Heaven and Hell - Swedenborg Foundation

HEAVEN AND HELL 167
226. All preachers are appointed by the Lord, and have
therefrom a gift for preaching. No others are permitted to
preach in the churches. They are not called priests, but
preachers. They are not called priests because the celestial
kingdom is the priesthood of heaven; for priesthood signifies
the good of love to the Lord, and those in the celestial
kingdom are in that good; while the spiritual kingdom is the
kingship of heaven, for kingship signifies truth from good, and
those in the spiritual kingdom are in that truth (see above, n.
24). 164
227. The doctrines with which their preachings are in accord
all look to life as their end, and none look to faith separate
from the life. The doctrine of the inmost heaven is more full of
wisdom than the doctrine of the middle heaven, and this more
full of intelligence than the doctrine of the outmost heaven; for
in each heaven the doctrines are adapted to the perceptions of
the angels. The essential of all doctrines is acknowledging the
Divine human of the Lord.
164. Priests represented the Lord in respect to the Divine good, kings in
respect to Divine truth (n. 2015, 6148).
Therefore, in the Word a “priest” signifies those who are in the good of
love to the Lord, and the priesthood signifies that good (n. 9806, 9809).
A “king” in the Word signifies those who are in Divine truth, and
therefore kingship signifies truth from good (n. 1672, 2015, 2069, 4575,
4581, 4966, 5044).