefore the states that belong to periods of time in general are meant by 'days' as well. And when 'years' is attached, then periods of years mean the natures of those states, and so the states in particular.

[2] The most ancient people had their own particular numbers which they would use to mean different aspects of the Church - for instance, the numbers three, seven, ten, twelve, and many which they obtained from these and other numbers - and in so doing incorporated states of the Church. These numbers therefore contain arcana that would require considerable effort to unravel. Really a number was an evaluation of the states of the Church. The same feature occurs throughout the Word, especially in the prophetical. And the religious ceremonies of the Jewish Church also entail numbers specifying periods of time as well as quantities; for example, in connection with sacrifices, minchahs, oblations, and other practices, which in every case have special reference to holy things. Consequently eight hundred in this verse, nine hundred and thirty in the next, and the numbers of years mentioned in the verses that follow after that, embody in particular more matters than can possibly be retold; matters, that is to say, which have to do with changes in the state of their Church in relationship to their own general state. Later on, in the Lord's Divine mercy, the meaning of the simple numbers up to twelve will be given, for without knowing these first of all no one can grasp what compound numbers mean.

571. Who were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year.- That this denotes continually in the state, is evident from the signification of being prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, as denoting to be continually in a state, namely, of depriving themselves of all understanding of truth, and thence of spiritual life, signified by the words which follow: "that they should slay the third part of men." For by hours, days, months, and years, in the Word, are signified states of life in particular and in general, therefore by being prepared for those times, is signified to be continually in that state. The reason why hours, days, months, and years, in the spiritual sense of the Word, do not signify hours, days, months, and years, is, that times in the spiritual world are not distinguished into such intervals. For the Sun, from which the angelic heaven receives its light and its heat, does not move round, as the sun in the natural world does according to appearance, therefore it is not the cause of either years, months, days, or hours. But times in the spiritual world, which are nevertheless successive like times in the natural world, are distinguished by states of life. What these are, may be seen explained in Heaven and Hell, where it is treated concerning the Sun in heaven (n. 116-125); concerning the changes of the states of the angels in heaven (n. 154-161); and concerning time in heaven (n. 162-169). From these considerations it is evident, that by the angels being prepared for an hour, a day, a month, and a year, is signified to be continually in that state, which is treated of in what follows. That an hour signifies a state, and similarly that a day, a month, and a year signify states, is evident from those places in the Word where they are mentioned, but it would take us too long to quote them here. That such however is the case, is clear from what has been shown concerning time in Heaven and Hell; as well as in the Arcana Coelestia, where it is also shown, that times in the Word do not signify times but states of life (n. 2788, 2837, 3254, 3356, 4814, 4901, 4916, 7218, 8070, 10133, 10605). The reason why times signify states, is also, that in the spiritual world there are not fixed times of the day, called morning, noon, evening, and night, nor fixed times of the year, called spring, summer, autumn, and winter, neither changes of light and shade, of heat and cold, as in our world, but instead of these there are changes of state in regard to love and faith, and from these no idea can exist of the intervals into which our times are divided, although times have progression there as in the natural world; concerning which, see Arcana Coelestia 1274, 1382, 3356, 4882, 6110, 7218). And as the Sun of the angelic heaven, which is the Lord, is continually in its rising (in ortu), and does not make revolutions as the sun of our world appears to do, and as only changes of state exist with the angels and spirits according to their reception of the good of love, and of the truth of faith, therefore times correspond to changes of state and signify them (n. 4901, 7381); and therefore angels and spirits think without the idea of time, which is not possible with man (n. 3404).