When we talk about “going up” in the modern world, we usually mean either that we’re going north – which is toward the top of a map – or else that we are literally going up a hill or mountain.
To “go up” in the Bible, however, represents a movement to a higher, more internal, more elevated spiritual state. In the Old Testament people generally went “up” to Canaan, for instance, and “down” to Egypt and other places — Canaan having a more internal representation. And within Israel people went “up” to Jerusalem and “down” from it.
Passages from Swedenborg
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 4539
‘Rise up, go up to Bethel’ means concerning the Divine Natural, that is to say, the perception concerning this. This is clear from the meaning of ‘rising up’ as implying some kind of raising up, dealt with in 2401, 2785, 2912, 2927, 3171, 4103, here a raising up of the Natural towards the Divine; from the meaning of ‘going up’ as doing so towards aspects even more interior, dealt with below; and from the meaning of ‘Bethel’ as the Divine within the natural, that is, within the ultimate degree of order, dealt with in 4089. In the original language Bethel means the house of God, and since ‘the house of God’ is a place where the cognitions of good and truth exist, ‘Bethel’ accordingly means, in the proximate sense, those cognitions, as shown in 1453. But because interior degrees are enveloped by and terminate in the parts which constitute the ultimate degree of order where they come together and so to speak inhabit the same house, and because man’s natural is the ultimate degree, enveloping interior ones, ‘Bethel’ or the house of God therefore means, strictly speaking, the Natural, 3729, 4089, and in particular the good there. For ‘a house’ in the internal sense means good, 2233, 2234, 3720, 3729. It is also within the natural or the ultimate degree of order that cognitions exist.
[2] The reason why ‘going up’ means a raising up towards more interior aspects is that things which are interior are spoken of as those that are higher, 2148, and therefore when the subject in the internal sense is an advance towards things that are more interior the expression ‘going up’ is used. Examples of this usage are, going up from Egypt to the land of Canaan;going up into the interior parts of the land of Canaan itself; going up from any part there to Jerusalem; and when in Jerusalem itself, going up to the house of God there. Going up from Egypt to the land of Canaan is referred to in Moses,
Pharaoh said to Joseph, Go up and bury your father. And Joseph went up. And there went up with him all Pharaoh’s servants. And there went up with him chariot and horseman. Gen. 50:6-9.
And in the Book of Judges,
The angel of Jehovah went up from Gilgal to Bochim, and he said, I caused you to go up out of Egypt. Judg. 2:1.
In the internal sense ‘Egypt’ means factual knowledge which helps people to have some conception of things belonging to the Lord’s kingdom, while ‘the land of Canaan’ means the Lord’s kingdom. And because facts are lower, or what amounts to the same, exterior, while things belonging to the Lord’s kingdom are higher, or what amounts to the same, interior, the Word therefore speaks of ‘going up’ from Egypt to the land of Canaan, or – when travelling in the opposite direction – of ‘going down’ from the land of Canaan to Egypt, as in Gen. 42:2, 3; 43:4, 5, 15; and elsewhere.
[3] Going up into the interior parts of the land of Canaan itself is spoken of in Joshua,
Joshua said, Go up and spy out the land. And the men went up and spied out Ai, and they resumed to Joshua and said to him, Do not let all the people go up; let about 2000 men or about 3000 men go up. Therefore there went up of the people about 3000 men. Josh. 7:2-4.
