Chapter twelve picks up the thread of events outlined in chapters ten and eleven, but it marks a major change in the sequence of the chapters. The two preceding chapters deal with the onset of temptation after repentance—and describe in great detail the course of that temptation, until, finally, the king of the North is destroyed. This destruction marks a victory over temptation.

As in all victories, however, there are certain "mopping up" operations to be done, which are described in the first three verses of this chapter. It is important to notice that the opening verses are a continuation of the angel speaking to Daniel. This reminds us that this final temptation took place after repentance.

VERSES 1-4

The victory in temptation brings with it a judgement over previous states. We have already been introduced to the concept of spiritual judgement in chapter seven, when Daniel saw a vision of the Ancient of Days seated on a fiery throne. That chapter describes a judgement on our external behaviours (remember the vision took place in the reign of Belshazzar). It was largely on the basis of that personal evaluation of our lives that the next series of events took place. Once we see our selves as prone to evil, we see where it comes from and the effect it has, we can be led into an even greater judgement. This judgement is described in the repentance sequence in chapter nine, for true repentance is a judgement of our states of life with a commitment to rejecting and overcoming it.

Judgement always involves a struggle, especially when two sides or aspects of our personalities are involved. The events of that struggle are described in the temptations of chapters ten and eleven. When, however, the conscience gains the upper hand, we come into the final states of our spiritual development, the separating out of residual evil, and falsity from the increasingly strong states of goodness from the Lord.

The means of the judgement in this chapter is Michael, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people. We first met Michael in the tenth chapter, when the angel speaking to Daniel notes that Michael has been sent to help him. Michael is always mentioned in terms of protection, as in this chapter he "stands watch over the sons of your people" and in Revelation he protects the Woman clothed with the sun.

In the verse, Michael is referred to as "the great Prince," a fitting title, for a prince, the son of a king, is a chief in the land, a leader.

Spiritual defence is combat against evil and falsity, and, as the state now described is one of victory over temptation, we can assume that Michael was at our side throughout the process, only when we are in a state of temptation, we are not always conscious of or aware of, the truths with us. Temptation dims our perception of the truth, for in temptation we feel an equal pull towards and away from truth. Often we do not recognise truth for what it is, which makes it possible for us to decline into states of evil.

When we come out of temptation, however, we see truth quite clearly. Thus Michael shall "stand up" as if he hadn't been there before. This represents a new clarity, for with our propensity to selfishness beaten we can see truth in its glory. "Standing" represents the truths which directed us through our various temptations becoming the central and unquestioned centre of our minds. Note that Michael will "stand watch over the sons of your people," and here again the emphasis is on truth. As we have noted before "sons" denote the truth in our minds.

The principle being developed in this final chapter then, is that while the conscience may take a battering during the process of our temptations, should we emerge victorious, that conscience becomes the major force in our post-temptation state. Michael standing up to watch over the sons of our people describe this development, for the fighting and protecting truth, having guided us in the valley of the shadow of death, now guides us into the light of wisdom.

The sight of truth leads into new states. As we examine our lives in its light we will still find many things opposite to, and interfering with our new perception of truth and its corresponding desire to do good things, both spiritually and naturally. The result is "trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time".

The "trouble" is different. Before victory our spiritual troubles were temptations, or conflicts between good and evil. We were torn in two. The clarity of victory doesn't bring this kind of trouble however, for once a temptation has been overcome, the evil or falsity prompting it looses its power over us. What remains is to separate out the residual things

Most of these take the form of habitual feelings, thoughts and actions, which, because they have been practised for so long, remain with us even thought they are no longer connected with their underlying source. The effect of victory is to take notice of these and to reject them from our lives.

Notice the angel's words to Daniel: "And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the book." The promise it that in the final separating out of evil thoughts and feelings in the wake of victory, the states related to Daniel, or the conscience, shall be gathered together and preserved.

The promise of deliverance is crucial to the development of the theme of victory. If we did not believe that our temptations would eventually subside we would never manage the spiritual energy to fight against them. Life would seem both pointless and hopeless. The whole book of Daniel, however, points to ultimate deliverance, and the idea follows like a thread through both the historical and prophetic sections. Remember how Daniel was taken captive from Jerusalem? His deliverance came when he found favour, first with the master of the eunuchs, and then with Nebuchadnezzar. In the second chapter he is delivered from death by being able to interpret the kings dream. In the third chapter his friends are saved in the fiery furnace. Again he is rescued in the lion's den, and so on. In the prophetic sections the theme continues in the alternating states of temptation and peace. Each state of peace is a deliverance.

Delivery from evil is liberation from damnation (Arcana Coelestia 8018). When our selfish side runs amok in our lives, as Nebuchadnezzar and the others run wild, we are in spiritual danger. Selfishness pulls us into hell like a current pulling a ship out to sea. Unless a person finds the means to resist that pull, we will find ourselves in the depths of spiritual destruction. The Lord delivers us from this fate by giving us a conscience—the Daniel in our minds.

In history the Lord saved the human race when He came into the world and made it possible for Divine truths, the Logos, to come down to a level at which it could interact with human evil. The Lord interacted with evil spirits, He endured temptation, and even allowed Himself to be crucified. This makes it possible for His truth to continue to penetrate down to our level. We are capable of learning that truth and of having it form the basis not only of our thoughts, but also of our motivations, and our actions. Thus we can be delivered. Deliverance is the ultimate act of mercy on the part of the Lord.

Not all our states can be delivered, however. Our selfishness, greed, arrogance and pride that were taken on in the throes of temptation cannot be purified and lifted up to heaven. They must be jettisoned completely as an impediment to our spiritual life. On the things we do in accordance with the Lord, which up to this point are the things of repentance and reformation, can be lifted up. Thus the angel said to Daniel, “and at that time your people shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the book.”

Our 'book of life' is the record, in our memories, of all we have done during our lives in this world—and salvation is the Lord's remembering or noticing of these deeds (Arcana Coelestia 8620). If our deeds were those of unrepentance, a wallowing in states of selfishness, then our book of life would reflect this, and the Lord, on seeing us would be reminded of our selfishness. However, if, as is the case in this chapter, our life has been one of a progressive development of the conscience, accompanied by a sight of our motivating evils and a constant battle against them, then our book of life will reflect a growing spirit.

The result will be the gradual perfection of life. One should not think that once we have been victorious in temptation our lives level off to spiritual stagnation. Angels are continually being perfected to eternity—only from their developed state they do not undergo temptations as we do. For them it is a much easier matter to reject the imperfections within themselves and embrace the higher, ....more spiritual things planted in their spirits by the Lord Himself.

So Daniel is told that after deliverance, “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.”

The meaning of this verse is fairly clear in the light of what has been said before. "Those who sleep in the dust of the earth" describe our various states, our thoughts and feelings, our habitual ways of looking at things which are "asleep" because they are buried in our unawareness. "To be asleep" generally means to be in states of obscurity, as we have seen many times before.

The "dust of the earth" is reminiscent of the creation story in Genesis, where God formed a mail from "the dust of the ground, and he breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul" (Genesis 2:7). Thus we are carried back to the imagery of the perfect being, formed by God to live in the Garden of Eden.

However, before we attain that state, we still have to be perfected in this spiritual development Note everything in us can be lifted up, and so some of our states awaken "to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt."

