9408. 'And it was like the substance of the sky for clearness' means the translucence of the angelic heaven. This is clear from the meaning of 'the sky (or heaven)' as the angelic heaven, dealt with below; and from the meaning of 'clearness' or purity of substance, when said of the sky, as translucence. What the translucence of the angelic heaven is when the Word is the subject must be stated briefly. The angelic heaven is said to be translucent when God's truth shines through; for the whole of heaven is nothing other than a receptacle of God's truth. Each angel is an individual recipient of it, so that all the angels or heaven as a whole is a general recipient. This explains why heaven is called 'God's dwelling-place' and also 'God's throne'. For 'dwelling-place' means God's truth emanating from the Lord and received in the inmost heaven, which in comparison is good, 8269, 8309; and 'throne' means God's truth emanating from the Lord and received in the middle heaven, 5313, 6397, 8625, 9039. Since that which shines through, out of the sense of the letter of the Word, is God's truth as it exists in the heavens, it is the angelic heaven that shines through. For the Word is Divine Truth adjusted to all the heavens, and as a consequence of this it joins the heavens to the world, that is, angels to men, 2143, 7153, 7381, 8920, 9094 (end), 9212 (end), 9216 (end), 9357, 9396. From all this it is evident what the words 'the translucence of the angelic heaven' are used to mean.

[2] The reasons why in the internal sense 'the sky (or heaven)' means the angelic heaven lie with correspondence and also with the appearance. So it is that where the words 'heavens' and 'heavens of heavens' occur in the Word the angelic heavens are meant in the internal sense. For the ancients had no other idea of the visible sky than this, that the inhabitants of heaven lived there and that the stars were their dwelling-places. At the present day too, simple people - especially young children - have the same idea. So it is also that people look upwards to the sky or heaven when they worship God. This action too arises from correspondence; for a sky with stars appears in the next life, but this is not the sky seen by people in the world. Instead it is a sky that takes on an appearance which accords with the spirits and angels' state of intelligence and wisdom. The stars in it are cognitions or knowledge of goodness and truth, and the clouds which are sometimes seen in the sky vary in meaning according to their colours, translucence, and movements, the blue of the sky being truth transparent with good. All this goes to prove that by 'heavens' the angelic heavens are meant. But by the angelic heavens God's truths are meant, because angels are recipients of God's truth emanating from the Lord.

[3] Similar things are meant by 'heavens' in David,

Praise Jehovah, heavens of heavens, and waters that are above the heavens! Psalms 148:4.

In the same author,

Make melody to the Lord who rides above the heaven of the heaven of old. Psalms 68:33.

In the same author,

By the Word of Jehovah were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the spirit ¹ of His mouth. Psalms 33:6.

In the same prophet,

The heavens recount His glory, and the firmament declares the works of His hands. Psalms 19:1.

In the Book of Judges,

O Jehovah, when You went forth from Seir, the earth trembled, the heavens also dropped, the clouds indeed dropped water. Judges 5:4.

In Daniel,

The horn of the he-goat grew right on towards the host of the heavens, and cast down to the earth some of the host, and of the stars, and trampled on them. Daniel 8:10.

In Amos,

The Lord Jehovih, who builds His steps in the heavens ... Amos 9:6.

In Malachi,

If there is food in My house I will open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing for you. Malachi 3:10.

In Isaiah,

Look out from the heavens, and see from the dwelling-place of Your holiness and of Your glory. Isaiah 63:15.

In Moses,

Blessed by Jehovah is the land of Joseph, in regard to the precious things of heaven, to the dew. Deuteronomy 33:13.

In Matthew,

Jesus said, You shall not swear by heaven, for it is God's throne. He who swears by heaven swears by God's throne and by Him who sits on it. Matthew 5:32; 23:22.

[4] In these and very many other places 'heavens' means the angelic heavens. And since the Lord's heaven on earth is the Church, the Church too is meant by 'heaven', as in the following places: In John,

I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away. Revelation 21:1.

In Isaiah,

Behold, I am creating new heavens and a new earth; therefore the former things will not be remembered or come to mind. ² Isaiah 65:17.

In the same prophet,

The heavens will vanish away like smoke, and the earth will grow old like a garment. Isaiah 51:6.

In the same prophet,

I clothe heaven with darkness, and I make sackcloth its covering. Isaiah 50:3.

In Ezekiel,

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. And all the bright lights in heaven I will make dark, and I will put darkness over the land. Ezekiel 32:7-8.

In Matthew,

After the affliction of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Matthew 24:29.

What the meaning is of 'sun', 'moon', 'stars', and 'in the heavens', see 4056-4060.

In Isaiah,

O Jehovah God of Israel, You are God alone over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Isaiah 37:16.