Because ‘the land of Canaan’ means the Lord’s kingdom, parts further in from its border regions meant things that are interior; hence the use in this quotation of the verb ‘to go up’. The same is true of Jerusalem in relation to all the regions surrounding it, and of the house of God in relation to Jerusalem within which it stood, 1 Kings 12:27, 28; 2 Kings 20:5, 8; Matt. 20:18; Mark 10:33; Luke 18:31; and in many other places besides these. For Jerusalem was the inmost part of the land because the Lord’s spiritual kingdom was meant by it, and the house of God was the inmost part of Jerusalem because the Lord’s celestial kingdom, and in the highest sense the Lord Himself were meant by it. This is why one speaks of ‘goingup’ to these places. From all this one can see what is meant by ‘rise up, go up to Bethel’, namely that ‘going up’ means an advance towards things that are more interior, the subject dealt with in the present chapter, [see] 4536.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 10202
‘And when Aaron causes the lamps to go up between the evenings he shall burn it’ means the raising up also in an obscure state of love, when also truth exists in its shade. This is clear from the meaning of ‘causing the lamps to go up’, or to burn brightly, as enlightening with Divine Truth, and consequently endowing with intelligence and wisdom, dealt with immediately above in 10201; from the representation of ‘Aaron’ as the Lord in respect of Divine Good, and in respect of the work of salvation, dealt with in 9806, 9965, 10068; from the meaning of ‘between the evenings’ as an obscure state of love, and consequently a state of truth in shade, dealt with in 10134, 10135; and from the meaning of ‘burning incense’ as the raising up of worship, dealt with above in 10198. From all this it is evident that ‘when Aaron causes the lamps to go up between the evenings he shall burn incense’ means a raising up by the Lord of everything of worship in an obscure state of love, when also truth exists in its shade. The nature of all this becomes clear from what has been stated immediately above in 10200, 10201, to the effect that states of love are varied in heaven, just as times of day and seasons of the year are in the world, and that truth exists in its own light to the extent that good exists in its own heat, that is, in its love. Consequently when love is not so much in its heat, neither is truth in its light. This being so, reference is made to ‘adorning the lamps in the morning’ but ‘causing them to go up in the evening’; for causing them to go up implies raising and increasing the light of truth, as much as is possible in that state.
Arcana Coelestia (Potts) n. 10499
And now I will go up unto Jehovah. That this signifies the raising of the interiors to the Lord, is evident from the representation of Moses, as being the internal (of which above, n. 10468); and from the signification of “going up,” as being a raising toward interior things (n. 3084, 4539, 4969, 5406, 5817, 6007), here a raising to the Lord, because it is said, “I will go up unto Jehovah,” and by “Jehovah” in the Word is meant the Lord (see at the places cited in n. 9373). How the case herein is can be seen from what has been shown concerning the raising of the internal things of the Word, of the church, and of worship into heaven or unto the Lord, from the external things with the Israelitish nation (n. 4311, 4444, 6304, 8588, 8788, 8806).
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 10560
‘See, You say to me, Cause this people to go up’ means the solemn promise of a Church among that nation. This is clear from the meaning of ‘You say to me’, when what had been said had been said by Jehovah, as a solemn promise; and from the meaning of ’cause this people to go up’ as that the Church may be established among that nation. These are the things that are meant in the internal sense by those words; but in the proximate sense* the meaning is that they would be led into and take possession of the land of Canaan. For this meaning of being led into and taking possession of the land of Canaan as establishing the Church, see above in 10559. What all this entails has been shown in various places in what has gone before, that is to say, places which show that no Church could be established among that nation, only what was representative of the Church, because their interest lay in external things separated from what was internal; that people such as these cannot receive any influx from the Divine; and that yet the Church resides with a person in what is internal in him, not in what is external separated from it. People such as these are indeed able to represent the Church, but not to be a Church. To represent the Church but not to be a Church is the situation when people cultivate things of an external nature, calling them holy and Divine, yet do not acknowledge or perceive them with faith and love derived from heaven. See what has been stated above in 10526 about the meaning of ‘causing the people to go up into the land’.
* i.e. internal historical sense, see 4690:2.
