9371. THE INTERNAL SENSE.

Verses 1-2. And He said unto Moses, Come up unto Jehovah, thou and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and bow yourselves afar off; and Moses, he alone, shall come near unto Jehovah; and they shall not come near; and the people shall not come up with him. “And He said unto Moses,” signifies that which concerns the Word in general; “come up unto Jehovah,” signifies conjunction with the Lord; “thou and Aaron,” signifies the Word in the internal sense and the external sense; “Nadab and Abihu,” signifies doctrine from both senses; “and seventy of the elders of Israel,” signifies the chief truths of the church which are of the Word, or of doctrine, and which agree with good; “and bow yourselves afar off,” signifies humiliation and adoration from the heart, and then the influx of the Lord; “and Moses, he alone, shall come near unto Jehovah,” signifies the conjunction and presence of the Lord through the Word in general; “and they shall not come near,” signifies no separate conjunction and presence; “and the people shall not come up with him,” signifies no conjunction whatever with the external apart from the internal.

944. 22:7 "Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book." This symbolically means that the Lord will surely come and give eternal life to people who keep and obey the doctrinal truths or precepts in this book, now laid open by the Lord.

"Behold, I am coming quickly!" means, symbolically, that the Lord will surely come. Quickly symbolically means surely (nos. 4, 943), and coming symbolically means that He will come - not in person, but in the Word, in which He will be visible to all those people who will be part of His New Church. This is the meaning of His coming in the clouds of heaven, as may be seen in nos. 24, 642, 820 above.

"Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book" means, symbolically, that the Lord will give eternal life to people who keep and obey the doctrinal truths or precepts in this book, now laid open by the Lord. One who is blessed symbolizes a person who receives eternal life (nos. 639, 852). To keep symbolically means to keep and obey truths or precepts. The words are truths and precepts. The prophecy of this book symbolizes the doctrine in this book now laid open by the Lord, prophecy being doctrine (nos. 8, 133, 943).

[2] Anyone who weighs the matter can see that to keep the words of the prophecy of this book does not mean to preserve them, but to maintain them, that is, to keep and obey the doctrinal truths or precepts in this book that are now explained and laid open. Indeed, if not explained, the book of Revelation contains few things that can be kept, as they are prophecies previously not understood. Take for example the following:

It is impossible to keep what is related in chapter 6 regarding the horses emerging from the book. In chapter 7 regarding the twelve tribes. In chapters 8, 9 regarding the seven angels sounding their trumpets. In chapter 10 regarding the little book that John ate. In chapter 11 regarding the two witnesses that were killed and lived again. In chapter 12 regarding the woman and the dragon. In chapters 13, 14 regarding the two beasts. In chapters 15, 16 regarding the seven angels having the seven plagues. In chapters 17, 18 regarding the woman sitting on a scarlet beast and regarding Babylon. In chapter 19 regarding the white horse and the great supper. In chapter 20 regarding the Last Judgment. And in chapter 21 regarding the New Jerusalem as a city.

It is apparent from this that the verse does not mean that those people are blessed who preserve the words of the prophecy, for the meanings of the words are hidden, but it means that those people are blessed who maintain them, that is, who keep and obey the doctrinal truths or precepts that are contained in those words and are now laid open. That the explanations originate from the Lord may be seen in the Preface.

639. 14:13 Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, "Write: 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.'" This symbolizes a prediction by the Lord concerning the state of people after death who will belong to His New Church, namely that those who undergo temptations or trials because of their faith in the Lord and a life in accordance with His commandments will have eternal life and happiness.

To hear a voice speaking from heaven symbolizes a prediction by the Lord. It is a prediction about the state of people after death who will belong to His New Church, because that state is the subject in this verse. Those who die from now on symbolize their state after death. The injunction to write means symbolically that it be something to be remembered by people later (nos. 39, 63). The blessed symbolize people who have eternal life and happiness, since they are the people who are blessed. The dead symbolize people who have afflicted their soul, crucified their flesh, and undergone temptations or trials. That these are the people meant here by the dead will be seen below.

[2] Regarding those who have undergone temptations or trials because of their faith in the Lord and a life in accordance with His commandments, that they will have eternal life and happiness is apparent from the verse just preceding, which says, "Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus," which symbolically means that a New Church person will be examined through temptations or trials to discover his character as regards a life in accordance with the commandments and as regards faith in the Lord (see just above, no. 638). It is apparent also from the words following, that they will have rest from their labors, which means symbolically that those who undergo temptations or trials will have peace in the Lord, as explained just below in no. 640. Temptations or trials here mean spiritual temptations or trials, which occur in the case of people who have faith in the Lord and live in accordance with His commandments when they are driving away the evil spirits in them who ally themselves with their lusts. These temptations or trials are symbolically meant by a cross in the following passages:

Whoever does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. (Matthew 10:38)

...Jesus said..., "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. (Matthew 16:24, cf. Luke 9:23-25; 14:26-27)

And by crucifying the flesh in Galatians:

Those who are Christ's crucify the flesh with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:24)

[3] The dead symbolize people who have afflicted their soul, crucified their flesh, and undergone temptations or trials, because by so doing they have ended their previous life and so become as though dead in the eyes of the world. For the Lord said,

Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. (John 12:24)

Nor are any others meant by the dead in John:

(Jesus said,) "as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will." (John 5:21)

Also in John:

(Jesus said,) "the hour is coming..., when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and... live." (John 5:25)

And also by the resurrection of the dead (Luke 14:14, Revelation 20:5, 12-13, and elsewhere). See no. 106 above.

And in the book of Psalms:

Precious in the sight of Jehovah is the death of His saints. (Psalms 116:15)

Moreover Jesus said,

Whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. (Matthew 10:39; 16:25, cf. Luke 9:24-25; 17:33, John 12:25)