Morning comes with the rising of the sun, and the sun – which gives life to the earth with its warmth and light – represents the Lord in his divinity, bringing spiritual life through love and divine. So the morning represents the coming of the Lord into our lives, and all the things that flow from it: the love, joy and enlightenment he brings; the peace and tranquility of passing the spiritual cold and darkness of another night; the anticipation of the learning and usefulness of another day; and the awareness of the Lord’s renewed presence.
Passages from Swedenborg
Apocalypse Explained (Tansley) n. 179
- (v. 28) And I will give him the morning star. That this signifies intelligence and wisdom from the Divine Human of the Lord is evident from the signification of stars, as denoting the knowledges (cognitiones) of good and truth (concerning which see above, n. 72); and because they signify such knowledges, they also signify intelligence and wisdom; for all intelligence and wisdom are from the knowledges of good and truth; and from the signification of morning, as denoting the Lord as to His Divine Human, hence the morning star denotes intelligence and wisdom from Him. We often read of morning in the Word; and the signification of the term differs according to the series of things treated of in the internal sense: in the highest sense, it signifies the Lord, and also His coming: in the internal sense, it signifies His kingdom and church, and their state of peace. Moreover, it signifies the first state of a new church, and also a state of love, also a state of enlightenment, consequently a state of intelligence and wisdom, and also a state of the conjunction of good and truth, which is the state when the internal man is conjoined to the external. The reason why morning has such a variety of significations is, that, in the highest sense, it signifies the Lord’s Divine Human, and hence it also signifies all those things that proceed from it; for the Lord is present in those things which proceed from Him, so that He Himself is there. [2] The reason why the Lord’s Divine Human, in the highest sense, is meant bymorning is, that the Lord is the Sun of the angelic heaven; and the Sun of that heaven does not advance from morning to evening, or from rising to setting, as the sun of the world apparently does, but it remains stationary in its place, in front, above the heavens. This is why there is always morning and never evening there. And because all the intelligence and wisdom which the angels have exist with them from the Lord as a Sun, therefore also their state of love, wisdom and intelligence, and, in general, their state of enlightenment, is signified by morning; for those things proceed from the Lord as a Sun, and that which proceeds from Him is Himself; for from the Divine nothing proceeds but what is Divine, and everything Divine is Himself. (That the Lord is the Sun of the angelic heaven, and that from Him as a Sun exist all love, wisdom and intelligence, and, in general, all enlightenment as to Divine truths, from which wisdom is derived, may be seen in the work, Heaven and Hell, n. 116-125, 126-143, 155, 156.)
[3] From these considerations it is now evident why it is thatmorning is so often mentioned in the Word when it treats of Jehovah or the Lord, of His advent, kingdom and church, and of the goods thereof; as in the following passages, which shall be adduced by way of illustration. In the second Book of Samuel:
“The God of Israel said, The Rock of Israel spake to me. He is as the light of the morning; the sun riseth, a morning without clouds” (xxiii. 3, 4).
The God of Israel, and the Rock, is the Lord as to his Divine Human, and the Divine truth proceeding therefrom. He is called the God of Israel, because Israel denotes His spiritual church, and the Rock, because His Divine in the church is Divine truth (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 3720, 6426, 8581, 10,580). Because the Lord in the angelic heaven is the Sun, and all the light of the angels is therefrom, and as the Sun there is continually in its morning, therefore it is said, “He is as the light of the morning, the sun riseth, a morning without clouds.”
[4] In David:
“From the womb of the morning thou hast the dew of thy youth; thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek” (Ps. cx. 3, 4).
This is said of the Lord, as about to come into the world. From the womb of the morning thou hast the dew of thy youth, denotes conception from the Divine itself, and hence the glorification of His Human: a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek, denotes that Divine good and Divine truth proceed from Him; for the Lord as a priest is Divine good, and as king of holiness, which is Melchizedek, is Divine truth (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1725).
[5] In Ezekiel:
The cherubs “stood at the eastern door of the gate of the house; the glory of the God of Israel was over them above” (x. 19).
Cherubs signify the Lord as to providence, and as to protection lest any should approach except by means of the good of love; the eastern door of the gate of the house signifies approach; the house of God is heaven and the church; the east is where the Lord appears as a Sun, thus where He is continually in the morning; hence it is said the glory of the God of Israel was over them above. [6] In the same:
The angel “led me to the gate which looketh towards the east. When, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east; and the earth was enlightened with his glory. And the glory of Jehovah came into the house by the way of the gate whose face is towards the east” (xliii. 1, 2, 4).