Arcana Coelestia (Potts) n. 8945
And thou shalt not go up on steps unto the altar. That this signifies no elevation to interior things which are celestial, is evident from the signification of “going up by steps,” as being to raise oneself to higher or interior things (whether we say “interior things,” or “higher things,” it is the same, for interior things appear as higher, see n. 2148, 3084, 4210, 4599); and from the signification of “an altar,” as being the chief representative of the Lord (n. 921, 2777, 2811); thus by “going up on steps unto Mine altar” is signified to raise oneself to the Lord, consequently to interior things which are celestial; for the Lord is more present in interior things. Those things are called celestial which are in the inmost heaven, and those spiritual which are in the middle heaven. For heaven is distinguished into two kingdoms, namely, the celestial kingdom and the spiritual kingdom. They who are in the celestial kingdom are in the inmost or third heaven, thus nearest to the Lord; for they who are there are in love to the Lord and in innocence, consequently in wisdom above all the other angels. But they who are in the spiritual kingdom are in the middle or second heaven, thus more remote from the Lord; they who are there are in charity toward the neighbor, and through charity are with the Lord. (Concerning these two kingdoms and the difference between them, see n. 2048, 2088, 2227, 2507, 2669, 2708, 2715, 2718, 3235, 3246, 3374, 3887, 4448, 4585, 4938, 4939, 5113, 5922, 6367, 6435, 7877.)
[2] It is to be explained in a few words how the case is with respect to the elevation toward interior things, thus toward celestial things, which is signified by “going up on steps unto the altar.” It is not granted anyone in the other life to be raised higher into heaven than to the degree of good in which he is; for if he is raised higher, his defilements, that is, the evils of his loves and the falsities therefrom, are made manifest. For the more interior, the more pure and holy, it is in heaven. They who are in a more impure state are kept in a lower sphere, where their impurities are not perceived and do not appear, because they are in a grosser good, and a more obscure truth.
[3] It sometimes happens that they who come into heaven desire to come into a more interior heaven, believing that so they will enjoy greater joy. In order that this desire which clings to them may be removed, they are indeed raised into a more interior heaven; but when they come thither, they begin to be distressed by reason of the evils of their loves, which evils then come to their perception, and they also become ugly by reason of the falsities from the evils with them. On perceiving these things, they cast themselves down from the more interior heaven, and do not return into a tranquil and peaceful state until they come into their former station. These are the things which are signified by the statute, “Thou shalt not go up on steps unto Mine altar, that thy nakedness be not uncovered upon it.”
[4] The case is similar with those who are beneath heaven. If these desire to ascend into heaven before they have been prepared, when they are raised there they feel torment almost infernal, and appear to themselves like carcasses. Even the very life with them labors, like the life of those who are in the death agony; and therefore they cast themselves down headlong, and afterward no more desire to ascend above the state of life in which they are.
[5] Be it known that in the other life heaven is denied by the Lord to no one, and that as many as desire can be admitted. (Heaven consists of societies of angels who are in the good of love toward the neighbor and of love to the Lord; and when any are admitted into heaven, they are let into such societies.) But when the sphere of their life, that is, when the life of their love, is not in agreement, then conflict arises, from which they have anguish and downcasting. In this way they are instructed about the life of heaven, and the state of their own life in comparison, also about the fact that no one has heaven merely by being received or admitted (as is the common opinion in the world), and that by his life in the world a man may become of such a character that he can be with those who are in heaven (see what has been already said and shown on this subject from experience, n. 3938, 4225, 4226, 4299, 4674, 5057, 5058, 7186, 7519, 8794, 8797). These are the things which are signified by the statute, “Thou shalt not go up on steps unto Mine altar, that thy nakedness be not uncovered upon it;” and also by a similar statute in Exod. 28:42, 43.
[6] It is said “go up on steps,” for the reason that elevation to interior things appears in the world of spirits, where celestial and spiritual things are presented in forms like those of the world, as an ascent by steps. This representative it has often been given me to see. For this reason also it was that the angels were seen by Jacob in his dream going up to the Lord by the steps of a ladder (Gen. 28:12). Therefore also by “steps” in the Word is signified ascent to higher things, that is, to interior things, as in Ezekiel 40:6, 22, 26, 31, 34; and in Amos:
The Lord Jehovih Zebaoth buildeth His steps in the heavens (Amos 9:6).
