186#“你有一个名，就是你是活的，其实是死的”表示他们思维的品质，他们自以为是活的，因为他们过着一种道德的生活，然而他们却是死的。这从“名”、“活的”和“死的”的含义清楚可知：“名”是指状态的品质(对此，参看AE148节)；“活的”是指拥有属灵生命(对此，我们很快就会谈到)；“死的”是指没有属灵生命，只有没有属灵生命的道德生命。这种生命是“死的”，因为在圣言中，“生命”表示人里面天堂的生命，这生命在圣言中也被称为“永生”；而“死”被称为地狱的生命，这生命在圣言中被称为“死亡”，因为它是对天堂生命的剥夺。因此，“你有一个名，就是你是活的，其实是死的”在此表示自以为拥有属灵生命，因而得救了，因为他们过着一种道德生活，然而在灵性上却是死的。但至于该如何理解这句话，这从前面(AE182节)对每种生命或生活，即属灵生活和道德生活的说明可以看出来，即：没有属灵生活的道德生活是爱自己和爱世界的生活，而来自属灵生活的道德生活是爱神和爱邻的生活；这后一种生活就是天堂的生活，而前一种生活就是那被称为属灵死亡的。一旦明白了这句话(参看AE182节)，就能知道“是活的，其实是死的”表示什么。
“活着”或“活的”表示人里面的属灵生命，“死的”表示对该生命的剥夺和诅咒，这一点从圣言中的许多经文可以看出来；我从中引用以下经文，以西结书：
我何时对恶人说，他必要死，你若不警戒他，不告诉恶人而警戒他离开他的恶道，好叫他可以活过来，这恶人必死在罪孽之中。倘若你警戒恶人，他仍不回转离开他的恶，也不离开他的恶道，他必死在罪孽之中，你却救了自己的灵魂；再者，倘若你警戒义人，使他不犯罪，他就不犯罪；他因受警戒就必存活。(以西结书3: 18-21)
此处“他必要死”表示在永死中灭亡，这是诅咒，因为这话是指着恶人说的；“他必存活”是指享受永生，这是得救，因为这话是指悔改的人和义人说的。
同一先知书：
你们在我民中亵渎我，对听谎言的民说谎，杀死不该死的灵魂，救活不该活的灵魂。(以西结书13:19)
此处论述的主题是对真理的歪曲，由“你们在我民中亵渎我，对听谎言的民说谎”来表示。此处“谎言”表示虚假和被歪曲的东西。“杀死不该死的灵魂”是指剥夺他们那来自真理的生命；“救活不该活的灵魂”是指说服他们相信永生来自虚假。从前一节明显看出，“救活”在此表示这一点。
诗篇：
看哪，耶和华的眼目在敬畏祂的人身上，要救他们的灵魂脱离死亡，并使他们在饥荒中存活。(诗篇33:18, 19)
又：
你救我的灵魂脱离死亡，你救护我的脚不跌倒，使我在生命的光中行在神面前。(诗篇56:13)
耶利米书：
看哪，我将生命的路和死亡的路摆在你们面前。(耶利米书21:8)
约翰福音：
耶稣说，我实实在在地告诉你们，那听我话的，就有永生，不至于定罪，是已经出死入生了。(约翰福音5:24)
很明显，在这些经文中，“死”表示诅咒，“生”表示得救。
“死”因是指诅咒，故也指地狱；因此，地狱在圣言中被称为“死亡”，如以下经文，以赛亚书：
地狱不能称谢你，死亡不能颂扬你；下坑的人也不能盼望你的真理。只有活人，活人必称谢你。(以赛亚书38:18, 19)
同一先知书：
我们与死亡立约，我们在地狱那里作了异象。(以赛亚书28:15)
何西阿书：
我必救赎他们脱离地狱，救赎他们脱离死亡。死亡啊，我要作你的灾害！地狱哪，我要作你的毁灭！(何西阿书13:14)
诗篇：
在死地无人记念你，在地狱有谁称谢你？(诗篇6:5)
又：
曾有死亡的绳索缠绕我，地狱的绳索缠绕我。(诗篇18:4, 5)
又：
他们如同羊群躺卧地狱；死亡必喂养他们。(诗篇49:14)
又：
耶和华啊，你曾把我的灵魂从地狱救上来；使我存活。(诗篇30:3)
启示录：
有一匹灰色马，骑在马上的，名字叫作死，地狱也随着他。(启示录6:8)
又：
死亡和地狱被扔在火湖里。(启示录20:14)
186b.由于“死亡”表示诅咒，所以在以下经文中，它的含义是显而易见的，以赛亚书：
祂必吞灭死亡直到永远；主耶和华必擦去所有脸上的眼泪。(以赛亚书25:8)
同一先知书：
他将恶人交与坟墓，将富人交与死亡。(以赛亚书53:9)
诗篇：
耶和华啊，你是从死门把我提升起来的。(诗篇9:13)
又：
你必不怕白日飞的箭，也不怕午间荒废的死亡。(诗篇91:5, 6)
约翰福音：
人若遵守我的话，就永远不见死。(约翰福音8:51)
启示录：
得胜的，必不受第二次死的害。(启示录2:11)
又：
因水变苦，就死了许多人。(启示录8:11)
又：
第二位天使把碗倒在海里，海就变成血，好像死人的血，因而海中的一切灵魂都死了。(启示录16:3)
从这些经文可以看出“死亡或死”表示什么，即表示那些缺乏天堂生命，因而处于邪恶和由此而来的虚假之人。在以下经文中，所表示的也是这些，如诗篇：
他们又与巴力·毗珥连合，且吃了祭死人的物。(诗篇106:28)
又：
他使我坐在黑暗中，像死了许久的人一样。(诗篇143:3)
马太福音：
又有一个门徒说，主啊，容我先去埋葬我的父亲。耶稣说，跟从我，让死人埋葬他们的死人吧。(马太福音8:21, 22)
由于“死”的这种含义，亚伦的子孙禁止摸任何死尸(利未记21:2, 3, 11)；祭司和利未人也是如此(以西结书44:25)；拿细耳人同样如此(民数记6:6, 7)；以色列人中凡摸了死人的，必须用除污秽的人洁净(民数记19:11–22)。
186c.由于“死”表示诅咒和地狱，所以另一方面，“生”表示得救和天堂；如在以下文经文，马太福音：
引到生命的，那门是窄的，路是狭隘的。(马太福音7:14)
同一福音书：
你只有一只眼进入生命，强如有两只眼被丢在地狱的火里。(马太福音18:9)
又：
你若要进入生命，就当遵守诫命。(马太福音19:17)
约翰福音：
他们要出来；行善的复活得生。(约翰福音5:29)
正因如此，得救被称为“永生”(如马太福音19:16, 29; 25:46; 马太福音10:30, 31; 路加福音10:25; 18:18, 30; 约翰福音3:14–16, 36; 17:2, 3；其它地方)。由于同样的原因，天堂被称为“活人之地”，如诗篇：
耶和华啊，你是我的避难所；在活人之地，是我的分。(诗篇142:5)
又：
使你看见耶和华在活之人地的美善。(诗篇27:13)
又：
列民哪，你们当称颂我们的神，把我们的灵魂安置在活人中间。(诗篇66:8, 9)
唯独主在自己里头有生命，每个人都从祂那里拥有生命，主在以下经文中亲自教导了这一点，约翰福音：