In the internal sense here, is described the influx of the Lord into those who are in His kingdom and church; the God of Israel is the Lord as to the Divine Human and the Divine truth proceeding therefrom; the house of God is His kingdom and the church; glory is the Divine truth such as it is in heaven; to come by the way of the east into the house denotes from the sun where it is continually in its morning. (That glory is Divine truth such as it is in heaven, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4809, 5922, 8267, 8427, 9429; that the house of God denotes heaven and the church as to good, and temple the same as to truth, see n. 3720: and that the east, in the highest sense, is the Lord, because He is the Sun of heaven, which is always in its rising and morning, and that hence the east denotes the good of love from Him, see n. 3708, 5097, 9668.) [7] In the same:
The angel “afterwards led me back to the door of the house, where, behold, waters issuing out from under the threshold of the house towards the east, will descend into the plain and come towards the sea, being sent forth into the sea that the waters may be healed; whence it comes to pass that every living soul that creepeth, whithersoever the rivers come, shall live; whence there is exceeding much fish, because these waters shall come thither, and they are healed, that everything may live whither the river shall come” (xlvii. 1, 2, 8, 9).
Here also is described, by pure correspondences, the influx of the Lord from His Divine Human into those who belong to His kingdom and church. By the waters issuing out from under the threshold of the house eastward is described the Divine truth proceeding from Him, and flowing into those who are in the east, that is, who are in the good of love to Him. By the waters going down into the plain and into the sea, and the waters of the sea being thence healed is signified influx into the natural man and into the knowledges (cognitiones) which are there. That hence there would be a very great multitude of fish signifies scientific truths (scientifica vera) in the natural man; that everything should live whither the river should come, signifies, that they should have life from Divine truth. No one can see that such things are signified except from the internal sense of the Word; when, notwithstanding, every single expression involves arcana concerning the regeneration of man by the Lord. But what is involved in each expression will be made known when we come to treat of the twenty-second chapter of the Apocalypse, where similar things are mentioned.
[8] In David:
“I have waited for Jehovah; my soul doth wait, my soul waiteth for the Lord more than they who watch for the morning; they who watch for the morning, because with him is plenteous redemption, and he will redeem Israel” (Ps. cxxx. 5-8).
The coming of the Lord into the world is here treated of, and the reception of Him by those who are in the good of love. The coming of the Lord is signified by I have waited for Jehovah, my soul waiteth for the Lord, because with Him is plenteous redemption, and He will redeem Israel; and the reception of Him by those who are in the good of love is signified by more than they who watch for the morning, they who watch for the morning. Here,morning, in the highest sense, signifies the Lord, and, in the internal sense, His kingdom and church; and they who watch for the morning signify those who wait for the coming of the Lord, who are such as are in the good of love, because to them the Lord is the morning.
[9] That morning signifies the coming of the Lord into the world, and, at such a time, a new church, is evident from the following passages; as in Daniel:
“Until the evening and the morning, two thousand and three hundred, then what is holy shall be justified. The vision of the evening and the morning which was told is truth” (viii. 14, 26).
The evening signifies the last time of the former church, and themorning the first time of the new church, thus the coming of the Lord. In Isaiah:
“Crying to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? watchman, what of the night? The watchman said, The morningcometh, and also the night” (xxi. 11, 12).
Here also the coming of the Lord is treated of; the night is the last time of the former church, and the morning the first of the new (what is signified by calling out of Seir, may be seen, Arcana Coelestia, n. 4240, 4384). In Ezekiel:
“The end cometh, the end cometh, the morning cometh upon thee, O thou inhabitant of the land; behold the day cometh, the morningis gone forth” (vii. 6, 7, 10).
This passage equally treats of the coming of the Lord and the end of the former church and the beginning of a new one. In Zephaniah:
“Jehovah in the morning, in the morning he shall bring his judgment to the light, nor shall he fail” (iii. 5).
[10] Here similar things are meant. Because morning signifies the coming of the Lord, also His kingdom and church, and also the good of love which is from Him, it is therefore obvious what is meant by morning in the following passages. In David:
“Cause me to hear thy mercy in the morning” (Psalm cxliii. 8).
Again:
“I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning” (lix. 16).
Again:
“O satisfy us in the morning with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days” (xc. 14).
Again:
“O Jehovah, my voice shalt thou hear in the morning; in themorning I will set myself in order for thee” (v. 3).
Again:
“God is in the midst of her; God shall help her at the dawn of themorning” (xlvi. 5).
Again:
“O God, my God; in the morning will I seek thee” (lxiii. 1)
In Isaiah:
“In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morningshalt thou make thy seed to blossom” (xvii. 11).
Again:
“Jehovah be thou their arm every morning” (xxxiii. 2).
Again:
“Jehovah hath given me the tongue of the learned; he hath awakened me every morning” (l. 4).
In Jeremiah:
“I spake unto you every morning” (vii. 13; xi. 7 xxv. 3, 4).
From the signification of morning it is evident what is meant by
The manna falling in the morning (Exod. xvi. 12, 13, 21).