The same is true with our ideas. In another image carrying us back to the earlier parts of Genesis, Daniel gives symbols of the firmament and the stars. Both of these were created by God in the Genesis account, and both represent the perfection of the regenerating mind. However, once again there is a purification process, for "those who are wise shall shine," and those "who turn to righteousness like stars forever and ever."

The states after temptation, therefore, are states of increasing spiritual development and peace. The book of Daniel does not develop these ideas in any further detail, but from other places in the Word we are shown how this peace takes form in our minds. Once selfishness is subdued, rooted out with all its terrible effects from our lives, we are open to the wonder of heaven. An inkling of that state is given to us in the Heavenly Doctrines: “Such people feel pleasure in worshipping God for God's sake and in performing services for the neighbour for his sake, and so in doing good for good's sake and in speaking truth for truth's sake. They are unwilling to acquire merit by any charitable act or point of faith, they flee from and loathe evils, enmity for example, or hatred, revenge, or adultery, and even thinking about such things with the intention of doing them (The New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine 167).

Even the most casual consideration of this passage shows us how different this state is from the selfish states represented by Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar, how far removed it is from the viciousness of the beast arising from the sea, or the pomposity of the he-goat's little horn. Repentance and temptation breaks the power of these things over our minds, and the Lord, in His infinite mercy, forgives us our trespasses and graces us with peace.

So the book of Daniel draws to its conclusion. When the angel had finished describing these things to Daniel.. he gives him a final warning: “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall cease.”

These words mark the end of the angel's speech to Daniel. They raise the obvious question of why Daniel should "shut up the words and seal the book". While the Writings do not give any indication of what these words may mean, they could be interpreted.

To shut up, the words and seal the book indicates hiding the promise somewhat from view (Apocalypse Revealed 257), not permanently but "until the time of the end." Time, as we have seen before, indicates a state. At the time that Daniel saw this vision the temptations were not yet finished. Remember that the vision took place in the first year of Darius the Mede (chapter 11). Darius describes the external spiritual state, the state in which temptations take place.

Chapters eleven and twelve, therefore, are a promise of states that will come, both states of temptation and victory. But the victory is not there yet. We need to know that if we have trust and faith in the Lord, and if we are tenacious in our spiritual life, we will be victorious—not from our power, but from the Lord's. Yet that knowledge in temptation is intellectual only. If we knew for certain the outcome of our temptations the temptation would be meaningless. If we knew that we would lose in temptation, then there would be no point in trying, and, if we knew we would win, again there would be no point in trying. So the outcome has to be kept from us. The promise of victory and its peace is there, but true peace can only be revealed to us when we are ready for it.

This does, not mean that we should repose in a state of ignorance. The thrust of Daniel is to chart the rise of temptations, the origins of our evils and how, through temptations we overcome them. The angel points out to Daniel that "many shall run to and fro", indicating once again the alternations in our spiritual states. We have to pass through one state after another, yet, each time we face a temptation and overcome it, we move closer to the final states of peace the angel promises in this chapter.

So he concludes, "knowledge shall increase". Knowledge is vital to our spiritual growth. We need to know what evil is, where it comes from, and how to overcome it.. Equally importantly, We need to learn to recognise the states of peace and tranquillity the Lord gives us in the midst of our temptations. Only then can we learn to rise above our selfishness and truly shine in the brightness of the Lord's firmament.

VERSES 5-13

As the angel's words to Daniel drew to a close, so we are taken back to Daniel himself. Suddenly, so to speak, we are back where we were before the vision started. To refresh our memories, we need to turn back to the beginning of chapter 11, "in the first year of Darius the Mede." Taken historically this vision must have taken place soon after Belshazzar was "weighed in the balances and found wanting". If we cast our minds back to chapters five and six, we are reminded both of Belshazzar's blasphemy and Darius' foolishness. Those states serve as a good point to tie in the final stages of our regeneration, for while the reign of Darius marks a new spiritual beginning and a clean break from Belshazzar, our spiritual work is not yet done.

People regenerate when they leave selfish or evil states behind them and embrace new states of goodness As is very clear across the drama of Daniel, this only takes place through the process of repentance and reformation Yet we need to have a vision that such change can in fact happen. We can abandon our Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar states and come to the point at which the king of the North, along with his lackeys, can be banished from our minds.

Daniel's vision shows us this ideal, and, hopefully, raises hope in our lives. We can repent, we can over come and, as the Lord promises in the book of Revelation: “To him who overcomes, I will give to eat the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God... He that overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death...” (Revelation 2:7, 11. For further promises, consult Revelation 2:17, 2:26, 3:5, 3:12, 3:21.)

Coming back to Daniel brings us back to our own lives somewhat with a jolt. Watching the picture of the fierce battle between the kings of the north and south unfold almost makes it look as though our spiritual, progression happens on autopilot. Nothing could be further from the truth. Temptations are fought and won, or lost, because of the input from us. If we hope to win, then our conscience must take the lead. This doesn't negate the need for an ideal, for our conscience cannot lead us in a vacuum, it has to know where to lead us. But still it must lead.

The conscience, represented by Daniel in the "first year of the reign of Darius the Mede" stands at the outset of our spiritual life. We know what to expect from beginning to end. Each vision lays down a new path for us, challenging us to see the origin of our false thoughts and evil intentions. Each state of judgment stands before us, calling us to choose one way or another. The alternating times of peace and temptation remind us that not all regeneration will be hard work—there will be times of rest and peace as the spiritual advances we make begin to affect our minds. And we will grow in strength—our temptations may become fiercer, may seem recurring, yet with each step we will be fitter to face and overcome them This whole process, however, requires the active participation of our Daniel And so, the final verses of the book bring us back to him and has last vision.

Having been told to "shut up the words and seal the book", Daniel found himself on watching two angels, one on each side of a riverbank Unlike Michael, these two angels are not identified by name—their distinguishing factors are that they are on either side of a riverbank, and one of them is "clothed in linen."

The significance of this vision lies in three main areas, each part of the final preparation for the conscience to begin the work of leading us into regeneration The first is the fact that there are two angels. In the spiritual world things in duality represent love and wisdom, and this in turn is described by the two side of a person's mind, the will, or ability to love, and the understanding, or the ability to grow wise. These two abilities from the very basis of the human mind and thus the foundation of our spiritual life.

The will and understanding are held in connection with the spiritual world by means, of angels and spirits. Since there are angels and spirits who are primarily in love and those primarily in truth, it follows that each person has two angels, one for the will and one for the understanding with him or her at all times—without them we would lose connection with the spiritual world and die.

Daniel saw this duality of presence in his vision of the two angels alongside the river, and, one could say, joined by the presence of the river between them; for a river, as we have seen before, represents the stream of truth; for a river represents a person's intelligence (Arcana Coelestia 7323). The last river we saw in Daniel was the Tigris mentioned in chapter 10, which because it was an east-flowing river depicted the understanding, or intelligence, of truth leading us towards the Lord. In essence this is the work of conscience, so we could say that Daniel’s vision of two angels, one on each riverbank, is an image of the conscience, binding both the will and understanding together in an ideal striving for regeneration. Certainly regeneration cannot take place without these three components in our minds; our will and understanding must work in harmony with our conscience, and together they lead us.

Yet notice the distinction between the angels. One is "clothed in linen," and this factor becomes the distinguishing feature between the two angels. Daniel had once before seen an angel clothed in linen, also at the river bank of the Tigris. In chapter ten we read: “I looked, and behold, a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with the fine gold of Uphaz.”

