Arcana Coelestia#9548
9548. 'And you shall make a lampstand' means the spiritual heaven. This is clear from the meaning of 'a lampstand' as the Divine Spiritual from the Lord in heaven and in the Church. The reason why 'a lampstand' means the Divine Spiritual is that 'the table' on which the loaves of the Presence were laid means the Divine Celestial, as has been shown in what has gone before. The Divine Celestial is the good of love, and the Divine Spiritual the truth of faith derived from that good; and both of these emanate from the Lord, 9227. The lampstand is the Divine Spiritual on account of the light it sheds; for Divine Truth which emanates from the Lord's Divine Good is what shines in heaven. There is no other source from which angels receive light. This is why in the Word the Lord is called the Light, and why 'light' means faith, also an intelligent understanding of truth and a wise discernment of good, which come from the Lord alone, see 1053, 1521-1533, 1619-1632, 2776, 3094, 3138, 3167, 3190, 3195, 3222, 3223, 3337, 3339, 3341, 3636, 3643, 3862, 3993, 4060, 4180, 4302, 4408, 4414, 4415, 4419, 4527, 4598, 5400, 6032, 6313, 6315, 6608, 6907, 7174, 8644, 8707, 8861, 9399, 9407.
[2] 'A lampstand' means the spiritual heaven by virtue of Divine Truth which is present there from the Lord, and therefore also means the Church; and 'a lamp' means faith, also an intelligent understanding of truth and a wise discernment of good, which come from the Lord alone. This is clear from places in the Word where 'lampstand' and 'lamp' are mentioned, as in John,
I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the seven lampstands one like the Son of Man. The seven lampstands are the seven Churches. Revelation 1:12-13, 20.
And in the same book,
I will remove your lampstand from its place if you do not repent. Revelation 2:5.
A Church is called 'a lampstand' in these places by virtue of Divine Truth which is present there from the Lord. The fact that 'a lampstand' means a Church is self-evident, for it says, 'The seven lampstands are the seven Churches'. The fact that a Church is called such on account of Divine Truth is evident from the statement, 'I will remove your lampstand if you do not repent'. And the fact that this Truth comes from the Lord [is also self-evident], for it says, 'In the midst of the lampstands one like the Son of Man'; and the Lord is called the Son of Man by virtue of His Divine Truth, see 2803, 2813, 3704.
[3] In the same book,
I will grant My two witnesses to prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days. These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth. Revelation 11:3-10.
'The two witnesses' are the Word in both Testaments, in that they bear witness to the Lord. It is called 'an olive tree' by virtue of the Divine Good and 'a lampstand' by virtue of the Divine Truth which come from the Lord.
[4] In Zechariah, when the angel who was speaking said to the prophet,
What do you see? I said to him, I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold; its bowl is on top of it, 1 and its seven lamps are on it with seven pipes to the lamps. Two olive trees are beside it, one on the right of the bowl and one on the left of it. Zechariah 4:2-3.
This refers to Zerubbabel, who was about to lay a foundation for God's house and bring it to completion. He represents the Lord, in that He was about to come and to re-establish the spiritual heaven and the Church, these being what is meant by 'a lampstand', and the holy truths there what is meant by 'seven lamps'.
[5] The fact that 'a lamp' means faith, also an intelligent understanding of truth and a wise discernment of good, which come from the Lord alone, is clear in John,
The holy Jerusalem has no need of the sun or of the moon to shed light in it. The glory of God will give it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations that are saved will walk in His light. Revelation 21:23-24.
And further on,
There will be no night there, nor do they need a lamp or light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. Revelation 22:5.
'Lamp' in the first quotation stands for Divine Truth that comes from the Lord, and 'light' for faith, and so also for intelligence and wisdom. In the same book,
The light of a lamp will not shine in you any more, and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride will not be heard in you any more. Revelation 18:23.
[6] And in Jeremiah,
I will take away the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the sound of mills, and the light of the lamp, that the whole land may be a desolation and devastation. Jeremiah 25:10-11.
This refers to the elimination of faith and consequently of intelligence in spiritual matters meant here by the lamp which will no longer be there and by 'the light of the lamp' which will be taken away.
