2760. Preface

WHEN people stay with Scripture’s literal meaning alone and do not seek out an inner meaning from other passages in the Word to explain it, they are delusional. The extent of their delusion can be plainly seen from the number of heresies that exist, each of which uses the Word’s literal meaning to prove its own dogma. Consider especially the major heresy generated by self-love and materialism (in all their insanity and hellishness) on the basis of the Lord’s words to Peter:

"I say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail over it. And I will give you the keys to the kingdom of the heavens; and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in the heavens, and whatever you unbind on earth will be unbound in the heavens." (Matthew 16:15, 16, 17, 18, 19)

[2] People who stress the literal meaning think that these words have to do with Peter and that he was personally given this immense power. Yet they know that Peter lived an extremely simple life, that he never exercised this kind of power, and that to do so would be an assault on God’s divinity. Even so, self-love and materialism in all their insanity and hellishness prompt them to claim for themselves the highest power on earth and in heaven, and to make themselves gods. They therefore interpret the passage according to its literal meaning and vehemently defend their interpretation. In reality, the inner meaning of the words is that true faith in the Lord has this power (and such faith exists only in people who love the Lord and show kindness to their neighbor). Even at that, it is not faith but the Lord, the source of faith, who has the power. The rock here means this faith, just as it does everywhere else in the Word. It is on this rock that the church is built, and against it the gates of hell cannot prevail. Faith in the Lord has the keys to the kingdom of the heavens. It closes heaven to keep out evil and falsity, and it opens heaven to what is good and true. That is the inner meaning of the words.

[3] Like the twelve tribes of Israel, the twelve apostles actually represented all aspects of faith in the Lord (§§577, 2089, 2129, 2130 at the end). Peter represented faith itself; James represented neighborly love; and John represented the good done by neighborly love (see the preface to Genesis 18). Their representation resembled that of Reuben, Simeon, and Levi (Jacob’s first children in the representative Jewish and Israelite religion), as can be seen from a thousand places in the Word. The words above were addressed to Peter because he presented an image of faith.

This shows what thick darkness people plunge into—dragging others with them—by interpreting everything literally, as we see from this declaration to Peter, which they use in denying the Lord the power to save the human race and usurping it for themselves.

2760. ² In John - in the Book of Revelation - the Word as to its internal sense is described as follows,

I saw heaven standing open, and, behold, a White Horse; and He who sat on it was called faithful and true, and in righteousness He judges and goes into battle. His eyes a flame of fire, and on His head many jewels, He has a name written which nobody knows but He Himself, and He is clothed in a garment dyed with blood, and His name is called the Word of God. And the armies that are in heaven were following Him on white horses and were clothed in linen, white and clean. And on His garment and on His thigh He has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. Revelation 19:11-14, 16.

What each individual part of this description embodies nobody can know except from the internal sense. Plainly, each one is representative and carries a spiritual meaning, such as 'heaven standing open'; 'the horse which was white'; 'He who sat on it was called faithful and true, and in righteousness He judges and goes into battle'; 'His eyes a flame of fire'; 'on His head many jewels'; 'He has a name which nobody knows but He Himself'; 'He is clothed in a garment dyed with blood'; 'the armies in heaven following Him on white horses'; 'clothed in linen, white and clean'; 'on His garment and on His thigh He has a name written'. It is stated openly that the One sitting on the White Horse is the Word, and that He is the Lord who is the Word, for it is said, 'His name is called the Word of God', and after that, 'on His garment and on His thigh He has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords'.

[2] From the interpretation of each individual expression it is evident that the Word as to the internal sense is described here. 'Heaven standing open' represents and means that the internal sense of the Word is not seen except in heaven and by those to whom heaven stands open, that is, those in whom love to the Lord and faith in Him-derived from that love are present. 'The horse which was white' represents and means the understanding of the Word as regards its interior contents. The next paragraph shows that 'a white horse' has this representation and meaning. 'He who sat on it' is, it is clear, the Word and the Lord who is the Word. He is called 'faithful' and 'one who judges out of righteousness' by virtue of good, and 'true' and 'one who goes into battle out of righteousness' by virtue of truth; for the Lord Himself is righteousness. 'His eyes a flame of fire' means Divine Truth glowing from the Divine Good that issues from His Divine Love. 'On His head many jewels' means all things of faith. 'He has a name written which nobody knows but He Himself' means that nobody sees the essential nature of the Word in the internal sense except the Lord Himself and he to whom He reveals it. 'Clothed in a garment dyed with blood' means the Word in the letter. 'The armies in heaven that were following Him on white horses' means people who have an understanding of the Word as regards its interior contents. 'Clothed in linen, white and clean' means that in these same persons love and faith derived from love are present. 'On His garment and on His thigh a name written' means truth and good. From these verses in Revelation and from those which come before and after them it is evident that around the last period [of the Church] the internal sense of the Word will be opened. But what is going to happen in that last period is also described in verses 17-21 of that chapter.

Footnotes:

2129. There are other kinds of commotion or rather of conflict that also present an image of the Last Judgment. These too dissolve the evil bonds that inwardly hold such gangs together. Let me say the following things about them:

Such spirits find themselves forced into a state of mind that prevents them from thinking as a group, as part of the whole, the way they usually do. Instead they each have to think for themselves. The resulting variance in their thoughts and discrepancy in their mumblings produces a kind of roar, like that of water in great quantities crashing onto itself. The conflict cannot be described, but it rises out of a confusion of opinions concerning certain axioms that are topics of current thought and conversation. The confusion is such that it can be called spiritual chaos.

[2] The sound made by their confused and clashing mutterings was threefold. One strain swirled around my head, and I was told that this was the sound of their thoughts. A second streamed toward my left temple, and I was told that this was the clash of their rationalizations concerning certain axioms that they did not want to believe in. The third flowed down from above toward the right. It was grating but less confused. The grating sound turned back and forth, and I was told that this was because they were resisting those axioms, turning them back and forth as they debated them.

Despite these conflicts, and for as long as they lasted, I had spirits talking to me, explaining what the different aspects symbolized. Their words cut through the noise quite easily.

[3] These were the main subjects they were arguing over: Should we take literally the statement that the twelve apostles will sit on twelve thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel? And will any others be allowed into heaven than those who have suffered persecution and misery?

The participants each argued according to the misconceptions they had acquired during bodily life. Some of them, however, were later taught that the statement regarding the apostles should be taken in a completely different way. These were the ones who had been restored to their group and brought back into order, and this is what they were taught: The apostles do not mean apostles, the thrones do not mean thrones, and the tribes do not mean tribes; not even twelve means itself. Instead, all of these–the apostles, thrones, tribes, and even the number twelve'symbolize the main precepts of faith (§2089). The judgment is carried out on everyone on the basis of those precepts and in accord with them. Moreover, as they were shown, the apostles cannot judge a single, solitary person; all judgment is the Lord's alone.

[4] As for the second biblical statement, neither should it be taken to mean that only those who have suffered persecution and misery will enter heaven. The rich are welcomed there just as much as the poor, the high-ranking just as much as the lowly. The Lord shows mercy to everyone, especially those who have been through spiritual miseries and trials, which is what persecution by evil people means. So he takes special pity on those who acknowledge that left to themselves they are wretched and who attribute their salvation to his mercy alone.