Jehovah descending in the morning upon Mount Sinai (Exod, xix. 16);
And the priest being commanded to burn wood upon the altar all night until the morning (Levit. vi. 12).
Also what is involved in the command respecting the sacrifice of the passover is evident:
“Thou shalt sacrifice the passover at the going down of the sun. Afterwards thou shalt eat it; and thou shalt look back in themorning, and go unto thy tents” (Deut. xvi. 6, 7).
The reason why they should sacrifice the passover when the sun went down was, that the setting of the sun signified the last time of the church; that they should look back in the morning, signified the establishment of a new church, thus the coming of the Lord. These passages have been adduced in order that it may be known that by the morning star which the Son of man would give is signified wisdom and intelligence from His Divine Human. And because those who receive wisdom and intelligence from the Lord also receive Him; for the Lord is in the wisdom and intelligence which are from Him, so that, He is Himself the wisdom and intelligence which they possess, therefore the Lord Himself is also called themorning star in the Apocalypse:
“I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright and morningstar” (xxii. 16).
He is similarly called a star (Numb. xxiv. 17).
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 8211
- ‘And so it was in the morning watch’ means a state of thick darkness and perdition for those steeped in falsity arising from evil, and a state of enlightenment and salvation for those guided by truth springing from good. This is clear from the meaning of ‘themorning watch’ as a state of enlightenment and salvation, and in the contrary sense as a state of thick darkness and perdition. The reason why ‘the morning watch’ has this meaning is that states of faith and love in the next life are like the times of day in the world. That is to say, they are like morning, midday, evening, and night; and these therefore also correspond to those states, 2788, 5672, 5862, 6110. The states also change in almost the same ways. Whenever change takes place morning, and in particular twilight, is an end and a beginning; for night comes to an end and day begins. In that state to which morning corresponds the good begin to be enlightened in matters of faith and to grow warmer in aspects of charity. The opposite also takes place, for then the evil begin to be overshadowed by falsities and to be chilled by evils. Consequently morning for the latter is a state of thick darkness and perdition, but for the former a state of enlightenment and salvation.
[2] These states in heaven are what give rise to the states of light and heat on earth, and also the states of thick darkness and cold, which come round in turn each year and each day. Whatever arises in the natural world has its origin and cause in those things that arise in the spiritual world; for to be sure the whole natural order is nothing other than a theatre representative of the Lord’s kingdom, 3483, 4939, 5173, 5962. And this is the reason for correspondences. Variations of light and shade on earth, also of heat and cold, are indeed attributable to the sun, that is to say, to its different heights in the sky each year and each day, and in different parts of the earth. Yet these causes, which are proximate ones and exist in the natural world, were created in accordance with those things that exist in the spiritual world. The latter are the prior efficient causes from which the former, their posterior causes, arise in the natural world. For nothing in a state of order can ever exist on a natural level if its cause and origin do not lead back to a spiritual level, that is, to the Divine operating through that level.
[3] Since ‘the morning’ means the beginning of enlightenment and salvation in respect of the good, and the beginning of thick darkness and perdition in respect of the evil, it therefore says here that in the morning watch Jehovah looked out onto the camp of the Egyptians and troubled it, and then that He took off the wheels of the chariots, and overturned them into the middle of the sea, while on the other hand He saved the children of Israel. All this now makes plain what is meant in the spiritual sense by the following texts in the Word: In Isaiah,
In the day you will cause your plant to grow, and in the morningyour seed to flourish. Isa. 17:11.
In the same prophet,
Around evening time, behold, terror! Before the morning, he is no more. Isa. 17:14.
In the same prophet,
O Jehovah, be their arm every morning, also our salvation in the time of distress. Isa. 33:2.
In Ezekiel,
Thus said the Lord Jehovih, An evil, a single evil; behold, it has come. An end has come, the end has come; the morning has come on you, O inhabitant of the land, a day of tumult is near. Ezek. 7:5-7.
In Hosea,
Thus He did to you, O Bethel,* on account of your great wickedness;** in the morning the king of Israel will surely be cut off. Hosea 10:15
In David,
Cause me to hear Your mercy in the morning; deliver me from my enemies, O Jehovah. Ps. 143:8, 9.
Also in Gen. 19:15 and following verses, stating that when dawn ascended the Lord saved Lot and rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah.
[4] Since ‘morning’ means a state of enlightenment and salvation of the good, and a state of thick darkness and perdition of the evil, ‘morning’ also means the time of the last judgement, when those governed by good are to be saved and those ruled by evil will perish. It consequently means the end of a former Church and the beginning of a new Church, which are meant by a last judgement in the Word, 900, 931, 1733, 1850, 2117-2133, 3353, 4057, 4535. This is the meaning of ‘morning’ in Daniel,
He said to me, Up to the evening [when it is becoming] morningtwo thousand three hundred times, and then the sanctuary will be made correct. Dan. 8:14.
