163. Verse 22. Behold, I cast her into a bed, signifies that they are left to their natural man, and to the doctrine of falsities therein. This is evident from the signification of a "bed," as being the natural man, also the doctrine of falsities (of which presently). What now follows treats of those who suffer themselves to be seduced by those who are in the doctrine of falsities from the delight of the love of self and the world, who are meant by "Jezebel" (as was said above). Those who suffer themselves to be seduced are not like those who have falsified truths and adulterated goods from the delight of those loves; for such have seen truths and have applied them to favor their delights, and have thus perverted them, and afterwards these are unable to turn themselves to truths and acknowledge them. These are treated of in the preceding article n. 162. But those who have not done this, but have suffered themselves to be led away by those who have, have not so closed the internal or spiritual man with themselves; for they have not themselves falsified truths, but have put faith in those who have, because these falsities sound like truths. For these think no more deeply than that their leaders must be believed because they are intelligent and wise; thus they hang upon the lips of a master. There are many such at this day in Christendom, especially among those born in countries where the papal religion prevails. These are meant by those that commit adultery with Jezebel in a bed.

[2] "Bed" signifies the doctrine of falsities, and at the same time the natural man, because the doctrine of falsities has no other source than the natural man separated from the spiritual; and the natural man separated from the spiritual sees worldly things in light, but heavenly things in thick darkness; it sees falsity, therefore, in the place of truth, and evil in the place of good; moreover, if it sees truth it falsifies it, and if it sees good it adulterates it; for heaven flows into the natural or external man through the spiritual or internal man, and not immediately into the natural or external; into it the world flows immediately. And when the natural world with man is not governed by the spiritual world, the bond with heaven is broken; and when this is broken man makes the world his all, and heaven of little or no account; so also self as all, and God of little or no account. When the external or natural man is in such a state it is in falsities from the evils that spring forth out of the love of self and the world. As "bed," therefore, signifies the natural man, it also signifies the doctrine of falsities.

[3] "Bed" signifies the natural man, because the natural man underlies the spiritual, thus the spiritual lies on it and on the things that are in it as on its own bed. That "bed" signifies the natural man, also the doctrinals that are in it, can be seen from the passages in the word where "bed" is mentioned, as in the following. In Amos:

As the shepherd hath rescued out of the mouth of the lion two legs and a bit of an ear, so shall the sons of Israel be rescued that dwell in Samaria on the corner of a bed, and on the end of a couch (Amos 3:12).

"Lion" signifies the church, here those therein that destroy goods and truths; "legs and a bit of an ear" are the goods that are in the natural man, and something of perception of truth therefrom; "the sons of Israel that dwell in Samaria" are those of the church; "on the corner of the bed, and on the end of a couch," are those in a little natural light from the spiritual, and in some truths therefrom.

[4] In the same:

Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountains of Samaria; to them that lie upon the beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall; that devise for themselves instruments of song; that drink out of bowls of wine, and anoint themselves with the firstlings of the oils: but they are not grieved over the breach of Joseph (Amos 6:1, 4-6).

Those that the "trust in the mountains of Samaria" are those that trust in themselves, and from self-intelligence hatch out doctrines. "Samaria" is the perverted spiritual church; "beds of ivory" are fallacies of the senses on which doctrine is founded; "to stretch themselves upon couches" is to confirm and multiply the falsities therefrom; "to eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall, to drink out of bowls of wine and to anoint themselves with the firstlings of the oils," is to draw the truths and goods of the Word out of the sense of its letter and to apply and falsify them. "Not to be grieved over the breach of Joseph" is not to care that the spiritual church is perishing, and that its truths are being infringed upon. (That "Joseph" in the highest sense signifies the Lord in respect to the Divine spiritual; in the internal sense the Lord's spiritual kingdom, thus also the spiritual church; and in the external sense the fructification of good and multiplication of truth, see Arcana Coelestia 3969, 3971, 4669, 6417, 6526)

[5] In Moses:

May the blessings of thy father prevail above the blessings of my parents, may they be on the head of Joseph, and on the head of the bed ¹ of his brethren (Genesis 49:26).

"Joseph," as was said, is the Lord's spiritual church; "the head of the bed of his brethren" is the spiritual that flows into all the truths and goods of that church (for the twelve sons or tribes of Israel signify all the truths and goods of the church in the complex, see Arcana Coelestia 3858, 3926, 4060, 6335).

[6] In Luke:

I say unto you, In that night there shall be two [men] in one bed; one shall be taken, the other shall be left. There shall be two [women] grinding together; one shall be taken, the other shall be left. There shall be two [men] in the field; one shall be taken, the other shall be left (Luke 17:34-36).

