9431. 'Six days' means when passing through the state of truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'six days' as a state of labour and conflict, dealt with in 737, 8510, 8888, 8975. It is a state of truth because a person who is being regenerated by the Lord experiences two states, the first of which is called the state of truth and the second the state of good. The reason why the first state is called the state of truth is that during it the person is being brought by means of truth towards good; and the reason why the second state is called the state of good is that the person, when governed by good, has been brought to it. Also, while the person is in the state of truth he is outside heaven; but when governed by good he is in heaven, and has accordingly been brought to the Lord. Furthermore while the person is passing through the first state or the state of truth he experiences labour and conflict, since he undergoes temptations then; but when he is in the second state or the state of good he experiences rest and the serenity which peace brings. The former state is what has been represented in the Word by the six days which come before a seventh, whereas the latter state is what has been represented by the seventh day or the sabbath, see 8890, 8893, 9274. Regarding these two states with the person who is being regenerated, which are called the state of truth and the state of good, see what has already been shown extensively in 7923, 7992, 8505, 8506, 8510, 8513, 8516, 8539, 8643, 8648, 8658, 8685, 8690, 8701, 8722, 8772, 9139, 9224, 9227, 9230, 9274.

8513. 'How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws?' means because their actions were not in keeping with Divine order. This is clear from the explanation immediately above in 8512. So that people may know what an action in keeping with Divine order is and what one not in keeping with it is, something further must be said. Everything done in keeping with Divine order is inwardly open all the way to the Lord, and so holds heaven within it; but everything not done in keeping with Divine order is inwardly closed, and so does not hold heaven within it.

[2] Divine order therefore is for the Lord to flow through the inner levels of a person into the outer ones, thus through the person's will into his actions. This actually happens when a person is governed by good, that is, when an affection to do good for its own sake and not for any selfish reason governs him. When anyone does good for a selfish reason and not for its own sake his inner levels are closed, and he cannot be led by the Lord by means of heaven, only by self. The love determines whom he is led by, for everyone is led by his love. One who loves himself more than his neighbour is led by self; but one who loves good is led by good and consequently by the Lord, who is the Source of good.

[3] From all this one may see what the difference is between living a life in keeping with order and not living a life in keeping with it. How to live so that one's life is in keeping with order is taught by the Word and by religious teachings drawn from the Word. The person who does not look beyond externals can never grasp such ideas. He does not know what the internal is; he scarcely knows of the existence of the internal, let alone that it can be opened up, and that when it has been opened it has heaven within it. The intelligentsia of the world especially are ignorant of it, and those of them who do subscribe to the existence of an internal nevertheless have no idea of what it is or only a foolish one. This explains why they have little real belief and also why they use their knowledge to confirm the notion that all things are due to natural forces.