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:

2136. Genesis 18

1. And Jehovah appeared to [Abraham] in the oak groves of Mamre, and he was sitting at the door of the tent as the day grew hot.

2. And he raised his eyes and looked, and here, now, three men standing near him; and he saw and ran from the door of the tent to meet them and bowed down toward the earth.

3. And he said, "My lord, please, if I have found favor in your eyes, please do not pass by your servant.

4. Please let a little water be taken, and wash your feet, and recline under the tree.

5. And let me take a morsel of bread, and you, sustain your heart. Afterward you may pass on, since this is the reason you have passed over to your servant." And they said, "You should do as you have spoken."

6. And Abraham hurried toward the tent, to Sarah, and said, "Bring three pecks of flour-meal in a hurry, knead it, and make cakes."

7. And Abraham ran to the herd and took the young of an ox, tender and good, and gave it to the houseboy, and he hurried to prepare the animal.

8. And [Abraham] took butter and milk and the young of an ox that he had prepared and placed it before them (and he was standing before them under the tree), and they ate.

9. And they said to him, "Where is Sarah, your wife?" and he said, "Look, she is in the tent."

10. And [the man] said, "I will definitely return to you about this time of life, and look: a son for Sarah your wife!" And Sarah was listening at the door of the tent, and it was behind him.

11. And Abraham and Sarah were old, advancing in days; the way it is with women had ceased to be with Sarah.

12. And Sarah laughed within herself, saying, "After I have aged, will there be pleasure for me? And my lord is old."

13. And Jehovah said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh at this, saying, "Will I really, truly give birth, when I have aged?"

14. Will anything be [too] amazing for Jehovah? At the set time I will come back to you, about this time of life; and to Sarah, a son."

15. And Sarah denied it, saying, "I did not laugh," because she was afraid. And he said, "No, because you did laugh."

16. And the men rose up from there and looked out toward the face of Sodom. And Abraham was going with them, to send them off.

17. And Jehovah said, "Shall I be hiding from Abraham what I am doing?

18. And Abraham will unquestionably become a large and numerous nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed in him.

19. For I know him, because he will command his sons and his household after him, and they will keep the way of Jehovah, to perform justice and judgment, in order for Jehovah to bring on Abraham that which he spoke concerning him."

20. And Jehovah said that the outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah had become great and that their sin had become very heavy.

21. "Let me go down, please, and I will see whether they have made an end of it according to its outcry, which has come to me. And if not, I will know it."

22. And the men looked out from there and went toward Sodom. And Abraham was still standing before Jehovah.

23. And Abraham came near and said, "Will you also destroy the just with the ungodly?

24. Perhaps there are fifty just people in the middle of the city. Will you still destroy it and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty just people who are in the middle of it?

25. Far be it from you to do according to this thing–to put the just to death with the ungodly and that it should be the same for the just as for the ungodly. Far be it from you; won't the judge of the whole earth perform judgment?"

26. And Jehovah said, "If I find in Sodom fifty just people in the middle of the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake."

27. And Abraham answered and said, "Here, I beg you, I have undertaken to speak to my lord, and I am dust and ash.

28. Maybe the fifty just people will lack five; will you ruin the whole city over five?" And he said, "I will not ruin it if I find forty-five there."

29. And [Abraham] went on to speak to him further and said, "Maybe forty will be found there." And he said, "For the sake of forty, I will not do it."

30. And he said, "Please let anger not blaze in my lord and let me speak; maybe thirty will be found there." And he said, "I will not do it if I find thirty there."

31. And he said, "Here, I beg you, I have undertaken to speak to my lord; perhaps twenty will be found there." And he said, "For the sake of twenty, I will not ruin it."

32. And he said, "Please let anger not blaze in my lord and let me speak just this once; maybe ten will be found there." And he said, "For the sake of ten, I will not ruin it."

33. And Jehovah went, when he had finished speaking to Abraham. And Abraham returned to his place.

Summary

THE first topic here is the state of perception the Lord's human side had achieved and the way it communicated with his divine side at that time, before his human nature had become completely one with his divine nature. That is the same state the Lord refers to in these words:

God has never been seen by anyone; the only-born Son, who is in the Father's embrace, is the one who has revealed him. (John 1:18)