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Arcana Coelestia #9372

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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).

  
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Arcana Coelestia #2803

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2803. That the Divine Truth is the “son,” and the Divine Good the “father,” is evident from the signification of a “son,” as being truth (see n. 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2633); and of a “father,” as being good; and also from the conception and birth of truth, which is from good. Truth cannot be and come forth [existere] from any other source than good, as has been shown many times. That the “son” here is the Divine Truth, and the “father” the Divine Good, is because the union of the Divine Essence with the Human, and of the Human Essence with the Divine, is the Divine marriage of Good with Truth, and of Truth with Good, from which comes the heavenly marriage; for in Jehovah or the Lord there is nothing but what is infinite; and because infinite, it cannot be apprehended by any idea, except that it is the being and the coming forth [esse et existere] of all good and truth, or is Good itself and Truth itself. Good itself is the “Father,” and Truth itself is the “Son.” But because as before said there is a Divine marriage of Good and Truth, and of Truth and Good, the Father is in the Son, and the Son is in the Father, as the Lord Himself teaches in John:

Jesus saith unto Philip, Believest thou not that I am in the Father and the Father in Me ? Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in me (John 14:10-11).

And again in the same Evangelist:

Jesus said to the Jews, Though ye believe not Me, believe the works; that ye may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father (John 10:36, 38).

And again:

I pray for them; for all Mine are Thine, and Thine are Mine; and that they all may be one, as Thou Father art in Me, and I in Thee (John 17:9-10, 21).

And again:

Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in Him; if God be glorified in Him, God shall also glorify Him in Himself. Father, glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee (John 13:31-32; 17:1).

[2] From this may be seen the nature of the union of the Divine and the Human in the Lord; namely, that it is mutual and alternate, or reciprocal; which union is that which is called the Divine Marriage, from which descends the heavenly marriage, which is the Lord’s kingdom itself in the heavens—thus spoken of in John:

In that day ye shall know that I am in My Father, and ye in Me, and I in you (John 14:20).

And again:

I pray for them, that they all may be one, as Thou Father art in Me and I in Thee, that they also may be one in us, I in them and Thou in Me; that the love wherewith Thou hast loved Me may be in them, and I in them (John 17:21-23, 26).

That this heavenly marriage is that of good and truth, and of truth and good, may be seen above (n. 2508, 2618, 2728, 2729 and following numbers).

[3] And because the Divine Good cannot be and come forth without the Divine Truth, nor the Divine Truth without the Divine Good, but the one in the other mutually and reciprocally, it is therefore manifest that the Divine Marriage was from eternity; that is, the Son in the Father, and the Father in the Son, as the Lord Himself teaches in John:

And now O Father, glorify Thou Me with Thyself, with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was (John 17:5, 24).

But the Divine Human which was born from eternity was also born in time; and what was born in time, and glorified, is the same. Hence it is that the Lord so often said that He was going to the Father who sent Him; that is, that He was returning to the Father. And in John:

In the beginning was the Word (the “Word” is the Divine Truth itself), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God; the same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, the glory as of the Only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:1-3, 14; see also John 3:13; 6:62).

  
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Apocalypse Explained #252

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252. And will sup with him, and he with me. That this signifies communicating to them the happiness of heaven is evident from the signification of supping, as being to communicate the goods of heaven. The reason why supping denotes to communicate those goods is, that by banquets, feasts, dinners and suppers in the Word are signified association by love, and hence the communication of the delights of love; for all delights spring from love. Those things derive their signification from bread and wine, which signify the good of love celestial and spiritual; and from eating together, which signifies communication and appropriation. This was formerly signified by the paschal supper, and is at this day signified by the Holy Supper (as may be seen above, n. 146; and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 210-222). The reason why mention is made of supping is, that marriages were celebrated at supper-time; and by marriage is signified the conjunction of good and truth, and thence communication of delights; hence it is said in the Apocalypse:

"Blessed are they that are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb" (19:9);

and afterwards,

"Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God" (ver. 17).

[2] Because suppers signify association by love, and the communication of delights thence, therefore the Lord compared the church and heaven to a supper, and also to a marriage; to a supper, in Luke:

A man made a great supper, and bade many; but they all with one consent began to make excuse. Therefore the master of the house, being angry, ordered to bring in the poor, the maimed, the halt, and the blind, saying of the first that none of those men should taste the supper (14:16-24).

(Nearly similar to the above is what is signified by the marriage to which certain were invited, as recorded in Matthew 22:1-15.) By the supper is there meant heaven and the church. By those who were invited and excused themselves are meant the Jews, with whom the church then was; for the church specifically is where the Word is, and where the Lord is known by the Word. By the poor, the maimed, the halt and the blind, are meant those who are spiritually such, and who were then out of the church. The reason why heaven and the church are there likened to a supper and a marriage is, that heaven is the conjunction of the angels with the Lord by love, and their association amongst themselves by charity, and the communication thence of every kind of delight and happiness; similarly the church, because the church is the Lord's heaven on the earth. (That heaven is the conjunction of the angels with the Lord by love, and also their mutual association by charity, may be seen in the work, Heaven and Hell 13-19, and that thence there is a communication of every kind of delight and happiness, n. 396-400.)

