The Bible

 

Matthew 17:3

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3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #9815

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9815. 'For glorious adornment' means in order to display Divine Truth as it exists in its inward form and its outward form in the spiritual kingdom lying adjacent to the celestial kingdom. This is clear from the meaning of 'glory' as Divine Truth, dealt with in the Preface to Genesis 18, and in 5922, 9429; and from the meaning of 'adornment' too as Divine Truth, but as it exists in its outward form. For the splendour and beauty of Divine Truth as they appear in outward things are meant by 'adornment'. So it is that the Word as to its internal sense is described as 'glory', but as to its external sense, in respect of the splendour and beauty which the internal imparts to it, is described as 'adornment'. Consequently the spiritual heaven, meant here by the holy garments that were 'for glorious adornment', is the glory, insofar as Divine Truth in its inward form is present there; and it is the adornment too, insofar as Divine Truth in its outward form is also present there.

[2] Something similar is meant by 'adornment' in the following places: In Jeremiah,

In His anger the Lord covers the daughter of Zion with a cloud. He has cast down from heaven to earth the adornment of Israel, and does not remember His footstool. Lamentations 2:1.

'The daughter of Zion' stands for the celestial Church, 'the adornment of Israel' for the spiritual Church, which is called 'the adornment' by virtue of the splendour and beauty of truth. Something similar occurs in Isaiah,

I have caused My righteousness to draw near, it is not far off, and My salvation will not delay. I will give salvation in Zion, My adornment to Israel. Isaiah 46:13.

In the same prophet,

Look out from heaven, from the dwelling-place of Your holiness and of Your adornment. Isaiah 63:15.

'The dwelling-place of holiness' stands for the celestial kingdom, and 'the dwelling-place of adornment' for the spiritual kingdom. In Daniel,

There came out one small-sized horn, and it grew exceedingly towards the south, and towards the east, and towards the adornment. 1 Daniel 8:9.

And elsewhere in the same prophet,

The king of the north too will stand in the land of adornment 1 with destruction in his hand; 2 and when he comes into the land of adornment 1 many will collapse. Daniel 11:16, 41.

'The land of adornment' stands for the Lord's Church where God's truth or the Word is.

Footnotes:

1. i.e. the land of Israel

2. literally, consummation through his hand

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #4138

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4138. 'With drums and with harps' means as regards spiritual good, that is to say, the state in which - thinking from the proprium - it had believed itself to be as regards that good. This is clear from the fact that 'drums and harps' has reference to good - spiritual good - as may be recognized from many places in the Word. Spiritual good is that which is called the good of faith, and is charity, whereas celestial good is that which is called the good of love, and is love to the Lord. The Lord has two kingdoms in the heavens, the first being called His celestial kingdom and consisting of those who are governed by love to the Lord, and the second being referred to as the spiritual kingdom and consisting of those who are governed by charity towards the neighbour. These kingdoms are quite distinct and separate, and yet in the heavens they act as one. Regarding these distinct and separate kingdoms - the celestial and the spiritual - see what has been stated many times already.

[2] In the Churches of long ago various kinds of musical instruments were used, such as drums, lyres, flutes, harps, instruments of ten strings, and many others. Some of these belonged to the group connected with celestial things, and some to the group connected with spiritual. When these instruments are mentioned in the Word they imply such celestial or spiritual things, so that from the instrument mentioned one can know which kind of good forms the subject - whether spiritual good or celestial good. Drums and harps belonged to the group connected with spiritual things, and that is why the phrase 'as regards spiritual good' is being used in this paragraph. For 'a harp' is used in reference to spiritual things, and stringed instruments serve to mean spiritual things, but wind instruments celestial ones, see 418-420.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.