208. Behold I have set before thee an open door, and no one is able to shut it. That this signifies that they will be admitted into heaven, and that it will be denied to no one who is of such a quality is evident from the signification of setting before them an open door, as being to admit into heaven, of which we shall treat in what follows; and from the signification of no one is able to shut it, as being that entrance will not be denied; for when a door is shut, entrance is denied, and when it is not shut it is not denied. The reason why it is open to those who are in charity is, that these are treated of in what is written to this church (see above, n. 203). Hence it is evident that by I have set before thee an open door, and no one is able to shut it is signified, that all such will be admitted into heaven, and that it will be denied to none of them. That to set before them an open door signifies to admit them into heaven is evident indeed from common speech, but nevertheless it is from correspondence; for a house and all things belonging to a house correspond to the interiors of man's mind, and from that correspondence they also signify such things in the Word. That this is the case is evident from representatives and appearances in heaven, where there are palaces, houses, rooms, bed-chambers, vestibules, courts, and within them various things for use. These things the angels have from correspondence; whence it is that the wiser angels have palaces more magnificent than those enjoyed by those who are less wise. (But concerning these things, see the work, Heaven and Hell 183-190, where the habitations of the angels of heaven are treated of.) And because palaces, houses, and all the things belonging to a house correspond, it is also evident that outer doors, inner doors, and gates correspond also, and that they correspond to entrance and admission; also when a door is seen open, it is a sign that there is permission to enter, and when it is shut, that there is not.

[2] Moreover, when novitiate spirits are introduced into a heavenly society, a way is opened to them by the Lord which leads to it; and when they come thither a gate is seen with a door at the side, where there are keepers who admit them, and afterwards there are others who receive and introduce them.

From these considerations, it is evident that outer doors (januae), and inner doors (ostia), and gates in the Word signify introduction into heaven; and because the church is the Lord's heaven on earth, they also signify introduction into the church; and because heaven or the church is in man, therefore they also signify approach and entrance with man, concerning which something shall be said presently. And because all the things that signify heaven and the church also signify the things pertaining to heaven and the church, and here introductory things which are truths from good, these being from the Lord; and because those things are from the Lord, and hence are His, indeed are Himself in them, therefore by outer door (janua), inner door (ostium), and gate to heaven and the church, in the highest sense, is meant the Lord. Hence it is evident what the words of the Lord signify in John:

Jesus said: "Verily I say unto you, he that entereth not by the door (janua) into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep; to him the porter openeth. I am the door (ostium) of the sheep, by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out and find pasture" (10:1, 2, 3, 7, 9).

That to enter in by the door (ostium) here denotes to enter in by the Lord, is evident, for it is said, "I am the door of the sheep." To enter in by the Lord is to approach Him, to acknowledge Him, to believe in Him, and to love Him, as He Himself teaches in many passages. Thus is a man admitted into heaven, and in no other way; therefore the Lord says, "By me if any man enter in, he shall be saved"; and also "he who climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber."

[3] He therefore who approaches the Lord, acknowledges Him and believes in Him, is said to open the door (ostium) to the Lord, that He may enter in; as in the Apocalypse:

"Behold I stand at the door (ostium) and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me" (3:20).

How these things are to be understood, will be explained in the following pages, where the things mentioned are treated of. Here we shall only say something concerning the doors (ostia) or gates in man, because it is said, I stand at the door and knock.

There are two ways which lead to man's Rational, one from heaven and the other from the world; by the way from heaven good is introduced, by the way from the world truth is introduced. In proportion as the way from heaven is opened to a man, in the same proportion he is affected with truth, and becomes rational, that is, in the same proportion he sees truth by the light of truth; but if the way from heaven is shut, he does not become rational, because he does not see truth, and yet truth from the light of truth constitutes the Rational. A man may indeed reason concerning truth, and from reasoning or from memory he may speak of it; but he is not able to see whether it is truth or not. To think well concerning the Lord and the neighbour, opens the way from heaven; but to think otherwise shuts that way. Because there are two ways which lead into man, there are also two doors (januae) or gates by which influx enters: by the door or gate which is open from heaven, the spiritual affection of truth from the Lord enters, because good enters by that door, as said above, and all spiritual affection of truth is from good; but by the door or gate which is open from the world, enter all knowledge from the Word, and from preaching thence, because thereby truth enters, as also said above, for knowledges from the Word and from preaching thence are truths. The spiritual affection of truth adjoined to those knowledges constitutes man's Rational, and enlightens it according to the quality of the truth conjoined with good, and according to the quality of the conjunction.