As we saw in the explanation of that verse, linen "represents the pure and genuine truths from the Word" (Arcana Coelestia 9872, Apocalypse Revealed 691, Apocalypse Explained 951). One can assume, then, that this angel describes the understanding, for that is formed from truths from the Word, acting as a leader or guide to the will. It comes as no surprise that this is the angel consulted by the other, who by default must represent the will. It also is characteristic that the desire of the will formed from the combination of knowledge of truth and victory over evil in temptation to long for a completion of the process of regeneration.

When we are in the process of regeneration it often seems as though we will never finish and often during our lifetime in this world we don't Yet as a new will is formed as a result of the regenerative process, so a keenness develops for completion. Just as the old will, infected with selfishness as it was, wanted freedom to act out its lusts, so the new will wants the freedom to express itself unhindered by selfishness. At times we may sense this inner desire as an impatience to get the states of temptation over and done with.

The result is the question, from the will of "How long shall the fulfilment of these wonders be?" When shall we be finished? When shall we be perfected and recreated into the image and likeness of God, with the beasts destroyed and the king of the North's power at an end?

The answer can only come from truth, for if truth guides and directs our intentions, then in time the truth will overcome the obstacles imposed by selfishness. The longing for spiritual life, therefore, has to be subordinated to the truths we know. Thus the man clothed in linen answers At first Daniel describes him as being on the riverbank, but then he describes him as "being above the waters" in both verses six and seven.

This positioning "above the waters" brings to mind the second day of creation described in Genesis, where the "waters" were separated above and below the firmament. Several times so far, we have noted that "water" is a symbol for truth, and the division of waters above and below the firmament describes how, as a person regenerates, he or she early becomes aware of the distinction between the private, spiritual, inner self, and the public, worldly outer self (Arcana Coelestia 24). There is a parallel between the creation story and the state the person is going through at this point in Daniel. For now, after the revelatory visions given to Daniel, we are able to see, to have a concept of the work that still has to be done in our spiritual lives before we can relax into the peace of heaven. For this reason the "man clothed in linen," our conscience, speaks from the higher, more interior concepts in our minds.

As he speaks he matches his words to gestures, lifting up his right and left hands towards heaven. Again the symbolism is familiar, for a hand represents a person's power, and, in this case the dual, matching powers of our relationship to truth. Truth only has power to deliver us from self if we match our affection or delight in the truth with an understanding of it. The right hand depicts our affection for truth, while the left our understanding (Cf. Arcana Coelestia 2701), and these together are lifted up in an acknowledgement that the power of regeneration comes from the Lord alone.

There is, then, the intellectual recognition that we need to undergo the states of temptation, and victory, in order to reach the full freedom of deliverance There can be no short cuts, or half measure, which is described in those mystical words "that it shall be for a time, times and half a time."

Fewer phrases in the Word have been invested with as much mystical meaning as these, and yet few are simpler when understood both in their proper context and according to the inner sense. As we have seen over and again in this study "time" in the Word describes a state. We will not find true peace until we have gone through all the states of regeneration.

The angel describes the progression of states here as "time, times and half a time" We could paraphrase that to say, "a state, multiples states and fractions of states." In other words, no part can be left out. Each detail of the entire book of Daniel shows what these states are, following and developing them in a steady progression from start to finish. We need to deal with those states. We cannot be regenerated if Nebuchadnezzar is running amok in our intentions, or if Belshazzar controls a blasphemous external. Nor will we find peace if, like Darius we are puffed up with our own importance. We need to take hold of the beasts arising from the murky depths of our own minds, and cast them out. We need to let the truth judge us, and stand in awe of what we see not only in ourselves, but in the Lord's absolute mercy in giving us the spiritual wherewithal to overcome it. If we short cut any of these stages, we leave alive in us a flame, no matter how small, that can and will erupt into a larger fire at the slightest chance. We cannot hurry regeneration, we must pass through the states—all of them.

As we pass through the stages of regeneration the Lord reorders our lives. Things that had once been in disorder are rearranged. This happens on every level of our being from our feelings, our thoughts, and our actions. This reordering is described in the angels words that the end would come "when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered".

As these words stand they make if sound as if "the holy people" in us is shattered, which seems to imply that evil wins. However, this is not the case. What is described here is better translated in the Apocalypse Explained (1968: Swedenborg Foundation) where it says "and then they are to make an end of dispersing [the power] of the people of holiness." Temptation becomes when "they" — word omitted in the English — is taken to mean the forces of selfishness. The object of se1fishness, as has been shown from one end to the other in Daniel, is to turn all things to itself. To achieve this there is the continual effort to put conscience to flight, as Daniel on two occasions was put in physical danger, and how the he-goat put the ram to flight. Victory in temptation, however, stops this, putting an end to the "dispersing of the power of the people of holiness," for in victory the holy states with us are consolidated and brought together. Order is created from the disorder of selfishness. When this happens, then regeneration can be said to be finished.

Daniel the prophet heard only the cryptic words of the angel clothed in linen. He could not understand, just as we cannot: fully understand, the extent of the regenerative process in our lives. It is only possible for us to see a tiny fragment of the evils in our lives, for to see them in entirety would completely overwhelm us. It is not surprising then that Daniel was confused. The process can seem to go on and on, and we may get the feeling that our regenerative process will never be completed.

The angel’s response, however, is one of comfort. "The words," he said, "are closed up and sealed till the time of the end" Similar words were expounded earlier in t1 chapter, where we saw that to "close and seal" means to hide from view. Our work in the process of regeneration is to look ahead to the time of final deliverance, but to do so with the recognition that the Lord, working through His Divine Providence, will lead us to that point. There is never a time when we can say "all I've got left to do is such and such, and then I'll be finished." In very real sense the process never stops, for even as angels we are perfected to eternity.

However, we do have to keep in mind that the process of self-judgment and rejection of evil and falsity is ongoing. "Many shall be purified, made white and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly." These words give a wonderful picture of the back and forth pendulous swing of our progress. The truth is that we cannot reject our evil states until they are clear to us, until we can see their origin, the progress of their destructive course in our lives; and then, willingly reject them.

Even though the process may take forever, it will draw to a close. In verse 11, the angel puts a time limit on our decline into evil (assuming we exercise our conscience to reject the evil and come out of it), saying, “And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand, two hundred and ninety days.”

The description of the daily sacrifice being taken away is in Chapter eight The process begins with the little horn growing out of the male goat. It represents the false thoughts we have as a direct result of evil — in other words, the effect of selfishness, greed, arrogance and pride in our minds. This kind of falsity is devastating, for is not the kind of false thought that makes evil activity possible, but the thoughts which come because we are actually in evil. As Daniel watched, this little horn spread, indicating the poisonous influence of this kind of evil in our minds. Ultimately it took away the ability to worship the Lord in humility. The daily sacrifice on our part is that humble worship of the Lord, and when we cease to practice it, our spiritual life is in jeopardy. We can come back from the brink of that disaster, but only through the battles of temptation.

The "abomination of desolation" is the state in which there is no love nor charity left in a person because it has been overcome by evil (Arcana Coelestia 2454). This happens because the person is in a state in which “the Lord is no longer acknowledged; consequently when there is no love and no faith in Him; also when there is no longer any charity toward the neighbour; and consequently when there is not any faith of good and truth” (Arcana Coelestia 3652).

