19. The church too could have known from the Word that heaven and hell are from the human race. It could have made this part of its teaching, if it had allowed enlightenment from heaven to reach it, and had paid attention to the Lord's words to the robber, that he would be to-day in Paradise with Him (Luke 23:43). Also what the Lord said about the rich man and Lazarus, that the rich man went to hell, from where he talked with Abraham, and Lazarus went to heaven (Luke 16:19-31). Also what the Lord said to the Sadducees about resurrection, that God is not the God of the dead, but of the living (Matthew 22:32). The same can be deduced from the general belief of all who lead good lives, especially their belief around the time of death, when they are withdrawn from worldly and bodily concerns, that they will go to heaven as soon as their bodily life departs. This is the dominant belief of all, provided the teaching of the church does not lead them to think of resurrection as happening at the time of the Last Judgment. Enquire whether this is not the case, and you will receive confirmation.

4670. 'A son of seventeen years' means His state. This is clear from the ages measured in years of people mentioned in the Word - spiritual realities and states are meant by them, as these are by all other numbers. For all numbers in the Word have spiritual realities and states as their meaning, see 575, 647, 648, 1988, 2075, 2252, 3252, 4264, 4495, as also do years, 487, 488, 493, 893.

[2] It does indeed seem as though numbers of years, or ages measured in years, mean nothing else than numbers of years. This is because these numbers more than any others have so to speak a more specific historical application. But these numbers too include spiritual realities and states within them, as is clear from the applications given at Genesis 5 and from what has been stated at Genesis 17:1 and Genesis 25:7 about Abraham's age and at Genesis 35:28 about Isaac's. The same is clear in addition from the fact that no historical detail exists anywhere in the Word which does not include within it something heavenly into which it is also changed when it passes from the thought of the reader to the angels present with him, and through those angels into heaven where the spiritual sense rises up out of every historical reference in the Word.

[3] But what is meant by Joseph's being seventeen years old may be seen from the meaning which this number has elsewhere, namely a beginning, in this case the beginning of the representation through Joseph. As to its meaning a beginning and that which is new, see 755, 853. What is more, this number includes within itself in a general way, and so to speak potentially, all the things that are represented by 'Joseph' - 'seven' meaning that which is holy and 'ten' remnants. For 'seven' when used in the Word adds holiness to any meaning, see 881, while 'ten' means remnants, 576, 1906, 2284. The remnants present in the Lord were Divine and His own, and by means of them He united the Human Essence to the Divine Essence, 1906.