[4] These few observations may be sufficient for the present concerning the gates or doors pertaining to man. Because outer doors (januae), inner doors (ostia), and gates signify admission into heaven and into the church, therefore they also signify truths from good which are from the Lord, because by means of them this admission is effected, as is evident from the following passages. Thus in Isaiah:

"Open ye the gates that the just nation that keepeth faithfulnesses may enter in" (26:2).

According to the sense of the letter it is here meant that those who are just and faithful should be admitted into those cities, but according to the internal sense, that such should be admitted into the church: for gates signify admission; a just nation signifies those who are in good; keeping faithfulnesses signifies those who are thence in truths.

[5] Again:

"Thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; to bring unto thee the hosts of the nations, and their kings shall be brought down. And the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish. Thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise" (60:11, 12, 18).

The subject here treated of is the Lord and the church which He was about to establish; and by the above particulars is described the perpetual admission into it of those who are in good and thence in truths. By the gates being open continually, and not shut day nor night, is signified perpetual admission; by the host of the nations are signified those who are in good, and by kings those who are in truths; and that all should serve the Lord is meant by the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish. (That nation or nations signify those who are in good, may be seen above, n. 175, and that kings signify those who are in truths, n. 31.)

[6] Again:

"Thus said Jehovah to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; that I may loose the loins of kings, to open before him the doors (januae) that the gates may not be shut; I will give him the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places" (45:1, 3).

Here also the Lord is treated of, and the church to be established by Him. By opening the doors (januae), and by the gates not being shut, is signified perpetual admission; by nations and kings are signified those who are in goods and truths, and, in the abstract, goods and truths, as said above; by treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, is signified interior intelligence and wisdom from heaven; for the things that enter by the gate which is open from heaven, and of which we have spoken above, come in secretly, and influence all the things that are with man, whence arises the spiritual affection of truth, whereby things before unknown are revealed.

[7] In Jeremiah:

"If ye bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, but hallow the Sabbath day, then shall there enter through the gates of this city kings and princes sitting upon the throne of David, riding upon the chariot and on horses, and the city shall be inhabited to eternity" (17:24, 25).

Any one may see what is meant by these things in the sense of the letter; nevertheless it can be known that something more holy is contained in them, because they form part of the Word; and everything in the Word contains those things that pertain to heaven and the church, and these alone are holy; thus what is holy in this passage can only be known from the internal sense. By the Sabbath day in that sense is meant the conjunction of the Divine Human of the Lord with heaven and the church; by the city mentioned in this passage is meant Jerusalem, that is, the church: by bringing in no burden through the gates of the city is meant that they should not admit that which is from man's proprium, but that which is from the Lord. By kings and princes entering into the gates of the city are meant Divine truths, which should then be revealed to them; by their sitting upon the throne of David is meant that these truths are from the Lord. By riding upon the chariot and on horses is meant that thence they would be in the doctrine of truth and in intelligence; and by dwelling there to eternity is meant life and eternal salvation. (That by Sabbath, is signified the conjunction of the Divine Human of the Lord with heaven and the church, may be seen,Arcana Coelestia 8494, 8495, 8510, 10356, 10360, 10367, 10370, 10374, 10668, 10730. That by Jerusalem is signified the church, 402, 3654, 9166. That by burden or work on the Sabbath day is signified not to be led by the Lord but by the proprium, n. 7893, 8495, 10360, 10362, 10365. That by kings and princes are signified those who are in Divine truths, and, in the abstract, Divine truths, see above, n. 29, 31. That by chariot is signified the doctrine of truth, and by horses the Intellectual, see the small work, The White Horse 1-5.)

[8] Again, in the Apocalypse, it is said of the New Jerusalem,

"Having a wall great and high, twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel; the twelve gates were twelve pearls; the gates of it shall not be shut" (21:12, 21, 25).

That gates signify Divine truths introductory to the New Church, thus those who are in truths from good from the Lord is evident from the explanation of these words in the small work, The New Jerusalem 1, etc.); which is also evident from this consideration, that it is said there were twelve gates, twelve angels upon the gates, and the names of the twelve tribes written thereon, and that the twelve gates were twelve pearls. By twelve are signified all, and is said of truths from good, see Arcana Coelestia 577, 2089, 2129, 2130, 3272, 3858, 3913, similarly by angels, see above, n. 130, 200; also by the twelve tribes of Israel, Arcana Coelestia 3858, 3926, 4060, 6335; and also by pearls.)

