9372. And He said unto Moses. That this signifies that which concerns the Word in general, is evident from the representation of Moses, as being the Word (of which below); and from the signification of “He said,” as involving those things which follow in this chapter, thus those which concern the Word (see n. 9370). (That Moses represents the Word, can be seen from what has been often shown before about Moses, as from the preface to Genesis 18; and n. 4859, 5922, 6723, 6752, 6771, 6827, 7010, 7014, 7089, 7382, 8601, 8760, 8787, 8805.) Here Moses represents the Word in general, because it is said of him in what follows, that he alone should come near unto Jehovah (verse 2); and also that, being called unto out of the midst of the cloud, he entered into it, and went up the mount (verses 16-18).

[2] In the Word there are many who represent the Lord in respect to truth Divine, or in respect to the Word; but chief among them are Moses, Elijah, Elisha, and John the Baptist. That Moses does so, can be seen in the explications just cited above; that so do Elijah and Elisha, can be seen in the preface to Genesis 18; and n. 2762, 5247; and that John the Baptist does so is evident from the fact that he was “Elias who was to come.” He who does not know that John the Baptist represented the Lord as to the Word, cannot know what all those things infold and signify which are said about him in the New Testament; and therefore in order that this secret may stand open, and that at the same time it may appear that Elias, and also Moses, who were seen when the Lord was transfigured, signified the Word, some things may here be quoted which are spoken about John the Baptist; as in Matthew:

After the messengers of John had departed, Jesus began to speak concerning John, saying, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? a reed shaken by the wind? But what went ye out to see? a man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they that wear soft things are in kings’ houses. But what went ye out to see? a prophet? Yea, I say unto you, even more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written, Behold I send Mine angel before Thy face, who shall prepare Thy way before Thee. Verily I say unto you, Among those who are born of women there hath not arisen a greater than John the Baptist; nevertheless he that is less in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he. All the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if ye are willing to believe, he is Elias who was to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear (Matthew 11:7-15; and also Luke 7:24-28).

No one can know how these things are to be understood, unless he knows that this John represented the Lord as to the Word, and unless he also knows from the internal sense what is signified by “the wilderness” in which he was, also what by “a reed shaken by the wind,” and likewise by “soft raiment in kings’ houses;” and further what is signified by his being “more than a prophet,” and by “none among those who are born of women being greater than he, and nevertheless he that is less in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he,” and lastly by his being “Elias.” For without a deeper sense, all these words are uttered merely from some comparison, and not from anything of weight.

[3] But it is very different when by John is understood the Lord as to the Word, or the Word representatively. Then by “the wilderness of Judea in which John was” is signified the state in which the Word was at the time when the Lord came into the world, namely, that it was “in the wilderness,” that is, it was in obscurity so great that the Lord was not at all acknowledged, neither was anything known about His heavenly kingdom; when yet all the prophets prophesied about Him, and about His kingdom, that it was to endure forever. (That “a wilderness” denotes such obscurity, see n. 2708, 4736, 7313.) For this reason the Word is compared to “a reed shaken by the wind” when it is explained at pleasure; for in the internal sense “a reed” denotes truth in the ultimate, such as is the Word in the letter.

[4] That the Word in the ultimate, or in the letter, is crude and obscure in the sight of men; but that in the internal sense it is soft and shining, is signified by their “not seeing a man clothed in soft raiment, for behold those who wear soft things are in kings’ houses.” That such things are signified by these words, is plain from the signification of “raiment,” or “garments,” as being truths (n. 2132, 2576, 4545, 4763, 5248, 6914, 6918, 9093); and for this reason the angels appear clothed in garments soft and shining according to the truths from good with them (n. 5248, 5319, 5954, 9212, 9216). The same is evident from the signification of “kings’ houses,” as being the abodes of the angels, and in the universal sense, the heavens; for “houses” are so called from good (n. 2233, 2234, 3128, 3652, 3720, 4622, 4982, 7836, 7891, 7996, 7997); and “kings,” from truth (n. 1672, 2015, 2069, 3009, 4575, 4581, 4966, 5044, 6148). Therefore by virtue of their reception of truth from the Lord, the angels are called “sons of the kingdom,” “sons of the king,” and also “kings.”

[5] That the Word is more than any doctrine in the world, and more than any truth in the world, is signified by “what went ye out to see? a prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet;” and by, “there hath not arisen among those who are born of women a greater than John the Baptist;” for in the internal sense “a prophet” denotes doctrine (n. 2534, 7269); and “those who are born,” or are the sons, “of women” denote truths (n. 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623, 2803, 2813, 3704, 4257).

