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.

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).

735. Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels.- That this signifies combat between those who are for a life of love and charity, and for the Divine of the Lord in His Human, and those who are for faith alone and separated from charity, and who are opposed to the Divine of the Lord in His Human, is evident from the signification of Michael and his angels, as denoting those who are for the Divine of the Lord in His Human, and for a life of love and charity (of which we shall speak presently); and from the signification of the dragon, as denoting those who are for faith alone and separated from the life of love and of charity, and also opposed to the Divine of the Lord in His Human. That those who are in faith separated from charity, which is called faith alone, are meant by the dragon, was shown above (n. 714, 715, 716). The reason why these are also opposed to the Divine of the Lord in His Human, that is the Divine Human, is that most of those who have confirmed themselves in faith alone are merely natural and sensual; and the natural and sensual man, separated from the spiritual, can have no idea of the Divine in the Human. For they think of the Human of the Lord, naturally and sensually, and not at the same time from any spiritual idea; therefore they think of the Lord as of an ordinary man like themselves, and this they also teach; consequently in the idea of their thought they place the Divine of the Lord above His Human, and thus completely separate these two. And they do this although their doctrine, which is the doctrine of Athanasius, concerning the Trinity teaches otherwise, for this teaches that the Divine and Human are united in person, and that these two are one, like the soul and body. Let any one of these examine himself, and he will perceive that such is their idea concerning the Lord.

From these things it is evident what is meant by Michael and his angels, who fought with the dragon, namely, those who acknowledge the Divine Human of the Lord and are for a life of love and charity. For such cannot but acknowledge the Divine Human of the Lord, because otherwise they could not be in any love to the Lord, nor thus in any charity towards the neighbour, since these are solely from the Lord's Divine Human, and not from the Divine separated from His Human, nor from the Human separated from His Divine; consequently, after the dragon with his angels was cast down unto the earth, a voice out of heaven said, "Now is come the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God, and the power (potestas) of His Christ" (verse 10). This makes it clear what is meant by Michael and angels.

[2] In regard to Michael in particular, it is believed from the sense of the letter that he is one of the archangels, but there is no archangel in the heavens. There are indeed higher and lower angels, and also wiser and less wise; and in the societies of angels there are governors who are set over the rest, yet there are no archangels who keep others in obedience by the exercise of arbitrary authority. Such government has no place in the heavens, for there no one acknowledges in heart that any one is above himself but the Lord alone; this is meant by these words of the Lord in Matthew:

"Be not ye called teacher, for one is your teacher, the Christ, but all ye are brethren. And call no man your father on earth, for one is your Father who is in the heavens. Neither be ye called master, for one is your Master, the Christ. He that is greatest among you shall be your minister" (23:8-11).

But those angels that are mentioned in the Word, as Michael and Raphael, mean administrations and functions, and, in general, fixed and determined parts of the administration and function of all the angels. So here Michael means that part of the angelic function which was spoken of above, namely, the defending of that part of doctrine from the Word which teaches that the Human of the Lord is Divine, and also that man must live a life of love to the Lord and of charity towards the neighbour in order that he may receive salvation from the Lord. That part of the angelic function is therefore meant which fights against those who separate the Divine from the Human of the Lord, and who separate faith from the life of love and of charity; in fact those who show forth charity with the lips but not with the life.

[3] Moreover, angels, in the Word, in the spiritual sense do not mean angels, but Divine truths from the Lord, as may be seen above (n. 130, 302), for the reason that angels are not angels from their proprium, but from the reception of Divine Truth from the Lord; it is similar in respect to archangels, who signify that Divine Truth, as said above. The angels in the heavens have not names like men on earth, but they have names expressive of their functions, and, in general, every angel has a name given to him according to his quality; this is why "name," in the Word, signifies the quality of a thing and state. The name Michael, from its derivation in the Hebrew, means "who is like God," therefore Michael signifies the Lord as to the Divine Truth that the Lord is God even as to the Human, and that man must live from Him, that is, in love to Him from Him, and in love towards the neighbour. Michael is also mentioned in Daniel (10:13, 21; 12:1), and signifies there as here, genuine truth from the Word, which is for those who will belong to the church to be established by the Lord; for Michael means those who will be in favour of the doctrine of the New Jerusalem, the two essentials of which doctrine are, that the Human of the Lord is Divine, and that a life of love and charity must be lived.

[4] Michael is also mentioned in the Epistle of Jude, in these words:

"When Michael the archangel, contending with the devil, disputed about the body of Moses, he durst not utter a sentence of reproach, but said, The Lord rebuke thee" (verse 9).

The apostle Jude quoted these words from ancient books which were written by correspondences, and by Moses in those books the Word was meant, and by his body, the sense of the letter of the Word. And as the same persons are here meant by the devil as are meant in the Apocalypse by the dragon, called also the devil and Satan, it is evident what is signified by Michael, contending with the devil, disputed about the body of Moses, namely, that such falsified the sense of the letter of the Word. And because the Word in the letter is of such a nature that the evil can turn it aside from its real meaning, and that nevertheless it can be received by the good according to its true meaning, therefore it was said by the ancient peoples, from whom these words of Jude were received, that "Michael durst not utter a sentence of reproach." That Moses, in the spiritual sense, signifies the law, thus the Word, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 4859 at end, 5922, 6723, 6752, 6827, 7010, 7014, 7089, 7382, 8787, 8805, 9372, 9414, 9419, 9429, 10234, 10563, 10571, 10607, 10614).