父怎样叫死人复活，使他们活着，子也照样随自己的意思使人活着。 因为父怎样在自己有生命，就赐给儿子也照样在自己有生命。(约翰福音5:21, 26)
同一福音书：
耶稣说，我就是复活和生命；信我的人，虽然死了，也必活着。(约翰福音11:25, 26)
又：
我就是道路、真理、生命。(约翰福音14:6)
又：
我就是那从天上降下来赐生命给世界的生命的粮。(约翰福音6:33, 35, 47, 48)
正因如此，经上说主是“活着的”和“永生的那一位”(启示录4:9, 10; 5:14; 7:2; 10:6)
在先知书的许多经文中，同样的话论及耶和华。
主是生命，故所有人都从祂那里拥有生命；主也在约翰福音教导了这一点：
信子的人有永生；不信子的人不得见永生。(约翰福音3:36)
同一福音书：
耶稣说，我来了，是要叫羊得生命。我又赐给他们永生。(约翰福音10:10, 28)
又：
信我的人，虽然死了，也必活着。(约翰福音11:25, 26)
又：
你们不肯到我这里来得生命。(约翰福音5:40)
“生命”表示主，因而表示得救和天堂，是因为生命的全部都来自唯一的源泉，生命的唯一源泉是主，而天使和世人都只是从祂接受生命的形式。从主发出，并充满天堂和世界的生命本身是祂的爱之生命，在天堂显为光；这光因是生命，故光照天使的心智，并赐予他们聪明和智慧。正因如此，主不仅自称“生命”，还自称“光”；如约翰福音：
起初有圣言，圣言与神同在，神就是圣言。生命在祂里头，这生命就是人的光。那是真光，照亮一切来到世上的人。(约翰福音1:1, 4–12)
同一福音书：
耶稣说，我是世界的光；跟从我的，必不在黑暗里走，必要得着生命的光。(约翰福音8:12)
诗篇：
耶和华啊，在你那里有生命的泉源，在你的光中，我们必得见光。(诗篇36:9)
光作为来自天堂里的主的生命，在那里被称为神性真理，因为它在那些在天堂里的人的心智中发光，因而在他们眼前发光。这就是为何在圣言中，“光”表示神性真理，以及由此而来的聪明和智慧，主自己被称为“光”。不过，这一点从《天堂与地狱》(126–140, 275节)一书的阐述和说明看得更明显。
主之所以是生命全部的源头，或生命的全部都来自主，是因为祂是天使天堂的太阳，这太阳的光是神性真理，它的热是神性良善；这两者都是生命；天堂和世界上的一切生命都来自这个源头。流入自然界，并赋予它生命的属灵之物并不来自其它源头；但它照着接受赋予生命(对此，也可参看《天堂与地狱》，115–125节)。由此明显可知，为何主自称“生命”，又为何经上说那些从主接受光，也就是神性真理的人得着生命，又说那些不接受它的人不会存活，而是死的。生命的源泉只有一个，主就是那源泉(参看《天堂与地狱》，9节；《新耶路撒冷及其属天教义》，278节)。
186. That thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. That this signifies the quality of their thought, in that they suppose themselves to be alive because they lead a moral life, when yet they are dead, is evident from the signification of name, as being quality of state (concerning which see above, n. 148); and from the signification of living, as being to have spiritual life (of which we shall speak presently), and from the signification of being dead, as being not to have that life, but only moral life without it. The reason why this is signified by being dead is, that life in the Word signifies the life of heaven in man, which also is there called life eternal, and death is called the life of hell, which life in the Word is called death, because it is a privation of the life of heaven. Here, therefore, by thou hast a name that thou livest and art dead, is signified to suppose themselves to have spiritual life, and thus to be saved, because their life is moral, when yet they are spiritually dead. But how this is to be understood is evident from what was said above (n. 182), concerning spiritual and moral life, namely, that moral life without spiritual life is the life of the love of self and of the world, but moral life from spiritual life is the life of love to the Lord and of love towards the neighbour, and that this latter life is the life of heaven, but the former life is what is called spiritual death; and this being understood, it may be known what is here meant by living and yet being dead.