[9] In Jeremiah:

"Out of the north evil shall be opened that they may come, and every one set his throne at the door (ostium) of the gates of Jerusalem, and at all its walls round about, because they have forsaken me" (1:14, 15, 16).

The subject here treated of is the destruction of the church: the north signifies falsity, in this case the falsity from which evil is derived; to come and set every one his throne at the door of the gates of Jerusalem, is to destroy the introductory truths of the church by falsities; and at all the walls round about, denotes all the truths that are for a defence.

[10] In Isaiah:

"Howl, O gate; cry, O city; thou, whole Philistia, art dissolved because, from the north cometh smoke" (14:31).

Again:

"The choicest of thy valleys shall be filled with the chariot; and the horsemen shall set themselves in array even to the gate, he hath made bare the covering of Judah" (22:7, 8).

In these passages also the destruction of the Church is treated of; and by the gates there mentioned introductory truths are signified, which are destroyed; those truths are called the covering of Judah, because by Judah is signified celestial love, as may be seen above (n. 119), and those truths cover and protect that love. Again

"The remnant in the city is wasteness, and the gate is smitten even to devastation" (24:12).

[11] In Jeremiah:

"Judah mourned, and the gates thereof languished" (14:2).

In the book of Judges:

"The villages ceased in Israel: he hath chosen new gods; then to assault the gates" (5:7, 8).

In Ezekiel:

"Tyrus hath said over Jerusalem, Aha, she is broken, the doors (januae) of the peoples, she is brought over to me" (26:2).

Here also the subject treated of is the destruction of the church. By Tyrus are signified the knowledges (cognitiones) of truth and good, which are introductory truths; and by Jerusalem is signified the church as to the doctrine of truth. It is therefore evident why Jerusalem is here called the doors (januae) of the peoples; also what is signified by Tyrus saying, "Aha, she is broken, the doors of the peoples; she is brought over to me, I shall be filled."

[12] Since, as said above, by doors (januae) and by gates is signified admission, and, specifically, introductory truths are signified, which are truths from good from the Lord, it is evident what is signified by these in the following places. In David

"Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye doors (ostia) of the world, that the king of glory may come in" (Psalms 24:7, 9).

Again:

Recount the praises of Jehovah "in the gates of the daughter of Zion" (Psalms 9:14).

Again:

"Jehovah loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob" (Psalms 87:2).

By Zion and by the daughter of Zion is meant the celestial church. Again, in Isaiah:

"Thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; the God of the whole earth he is called. I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles" (54:5, 12).

In Matthew:

The five prudent virgins entered into the marriage, "and the door (ostium) was shut," and the five foolish virgins came and knocked, but the door was not opened to them (25:10, 11, 12).

In Luke:

Jesus said "Strive to enter in at the strait gate (portam) for many will seek to enter in, and will not be able. When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door (januam), then shall ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door (januam), saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; but he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are" (13:24, 25).

In these two passages the state of man after death is treated of, that those who are in faith alone, and not in love, cannot be admitted into heaven, even although they should then desire it, and this in consequence of the nature of their faith. And this is what is signified by the door being shut, and their being refused admission when they knocked.

[13] Because gates signify introductory truths, therefore it was ordained among the statutes,

That the elders should sit at the gates and judge (Deuteronomy 21:19; 22:15-21; Amos. 5:12, 15; Zech. 8:16).

It was also therefore commanded, that "They should write the precepts upon the posts and gates" (Deuteronomy 6:8, 9).

And it was also among the statutes,

That the ear of the servant who was not willing to go out free in the seventh year, should be bored through at the door (januam) (Exodus 21:6; Deuteronomy 15:17).

By servants of the sons of Israel were signified those who were in truths and not in good; and by freemen, those who were in good and thence in truths. By the ear being bored through at the door was signified perpetual obedience and servitude, because they were not desirous to be introduced into good by means of truths; for those who are in truth and not in good, are perpetually in a servile state, not being in the spiritual affection of truth; for it is the affection of love that makes man free (as may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 141-149). Moreover introductory truths as to their quality are described by the covering of the door of the tent, and by the covering of the door of the tabernacle (Exodus 26:14, 36, 37; 38:18); also by the numerical measurements of the doors and gates of the house of God and of the temple in Ezekiel (40:6, 8-11, 13-15, 18, 19, 20, 24, 27, 28, 32, 35, 37; 41:1-3, 11, 17-20, 23-25; 42:2, 12, 15; 43:1-4; 44:1-3, 17; 46:1-3, 8, 12, 19; 47:1, 2; 48:31-34). He who knows what the particular numbers there mentioned signify, may know many arcana concerning those truths. Mention is also made of the gates of the house of Jehovah towards the north and towards the east, in the same prophet (8:3, 5; 10:19).