The decline into evil, then, is one thousand two hundred and ninety days. This decline makes it possible for us to see the evil in ourselves, to recognise its spiritually destructive power, and to reject it.

Every number in the Word has a special significance, which can be seen by analysing the individual parts of the number.

One thousand - A thousand indicates "innumerable things because it is made up of "tens" and "ten" represents "many things" or even "all" (Arcana Coelestia 2575). It is interesting that a fixed number can mean, uncountable things. In this case, the thousand represents the many, man states of evil which grow out of our falsities and evil and which lead to spiritual destruction.

Two hundred - As we have seen before, two involves the concept of joining things together, and hundred, like thousand, is an image of "many things". It also has the image of conflict, for when two things are joined together there is always some aspect of conflict in the conjunction.

Ninety - Ninety, however, is a different family of numbers, for it is made up of a multiple of three, and three represents fullness or completeness—carrying with it the concept of the end of one state and the beginning of a new state.

This time frame, then, of one thousand, two hundred and ninety days, is less dramatic in the internal sense than in the hands of some biblical prophecy interpreter trying to determine the end of the world. It signifies the fullness and completion of a state. Once we reach the point in our path of spiritual decline, our states have to run their course. The joining together and its conflict is implied in the "two hundred" is the joining of false thoughts with evil actions, so that our minds become an epitome of evil, while the "three" in "ninety" describes that that state must eventually come to an end.

Left unchecked our spiritual lives will dwindle down into the "abomination of desolation" where goodness, charity, altruistic love and inner peace will be totally absent. We cannot serve God and mammon.

Yet there is always hope. and the angel’s closing words give that hope for the future: "Blessed is he who waits." The English in this verse somehow implies a passive waiting, much as we would wait a bus stop. However, as the book of Daniel shows us, our spiritual development is anything but passive and in the doctrines we are told that a person “greatly errs who believes that he or she is incapable of doing anything for his or her own salvation because the light to see truths and the affection of doing them, as well as the freedom to think and will them, are from the Lord, and nothing of these from the person. ... If one lets one's hands hang down and waits for influx he receives nothing, and can have no reciprocal conjunction with the Lord, thus he is not in the covenant” (Apocalypse Explained 701:3).

The idea of "waiting" contains far more than modern English allows for. In the original language "to wait" included the aspect of longing for something (Brown-Driver-Briggs #2442). In Latin the word used to translate this concept is "expect". These two amplifications of the idea open up considerably the field of interpretation. It is inconceivable that the angel speaking to Daniel had any expectation that he should simply "wait" and hope for blessedness.

Yet to long for and expect the happiness of blessing is a different matter all together. This really is the essential glue that holds the entire process together. If we had no hope, no expectation that the difficult states of self analysis and temptation were not going to achieve anything, then there would be no point at all to the entire exercise. It is only if we expect that things will get better, that we will be liberated from selfishness, that it is possible to make sense out of human life in this world.

Unmentioned in Daniel, but closely related to "waiting" is the idea of confidence in the Lord. We need to be confident that the power to resist and reject the evil side of ourselves comes from the Lord, and equally we need to be confident that should we exercise that power in our lives, the Lord will bring us into a state of tranquillity and peace.

The angel's words, then, are words of hope. He points out to Daniel that it is possible for our evil natures to carry us into hell, for the "daily sacrifice" can be carried away, and we can reach the "abomination of desolation". The force that resists that is our expectation of the Lord, our confidence that He will give us the power, in fact that we already have the power to overcome our evils, if only we could use it freely and courageously in our daily lives.

Should we do that, we will come into a completely different state, for as the angel said, “Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days.”

Once again our final state is described in a series of numbers, although this is a different number, just as hell is a different state from heaven.

The analysis of this number is very similar to the one in the previous verse, sharing in common thousands and hundreds. However, the two figures are different in other respects, the former having two hundred and ninety days, the latter three hundred and thirty five days.

Three hundred - As we have seen many times before, the number three represents the completion of one state and the beginning of another. Hundred, being multiples of ten, also contains the idea of completeness or fullness.

Thirty - Thirty has much the same meaning as the number three hundred, both being multiples of three and ten.

Five - The number five generally carries the idea of a "few" (e.g. Arcana Coelestia 1686, 2267, 2575). However, the number five can represent the states of goodness and truth the Lord instils in a person during the regenerative process (Arcana Coelestia 6156). However; five can also be seen as half of ten, and, as we are told, "half or twice any number when used in the Word holds the same meaning as the number itself" (Arcana Coelestia 5291).

When we take these aspects of the number one thousand, three hundred and thirty five in to account, the picture emerges of the state of completion of the regenerative process. In this state the goodness and perspectives that one has striven for throughout the events described in the book of Daniel, have been accomplished—the process is finished and the person free to live a life of continued development possible only after the selfishness has been banished.

It is interesting to note that the role of the number "three" in this penultimate verse, for there are three hundred and thirty five years. It ties in with the beginning of the book, for in the first verse it says: "In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judea." Thus one sees the cycle of life, the original state, the lust for falsities and the aversion to truth, represented by Jehoiakim, initiate a cycle of selfish violence in our lives. This in turn can only be overcome by the conscience, which leads and directs us through the paths of temptation until eventually we are liberated.

Regeneration is a long process, and it cannot be hurried. However, we do need to know that the battles we face in our daily lives, the often excruciating inner conflicts between selfishness and conscience, serve a purpose: they lead us to the states of heaven This makes the book of Daniel a little like a road map, guiding us through the course of life for we need to know where we are going in order to retain the commitment to that spiritual journey.

When we look inwards to see the rampant Nebuchadnezzar states of selfishness, or the profane Belshazzar states of behaviour, when we see our slide into evil and the power that it has over our lives, then we need to be reassured that we can repent. We have the ability to fight against these things from the power given to us by the angels surrounding us, Gabriel and Michael, and all they represent are real forces in our lives. We can overcome and be set free.

But it takes time, dedication and patience. The angel's final words to Daniel must have been words of immeasurable comfort to an old man, torn from his native land and placed at the heart of the greatest empire in the world at that time. Similarly they are words of promise to each of us as we battle to overcome the evils of selfishness, as we are caught in the vortex of temptation. They are words of the promise of peace and hope for the future: “But you, go your way till the end; for you shall find rest, and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days.”

701. As the ark is called the ark of the covenant, we have to show from the Word that it was called the ark of the covenant because it contained the law. And the law, which in a broad sense means the Word, signifies the Lord as to the Divine Truth, which is the Word, thus the Divine Truth or Word which is from the Lord, and in which the Lord is, because all Divine Truth proceeds from Him. When this is received by man, conjunction with the Lord takes place, and it is this conjunction that is signified by covenant. How conjunction of the Lord with man, and of man with the Lord, is effected, shall also be explained in a few words. The Lord flows in continually with all men with light that enlightens, and with the love of knowing and understanding truths, and of willing and doing them; and as that light and that affection flow in continually from the Lord, it follows that a man becomes rational so far as he receives that light, and he becomes wise, and is led by the Lord in the degree that he receives that affection. That affection with its light draws to itself and conjoins to itself the truths which a man from infancy has learnt from the Word, from doctrine from the Word, and from preaching; for all affection desires to be nourished by the knowledges (cognitiones) which harmonize with it. From this conjunction man's spiritual love or affection is formed, by means of which he is conjoined to the Lord, that is, by means of which the Lord conjoins man to Himself.

