728. And her offspring was caught up unto God and His throne, signifies the protection of the doctrine by the Lord, because it is for the New Church. This is evident from the signification of "the offspring" (or the son, a male) brought forth by "the woman arrayed with the sun, under whose feet was the moon, and upon whose head was a crown of twelve stars," as being doctrine from the Word, and indeed, the doctrine of truth, that is, the doctrine of love to the Lord and of charity towards the neighbor, and finally of faith. Also from the signification of "caught up unto God and His throne," as being protection by the Lord from "the dragon" that stood before the woman about to bring forth, with the intent and desire of devouring what was brought forth. That protection by the Lord from those who are meant by "the dragon" is here signified by these words. And as that doctrine was to be the doctrine of the church that is called the New Jerusalem, therefore it is said protection because it is for the New Church. It is said "caught up unto God and His throne," "God" meaning the Lord, and "His throne" heaven; it is caught up to the Lord and to heaven because this doctrine is from the Lord, and heaven is in this doctrine.

[2] What is here said of the offspring born of the woman, who "was caught up unto God," is also said of Enoch, the son of Jared, but in these words:

Enoch walked with God, and was no more; because God took him (Genesis 5:24).

Who are here meant by "Enoch," and what "Enoch" signifies, has been disclosed to me from heaven, namely, those of the men of the Most Ancient Church who collected together the representatives and correspondences of natural things with spiritual; for the men of the Most Ancient Church were in the spiritual understanding and perception of all things they saw with their eyes, and thence from the objects in the world they saw through to the spiritual things corresponding to the objects. Because the Lord foresaw that this spiritual perception would perish with their posterity, and with that perception also the knowledge of correspondences through which the human race has conjunction with heaven, therefore the Lord provided that some of those who lived with the most ancient people should collect together the correspondences, and gather them into a manuscript; these are here meant by "Enoch," and that manuscript is what is here signified. Because that manuscript was to serve the coming churches that were to be established by the Lord after the deluge with the knowledge and cognition of the spiritual things that are in natural things, it was preserved by the Lord for their use, and was also guarded, lest the last posterity of the Most Ancient Church, who were evil, should offer injury to it. This, therefore, is what is signified in the spiritual sense by "Enoch was no more, because God took Him." From this it can be seen what is signified by "the offspring of the woman was caught up unto God and His throne."

6040. 'And Joseph said to his brothers' means a perception by the truths in the natural. This is clear from the meaning of 'saying' as perception, dealt with often; from the representation of 'the sons of Israel' as spiritual truths within the natural, dealt with in 5414, 5879; and from the representation of 'Joseph' as the internal celestial, dealt with in 5869, 5877. From this it is evident that 'Joseph said to his brothers' means a perception by the truths in the natural which was received from the internal celestial. The reason 'Joseph said' does not mean a perception by him is that Joseph is the internal and all perception flows by way of the internal into the external or natural. By itself the natural does not perceive anything whatever but receives its perceptions from what is prior to itself. Yet what is prior does not perceive by itself but from what is yet prior to it, so that finally perception is received from the Lord, who has uncreated Being. Such is the nature of influx and consequently of perception. The situation with influx is like coming into being and remaining in being. Nothing comes into being by itself but from what is prior to itself, so that finally everything comes from Him who is First, that is, whose Being (Esse) and Manifestation (Existere) are uncreated. Everything is also kept in being by Him who is First, for the same applies to remaining in being as to coming into being, since remaining in being is constant coming into being.

[2] The reason why the expression 'a perception by the truths in the natural' is used and not a perception by people in possession of those truths is that spiritual language employs that kind of expression. For such a usage draws the ideas composing one's thought away from persons and fixes them on spiritual realities; and those realities, which are truths and forms of good, are what possess life in a person and cause him to have life. For those realities are derived from the Lord, the Source of life in its entirety. That kind of usage also leads one's mind away from ascribing truths and forms of good to a person. Such spiritual language also enables one to form an overall idea that extends further and wider than when the idea of a person is tied up with it. If for example one speaks of perception by people in possession of truths in the natural one's ideas become fixed at the same time on people like that - a common occurrence - and so one's ideas are drawn away from the overall idea, with the result that the light of truth is diminished. Furthermore, in the next life thought about persons disturbs such persons, for in that life all thought is communicated. These are the reasons why impersonal expressions like the one here - 'a perception by the truths in the natural' are used.