[2] That to live, or to be alive, signifies spiritual life in man, and that to be dead signifies the deprivation of that life, and damnation, is evident from several passages in the Word; of which I will adduce the following. In Ezekiel:
"When I say unto the wicked, In dying ye shall die, and thou hast not admonished him, nor spoken to dissuade the wicked one from his evil way that he may be made alive, the wicked himself shall die in his iniquity. But if thou hast admonished the wicked, and he has not gone back from his wickedness and from his evil way, he shall die in his iniquity, yet hast thou delivered thy soul. Again, if thou hast admonished a righteous man that he sin no more, and he sinneth not, living he shall live, because he hath obeyed the admonition" (3:18-21).
By in dying to die, is here signified to perish in eternal death, which is damnation, for it is said of the wicked; and by in living to live, is denoted to enjoy life eternal, which is salvation, for it is said of those who perform the work of repentance, and of the righteous. In the same:
[3] "Thou hast profaned me with my people, to slay the souls that should not die, and to cause to live the souls that should not live, whilst ye lie to the people, to them that hear a lie" (13:19).
The subject here treated of is the falsification of truth, which is meant by its being said, "Thou hast profaned me with my people," and by "your lying to the people, to them that hear a lie." Here a lie signifies falsity, and what is falsified. To slay the souls that should not die, is to deprive them of life derived from truths; and to cause to live the souls that should not live is to persuade them that life eternal is from falsities. That this is here meant by causing to live is evident from the preceding verse.
[4] In David:
"Behold the eye of Jehovah is upon them that fear him, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine" (Psalms 33:18, 19).
Again:
"Thou has delivered my soul from death, and my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living" (Psalms 56:13).
In Jeremiah:
"Behold I set before you the way of life and the way of death" (21:8).
In John:
"Jesus said Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word hath eternal life, and shall not come into condemnation; but shall pass from death unto life" (5:24).
That in these passages death denotes damnation, and life salvation, is clear.
[5] Because death is damnation, it is also hell; therefore hell in the Word is commonly called death; as in Isaiah:
"Hell will not confess thee, nor will death praise thee; they that go down into the pit will not hope upon thy truth. The living, the living, he shall confess to thee" (38:18, 19).
Again:
"We have made a covenant with death, and with hell we have made a vision" (28:15).
In Hosea:
"I will redeem them from the hand of hell; I will liberate them from death. O death, I will be thy plague! O hell, I will be thy destruction!" (13:14).
In David:
"In death there is no remembrance of thee; in hell who shall confess thee?" (Psalms 6:5).
Again:
"The cords of death encompassed me, and the cords of hell" (18:4, 5).
Again:
"Like sheep they shall be laid in hell; death shall feed on them" (49:14).
Again:
"Jehovah, thou hast brought up my soul from hell; thou hast kept me alive" (30:3).
And in the Apocalypse:
"A pale horse, and his name that sat on him was Death, and hell followed him" (6:8).
And in another place:
"Death and hell were cast into the lake of fire" (20:14).
[6] Because death signifies damnation and hell, the meaning of the following passages in Isaiah is evident
"He will swallow up death to eternity; and the Lord Jehovih will wipe away tears from off all faces" (25:8).
Again:
"That he might give the wicked in their sepulchre, and the rich in their deaths" (53:9).
In David:
"Jehovah, thou liftest me up from the gates of death" (Psalms 9:13).
Again:
"Thou shalt not be afraid of the arrow that flieth by day, and of the death which wasteth at noon-day" (91:5, 6).
In John:
"If a man keep my word, he shall not see death to eternity" (8:51).
And in the Apocalypse:
"He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death" (2:11).
In another place:
"Many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter" (8:11).
Again:
"The second angel poured out his vial into the sea and it became as the blood of a dead man; whence every living soul died in the sea" (16:3).
From these passages it is evident that the dead signify those who are destitute of the life of heaven, consequently those who are in evils and thence in falsities.
[7] These are meant in the following passages; as in David:
"They joined themselves also unto Baal-peor, and ate the sacrifices of the dead" (Psalms 106:28).
