8330. The sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have prepared. That this signifies heaven where are they who are in the truth of faith from the Lord, is evident from the signification of "the sanctuary," as being heaven where is the truth of faith (of which below); and from the signification of "Thy hands have prepared," as being that which is from the Lord. It is said of the sanctuary that "Thy hands have prepared it," because the "hands" are predicated of truth, and signify power. (That the "hands" are predicated of truth, see n. 3091, 8281; and also that they denote power, n. 878, 3387, 4931-4937, 5327, 5328, 6292, 6947, 7011, 7188, 7189, 7518, 7673, 8050, 8069, 8153, 8281; in like manner that "sanctuary" is predicated of truth, n. 8302.) But the words which precede, as "the place for Thee to dwell in," and "which Thou hast wrought O Jehovah," are predicated of good, because they relate to "the mountain of inheritance," by which is signified heaven wherein is the good of charity (n. 8327). (That there are words which in the Word are predicated of good, and words which are predicated of truth, see n. 8314.) [2] What is meant by the heaven in which is the good of charity, which is signified by "the mountain of inheritance," and what by the heaven in which is the truth of faith, which is "the sanctuary," shall be briefly told. The heaven in which is the good of charity is that in which are the interior ones who belong to the Lord's spiritual kingdom; and the heaven in which is the truth of faith is that in which are the exterior ones who belong to this kingdom. They who are interior are in charity itself and in the derivative faith; but they who are exterior are those who are in faith, but not yet in charity. These latter do good from obedience, but the former from affection. From all this it is evident what is meant by the heaven in which is the good of charity, and what by the heaven in which is the truth of faith. [3] As regards the "sanctuary," it denotes in the supreme sense the truth of faith which is from the Lord, and consequently in the representative sense it denotes the Lord's spiritual kingdom, also the spiritual church, and from this a regenerated man who is a church, and thus in a sense abstracted from these it denotes the truth of faith, thus faith itself. (What "holy" denotes see above, n. 8302.) [4] From this then it is that heaven is called "the sanctuary" from the truth of faith which is from the Lord, as in David:
Jehovah answer thee in the day of trouble, send thee help from the sanctuary, and sustain thee out of Zion (Ps. 20:1, 2); here "the sanctuary" denotes the heaven where is the truth of faith; "Zion" denotes the heaven where is the good of love. They have seen Thy goings, O God, the goings of my God, of my King, in the sanctuary; to be feared is God, out of Thy sanctuaries the God of Israel (Ps. 68:24, 35);
"the sanctuary" denotes the heaven where is the truth of faith, consequently it is said "God," and not "Jehovah," and also "King;" because "God" is said where truth is treated of, and "Jehovah" where good is treated of (n. 2586, 2769, 2807, 2822, 3921, 4402, 7010, 7268), and because "King" denotes truth (n. 1672, 1728, 2015, 2069, 3009, 4575, 4581, 4966, 5044, 5068, 6148). [5] In the same:
A people shall praise Jah, because He hath looked forth from the height of His sanctuary; from the heavens did Jehovah look upon the earth, to hear the groaning of the bound one, to open to the sons of death (Ps. 102:18-20);
here also "sanctuary" denotes heaven as to the truth of faith. In the same:
Praise ye God in His sanctuary; praise ye Him in the expanse of His strength (Ps. 150:1);
"to praise in the sanctuary" denotes to do so from the truth of faith which is from the Lord; and "to praise in the expanse of His strength," denotes by virtue of the good of charity which is from the Lord.
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