And in Zephaniah,
Jehovah … in the morning, in the morning He will bring His judgement to light; He will not fail. I will cut off nations, and their towers*** will be devastated. Zeph. 3:5, 6.
Also in Isaiah,
One was calling to me from Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night? The watchman said, Morningcomes, and also the night. If you are inquiring, inquire, return, come. Isa. 21:11, 12.
In these places ‘morning’ stands for the Lord’s Coming, and for enlightenment and salvation then, and so has reference to a new Church. ‘Night’ stands for the state of mankind and the Church then, that they are steeped in utter falsities arising from evil.
[5] The term ‘the morning watch’ is used because the night was divided into watches, the last of the night and the first of the day being the morning watch. The watchmen were on top of the walls, looking to see whether an enemy was coming and declaring what they saw by shouting it out. In the internal representative sense they are used to mean the Lord, and His keeping watch to mean constant presence and protection, 7989, as in David,
Your watchman will not slumber; behold, the watchman of Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. Jehovah is your watchman; Jehovah is your shade on your right hand. By day the sun will not strike you, nor the moon in the night. Jehovah will guard you from all evil; He will guard your soul. Ps. 121:3-7.
‘Watchmen’ is used in addition to mean prophets and priests, consequently the Word, in Isaiah,
Upon your walls, O Jerusalem, I have placed watchmen; all day and all night they will not be silent, calling Jehovah to mind. Isa. 62:6.
And in Jeremiah,
It is a day [when] the watchmen will cry on Mount Ephraim, Arise in order that we may go up to Zion, to Jehovah our God. Jer. 31 :6.
* The Latin here possibly means Thus he [Shalmanezer] did to you, O Bethel or even Thus Bethel did to you.
** lit. on account of the wickedness of your wickedness
*** lit. angles or corners
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 5740
- ‘Morning dawned’ means a state of enlightenment at this point. This is clear from the meaning of ‘morning’ and ‘dawning’ as a state of enlightenment. In the highest sense ‘morning’ means the Lord, see 2405, 2780, and therefore when the expression ‘morningdawned’ is used, a state of enlightenment is meant, since the Lord is the source of all enlightenment. ‘Rising up in the morning’ likewise means a state of enlightenment, see 3458, 3723.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 2780
- ‘In the morning Abraham rose up early’ means a state of peace and innocence. This is clear from the meaning of ‘in themorning’, also of ‘rising up in the early morning’, when used in reference to the Lord, who is ‘Abraham’ here. ‘The morning’ in the universal sense means the Lord, and from this His kingdom. Consequently it means the celestial element of love in general and in particular, as shown in 2333. And as it means those things it means the state itself in which they exist, which state is one of peace and innocence. The state of peace in heaven is like that at dawn on earth. Within the state of peace in heaven all celestial and spiritual things manifest themselves, and from it they derive all their bliss, blessedness, and happiness, even as at dawn on earth when all things present themselves to man with a delightful and gladsome air, for each specific celestial or spiritual thing receives its character from the general affection, 920, 2384. The same applies to the state of innocence. This manifests itself within the state of peace and is something general and overall which brings itself to bear on all things of love and faith. Unless the latter possess innocence within them they lack their essential element. It is for this reason that nobody is able to enter heaven unless he possesses a measure of innocence, Mark 10:15. From this it is evident what ‘in the morning’ means in the internal sense, even more what is meant by the words ‘in the morning he rose up early’. And since in the highest sense ‘the morning’ is the Lord, and He is the author of the state which brings into being and exerts an influence on the things that exist in His kingdom, ‘in the morning’ and ‘rising up in the morning’ also mean further things still which arise in that state and are related to the things that follow in the internal sense.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 2540
- That ‘in the morning Abimelech rose up early’ means a clear perception and confirmatory light flowing from celestial good is clear from the meaning of ‘rising in the morning’, also of ‘Abimelech’, as well as of ‘early’. What ‘the morning’ means has been shown in 2333, 2405. From these meanings – and also from the whole train of thought, which is that at first the Lord’s perception was obscure, 2513, 2514, and after that less obscure, 2528 – it is evident that here a clear perception is meant. As for ‘Abimelech’ – that he means the doctrine of faith which has regard to rational things – see above 2509, 2510. And what ‘in the earlymorning’ means is evident from the meaning of ‘the morning’. Here, since it is said that ‘he rose up in the morning – in the earlymorning’, not only a clear perception is meant but also confirmatory light flowing from celestial good; for celestial good is the source from which the confirmatory light of truth is derived. These considerations now show that such things are meant.
Apocalypse Revealed (Rogers) n. 151
151.�“‘And I will give him the morning star.'” (2:28) This symbolizes intelligence and wisdom then.
