9372. And He said unto Moses. That this signifies that which concerns the Word in general, is evident from the representation of Moses, as being the Word (of which below); and from the signification of “He said,” as involving those things which follow in this chapter, thus those which concern the Word (see n. 9370). (That Moses represents the Word, can be seen from what has been often shown before about Moses, as from the preface to Genesis 18; and n. 4859, 5922, 6723, 6752, 6771, 6827, 7010, 7014, 7089, 7382, 8601, 8760, 8787, 8805.) Here Moses represents the Word in general, because it is said of him in what follows, that he alone should come near unto Jehovah (verse 2); and also that, being called unto out of the midst of the cloud, he entered into it, and went up the mount (verses 16-18).

[2] In the Word there are many who represent the Lord in respect to truth Divine, or in respect to the Word; but chief among them are Moses, Elijah, Elisha, and John the Baptist. That Moses does so, can be seen in the explications just cited above; that so do Elijah and Elisha, can be seen in the preface to Genesis 18; and n. 2762, 5247; and that John the Baptist does so is evident from the fact that he was “Elias who was to come.” He who does not know that John the Baptist represented the Lord as to the Word, cannot know what all those things infold and signify which are said about him in the New Testament; and therefore in order that this secret may stand open, and that at the same time it may appear that Elias, and also Moses, who were seen when the Lord was transfigured, signified the Word, some things may here be quoted which are spoken about John the Baptist; as in Matthew:

After the messengers of John had departed, Jesus began to speak concerning John, saying, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? a reed shaken by the wind? But what went ye out to see? a man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they that wear soft things are in kings’ houses. But what went ye out to see? a prophet? Yea, I say unto you, even more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written, Behold I send Mine angel before Thy face, who shall prepare Thy way before Thee. Verily I say unto you, Among those who are born of women there hath not arisen a greater than John the Baptist; nevertheless he that is less in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he. All the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if ye are willing to believe, he is Elias who was to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear (Matthew 11:7-15; and also Luke 7:24-28).

No one can know how these things are to be understood, unless he knows that this John represented the Lord as to the Word, and unless he also knows from the internal sense what is signified by “the wilderness” in which he was, also what by “a reed shaken by the wind,” and likewise by “soft raiment in kings’ houses;” and further what is signified by his being “more than a prophet,” and by “none among those who are born of women being greater than he, and nevertheless he that is less in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he,” and lastly by his being “Elias.” For without a deeper sense, all these words are uttered merely from some comparison, and not from anything of weight.

[3] But it is very different when by John is understood the Lord as to the Word, or the Word representatively. Then by “the wilderness of Judea in which John was” is signified the state in which the Word was at the time when the Lord came into the world, namely, that it was “in the wilderness,” that is, it was in obscurity so great that the Lord was not at all acknowledged, neither was anything known about His heavenly kingdom; when yet all the prophets prophesied about Him, and about His kingdom, that it was to endure forever. (That “a wilderness” denotes such obscurity, see n. 2708, 4736, 7313.) For this reason the Word is compared to “a reed shaken by the wind” when it is explained at pleasure; for in the internal sense “a reed” denotes truth in the ultimate, such as is the Word in the letter.

[4] That the Word in the ultimate, or in the letter, is crude and obscure in the sight of men; but that in the internal sense it is soft and shining, is signified by their “not seeing a man clothed in soft raiment, for behold those who wear soft things are in kings’ houses.” That such things are signified by these words, is plain from the signification of “raiment,” or “garments,” as being truths (n. 2132, 2576, 4545, 4763, 5248, 6914, 6918, 9093); and for this reason the angels appear clothed in garments soft and shining according to the truths from good with them (n. 5248, 5319, 5954, 9212, 9216). The same is evident from the signification of “kings’ houses,” as being the abodes of the angels, and in the universal sense, the heavens; for “houses” are so called from good (n. 2233, 2234, 3128, 3652, 3720, 4622, 4982, 7836, 7891, 7996, 7997); and “kings,” from truth (n. 1672, 2015, 2069, 3009, 4575, 4581, 4966, 5044, 6148). Therefore by virtue of their reception of truth from the Lord, the angels are called “sons of the kingdom,” “sons of the king,” and also “kings.”

