10129. And the altar shall be a holy of holies. That this signifies the celestial kingdom, where the Lord is present in the good of love, is evident from the signification of “the altar,” as being a representative of the Lord as to Divine good (see n. 9388, 9389, 9714, 9964), here as to Divine good in heaven and in the church (n. 10123); and from the signification of “a holy of holies,” as being celestial good, or the good of love from the Lord. That it is the celestial kingdom which is here signified by “the altar,” and the good in this kingdom which is signified by “a holy of holies,” is because in this kingdom is received the good of love from the Lord to the Lord, which is celestial good. For there are two kingdoms into which the heavens are distinguished, the celestial kingdom and the spiritual kingdom; in the celestial kingdom is received the good of love from the Lord to the Lord, and in the spiritual kingdom is received the good of charity toward the neighbor from the Lord (see the places cited in n. 9277, 9680, 10068).

[2] By the altar is represented the celestial kingdom, or what is the same, the Lord is represented where He is present in the good of love; and by the Tent of meeting outside the veil is represented the spiritual kingdom, or what is the same, the Lord is represented where He is present in the good of charity toward the neighbor. The good of the spiritual kingdom, or spiritual good, is called “holy;” but the good of the celestial kingdom, or celestial good, is called “holy of holies.” Celestial good, which is the good of love from the Lord to the Lord, is called “holy of holies” because through this good the Lord flows in immediately into the heavens; but through spiritual good, which is the good of charity toward the neighbor, He flows in mediately through celestial good (n. 9473, 9683, 9873, 9992, 10005). It is said “flows in,” because the Lord is above the heavens, and flows in from thence (n. 10106); and yet He is quite as present in the heavens.

[3] That celestial good, which is the good of love from the Lord to the Lord, is meant by “holy of holies,” is evident from the passages in the Word where mention is made of the “holy of holies,” as in Moses:

The veil shall divide unto you between the holy and the holy of holies. And thou shalt put the propitiatory upon the ark of the Testimony in the holy of holies (Exodus 26:33-34);

from this it is evident that that part of the Tent is called “holy” which was outside the veil, and that part the “holy of holies” which was within the veil. (That the Tent or Habitation outside the veil represented the spiritual kingdom of the Lord, or the middle heaven; and that the Tent or Habitation within the veil represented the celestial kingdom of the Lord, see n. 9457, 9481, 9485, 10001, 10025.) That part of the Tent which was within the veil is called “the sanctuary of holiness” (Leviticus 16:33). Because by the ark in which was the Testimony; and upon which was the propitiatory, was represented the inmost heaven where celestial good reigns, therefore the inmost part [adytum] of the temple, where the ark of the covenant was, is also called the “holy of holies” (1 Kings 6:16; 8:6).

[4] As the bread and the meat-offering signified the good of love from the Lord to the Lord, which is celestial good, these also are called “holy of holies” in Moses, where it is said that the bread of faces, or of setting forth, shall be eaten by Aaron and his sons in the holy place, because it is the holy of holies of the fire-offerings to Jehovah (Leviticus 24:9). (That the “bread of faces,” or of “setting forth,” signifies celestial good, see n. 9545.) In Moses:

The residue of the meat-offering shall be for Aaron and his sons, the holy of holies of the fire-offerings to Jehovah (Leviticus 2:3, 10).

(That the meat-offering, which was unleavened bread, cakes, and also unleavened wafers mixed with oil, denotes celestial good, or the good of love, see n. 4581, 9992, 10079)

[5] In the same:

Every meat-offering, every sacrifice of sin and of guilt, which is for Aaron and his sons, is a holy of holies to Jehovah (Numbers 18:9).

These things were called “holy of holies” because these sacrifices signified purification from evils, and all purification from evils is effected in a state of the good of innocence, which good is also celestial good; wherefore in the sacrifices of sin and of guilt were offered female or male lambs, or rams, or bullocks, or turtle-doves, as is evident from Leviticus 4:5; and by these animals is signified this good. (That it is signified by “lambs,” see n. 3519, 3994, 7840; by “rams,” n. 10042; and by “bullocks,” n. 9391; that it is signified by “turtle-doves,” is evident from the passages in the Word where they are mentioned.) That purification from evils and regeneration are effected in a state of innocence, see n. 10021. For this reason these sacrifices are also called “holy of holies” in Leviticus 6:17; 7:6; 10:17; 14:13.

[6] That the altar of burnt-offering represented the Lord as to the good of love and its receptivity by angels and men, has been shown above, and therefore it is thus spoken of in Moses:

Thou shalt anoint the altar of burnt-offering, and all the vessels thereof, the laver thereof, and the base thereof. And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be a holy of holies; whosoever toucheth them shall sanctify himself (Exodus 30:29).

[7] The incense, a portion of which was put before the Testimony in the Tent of meeting, is also called “holy of holies” (Exodus 30:36), because it signified celestial good in ultimates, and also the things which proceed from this good (n. 9475).

In Ezekiel:

This is the law of the house, upon the head of the mountain the whole border thereof round about shall be holy of holies (Ezekiel 43:12).

The house with the border round about it is called “holy of holies” because by “the house of God” is signified the celestial kingdom, and in the supreme sense the Lord as to the good of love (n. 3720); hence also it is said “upon the head of the mountain,” for by “the head of the mountain” the like is signified (n. 6435, 9422, 9434).