Stars symbolize concepts of goodness and truth, as may be seen in no 51 above; and because concepts of goodness and truth are the means to intelligence and wisdom, therefore these concepts are symbolically meant by the morning star. It is called the morningstar, because the people meant here will be given intelligence and wisdom by the Lord when He comes to establish the New Church, which is the New Jerusalem; for He says, “Hold fast what you have till I come” (verse 25), which symbolically means, “so that they may retain the few truths that they know from the Word about charity and its resulting faith, and live according to them, until the New Heaven and New Church are formed, which are the Lord’s advent” (no. 145).
[2] It is called the morning star because the morning symbolizes the Lord’s advent, when the New Church is formed. That this is the meaning of the morning in the Word is apparent from the following passages:
Till the two thousand three hundredth evening and morning, then the sanctuary shall be made right…. The vision of the evening and the morning…is the truth. (Daniel 8:14, 26)
One is calling to me from Seir, “Watchman…, watchman, what of the night?” The watchman said, “The morning comes, and also the night. (Isaiah 21:11, 12)
Evening and night symbolize the final period of the old church, and morning the initial period of a new church.
An end has come…. The morning has come upon you, you who dwell in the land…. Behold, the day…has come! The morning has gone forth. (Ezekiel 7:6, 7, 10)
Jehovah…every morning will bring His judgment to light, and it shall not be lacking. (Zephaniah 3:5)
God is in the midst of her…; God shall help her when He beholds the morning. (Psalm 46:5)
I have waited for Jehovah…. My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, [indeed] than those who watch for the morning…. For…with Him is abundant redemption, and He shall redeem Israel…. (Psalm 130:5-8)
[3] And elsewhere. Morning in these passages means the Lord’s advent, when He came into the world and established a new church, and likewise now. Moreover, because the Lord alone imparts intelligence and wisdom to the people who will be people of His New Church, and as everything that the Lord imparts embody Him because they are His, therefore the Lord says that He is the morning star:
I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and MorningStar. (Revelation 22:16)
He is also called the morning in 2 Samuel:
The God of Israel said, The Rock of Israel spoke to me: “… He is as the light of the morning…, a morning without clouds….” (2 Samuel 23:3, 4)
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 10413
- ‘And they rose up in the morning of the next day’ means arousal by the loves that are their own. This is clear from the meaning of ‘rising up in the morning’ as arousal by the loves that are their own; for ‘the morning’ means a state of love, and ‘rising up’ being raised to that state.
‘The morning’ means a state of love, see 5962, 8426, 8812, 10114, 10134.
‘Rising up’ means being raised, 2401, 2785, 2912, 2927, 3171, 4103.
But when the words ‘rising up in the morning’ apply to those whose interest lies in external things devoid of what is internal, and so when they apply to the evil, ‘rising up’ does not mean being raised but an arousal, and ‘the morning’ does not mean a state of heavenly love but a state of hellish love. When the evil enter that state it is morning for them, for then they enter into the delight of their life because now the loves that are truly theirs take charge of them. The difference between the good and the evil being raised to the state in which their own loves take charge is that the good do then go up whereas the evil go down. For the loves that govern the good are heavenly ones which raise those people and increase as they ascend to heaven, whereas the loves ruling the evil are hellish ones which pull these people down and increase as they descend into hell. From this it is evident that the words ‘rising up in themorning’ have a contrary meaning when they apply to the evil from what they do when they apply to the good. Also in the next life spirits and angels’ states of love and faith change from one to another, just as the heat and light of times of day and seasons of the year do. When morning dawns on those in heaven a state exists which arouses heavenly loves and consequently brings them joy; but when it dawns on those in hell a state exists which arouses hellish loves and consequently brings them torment. For each of the latter then wishes to be the greatest and to possess all that belongs to another; and this gives rise to deep-seated hatred, savagery, and cruelty, which are meant by the fires of hell.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 8812
- ‘When it came to be morning’ means a state when they were governed by good. This is clear from the meaning of ‘morning’ as a state of the good of love, dealt with in 8426. From these details – that Jehovah, that is, the Lord, came down onto Mount Sinai on the third day, and also in the morning of that day – it is plainly evident that this event was representative of some Divine reality in heaven which no one can come to know about except from the correspondence of such things as arise in the natural world with realities in the spiritual world, and therefore from the spiritual meaning of those things. This is so here so far as the meaning of ‘morning’ and ‘the third day’ are concerned. ‘The third day’ means the end of a former state, and it does so because ‘three’ means what is complete from start to finish, 8790; and ‘morning’ means a state of the good of love, because the sun – the sun in the next life which gives light to angels and the whole of heaven – is the Lord. The fire there is His Divine Love, which gives vital heat to all that lives, and the light there is Divine Truth which enlightens all who receive it. The sun there is altogether different from the sun in the world, whose fire is fire and not love, and whose radiating light is light and not truth.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 2333
- ‘And in the morning you may rise up and go your way’ means being strengthened in this way in good and truth. This becomes clear from the meaning of ‘rising up in the morning’, and also from the meaning of ‘going on one’s way’. In the Word ‘themorning’ means the Lord’s kingdom and whatever belongs to the Lord’s kingdom, and so primarily the good that flows from love and charity. This will be confirmed from the Word at verse 15. ‘Way’ however means truth, see 627. From this it follows that after they had been in his house and spent the night there, which meant that they dwelt in the good of charity with him, ‘they rose up in themorning and went their way’, which means that in this way they were confirmed in good and truth.
