10127. 'Seven days you shall make propitiation on the altar' means the completeness of the influx into heaven and into the Church. This is clear from the meaning of 'seven days' as what is complete, dealt with below; from the meaning of 'making propitiation' as purification from evils and consequently falsities, also dealt with below; and from the meaning of 'the altar' as that which is representative of the Lord's Divine Human in respect of Divine Good, dealt with in 9388, 9389, 9714, 9964, at this point in heaven and in the Church, 10123. The reason why the sacrifice of a young bull to make propitiation and sanctify the altar should be carried out for seven days was that 'seven days', the same as 'a week', means a whole period, long or short, from start to finish. Therefore also 'seven days' means what is complete. The number three likewise means a whole period from start to finish, and therefore also what is complete. But the difference is that the word 'seven' is used where something holy is referred to, but 'three' when anything whatever is the subject.
[2] It should be remembered that spiritual realities are meant by all numbers in the Word, as is very well known in the next life, where sometimes sheets of paper full of numbers are sent down from heaven to spirits below. Those spirits who receive influx from the Lord see in them a whole chain of realities meant by the numbers, just as if letters had been used. I too have been allowed on several occasions to see such sheets of paper; and also I have been told about certain of the most ancient people, who inwardly lived in fellowship with angels, that they used numbers to embody matters of importance to their Church, and heavenly arcana, and stored those numbers away for themselves as a way of remembering. From this it becomes clear that all numbers in the Word serve to mean spiritual realities. For in the Word not a syllable is devoid of meaning, since the Word has been written not only for people in the world but also at the same time for angels in heaven. Consequently the Word consists of the Divine passing through all the heavens.
[3] All numbers in the Word mean spiritual realities or real things, see 575, 1963, 1988, 2075, 2252, 3252, 4264, 4495, 4670, 5265, 6175, 9659. Seven in the Word implies holy things, 395, 433, 716, 881, 5265, 5268. Seven also means a whole period from start to finish, thus a complete state, 6508, 9228, as does 'a week', 2044, 3845. The number three has the same meaning, 2788, 4495, 4901, 5123, 5159, 7715, 9198, 9488, 9489, 9825.
[4] As regards 'making propitiation', it means purification from evils and consequently falsities, or what amounts to the same thing, the removal of them. And since 'making propitiation and expiation' has this meaning it also implies the implantation of goodness and truth and the joining together of the two by the Lord. The reason why this implantation is also implied is that to the extent that a person is purified from evils and falsities, goodness and truth are implanted and joined together by the Lord. When therefore the one has been postulated, the other is postulated. For the Lord is present with every person with the good of love; He loves all people and in His love wishes to join them to Himself, which is achieved through the good of love and the truth of faith. But the evils and consequent falsities which a person makes his own by a life of evil stand in the way and block influx from Him. From all this it is evident what propitiation and expiation is; see also 9506.
This page is part of 
© 2000-2001 The Academy of the New Church