[2] But in order that man may receive that light and that affection, freedom of choice has been given to him, which, because it is from the Lord, is also His gift with man, and is never taken away from him; for that freedom belongs to man's affection or love, consequently also to his life. Man, from freedom, can think and will what is evil, and also think and will what is good. So far, therefore, as a man from that freedom, which belongs to his love, and thus to his life, thinks falsities and wills evils, which are contrary to the truths and goods of the Word, so far he is not conjoined to the Lord; but so far as he thinks truths and wills goods, which are from the Word, so far he is conjoined to the Lord, and the Lord causes those truths and goods to be of His love, and thus of His life. From these things it is evident that this conjunction is reciprocal, namely, of the Lord with man, and of man with the Lord; such is the conjunction meant in the Word by covenant.

[3] He who believes that man can do nothing towards his own salvation, because the light to see truths and the affection to do them, and also the freedom to think and will them, are from the Lord, and nothing of these from man, is mistaken. But since those things appear to man to be in himself, and, when they are thought and willed, to be from himself, therefore, because of that appearance, man ought to think and will them as from himself, but at the same time to acknowledge that they are from the Lord. In no other way can anything of truth and good, or of faith and love, be appropriated to him. He who hangs down his hands, and waits for influx, can receive nothing and can have no reciprocal conjunction with the Lord; thus he is not in the covenant. That this is the case is clearly evident from this, that the Lord in a thousand passages in the Word has said that men should do good, and not evil; and the Lord would by no means have said this, unless something had been given to man, which confers upon him ability to act; and that which has been given to man appears to him to be his own, although it is not his. Because this is the case, therefore the Lord thus speaks in John:

"I stand at the door, and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me" (Apoc. 3:20).

[4] That covenant signifies conjunction with the Lord through the reception of Divine Truth in the understanding and will, or in the heart and soul, that is, in love and faith, and that conjunction takes place reciprocally, is evident from the Word, where covenant is mentioned. For it is evident from the Word,- 1. That the Lord Himself is called a covenant, because conjunction with Him is effected by Him by means of the Divine which proceeds from Him. 2. That the proceeding Divine, which is the Divine Truth, thus the Word, is a covenant, because it conjoins. 3. That the commandments, judgments, and statutes, given to the sons of Israel, were to them a covenant, because through these there was at that time conjunction with the Lord. 4. That further, whatever conjoins is called a covenant.

[5] As to the first - That the Lord Himself is called a covenant, because conjunction with Him is effected by Him by means of the Divine which proceeds from Him, is evident from the following passages.

In Isaiah:

"I, Jehovah, have called thee in justice, and I will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and I will give thee for a covenant of the people, and for a light of the nations" (42:6).

This is said of the Lord, who is called a covenant of the people, and a light of the nations, because a covenant signifies conjunction, and light Divine Truth, peoples mean those who are in truths, and nations those who are in goods, as may be seen above (n. 175, 331, 625). To call Him in justice signifies that He may accomplish justice by separating the evil from the good, saving the latter but condemning the former. To take hold of the hand and to keep signifies from Divine Omnipotence, which the hells are unable to resist; that Jehovah will do this signifies that it is done by the Divine in the Lord.

[6] In the same:

"I have given thee for a covenant of the people, to restore the earth, and to inherit the devastated heritages" (49:8).

This also is said of the Lord; and to give for a covenant of the people signifies that there may be conjunction with Him and by Him; to restore the earth signifies the church; and to inherit the devastated heritages signifies to restore the goods and truths of the church which had been destroyed.

[7] In David:

"I have made a covenant with mine elect, and I have sworn to David my servant, Even to eternity will I establish thy seed, to eternity will I keep for him my mercy, and my covenant shall be steadfast for him" (Psalm 89:3, 4, 28).

David here means the Lord as to His royalty, as may be seen above (n. 205), who is called Elect from good, and Servant from truth. To make a covenant and swear to Him signifies the union of His Divine with His Human, to make a covenant denoting to be united, and to swear denoting to confirm it. Even to eternity will I establish thy seed, signifies the eternity of Divine Truth from Him; to eternity will I keep for Him my mercy, signifies the eternity of Divine Good from Him; My covenant shall be steadfast, signifies the union of the Divine and Human in Him. This becomes the meaning of these words, when instead of David the Lord as to the Divine Human, and Its royalty are meant; and it is spoken of in this way in the sense of the letter, because in that sense David is treated of, with whom there was no eternal covenant.

[8] In the Second Book of Samuel:

"The God of Israel said, The Rock of Israel spake to me, and he shall be as the light of the morning, the sun ariseth, [of a morning] without clouds, from the brightness after rain, grass out of the earth. Is not my house firm with God? because he hath set for me a covenant of eternity, to order over all and to keep" (23:3-5).

This is said by David; and the God of Israel, and the Rock of Israel, mean the Lord as to Divine Truth. The signification of, He shall be as the light of the morning, the sun ariseth, of a morning without clouds, from the brightness after rain, grass out of the earth, may be seen above (n. 644:22). The Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord, from which comes all germination of truth and fructification of good is here described. Is not my house firm with God? signifies the church conjoined with the Lord by means of Divine Truth, the house of David denoting the church. Because He hath set for me a covenant of eternity, signifies that from the union of His Human with the Divine He has conjunction with the men of the church; to order over all and to keep, signifies from which He rules all things and all persons, and saves such as receive.

[9] In Malachi:

"Ye shall know that I have sent unto you this commandment, that my covenant may be with Levi; my covenant with him was of life and of peace, which I gave to him with fear, that he might fear me. The law of truth was in his mouth, and perversity was not found in his lips. But ye have departed from the way, ye have caused many to stumble in the law, ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi" (2:4-6, 8).

The covenant of Jehovah with Levi, in the highest sense, signifies the union of the Divine with the Human in the Lord, and, in the relative sense, the conjunction of the Lord with the church; for the Lord is meant by Levi as well as by David, but by Levi as to Divine Good, which is the priesthood of the Lord, and by David as to the Divine Truth, which is the royalty of the Lord. That the Lord is meant by Levi is plain from the fact that it is said, the law of truth was in His mouth, and perversity was not found in His lips, the law of truth signifying Divine Truth from Divine Good, and lips doctrine of truth and instruction; and afterwards it is said, "The lips of the priest shall keep knowledge (scientia), and they shall seek the law from his mouth, because he is the angel of Jehovah Zebaoth" (verse 7). The covenant of life and of peace signifies that union and that conjunction (of which just above) from which the Lord Himself became life and peace, from which man has eternal life and also peace from infestation by evils and falsities, thus from hell. The signification of His fear, may be seen above (n. 696). Those who live contrary to Divine Truth are understood by those that have departed from the way, caused many to stumble in the law, and corrupted the covenant of Levi; to depart from the way, and to stumble in the law, signify to live contrary to Divine Truth; and to corrupt the covenant of Levi, signifies [to corrupt] conjunction with the Lord.

[10] In the same:

"Behold, I send mine angel, who shall prepare the way before me; and suddenly the Lord shall come to his temple, and the angel of the covenant whom ye desire" (3:1).

That the Lord's coming is here proclaimed is plain. The Lord is here called Lord from Divine Good, and the angel of the covenant from Divine Truth, as may be seen above (n. 242:9, 433:12, 444:8), where the rest of the passage is also explained. From this it is evident that covenant, when used in reference to the Lord, means either Himself or the union of His Divine with the Human in Him and that, with reference to those who are in heaven and in the church, it means conjunction with Him, through the Divine which proceeds from Him.

