Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 8827

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8827. 'To the top of the mountain' means in the inmost, that is to say, the inmost heaven. This is clear from the meaning of 'the mountain' as heaven, as immediately above in 8826. The reason why 'the top of the mountain' means the inmost heaven is that the top of a mountain is its highest point, and 'highest' means inmost, 1735, 2148, 4210, 4599, 8153. There are three heavens, which are the lowest, called the first; the middle, called the second; and the inmost, called the third. This heaven has what is Divine in it more fully than in the two lower ones; for those there are directly beneath the Lord's sight, because they are governed by love to the Lord, and consequently possess greater peace and innocence than all others. Angels there are called celestial angels, whereas angels in the second heaven are called spiritual angels. Therefore what is Divine in the third heaven is called the Divine celestial, and what is Divine in the second is called the Divine spiritual. From all this one may see what Jehovah's coming down onto the top of the mountain means.


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