Apocalypse Explained, volume 1 - Swedenborg Foundation

APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED 391From this it is clear that “I have given before thee an opened door,and no one is able to shut it,” signifies that all such will beadmitted into heaven, and that to none of these will entrance berefused. It is indeed plain from the common use of language, that“to give an opened door” signifies to admit into heaven; and stillthis is from correspondence; for a house and all things pertaining toa house correspond to the interiors of man which are of his mind,and from that correspondence they also signify in the Word thethings of the mind. That this is so can be seen from representativesand appearances in heaven, where there are palaces, houses, rooms,bed-chambers, hallways, courts, and within them a variety of thingsfor uses; these things the angels have from correspondence; and forthis reason the wiser angels have palaces more magnificent than theless wise have (but respecting these, see in the work on Heaven andHell, n. 183–190, where The Habitations of the angels of Heavenare treated of); and as palaces, houses, and all things pertaining to ahouse have a correspondence, so evidently do doorways, doors, andgates, which correspond to entrance and admission; and when thedoorway appears open, it is a sign that there is opportunity to enter,and when it is closed, that there is no opportunity.[2] Moreover, when newly arrived spirits are introduced into aheavenly society, the way that leads to it is opened to them by theLord; and when they come thither there appears a gate with a doorat the side, where there are guards who admit them, and afterwardsthere are others who receive and introduce them. From this it cannow be seen what “doorways,” “doors,” and “gates,” signify in theWord, namely, admission into heaven; and as the church is theLord’s heaven on earth, they also signify admission into the church;and as heaven or the church is within man, “doorways,” “doors,”and “gates” signify approach and entrance, with man (of whichpresently). And because all things that signify heaven and thechurch signify also the things of heaven and the church, and herethe things that introduce, which are truths out of good from theLord, and because these truths are from the Lord, and are thereforeHis, yea, are Himself in them, therefore “doorway,” “door,” and“gate” to heaven and the church, mean in the highest sense theLord. From this is clear the signification of what the Lord says inJohn: