9814. 'And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother' means a representative sign of the spiritual kingdom lying adjacent to the celestial kingdom. This is clear from the meaning of 'garments' in general as truths, and more particularly as truths clothing good, dealt with in 5954, 9212, 9216. The meaning of 'garments' as truths owes its origin to things in heaven, where angels appear dressed in clothes in keeping with the truths they have that spring from good, 165, 5248, 5954, 9212; and from this it may be recognized that Aaron's garments represented the Lord's spiritual kingdom lying adjacent to His celestial kingdom. For Aaron represented the Lord in respect of the Divine Celestial, 9810, and therefore the garments he wore represented the Divine Spiritual adjacent to the celestial kingdom like clothing next to the body, the Divine Spiritual being Divine Truth emanating from the Lord's Divine Good. It presents itself in heaven as light, indeed it is the light which illuminates both the outward and the inward powers of sight that angels possess. Modifications of this light - which are determined by the subjects, that is, the angels, that receive it - produce different visible phenomena, such as clouds, rainbows, and various colours and brightnesses; they also produce shining garments about the angels. From all this it may be recognized that the Lord's spiritual kingdom was represented by Aaron's holy garments. For there are two kingdoms into which the heavens are divided, the celestial kingdom and the spiritual kingdom, regarding which, see 9277. Those in the celestial kingdom appear naked, but those in the spiritual kingdom appear in clothing. From this it is again clear that Divine Truth, or the Divine Spiritual, which appears as light, is that which serves to clothe.

[2] But who would ever credit it that, even though the Word exists within the Church and consequently enlightenment regarding Divine and heavenly realities, ignorance reigns there, so great that no one knows that angels and spirits take on the human form, appear to themselves as human beings, and see, hear, and talk to one another? Still less does anyone know that they appear clothed in garments. The idea that they do so is met not merely with doubt but also with complete denial on the part of those so blind to everything other than external things, that they think that the body alone lives, and that what they cannot see with the eyes in their body or touch with the hands on their body has no existence whatever, see 1881. But in actual fact the heavens are full of human beings, who are angels, and these are clothed with garments shining in varied degrees of brightness. But these beings cannot at all be seen by a person on earth through the eyes of his body, only through the eyes of his spirit, when the Lord opens them. The angels who were seen by the ancients, such as Abraham, Sarah, Lot, Jacob, Joshua, Gideon, and also the Prophets, were not seen by those persons' bodily eyes but by those of their spirit which had been opened then. The fact that they would also have appeared clothed in robes is clear from the angels sitting at the Lord's tomb, whom Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James saw, and who were wearing shining white garments, Matthew 28:3; Mark 16:5; Luke 24:4, and in particular from the Lord Himself when seen in His glory by Peter, James, and John, in that His clothing was dazzling white and like the light, Matthew 17:2; Luke 9:29. This clothing too represented the Divine Spiritual, or the Divine Truth that emanated from Him.

[3] All this makes clear what 'white garments' means in the Book of Revelation,

You have a few names also in Sardis, who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with Me in white ones, for they are worthy. He who conquers will be clad in white garments. Revelation 3:4-5.

'Garments' here are spiritual truths, which are truths springing from good, as shown above; and 'white' is authentic truth, 3301, 4007, 5319. The following words that occur elsewhere in the same book are similarly made clear,

I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse; and He who sat on it was called faithful and true, and in righteousness He judges and goes into battle. His armies in heaven were following Him, clothed in linen white and clean. Revelation 19:11, 14.

And elsewhere again in that book,

On the thrones I saw twenty-four elders, clad in white garments. Revelation 4:4.

8042. 'Sanctify to Me all the firstborn' means faith - that it comes from the Lord. This is clear from the meaning of 'sanctifying' to Jehovah or the Lord, as ascribing something to Him, that is, confessing or acknowledging that it comes from Him; and from the meaning of 'the firstborn' as faith, dealt with in 352, 2435, 6344, 7035. When the term faith is used all the truth that the spiritual Church possesses is meant; and since all the truth that the Church possesses is meant, the spiritual Church itself is also meant, for truth is the essential element of this Church. Good is, it is true, the essential element of a Church, and really is the firstborn, 2435, 3325, 4925, 4926, 4928, 4930; but good as it exists among those belonging to the spiritual Church is in itself truth. For when these people act in accordance with the truth they have been taught, that truth is called good; for it has then passed from their understanding into their will, and from their will into action, and anything done which springs from the will is called good. In itself, in essence, this good is still truth, and this is because for those people things taught by the Church are truths; and since teachings within Churches are diverse, so too are truths. But in spite of that, though they vary so much, such truths become good, as has just been stated, when people will them and act them out.

[2] While a person is being regenerated he is led by means of faith in the understanding, or doctrine, to faith in the will, or life; that is, he is led through the truth of faith to the good of charity. When the good of charity resides with a person he has been regenerated; and from that good he now gives birth to truths which are called the truths of good. These are the truths which are the most authentic truths of faith; and they are meant by the firstborn. For the generations or births of truths from good are like the generations or births of sons and daughters from a parent, later on of grandsons and granddaughters, then of great-grandsons and great granddaughters, and so on. The first generation or those born from the actual parent, the generation of sons and daughters, is what is meant by 'the firstborn', however many they may be; the second and third generations are not meant, except when considered in relation to their own parents. The reason why the firstborn were consecrated to Jehovah or the Lord is that all secondary or descending generations of truths and forms of good derive their essential nature from the primary ones. This spiritual reality is at the root of the right of the firstborn spoken of in the Word.