3607. 'The days of mourning for my father are approaching, and I will kill Jacob my brother' means an inversion, and the removal from truth of the life from itself. This is clear from the meaning of 'the days of mourning' as an inversion of state, and from the meaning of 'killing his brother Jacob' as removing from truth the life from itself. These matters are similar to those discussed just above about hatred not being meant in the internal sense by 'hatred'. The same is also evident from things that are happening all the time in the next life. In that life all good flowing down from heaven to those under the influence of evil is converted into that which is evil, and among those in hell into that which is an opposite of that good; and truth in a similar way is converted into falsity, see 2123. Conversely therefore, that which exists as evil and falsity among such evil spirits as these exists in heaven as good and truth; and to turn this into what is good, there are spirits along the way who remove ideas of evil and falsity so that an idea of good and truth may present itself. Concerning that removal, see 1393, 1875. Furthermore when evil and falsity reach people with whom good and truth are present they are not seen as evil and falsity but under some other form determined by the disposition and state of the goodness that exists with them.

[2] From this it may also be seen that 'killing Jacob his brother' does not mean in the internal sense killing but the removal of that life which does not properly belong to truth. For of itself truth has no life except from good, truth being merely a vessel for receiving good, see 1496, 1832, 1900, 2063, 2261, 2269, 2697, 3049, 3068, 3128, 3146, 3318, 3387. It is in good that life lies, but not in truth unless it receives it from good 1589, and many other paragraphs. Consequently the removal from truth of the life from itself does not destroy truth but gives it life, for when truth seems to possess life from itself it does not possess any life at all other than that which is not life in itself. But when that life from itself is removed, life itself is then conferred on it, that is to say, the life received by way of good from the Lord, who is life itself.

[3] This is plain to see in those in the next life with whom truth alone exists. Their ideas appear closed, so much so that things of heaven are unable to flow in except in so general a way that it is scarcely recognized as being influx from that source. But the ideas of those with whom good as well as truth exists appear to be open, so much so that things of heaven flow so to speak into a miniature heaven or an image of themselves, for such things flow by way of the good present with those persons into the truths, see 1869, 2429. The fact that truth has the life from itself removed from it when good starts to occupy the prior position or to have dominion may be seen from what has been stated and shown already about the apparent priority of truth in the first stage and about the priority of good later on. It is this removal from truth of life from itself that is meant here. The reason why these matters are referred to as 'mourning for a father' is that 'the days of mourning' means an inversion of state, the inversion of state that was meant above in verse 33 by Isaac's 'trembling very greatly', 3593, and in verse 34 by Esau's crying out 'with a loud and bitter cry', 3597.

1495. 'Why did you say, She is my sister?' means that He knew no other at that time than that He possessed intellectual truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'a sister' as intellectual truth, and also from the fact that Abram had said so, as is clear from verse 13, which was done to the end that what was celestial should suffer no violence but should be saved. From this it was evident that when the Lord as a boy absorbed facts. He first of all knew no otherwise than that facts existed solely for the sake of the intellectual man, that is, that they existed so that from them He might come to know truths. But later on it was disclosed that they had existed so that He might attain to celestial things. This took place so that celestial things should suffer no violence but be saved. When a person is being instructed the progression is from facts to rational truths, then on to intellectual truths, and finally to celestial truths, which are meant here by 'a wife'. If that progression passes from facts and rational truths straight to celestial truths and not by means of intellectual truths, then that which is celestial suffers violence; for no connection is then possible, linking rational truths, based on facts, with celestial truths, except through intellectual truths, which are means. What celestial truths are, and what intellectual truths are, will be seen in what follows shortly

[2] To enable people to know what is implied in all this, something must be said about order. Order consists in the celestial flowing into the spiritual and adapting this to be of service to itself; the spiritual in the same way flowing into the rational and adapting this to itself; the rational in the same way into factual knowledge and adapting this to itself. But when a person is receiving instruction during earliest childhood, the same order in fact exists, but it appears to be otherwise; that is to say, he appears to progress from facts to rational things, from these to spiritual, and so at length to celestial things. The reason why his instruction appears to follow such a course is that a way must thereby be opened to celestial things, which are inmost. All instruction is simply the opening of a way; and as the way is opened - or what amounts to the same, as vessels are opened - an ordered influx accordingly takes place, as has been stated, of rational things derived from celestial-spiritual things with celestial-spiritual things flowing into rational, and celestial things into celestial-spiritual. Such celestial things are presenting themselves uninterruptedly, and are also preparing for themselves and forming the vessels which are being opened. This is also made clear by the fact that in themselves factual knowledge and rational conception are dead, but that they give the appearance of being alive because of the interior life flowing into them. This may become plain to anyone from the powers of thought and of forming judgements.

[3] Hidden within those powers lie all the secrets of analytical art and science, which are so many that not one ten-thousandth part of them can ever be explored; and these secrets lie hidden not only with the adult person but also with children. All their thought and everything they speak from it is full of such things - though not one, not even the most learned, is aware of this; yet this could not be unless celestial and spiritual things within had been presenting themselves, flowing in, and bringing forth all these thoughts and utterances.