Arcana Coelestia #10156
10156. 'Who brought them out of the land of Egypt' means salvation from hell by the Lord. This is clear from the meaning of 'being brought out of the land of Egypt' as being delivered from hell, dealt with in 8866, 9197, thus being saved. 'The land of Egypt' means hell because that land in its true and proper sense means the natural level and the factual knowledge there; and 'being brought out of' the natural man and the factual knowledge there and being raised to the level of the spiritual man, to intelligence and wisdom there, also constitutes being brought out of hell. For a person is born natural, but becomes spiritual through regeneration; and if he does not become spiritual he is in hell. The knowledge which the natural man, that is, a person who has not been regenerated, possesses dwells in the light of the world, whereas the intelligence which the spiritual man, that is, a person who has been regenerated, possesses dwells in the light of heaven. And as long as a person sees things solely in the light of the world he is in hell; but when he sees them at the same time in the light of heaven he is in heaven.
[2] But people who possess no more than natural knowledge and as a consequence do not see things in any light other than the light of the world can have no belief at all in the things that belong to heaven. Furthermore if they wish to investigate these things with the light they see by, called natural illumination, they encounter a kind of thick darkness which blinds them and blots out everything heavenly. For that in the mind which appears to be thick darkness is in reality such. This explains why a merely natural man, however much he thinks himself to be more enlightened than others, at heart rejects Divine and heavenly realities. It is also the reason why so many learned people are made brainless by their knowledge; for more of them than of simple people refuse to accept the things that constitute the faith of the Church and of heaven. It is different with those who allow themselves to be raised by the Lord to the light of heaven. These are first raised above the factual knowledge which the natural man possesses, and then in the light of heaven they behold the things within their natural man, which are called known facts, and clearly distinguish them, choosing those that make sense and are consistent, and rejecting or setting aside those that make no sense and are inconsistent.
[3] In short, the situation is that as long as a person is merely natural his interiors, which behold things in the light of heaven, are closed, and his exteriors, which behold things in the light of the world, are open. At this time the person looks downwards, that is, to the world and towards self; for everything composing his will and thought inclines in that direction. And the direction in which a person looks is also that in which his heart, that is, his will and his love, is turned. But when a person becomes spiritual his interiors, which behold things in the light of heaven, are opened, and then the person looks upwards, which is brought about through his being raised up by the Lord, so that he looks to heaven and towards the Lord. In this direction also everything that composes his will and his thought - thus his heart, that is, his love - is raised.
[4] For the human being has been created in such a way that his internal man should conform to an image of heaven, and his external man to an image of the world, 6057, 9279, to the end that heaven and the world might be brought together in the human being. Thus through him the Lord would flow from heaven into the world and govern it, with each individual person in particular and with all in general, and in this way would join the two together and thereby cause the likeness of heaven to exist in the world as well. When however a person is interested only in the world heaven with him has been closed; but when he allows himself to be raised by the Lord heaven with him is opened and the world becomes subordinate to it. And when this happens hell is separated and removed from him, at which point the person knows what good is and what evil is, but not before. This is what is called 'the image of God' with a person, Genesis 1:26-27.
[5] These matters have been stated in order that people may know what the spiritual man is and what the natural man is, and that the merely natural man, if he is not made spiritual by the Lord, is an embodiment of hell, consequently that they may know why hell is meant by 'Egypt', when yet the natural level and the factual knowledge there are meant by it.
'Egypt' means factual knowledge, see the places referred to in 9340.
It therefore means the natural level, see those referred to in 9391.
Psalms 139
1
O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.
2
Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
3
Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
4
For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.
5
Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.
6
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
7
Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
8
If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
9
If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
10
Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
11
If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.
12
Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.
13
For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.
14
I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
15
My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16
Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
17
How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!
18
If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.
19
Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men.
20
For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain.
21
Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?
22
I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.
23
Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
24
And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
