9596. 'From fine twined linen and violet and purple and twice-dyed scarlet' means the spiritual and celestial realities from which those truths are derived. This is clear from the meaning of 'fine twined linen' as truth from a celestial origin, dealt with in 9469; from the meaning of 'violet' as the celestial love of truth, dealt with in 9466; from the meaning of 'purple' as the celestial love of good, dealt with in 9467; and from the meaning of 'twice-dyed scarlet' as spiritual good or the good of truth, dealt with in 9468. Such is the order in which the spiritual and celestial realities, or the truths and forms of good, present with a person or an angel who is in the middle or second heaven follow one another. For truth from a celestial origin, meant by 'fine twined linen' comes first; then the love of or affection for truth, meant by 'violet'; after that the resulting love of or affection for good, meant by 'purple'; and finally spiritual good, meant by 'twice-dyed scarlet'.

[2] Because this is the order in which the spiritual and celestial realities follow one another 'fine twined linen' is here mentioned first; but in the case of the veil that hung between the dwelling-place and the ark, or between the holy place and the holy of holies, dealt with in verse 31 of the present chapter, it is mentioned last. The reason why 'fine twined linen' is mentioned last in the case of the veil is that 'the veil' means the intermediary uniting the inmost heaven to the middle heaven, and therefore within this intermediary it must come last, in order that - to link the two heavens - it may then be first in the second of them.

[3] But properly 'fine twined linen' means the understanding part of the mind as it exists with the spiritual man or with an angel in the Lord's spiritual heaven. The reason why the understanding part is meant by 'fine twined linen' is that with the spiritual man a new will part is implanted by the Lord within the understanding part of his mind, see 863, 875, 895, 927, 1023, 1043, 1044, 1555, 2256, 4328, 4493, 5113; and since the understanding part in the spiritual man is meant by 'fine twined linen', so too is spiritual truth meant. This is because all truth belongs to the understanding part, and all good to the will part, 3623, 9300; for the understanding part is the receiver (subjectum) or container and the truth is what belongs to it, and these two make one. From these considerations also it may be seen that the actual understanding part of the mind with those who belong to the Lord's spiritual kingdom is in the strict sense 'the dwelling-place', 9296, 9297, and that the spreading out of the curtains serves to describe it.

[4] From all this what 'spreading and stretching out the heavens' means in the following places may be recognized, such as in Isaiah,

Jehovah is He who stretches out the heavens, spreads out the earth, gives breath ¹ to the people on it, and spirit to those who walk on it. Isaiah 42:5.

In the same prophet,

I am Jehovah who makes all things, stretches out the heavens Alone, [and] spreads out the earth by Myself. Isaiah 44:24.

In the same prophet,

It was I that made the earth and created man on it. It was I - My hands - that stretched out the heavens. Isaiah 45:12.

In Jeremiah,

... He who makes the earth by His power, prepares the world by His wisdom, and stretches out the heavens by His intelligence. Jeremiah 51:15.

In Zechariah,

Jehovah is He who stretches out the heavens, and founds the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him. Zechariah 12:1.

[5] 'Stretching out the heavens and spreading out the earth' is plainly similar in meaning to stretching and spreading out a dwelling-place by the use of curtains. And by this is meant regenerating a person and thereby creating or forming a new understanding in which there is a new will, which is the spiritual person's actual heaven in which the Lord dwells with that person. The fact that the regeneration or the formation of a new understanding, and of a new will within it, and so of a new person, is what 'stretching out the heavens and spreading out the earth' means is evident from actual explanations provided in the places quoted above. For they speak of Him who gives breath to the people on the earth, and spirit to those who walk on it, and also of Him who forms the spirit of man within him. 'Heaven and earth' means the Church, internal and external, see 1733, 1850, 2117, 2118, 3355, 4535, and 'the earth' in general means the Lord's kingdom and the Church, 9334; and these meanings too are plainly apparent in those places. For if 'the earth' did not have that meaning what sense could be made of 'spreading out the earth' and 'founding the earth', or 'forming the spirit of man within him ² '?

[6] The fact that 'stretching out the heavens and spreading out the earth' here is similar in meaning to stretching and spreading out a dwelling-place by the use of curtains is clear from other places where the same idea is stated even more plainly, as in Isaiah,

Jehovah is He who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. Isaiah 40:22.

In the same prophet,

Enlarge the place of your tent, and let them stretch out the curtains of your dwelling-places. Isaiah 54:2.

And in David,

Jehovah covers Himself with light, as if with a garment; He stretches out the heavens as a curtain. Psalms 104:2.