[11] Secondly, That the proceeding Divine, which is the Divine Truth, thus the Word, is a covenant, because it conjoins, is evident from the following passages.

In Moses:

Moses coming down from Mount Sinai "told the people all the words of Jehovah, and all the judgments; and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which Jehovah hath spoken will we do; and Moses wrote all the words of Jehovah," in a book; "and he took the book of the covenant, and read it in the ears of the people, and they said, Everything that Jehovah hath spoken we will do, and we will hearken. And Moses took half of the blood" of the burnt-offerings, "and sprinkled upon the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which Jehovah hath made with you concerning all these words. And they saw the God of Israel, and under his feet as it were a work of sapphire stone" (Exodus 24:3, 4, 7, 8, 10).

That Divine Truth, which with us is the Word, is a covenant, is evident from all these particulars considered in the internal or spiritual sense. For Moses, who said those things to the people, represented the law, that is, the Word, as is evident from various places where it is said, "Moses and the prophets," and in others, "the law and the prophets." Thus Moses denotes the law; and the law, in a broad sense, signifies the Word, which is Divine Truth. The same is also evident from this, that Mount Sinai signifies heaven whence Divine Truth comes; that the book of the covenant, which was read before the people, signifies the Word, and that the blood, of which half was sprinkled upon the people, also signifies Divine Truth, which is the Word, and as this conjoins, it is called the blood of the covenant. And since all conjunction by means of Divine Truth is with the Lord, therefore the God of Israel, who is the Lord, was seen by Moses, Aaron and his sons, and the seventy elders. It is said, "was seen under His feet" there, because when by the Lord is meant the Word, by His feet is meant the Word in its ultimates, that is, in the sense of its letter, for the sons of Israel did not see it interiorly. As it were a work of sapphire stone, signifies to be transparent, from internal truths, which are the spiritual sense of the Word. But these things may be seen explained in detail in theArcana Coelestia 9371-9412).

[12] What kind of conjunction that is, which is signified by covenant, is also evident from what has been adduced, namely, that it is like the covenants that are accustomed to be made in the world, between one person and another; similarly, the covenants which the Lord makes with men must be in the Lord's part and on man's part; they must be on the part of both, for the sake of conjunction. Those things which were on the Lord's part are stated in the preceding chapter, namely, that He will bless their bread and their waters, that He will take away their diseases, and that they shall possess the land of Canaan from the Sea Suph (Red Sea) even to the river Euphrates (Exodus 23:25-31). Here to bless their bread and their waters, in the internal spiritual sense, signifies the fructification of good and multiplication of truth, bread signifying all the good of heaven and of the church, and waters, all the truths of that good. To take away diseases, signifies to remove evils and falsities which are from hell, for these in the spiritual sense are diseases; and to possess the land from the Sea Suph (Red Sea) to the river Euphrates, signifies the church with its entire extension, which those have from the Lord who are conjoined to Him through Divine Truth. But the things which must be on man's part are stated in the three preceding chapters, and in brief are meant in the passage cited above, by "the words of Jehovah and the judgments," which Moses descending from Mount Sinai related to the people, to which the people responded with one voice, "All the words that Jehovah hath spoken we will do, and we will hearken." For this reason Moses divided the blood of the burnt-offering, and half of it, which was for the Lord, he left in the bowls, but the other half he sprinkled upon the people.

[13] That conjunction of the Lord with man is effected by means of the Divine Truth is also meant by blood in the Evangelists.

Jesus "took the cup, saying, Drink of it all of you, this is my blood, that of the new covenant" (Matthew 26:27; Mark 14:23, 24; Luke 22:20).

Here blood is called the blood of the new covenant, because blood signifies the Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord, and covenant signifies conjunction. That blood signifies the Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord, and received by man, may be seen above (n. 329, 476); and that to drink signifies to receive, to appropriate to oneself, and thus to be conjoined, may also be seen above (n. 617).

[14] Similarly in Zechariah:

"By the blood of thy covenant, I will send forth thy bound out of the pit in which there is no water" (9:11).

This is said of the Lord, who is plainly treated of in that chapter; and by the blood of the covenant is meant, as above, the Divine Truth, by means of which conjunction takes place with the Lord. Who are meant by the bound in the pit, in which there is no water, may be seen above (n. 537:12).

[15] Since the Lord called His blood, which means the Divine Truth proceeding from Him, the blood of the new covenant, the meaning of the old covenant and the new covenant shall be briefly explained. The old covenant means conjunction by means of Divine Truth such as was given to the sons of Israel, which was external, and therefore representative of internal Divine Truth. They had no other Divine Truth, because they were not able to receive any other, for they were external and natural men, and not internal or spiritual, as is evident from this consideration, that those who did know anything of the Lord's coming had no other idea of Him than that He was to be a king, who would exalt them above all the peoples in the whole world, and thus establish a kingdom with them on the earth, and not in the heavens, and thence in the earth with all who should believe in Him. The old covenant therefore was a conjunction by means of the Divine Truth which is contained in the books of Moses, and was called the commandments, judgments, and statutes, in which, however, there lay inwardly concealed such Divine Truth as is in heaven, this being internal and spiritual. This Divine Truth was made manifest by the Lord when He was in the world; and as by means of this alone there is conjunction of the Lord with men, therefore this is meant by the new covenant, and also by His blood, which is consequently called the blood of the new covenant. Wine (vinum) also has a similar meaning.

[16] This new covenant, which was to be entered into with the Lord when He should come into the world, is frequently treated of in the Word of the Old Covenant.

As in Jeremiah:

"Behold, the days come, in which I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not as the covenant which I made with your fathers, because they made my covenant void. But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days; I will put my law in the midst of them, and upon their heart will I write it, and I will be to them for a God, and they shall be to me for a people; neither shall they teach any more a man his companion, or a man his brother, saying, Know ye Jehovah, for they shall all know me, from the least of them even unto the greatest of them " (31:31-34).

That Jehovah, that is the Lord, was to make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, does not mean with the sons of Israel and with Judah, but with all who are in truths of doctrine and in the good of love to the Lord from the Lord. That such are meant by the sons of Israel and by Judah, in the Word, may be seen above (n. 433); it is evident that "the days come" means the Lord's coming. That conjunction with the Lord would then take place by means of Divine Truth, internal and spiritual, is meant by these words, "This is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days; I will put my law in the midst of them, and upon their heart will I write it." This signifies that they shall then receive Divine Truth interiorly in themselves. For spiritual Divine Truth is received by man interiorly, which was not the case with the sons of Israel and the Jews, who received it exteriorly. For when man receives Divine Truth within himself, that is to say, causes it to be of his love and thus of his life, then truth is known from truth itself, since the Lord flows in into His own truth with man, and teaches him. This is meant by these words, "They shall no more teach a man his companion, or a man his brother, saying, Know ye Jehovah, for they shall all know me, from the least even unto the greatest." The conjunction itself thereby effected, which the new covenant signifies, is meant by "I will be to them for a God, and they shall be to me for a people."

[17] In the same:

"They shall be to me for a people, and I will be to them for a God, and I will give to them one heart and one way, to fear me all their days, and I will make with them an eternal covenant, that I will not turn myself away from after them, that I may do them good; and I will put my fear into their heart, that they may not depart from before me" (32:38-40).