[5] That the Word is more than any doctrine in the world, and more than any truth in the world, is signified by “what went ye out to see? a prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet;” and by, “there hath not arisen among those who are born of women a greater than John the Baptist;” for in the internal sense “a prophet” denotes doctrine (n. 2534, 7269); and “those who are born,” or are the sons, “of women” denote truths (n. 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623, 2803, 2813, 3704, 4257).

[6] That in the internal sense, or such as it is in heaven, the Word is in a degree above the Word in the external sense, or such as it is in the world, and such as John the Baptist taught, is signified by, “he that is less in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he;” for as perceived in heaven the Word is of wisdom so great that it transcends all human apprehension. That the prophecies about the Lord and His coming, and that the representatives of the Lord and of His kingdom, ceased when the Lord came into the world, is signified by, “all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.” That the Word was represented by John, as by Elijah, is signified by his being “Elias who is to come.”

[7] The same is signified by these words in Matthew:

The disciples asked Jesus, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come? He answered and said, Elias must needs first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, that Elias hath come already, and they knew him not, but did unto him whatsoever they wished. Even so shall the Son of man also suffer of them. And they understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist (Matthew 17:10-13).

That “Elias hath come, and they knew him not, but did unto him whatsoever they wished” signifies that the Word has indeed taught them that the Lord is to come, but that still they did not wish to comprehend, interpreting it in favor of the rule of self, and thus extinguishing what is Divine in it. That they would do the same with the truth Divine itself, is signified by “even so shall the Son of man also suffer of them.” (That “the Son of man” denotes the Lord as to truth Divine, see n. 2803, 2813, 3704)

[8] From all this it is now evident what is meant by the prophecy about John in Malachi:

Behold I send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of Jehovah cometh (Malachi 4:5).

Moreover, the Word in the ultimate, or such as it is in the external form in which it appears before man in the world, is described by the “clothing” and “food” of John the Baptist, in Matthew:

John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, had His clothing of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his food was locusts and wild honey (Matthew 3:1, 4).

In like manner it is described by Elijah in the second book of Kings:

He was a hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins (2 Kings 1:8).

By “clothing,” or a “garment,” when said of the Word, is signified truth Divine there in the ultimate form; by “camel’s hair” are signified memory-truths such as appear there before a man in the world; by the “leathern girdle” is signified the external bond connecting and keeping in order all the interior things; by “food” is signified spiritual nourishment from the knowledges of truth and of good out of the Word; by “locusts” are signified ultimate or most general truths; and by “wild honey” their pleasantness.

[9] That such things are signified by “clothing” and “food” has its origin in the representatives of the other life, where all appear clothed according to truths from good, and where food also is represented according to the desires of acquiring knowledge and growing wise. From this it is that “clothing,” or a “garment,” denotes truth (as may be seen from the citations above; and that “food” or “meat” denotes spiritual nourishment, n. 3114, 4459, 4792, 5147, 5293, 5340, 5342, 5576, 5579, 5915, 8562, 9003; that “a girdle” denotes a bond which gathers up and holds together interior things, n. 9341; that “leather” denotes what is external, n. 3540; and thus “a leathern girdle” denotes an external bond; that “hairs” denote ultimate or most general truths, n. 3301, 5569-5573; that “a camel” denotes memory-knowledge in general, n. 3048, 3071, 3143, 3145, 4156; that “a locust” denotes nourishing truth in the extremes, n. 7643; and that “honey” denotes the pleasantness thereof, n. 5620, 6857, 8056). It is called “wild honey,” or “honey of the field,” because by “a field” is signified the church (n. 2971, 3317, 3766, 7502, 7571, 9139, 9295). He who does not know that such things are signified, cannot possibly know why Elijah and John were so clothed. And yet that these things signified something peculiar to these prophets, can be thought by everyone who thinks well about the Word.

[10] Because John the Baptist represented the Lord as to the Word, therefore also when he spoke of the Lord, who was the Word itself, he said of himself that he was “not Elias, nor the prophet,” and that he was “not worthy to loose the latchet of the Lord’s shoe,” as in John:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory. The Jews from Jerusalem, priests and Levites, asked John who he was. And he confessed, and denied not, I am not the Christ. Therefore they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? But he said, I am not. Art thou the prophet? He answered, No. They said therefore unto him, Who art thou? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said Isaiah the prophet. They said therefore, Why then baptizest thou, if thou art not the Christ, nor Elias, nor the prophet? He answered, I baptize with water; in the midst of you standeth one whom ye know not; He it is who is to come after me, who was before me, the latchet of whose shoe I am not worthy to unloose. When he saw Jesus, he said, Behold the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, After me cometh a man who was before me; for he was before me (John 1:1, 14, 19-30).