This treats of the consummation of the age, which is the last time of the church when judgment takes place. To be "in one bed" is to be in the same doctrine of the church; "two [women] grinding" are those that collect and learn such things as are serviceable to faith; "two [men] in the field" are those in the church that apply goods and truths to themselves. (That "those who grind" are those who collect and learn such things as are serviceable to faith, see Arcana Coelestia 4335, 7780, 9995; that "field" means reception of truth and good, see n. 368, 3310, 9141, 9295)

[7] In John:

Jesus said to the sick man at the pool of Bethsaida, ² Arise, take up thy bed, and walk. And straightway the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked. Afterward Jesus findeth him, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole; sin no more, lest a worse thing befall thee (John 5:8-12, 14).

And in Mark:

They uncovered the roof where Jesus was, and they let down ³ the bed whereon the sick of the palsy lay. Jesus said, Whether is easier to say, Thy sins are forgiven thee, or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed and walk? Then he said, Arise, take up thy bed, and walk and go unto thine house. And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all (Mark 2:4, 9, 11-12).

The Lord saying to these sick, "Arise, take up thy bed, and walk," signifies doctrine, and a life according thereto; "bed" signifies doctrine, and "to walk" life (that " walking" is living, see above, n.97[1-2]). "The sick man" signifies those that have transgressed and sinned; consequently the Lord said to the sick man at the pool of Bethsaida, "Behold, thou art made whole; sin no more, lest a worse thing befall thee;" and to the paralytic let down on a bed through the roof, "Whether it is easier to say, Thy sins are forgiven thee, or to say, Arise, take up thy bed, and walk?" Those who know nothing of the internal sense of the Word may believe that the words that the Lord spoke involve nothing more than what is obvious in the sense of the letter, when yet every particular of what the Lord spoke has a spiritual meaning, for He spoke from the Divine, and thus in the presence both of heaven and of the world (See Arcana Coelestia 2533, 4637, 4807, 9048, 9063, 9086, 10126, 10276).

[8] The bed of Og, the king of Bashan, is thus described in Moses:

Og, king of Bashan, remained of the remnants of the Rephaim; behold, his bed was a bed of iron; is it not in Rabbah of the sons of Ammon? Nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man (Deuteronomy 3:11).

The bed of Og is here described, because he was of the remnants of the Rephaim, and because he was king of Bashan; for by the "Rephaim," those were signified who were in the love of self above others, and therefore natural above all others, and from a persuasion of their eminence over others were in falsities of every kind (See Arcana Coelestia 581, 1268, 1270, 1271, 1673, 7686). And by "Bashan" the external of the church, thus the natural, was signified, for Bashan was outside the land of Canaan where the church was.

On this account the bed of Og is described, which would not have been described unless such things had been signified by "Og;" for whatsoever is mentioned in the Word, even in the historical Word, is significative as to every expression. From this it is that the Word is spiritual in each and every particular, and therefore Divine from inmosts to ultimates. On this account, also, it is said that the bed was "of iron," that it was "in Rabbah of the sons of Ammon," and that "nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man." For "iron" signifies what is natural (See below, n. 176; "Rabbah of Ammon" signifies the falsifications of truth (See Arcana Coelestia 2468); and "nine cubits the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it," signifies the conjunction of evil and falsity.

[9] From this it can be seen what the Word is in its bosom. Because "bed" signifies doctrine, it was among the statutes in the church with the sons of Israel:

That every bed whereon he that hath the issue lieth should be unclean; and that the man who touched his bed should wash his clothes, and bathe himself in waters (Leviticus 15:4-5).

"Having the issue" signifies those who are in natural love, separate from spiritual love; "washing the clothes, and bathing himself in waters," signifies purification by the truths of faith (See The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 202-209). Because "Jacob" in the Word signifies the external church, which is with those who are in natural light, and who live a moral life from the obedience of faith, though not from internal affection, when "Jacob" is spoken of there is in the spiritual world above on the right side, the appearance of a man lying in a bed; therefore in the Word it is said of him when he was dying:

When Jacob had made an end of charging his sons, he gathered up his feet upon his bed and expired (Genesis 49:33).

It is said "he gathered up his feet upon the bed," because "feet" also signify the natural (See Arcana Coelestia 2162, 3147, 3761, 3986, 4280, 4938-4952).

Footnotes:

10276. 'And you shall sanctify them, and they shall be the holy of holies' means consequently the inflow and presence of the Lord within the worship of the representative Church. This is clear from the meaning of 'being sanctified' as representing the Lord in respect of the Divine Human, and the reception of Divine Good and Divine Truth from Him, for the Lord alone is holy and therefore that alone is holy which emanates from Him, from which it is evident that 'being sanctified' also means the inflow and presence of the Lord within the worship of the representative Church;

'Being sanctified' means representing the Lord in respect of the Divine Human, see 9956, 9988, 10069.

It also means the reception of Divine Good and Divine Truth from Him, 8806, 9820, 10128.

The Lord alone is holy, and that alone is holy which emanates from Him, 9229, 9479, 9680, 9818.

Thus holy things among the Israelite and Jewish nation were holy in a representative fashion, 10149, and from the meaning of 'the holy of holies' as celestial Divine Good, dealt with in 10129.