This also treats of the Lord, and of a new covenant with Him; and conjunction by means of it is meant by "I will be to them for a God, and they shall be to me for a people," and is further described by the words, "I will give to them one heart and one way, to fear me all their days"; and by not turning Himself away from after them, and by putting His fear into their heart, that they may not depart from before Him. One heart and one way, to fear Me, signifies one will of good and one understanding of truth to worship the Lord. And as the conjunction is reciprocal, that is to say, of the Lord with them, and of them with the Lord, therefore it is said, that He will not turn away from after them, to do them good, and that they shall not depart from before Him. The signification of the eternal covenant, which He will enter into with them is therefore evident, namely, conjunction by means of spiritual Divine Truth, which when received, constitutes the life of man, and from which eternal conjunction results.

[18] In Ezekiel:

"I will set up over them one shepherd who shall feed them, my servant David. I, Jehovah, will be to them for a God, and my servant David a prince in the midst of them. Then will I make with them a covenant of peace, I will cause the evil beast to cease, that they may dwell confidently in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods" (34:23-25).

This is also said of the Lord. David, who shall feed them, and who shall be a prince in the midst of them, means the Lord as to Divine Truth, who is called a servant from serving. Conjunction with the Lord by means of Divine Truth is meant by the covenant which He will make with them; this is called a covenant of peace, because man through conjunction with the Lord is at peace, being freed from the infestation of evil and falsity from hell. Therefore it is also said, "I will cause the evil beast to cease, that they may dwell confidently in the wilderness, and sleep in the forests," the evil beast meaning falsity and evil from hell, and to dwell confidently in the wilderness and to sleep in the forests signifying that they shall be everywhere safe from all infestation by evil and falsity.

[19] In the same:

"My servant David shall be king over them, that they all may have one shepherd; and I will make with them a covenant of peace, it shall be a covenant of eternity with them; and I will place them, and multiply them; and I will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for ever, and my dwelling-place with them; and I will be to them for a God, and they shall be to me for a people" (37:24, 26, 27).

Here also David means the Lord, for it is evident that David, will not come again to be their king and shepherd; but the Lord is called king from Divine Truth, for this is the royalty of the Lord, while Divine Good is His priesthood. The Lord is also called Shepherd, because He will feed them with Divine Truth, and by means of it lead to the good of love, and thus to Himself; and because conjunction is the result of this, it is said, "I will make with them a covenant of peace, a covenant of eternity." It has been shown above what a covenant of peace signifies, and also that I will be to them for a God; and they shall be to Me for a people, means conjunction. The sanctuary which He shall set in the midst of them, and the dwelling-place which shall be with them, signify heaven and the church, which are called a sanctuary from the good of love and a dwelling-place from the truth of that good, for the Lord dwells in truths from good.

[20] In Hosea:

"In that day I will make for them a covenant with the wild beast of the field, with the birds of the heavens, and with the creeping things of the earth; the bow, and the sword, and the war, will I break from off the earth; and I will cause them to lie down securely; and I will betroth thee to me for ever" (2:18, 19).

This is said of the establishment of a new church by the Lord. That the Lord would not then make a covenant with the wild beast of the field, with the bird of the heavens, and with the creeping thing of the earth, is plain; therefore these things signify such things as pertain to man, the wild beast of the field signifying the affection for truth and good, the bird of the heavens, spiritual thought, and the creeping thing of the earth, the scientific (scientificum) pertaining to the natural man. The signification of the rest of this passage may be seen above (n. 650:34). It is therefore evident that the covenant which the Lord will make is a spiritual covenant, or a covenant by means of spiritual truth, and not a covenant by means of natural truth; the latter is the old covenant made with the sons of Israel, and the former the new covenant.

[21] Since the law, which was proclaimed by the Lord from Mount Sinai, signifies, in a comprehensive sense, the Word, therefore also the tables, on which that law was written, are called the tables of the covenant.

In Moses:

"I went up into the mount to receive the tables of stone, the tables of the covenant which Jehovah made with you; at the end of forty days and forty nights Jehovah gave to me two tables of stone, the tables of the covenant" (Deuteronomy 9:9, 11).

Those tables, that is, the law written upon them, mean the Divine Truth, through which there is conjunction with the Lord, and because of that conjunction they are called the tables of the covenant. And as all conjunction, just as is the case with a covenant, is effected on the one part and on the other part, that is, reciprocally by both parties, therefore there were two tables, and they were of stone; they were of stone because stone also signifies Divine Truth in ultimates, as may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 643, 3720, 6426, 8609, 10376). For this reason, the ark, in which those tables were deposited, was called the ark of the covenant, and it was the holiest thing in worship with the sons of Israel, as shown in the preceding article.

[22] Thirdly - That the commandments, judgments, and statutes, given to the sons of Israel, were to them a covenant, because through these conjunction with the Lord was then effected, is evident from the following passages.

In Moses:

"If ye walk in my statutes, and observe my commandments, and do them, I will have respect unto you, and will make you fruitful, and multiply you, and I will confirm my covenant with you. But if ye reject my statutes, so as not to do all my commandments, while ye make my covenant void," I will do contrary to you (Leviticus 26:3, 9, 15, and following verses).

The statutes and commandments that were to be observed and done are set forth in the preceding chapter, and the goods which they should enjoy if they kept those commandments and statutes; and afterwards the evils which would come upon them if they did not keep them are detailed in this chapter. But the goods which they were to enjoy were earthly and worldly goods, and so also were the evils, for the reason that they were earthly and natural men, and not celestial and spiritual. They therefore knew nothing of the goods which interiorly affect man, or of the evils which interiorly afflict him, nevertheless the external things which they were bound to observe were such as contained interiorly in themselves celestial and spiritual things, by means of which there is real conjunction with the Lord; and as these were perceived in heaven, therefore the externals which were to be observed by the sons of Israel are called a covenant. But what was the nature of the conjunction of the Lord with the sons of Israel by means of those things, may be seen in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 248).

[23] Similar things are meant by covenant in the following passages.

In Moses:

"Jehovah said unto Moses, Write thou these words, because upon the mouth of these words have I made a covenant with thee and with Israel" (Exodus 34:27)

Again:

"Keep ye the words of this covenant, and do them, ye that stand here this day, your heads, your tribes, your moderators, and every man of Israel, to pass over into the covenant of Jehovah, and into his oath, which Jehovah God maketh with thee this day, that he may appoint thee this day for a people, and that he may be to thee for a God. Not with you only do I make this covenant, and oath, but also with every one who is not here with you this day" (Deuteronomy 29:9, 10, 12-15).

And in the Second Book of Kings:

King Josiah "sent, and gathered unto him all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem; and the king went up to the house of Jehovah, and every man of Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, likewise the priests and the prophets, and the whole people from small even to great, and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant found in the house of Jehovah; and the king stood by a pillar, and made a covenant before Jehovah, to go after Jehovah, and to keep his precepts, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with all the heart and with all the soul, to establish all the words of this covenant written in this book; and all the people stood in the covenant" (23:1-3).

And in other places, as Jeremiah 22:8, 9; 33:20-22; 50:5; Ezekiel 16:8; Malachi 2:14; Psalm 78:37; 50:5, 16; 103:17, 18; 105:8, 9; 106:45; 111:5, 9; Deuteronomy 17:2; 1 Kings 19:14. In all these passages the covenant is mentioned, and the external rites which the sons of Israel were to observe are signified by it.