In the same prophet,

[I am] Jehovah who makes all things, who spreads out the heavens Alone, who stretches out the earth by Myself. Isaiah 44:24.

In the same prophet,

Jehovah who created the heavens, who formed the earth, and made it, and prepared it, did not create it an emptiness. Isaiah 45:18.

[5] In the internal sense 'heaven and earth' in these and other places means the Church, the internal Church being meant by 'heaven' and the external Church by 'earth', see 1733, 1850, 2117, 2118 (end), 3355 (end), 4535. From all this it is evident that by creation in the earliest chapters of Genesis, where it says, In the beginning God created heaven and earth, Genesis 1:1, And the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them, Genesis 2:1, a new Church is meant. For creation there describes regeneration, which is also called the new creation, as has been shown and may be seen in the explanations of those chapters.

997. That the way of the kings from the rising of the sun might be prepared. That this signifies that Divine truth from the Lord might flow in, is evident from the signification of the way of the kings, as denoting the influx of Divine truth. For way signifies influx, and kings signify truths. The reason why it is an influx of Divine truth which is meant is, that it is called the way of the kings from the rising of the sun; for by ways are signified influx, because all influx from one society to another, thus from the Lord, takes place by ways opened in the spiritual world, and because by the rising of the sun is signified where the Lord is, thus, from the rising of the sun, is from the Lord.

That the Lord is the Sun of heaven, and that hence by the sun, in the Word, is meant the Lord as to love, may be seen above (n. 401, 412, 527). That by the east, and by the rising of the sun, is meant where the Lord is (see n. 422), and that by kings are signified Divine truths (n. 29, 31, 553, 625). What is meant by these words, in a proximate sense, was mentioned above, namely, that a way might be opened from the land of Canaan, by which is signified the Spiritual of the church, to Assyria, by which is signified the Rational of the church. The river Euphrates separated and divided those lands. Hence by the way of the kings from the rising of the sun, is signified a passage from the church. That this should be opened, is meant in that sense by the water of the Euphrates being dried up.

[2] Something shall now be said concerning the influx of Divine truth from the Lord with men. From the Lord as a Sun proceed both heat and light, but the heat is Divine Good, and the light is Divine truth. The light, which is Divine truth, flows in and enters with every angel of heaven, and also with every man in the world, and gives internal sight, which is that of the understanding. For every man as to his spirit, although not as to the body, has the faculty of receiving that light, that is, of understanding Divine truth. But that faculty is opened, as the man grows up, and cultivates and forms his Rational, according to order, by sciences, and by the knowledges of good and truth. But the heat, which is Divine Good, does not flow in with angels and with man in the same way as the light, which is Divine truth. The reason is, that a man is born into evils of every kind, and evils offer opposition. Therefore these are first to be removed before the heat, which is Divine Good, can flow in; and they are removed by regarding them as sins against God, and shunning them, the Lord being implored for aid. So far, therefore, as a man thus receives Divine Good, so far he comes into the light of understanding Divine truth. For the way by which Divine truth comes into a man who is reformed is the good of the will, and thence of his life.

[3] When a man, however, is not in Divine Good, but in evil, he still has the faculty of receiving light, or of understanding Divine truth, but only so far as he is in a state separated; if he is not in a state separated then he does not so understand it. A man is in a state separated when he is kept only in the thought of the understanding, and not at the same time in the affection of his will. But in this state a man is not reformed, because that light does not then affect his life, that is to say, Divine truth is not implanted. But a man is in a state not separated, when he is kept in thought from the understanding, and at the same time in affection from the will. In this state he neither receives the light nor understands Divine truth, if he is not at the same time in Divine Good as to the affection of the will; for in this state the evils of the will, and thence the falsities of the thought, stand in the way and extinguish the light. But concerning these two states of man more will be said in the following article.

Continuation concerning the Sixth Precept:-

[4] Because conjugial love is primarily love to the Lord from the Lord, and thence also innocence, therefore conjugial love is also peace, like that which exists in the heavens with the angels. For as innocence is the very esse of all good, so peace is the very esse of all delight from good; consequently, it is the very esse of all joy between conjugial partners. Now, because all joy pertains to love, and conjugial love is the fundamental love of all the loves of heaven, therefore, peace itself dwells principally in conjugial love.

That peace is bliss of heart and soul arising from the conjunction of the Lord with heaven and the church, thus also from the conjunction of good and truth, when all dissension and combat of evil and falsity with good and truth has ceased, may be seen above (n. 365). And because conjugial love descends from these conjunctions, therefore also all the delight of that love descends and derives its essence from heavenly peace.

This peace also shines forth as heavenly bliss from the faces of conjugial partners in the heavens, because they are in that love and from that love mutually regard each other. Such heavenly bliss, which intimately affects the delights of the loves, and is called peace, can exist with none but those who can intimately be joined together, thus as to their very hearts.