True Christian Religion (Ager) n. 686

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686. It is said in the Word that the Lord God our Redeemer baptizes with the Holy Spirit and with fire, which means that the Lord regenerates man by the Divine truth of faith and the Divine good of love or charity (as may be seen above in the first number of this section). Those who have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit, that is, by the Divine truth of faith, are distinct in the heavens from those who are regenerated by fire, that is, by the Divine good of love. Those who have been regenerated by the Divine truth of faith walk in heaven in raiment of white linen, and are called spiritual angels; but those who have been regenerated by the Divine good of love walk in purple raiment, and are called celestial angels. Those who go clothed in white raiment are meant by the following:

They follow the Lamb clothed in fine linen, white and clean (Apoc. 19:14). They shall walk with Me in white (Apoc. 3:4; also 7:14). The angels seen at the Lord's sepulchre clothed in white and shining garments (Matt 28:3; Luke 24:4). They were of this class, because "fine linen" signifies the righteousness of the saints (Apoc. 19:8, where this is directly stated). That "garments" in the Word signify truths, and "garments of white" and "fine linen" signify Divine truths, may be seen in the Apocalypse Revealed, where this is shown (n. 379). Those who have been regenerated by the Divine good of love are clothed in purple garments, because purple is the color of love, which color it derives from the fire of the sun and its redness. (That this signifies love may be seen in the Apocalypse Revealed, n. 468, 725. ) It was because "garments" signify truths, that he who was found among those called to the wedding not clothed with a wedding garment, was turned out and cast into outer darkness (Matt. 22:11-13).


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