From these words it is plain that when John spoke about the Lord Himself, who was Truth Divine itself, or the Word, he said that he himself was not anything, because the shadow disappears when the light itself appears, that is, the representative disappears when the original itself makes its appearance. (That the representatives had in view holy things, and the Lord Himself, and not at all the person that represented, see n. 665, 1097, 1361, 3147, 3881, 4208, 4281, 4288, 4292, 4307, 4444, 4500, 6304, 7048, 7439, 8588, 8788, 8806.) One who does not know that representatives vanish like shadows at the presence of light, cannot know why John denied that he was Elias and the prophet.

[11] From all this it can now be seen what is signified by Moses and Elias, who were seen in glory, and who spoke with the Lord when transfigured, of His departure which He should accomplish at Jerusalem (Luke 9:29-31); namely, that they signified the Word (“Moses” the historic Word, and “Elias” the prophetic Word), which in the internal sense throughout treats of the Lord, of His coming into the world, and of His departure out of the world; and therefore it is said that “Moses and Elias were seen in glory,” for “glory” denotes the internal sense of the Word, and the “cloud” its external sense (see the preface to Genesis 18, and n. 5922, 8427).

1672. And the kings that were with him. That this signifies the apparent truth which is of that good, is evident from the signification of “kings” in the Word. “Kings,” “kingdoms,” and “peoples,” in the historical and the prophetical parts of the Word, signify truths and the things which are of truths, as may be abundantly confirmed. In the Word an accurate distinction is made between a “people” and a “nation;” by a “people” are signified truths, and by a “nation” goods, as before shown (n. 1259, 1260). “Kings” are predicated of peoples, but not so much of nations. Before the sons of Israel sought for kings, they were a nation, and represented good, or the celestial; but after they desired a king, and received one, they became a people, and did not represent good or the celestial, but truth or the spiritual; which was the reason why this was imputed to them as a fault (see 1 Samuel 8:7-22, concerning which subject, of the Lord’s Divine mercy elsewhere). As Chedorlaomer is named here, and it is added, “the kings that were with him,” both good and truth are signified; by “Chedorlaomer,” good, and by “the kings,” truth. But what was the quality of the good and truth at the beginning of the Lord’s temptations has already been stated.

356. And he that sat on him had a bow. That this signifies the doctrine of charity and faith thence, from which evils and falsities are fought against and dispersed, is clear from the signification of one sitting on a white horse, as denoting the Word (of which we have treated just above); and from the signification of a bow as denoting the doctrine of charity and faith, from which evils and falsities are combated and dispersed. That by a bow is signified that doctrine, will be seen in what follows. Here something shall first be said concerning doctrine:

1. That no one can understand the Word without doctrine;

2. That no one can fight against evils and falsities, and dissipate them, without doctrine from the Word;

3. That no one within the church where the Word is can become spiritual without doctrine from the Word;

4. That doctrine cannot be procured from any other source than from the Word, and by no others but those who are in enlightenment from the Lord;

5. That all things of doctrine are to be confirmed by the sense of the letter of the Word.

1. That no one can understand the Word without doctrine, is evident from this fact, that the sense of its letter consists of pure correspondences, which contain in themselves spiritual things, thus it consists of such things as are in the world and partake of its nature. Hence it is that the sense of the letter is natural and not spiritual, accommodated, nevertheless, to the apprehension of the simple who do not elevate their ideas above such things as they see before their eyes. For this reason it also contains things that do not appear to be spiritual, although the whole Word inwardly is purely spiritual, because it is Divine. On this account there are many things in the sense of the letter which can serve for no doctrine of the church at this day, and many things which can be applied to various and diverse principles, whence, heresies; but still there are many things intermingled, from which doctrine may be gathered and formulated, especially the doctrine of life, which is the doctrine of charity, and of faith thence. But he who reads the Word from doctrine, sees there all things that are confirmatory, and also many things which lie hidden from the eyes of others; nor does he suffer himself to be drawn away into strange doctrines by those things therein that do not appear to agree, and which he does not understand; for everything of doctrine that he sees therein [appears] to him in clearness, and the rest are obscure to him. Therefore doctrine, which consists of genuine truths, is like a lamp to those who read the Word; and, on the other hand, the Word, to those who read it without doctrine, is like a candlestick without a light, put in an obscure place, by which nothing conducing to salvation can be there seen, known, sought for, and found. Such persons, besides, may be led away into error of every kind, to which the mind inclines from some love, or is drawn from some principle. Hence it is evident that no one can understand the Word without doctrine.