[2] From all this it is evident that all those things which had been anointed were called 'the holy of holies' by virtue of the inflow and presence of the Lord's Divine Human. And whenever the Lord flows in and becomes present He does so by a path that is direct, and also in the lower heavens by one that is indirect, through celestial good, which is the inmost heaven's good. Therefore to the extent that the levels of good in the lower heavens contain and store celestial good, which is the good of love to the Lord, they are indeed good. This is why things which had been anointed were called 'the holy of holies'. Regarding the Lord's flowing in directly and indirectly, see in the places referred to in 9682, 9683.

[3] To have any knowledge of the nature of these things a person must know what a representation is and what a representative Church is. What they are has been shown extensively in the places referred to in 9229, 9280, 10030; but since few at the present day know what they are, let something more be said to shed further light on the subject. In the inmost heavens there exist among the angels affections for goodness and truth derived from the Lord, which compose those angels' life and bliss. These affections manifest themselves in the lowest heaven within outward forms, which are countless and infinitely various; whatever the eyes of those in that heaven behold there springs from them. These forms are representative of more internal things, which are affections for goodness and truth and are called celestial and spiritual things.

[4] Good spirits, who perceive the holy things of heaven within those representative forms existing as subjects ¹ , have their inner feelings stirred by them. They see, for example, parks or gardens with countless species of trees and fruits, also rose gardens, lawns, fields with crops, houses, palaces, and very many other sights. All these correspond to the affections for goodness and truth which, derived from the Lord, exist in higher heavens. Representative forms also exist in these higher heavens, but they are immeasurably superior in perfection, delightfulness, and rapture to such forms in the lowest heaven. These representative forms are what the saying that no eye has ever seen such things refers to; and if any description of them were given it would surpass human belief.

[5] From all this it may be recognized what representative forms are. All those which had been established among the Israelite nation were similar to the ones in the lowest heaven, but had less perfection because they existed in the natural world. Such forms comprised the tent of meeting together with the ark, the table on which the loaves of the Presence were laid, the lampstand and its lamps, and the altar of incense; the garments of Aaron and his sons; at a later time, the temple together with the sanctuary in it, where the ark with the mercy-seat and cherubs above it was; the bronze sea, the lavers, and similar objects. More however, beyond numbering, appear in the lowest heaven; but these have greater excellence and perfection. That heaven was where the Lord showed Moses on Mount Sinai the things to be established among the Israelite nation, as is evident in Exodus 25:40; 26:30; 27:8, though Moses did not see them there with his bodily eyes but with those of his spirit.

[6] Further proof of the nature of representative forms lies in those things which were seen by prophets - by Daniel, by John in the Book of Revelation, and by all the rest. All the things which they saw conceal Divine spiritual and celestial realities within them. Without the internal sense to explain them those visions are unintelligible, as anyone may recognize.

[7] From all this it is again evident what a representative Church is.

This Church was established in the land of Canaan especially on account of the Word, in order that representative forms and objects carrying a spiritual meaning might be used in the writing of it, thus such things as existed among that nation, in their Church and in their land. For since most ancient times all places in the land of Canaan, all the mountains and rivers there, represented such things as existed in heaven, 3686, 4240, 4447, 4454, 5136, 6516; and so at a later time did the inheritances, tribes, and everything else. The literal sense of the Old Testament Word was composed of such things, to the end that it might be a kind of base in which more internal things terminated and on which they stood, like a building on its foundations, see 9360, 9824, 10044.

[8] Anyone who is intelligent may see from all this that the Word is most holy, that its literal sense is holy by virtue of its internal sense, and that when separated from this it is not holy. For the literal sense separated from the internal is like a person's outward [body] separated from his inward [soul], which is a lifeless statue; and it is like the outer covering of a tree, flower, fruit, or seed without their inward parts, and like the foundation without the house. Those therefore who adhere strictly to the sense of the letter of the Word and do not have or acquire for themselves from the Word teachings in keeping with its internal sense may be drawn into all kinds of heresy. This is why such people refer to the Word as a book of heresies. Sound doctrine drawn from the Word must absolutely shine before people and show them the way to go; those teachings are provided by the internal sense, and the person who is acquainted with them has the internal sense of the Word.

[9] Because the Jewish nation did not acknowledge the presence of any holiness in the Word except in its literal sense alone, which they separated completely from its internal sense, they sank into such darkness that they did not know the Lord when He came into the world. That nation is just the same at the present day; therefore although they live among Christians, they still do not as yet from the Word acknowledge the Lord. Right from the start that nation was interested in outward things but not their inner substance, see what has been shown in the places referred to in 9320(end), 9380. Unless therefore the Lord had come into the world and disclosed its inner contents, contact with the heavens through the Word would have been broken; and if that had been broken the human race on this planet would have perished. For no one can think anything at all that is true or do anything at all that is good except in heaven's strength, that is, the Lord's coming through heaven. The Word is what opens heaven.

Footnotes: