Page:A Compendium of the Theological Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg.djvu/494

398 the light, they are as mirrors in which the Lord's face is seen. That to see the Lord's face signifies to turn to Him will be shown below. The name of the Lord in their foreheads signifies that the Lord loves them and turns them to Himself. The name of the Lord signifies the Lord Himself, because it signifies every quality of Him whereby He is known, and according to which He is worshipped; and by the forehead love is signified; and written in the forehead signifies the Lord's love in them. From these considerations it may appear what is properly signified by these words. But the reason why it signifies that they will turn themselves to the Lord and the Lord will turn Himself to them is, that the Lord looks at all who are conjoined with Him by love in their forehead, and so turns them to Himself; wherefore the angels in heaven turn their faces only towards the Lord and the sun, and what is remarkable, this is done in every turning of their bodies. Hence it is in common speech that they have God always before their eyes. It is the same with the spirit of a man who lives in the world and by love is conjoined to the Lord. (A. R. n. 938.)

"And there shall he no night there; and they need no lamp, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light" (ver. 5). This signifies that in the New Jerusalem there will be no falsity of faith, and that men there will be in cognitions concerning God not from natural light, which is from their own intelligence and from glory arising from pride, but will be in spiritual light from the Word from the Lord alone. "There shall be no night there," signifies the same as above, chap, xxi., where these words occur: "And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day, for there shall be no night there" (ver. 25), by which is signified, that they are continually received into the New Jerusalem who are in truths from the good of love from the Lord, because there is no falsity of faith there. "They need no lamp, neither light of the sun, for the Lord God giveth them light," signifies the same as above, in chap, xxi., where are these words: "And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it, for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the lamp thereof" (ver. 23), which signify that the men of that church will not be in the love of self and in their own intelligence, and hence only in natural light, but in spiritual light from the Divine truth of the Word from the Lord alone. But instead of the moon, which occurs there, the word lamp is used here, and instead of the sun there, it is here said the light of the sun; and by the moon as