Arcana Coelestia (Potts) n. 6007
And I will cause thee to go up, even in going up. That this signifies elevation afterward, is evident from the signification of “going up,” as being elevation (see n. 3084, 4539, 5406, 5817). The elevation which is here signified is from memory-knowledges to things more interior. For after memory-knowledges have been filled with truths (according to what was said above, n. 6004), the man is elevated from memory-knowledges toward things more interior, and then the memory-knowledges serve him as the ultimate plane of his mental activities (intuitionum). To be elevated toward things more interior is to think more interiorly, and at last as a spirit and as an angel; for the more interiorly thought proceeds, the more perfect it is, because it is nearer the influx of truth and good from the Lord. (That thought is more interior and more exterior may be seen, n. 5127, 5141.)
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 5817
‘And so it was, when we went up to your servant my father’ means a raising up to spiritual good. This is clear from the meaning of ‘going up’ as a raising up, dealt with below; and from the representation of Israel, to whom ‘father’ refers here, as spiritual good from the natural, dealt with in 4286, 4598. A raising up of the kind meant here by ‘going up is a movement towards more internal things; here it is a raising up from the truths in the natural, which are represented by ‘Jacob’s ten sons’, to spiritual good from the natural, represented by ‘Israel’. For there is an exterior natural and there is an interior natural, 5497, 5649. The interior natural holds spiritual good, which is ‘Israel’, while the exterior natural holds the truths known to the Church, which are ‘Jacob’s sons’, and therefore ‘going up to their father’ means a raising up of these to spiritual good.
SUGGESTED HARMONY OF THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS Rev. GEORGE DE CHARMS 1967
III. How Long Was the Lord’s Public Ministry?
One of the most important questions affecting how the four Gospels interweave is how we interpret the first verse of the fifth chapter of John, where it is written: “After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.” What feast is here meant? Was it a Passover or some less important celebration? If it was a Passover, a year must have elapsed between the healing of the infirm man at the Pool of Bethesda* and the feeding of the five thousand with the loaves and fishes,** for of this miracle it is said: “The Passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.”*** The number of years to be assigned to the Lord’s public ministry can be determined with assurance only by counting the number of Passover feasts that occurred between the first cleansing of the temple**** and the crucifixion. This question has been hotly debated for centuries without a conclusion being reached on which all scholars would agree, and the answer hinges on the way in which the statement in John 5: 1 is interpreted.
* John 5: 1-47.
** John 6:1-15.
*** 6:4.
**** John 2: 13-22.
There is no clear indication to be derived from the text of the Gospels, and therefore we have turned for an answer to the teaching of the Writings. There we find certain general principles plainly stated, which, when brought together and carefully considered, point unmistakably to the correct answer. It is taught, for instance, that the first chapter of Genesis presents a general summary of the entire Word, and thus a summary of the Lord’s life on earth.* From this it follows that the Lord’s life, both as it is described in the Old Testament and as it is described in the Gospels, must be divided into six distinct stages corresponding to the six “days” of creation. Because each Gospel represents only a single phase of the Lord’s glorification, these general divisions of His life may not be clearly defined in any one Gospel, and therefore can be discovered only when all four of the Gospels are seen together.
If, however, they are brought into harmonious relation to one another in the way we have described; and if then we understand John 5: 1 as referring to a Passover, we find that the Lord is recorded as paying six visits to Jerusalem in the course of His life. These are as follows:
1. His presentation in the temple when He was forty days old (Luke 2: 22-38).
2. When He was taken to Jerusalem at the age of twelve years, was lost, and later found in the temple talking to the doctors (Luke 2: 41-50).
3. When He drove the money-changers out of the temple at the age of thirty years (John 2:13-22).
4. When He healed the paralytic at the Pool of Bethesda (John 5:
1-47)
5. When He went up to the Feast of Tabernacles eighteen months later (John 7: 2-14).
6. When He made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem immediately before His trial and crucifixion (John 12:12-19).
