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.

10296. '[And] pure frankincense' means truth on the inmost level, which is spiritual good. This is clear from the meaning of 'frankincense' as truth on the inmost level; and from the meaning of 'pure' as that which has been purged of the falsity of evil. The reason why truth on the inmost level, meant by 'frankincense', is spiritual good is that good with those who are in the Lord's spiritual kingdom is nothing other than truth. But this truth is called good when a person wills and does it from conscience and from affection. For in the case of those who are spiritual the entire will part of the mind has been corrupted; but the understanding part is preserved intact by the Lord, and within it the Lord implants a new will through regeneration. This new will is the conscience they have within them, which is a conscience composed of truth. All that is implanted in the understanding and emanates from the understanding is truth; for the human understanding is dedicated to the reception of truths belonging to faith, whereas the will is dedicated to receiving forms of good belonging to love. From all this it is evident that spiritual good is in its essence truth. As regards the new will in the case of those who are spiritual, that it is implanted in the understanding part of their minds, so that good with them is in its essence truth, see in the places referred to in 9277, 9596, 9684. Truth on the inmost level is called good because the more internal things are, the more perfect they are, and because the inmost part of a person is his will and what belongs to his will is called good. That 'frankincense' means truth on the inmost level, and so means spiritual good, may be recognized from the places quoted from the Word in 10177 above.

[2] Since spiritual good is meant by 'frankincense', and good is what reigns within all truths, arranges them into order, links them together, and imparts affection to them, frankincense is mentioned last; and the containers in which incense was burned were therefore called censers ¹ . For the designation is derived from the essential element, which is good, even as for a like reason the term 'the anointing oil' was derived from the olive oil and not from the spices mixed into it when it was being prepared, that is to say, for the reason that 'the oil' meant good and 'the spices' different kinds of truth.

[3] The expression 'pure frankincense' is used because 'pure' means that which has been purged of the falsities of evil; and the word in the original language means inwardly pure, while another word is used to mean outwardly pure or clean. The fact that what is inwardly pure is meant by that word is clear in Isaiah,

Wash yourselves, render yourselves pure; remove the wickedness of your doings from before My eyes. Isaiah 1:16.

In David,

In vain have I rendered my heart pure, and washed my hands in innocence. Psalms 73:13.

'Rendering the heart pure' means being purified inwardly, and 'washing the hands in innocence ' being purified outwardly. In the same author,

By what will a young man render his way pure? By guarding himself according to Your Word. Psalms 119:9.

And in the same author,

... You may be pure in Your judging. Psalms 51:4.

For the other word that is used to mean outwardly pure or clean, see Leviticus 11:32; 12:7-8; 13:6, 13, 17, 23, 28, 34, 37, 58; 14:7-9, 20, 48, 53; 15:13, 28; 16:19, 30; 22:7; Jeremiah 13:27; Ezekiel 24:13; 39:12; and elsewhere.

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