7984. 'Four hundred and thirty years' means the essential nature and state of them. This is clear from the meaning of 'thirty' as a state when the quantity of remnants is complete, for that number is the product of three and ten multiplied, and 'three' means a state made complete, 2788, 4495, 7715, and 'ten' means remnants, 576, 1906, 2284 (what a state made complete is will be explained below); and from the meaning of 'four hundred' as the duration of vastation, dealt with in 2959, 2966, and from this the joining together of goodness and truth, 4341, The fact that all numbers mean real things and states, and that a compound number is similar to the simple ones of which it is a product, see above in 7973.

[2] As regards vastation, meant by 'four hundred years', there are two kinds, namely the vastation of evil and falsity and the vastation of goodness and truth. With those suffering damnation it is the vastation of goodness and truth, but with those who are being saved it is the vastation of evil and falsity, vastation being the taking away of those things. So far it has been shown that the evil who have belonged to the Church undergo vastation of all goodness and truth, for stages of vastation one after another are meant by the plagues in Egypt. But the good undergo vastation of evil and falsity. Evil and falsity residing with them are gradually separated, that is, removed to the sides, and forms of good and truths are gathered towards the middle. The term 'remnants' is used to describe goodness and truth gathered together in that way. And when their state of remnants has been made complete the good are raised to heaven. This state is what is meant by 'thirty', and vastation what is meant by 'four hundred'. With the good the vastation of evil and falsity and the instilling of goodness and truth is effected by means of molestations and by means of temptations. By means of both these, falsities and evils are removed and forms of good and truths are inserted; and this process continues until the state is made complete.

[3] What a state made complete is must also be explained briefly. Everyone, whether damned or saved, has a certain measure that can be made complete. The evil, or those who are damned, have a certain measure of evil and falsity, while the good, or those who are saved, have a certain measure of goodness and truth. This measure that everyone has is made complete in the next life, though with some the measure may be quite large, with others rather small. People acquire that measure in the world through the affections belonging to their love. The more anyone has loved evil and the falsity arising from it, the greater is the measure acquired by him; and the more anyone has loved good and the truth springing from it, the greater is his measure. The breadths and heights to which that measure can go are clearly apparent in the next life. These limits cannot be exceeded there, but they can be reached, and in fact are reached; that is to say, those whose affection has been for goodness and truth have their measure made complete with forms of good and truths, while those whose affection has been for evil and falsity have theirs made complete with evils and falsities. From this it is evident that this measure is a propensity acquired in the world to receive either evil and falsity or goodness and truth.

[4] This state is what a state made complete refers to and what is meant by 'thirty'. It is described by the Lord in the parable of the talents, Matthew 25:14-30, and in that of the minas, Luke 19:11-27, and at length by these words in Matthew,

To everyone who has, it will be given, so that he may have in abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. Matthew 25:29.

And in Luke,

To those standing by he said, Take the mina from him, and give to him who has ten minas. They said, Sir, he has ten minas. I say to you, that to everyone who has, it will be given; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Luke 19:24-26.

That everyone's measure is made complete is the Lord's teaching elsewhere in the same gospel, Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over they will give into your bosom. Luke 6:38.

From all this one may now see what is meant by a state made complete.

1725. That 'Melchizedek' means the celestial things of the Lord's Interior Man becomes clear from the meaning of 'Melchizedek', to be dealt with shortly, and also from the things that come before and after. What the internal man is, what the interior man is, and what the external man is, has been adequately shown above, as also has the fact that the internal man flows into the external man by way of the interior man, as well as that the internal man flows into the interior man either by way of celestial things or by way of spiritual things - by way of celestial things with every regenerate person, that is, with people who lead lives of love to the Lord and of love towards the neighbour, but by way of spiritual things with every individual, whatever his character. It is from this influx that he has his light from heaven, that is, is enabled to think and speak, and to be a human being. See what has appeared already in 1707.

[2] The celestial things of the interior man are all those that belong to celestial love, as often stated already. These celestial things with the Lord's Interior Man, or the Lord's Interior Man as to these celestial things, is called 'Melchizedek'. The Internal Man within the Lord was Jehovah Himself; and when the Interior Man, following the conflicts brought about by temptations, had been purified, that became Divine and Jehovah as well, as likewise did the External Man. But now, while the Interior Man was still passing through a state involving the conflicts brought about by temptation and had not yet been purified to any great extent by means of such conflicts, it is called as to celestial things 'Melchizedek', that is, 'king of holiness and righteousness'.

[3] That this is indeed so is also evident in David where similarly the Lord's conflicts during temptations are the subject, and where at length His Interior Man as regards celestial things is called Melchizedek,

Jehovah said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand till I make Your enemies as Your foot-stool; Jehovah will send the rod of strength from Zion; have dominion in the midst of Your enemies. Your people will be prompt to offer themselves on the day of Your power, in the beauty of holiness. From the womb of the morning You have the dew of Your birth. Jehovah has sworn and will not repent, You are a Priest for ever, after the manner of ¹ Melchizedek. The Lord on Your right hand has smitten kings on the day of His anger. Psalms 110:1-5.

These verses of Psalms 110 refer, as does this chapter in Genesis, to the Lord's temptation-conflicts with the hells, as becomes clear from every word. The fact that the statements in this Psalm refer to the Lord, He Himself teaches in Matthew 22:43-45; Mark 12:36; Luke 20:42-44. 'Making enemies a foot-stool', 'having dominion in the midst of enemies', 'the day of power', and 'smiting kings on the day of His anger' mean the conflicts that constitute temptations, and victories.

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