[2] These phrases, as do all the rest, show how far removed the internal sense is from the sense of the letter and therefore how hidden from view it is, especially in the historical parts of the Word. They show that this sense is not discernible unless individual expressions are explained according to the meaning they have all through the Word. Consequently when ideas are confined to the sense of the letter, the internal sense is seen as something altogether dark and obscure. Conversely when ideas are confined to the internal sense, the sense of the letter in a similar way is seen as something obscure. Indeed angels see it as nothing, for angels no longer have worldly and bodily ideas as man does, but spiritual and celestial ones, into which the expressions of the sense of the letter are marvellously converted when the Word which man is reading rises up to the sphere in which angels dwell, that is, up to heaven. This happens because of the correspondence of spiritual things with worldly, and of celestial with bodily, a correspondence which is absolutely consistent but whose nature has not been disclosed until now in the explanation of expressions, names, and numbers in the Word as to their internal sense.
[3] So that the nature of that correspondence may be known, or what amounts to the same, how worldly and bodily ideas pass over into corresponding spiritual and celestial ideas when they are raised towards heaven, let ‘the morning’ and ‘way’ be taken as examples: When a person reads of ‘the morning’, as in the phrase here ‘rising up in the morning’, angels do not conceive the idea of the start to a new day but the idea which ‘morning’ has in the spiritual sense. The idea they conceive is similar to the statement in Samuel,
The Rock of Israel . . . He is like morning light, when the sun rises on a cloudless morning. 2 Sam. 23:3, 4.
And in Daniel,
The Holy One said to me, Up to the evening when it is becomingmorning, two thousand three hundred times. Dan. 8:14, 26.
Thus instead of ‘the morning’ angels perceive the Lord, or His kingdom, or celestial things of love and charity. This they do varyingly according to the train of thought in the Word which a person is reading.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 10134
- ‘You shall offer one lamb in the morning’ means the removal of evils by means of the good of innocence from the Lord in a state of love and consequently of light in the internal man. This is clear from the meaning of ‘offering a lamb’, or sacrificing it, as the removal of evils by means of the good of innocence from the Lord, dealt with below; and from the meaning of ‘the morning’ as a state of love and consequently of light in the internal man, also dealt with below. The reason why ‘offering (or sacrificing) a lamb’ means the removal of evils by means of the good of innocence from the Lord is that burnt offerings and sacrifices were signs of purification from evils and consequently from falsities, or what amounts to the same thing, the removal of them, and the implantation of goodness and truth and the joining together of these by the Lord, 9990, 9991, 10022, 10042, 10053. As regards purification from evils, that it is the removal of them, see the places referred to in 10057; and as regards ‘a lamb’, that the good of innocence is meant, 10132.
[2] The reason why the removal of evils, and the implantation of goodness and truth and the joining together of these, is accomplished by means of the good of innocence from the Lord is that all good, if it is to be good, must have innocence within it. Without it good is not good; for innocence is not only the ground in which truths are sown but also the very essence of good. Therefore how far a person possesses innocence determines how far his good becomes good and his truth has life from good, consequently how far he is endowed with life and the evils present with him are removed. And so far as these are removed determines how far goodness and truth are implanted and are joined together by the Lord. All this explains why the continual burnt offering was made with lambs.
All good in heaven and in the Church has innocence within it, and without it good is not good, see 2736, 2780, 6013, 7840, 7887, 9262.
What innocence is, 3994, 4001, 4797, 5236, 6107, 6765, 7902, 9262, 9936.
[3] The reason why ‘the morning’ means a state of love and consequently of light in the internal man is that in the heavens angels experience different states involving their love and therefore their faith, just as in the world people pass through different times of day that affect the heat and at the same time the light there, those times of day being, as is well known, morning, midday, evening, and night. So it is that in the Word ‘morning’ means a state of love, ‘midday’ a state of light in clearness, ‘evening’ a state of light set in obscurity, and ‘night’ or twilight prior to morning a state of love set in obscurity.
Such changes from one state to another take place in heaven, see 5672, 5962, 6110, 7218, 8426.
Morning there is a state of peace and innocence, thus a state of love to the Lord, 2405, 2780, 8426, 8812, 10114.
Midday is a state of light in clearness, 3708, 5672, 9642.
Evening is a state of light set in obscurity, 3056, 3833, 6110.