These places also show what 'the expanse' or that which is spread out means in the first chapter of Genesis,

God said, Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let there be a distinguishing of the waters from the waters. And God made the expanse and He made a distinction between the waters that were under the expanse and the waters that were above the expanse, And God called the expanse Heaven. Genesis 1:6-8.

That first chapter describes the regeneration of a member of the celestial Church, 'the expanse' describing his new will and understanding. 'The waters under the expanse and those above the expanse' are the truths of the external man and those of the internal man. For the meaning of 'waters' as truths, see 2702, 3058, 3424, 4976, 8568, 9323.

Notas de rodapé:

950. Clothed in linen pure and glistening white. That this signifies by means of Divine truth, or the Word from the spiritual sense, is evident from the signification of linen, as denoting truth; and when said of the Lord or of the Word, as denoting Divine truth. This is called pure because of its being genuine; and glistening white from the light in heaven, which light is glistening; for all things that are there are glistening white from it.

The Divine truth proceeding from the Lord is that which appears before the eyes of the angels as light, because the Divine truth enlightens their understanding, and that which does this is light before their eyes. Such is the Divine truth in heaven, and such is the Word in its spiritual sense. Whereas the Divine truth on earth is such as the Word is in the sense of the letter. In this there are but few genuine truths, such as are those in heaven, but there are appearances of truth. The natural man cannot receive any others. But still genuine truths, such as are those in heaven, lie stored up in the appearances of truth there; for they are those that are contained in the spiritual sense of the Word. From these things it is evident that by the angels going out of the temple, clothed in linen pure and glistening white, is signified that the evils and falsities that have devastated the church were made manifest by means of Divine truth, or the Word from its spiritual sense.

[2] There are many reasons why the spiritual sense of the Word is now disclosed. One is, that the churches in the Christian world have falsified all the sense of the letter of the Word, and this even to the destruction of the Divine truth in heaven, whereby heaven is closed. Therefore, in order that heaven may be opened, it has pleased the Lord to reveal the spiritual sense of the Word, wherein is Divine truth such as it is in heaven. For by means of the Word there, conjunction of man with the Lord, and thence with heaven, takes place. When the Word is so far falsified as to destroy its genuine truth, then conjunction perishes, and man is separated from heaven. Therefore, in order that he may again be conjoined with heaven, Divine truth such as it is in heaven has been revealed; and this is confirmed by the spiritual sense of the Word wherein is that Divine truth.

A second reason is, that the falsities that have inundated the church, and devastated it, cannot be dissipated except by genuine truth in the Word opened. Falsities and the evils therefrom, and evils and the falsities therefrom, can by no means be seen except from truths themselves. For falsities and evils, so long as genuine truths are not present, appear as in a kind of light.

They have light from what they confirm by reasonings from the natural man, and the sense of the letter, explained and applied according to appearances before that man. But when genuine truths are present, then falsities and evils first appear; for the light of heaven, which is in genuine truths, dissipates the delusive light of falsities, and turns it into darkness.

A third reason is, that the New Church, meant by the holy Jerusalem in the Apocalypse, is conjoined with heaven by means of the Divine truths of the Word contained in its spiritual sense. For the Word is conjunction, but it is then conjunction, when a man perceives the Word in the same way as the angels do.

That linen signifies truth will be seen in the following article.

Continuation concerning the First Precept:-

[3] Thou shalt not make to thyself other gods, involves also that men should not love themselves and the world above all things; for what a man loves above all things is his god.

There are two entirely opposite loves, the love of self and love to God, also the love of the world and the love of heaven. He who loves himself loves his proprium; and a man's proprium is nothing but evil. Hence also he loves evil in its whole extent; and he who loves evil hates good, and thence also God. He who loves himself above all things immerses his affections and thoughts in the body, and, consequently, in his proprium, from which he cannot be raised by the Lord. And he who is immersed in the body and in his proprium is in bodily ideas, and in merely bodily pleasures, and, consequently, in thick darkness as to higher things. Whereas, he who is raised up by the Lord is in light. And he who is not in the light of heaven, but in thick darkness, since he sees nothing of God, he denies God, and acknowledges as God either nature, or some man, or idol, and also affects to be worshipped himself as a god. Consequently, it follows that he who loves himself above all things worships other gods. It is similar with him who loves the world, but in a less degree; for the world cannot be loved to such an extent as the proprium; therefore the world is loved from proprium and for the sake of proprium, because it is serviceable to it.

By the love of self is especially meant the love of ruling over others from the sole delight in ruling, and for the sake of position, and not from the delight of uses, and for the sake of the public good. And by the love of the world is especially meant the love of possessing worldly goods from the mere pleasure of possession, and for the sake of riches, and not from delight in the uses arising from them, and for the sake of good therefrom. Neither of these loves has any limit, and as far as scope is given, each rushes on endlessly.