Arcana Coelestia # 31
31. That 'the great lights' mean love and faith, and are also mentioned as the sun, the moon, and the stars, is clear from various places in the Prophets, as in Ezekiel,
When I have blotted you out, I will cover the heavens and darken their stars, I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon will not give its light. All the bright lights in the heavens I will make dark over you, and I will put darkness over your land. Ezekiel 32:7-8.
This refers to Pharaoh and the Egyptians, who are used in the Word to mean the sensory and the factual. The meaning here is that they will have blotted out love and faith by means of sensory evidence and factual knowledge. In Isaiah,
The day of Jehovah for making the earth a desolation; for the stars of the heavens and their constellations 1 will not give their light; the sun will be darkened in its rising, and the moon will not shed its light. Isaiah 13:9-10.
In Joel,
The day of Jehovah is coming, a day of darkness and thick darkness. The earth quakes before Him, the heavens tremble, the sun and moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. Joel 2:10.
[2] In Isaiah, in reference to the Lord's Coming and the enlightenment of gentiles, and so to a new Church, in particular to individuals who are in darkness but who are beginning to receive the light and be regenerated,
Arise, shine, for your light has come. Behold, darkness is covering the earth, and thick darkness the peoples, but Jehovah will arise upon you, and nations will walk towards your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Jehovah will be for you an everlasting light; your sun will no more go down nor your moon be withdrawn, for Jehovah will be for you an everlasting light. Isaiah 60:1-3, 19-20.
In David,
Jehovah makes the heavens by intelligence, He spreads out the earth upon the waters, He makes the great lights, the sun to have dominion over the day, and the moon and stars to have dominion over the night. Psalms 136:5-9.
And in the same author,
Praise Jehovah, sun and moon, praise Him, all stars of light! Praise Him, heaven of heavens, and waters that are above the heavens! Psalms 148:3-4.
[3] In all of these places 'the lights' mean love and faith. Because the lights represented and meant love and faith in the Lord, the Jewish Church was commanded to keep a light burning all the time from evening till morning, for every command which that Church received was representative of the Lord. Concerning this light it is said,
Command the sons of Israel that they take oil for the light, to cause a lamp to burn continually. In the Tent of Meeting outside the veil which is before the testimony Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening to morning before Jehovah. [Exodus 27:20-21]
That this means the love and faith which the Lord kindles and causes to shine in the internal man, and by means of the internal man in the external man, will in the Lord's Divine mercy be shown at that point in Exodus.
Сноски:
1. literally, orions
Genesis 5
1
This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;
2
Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.
3
And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:
4
And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters:
5
And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.
6
And Seth lived an hundred and five years, and begat Enos:
7
And Seth lived after he begat Enos eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters:
8
And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died.
9
And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan:
10
And Enos lived after he begat Cainan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begat sons and daughters:
11
And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years: and he died.
12
And Cainan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalaleel:
13
And Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters:
14
And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died.
15
And Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years, and begat Jared:
16
And Mahalaleel lived after he begat Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters:
17
And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died.
18
And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch:
19
And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
20
And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died.
21
And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah:
22
And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
23
And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:
24
And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.
25
And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech:
26
And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters:
27
And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died.
28
And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son:
29
And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed.
30
And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters:
31
And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died.
32
And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