[8] In Daniel:

Seventy weeks are decreed upon the people and upon the holy city, to seal up the vision, and the prophet, and to anoint the holy of holies (Daniel 9:24);

speaking of the coming of the Lord, who alone is the anointed of Jehovah, and alone is holy, and also as to His Human is the Divine good of the Divine love, thus “the holy of holies.” (That the Lord as to the Divine Human is alone the anointed of Jehovah, see n. 9954; and that He alone is holy, n. 9229; and that He is the Divine good of the Divine love, see the citations in n. 9199.)

[9] That celestial good is “holy of holies,” but spiritual good is “holy,” is because celestial good is inmost good, and therefore also this good is the good of the inmost heaven; whereas spiritual good is the good thence proceeding, and is therefore the good of the middle heaven, and this good is so far good, and hence is so far holy, as it has celestial good within it; for this good flows into it, and conceives it, and begets it, as a father his son. By celestial good is meant the good of love from the Lord to the Lord, and by spiritual good is meant the good of charity toward the neighbor from the Lord. The very good of love to the Lord from the Lord is “holy of holies,” because through it the Lord conjoins Himself immediately; but the good of charity toward the neighbor is “holy,” because through it the Lord conjoins Himself mediately, and He conjoins Himself insofar as it has in it the good of love from the Lord.

[10] The good of love to the Lord from the Lord is in all the good of charity which is genuine, and likewise in all the good of faith which is genuine, because it flows in from the Lord; for no one can love the neighbor, and from love do good to him, from himself, but only from the Lord; and no one can believe in God from himself, but only from the Lord. Therefore when the Lord is acknowledged, and the neighbor is loved, then the Lord is in the love toward the neighbor, however little the man may know it. This is also meant by the words of the Lord in Matthew:

The righteous shall answer, Lord, when saw we Thee hungry, and fed Thee? Or thirsty and gave Thee drink? When saw we Thee sick, or in prison, and came unto Thee? And the King shall say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Insofar as ye did it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye did it unto Me (Matthew 25:37-40);

from this it is plain that the Lord is in the good of charity, and is this good, even though they who are in this good are unaware of it. By “brethren” in the proximate sense are meant those who are in the good of charity, and in a sense abstracted from person; the Lord’s “brethren” denote the very goods of charity (see n. 5063-5071).

8812. When it was morning. That this signifies a state when they were in good, is evident from the signification of “morning,” as being a state of the good of love (see n. 8426). From what is here said, that Jehovah, that is, the Lord; descended upon Mount Sinai on the third day, and also on the morning of that day, it is very manifest that this was representative of some Divine thing in heaven, which cannot be made known to anyone except from the correspondence of such things as come forth in the natural world with things that are in the spiritual world, and from the consequent signification; as in the present case what “morning” signifies, and what “the third day.” That “the third day” denotes the end of a former state, is because by “three” is signified what is full from beginning to end (n. 8790); and that “morning” denotes a state of the good of love, is because the sun which in the other life gives light to the angels and to the universal heaven, is the Lord, and the fire there is His Divine love, which gives the heat of life to every living being, and the light there is the Divine truth which enlightens all who receive it; quite differently from the sun of this world, the fire of which is fire and not love, and the light from which is light and not truth.

[2] From all this it can be seen what are the effects of the fire and also of the light from the sun of the world, and what are the effects of the fire and light from the sun of heaven, namely, that from the former the heat and light are devoid of life, but from the latter the heat and light are attended with life. These latter, namely, those which come forth from the sun of heaven, are therefore called “spiritual,” because they have life in them; and the former, which are from the sun of the world, are called “natural,” and have no life in them. The life which in living beings is noticed in heat and from heat, is not from the heat of the sun of the world, but is from the heat of the sun of heaven. When this heat flows into the heat of the world, it produces that effect, and is felt in the body as elementary heat; but there is in it vital heat that has its origin from the love which is heat from the sun of heaven. That the origin of the heat of life is from some other source, and that it is in love and is according to the measure and the quality of the love, everyone can know provided he is willing to reflect aright, except those who do not acknowledge anything internal in man, and who ascribe all things to nature.

[3] As therefore the heat from the sun of heaven, which is the Lord, is the good of love, and as the light therefrom is the truth of faith, it can be seen what is signified by “morning,” and what by “noon,” by “evening” and by “night,” in the other life, namely, that they are states of good and truth, or of love and faith; “morning,” a state of the good of love; “noon,” a state of the truth of faith; and “evening,” and “night,” the privation of these, which is ignorance and blindness in the things that are of faith, also torpor and cold in the things that are of heavenly love.

[4] Moreover the case is similar with the sun of heaven as with the sun of the world, namely, that it is fixed and does not cause those states by any circumgyration; but that they are caused by the surrounding bodies, as by the earth revolving around the sun and at the same time around its own axis; from which comes the appearance that those changes arise from the sun, when yet they are not from the sun, but from the world revolving about it. So also in heaven, the changes of state there, to which morning, noon, evening, and night correspond, do not arise from the sun there, for the sun is always sending forth heat and light, that is, the good of love and the truth of faith; but those changes arise with those who receive, namely, with angels and spirits who by stated alternations according to their life are now in morning, that is, in the good of love; now in noon, that is, in the truth of faith; now in evening and night, that is, in shade and torpor as to love and faith.

[5] The reason why the case is similar in the world as in heaven, with the difference that in the world they are states of times which so succeed each other, and in heaven states of life, is that all things in the world were created after the image of things that are in heaven, because natural things come forth from spiritual things as effects from their causes. Hence there is a correspondence of all things in the world with those which are in heaven, and hence universal nature is a theater representative of the Lord’s kingdom (n. 3483, 4939, 8211).