423. Having the seal of the living God.- That this signifies the Divine Will, is evident from the signification of to have the seal of any one, which means to have the command, for a command is confirmed by a seal; therefore to have the seal of the living God, is to have the Divine command. The Divine command here denotes the Divine Will, because by the angel who had the seal ascending from the rising of the sun, is signified the Divine Love going forth from the Lord; and everything that goes forth from the Divine Love is the Divine Will. There are also Divine commands not from the Divine Will, but of leave and permission, many of which were given to the sons of Israel. They were permitted, for example, to have several wives, and to give them bills of divorcement, besides other things of a similar nature. Those commands were of permission, and were given because of the hardness of their hearts, as the words of the Lord in Matthew plainly show (19:8); and Mark (10:4, 5). But commands that are immediately from the Divine Love are all of the Divine Will; therefore it is also said, "the seal of the living God," the Lord being called the living God from the Divine Love, for love is the very life of man, and the life of all things is from the Divine Love.