Apocalypse Explained, volume 1 - Swedenborg Foundation

APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED 92Though your sins be as scarlet they shall be white as snow; thoughthey be red like purple they shall be as wool (Isa. 1:18).“Snow” is predicated of sins that were as scarlet, and “wool” of sinsthat were red like purple, because “scarlet” signifies truth fromgood, and in a contrary sense, falsity from evil (see Arcana Coelestia,n. 4922, 9468); and “red” and “purple” signify good, and in acontrary sense, evil of every kind (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3300,9467, 9865).68. And his eyes as a flame of fire signifies Divine providence fromhis Divine love. This is evident from the signification of “eyes,” asbeing the understanding (see above, n. 37); and in reference to theLord, as meaning presence, and thus providence (see ArcanaCoelestia, n. 3869, 10569) of which in what follows; also from thesignification of “a flame of fire,” as meaning, in reference to theLord, Divine love. “A flame of fire” means Divine love becausefrom heaven the Lord appears as a sun, and the Divine thatproceeds from him as light, flaming light in the inmost or thirdheaven, and bright white light in the middle or second heaven. TheDivine love itself is what thus appears. From this it is that in theWord “fire” and “flame” signify love (as can be seen from what isshown in Arcana Coelestia, namely, that in the Word “fire” signifieslove in each sense, n. 934, 4906, 5215. That sacred and celestialfire is Divine love, and every affection which is of that love, see n.934, 6314, 6832. That there are two origins of heat, one the sun ofthe world, from which all things vegetate upon the earth, the otherthe sun of heaven, which is the Lord, from which angels and menderive the all of life, see n. 3338, 5215, 7324. That love is the fireof life, and that life itself is actually therefrom, see n. 4906, 5071,6032, 6314. That flame is truth from the good of the inmostheaven, and light truth from the good of the middle heaven, see n.3222, 6832; the reason is, that light in the inmost heaven appearsflaming, and in the middle heaven bright white, see n. 9570; andlikewise in Heaven and Hell, n. 116–140). In reference to the Lord,“eyes” signify Divine providence, because, in reference to man, theysignify understanding; and the Divine understanding, because it isinfinite, is Divine providence. Nothing else is signified by the“eyes” of Jehovah in Isaiah: