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.

1143. And fine linen and crimson.- That these signify truths and goods from a celestial origin, profaned, is evident from the signification of fine linen, which denotes truths from a celestial origin, of which we shall speak presently; and from the signification of crimson, which denotes goods from a celestial origin (concerning which see above, n. 1042), but in this case those truths and goods profaned, because the fine linen and crimson are called the merchandise of Babylon, and Babylon as a harlot and the mother of the whoredoms and abominations of the earth, signifies profanations of truth and good. Truths and goods from a celestial origin are the truths and goods with those who are in love to the Lord, which are called celestial, and are distinguished from the truths and goods from a spiritual origin, signified by the silk and scarlet, which we shall refer to presently. They profane truths and goods from a celestial origin, especially in this, that they have arrogated to themselves the Lord's Divine Power of saving mankind, and thus also love to Him they have diverted [to the pope] as his vicar and to his ministers. But the Lord cannot be loved when the power of salvation is taken away from Him, and a man is loved instead of Him. They say, indeed, that the Lord is loved for giving that power to man, and that he is loved, and also reverently honoured by those who have received that power, and is worshipped by the rest. But love to the Lord cannot exist with such, the love of ruling over heaven and the Church being altogether contrary to it; for that love is the love of self, which is diabolical love, and from this the Lord cannot be loved. Such love, regarded in itself, is rather hatred against the Lord, into which also it is changed when they become spirits, and domination is taken away from them then they also persecute all those who are in love to the Lord. From these things it is evident how they profane truths and goods which are from a celestial origin.

[2] That fine linen signifies truths from a celestial origin, is evident from the following passages.

Thus in Ezekiel:

"I clothed thee with broidered-work, I shod thee with badger's skin (taxus), and I girded thee with fine linen, and covered thee with silks; thus wast thou adorned with gold and silver, and thy garments were fine linen, silk, and broidered-work" (16:10, 13).

This is said of Jerusalem, by which the Church is meant, in this case, at its first establishment. Broidered-work and badger's skin there signify the knowledges of truth and good from the Word. Fine linen and silk signify truths from a celestial origin and truths from a spiritual origin; these are described as garments, because garments signify truths, with which good is clothed or invested.

Again in the same:

"Fine linen in broidered-work [from Egypt] was thine expansion, and crimson from the isle of Elisha was thy covering" (27:7).

This refers to Tyre, which signifies the Church as to the knowledges of good and truth; those knowledges are signified by broidered-work from Egypt, truths by fine linen, and good by crimson, both from a celestial origin.

So in Luke:

"There was a certain rich man who was clothed in crimson and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day" (16:19).

The rich man here means the Jewish race, which is said to be clothed in crimson and fine linen, because they possessed the Word, from which they were in possession of goods and truths; goods are there meant by crimson, and truths by fine linen, both from a celestial origin. By Lazarus, who lay at the rich man's porch, are meant the nations who had not the Word.

[3] Because fine linen (byssus), which also is xylinum, signified truths from a celestial origin, and the garments of Aaron represented Divine truths, he himself representing the Lord, therefore fine linen and xyhinum were interwoven in his mitre and belt (Exodus 28:39; 39:27); they were also interwoven in the curtains of the tabernacle and its coverings, because they represented those things of the Church which inclose, and these are truths (Exodus 26:1; 27:9, 18; 36:8; 38:9, 16).

The signification of fine linen (byssus) in the following passages of the Apocalypse is similar:

"The time of the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready; and it was given unto her that she should be clothed in fine linen, clean and shining" (19:7, 8);

The armies of him that sat upon the white horse "followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean" (19:14).

The reason why fine linen signifies truth from a celestial origin is, because that kind of linen was a species of very white flax, of which garments are made. Flax, and also whiteness, signify truth, and a garment made from it signifies according to its brightness, truth pure and clean.

[4] Continuation of the Athanasian Creed.- The hell where those are who are called devils is the love of self; and the hell where those who are called satans is the love of the world. The reason why the diabolical hell is the love of self, is, that that love is the opposite of celestial love, which is love to the Lord; and the reason why the satanical hell is the love of the world, is, that this love is the opposite of spiritual love, which is love towards the neighbour.

Now, since the two loves of hell are the opposite of the two loves of heaven, therefore hell and the heavens are in opposition to each other. For all who are in the heavens have regard to the Lord and to the neighbour, but all who are in the hells have regard to themselves and the world. All who are in the heavens love the Lord and the neighbour, but all who are in the hells love themselves and the world, and hence bear hatred to the Lord and to the neighbour. All who are in the heavens think what is true and will what is good, because they think and will from the Lord; but all who are in the hells think what is false and will what is evil, because they think and will from themselves. It is for this reason that all who are in the hells appear averted, their faces being turned away from the Lord, they also appear inverted, their feet being upwards and their heads downwards; this appearance arises from their loves being the opposite of the loves of heaven.

[5] Since hell is the love of self, it is also fire; for all love corresponds to fire, and in the spiritual world is so presented as to seem at a distance like fire, yet still it is not fire but love. For this reason the hells appear within as if they were on fire, and without like ejections of fire in the midst of smoke rising from furnaces or conflagrations; sometimes the devils themselves also appear like fires of charcoal. The heat which they have from that fire is like an effervescence from impurities, which is lust, and the light which they receive from that fire is merely an appearance of light from phantasies, and from confirmations of evils by falsities; but yet, it is not light, for whenever the light of heaven enters by influx it becomes thick darkness to them, and when the heat of heaven enters it becomes cold to them. They see, however, from their own light, and live from their own heat; but their sight is like that of owls, birds of night, and bats, whose eyes are dim to the light of heaven, and they live in a semi-torpid state. The living principle pertaining to them consists merely in their ability to think and will, to speak and act, and hence to see, hear, taste, smell, and feel. It is merely a faculty derived from that life which is God acting upon them from without, according to order, and continually impelling them to order. It is from this faculty that they live for ever. The dead principle pertaining to them is from the evils and falsities derived from their loves; hence it is, that their life, viewed from their loves, is not life, but death; and therefore hell, in the Word is called "death," and its inhabitants are called "dead."