* See AC 6-13, 62, 6827; TCR 105, 684e; Canons, Redemption VII: 8.
Assuming this to be correct, these visits to Jerusalem do divide the Lord’s life into six periods corresponding to the “days” of creation spoken of in Genesis. But why should this be so? Again we must turn to the teaching of the Writings for some guiding principle. We read in the Doctrine of the Lord:
“As from His birth the Lord had a human from the mother, and as by successive stages He put it off, if follows that while He was in the world He had two states, the one called the state of humiliation or emptying out (exinanition), and the other the state of glorification or unition with the Divine called the Father.”*
* n. 35.
Further on the same subject in other numbers:
“The progress toward union was His state of exinanition, and the union itself was His state of glorification.”*
* TCR 104.
“These two states, of exinanition and of glorification, belonged to the Lord because there is no other possible way of attaining to union, this being in accordance with Divine order, which is immutable.”*
* TCR 105.
“[The Lord] was in the state of humiliation at the time and in the degree that He was in the human from the mother; and in that of glorification at the time and in the degree that He was in the Human from the Father. In the state of humiliation He prayed to the Father as to one who was other than Himself; but in the state of glorification He spoke with the Father as with Himself.”*
* Lord 35.
The Lord experienced these two states alternately, through the entire course of His life. Every man, also, experiences a similar alternation throughout the process of his regeneration, wherefore it is written:
“When a man is being regenerated he receives life from the Lord; for before this he cannot be said to have lived, the life of the world and of the body not being life, but only that which is heavenly and spiritual. Through regeneration man receives real life from the Lord; and because he had no life before, there is an alternation of no life and of real life, that is, of no faith and charity, and of some faith and charity.”*
* AC 933:2.
Such alternation of states is impressed upon all creation, as is evident from day and night, summer and winter, seed time and harvest, waking and sleep, etc. And it is clear from experience that there are general alternations, and particular ones within the general. This was true of the Lord, even as it is true of all men. And general alternations are clearly represented by the repeated statement in the first chapter of Genesis with reference to each day: “The evening and the morning were the day.
It follows therefore that in each general division of the Lord’s life, or each “day” of His glorification, there was an “evening and a morning.” We take this to mean that each “day” consisted of a general state of exinanition, followed by a state of glorification, and that this succession of states was repeated six times during the course of His life. We also believe that these “days” were marked by the Lord’s ascent to Jerusalem, and His descent therefrom. In confirmation of this we would cite the following teaching:
“Being elevated is said of passing from what is lower to what is higher, and also therefore of passing from what is exterior to what is interior. . . . it is from this that one is said to ‘go up’ to Jerusalem, but to ‘go down’ from Jerusalem; also to ‘go upfrom Jerusalem to Zion,’ and to ‘go down from Zion to Jerusalem’; for by what is round about Jerusalem are signified the exteriors of the church, but by Jerusalem the interiors, and by Zion the inmosts.”*
* AC 3084.
“That ‘to go up’ denotes toward the interiors is because interior things are what are called higher things, and therefore when progress toward interior things is heated of in the internal sense, the expression ‘to go up’ is employed, as ‘to go up’ from Egypt to the land of Canaan, and in the land of Canaan itself ‘to go up’ to the interior parts, and from all parts of it to Jerusalem, and in Jerusalem itself to the house of God there.”*
* AC 4539.
On the basis of these teachings we have concluded that because the Lord went up to Jerusalem six times, and descended thence to the lower parts of the land a like number of times, each visit to Jerusalem must have marked the “evening and the morning” of a particular “day” in the process of His glorification.
The fact that the Lord did go up to Jerusalem six times, however, could not possibly be discovered from the reading of any one Gospel. Only as the Gospels are brought into harmony, and viewed together, does this come to light. Until it has come to light there is no possible way in which to learn how the process of glorification is related to the “days” of creation in the first chapter of Genesis; but when this has been determined, one is given the key to the relation between the Old and the New Testaments.