[7] The like occurs in Job,
How often is the lamp of the wicked put out and [how often] does destruction come upon them? Job 21:17.
In David,
You light my lamp; Jehovah my God makes my darkness bright. Psalms 18:28; 2 Samuel 22:29.
In the same author,
By Your commands I have been made intelligent. Your Word is a lamp to my foot, and a light to my path. Psalms 119:104-105.
In Job,
When God causes a lamp to shine over my head I would walk in darkness towards His light. Job 29:3.
In Matthew,
The lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light; but if your eye is evil your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! Matthew 6:22-23; Luke 8:16; 11:33-36.
'The eye' is used here to mean faith and consequent intelligence - the fact that these are meant in the internal sense by 'the eye', see 4403-4421, 4523-4534, 9051. And from this the meaning of the words, 'If your eye is good your whole body will be full of light; but if your eye is evil your whole body will be full of darkness' is self-evident. Since faith and consequent intelligence and wisdom is meant by 'a lamp' the kings of Judah are called lamps to David, 1 Kings 11:36; 15:4; 2 Kings 8:19; and David himself is called the lamp of Israel, 2 Samuel 21:16-17. Not that the kings of Judah were lamps; nor was David. Rather they were called such because 'a king' means Divine Truth that comes from the Lord, 6148, and 'David' the Lord in respect of Divine Truth, the source of faith, intelligence, and wisdom, 1888.
脚注:
1. literally, over its head
Matthew第5章
1
Seeing the multitudes, he went up onto the mountain. When he had sat down, his disciples came to him.
2
He opened his mouth and taught them, saying,
3
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
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Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5
Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.
6
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.
7
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
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Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
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Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.
10
Blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
11
"Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12
Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
13
"You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its flavor, with what will it be salted? It is then good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under the feet of men.
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You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill can't be hidden.
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Neither do you light a lamp, and put it under a measuring basket, but on a stand; and it shines to all who are in the house.
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Even so, let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
17
"Don't think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I didn't come to destroy, but to fulfill.
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For most certainly, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not even one smallest letter or one tiny pen stroke shall in any way pass away from the law, until all things are accomplished.
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Whoever, therefore, shall break one of these least commandments, and teach others to do so, shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven; but whoever shall do and teach them shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.
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For I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, there is no way you will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.
21
"You have heard that it was said to the ancient ones, 'You shall not murder;' and 'Whoever shall murder shall be in danger of the judgment.'
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But I tell you, that everyone who is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment; and whoever shall say to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council; and whoever shall say, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of the fire of Gehenna.
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"If therefore you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has anything against you,
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leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
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Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are with him in the way; lest perhaps the prosecutor deliver you to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the officer, and you be cast into prison.
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Most certainly I tell you, you shall by no means get out of there, until you have paid the last penny.
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"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery;'
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but I tell you that everyone who gazes at a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.
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If your right eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it away from you. For it is more profitable for you that one of your members should perish, than for your whole body to be cast into Gehenna.
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If your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off, and throw it away from you. For it is more profitable for you that one of your members should perish, than for your whole body to be cast into Gehenna.
31
"It was also said, 'Whoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorce,'
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but I tell you that whoever puts away his wife, except for the cause of sexual immorality, makes her an adulteress; and whoever marries her when she is put away commits adultery.
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"Again you have heard that it was said to them of old time, 'You shall not make false vows, but shall perform to the Lord your vows,'
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but I tell you, don't swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God;
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nor by the earth, for it is the footstool of his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.
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Neither shall you swear by your head, for you can't make one hair white or black.
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But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes' and your 'No' be 'No.' Whatever is more than these is of the evil one.
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"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.'
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But I tell you, don't resist him who is evil; but whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also.
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If anyone sues you to take away your coat, let him have your cloak also.
41
Whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.
42
Give to him who asks you, and don't turn away him who desires to borrow from you.
43
"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.'
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But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you,
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that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.
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For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Don't even the tax collectors do the same?
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If you only greet your friends, what more do you do than others? Don't even the tax collectors do the same?
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Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