[2] 2. No one can fight against evils and falsities, and disperse them, without doctrine from the Word.

This is evident from this fact, that from doctrine truths can be seen in their own light, and in their proper order, but not from the Word without doctrine, which is manifest from what has just been said; and if truths cannot be seen, neither can falsities and evils be seen, for the latter are opposed to the former; and yet all combat against evils and falsities is from truths, that is, by means of truths from the Lord. Therefore he who reads the Word without doctrine, may easily fight for falsity against truth, and for evil against good, by confirming those things by a wrong interpretation and application of the sense of the letter of the Word; hence it follows that the man is not reformed; for he is reformed by the dispersion of evils and of the falsities thence, by truths applied to the life. This now is what is meant by the white horse which was seen, and by him that sat on him, who had a bow; for by a white horse is signified the understanding of truth from the Word, and by the bow is signified the doctrine of charity and of the faith thence, from which evils and falsities are fought against and dispersed.

[3] 3. No one within the church where the Word is, can become spiritual without doctrine from the Word.

This is evident from what has now been said, namely, that the Word without doctrine is not understood, and that without doctrine from the Word no one can fight against evils and falsities; for man becomes spiritual by a life according to Divine truths (these he does not know without doctrine) and by the removal of evils and falsities, which is not effected without doctrine, as said above; without these two man is not reformed, thus does not become spiritual, but remains natural, and confirms his natural life by the sense of the letter of the Word, which is natural, by wrongly interpreting and applying it. It is said, "within the church where the Word is," because those who are out of the church have not the Word, and hence know nothing concerning the Lord; and no one becomes spiritual except from the Lord. But still all those who acknowledge a God, and worship Him under the human form, and live in charity according to a religious persuasion agreeing with the Word, are prepared by the Lord to receive spiritual life, which also they do receive in the other life (concerning which circumstance see the work concerning Heaven and Hell 318-328; and above, n. 107, 195). Man becomes spiritual by regeneration, and regeneration is effected by water and the spirit, that is, by truths and by a life according to them (as may be seen in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 173-186; that baptism in the Christian world is for a sign and memorial thereof, n. 202-209, in the same work).

[4] 4. Doctrine can be procured from no other source but the Word, and by none but those who are enlightened by the Lord.

This is evident from this consideration, that the Word is Divine truth itself, and of such a quality that the Lord is in it, for the Lord is in His own Divine truth which proceeds from Him; therefore those who form doctrine from any other source than the Word, do not form it from the Divine truth nor from the Lord. Moreover, in every particular of the Word there is a spiritual sense, in which sense the angels of heaven are, whence there is conjunction of heaven with the church by means of the Word; therefore those who form doctrine from any other source than from the Word, do not form it in conjunction with heaven, whence nevertheless, all enlightenment comes. (That the conjunction of heaven with man is by the Word, may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 303-310.) Hence it is evident that doctrine is to be procured from no other source but the Word, and by none but those who are enlightened by the Lord. Those are enlightened by the Lord who love truths because they are truths; these, because they do them, are in the Lord and the Lord in them.

[5] 5. All things of doctrine are to be confirmed by the sense of the letter of the Word.

This is evident from this consideration, that the Divine truth is in the sense of the letter in its fulness, for that is the final sense, and in it is the spiritual sense; therefore, when doctrine is confirmed thence, the doctrine of the church is also the doctrine of heaven, and there is conjunction by the correspondences. This may be illustrated by this consideration alone: When man thinks any truth, and confirms it by the sense of the letter, it is perceived in heaven, but not if he does not confirm it; for the sense of the letter is the basis into which the spiritual ideas that the angels possess terminate, nearly in the same manner as expressions are the basis into which the sense of the thought falls and is communicated to another. That this is the case might be confirmed by much experience from the spiritual world; but this is not the place to adduce it.