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Arcana Coelestia #9373

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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.

  
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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.