26. Er is gezegd dat deze engelen meer wijsheid en heerlijkheid hebben dan de overigen, omdat ze het Goddelijke ware direct in hun leven hebben opgenomen en blijven opnemen, want zodra zij het Goddelijke ware horen willen en doen zij het ook, in plaats van ze in het geheugen op te nemen en daarna te overleggen of ze waar zijn. Zulke engelen weten onmiddellijk door de invloeiing (influx) vanuit de Heer of het waar is wat zij horen, want de Heer vloeit direct in iemands wil, maar indirect door middel van zijn wil in zijn denken. Of, wat hetzelfde is, de Heer vloeit direct in bij wat goed is, en indirect door middel van wat goed is, in bij wat waar is. Want wat tot de wil en de daaruit voortkomende activiteit behoort wordt goed genoemd, terwijl dat wat tot het geheugen en de daaruit voortkomende gedachten behoort heet waar. Inderdaad wordt iedere waarheid, zodra deze de wil binnenkomt in goed veranderd en in de liefde geplant, maar zolang waarheid in het geheugen en de daaruit voortkomende gedachten blijft, wordt het niet goed en komt het evenmin tot leven en wordt het ook niet door de persoon eigen gemaakt, omdat de mens een mens is vanwege zijn wil en daarna vanwege zijn verstand en niet vanwege zijn verstand gescheiden van zijn wil.

496. Verse 5. And the angel took the censer and filled it from the fire of the altar, signifies the conjunction of celestial love and spiritual love. This is evident from the signification of a "censer," as being spiritual good (of which above, n. 491, and therefore also spiritual love, since all good is of love; also from the signification of "the fire of the altar," as being celestial love, for "fire" signifies in the Word love in both senses, namely, celestial love and infernal love. "The fire of the altar" signifies celestial love, because the altar of burnt-offering, upon which was the fire, was the chief representative of the worship of the Lord from that love (See above, n. 490); and because this love of the Lord is perpetual, therefore it was appointed that a fire should burn continually upon the altar, and that they should take of that fire in the censers for burning incense, which was done to represent the conjunction of celestial love with spiritual love.

[2] That a fire should burn continually upon the altar is evident from Moses:

And the fire upon the altar shall be kept burning, and shall not be put out; and the priest shall kindle wood on it every morning, and shall arrange on it the burnt-offering and he shall burn on it the fats of the peace-offerings. The fire shall be kept burning continually upon the altar, it shall not be quenched (Leviticus 6:12, 13).

This represented that the Lord's Divine love is unceasing and eternal.

[3] That they should take from the fire of the altar in the censers for burning incense see also in Moses:

Aaron shall take burning coals of fire from off the altar before Jehovah in a censer; and he shall put the incense upon the fire before Jehovah (Leviticus 16:12, 13).

And that Aaron took fire from off the altar, and put incense on it, by which expiation was made for the people (Numbers 16:46, 47).

This represented that all propitiation and expiation were from the Lord's Divine love, as also that everything that has that love in it is heard and received by the Lord; and the rising of the smoke of the incense represented also hearing and reception.

[4] And because Korah, Dathan, and Abiram and their company, took fire from the altar and burned incense, and thence their censers were sanctified:

It was commanded that after they had been swallowed up by the earth, their censers, which were of brass, should be gathered up, and the fire be scattered yonder, and the censers be beaten into plates for covering the altar (Numbers 16:36-39).

This also represented the holiness of the Lord's Divine love. And as incense-offerings were holy from the fire of the altar, so incense-offerings with strange fire were profane, therefore:

Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, were consumed by fire from heaven, because they offered incense with strange fire (Leviticus 10:1, 2).

Incense offering from strange fire represented worship from love other than Divine, and worship from any other love is profane.

[5] These passages have been cited to make known that "the fire of the altar" signifies the Lord's Divine love, which love in heaven is called Divine celestial love and Divine spiritual love; Divine celestial love is in the Lord's celestial kingdom, and Divine spiritual love is in the Lord's spiritual kingdom. For there are two kingdoms, into which all the heavens are divided, the celestial kingdom and the spiritual kingdom; Divine celestial love constitutes the celestial kingdom, and Divine spiritual love the spiritual kingdom. (That all the heavens are divided into these two kingdoms, see in the work on Heaven and Hell n.20-28; and that these two loves constitute these two kingdoms, or all the heavens, n. 13-19.) But it must be noted that the Lord's Divine love in the heavens is called celestial and spiritual from its reception by the angels, and not from its being divided in itself; also that spiritual love springs from celestial love as an effect from its effecting cause, and as truth from good; for the good of spiritual love is in its essence the truth of the good of celestial love. For this reason these two kingdoms are conjoined with each other and are one in the Lord's sight. But this has been said for those who love to search into interior things. That "fire" signifies love in both senses will be seen confirmed from the Word in what follows.