[6] That in the internal sense, or such as it is in heaven, the Word is in a degree above the Word in the external sense, or such as it is in the world, and such as John the Baptist taught, is signified by, “he that is less in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he;” for as perceived in heaven the Word is of wisdom so great that it transcends all human apprehension. That the prophecies about the Lord and His coming, and that the representatives of the Lord and of His kingdom, ceased when the Lord came into the world, is signified by, “all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.” That the Word was represented by John, as by Elijah, is signified by his being “Elias who is to come.”

[7] The same is signified by these words in Matthew:

The disciples asked Jesus, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come? He answered and said, Elias must needs first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, that Elias hath come already, and they knew him not, but did unto him whatsoever they wished. Even so shall the Son of man also suffer of them. And they understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist (Matthew 17:10-13).

That “Elias hath come, and they knew him not, but did unto him whatsoever they wished” signifies that the Word has indeed taught them that the Lord is to come, but that still they did not wish to comprehend, interpreting it in favor of the rule of self, and thus extinguishing what is Divine in it. That they would do the same with the truth Divine itself, is signified by “even so shall the Son of man also suffer of them.” (That “the Son of man” denotes the Lord as to truth Divine, see n. 2803, 2813, 3704)

[8] From all this it is now evident what is meant by the prophecy about John in Malachi:

Behold I send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of Jehovah cometh (Malachi 4:5).

Moreover, the Word in the ultimate, or such as it is in the external form in which it appears before man in the world, is described by the “clothing” and “food” of John the Baptist, in Matthew:

John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, had His clothing of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his food was locusts and wild honey (Matthew 3:1, 4).

In like manner it is described by Elijah in the second book of Kings:

He was a hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins (2 Kings 1:8).

By “clothing,” or a “garment,” when said of the Word, is signified truth Divine there in the ultimate form; by “camel’s hair” are signified memory-truths such as appear there before a man in the world; by the “leathern girdle” is signified the external bond connecting and keeping in order all the interior things; by “food” is signified spiritual nourishment from the knowledges of truth and of good out of the Word; by “locusts” are signified ultimate or most general truths; and by “wild honey” their pleasantness.

[9] That such things are signified by “clothing” and “food” has its origin in the representatives of the other life, where all appear clothed according to truths from good, and where food also is represented according to the desires of acquiring knowledge and growing wise. From this it is that “clothing,” or a “garment,” denotes truth (as may be seen from the citations above; and that “food” or “meat” denotes spiritual nourishment, n. 3114, 4459, 4792, 5147, 5293, 5340, 5342, 5576, 5579, 5915, 8562, 9003; that “a girdle” denotes a bond which gathers up and holds together interior things, n. 9341; that “leather” denotes what is external, n. 3540; and thus “a leathern girdle” denotes an external bond; that “hairs” denote ultimate or most general truths, n. 3301, 5569-5573; that “a camel” denotes memory-knowledge in general, n. 3048, 3071, 3143, 3145, 4156; that “a locust” denotes nourishing truth in the extremes, n. 7643; and that “honey” denotes the pleasantness thereof, n. 5620, 6857, 8056). It is called “wild honey,” or “honey of the field,” because by “a field” is signified the church (n. 2971, 3317, 3766, 7502, 7571, 9139, 9295). He who does not know that such things are signified, cannot possibly know why Elijah and John were so clothed. And yet that these things signified something peculiar to these prophets, can be thought by everyone who thinks well about the Word.

[10] Because John the Baptist represented the Lord as to the Word, therefore also when he spoke of the Lord, who was the Word itself, he said of himself that he was “not Elias, nor the prophet,” and that he was “not worthy to loose the latchet of the Lord’s shoe,” as in John:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory. The Jews from Jerusalem, priests and Levites, asked John who he was. And he confessed, and denied not, I am not the Christ. Therefore they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? But he said, I am not. Art thou the prophet? He answered, No. They said therefore unto him, Who art thou? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said Isaiah the prophet. They said therefore, Why then baptizest thou, if thou art not the Christ, nor Elias, nor the prophet? He answered, I baptize with water; in the midst of you standeth one whom ye know not; He it is who is to come after me, who was before me, the latchet of whose shoe I am not worthy to unloose. When he saw Jesus, he said, Behold the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, After me cometh a man who was before me; for he was before me (John 1:1, 14, 19-30).