Again:
"He hath made me to sit in darkness, as the dead of the world" (Psalms 143:3).
In Matthew:
One of the disciples said, "Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead" (8:21, 22).
On account of this signification of the dead, the sons of Aaron were not allowed to touch any dead body (Leviticus 21:2, 3, 11); nor the priests, the Levites (Ezekiel 44:25); nor the Nazarite (Numbers 6:6, 7); and if any one of the sons of Israel touched the dead, he was to be cleansed by the water of separation (Numbers 19:11 to the end).
[8] Because death signifies damnation and hell, hence, on the other hand, life signifies salvation and heaven; as in the following passages. In Matthew:
"Strait is [the gate], and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life" (7:14).
Again:
"It is good for thee to enter into life one-eyed, rather than having two eyes to be cast into the gehenna of fire" (18:9).
Again:
"If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments" (19:17).
In John:
"They that have done good shall go forth unto the resurrection of life" (5:29).
Hence it is that salvation is called "life eternal," as in Matthew 19:16, 29; 25:46; Mark 10:30, 31; Luke 10:25; 18:18, 30; John 3:14-16, 36; 17:2, 3; and other places. For the same reason heaven is called the land of the living; as in David:
"O Jehovah, thou art my confidence, my portion in the land of the living" (Psalms 142:5).
Again:
That thou mayest see "the good of Jehovah in the land of the living" (Psalms 27:13).
Again:
"O bless our God, ye peoples, who placeth our soul among the living" (Psalms 66:8, 9).
[9] That the Lord alone has life in Himself, and that every man has life from Him, the Lord teaches in the following passages. In John:
"As the Father raiseth up the dead and quickeneth them, even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. As the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself " (5:21, 26).
Again:
"Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in me, though he die, he shall live" (11:25, 26).
Again:
"I am the way, the truth, and the life" (14:6).
Again:
"I am the bread of life, which cometh down from heaven and giveth life unto the world" (6:33, 35, 47, 48).
Hence it is that the Lord is called
Alive, and he that liveth (Apoc. 4:9, 10; 5:14; 7:2; 10:6);
as also is Jehovah in very many passages in the prophets.
[10] And because the Lord is life, therefore all have life from Him; this He also teaches in John:
"He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life; but he that believeth not the Son shall not see life" (John 3:36).
Again:
Jesus said, "I am come" that the sheep "may have life. I give unto them eternal life" (John 10:10, 28).
Again:
"He that believeth in me, though he die, he shall live" (John 11:25, 26).
Again:
"Ye will not come unto me that ye may have life" (5:40).
[11] The reason why life signifies the Lord, and hence salvation and heaven is, that the all of life is from one only Fountain, and the only Fountain of life is the Lord; angels and men are only forms recipient of life from Him. The life itself which proceeds from the Lord and which fills heaven and the world, is the life of His love, which appears in heaven as light; and because it is life, it enlightens the minds of angels and gives them understanding and wisdom. Hence it is that the Lord calls Himself not only the life, but also the light; as in John:
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. That was the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world" (Heaven and Hell 126-140, and 275).
[12] The reason why the all of life is from the Lord is this: He is the Sun of the angelic heaven, and the light of that Sun is Divine truth, and the heat of it is Divine good; each is life; this is the origin of all life in heaven and in the world. The Spiritual which flows into nature, and imparts life to it, is from no other source; but then it imparts life according to reception (concerning this circumstance, see the work, Heaven and Hell 116-125). From these considerations it is now clear why the Lord calls Himself the Life, and why those are said to have life, and to live, who receive light, which is Divine truth, from the Lord, and why those are said not to live, but to be dead, who do not receive it. That there is one only Fountain of life, and that the Lord is that Fountain, may be seen in the work, Heaven and Hell 9); and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 278).
186. That thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead, signifies the quality of their thought, in that they think themselves to be alive, because they are living a moral life, when yet they are dead. This is evident from the signification of "name," as being quality of state (See above, n. 148); also from the signification of "living," as being to have spiritual life (of which presently); also from the signification of "being dead," as being not to have spiritual life, but only moral life without it. This is "being dead," because in the Word "life" signifies the life of heaven with man, which is there also called "life eternal;" while "death" signifies the life of hell, which life in the Word is called "death," because it is the privation of the life of heaven. Here, therefore, "thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead," signifies thinking that they have spiritual life, and thus are saved, because they are living a moral life, when yet they are spiritually dead. But how this is to be understood can be seen from what was said above n. 182 of each life, spiritual and moral, namely, that moral life apart from spiritual life is the life of the love of self and the love of the world, while moral life that is from spiritual life is a life of love to the Lord and love towards the neighbor; this life is the life of heaven, but the other life is what is called spiritual death. When this is understood (See above, n. 182), it can be known what is meant here by "being alive and yet being dead."
[2] That "to live," or "being alive," signifies spiritual life in man, and "being dead" deprivation of that life, and damnation, can be seen from many passages in the Word, of which I will cite the following. Thus in Ezekiel:
When I shall say unto the wicked, In dying he 1shall die, and thou shalt not give him warning, nor speak to warn the wicked one from his evil way, that he may be made alive, the wicked shall die in his iniquity. But if thou shalt give warning to the wicked, and he shall not 2turn back from his wickedness nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; yet hast thou delivered thy soul. So if thou shalt give warning to a righteous man that he sin no more, 3and he sin not, living he shall live, because he took warning (Ezekiel 3:18-21).
