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).

"Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God." Psalm 20:7

Additional readings: Isaiah 31, Matthew 11:1-19, Psalm 19, Psalm 66, Psalm 67

It is good for a nation or for nations to set aside a specific day for remembering those who have given their lives for their country on the battlefield and for united thought of the ideal of human brotherhood and peace and of the means by which this ideal is to be attained. It is an ideal which has been before the world since the beginning of human life on the earth. All religions past and present, as revealed in their sacred books, rise to the plane upon which mankind is thought of as one.

The Christian Scriptures are above all clear and definite on this teaching. "One is your Master, even Christ, and all ye are brethren" (Matthew 23:8). If this ideal should be realized, the threat of war would be removed, and not only would nations cease to fight each other but they would not "learn war anymore" (Isaiah 2:4, Micah 4:3).

At the close of the last world war the people of all nations, and especially of the victorious nations, were hopeful that the peoples of the earth could unite in a firm bond of peace; but today the leaders everywhere have great misgivings, and the masses of the people are uneasy, fearing some new and frightful world catastrophe. This fear comes from a lack of belief in any power, human or, divine, which can prevent another global war, and which can control the use of nuclear energy in the interest of mankind. Modern man has left his Father's house and like the prodigal son has wandered into a far country, believing that he could find happiness and security in the things which technology has put into his hands. He can see the possibility of plenty and security except for one things his new power may be made destructive through selfishness, greed, and the lust for dominion in the human heart. Even if international agreements are made, what is to guarantee that the agreements will be kept? Will they be more than scraps of paper? So, the advances of science generate among us growing tensions, suspicions, and hatreds.

We have never been afraid to face the test of battle, but we are filled with fears and misgivings in the face of the task of controlling ourselves, that we and our neighbors may live together in peace. And again, we are being told that our only safety is in the force of arms and in the old formula of the balance of power. Since the dawn of history these devices have failed, and wars of increasing destructiveness and violence have occurred. These devices simply do not work. Surely we should not trust them again.

The problem is not with the advances of science and technology. There is nothing in atomic power that necessarily leads those who possess it to use it for the destruction of other people. The problem is the soul of man, in the evils within him which his education, secular and religious, has so far failed to eradicate. In the Writings of the church we find this statement: "Where men know and think according to doctrine, there the church may be, but when men act according to doctrine, there alone the church is."

Love to the Lord and to the neighbor have been taught and preached for two thousand years. Men know that peace cannot be attained by the amassing of material goods, nor by military efficiency, however great. They know that it cannot come through national advantage and supremacy, that in our own time the seeking of these things brought on two world wars. Security and peace come only from the Lord as men learn His laws and live according to them. These laws, summarized, in the Commandments, are fixed and certain in the eleventh chapter of Matthew we read concerning John the Baptist: "What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?" (Matthew 11:7, Luke 7:24).

John the Baptist is one of the representatives of the letter of the Word. The reed, shaken with the wind is a picture of the Word interpreted at man's pleasure Since in its letter it consists for the most part of apparent truths, it is capable of different interpretations and may be made to teach not only different but even opposite doctrines, as we well know.

To those who refuse to look into it more deeply the Word is a reed shaken with the wind—made to yield to the breath of current opinion. In this way man forms his God to suit his own purposes. When he desires his neighbor's land and possessions, his God is a God of war. When he is established and content with his acquired possessions, his God becomes a God of peace and righteousness. In the two world wars of our generation all nations, the aggressors and the threatened, prayed to God, and at the close of the war, every loyal and patriotic citizen of the victorious countries greeted the victory with prayer and thanksgiving. But almost before his prayers were ended new and greater fears invaded his mind. The war had been fought in vain, the ideals of the Atlantic Charter and of the Four Freedoms had been emptied of all their hope. There seemed, to be nothing on which he could base any sure reliance.

There is need of eternal truths on which to base a new faith. Men need a new set of values—a new formula by which to live. In one sense the formula Is not new. The Two Great Commandments stand unchanged. But the interpretation of them must be new. We must have a new idea of the Lord and of the neighbor, and a new idea of love. The writings of the Second Coming tell us: "The life itself of a man is his love, and such as his love is such is his life, in fact such is the whole man." "What a man loves above all things is perpetually present in his thought, as well as in his will, and makes his very life itself. For example, whoever loves wealth above all things, whether money or possessions, is continually turning over in his mind how to procure it; when he obtains any he inwardly rejoices; when he loses any he outwardly grieves, for his heart is in it. Or a man who loves himself above all things—he bears himself in mind in the least things, he thinks of himself, he speaks about himself, he acts for the advantage of himself; for his life is a life of self."

It is wrong desires that cause all conflicts and wars. For what a man desires above all things is the ruling motive of his life—it is the man himself. From good loves come all good, things and from evil loves come all evil things. Good and evil are diametrically opposed to each other and bring forth opposite results. And we are told what are the good, loves and what are the evil loves. The good loves are love to the Lord and to the neighbor. The evil loves are love of self and of the world. The first two make heaven with a man, and are the loves which reign in heaven. The latter two reign in hell and make hell with man.

There is not the slightest use of bemoaning the present state of the world and crying out for a new and better world unless at the same time we seek to eradicate from our own life and character those evils which have brought about the present condition. The world is made up of individuals and it is only so far as individuals are "made new" that there can be an improved world. If we ourselves seek to learn, understand, and keep the two great commandments, we are doing the only possible thing that will contribute to the betterment of the world.

To love the Lord and the neighbor is not "other world idealism," as many have thought. It involves above all a practical life in this world—the outward expression in our daily lives and occupations of these laws. These doctrines are called the doctrine of life, the carrying out of which will bring an end to all unrest, civil, social, national, and international. The welfare of each person is bound, up in the welfare of all. We are dependent upon each other.

The story of a self-made man is a fairy story. We are dependent upon others for most of what we have and are. The two great commandments enjoin a life of love to God and man, a life expressed in cooperation of man with man and of man with God, "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God." "And in the name of our God. we will set up our banners." The name of the Lord our God, which we are to remember and to inscribe on our banners, is the essential Divine qualities: the Divine Love, the Divine Wisdom, and the Divine Power. The Lord Jesus Christ overcame in His own strength all the powers of hell and holds all evil in subjection. History and reason unite in declaring that the only power able to overcome the forces of evil is the power of love, not the love of self but the love of others. The supreme law of Christian life is the law of love. As individuals and nations learn to live in mutual love and helpfulness, looking to the Lord instead of to self for guidance and strength, there will be peace, for peace comes from the Lord alone.