2588. 'Abraham's wife' means, in order that spiritual truth might be joined to celestial good. This is clear from the representation of 'Sarah when a wife' as spiritual truth joined to celestial good, dealt with in 1468, 1901, 2063, 2065, 2172, 2173, 2198, 2507, and from the representation of 'Abraham' as celestial good joined to spiritual truth, dealt with in 2010, 2172, 2198, 2501. Whether you say spiritual truth and celestial good, or whether you say the Lord, it amounts to the same, for the Lord is truth itself and good itself, and also the marriage itself of truth and good and of good and truth. These matters may indeed be seen from the explanation given, yet as they belong among those things that are obscure at the present day, let them be illustrated so far as possible. The subject here is the doctrine of faith, about which doctrine the Lord thought when He was a boy; that is to say, He gave thought to whether it was permissible to enter into that doctrine by means of rational conceptions and in that way form ideas for Himself regarding it. This way of thinking was a product of His love and concern for the human race, who are such that they do not believe anything which is not grasped in a rational manner by them. But He perceived from the Divine that one ought not to enter into doctrine that way, and therefore He revealed such doctrine to Himself from the Divine and at the same time also all things in the universe that are subordinate to it, that is, all things of a rational kind, and all those of a natural kind.

[2] People's attitudes to matters of doctrine regarding faith have been spoken of above in 2568. There it was stated that there are two basic attitudes of mind from which people think, the negative and the affirmative; also that they think from a negative attitude who believe nothing unless they are convinced by rational considerations and by facts, and indeed by sensory evidence, whereas those people think from an affirmative attitude who believe that things are true because the Lord has said so in the Word and who thus have faith in the Lord. People who adopt the negative attitude towards the truth of anything in the Word say in their hearts that they are willing to believe when persuaded on rational grounds and by facts. But these are such as never believe, not even indeed if they were convinced by means of the evidence of their own physical senses of seeing, hearing, and touch; for they would always be producing new reasonings against such things, and in so doing they would at length completely destroy all faith and at the same time would turn the light of the rational into darkness, because they would turn it into falsities. People however who adopt the affirmative attitude, that is, who believe that things are true because the Lord has said so, are being confirmed all the time by rational considerations and by facts, and even by sensory evidence, and their ideas are being enlightened and are strengthened by these; for light comes to man through no other channel than the rational ideas and the factual knowledge which he possesses. This is so with everyone. With those who have the affirmative attitude of mind doctrine is certainly living, and of them it is said that they are healed and give birth. But with those who have the negative attitude doctrine certainly dies, and of them it is said that the womb is completely closed. All this shows what it is to enter the doctrine of faith by means of rational ideas, and what it is to enter into rational ideas from the doctrine of faith.

[3] Let these differences be illustrated by examples: The Word teaches that the first and foremost matter of doctrine is love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbour. People with the affirmative attitude towards this are able to enter into whatever things of a rational, factual, and indeed sensory kind they please, each according to his ability, knowledge, and experience. Indeed the more they do so the more they are confirmed, for the whole natural order is full of what is confirmatory. But people who deny this first and foremost teaching, and who wish first of all to be convinced by means of factual and rational considerations that a thing is true, never allow themselves to be convinced because they deny in their hearts and are all the time taking their stand on some other basic idea which they believe to be essential. In the end through confirmations of that idea these people so blind themselves that they cannot even know what love to the Lord is and what love towards the neighbour is. And because they confirm themselves in notions contrary to such love they at length also confirm themselves in the idea that no other kind of love can exist that has any delight in it except self-love and love of the world. And this they do to such an extent - if not in doctrine yet in the lives they lead - that they embrace hellish love in place of heavenly love.