Here "dying he shall die" is to perish in eternal death, which is damnation, for it is said of the wicked; and "living he shall live" is to enjoy eternal life, which is salvation, for it is said of those who repent, and of the righteous.
[3] In the same:
Ye have profaned Me with My people, to kill the souls that should not die, and to keep alive the souls that should not live, whilst ye lie to My people, to them that hear a lie (Ezekiel 13:19).
This treats of the falsification of truth, which is meant by "Ye have profaned Me with My people," and by "ye lie to the people, to them that hear a lie." Here "a lie" signifies what is false, and what is falsified. "To kill the souls that should not die" is to deprive them of the life that comes from truths; and "to keep alive the souls that should not live" is to persuade them that life eternal is from falsities. That this is here meant by "making alive" is evident from the preceding verse there.
[4] In David:
Behold the eye of Jehovah is upon them that fear Him, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine (Psalms 33:18-19).
In the same:
Thou hast delivered my soul from death, and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living (Psalms 56:13).
In Jeremiah:
Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death (Jeremiah 21:8).
In John:
Jesus said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth My Word hath eternal life, and shall not come into condemnation, but shall pass from death into life (John 5:24).
[5] It is clear that in these passages "death" means damnation, and "life" salvation. Because "death" is damnation it is also hell, for which reason hell is commonly called "death" in the Word, as in these passages. In Isaiah:
Hell will not confess Thee, nor will death praise Thee; they that go down into the pit will not hope on Thy truth. The living, the living, he shall confess Thee (Isaiah 38:18-19).
In the same:
We have made a covenant with death, and with hell we have made a vision (Isaiah 28:15).
In Hosea:
I will ransom them from the hand of hell; I will redeem them from death. O death, I will be thy plague! O hell, I will be thy perdition! (Hosea 13:14).
In David:
In death there is no remembrance of Thee; in hell who shall confess Thee? (Psalms 6:5).
In the same:
The cords of death compassed me, and the cords of hell (Psalms 18:4-5).
In the same:
Like sheep shall they be laid in hell; death shall feed them (Psalms 49:14).
In the same:
Jehovah, thou hast brought up my soul from hell; Thou hast made Me to live (Psalms 30:3).
In Revelation:
A pale horse, and he that sat upon him whose name was death, and hell will follow 4him (Revelation 6:8).
And in another place:
Death and hell were cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14).
[6] As "death" signifies damnation and hell, its meaning in the following passages is evident. In Isaiah:
He will swallow up death for ever; and the Lord Jehovih will wipe away tears from off all faces (Isaiah 25:8).
In the same:
That he might give the wicked to their sepulcher, and the rich in their deaths (Isaiah 53:9).
In David:
Jehovah, Thou liftest me up from the gates of death (Psalms 9:13).
Thou shalt not be afraid for the arrow that flieth by day, nor for the death that wasteth at noonday (Psalms 91:5-6).
In John:
If any one keep My word he shall never see death John 8:51).
In Revelation:
He that overcometh shall not be destroyed in the second death (Revelation 2:11).
In another place:
Many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter (Revelation 8:11).
In the same:
The second angel poured out a bowl upon the sea, and it became blood as of one dead, whence every living soul died in the sea (Revelation 16:3).
[7] From these passages it can be seen what is meant by "the dead," namely, those who have not in themselves the life of heaven, and consequently are in evils and in falsities therefrom. These are meant also in the following passages. In David:
They joined themselves also unto Baal-peor, and ate the sacrifices of the dead (Psalms 106:28).
In the same:
He hath made me to sit in darkness, like the dead of eternity (Psalms 143:3).
In Matthew:
One of His disciples said, Lord, suffer me first to go away and bury my father. Jesus said, Follow Me, and let the dead bury the dead (Matthew 8:21-22).
On account of this signification of "the dead":
The sons of Aaron were forbidden to touch any dead body (Leviticus 21:2-3, 11);
Likewise the priests, the Levites (Ezekiel 44:25);
Likewise the Nazirite (Numbers 6:6-7);
And whoever of the sons of Israel touched the dead must be cleansed by the water of separation (Numbers 19:11-22 end).
[8] As "death" signifies damnation and hell, so on the other hand "life" signifies salvation and heaven; as in the passages that follow. In Matthew:
Narrow is the gate and straitened is the way which leadeth unto life (Matthew 7:14).
In the same:
It is good to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into the hell of fire (Matthew 18:9).
If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments (Matthew 19:17).
In John:
They shall come forth; they that have done good unto the resurrection of life (John 5:29).
From this it is that salvation is called "eternal life" (as in Matthew 19:16, 29; 25:46; Mark 10:30, 31; Luke 10:25; 18:18, 30; John 3:14-16, 36; 17:2, 3; and other places). For the same reason heaven is called "the land of the living," as in David:
"the land of the living," as in David:
O Jehovah, Thou art my reliance, my part in the land of the living (Psalms 142:5).
In the same:
That thou mayest see the good of Jehovah in the land of the living (Psalms 27:13).
In the same:
O bless our God, ye peoples, who places our soul among the living (Psalms 66:8, 9).
[9] That the Lord alone has life in Himself, and that even man has life from Him, the Lord Himself teaches in the following passages. In John:
As the Father raiseth up the dead and maketh them alive, even so the Son maketh alive whom He will. For as the Father hath life in Himself, so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself (John 5:21, 26).
In the same:
Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in Me, though he die, shall live (John 11:25, 26).
In the same:
I am the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).
In the same:
I am the bread of life that cometh down out of heaven, and giveth life unto the world (John 6:33, 35, 47, 48).
From this it is that the Lord is said to be "Living" and "the Living One" (Revelation 4:9, 10; 5:14; 7:2; 10:6). The same is said of Jehovah in many passages in the prophets.
[10] And as the Lord is life, so all have life from Him; this also the Lord teaches. In John:
He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life; but he that believeth not the Son shall not see life (John 3:36).
In the same:
Jesus said, I came that the sheep may have life. I give unto them eternal life (John 10:10, 28).
In the same:
He that believeth on Me, though he die, shall live (John 11:25, 26).
In the same:
Ye will not come to Me, that ye may have life (John 5:40).
[11] "Life" signifies the Lord, and thence salvation and heaven, because all of life is from one only Fountain, and that only Fountain of life is the Lord, while angels and men are merely forms receiving life from Him. The Life itself that proceeds from the Lord and fills heaven and the world, is the life of His love, and in heaven this appears as light, and because this light is life it enlightens the minds of angels, and enables them to understand and be wise. From this it is that the Lord calls Himself not only "the Life" but also "the Light." As in John:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man coming into the world (Heaven and Hell 126-140, 275, which see.)
[12] The Lord is the source [a quo] of everything of life, because He is the sun of the angelic heaven, and the light of that sun is Divine truth, and its heat is Divine good; the two are life. From that origin is all life in heaven and in the world. The spiritual that flows into nature, and gives life there, is from no other source; but it gives life according to reception. (On this also see the work on Heaven and Hell 116-125.) From this it is now evident why it is that the Lord calls Himself "the Life," and why it is that those are said to have life and to live who receive light which is Divine truth, from the Lord, and why those who do not receive it are said not to live, but to be dead. (That there is one only Fountain of life, and that the Lord is that Fountain, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 9; and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 278.)
Footnotes:
1. The Hebrew has: "thou shalt die," as found also in Arcana Coelestia 5890.
2. Latin for "and he shall not turn" has "and he shall turn. "
3. Latin for "that he sin no more" has "lest he sin more."
4. For "will follow" the Greek has "followed," as found in 377, 383.
186. "Quod nomen habeas quod vivas, et mortuus es." - Quod significet quale cogitationis, quod putent se vivos esse, quia moralem agunt vitam, cum tamen mortui sunt, constat ex significatione "nominis", quod sit quale status (de qua supra, n. 148); ex significatione "Vivere", quod sit vitam spiritualem habere (de qua sequitur); et ex significatione "mortuus esse", quod sit non illam vitam habere, sed modo moralem absque illa: quod hoc sit mortuus esse, est quia "vita" in Verbo significat vitam caeli apud hominem, quae etiam ibi vocatur "vita aeterna", et "mors" vitam inferni, quae vita in Verbo vocatur "mors" quia est privatio vitae caeli; hic itaque per "nomen habere quod vivas et mortuus es", significatur putare se vitam spiritualem habere et sic salvari, quia vitam moralem agunt, cum tamen spiritualiter mortui sunt. Sed quomodo hoc intelligendum est, constare potest ex illis quae de utraque vita, spirituali et morali, supra (n. 182) dicta sunt; quod nempe vita moralis absque vita spirituali sit vita amoris sui et amoris mundi, at vita moralis ex vita spirituali sit vita amoris in Dominum et amoris erga proximum; et quod haec vita sit vita caeli, illa autem vita sit quae vocatur mors spiritualis; ex intellectis illis supra (n. 182), sciri potest quid hic intelligitur per vivere et tamen "mortuus esse."
[2] Quod "vivere" seu "vivus esse" significet vitam spiritualem apud hominem, et quod "mortuus esse" significet deprivationem ejus vitae et damnationem, constare potest a pluribus locis in Verbo, quorum haec velim afferre:
- Apud Ezechielem,
"Cum dixero impio, Moriendo 1
morieris, nec admonueris illum, neque locutus fueris ad dehortandum impium a via ejus mala, ad Vivificandum illum, ipse impius in iniquitate sua morietur:... quod si admonueris impium, 2
nec reversus fuerit a malitia sua, et a via sua mala, ille in iniquitate sua morietur, tu tamen animam tuam eripuisti.... Quod si admonueris justum, ut 3
non peccet amplius, et ille non peccaverit, vivendo vivet, quia admonitioni paruit" (3:18-21);
"moriendo mori" hic est perire morte aeterna, quae est damnatio, dicitur enim de impiis; et "vivendo vivere" est frui vita aeterna, quae est salvatio, nam dicitur de illis qui paenitentiam agunt et de justis.
