9373. Come up unto Jehovah. That this signifies conjunction with the Lord, is evident from the signification of “coming up,” as being to be raised toward interior things (see n. 3084, 4539, 4969, 5406, 5817, 6007), consequently also to be conjoined (n. 8760). That it denotes conjunction with the Lord, is because by “Jehovah” in the Word is meant the the Lord, (n. 1343, 1736, 1793, 2004, 2005, 2018, 2025, 2921, 3023, 3035, 5663, 6280, 6303, 6905, 8274, 8864, 9315). A secret which also lies hidden in the internal sense of these words, is that the sons of Jacob, over whom Moses was the head, were not called and chosen; but they themselves insisted that Divine worship should be instituted among them (according to wh at has been said in n. 4290, 4293); and therefore it is here said, “and He said unto Moses, Come up unto Jehovah,” as if not Jehovah, but another, had said that he should come up. For the same reason in what follows it is said that “the people should not go up” (verse 2); and that “Jehovah sent not His hand unto the sons of Israel who were set apart” (verse 11); and that “the appearance of the glory of Jehovah was like devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the sons of Israel” (verse 17); and lastly that Moses, being called the seventh day, “entered into the midst of the cloud.” For by “the cloud” is meant the Word in the letter (n. 5922, 6343, 6752, 6832, 8106, 8443, 8781); and with the sons of Jacob the Word was separated from its internal sense, because they were in external worship without internal, as can be clearly seen from the fact that now, as before, they said, “all the words which Jehovah hath spoken we will do” (verse 3); and yet scarcely forty days afterward they worshiped a golden calf instead of Jehovah; which shows that this was hidden in their hearts while they were saying with their lips that they would serve Jehovah alone. But nevertheless those who are meant by “the called and the chosen” are those who are in internal worship, and who from internal worship are in external; that is, those who are in love to and faith in the Lord, and from this in love toward the neighbor.

849. Verse 1. And I saw, signifies a manifestation respecting the future separation of the good from the evil before the Last Judgment. This is evident from the signification of "I saw," as being the things seen by John, which now follow; these, regarded in the spiritual sense, treat of the calling together and assembling of the faithful, and their separation from the evil before the Last Judgment; and this is meant by the Lord by these words in Matthew:

They shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and glory; and He shall send His angels and shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other (Matthew 24:30, 31).

That chapter treats also of the Last Judgment, which is there meant by "the consummation of the age and the coming of the Lord." The gathering together of the good and their separation from the evil is there described by those words, as well as in this chapter (verses 14, 16), where the Son of man is described as sitting upon a white cloud with a sickle in His hand reaping the earth.

[2] Similar things in this chapter are meant also by these words of the Lord in Matthew:

The kingdom of the heavens is like unto a man that sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept his enemy came and sowed tares and went away. But when the blade sprang up and brought forth fruit then appeared the tares. And the servants came and said, Wilt thou then that going we gather them up? But he said, Nay, lest haply while ye gather up the tares ye root up at the same time the wheat with them. Rather let both grow together until the harvest; and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Collect first the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn (Matthew 13:24-30).

Here the separation of the good from the evil, which was to take place at the time of the Last Judgment, is foretold by the Lord, and is meant by "Let both grow together until the harvest, and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Collect the tares to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn." The "tares" mean the evil, who will then be cast into hell, and the "wheat" means the good, who having been separated from the evil will be raised up into heaven. Similar things are meant in this chapter where it is said:

The hour for thee to reap is come; for the harvest is dried up. And he that sat upon the cloud cast in his sickle upon the earth; and the earth was reaped (verses 15, 16, and what follows).

Why the good were not separated from the evil previous to the time of the Last Judgment, and the good raised up to heaven and the evil cast into hell, can be seen in the work on The Last Judgment, and also above (n. 391, 392, 394, 397, 411, 413, 418, 419, 426, 489, 493, 497, 668, 669, 670, 674, 675, 676, 754).

8056. A land flowing with milk and honey. That this signifies where are gladness and joy, is evident from the signification of “a land flowing with milk and honey,” as being what is pleasant and what is delightful (see n. 5620, 6857), thus gladness and joy. It is said “gladness and joy,” because in the Word “gladness” is predicated of truth, and “joy” of good; in like manner “what is pleasant” and “what is delightful;” moreover “milk” is predicated of the truth of good, and “honey” of the good of truth.