1. The Holy Scripture Throughout Has the Lord As Its Subject, and the Lord Embodies the Word

We read in John:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. This was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of people. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.... And the Word moreover became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as though of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1-5, 14)

Again in the same Gospel:

...the light came into the world, but people loved darkness more than light, for their deeds were evil. (John 3:19)

And elsewhere in it:

While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may be children of light.... I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. (John 12:36, 46)

It is apparent from this that the Lord is, from eternity, God, and that God Himself is the Lord who was born in the world. For we are told that the Word was with God, and that the Word was God. Also that without Him nothing was made that was made. And later we are told that the Word became flesh, and people beheld Him.

[2] Why the Lord is called the Word is little understood in the church. However, He is called the Word because the term “Word” symbolizes Divine truth itself or Divine wisdom itself, and the Lord embodies Divine truth itself or Divine wisdom itself. That, too, is why He is called the light, which is also said to have come into the world.

Because Divine wisdom and Divine love are united, and were united in the Lord from eternity, therefore we are told as well that “In Him was life, and the life was the light of people.” Life means Divine love, and light Divine wisdom.

This is the union meant by the statement that the Word was in the beginning with God and that God was the Word. With God means in God, for wisdom is present in love, and love in wisdom.

So, too, we find elsewhere in John:

...Father, glorify Me with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was. (John 17:5)

“With Yourself” means in Yourself. That, too, is why we are told, “And God was the Word.” And elsewhere that the Lord is in the Father, and the Father in Him, and that He and the Father are one.

Now because the Word is the Divine wisdom accompanying Divine love, it follows that it is Jehovah Himself, thus the Lord, by whom all things were made that were made, inasmuch as they were all created out of Divine love by means of Divine wisdom.

1783. THE INTERNAL SENSE

As stated already, the narratives contained here draw on true history; that is to say, Jehovah did in fact speak to Abram as described; the land of Canaan was promised to him as an inheritance; he was in fact commanded as described to arrange a heifer, she-goat, ram, turtle dove and fledgling; birds of prey came down on the carcasses; a deep sleep came over him, and in that sleep a horror of darkness; and when the sun had set he did in fact see what looked like a smoking furnace with a flaming torch passing between the parts; besides all the other details mentioned. These events are historically true, but even so every single one, down to the smallest event that took place, is representative; and the actual words used to describe those events, down to the smallest part of a letter, carry a spiritual meaning, that is, every single detail has an internal sense within it. For every single detail in the Word is inspired, and being inspired cannot derive from other than a heavenly origin; that is, celestial and spiritual things lie concealed in its inner recesses. If this were not so it could not possibly be the Word of the Lord.

[2] These are the things which the internal sense contains. When this sense lies open to view the sense of the letter passes out of sight, as though it did not exist, as also conversely when attention is paid solely to the historical sense, or sense of the letter, the internal sense passes out of sight, as though it did not exist. The relationship of the two senses is like that of heavenly light to the light of the world, and conversely like that of the light of the world to heavenly light. When heavenly light is seen, the light of the world is like thick darkness, as I have been made to know from experience. But when anyone is in the light of the world, heavenly light, if it is seen, would be like thick darkness. It is similar with human minds: to the person who limits everything to human wisdom, or worldly knowledge, heavenly wisdom is seen as something obscure and blank; but to one who possesses heavenly wisdom, human wisdom is like something totally obscure which, unless it had heavenly rays of light within it, would be as thick darkness.