From these words it is plain that when John spoke about the Lord Himself, who was Truth Divine itself, or the Word, he said that he himself was not anything, because the shadow disappears when the light itself appears, that is, the representative disappears when the original itself makes its appearance. (That the representatives had in view holy things, and the Lord Himself, and not at all the person that represented, see n. 665, 1097, 1361, 3147, 3881, 4208, 4281, 4288, 4292, 4307, 4444, 4500, 6304, 7048, 7439, 8588, 8788, 8806.) One who does not know that representatives vanish like shadows at the presence of light, cannot know why John denied that he was Elias and the prophet.

[11] From all this it can now be seen what is signified by Moses and Elias, who were seen in glory, and who spoke with the Lord when transfigured, of His departure which He should accomplish at Jerusalem (Luke 9:29-31); namely, that they signified the Word (“Moses” the historic Word, and “Elias” the prophetic Word), which in the internal sense throughout treats of the Lord, of His coming into the world, and of His departure out of the world; and therefore it is said that “Moses and Elias were seen in glory,” for “glory” denotes the internal sense of the Word, and the “cloud” its external sense (see the preface to Genesis 18, and n. 5922, 8427).

14. There are many passages in the prophets where it is foretold that the Lord would come into the world to bring everything in the heavens and on earth back into order, that he would accomplish this by battles against the hells that were then attacking everyone coming into the world and leaving the world, and that in this way he would become justice and save people who could not be saved otherwise. I will cite only a few.

[2] In Isaiah:

“Who is this who is coming from Edom, with spattered garments from Bozrah, noble in his clothing, and approaching in the immensity of his strength?” “I who speak justice and have the power to save.” “Why are your garments red? Why are your garments like those of someone who is treading a winepress?” “I have trodden the winepress alone, and there has been no man of the people with me. Therefore I have trodden them in my wrath and trampled them in my blazing anger. Victory over them is spattered on my garments, because the day of vengeance is in my heart and the year of my redeemed has arrived. My own arm brought about salvation for me; I have driven their victory down into the earth.” He said, “Behold, these are my people, my children.” Therefore he became their Savior. Because of his love and his mercy he has redeemed them. (Isaiah 63:1-9)

This is about the Lord’s battles against the hells. The clothing in which he was noble and which was red means the Word, which had suffered violence at the hands of the Jewish people. The actual battles against the hells and victory over them is described by his treading them in his wrath and trampling them in his blazing anger. His having fought alone and from his own power is described by “There has been no man of the people with me; my own arm has brought about salvation for me; I have driven their victory down into the earth.” His having brought about salvation and redemption by this is described by “Therefore he became their Savior; because of his love and his mercy he redeemed them.” The fact that this was the reason for his Coming is described by “The day of vengeance is in my heart and the year of my redeemed has arrived.”

[3] In Isaiah,

He saw that there was no one and was amazed that no one was interceding. Therefore his own arm brought about salvation for him and his own justice sustained him. Therefore he put on justice like a breastplate and put a helmet of salvation on his head. He also put on garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal like a cloak. Then he came to Zion as the Redeemer. (Isaiah 59:16-17, 20)

This too is about the Lord’s battles with the hells while he was in the world. His fighting against them alone, with his own strength, is meant by “He saw that there was no one. Therefore his own arm brought about salvation”; his thereby becoming justice is meant by “his own justice sustained him. Therefore he put on justice like a breastplate”; and his bringing about redemption in this way is meant by “Then he came to Zion as the Redeemer.”

[4] In Jeremiah,

They were terrified. Their mighty ones were beaten down. They fled in flight and did not look back. That day is a day of vengeance for the Lord Jehovih Sabaoth, to take vengeance on his enemies. The sword will devour and be satisfied. (Jeremiah 46:5, 10)

The Lord’s battle with the hells and victory over them are described by “They were terrified. They fled in flight and did not look back.” Their mighty ones and the enemies are the hells, because everyone in hell harbors hatred toward the Lord. His coming into the world for this reason is meant by “That day is a day of vengeance for the Lord Jehovih Sabaoth, to take vengeance on his enemies.”

[5] In Jeremiah,

Their youths will fall in the streets and all their men of war will be cut down on that day. (Jeremiah 49:26)

In Joel,

Jehovah puts forth his voice before his army. Great is the day of Jehovah, and extremely terrifying; who can endure it? (Joel 2:11)

In Zephaniah,

On the day of Jehovah’s sacrifice I will execute judgment upon the royal family, upon the children of the monarch, and upon all who dress themselves in foreign clothing. This day is a day of distress, a day of trumpets and shouting. (Zephaniah 1:8, 15-16)

In Zechariah,

Jehovah will go forth and fight against the nations like the day that he fought on the day of battle. On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem. Then you will flee into the valley of my mountains. On that day there will be no light or radiance. Jehovah, though, will become king over all the earth. On that day Jehovah will be one, and his name one. (Zechariah 14:3-6, 9)

In these passages too we are dealing with the Lord’s battles. “That day” means his Coming; “the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem” was where the Lord stayed by himself-see Mark 13:3-4; 14:26; Luke 21:37; 22:39; John 8:1; and elsewhere.