[4] But with those who as yet have adopted neither a negative attitude nor an affirmative one but are in a state of doubt that precedes either of these, the position has been stated above in 2568. There it was shown that those who incline towards a life of evil fall into the negative attitude, whereas those who incline towards a life good are brought into the affirmative one. Take a different example: One of the leading ideas of the doctrine of faith is that all good comes from the Lord and all evil from man or self. People with the affirmative attitude that this is so are able to confirm themselves by many rational ideas, and by facts, such as that no good can possibly flow in except from Good itself, that is, from the fountain of good, and so from the Lord, and that good cannot have its first beginnings anywhere else. Such people find these ideas enlightened for them by all things which are truly good within themselves, within others, within society in general, and indeed within the whole of creation. But people with the negative attitude confirm themselves by everything they can possibly think of in ideas to the contrary, so much so that at length they do not know what good is. And disputing among themselves as to what the highest good is, they are profoundly ignorant of the fact that it is by means of celestial and spiritual good from the Lord that every type of good beneath it is made living, and that the delight flowing from it is truly delight. Some also imagine that if good does not come from themselves it cannot possibly come from any other source.

[5] Take another example: Those who are governed by love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbour are able to receive the truths of doctrine and to have faith in the Word, but not so those leading a life of self-love and love of the world. Or what amounts to the same, those governed by good are able to believe but not those governed by evil. People with the affirmative attitude of mind are able to confirm this in countless ways - with rational ideas and factual knowledge. With rational ideas they are able to confirm that truth is compatible with good but not with evil, and that as all falsity resides in evil it is also the product of evil, and that if any people governed by evil nevertheless possess any truth, this is on their lips, not in their heart. And with factual knowledge they are able to confirm from many points of view that truths put evils to flight and that evils detest truths. But people with the negative attitude confirm themselves in the idea that everyone, irrespective of what he is like in character - even if he leads a life for ever hating, taking delight in revenge, and practicing deceit - is able to believe as others are able to do so. Yet while holding to this idea they themselves totally reject goodness of life from doctrine, and having rejected it believe nothing whatever.

[6] To make the matter plainer still, take yet another example: Those who adopt the affirmative attitude that the Word has been written in such a way as to have an internal sense that is not apparent in the letter are also able in many ways to confirm themselves through rational considerations, such as the following,

By means of the Word man has a link with heaven.

Correspondences exist of natural things with spiritual, though the spiritual are not very apparent.

The ideas which belong to interior thought are completely different from the material ideas which fall into the words of spoken language. While man is in the world he is able to be in heaven (for he has been born for life in both places) through the Word which is intended for both places.

With some people a certain Divine light flows into the things of the understanding and into the affections when the Word is being read.

It is necessary that something be written which has come down from heaven and thus that the nature of its existence in its origins cannot be the same as its existence in the letter.

It cannot be holy except from a certain holiness which it has within it.

A person with the affirmative attitude is also able to confirm himself by means of certain facts, such as the following,

In former times people were living in an age of representatives. The writings of the Ancient Church contained such representatives, and those of many authors among the gentiles were composed of them, so that in the Churches that style of writing was regarded as being holy, and among the gentiles as being learned (books by many of those authors could also be mentioned).

But people who adopt the negative attitude, though they do not deny all these considerations and facts, nevertheless do not believe them. They persuade themselves that the Word is such as it exists in the letter, where indeed it presents a worldly appearance, but is nevertheless spiritual. They do not have any interest however in where that spiritual element lies, but for a multitude of reasons still want it. And that of which they are persuaded they are able to confirm in many ways.

[7] To present this matter in a way that can be grasped by ordinary people, let the following known fact serve as an example: Those with the affirmative attitude that sight does not belong to the eye but to the spirit which sees objects in the world by means of the eye as an organ of its own body can find confirmation of this fact in many ways. For instance, those people may find confirmation of it in their hearing of words spoken by another, in that these spoken words ally themselves to a certain interior sight, into which those words are converted - something that could not possibly occur but for the existence of that interior sight. These people may also find confirmation of the same in the consideration that whatever they think about is seen with an interior sight, by some more clearly and by others more obscurely, as well as in the consideration that the things produced by their imagination are not unlike actual objects of sight. They may find a further confirmation in the consideration that unless it were the spirit within the body that saw the things taken in by the eye as the organ of sight, the spirit would be unable to see anything in the next life, when in fact it is destined to behold countless and astonishing sights which the eye of the body cannot possibly see. In addition confirmation may be found by these people by reflecting on how in dreams, especially those of the prophets, many things have likewise been seen, yet not with the eyes. Finally, if trained in philosophy, a person may find confirmation in the consideration that things which are more exterior cannot enter into those that are more interior, just as that which is compound cannot enter into that which is simple, so that things of the body cannot enter into those of the spirit; only the reverse is possible. Besides these many other confirmations might be introduced, till at length a person is persuaded that sight belongs to the spirit, and not to the eye except from the spirit. But people with the negative attitude either speak of everything of this kind as that which is natural and physical, or else they speak of it as that which is imaginary. And when they are told that a spirit possesses and enjoys far more perfect sight than man does in the body, they laugh at the idea and dismiss it as nonsense, for they believe that they will be living in darkness when they are deprived of the sight of the eye. But in fact quite the reverse is the case in that they then dwell in the light.

