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There's an old saying that says, "When the student is ready the master will appear." The idea is that the student must incorporate everything they've already been taught into their life before the next master will come to teach them the next steps. We see something similar in the Word, where Jesus opens the eyes of Peter, James and John to a new spiritual reality, but now they have a difficult time trying to synthesize what they've just been taught with everything they've always believed. (note - Todd offers his apologies for an error; where he mistakenly says in this audio that the "spiritual serves the natural"... he meant to say, "natural serves the spiritual.")

(References: Apocalypse Explained 64, 405; Arcana Coelestia 6394; Matthew 17:14-20, 17:24-27)

3222. In addition to this, loves and the affections belonging to them are represented by means of flames, which are indescribably varied. Truths however are represented by means of lights and by means of countless modifications of light. From this it may be seen how it comes about that flames in the Word mean goods that are the goods of love, and lights truths that are the truths of faith.