[6] In David,

The cords of death surrounded me; the cords of hell surrounded me; the snares of death confronted me. Therefore he sent forth arrows and many bolts of lightning, and confounded them. I will pursue my enemies and seize them, and I will not turn back until I have devoured them. I will strike them down so that they cannot rise up again. You will gird me with strength for war and put my enemies to flight. I will crush them like dust before the face of the wind; I will empty them out like the mire of the streets. (Psalms 18:4, 14, 37, 39-40, 42)

The cords and snares of death that surrounded and confronted him mean trials that are also called cords of hell because they come from hell. These verses and the rest of the whole psalm are about the Lord’s battles and victories, which is why it also says, “You will make me the head of the nations; people I have not known will serve me” (Psalms 18:43).

[7] In David,

Gird a sword on your thigh, mighty one. Your arrows are sharp; peoples will fall beneath you, those who are the king’s enemies at heart. Your throne is for the ages and forever. You have loved justice; therefore God has anointed you. (Psalms 45:3, 5-7)

This too is about battling with the hells and bringing them under control, since the whole psalm is talking about the Lord-specifically, his battles, his glorification, and his salvation of the faithful. In David,

Fire will go forth before him; it will burn up his enemies round about; the earth will see and fear. The mountains will melt like wax before the Lord of the whole earth. The heavens will proclaim his justice, and all the peoples will see his glory. (Psalms 97:3-4-6)

This psalm similarly is dealing with the Lord and with the same issues.

[8] In David,

Jehovah said to my Lord, “Sit at my right until I make your enemies a stool for your feet, to rule in the midst of your enemies.” The Lord is on your right; on the day of his wrath he has struck down monarchs. He has filled [the nations] with corpses; he has struck the head of a great land. (Psalms 110:1, 5-6)

Some words of the Lord himself show that these things were spoken about the Lord: see Matthew 22:44, Mark 12:36, and Luke 20:42. Sitting at the right means omnipotence, the enemies mean the hells, monarchs mean people there who have evil lives and false beliefs. Making them a stool for his feet, striking them down on the day of wrath, and filling [the nations] with corpses mean destroying their power; and striking the head of a great land means destroying all of their power.

[9] Since the Lord alone overcame the hells with no help from any angel, he is called Hero and Man of War (Isaiah 42:13), King of Glory, Jehovah the Mighty, Hero of War (Psalms 24:8, 10), the Mighty One of Jacob (Psalms 132:2, 5), and in many passages Jehovah Sabaoth, that is, Jehovah of Armies of War.

Then too, his Coming is called the day of Jehovah-terrifying, cruel, a day of resentment, blazing anger, wrath, vengeance, destruction, war, trumpet, shouting, and panic, as we can see from the passages cited in 4 above.

[10] Since a last judgment was carried out by the Lord when he was in the world, by battling with the hells and bringing them under control, in many passages it speaks of a judgment that is going to be executed. See David, for example-“Jehovah is coming to judge the earth; he will judge the world with justice and the peoples with truth” (Psalms 96:13)-and frequently elsewhere.

These citations are from the prophetic books of the Word.

[11] In the historical books of the Word, though, matters of the same sort are represented as wars between the children of Israel and various nations. This is because everything in the Word, whether prophetical or historical, is written about the Lord. So the Word is divine when it tells of the rituals of the Israelite church; for example, there are many secrets concerning the Lord’s glorification contained in the descriptions of burnt offerings and sacrifices, in the Sabbaths and festivals, and in the priesthood of Aaron and the Levites. The same holds true for other parts of the books of Moses, the material called laws, judgments, and statutes. This is also the intent of what the Lord said to the disciples-that it was fitting for him to fulfill everything written about him in the Law of Moses (Luke 24:44); and what he said to the Jews-that Moses had written about him (John 5:46).

[12] We can now see from this that the Lord came into the world to subdue the hells and to glorify his human nature, and that the suffering on the cross was the last battle, by which he completely defeated the hells and completely glorified his human nature.

You may find more on this subject, though, in the forthcoming booklet Sacred Scripture [103], where there is a complete collection in one place of all the passages in the prophetic Word that deal with the Lord’s battles against the hells and victories over them, or (which amounts to the same thing) with the last judgment that he executed when he was in the world, together with the passages about his suffering and the glorification of his human nature. Of these latter there are so many that if they were fully quoted, they would fill volumes.