[24] But as to the covenant which the Lord made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, this was not the same as that made with the posterity of Jacob, but it was a covenant on the part of the Lord that their seed should be multiplied, and that the land of Canaan should be given to it; and on the part of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that every male should be circumcised. That a different covenant was made with the posterity of Jacob, is clear in Moses:

"Jehovah God made with us a covenant in Horeb, not with our fathers did Jehovah God make this covenant, but with us" (Deuteronomy 5:2, 3).

Concerning this covenant, it is written as follows in Moses:

"Jehovah brought" Abraham "forth abroad, and said, Look towards heaven, and number the stars; and he said to him, Thus shall thy seed be. And he said to him, Take to thee a heifer of three years old, and a she-goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtle dove, and a young pigeon; and he divided them in the midst, and he laid each part over against the other; and the birds he did not divide. And the sun went down, and there was a thick darkness; and lo! a furnace of smoke and a torch of fire passed between the pieces. In that day Jehovah made a covenant with Abraham, saying, To thy seed will I give this land, from the river of Egypt even to the great river Euphrates" (Genesis 15:5-18).

And afterwards:

"I will give my covenant between me and thee, and I will multiply thee exceedingly; I, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be for a father of a multitude of nations, and I will make thee exceeding fruitful; and I will give to thee, and to thy seed after thee, all the land of thy sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession. This is my covenant which ye shall keep between me and you, and between thy seed after thee; every male shall be circumcised to you; he who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that soul shall be cut off from his people, he hath made my covenant void; and my covenant will I set up with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to thee" (Gen, 17:1-21).

From these things the nature of the covenant entered into with Abraham is evident, namely, that his seed should be multiplied exceedingly, and, that the land of Canaan should be given to him for a possession. The commandments, judgments, and statutes which constituted the covenant are not mentioned; but still they are signified by the heifer, the she-goat, and the ram of three years old, and by the turtle dove and young pigeon, for these animals signify those things that pertain to the church, while the land of Canaan itself signifies the church. And because the Lord foresaw that the posterity of Abraham from Jacob would not keep the covenant, therefore a furnace of smoke and a torch of fire passing between the pieces appeared to Abraham; and the furnace of smoke signifies the dense falsity, and the torch of fire the direful evil, in which the posterity of Jacob would be. This is also confirmed in Jeremiah (33:18-20). That Abraham divided the heifer, the she-goat, and the ram, and laid each part over against the other, was according to the form of covenants made between two parties. But these things may be seen fully explained in theArcana Coelestia 1783-1862).

[25] The covenant was made by circumcision, because circumcision represented purification from the loves of self and of the world, which are corporeal and terrestrial loves, and the removal of them; therefore also circumcision was performed with a small stone knife, which signified truth of doctrine, by means of which all purification from evils and falsities, and their removal, is effected. But the details recorded in that chapter respecting this covenant are also explained in the Arcana Coelestia 1987-2095; and respecting circumcision n. 2039 at the end, n. 2046 at the end, 2632, 2799, 4462, 7044, 8093). But because Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the internal sense, mean the Lord, therefore their seed signify all who are of the church of the Lord, and this church is also meant by the land of Canaan which their seed was to inherit.

[26] There was also the covenant entered into with Noah, that men should no more perish by the waters of a flood, and that the bow should be in the cloud for a sign of that covenant (Genesis 6:17, 18; 9:9-17). That that covenant also involves the conjunction of the Lord through Divine Truth is evident from the explanation of the above words in the Arcana Coelestia 659-675, and n. 1022-1059). That the bow in the cloud, or the rainbow there, signifies regeneration, which is effected by means of Divine Truth and by a life in agreement with it, and that therefore that bow was taken for a sign of the covenant, may also be seen in the same work (n. 1042).

[27] Fourthly - That, further, whatever conjoins is called a Covenant; as the sabbath, in Moses:

"The sons of Israel shall keep the sabbath in their generations, the covenant of an age" (Exodus 31:16).

The sabbath was called the covenant of an age, because the sabbath, in the highest sense, signified the union of the Divine with the Human in the Lord, and, in the relative sense (sensu respectivo), the conjunction of the Lord with heaven and the church, and, in the universal sense, the conjunction of good and truth, and this conjunction is called the heavenly marriage. Therefore the rest on the sabbath day signified the state of that union, and of that conjunction, since by that state the Lord has peace and rest, and by it also there are peace and salvation in the heavens and on earth.

[28] That this is the signification of the sabbath, and of rest thereon, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 8494, 8495, 8510, 10356, 10360, 10367, 10374, 10668, 10730). The salt in the sacrifices is called the salt of the covenant, also in Moses:

"Thou shalt not cause the salt of the covenant of thy God to cease upon thine offering, upon all thine offering thou shalt offer salt" (Leviticus 2:13).

The salt upon the offering is called the salt of the covenant, because salt signifies the desire of truth for good, by which means the two are conjoined. On this signification of salt, see the Arcana Coelestia 9207).

[29] A wife is also called a wife of the covenant, in Malachi:

"Jehovah hath been a witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously, though she is thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant" (Malachi 2:14).

A wife is here called the wife of a covenant, from conjunction with her husband, but wife here signifies the church, and a wife of youth the Ancient Church against which the Jewish Church is said to have dealt treacherously. And because these were both representative churches, and in this respect alike, and so were conjoined, therefore it is said, although she was thy companion and the wife of thy covenant.

[30] A covenant with the stones of the field is spoken of in Job, in these words:

"Thou shalt not be afraid of the wild beast of the field, for with the stones of the field is thy covenant, and the wild beast of the field shall be at peace with thee" (5:22, 23).

A covenant with the stones of the field signifies conjunction with the truths of the church, for stones signify truths, - field, the church, and covenant, conjunction. The wild beast of the field signifies the love of falsity, of which wild beast "thou shalt not be afraid," and which "shall be at peace," when there is conjunction with the church through truths.

[31] Mention is also made of a covenant with wild beasts and birds in Hosea:

"In that day I will make for them a covenant with the wild beast of the field, with the bird of the heavens, and with the creeping thing of the earth" (Hosea 2:18).

And in Moses:

"God said to Noah, Behold, I set up my covenant with you, and with every living soul which is with you, to the bird, to the beast, and to every wild beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ark as to every wild beast of the earth" (Genesis 9:9, 10).

A covenant with beast, wild beast, bird, and creeping thing of the earth, signifies conjunction with such things in man as are signified by these; for beast signifies the affection for good, wild beast the affection for truth, bird, the thinking faculty, and the creeping thing of the earth, the Scientific, which lives from those affections.

[32] Mention is also made of a covenant with death, in Isaiah:

"Ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell we have made a vision; your covenant with death shall be abolished, and your vision with hell shall not stand" (28:15, 18).

To make a covenant with death signifies conjunction through falsity from hell, from which a man spiritually dies; to make a vision with hell signifies divination, as if prophetic, from hell. From these passages now quoted connectedly, it is evident that a covenant, where the Lord is treated of, signifies conjunction by means of Divine Truth. There is indeed a conjunction with Him by means of the good of love; but because the Lord flows in with man through good into truths, whereby man has affection for truth, and receives the good of the Lord in truths, from which he acknowledges, confesses, and adores the Lord, therefore the good of love conjoins by means of truth, comparatively as the heat of the sun, in the time of spring and summer, conjoins itself with the fructifications of the earth.