[8] These examples show what it is to enter into things of a rational and factual nature from truths, and what it is to enter into truths from things of a factual and rational nature. The first method of approach is according to order, but the second is contrary to it; and when a person acts according to order he is enlightened, but when he acts contrary to order he is made blind. This makes plain how important it is for people to know and believe truths, for truths enlighten man, but falsities make him blind. Truths open up to the rational a vast and practically unlimited field, whereas falsities provide scarcely any such opening up at all, though this is not very evident. The reason why angels have so much wisdom is that they are enveloped in truths, truth being the light itself of heaven.

[9] Those who have made themselves blind through refusing to believe anything which they do not perceive with the physical senses, till at length they have no belief at all, were in former times called 'serpents belonging to the tree of knowledge'. For they reasoned much from things as perceived by the senses and from the resulting illusions which man accepts and believes all too easily, and by such reasoning they led very many astray, see 195, 196. In the next life they are easily distinguished from other spirits by the fact that in everything which is a matter of faith they reason whether it is so. And if it is demonstrated to them a thousand times, and then another thousand, that it is so they still advance doubts of a negative kind against every confirmation that is offered, and this they would go on doing for ever. They are so blinded therefore that they are lacking in common sense, that is, they are unable to grasp what good and truth are. Yet every one of them imagines that he is wiser than anyone else in the whole universe, making wisdom consist in being able to dispose of what is Divine and to derive the origin of things from what is natural. Many who have been considered wise men in the world are pre-eminently such as these; for the more anyone with the negative attitude of mind possesses talent and knowledge, the more insane he is, more so than all others. But the more anyone with the affirmative attitude possesses talent and knowledge the wiser he is able to become. One is not by any means forbidden to develop the rational by means of factual knowledge, but one is not allowed to use it to harden oneself against the truths of faith which belong to the Word.

[10] Much concerning these matters occurs in the internal sense of the Word, especially in prophetical sections, where the subject is Asshur and Egypt, for 'Asshur' means reasoning, 119, 1186, and 'Egypt' knowledge, 1164, 1165, 1186, 1462.

People who wish to enter into matters of doctrine regarding faith and into Divine things by means of things of a factual and of a rational nature, and who are consequently of unsound mind, are referred to in Isaiah as follows,

I will confound Egypt within Egypt, and they will fight every one against his brother, and every one against his companion, city against city, and kingdom against kingdom. And the spirit of Egypt will be emptied out in the midst of it, and I will swallow up his plans. The waters from the sea will fail, and the river will be parched and dry; and the streams will depart, and the rivers of Egypt will diminish and become parched. Reed and rush will wither away. Every seed of the river will be dry. Jehovah has mingled in the midst of her a spirit of perversity, and they have made Egypt err in all its work, as a drunken man errs in his vomit. Isaiah 19:2-3, 5-7, 14.

In the same prophet,

Woe to the rebellious children, who depart to go down into Egypt but have not asked at My mouth, to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt. And the strength of Pharaoh will be shame for you, and trust in the shadow of Egypt ignominy. Isaiah 30:1-3.

In the same prophet,

Woe to those who go down into Egypt for help and rely on horses and trust in chariots because they are many, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel and do not seek Jehovah. And Jehovah will stretch out His hand; he who gives help will stumble, and he who is helped will fall, and they will all be destroyed together. And Asshur will fall by a sword, not of man; and a sword, not of man, will devour him. Isaiah 31:1, 3, 8.

In Jeremiah,

My people have committed two evils; they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to hollow out pits for themselves, broken pits which do not hold water. Is not Israel a slave? If he is a home-born [servant], why has he become a prey? Are you not bringing this on yourself by forsaking Jehovah your God at a time when He is leading you in the way? And now, what have you to do with the way to Egypt, to drink the waters of Shihor, or what have you to do with the way to Asshur, to drink the waters of the River? O generation, see the Word of Jehovah! Have I been a wilderness for Israel? or a land of darkness? For what reason have My people said, We will be our own masters, we will not come to You any more? Why do you go off so forcefully to change your way? You will also be put to shame by Egypt, as you were put to shame by Asshur. Jeremiah 2:13-14, 17-18, 31, 36.

