220. 4. The curtains, veils, and pillars in the tabernacle represented the types of good and truth that exist in the Word's literal meaning. The tabernacle that Moses built in the desert represented heaven and the church, which is why Jehovah revealed the form of it on Mount Sinai. All the objects inside the tabernacle - the lampstand, the golden incense altar, and the table for showbread - represented and meant what is holy in heaven and the church. The most holy place, which contained the ark of the covenant, represented and therefore meant the inmost aspect of heaven and the church. The law written on two tablets meant the Word. The angel guardians above it meant safeguards to prevent violation of the Word's holiness.

Since outer things derive their essence from inner things, and outer and inner things together derive their essence from what is inmost, which in this case was the law, therefore all aspects of the tabernacle represented and meant the holy things in the Word.

It follows from this that the outermost features of the tabernacle - the curtains, veils, and pillars that were coverings, containers, and structural supports - meant the outermost aspects of the Word, which are the forms of truth and goodness in its literal meaning. Because this was their meaning, all the curtains and veils were made of cotton interwoven with blue and purple threads, and with double-dyed scarlet threads, depicting angel guardians (Exodus 26:1, 31, 36).

Where Secrets of Heaven deals with this chapter in Exodus [Secrets of Heaven 9592-9692], I have explained both generally and specifically what the tabernacle and its contents represented and meant. There I have shown that the curtains and veils represented outer aspects of heaven and the church, and therefore outer aspects of the Word as well. The cotton or linen meant truth from a spiritual origin. The blue threads meant truth from a heavenly origin. The purple threads meant heavenly goodness. The double-dyed cloth meant spiritual goodness. Angel guardians meant protection of the inner aspects of the Word.

9592. Exodus 26

1. And you shall make the dwelling-place, [formed by] ten curtains; from fine twined linen and violet and purple and twice-dyed scarlet, with cherubs, with the work of a designer you shall make them.

2. The length of one curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits, and the breadth four cubits; [this is what] one curtain [shall be]. All the curtains shall have one measure.

3. Five curtains shall be joined together, each one to the next, and five curtains joined together, each one to the next.

4. And you shall make loops of violet on the edge of the one curtain at the end in the joining-place, and you shall do the same in the edge of the end curtain in the complementary joining-place.

5. Fifty loops you shall make in the one curtain, and fifty loops you shall make in the end of the curtain which is in the complementary joining-place; the loops must be taken up, each one towards the other.

6. And you shall make fifty clasps of gold, and join the curtains together, each one to the next in the clasps; and the dwelling-place shall be one.

7. And you shall make curtains from [she-]goats ¹ to be a tent over the dwelling-place; eleven curtains you shall make them.

8. The length of one curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the breadth four cubits; [this is what] one curtain [shall be]. The eleven curtains shall have one measure.

9. And you shall join five curtains together by themselves, and six curtains by themselves; and you shall double over the sixth curtain at the forefront of the tent.

10. And you shall make fifty loops on the edge of one end curtain in the joining-place, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain of the complementary joining-place.

11. And you shall make fifty clasps of bronze, and put the clasps into the loops, and join the tent together, that it may be one.

12. And the additional part that trails backwards in the curtains of the tent, the half of the additional curtain, shall trail ² over the back of the dwelling-place.

13. And a cubit on one side and a cubit on the other side in the additional part in the length of the curtains of the tent shall trail over the sides of the dwelling-place on this side and on that side, to cover it.

14. And you shall make a covering for the tent from the skins of red rams, and a covering from the skins of badgers above that.

15. And you shall make the boards for the dwelling-place from shittim wood, standing up. ³

16. Ten cubits shall be the length of a board, and a cubit and a half the breadth of one board.

17. There shall be two hands ⁴ to one board, acting in combination with each other. Thus you shall make for all the boards of the dwelling-place.

18. And you shall make the boards for the dwelling-place, twenty boards for the south side, ⁵ southwards.

19. And you shall make forty bases of silver under the twenty boards, two bases under one board for its two hands, ⁴ and two bases under one board ⁶ for its two hands. ⁴

20. And for the other side of the dwelling-place - on the north side ⁷ - there shall be twenty boards,

21. And their forty bases [made] from silver, two bases under one board and two bases under one board. ⁶

22. And for the two legs ⁸ of the dwelling-place towards the sea ⁹ you shall make six boards.

23. And you shall make two boards for the corners of the dwelling-place at the two legs. ⁸

24. And they shall be paired from below, and together they shall be paired up to its head, up to one ring. Thus it shall be for them both; at the two corners they shall be.

25. And there shall be eight boards and their bases [made] from silver - sixteen bases - two bases under one board and two bases under one board. ⁶

26. And you shall make bars from shittim wood, five for the boards of one side of the dwelling-place,

27. And five bars for the boards of the other side of the dwelling-place, and five bars for the boards of the side of the dwelling-place at the two legs towards the sea, ⁹

28. And the middle bar in the midst of the boards that passes through from end to end.

29. And you shall overlay the boards with gold, and make their rings from gold, houses for the bars; and you shall overlay the bars with gold.

30. And you shall set up the dwelling-place according to the plan which you saw ¹⁰ on the mountain.

31. And you shall make a veil from violet and purple and twice-dyed scarlet and fine twined linen; with the work of a designer it shall be made, ¹¹ with cherubs.

32. And you shall hang it upon four pillars of shittim [wood] overlaid with gold, and their hooks [shall be made] from gold; [they shall stand] on four bases of silver.

33. And you shall hang up the veil under the clasps, and you shall bring the ark of the Testimony in there, within the veil; and let the veil be for you a divider between the holy place and the holy of holies.

34. And you shall put the mercy-seat onto the ark of the Testimony in the holy of holies.

35. And you shall place the table outside the veil, and the lampstand across from the table, at the side of the dwelling-place towards the south; and you shall put the table on the north side.

36. And you shall make a screen for the tent door from violet and purple and twice-dyed scarlet and fine twined linen, the work of an embroiderer.

37. And you shall make for the screen five pillars of shittim [wood], and you shall overlay them with gold; and their hooks [shall be made] from gold; and you shall cast for them five bases of bronze.

CONTENTS

In this chapter the second or middle heaven is represented by the dwelling-place and the tent, and the celestial and spiritual constituents of that heaven are represented by the materials used to assemble the dwelling-place and tent. And after that the intermediary uniting this heaven and the inmost heaven is represented by the veil between the dwelling-place and the ark of the Testimony.

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