Apocalypse Explained, volume 1 - Swedenborg Foundation

APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED 395things that are of heaven and the church and these alone are holy;the holy thing meant is known from the internal sense. “Thesabbath day” in that sense means the conjunction of the Lord’sDivine Human with heaven and the church; “the city” which hereis Jerusalem, means the church; “to bring in no burden through thegates of this city” means not to admit that which is from man’sown (proprium), but that which is from the Lord. “Kings andprinces that shall enter in by the gates of the city” mean Divinetruths which they should then have; “sitting upon the throne ofDavid” means truths from the Lord; “riding upon the chariot andon horses” means that from these they should be in the doctrine oftruth and in intelligence; “to be inhabited to eternity” means lifeand eternal salvation. (That “sabbath” signifies the conjunction ofthe Lord’s Divine Human with heaven and the church, see ArcanaCoelestia, n. 8494, 8495, 8510, 10356, 10360, 10367, 10370,10374, 10668, 10730. That “Jerusalem” signifies the church, see n.402, 3654, 9166. That “burden” or “work” on the sabbath daysignifies not to be led by the Lord but by one’s own (proprium), n.7893, 8495, 10360, 10362, 10365. That “kings and princes”signify those who are in Divine truths, and in the abstract, Divinetruths, see above, n. 29, 31. That “chariot” signifies the doctrine oftruth, and “horses” the intellectual, see in the small workconcerning the White Horse, n. 1–5.)[8] In Revelation:The New Jerusalem, having a wall great and high, and twelve gates,and upon the gates twelve angels, and names inscribed, which are thenames of the twelve tribes of Israel. The twelve gates were twelve pearls.The gates shall not be shut (21:12, 21, 25).That “gates” signify Divine truths introducing into the NewChurch, thus those who are in truths from good from the Lord, canbe seen from the explanation of these words in the small work onThe New Jerusalem (n. 1, seq.). It is clear also from its being saidthat 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.” (For “twelve” signifies all, and ispredicated of truths from good, Arcana Coelestia, n. 577,