[3] Apud eundem,
"Profanastis Me apud populum meum ad occidendum animas quae non mori debent, et ad vivificandum animas quae non vivere debent, dum mentimini populo (meo), audientibus mendacium" (13:19);
agitur hic de falsificatione veri, quae intelligitur per "Profanastis Me apud populum meum", et per "mentimini populo, audientibus mendacium"; "mendacium" ibi significat falsum et falsificatum; "occidere animas quae non mori debent", est deprivare illas vita ex veris; et "vivificare animas quae non vivere debent", est persuadere illis quod vita aeterna sit ex falsis; quod hoc per "vivificari" hic intelligatur, patet ab antecedente versu ibi.
[4] Apud Davidem,
"Ecce oculus Jehovae super timentibus Ipsum ad eripiendum a morte animam eorum, et ad vivificandum eos in fame" (Psalms 33:18, 19);
apud eundem,
"Liberasti animam meam a morte, et pedes meos ab impulsione, ad ambulandum coram Deo in luce viventium" (Psalms 56:14 [B.A. 13]);
apud Jeremiam,
"Ecce Ego propono Vobis viam vitae et viam mortis" (21:8);
apud Johannem,
"Jesus dixit, Amen, amen dico vobis, qui verbum meum audit...habet vitam aeternam, et in condemnationem non veniet, sed transibit a morte in vitam" (5:24):
[5] quod in his locis "mors" sit damnatio, et "vita" salvatio, patet. Quia "mors" est damnatio, etiam est infernum; quare infernum in Verbo passim dicitur "mors", ut in his locis:
- Apud Esaiam,
"Non infernum confitebitur Tibi, nec mors laudabit Te, non sperabunt descendentes foveam super veritate tua; vivus, vivus, ille confitebitur Tibi" (38:18, 19);
apud eundem,
"Excidimus foedus cum morte, et cum inferno fecimus visionem" (28:15);
apud Hoscheam,
"E manu inferni redimam eos, e morte liberabo eos: ero pestis tua, Mors; ero exitium tuum, Inferne" (13:14);
apud Davidem,
"Non in morte memoria Tui, in inferno quis confitebitur Tibi?" (Psalms 6:6 [B.A. 5);
apud eundem,
"Circumdederunt me funes mortis, ... et funes inferni" (Psalms 18:5, Psalms 18:6 [B.A. 4, 5]);
apud eundem,
"Sicut pecus in inferno ponentur, mors pascet illos" (Psalms 49:15 [B.A. 14]);
apud eundem,
"Jehovah, ascendere fecisti ex inferno animam meam, vivificasti me, (Psalms 30:4 [B.A. 3]);
in Apocalypsi,
"Equus pallens, et sedens super illo, cui nomen mors, et infernum 4
sequebatur illum" (6:8);
et alibi,
"Mors et infernus conjecti sunt in stagnum ignis" (20:14).
[6] Quia "mors" significat damnationem et infernum, patet quid "mors" significat in sequentibus locis:
- Apud Esaiam,
"Absorbebit mortem in aeternum, et absterget Dominus Jehovih lacrymam desuper omnibus faciebus" (25:8);
apud eundem,
"Ut daret impios in sepulcro suo, et divites in mortibus suis" (53:9):
apud Davidem,
"Jehovah... extollis me a portis mortis" (Psalms 9:14 [B.A. 13]);
apud eundem,
"Non timebis tibi... a telo quod volat interdiu, ... et a morte quae vastat in meridie" (Psalms 91:5, 6);
apud Johannem,
"Si quis verbum meum servaverit, mortem non videbit in aeternum" (8:51 5
);
in Apocalypsi,
"Qui vicerit, non exitium habebit in morte altera" (2:11); alibi,
"Multi homines mortui sunt ex aquis, quia amarae factae sunt" (8:11);
et alibi,
"Secundus angelus effudit phialam in mare, et factum est sanguis sicut mortui, unde omnis anima vivens mortua est in mari" (16:3).
[7] Ex his constare potest quid significat "mortuus", nempe quod qui non vitam caeli In se habent, consequenter qui in malis et inde falsis sunt; hi intelliguntur in his locis:
- Apud Davidem,
"Adhaeserunt Baalpeori, et comederunt sacrificia mortuorum" (Psalms 106:28);
apud eundem,
"Sedere me fecit in tenebris sicut mortuos mundi" (Psalms 143:3);
apud Matthaeum,
Unus ex discipulis dixit, "Domine, permitte mihi primum abire et sepelire patrem meum; Jesus dixit, sequere Me, sine mortuos sepelire mortuos" (8:21, 22).
Quia per "mortuos" illi significabantur, ideo
Prohibitum fuit ut filii Aharonis tangerent ullum mortuum (Leviticus 21:2, 3, 11);
Nec sacerdotes Levitae (Ezechiel 44:25);
Nec Naziraeus (Numeri 6:6, 7);
et qui ex filiis Israelis tetigerit mortuum, Per aquam separationis mundaretur (Numeri 19:11 ad fin. ).
[8] Quoniam "mors" significat damnationem et infernum, inde vicissim "vita" significat salvationem et caelum, ut in sequentibus his locis:
- Apud Matthaeum,
"Angusta (porta) et stricta est via, quae ducit ad vitam" (7:14);
apud eundem,
"Bonum est luscum intrare in vitam, quam duos habentem oculos mitti in gehennam ignis" (18:9);
apud eundem,
"Si vis ingredi vitam, serva mandata" ( 6
19:17);
apud Johannem,
"Exibunt qui bona fecerunt in resurrectionem vitae" (5:29).
Inde est quod salvatio dicatur "vita aeterna" (Ut 7
Matth. 19:16-29; cap. 8
25:46; Marcus 10:30, 31; Luca 10:25:18:18, 30; Johannes 3:14, 15, 16, 36; 17:2, 3: et alibi);
et quod caelum dicatur "terra viventium"; ut apud Davidem,
"Jehovah, Tu fiducia mea, pars mea in terra viventium" (Psalms 142:6 [B.A. 5]);
apud eundem,
Ut videas "bonum Jehovae in terra viventium" (Psalms 27:13);
apud eundem,
"Benedicite populi Deo nostro, ... qui ponit animam nostram inter viventes" (Psalms 66:8, 9).
[9] Quod Dominus solus vitam habeat in Se Ipso, et omnis homo vitam habeat ab Ipso, Ipse Dominus docet in sequentibus his locis:
- Apud Johannem,
"Sicut Pater suscitat mortuos et vivificat, ita et Filius quos vult vivificat. Quemadmodum Pater habet vitam in Se Ipso, ita dedit Filio vitam habere in Se Ipso" (5:21, 26);
apud eundem,
Jesus dixit, Ego sum Resurrectio et vita; qui credit in Me, et si moriatur, vivet" (11:25, 26);
apud eundem,
"Ego sum Via, Veritas, et Vita" (14:6);
apud eundem,
"Ego sum Panis vitae, ... descendens e caelo, et vitam dans mundo" (6:33, 35, 47, 48).
Inde est quod Dominus dicatur "Vivus" et "Vivens" (Apocalypsis 4:9, 10; 5:14; 7:2; 10:6);
ut quoque Jehovah plurimis in locis apud Prophetas.
[10] Et quia Dominus est Vita, ideo omnes vitam habent ab Ipso; quod etiam Dominus docet:
- Apud Johannem,
"Qui credit in Filium habet vitam aeternam, qui vero non credit Filio non videbit vitam" (3:36);
apud eundem,
Jesus dixit, "Ego veni ut" oves "vitam habeant; .... Ego Vitam aeternam do illis" (10:10, 28);
apud eundem,
"Qui credit in Me, etsi moriatur, vivet" (11:25, 26);
apud eundem,
"Non vultis venire ad Me, ut vitam habeatis" (5:40).
[11] Quod "vita" significet Dominum, et inde salvationem et caelum, est quia omne vitae ex unico Fonte est, et unicus ille vitae Fons est Dominus, ac angeli et homines sunt modo formae recipientes vitam ab Ipso; ipsa vita quae a Domino procedit, et quae implet caelum et mundum, est vita Amoris Ipsius, et apparet in caelo sicut lux; quae quia vita est, illuminat angelorum mentes, et dat illos intelligere et sapere; inde est quod Dominus Se non modo dicat "Vitam" sed etiam "Lucem":
-Ut apud Johannem,
"In principio erat Verbum, et Verbum erat apud Deum, et Deus erat Verbum .... In Ipso vita erat, et vita erat lux hominum: .... erat Lux vera, quae illuminat omnem hominem venientem in mundum" (1:1, 4-12);
apud eundem,
"Jesus dixit, Ego sum Lux mundi; qui Me sequitur, non ambulabit in tenebris, sed habebit lucem vitae" (8:12);
et apud Davidem,
Jehovah "Tecum scaturigo vitae, in luce tua videmus lucem" (Psalms 36:10 [B.A. 9]).
Lux, quae est vita a Domino in caelo, ibi vocatur Divinum Verum, quoniam hoc lucet in mentibus eorum qui ibi, et inde lucet coram oculis eorum. Inde est, quod "lux" in Verbo significet Divinum Verum, et inde intelligentiam et sapientiam, et quod Ipse Dominus dicatur "Lux." (Sed hoc plenius constare potest ex illis quae in opere De Caelo et Inferno 126-140, et 275, ostensa sunt, quae videantur.)
[12] Quod Dominus sit a quo omne vitae, est quia est Sol caeli angelici, et lux illius Solis est Divinum Verum, et calor illius Solis est Divinum Bonum; utrumque est vita; inde origo omnis vitae in caelo et in mundo. Spirituale quod influit in Naturam, et dat vitam ibi, non aliunde est; sed dat vitam secundum receptionem. (De hoc etiam videatur in opere De Caelo et Inferno 116-125). Ex his nunc patet unde est quod Dominus Se dicat "Vitam"; et unde est quod dicantur vitam habere et vivere, qui lucem, quae est Divinum Verum, recipiunt a Domino; et quod dicantur non vivere sed mortui esse, qui non recipiunt. (Quod unicus Fons vitae sit, et quod ille sit Dominus, videatur in opere De Caelo et Inferno 9; et in Doctrina Novae Hierosolymae, n. 278.)
Footnotes:
1. The editors made a correction or note here.
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