In the same prophet,

Hear the word of Jehovah, O remnants of Judah, Thus said Jehovah Zebaoth, the God of Israel, If you surely set your faces to come into Egypt, and you enter to sojourn there, then it will be, that the sword of which you are afraid will overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine of which you are terrified will cleave to you there in Egypt, so that you die there. And all the men (vir) who have set their faces to come into Egypt to sojourn there will die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, and none of them will survive or escape from before the evil which I am bringing over you. Jeremiah 42:15-17, and following verses.

In Ezekiel,

And let all the inhabitants of Egypt know that I am Jehovah, because they have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel. When they grasp you with the hand, you will be broken, and you will tear for them every shoulder; and when they lean on you you will be broken, and you will make all their loins to be at a stand. Therefore thus said the Lord Jehovih, Behold, I am bringing a sword over you, and I will cause man and beast to be cut off from you; and the land of Egypt will be a desolation and a waste, and they will know that I am Jehovah, for [Egypt] has said, The river is mine, and I made it. Ezekiel 29:6-9, and following verses.

In Hosea,

Ephraim was like a silly dove. They called on Egypt, they went away to Asshur. When they go I will stretch My net over them. Woe to them, for they have strayed away from Me! Hosea 7:11-13.

In the same prophet,

Ephraim feeds the wind, and pursues the east wind. All the day long he multiplies lies and devastation and they make a covenant with Asshur, and oil is carried down into Egypt. Hosea 12:1.

In the same prophet,

Israel has committed whoredom beneath its God. You have taken delight in hiring yourself out on every threshing-floor. Ephraim will return to Egypt, and in Asshur they will eat what is unclean. For behold, they have gone away on account of the devastation, Egypt will gather them, Moph ¹ will bury them; the nettle will possess their precious things of silver, the thorn will be in their tents. Ephraim has been stricken, their root has dried up, they will bear no fruit. Even when they bring forth I will slay the beloved fruits of their womb. My God will cast them away because they have not hearkened to Him, and they will be wanderers among the nations. Hosea 9:1, 3, 6, 16-17.

In Isaiah,

Woe to Asshur, the rod of My anger, and he is the staff, in their hand, of My indignation! He does not think what is right and his heart does not consider what is right, for it is in his heart to destroy, and to cut off nations not a few, for he says, Are not my princes at the same time kings? I will visit upon the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Asshur, for he has said, By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom, for I have intelligence, and I will remove the boundaries of peoples and will plunder their treasures, and as a powerful man will cast down the inhabitants. Therefore the Lord, the Lord Zebaoth, will send leanness among his fat ones, and instead of his glory a burning of fire will be kindled. Isaiah 10:5, 7-8, 12-13, 16.

[11] In all these places 'Asshur' means reasoning, as has been shown, 'Egypt' and 'pharaoh' mean knowledge, and 'Ephraim' the understanding part of the mind. These and many other places elsewhere describe what man's rational comes to be like when he reasons about the truths of faith from the negative attitude of mind. Similar teaching is embodied in the incidents recorded in Isaiah 36, 37, when the Rabshakeh was sent from the king of Asshur and spoke out against Jerusalem and king Hezekiah, and the angel of Jehovah at that time struck down in the camp of the king of Asshur one hundred and eighty-five thousands. Those descriptions mean the disarray into which all that constitutes man's rationality is thrown when he reasons against Divine things, however much he may seem to himself at that time to be wise.

[12] Such reasoning is also referred to in various places as 'whoredom committed with the sons of Egypt and with the sons of Asshur', as in Ezekiel,

You committed whoredom with the sons of Egypt, your neighbours, great in flesh, and multiplied your whoredom. And you committed whoredom with the sons of Asshur, and were still not satisfied. Ezekiel 16:26, 28; 23:3, 5-21.

See 2466.

[13] People however who enter into things of a rational and factual kind from the doctrine of faith and by so doing are made wise are referred to in Isaiah as follows,

On that day there will be an altar to Jehovah in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to Jehovah at its border; and it will be for a sign and a witness to Jehovah Zebaoth in the land of Egypt, for they will cry out to Jehovah because of the oppressors, and He will send a saviour and prince to them, and He will deliver them. And Jehovah will make Himself known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will know Jehovah on that day and will offer sacrifice and minchah, and will make a vow to Jehovah and perform it. Isaiah 19:18-21.