There is no night in heaven, only twilight, 6110, by which a state of love set in obscurity is meant.
[4] The reason why ‘the morning’ means a state of love and consequently of light in the internal man is that when an angel’s state is one of love and light he functions in his internal man; but when his state is one of light and love in obscurity he does so in his external man. For angels have an internal man and an external, but when they function in the internal the external is virtually dormant, whereas when they do so in the external their state is grosser and duller. So it is that when their state is one of love and light they function in their internal man, thus in what is for them the morning, and when their state is one of light and love set in obscurity they do so in their external, thus in what is for them the evening. From this it is evident that changes of state are effected by their being raised to more internal things, thus to a higher sphere of heavenly light and heat, consequently nearer to the Lord, or by their being let down to more external ones, into a lower sphere of heavenly light and heat, and therefore further away from the Lord. [5] It should be remembered that more internal things are higher ones and so are closer to the Lord, whereas more external things are lower ones and so are further away from the Lord, and that light in the heavens is Divine Truth which composes faith, while heat in the heavens is Divine Good that constitutes love, both emanating from the Lord. For the Lord is the Sun in heaven, the source of all the life that angels have, and consequently of all the spiritual and celestial life that people in the world have, see the places referred to in 9548, 9684. Regarding more internal things, that they are higher ones and so are closer to the Lord, see 2148, 3084, 4599, 5146, 8325.
[6] The love and faith of a person who is being regenerated, and also of a person who has been regenerated, in like manner undergo changes of state by being raised to more internal things or let down to more external ones. But there are few who are able to reflect on this matter, because they are unaware of what thinking and willing within the internal man and within the external man are, or even of what the internal man is and what the external man is. Thinking and willing in the internal man implies doing so in heaven, for this is where the internal man is; but thinking and willing in the external man implies doing so in the world, for that is where the external man is. Therefore when love to God and faith resulting from it govern a person he functions in his internal man, since he is now up in heaven; but when his love and resulting faith are set in obscurity he functions in his external, since he is then down in the world. [7] These states too are meant in the Word by ‘morning’, ‘midday’, ‘evening’, and ‘night’ or early morning twilight, as are states of the Church. The first state of the Church is likewise called ‘morning’ in the Word, the second state ‘midday’, the third ‘evening’, and the fourth or last ‘night’. But when the Church has reached its night time, that is, when love to God and faith exist there no longer, morning emerges from twilight for another nation, where a new Church is established. [8] For the situation with the Church in general is like that with a person in particular. His first state is a state of innocence, thus also one of love towards parents, nursemaid, and also children of his own age. His second state is a state of light, for when he becomes a youth he learns the things of light, that is, the truths of faith, and believes them. The third state is reached when he begins to love the world and to love himself, which happens when he becomes a young adult and when he thinks for himself; and to the extent that these loves increase, faith decreases, and together with faith charity towards the neighbour and love to God. The fourth and last state is reached when he has no interest in these, more so when he rejects them.
[9] Such states are also the states of every Church from its beginning to its end. Its first state is in like manner a state of early childhood, thus also one of innocence, and consequently of love to the Lord. This state is called ‘morning’. The second state is a state of light. The third state is a state of light set in obscurity, which is that Church’s ‘evening’. And the fourth state is a state when there is no love nor consequently any light, which is its ‘night’. This is so because evils increase daily; and to the extent that they increase, one person like a contagious disease infects another, especially parents their children. Furthermore hereditary evils are intensified by each succeeding generation and in that condition passed down.
[10] The fact that ‘morning’ means the first state of a Church and also a state of love is clear in Daniel,
The holy one said, For how long is this vision, the continual [burnt offering], and the desolating transgression? He said to me, Up to the evening, [when it is becoming] the morning, two thousand three hundred times; then the sanctuary will be made correct. Dan. 8:13, 14.
This refers to the Lord’s Coming. ‘The evening’ is the state of the Church before His Coming, but ‘the morning’ is the first state of the Church after His Coming, and in the highest sense it is the Lord Himself. The Lord is meant in the highest sense by ‘themorning’ because He is the Sun of heaven, and the Sun of heaven never sets but is always rising in the east. This also explains why the Lord is called ‘the Rising’ or ‘the East’, consequently ‘theMorning’ as well, see 101, 2405, 2780, 9668.
[11] In Isaiah,
One was calling to me from Seir, What of the night, what of the night, O watchman? The watchman said, Morning comes, and also the night. Isa. 21:11, 12.
‘The watchman’ is used to mean in the internal sense one who observes the states of the Church and the changes it undergoes, and so to mean every prophet. ‘The night’ is used to mean the final state of the Church, ‘morning’ its first state. ‘Seir’ from where the watchman calls means the enlightenment of nations who are in darkness, for which meaning of ‘Seir’, see 4240; and for that of ‘the night’ as the final state of the Church, 6000. ‘Morning comes, and also the night’ means that even though enlightenment comes to those who belong to the new Church, night remains with those who are in the old one. ‘Morning’ has the same meaning in David,
In the evening weeping will abide*, in the morning singing. Ps. 30:5.