[3] In the Word throughout it is said, that those who are admitted into heaven are to eat together, by which, in the spiritual sense, is meant the fruition of blessedness and felicity. Thus the same is signified by eating there as by supping, as in Luke:

"They shall come from the east and from the west, and from the north and from the south, and shall recline in the kingdom of God" (13:29).

And in Matthew:

"Many shall come from the east and west, and shall recline with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven" (8:11).

Those who shall come from the east and the west, the north and the south, are all those who are in the good of love, and thence in the truths of faith. (That the four quarters, in the Word, have such a signification, may be seen in the work, Heaven and Hell 141-153; and that by Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Lord is meant as to the Divine Itself, and the Divine Human, in Arcana Coelestia 1893, 4615, 6098, 6185, 6276, 6804, 6847. Hence to recline with them denotes to be conjoined with the Lord, and to associate together by love, and by such conjunction and association, to enjoy eternal blessedness and felicity, and this from the Lord alone.)

[4] In Luke:

Jesus said, "Let your loins be girded about, and your lights shining, and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. Blessed are those servants whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching; verily, I say unto you that he will gird himself, and make them recline, and will come forth and serve them" (12:35, and following verses).

By the loins being girded is meant the good of love (see Arcana Coelestia 3021, 4280, 9961). By lights shining are signified the truths of faith from the good of love (see Arcana Coelestia 9548, 9551, 9783). By girding himself, making them to recline, and serving them, is signified to impart to them every kind of good.

[5] Again:

"Ye are they that have continued with me in my temptations. I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; that ye may eat and drink at my table in the kingdom" (22:28-30).

To eat and drink at the table of the Lord in His kingdom, is to be conjoined with Him by love and faith, and to enjoy heavenly blessedness.

[6] In Matthew:

Jesus said, "I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this product of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom" (26:29).

These words were spoken by the Lord after He instituted the Holy Supper. By the product of the vine is signified Divine truth from Divine good, and blessedness and felicity therefrom.

[7] Similar to this is the signification of a feast, in the Word, as in Isaiah:

"In this mountain shall Jehovah of hosts make unto all peoples a feast of fat things, a feast of lees" (25:6).

Here the subject treated of is the Lord's advent, and by a feast of fat things is signified the appropriation and communication of goods, and by a feast of lees, or of the best wine, the appropriation of truths. (That fat things signify the goods of love, may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 353, 5943, 10033, and also the delights of love, n. 6409; and that wine signifies the good of charity, which in its essence is truth, n. 1071, 1798, 6377.)

[8] The like is signified by the marriage to which the ten virgins were invited, of whom it is thus written in Matthew:

"The kingdom of heaven is likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them; but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. And the wise answered, saying, Lest perchance there be not enough for us and you; but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. While therefore they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage; and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily, I say unto you, I know you not" (25:1-12).

The subject here treated of is conjunction with the Lord by love and faith; the marriage also signifies that conjunction; oil signifies the good of love, and lamps the truth of faith. In order that it may be clear that in everything that the Lord spoke there is a spiritual sense, I wish to unfold this parable more particularly, according to that sense. The kingdom of heaven, which is likened to the ten virgins, signifies heaven and the church; the ten virgins signify all those who belong to the church, ten denoting all, and virgins those who are in the affection of spiritual truth and good, which constitutes the church. This is why Zion and Jerusalem, by which the church is signified, in the Word are called virgins, as the virgin of Zion, and the virgin of Jerusalem, and that it is said in the Apocalypse that the virgins follow the Lamb. By the lamps which they took when they went forth to meet the bridegroom are signified the truths of faith; by the bridegroom is meant the Lord as to conjunction with heaven and the church by love and faith, because a marriage is treated of, by which is signified that conjunction. The five wise virgins, and the five that were foolish signify those of the church who are in faith from love, and those who are in faith without love, just as the wise and foolish mentioned in Matthew 7:24, 26. By midnight, when the cry was made, is signified the Last Judgment, and in general the last state of the life of man, when he must be adjudged either to heaven or to hell. By the foolish virgins then saying to the wise, "Give us of your oil," and the wise answering them that they should go to them who sell is signified the state of all after death, that those who have not the good of love in their faith, or the truth of faith from the good of love, are then desirous to procure it for themselves, but in vain, because according to the quality of a man's life in the world such does he remain. It is now evident therefore what is signified by the wise virgins going in to the marriage, and by the foolish who said, "Lord, Lord, open to us," receiving for answer, "Verily, I say unto you, I know you not." By not knowing them is signified that the Lord was not conjoined to them, for spiritual love, and not faith without love, conjoins; for the Lord abides with those who are in love, and thence in faith and these He knows, because He Himself is therein.

  
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Translation by Isaiah Tansley. Many thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.