In the same chapter,

On that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Asshur, and Asshur will come into Egypt, and the Egyptians will serve Asshur. ² On that day Israel will be the third with Egypt and Asshur, a blessing in the midst of the earth, whom Jehovah Zebaoth will bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt My people, and Asshur the work of My hands, and Israel My heritage. Isaiah 19:23-25.

This is referring to the spiritual Church, of which Israel is the spiritual element, Asshur the rational, and Egypt the factual. These three constitute all the intellectual powers of that Church, which come in that order one after another. This explains why it is said, 'On that day Israel will be the third with Egypt and Asshur', and 'blessed be Egypt My people, Asshur the work of My hands, and Israel My heritage'.

[14] In the same prophet,

It will be on that day, that a great trumpet will be blown, and they will come - those who are perishing in the land of Asshur, and those who are outcasts in the land of Egypt - and they will bow themselves down to Jehovah on the holy mountain, in Jerusalem. Isaiah 27:13.

In the same prophet,

Thus said Jehovah, The labour of Egypt, and the wares of Cush and of the Sabaeans, men of stature, will come over to you and will be yours. They will follow after you and bow down to you. To you they will make the supplication, God is with you only; and there is no other besides God. Isaiah 45:14.

'Cush and the Sabaeans' are cognitions, 117, 1171. In Zechariah,

Egypt will go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, Jehovah Zebaoth. Zechariah 14:17-18.

In Micah,

As for me, I look to Jehovah, I wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me. The day for building your walls, this is the day; and they will come even to you from Asshur and the cities of Egypt even to the River. Micah 7:7, 11-12.

[15] In Ezekiel,

Thus said the Lord Jehovih, At the end of forty years I will gather Egypt from the peoples among whom they were scattered, and I will bring back the captivity of Egypt. Ezekiel 29:13-14.

In the same prophet,

Behold, Asshur was a cedar in Lebanon, beautiful in its branches, and a shady forest, and lofty in height, and its trunk among entangled boughs. The waters caused it to grow, with its streams going around the place of its planting, and he sent out his lines of water to all the trees of the field. Therefore its height was made higher than all the trees of the field, and its branches were multiplied, and its branches were made long by many waters. In its branches all the birds of the air made their nests, and under its branches every wild animal of the field gave birth, and in its shadow dwelt all great nations. And it became beautiful in its greatness, in the length of its branches, for its root was in many waters. The cedars did not hide it in the garden of God, the fir trees were not equal to its branches. No tree in the garden of God was equal to it in its beauty. I made it beautiful in the mass of its branches, and all the trees of Eden which are in the garden of God envied it. Ezekiel 31:3-9.

Here the Most Ancient Church, which was celestial, is described as to the nature of its rational and so of its wisdom and intelligence, for that Church used to look at things below from those which were Divine. Thus it looked at truths from goods themselves, and then from truths at what was subsidiary to these. By 'Asshur' and 'a cedar' are meant the rational, by 'entangled boughs among which were its branches' is meant factual knowledge, by 'streams' and 'waters' are meant spiritual goods, among which was its 'root', by 'the height and the length of the branches' the extent of it, by 'the garden of God' the spiritual Church, and by 'the trees of Eden' perceptions. This and the other places quoted above show what man's rational is like and what his factual knowledge is like when they are subordinate to Divine truths and serve these by confirming them.

[16] The fact that things of a rational and factual kind serve people who have the affirmative attitude of mind as a means for making them wise was represented and meant by the command to the children of Israel to seek from the Egyptians the loan of vessels of gold and vessels of silver, and clothing, Exodus 3:22; 11:2; 12:35-36. Something similar is meant by what is said in various places in the Word about their possessing the goods, houses, vineyards, and olive-groves, and many other things, of the nations, and also by references to the very gold and silver itself seized from the nations becoming holy, as in Isaiah,

Jehovah will visit Tyre, and she will return to hiring herself out as a harlot, and will commit whoredom with all the kingdoms of the earth on the face of the ground. And its merchandise and its harlot's hire will become holy to Jehovah; it will not be stored or hoarded, for its merchandise will be for them that dwell before Jehovah to eat to satisfaction and for ancient clothing. Isaiah 23:17-18.

'The merchandise of Tyre' stands for cognitions, 1201, which to those with the negative attitude of mind are like 'a harlot's hire' but to those with the affirmative attitude are like that which is holy. Something similar is also meant by the Lord's words,

Make friends for yourselves out of the mammon of unrighteousness, so that when you fail they may receive you into eternal habitations. If then you have not appeared faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will entrust to you the true? Luke 16:9, 11.

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