2813. And bound Isaac his son. That this signifies the state of the Divine rational thus about to undergo as to truth the last degrees of temptation, is evident from the signification of “binding,” and also of “Isaac his son.” That to “bind” is to put on the state for undergoing the last degrees of temptation, is evident from the fact that he who is in a state of temptation is no otherwise than as bound or chained. That “Isaac the son” is the Lord’s Divine rational, here as to truth, may be seen above (n. 2802, 2803). All the genuine rational consists of good and truth. The Lord’s Divine rational as to good could not suffer, or undergo temptations; for no genius or spirit inducing temptations can come near to Good Divine, as it is above all attempt at temptation. But Truth Divine bound was what could be tempted; for there are fallacies, and still more falsities, which break in upon and thus tempt it; for concerning Truth Divine some idea can be formed, but not concerning Good Divine except by those who have perception, and are celestial angels. It was Truth Divine which was no longer acknowledged when the Lord came into the world, and therefore it was that from which the Lord underwent and endured temptations. Truth Divine in the Lord is what is called the “Son of man,” but Good Divine is what is called the “Son of God.” Of the “Son of man” the Lord says many times that He was to suffer, but never of the Son of God. That He says this of the Son of man, or of Truth Divine, is evident in Matthew:

Behold we go up to Jerusalem, and the Son of man shall be delivered, unto the chief priests and scribes, and they shall condemn Him, and shall deliver Him unto the Gentiles to mock and to scourge, and to crucify (Matthew 20:18-19).

Jesus said to His disciples, Behold the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is delivered into the hands of sinners (Matthew 26:45).

In Mark:

Jesus began to teach them that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders, and the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again (Mark 8:31).

It is written of the Son of man, that He shall suffer many things, and be set at nought. And the Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill Him; but when He is killed He shall rise again on the third day (Mark 9:12, 31).

Behold we go up to Jerusalem, and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests and the scribes, and they shall condemn Him to death, and shall deliver Him unto the Gentiles, and they shall mock Him, and shall spit upon Him, and shall kill Him, and the third day He shall rise again (Mark 10:33-34).

The hour is come; behold the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners (Mark 14:41).

In Luke:

The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and the third day rise again (Luke 9:22, 44).

We go up to Jerusalem, where all the things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished; He shall be delivered up unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and shamefully entreated, and spit upon, and they shall scourge and kill Him, and the third day He shall rise again (Luke 18:31-33).

The angel said to the women, Remember what He spake unto you when He was yet in Galilee, saying that the Son of man must be delivered up into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again (Luke 24:6-7).

[2] In all these places by the “son of man” is meant the Lord as to Truth Divine, or as to the Word in its internal sense, which was rejected by the chief priests and scribes, was shamefully entreated, scourged, spit upon, and crucified, as may be clearly evident from the fact that the Jews applied and arrogated everything to themselves according to the letter, and were not willing to know anything about the spiritual sense of the Word, and about the heavenly kingdom, believing that the Messiah was to come to raise up their kingdom above all the kingdoms of the earth, as they also believe at this day. Hence it is manifest that it was Truth Divine which was rejected by them, shamefully treated, scourged, and crucified. Whether you say Truth Divine, or the Lord as to Truth Divine, it is the same; for the Lord is the Truth itself, as He is the Word itself (n. 2011, 2016, 2533 at the end).

[3] The Lord’s rising again on the third day also involves that Truth Divine, or the Word as to the internal sense, as it was understood by the Ancient Church, will be revived in the consummation of the age, which is also the “third day” (n. 1825, 2788); on which account it is said that the Son of man (that is, Truth Divine) will then appear (Matthew 24:30, 37, 39, 44; Mark 13:26; Luke 17:22, 24-26, 30; 21:27, 36).

[4] That the “Son of man” is the Lord as to Truth Divine, is evident from the passages adduced, and further from the following.

In Matthew:

He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man, the field is the world. In the consummation of the age the Son of man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offend (Matthew 13:37, 41-42); where the “good seed” is the truth; the “world” is men; “He that soweth the seed” is the Son of man; and the “things that offend” are falsities.

In John:

The multitude said, We have heard out of the Law that the Christ abideth forever; and how sayest Thou that the Son of man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of man ? Jesus answered them, A little while is the Light with you; walk while ye have the Light, that darkness overtake you not; for he that walketh in the darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have the Light, believe in the Light, that ye may become the sons of Light (John 12:34-35); where, when they asked who the Son of man is, Jesus answered concerning the Light, which is the Truth, and that He is the Light or Truth in which they should believe. (As regards the Light which is from the Lord, and which is the Divine Truth, see above, n. 1053, 1521, 1529-1531, 1619-1632)

[5] But that the Son of God, or the Lord as to Good in His Human Divine could not be tempted, as was said above, this is manifest also from the Lord’s answer to the tempter, in the Evangelists:

The tempter said, If Thou art the Son of God cast Thyself down; for it is written, He shall give His angels charge concerning Thee, lest haply Thou dash Thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God (Matthew 4:6-7Luke 4:9-12).

900. Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors, signifies that such will henceforth be free from combat against evils and falsities, and from infestation by them. This is evident from the signification of "saith the Spirit," as being assertion that it is true, for "angel," likewise "Spirit," signifies truth from the Lord. Also from the signification of "labors," as being combats against evils and falsities and infestations by them, thus temptations (of which presently), therefore "to rest from them" signifies that they will henceforth be free from them. This makes evident that "the Spirit saith, that they may rest from their labors," signifies that it is true that they will henceforth be free from combat against evils and falsities, and from infestation by them. The preceding verse treats of the temptations of those who live according to the Lord's commandments and who acknowledge His Divine, therefore this verse treats of the consolations that follow spiritual temptations; for, as has been said above n. 897, after all spiritual temptations joys come forth.

[2] "Labors" mean temptations, because temptations are labors of the soul or spiritual labors; and these are meant by "labor" in Isaiah:

Jehovah hath willed to bruise him, He hath weakened him; if He hath made his soul a guilt-offering, he shall see seed, he shall prolong days, and the will of Jehovah shall prosper by his hand; he shall see of the labor of his soul and shall be satisfied (Isaiah 53:10, 11).

This is said of the Lord, of whom the whole of that chapter treats. The Lord's temptations, which were most grievous, because they were against the hells, are described by "Jehovah willed to bruise him, He hath weakened him," for by means of temptations the loves of what is one's own [proprium] are broken, thus the body is bruised and weakened. "If he hath made his soul a guilt-offering" signifies, if he has endured temptations even unto death; "he shall see seed" signifies that the Divine truth shall proceed from Him, "seed" meaning truth, and in reference to the Lord the Divine truth; "he shall prolong days" signifies the Divine good, which shall also proceed from Him, "long" and thus "to prolong" being said in reference to good (See above, n. 629), and "days" signifying states. "And the will of Jehovah shall prosper by his hand" signifies that thus all things and each thing in the heavens and in the earths shall be kept in Divine order; "of the labor of his soul" signifies by temptations; "he shall see and shall be satisfied" signifies glorification. This is the signification of these words in the highest sense, which treats of the Lord. But in a relative sense they describe the salvation of the human race, for which the Lord fought from Divine love.

[3] It is said, "If he hath made his soul a guilt-offering," as if it were a matter of doubt whether he would so make it. But the same truth is involved in this as in what He Himself says in John:

I lay down My soul that I may take it again; no man taketh it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again. This commandment received I from My Father (John 10:17, 18).

The arcanum that is concealed in these words no one can see unless he knows what the temptations are by which man is regenerated. For in these man is kept in his freedom; from which it appears to him as if he fought from himself. In fact, man has in temptations a more potent spiritual freedom than when he is not in them, for it is more interior. Unless man fought from this freedom in temptations he could not become spiritual; for all freedom is of the love, therefore man then fights from the love of truth, and thus from the love of eternal life; and in this and in no other way is the internal opened and man regenerated. From these few things it can be seen in some degree what is involved in these words of the Lord, namely, that he fought from His own freedom and finally laid down His soul that He might do all things from His own power, and thus might become righteousness from Himself, which He could not have become except from His freedom; and this is why it is said, "I lay down My soul of Myself; I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment I have received from My Father."

[4] Those to whom this arcanum is unknown interpret these words as the Arians do, that the Lord was the adopted not the actual Son of God; thus that He was adopted because He was willing to lay down His life, or endure the death of the cross; not knowing that these words involve that from His own power He fought against the hells from His Human and overcame them, and from His own power He glorified His Human, that is, united it to the very Divine in Himself, and thus made it Divine; and that this could by no means have been done if absolute freedom had not been left to Him as to the Human. All this makes clear why it is said in Isaiah, "If He hath made his soul a guilt-offering."

(That freedom is that which is of the love and of the will and thus of the life of man, and that it appears as if it were his own [proprium], can be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n.141, 145).

That man must have freedom in order to be regenerated can be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 1937, 1947, 2876, 2881, 3145, 3158, 4031, 8700.

That in no other way can the love of good and truth be implanted in man and be appropriated to him, apparently as his own, n. 2877, 2879, 2880, 8700.

That nothing is conjoined to man that is done by compulsion, n. 2875, 8700.

That to compel oneself is from freedom, but not to be compelled, n. 1937, 2881.

That in all temptation there is freedom, but this freedom is more interiorly in man from the Lord, and for this reason he fights and wishes to conquer and not to be conquered, which he would not do without freedom, n. 1937, 1947, 2881.

That the Lord fought alone and from His own power against all the hells, and overcame them, n. 1692, 1813, 2816, 4295, 8273, 9937.

That thus the Lord became righteousness from Himself alone, n. 1813, 2025-2027, 9715, 9809, 10019.

That the Lord's last temptation was in Gethsemane and upon the cross, when He gained a complete victory, by which He subjugated the hells, and at the same time glorified His Human, n. 2776, 2803, 2813, 2814, 10655, 10659, 10828.

All these are from the Arcana Coelestia, from which still more may be seen collected in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, under the heads,

The Freedom of Man, n.The New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine 148, 149;

Temptations in General, n. 196-200;

The Lord's Temptations, n. 201, 302)