And in Isaiah,
Around evening time, behold, terror! Before the morning, he is no more. Isa. 17:14.
[12] Since ‘the morning’ in the highest sense means the Lord, and consequently love received from Him and offered back to Him, the manna, which was heavenly bread, rained down every morning, Exod. 16:8, 12, 13, 21. For the Lord is meant by the bread which comes down from heaven, thus by the manna, see John 6:33, 35, 48, 50; and by ‘the bread’ heavenly or celestial love, which is love received from and offered back to the Lord, is meant, 2165, 2177, 3464, 4217, 4735, 5405, 5915, 9545. And it is because the Lord is the rising (or the east) and the morning, and because heavenly love comes wholly from Him, that He rose in the morning on the sabbath day, Mark 16:9**. Therefore also the day before the feast of Passover was called the evening or eve; for the feast of Passover was a sign of the Lord’s presence and of His deliverance of faithful believers from damnation, 7867, 9286-9292.
[13] Anyone acquainted with the internal sense of the Word may recognize what is implied by Peter’s denial of the Lord three times before the cock crowed twice, Matt. 26:34, 74, 75; Mark 14:30, 68, 72; Luke 22:34, 60, 61; John 18:27. For Peter represented the Church’s faith, or what amounts to the same thing, the Church as regards faith. The time when the cock crowed meant the final period of the Church, a time of day which was also called ‘cock-crow’. The triple denial meant a complete denial of the Lord at the end of the Church. That Peter represented the Church’s faith, and so the Church as regards faith, see Prefaces to Genesis 18 and 22, and also 3750, 4738; and that the words addressed to Peter [Matt. 26:34] meant that within the Church the Lord would be denied when it reached its final period, 6000, 6073(end), 10087. The Lord is denied when there is no longer any faith; and there is no faith when there is no longer any charity. ‘Three’ means what is complete, see 2788, 4495, 7715, 8347, 9198, 9488, 9489; and this is why Peter was told that he would deny three times. The fact that this happened in twilight, when morning was about to arrive, is clear in John 18:28; and the fact that cock-crow and early morningtwilight are one and the same thing is evident in Mark,
Watch, for you do not know when the Master of the house will be coming – in the evening, or at midnight, or at cock-crow, or in themorning. Mark 13:35.
From all this it now becomes clear what ‘the morning’ means.
* lit. will pass the night
** Mark 16:9 describes the Resurrection as occurring on the first day of the week.
True Christian Religion (Rose) n. 764
764
After This Night Comes the Morning, Which Is the Lord’s Coming
Since the successive stages of the church on both a large and a small scale are described in the Word as the four seasons of the year (spring, summer, fall, and winter) and as the four times of day (morning, afternoon, evening, and night), and since the modern-day church, which is Christianity, is the night, it follows that now the morning is at hand. The morning is the beginning of a new church.
The following passages make it clear that the Word describes the successive stages of the church as the four parts of the day, which are determined by light.
Through the evening and the morning, for two thousand three hundred [days], what is holy will be made just. The vision of the evening and the morning is the truth. (Daniel 8:14, 26)
Someone was crying out to me from Seir, “Watchman, watchman, what of the night?” The watchman replied, “Morning is coming, but so is the night.” (Isaiah 21:11, 12)
The end has come. The morning is upon you, O you who dwell in the land. Behold, the day has come; the morning is over. (Ezekiel 7:6, 7, 10)
In the morning, in the morning Jehovah will bring his judgment to light; it will not be lacking. (Zephaniah 3:5)
God is in her midst. God will help her when she looks for themorning. (Psalms 46:5)
I have been waiting for Jehovah. My soul waits for the Lord like those who watch for the morning. They watch for the morningbecause with him there is the most redemption. He will redeem Israel. (Psalms 130:5-8)
[2] In the passages just quoted evening and night mean the time when the church is at an end; morning means the time when the church is just beginning.
The Lord himself is also called the Morning, as we see in the following passages:
The God of Israel spoke, the Rock of Israel said to me, “He was like the morning light, a morning without clouds.” (2 Samuel 23:3, 4)
I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the shining morningstar. (Revelation 22:16)
From the womb of your dawn comes the dew of your youth. (Psalms 110:3)
These quotations are about the Lord. Since the Lord is theMorning, he rose from the tomb first thing in the morning, in order to begin a new church (Mark 16:2, 9).
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 10200
- ‘Morning by morning’ means whenever a state of love in clearness exists. This is clear from the meaning of ‘morning’ as a time when a state of love in clearness exists, dealt with in 10134, so that ‘morning by morning’ or every single morning means whenever that state exists.